Oliver Smedley
Encyclopedia
Major Oliver Smedley MC (1911 – 1989) was a British businessman involved in classical liberal
politics and pirate radio
. He was acquitted of the murder of a business rival on the grounds of self-defence.
and gunner during the Second World War and won the Military Cross
on July 11th 1944 at Audrieu in the battle for Normandy.
's Agriculture Act 1947
, Smedley helped to found, and become Secretary of, the Farmer's and Smallholder's Association in 1947. Its first President was the Conservative
MP Waldron Smithers
.
In 1952 Smedley resigned from his job as a Chartered Accountant and campaigned for economic liberalism from his office in EC2. His main campaigning organisation was the Cheap Food League which was against all types of protection and subsidy in agriculture
, especially marketing board
s. In a protest against high taxation he founded the Council for the Reduction of Taxation in 1954. Then in 1955, whilst a member of the Society of Individualists, Smedley met Antony Fisher
and together they founded the Institute of Economic Affairs
. Smedley also took over the Free Trade League and the Cobden Club
in 1958.
Smedley was also a Liberal
politician, standing against Rab Butler
in Saffron Walden
in the general elections of 1950
and 1951
. In all he contested eighteen Parliamentary elections. However, he left the Liberal Party in 1962 due to his opposition to their favourable attitude to British membership of the European Economic Community. He founded the Keep Britain Out campaign to oppose British membership of the EEC. In 1979 he founded the Free Trade Liberal Party.
and nightclub
in Albufeira
, Portugal, called the Seven and the Seven and a Half. Tom Jones
and others performed there, as well as his son Charles Smedley (he had two children, the other is Emma Currie).
, Smedley helped to form the British company Project Atlanta, Limited that successfully launched Britain's second full-time offshore commercial pirate radio
station called Radio Atlanta
. The station used a ship that had once been the home of Radio Nord
. Radio Atlanta eventually merged with the Caroline Organization led by Irishman Ronan O'Rahilly
and changed its name to Radio Caroline South.
When Reginald Calvert
, manager of The Fortunes
pop group, founded the rival pirate station Radio City
, Smedley tried to persuade Calvert to amalgamate with Radio Caroline in exchange for a new transmitter. The transmitter turned out to work not properly and Calvert refused to pay for it. Smedley as response hired a group of riggers to board Radio City. The next day Calvert went to the house of Smedley, where Smedley killed him with a shotgun. Smedley claimed that he feared Calvert was there to kill him and was acquitted of murder
on the grounds of self defence.
Classical liberalism
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
politics and pirate radio
Pirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
. He was acquitted of the murder of a business rival on the grounds of self-defence.
Military
Smedley was a paratrooperParatrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
and gunner during the Second World War and won the Military Cross
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
on July 11th 1944 at Audrieu in the battle for Normandy.
Politics and Economics
In opposition to Clement AttleeClement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955...
's Agriculture Act 1947
Agriculture Act 1947
The Agriculture Act 1947 was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom passed by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government.The government wanted a positive balance of payments, to lower the amount of food imported into Britain from dollar countries and to promote the maximum agricultural...
, Smedley helped to found, and become Secretary of, the Farmer's and Smallholder's Association in 1947. Its first President was the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Waldron Smithers
Waldron Smithers
Sir Waldron Smithers was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom.Smithers was educated at Charterhouse and in France and became a member of the London Stock Exchange...
.
In 1952 Smedley resigned from his job as a Chartered Accountant and campaigned for economic liberalism from his office in EC2. His main campaigning organisation was the Cheap Food League which was against all types of protection and subsidy in agriculture
Agricultural subsidy
An agricultural subsidy is a governmental subsidy paid to farmers and agribusinesses to supplement their income, manage the supply of agricultural commodities, and influence the cost and supply of such commodities...
, especially marketing board
Marketing board
A marketing board is an organization created by many producers to try to market their product and increase consumption and thus prices. They most commonly exist to help sell farm products such as milk, eggs, or beef and are funded by the farmers of those crops. Marketing boards often also receive...
s. In a protest against high taxation he founded the Council for the Reduction of Taxation in 1954. Then in 1955, whilst a member of the Society of Individualists, Smedley met Antony Fisher
Antony Fisher
Sir Antony Fisher was one of the most influential background players in the global rise of libertarian think-tanks during the second half of the twentieth century, founding the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Atlas Economic Research Foundation. Through Atlas, he helped establish up to 150...
and together they founded the Institute of Economic Affairs
Institute of Economic Affairs
The Institute of Economic Affairs , founded in 1955, styles itself the UK's pre-eminent free-market think-tank. Its mission is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social...
. Smedley also took over the Free Trade League and the Cobden Club
Cobden Club
The Cobden Club was a political gentlemen's club in London founded in 1866 for believers in Free Trade doctrine, and named in honour of Richard Cobden, who had died the year before....
in 1958.
Smedley was also a Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician, standing against Rab Butler
Rab Butler
Richard Austen Butler, Baron Butler of Saffron Walden, KG CH DL PC , who invariably signed his name R. A. Butler and was familiarly known as Rab, was a British Conservative politician...
in Saffron Walden
Saffron Walden (UK Parliament constituency)
Saffron Walden is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
in the general elections of 1950
United Kingdom general election, 1950
The 1950 United Kingdom general election was the first general election ever after a full term of a Labour government. Despite polling over one and a half million votes more than the Conservatives, the election, held on 23 February 1950 resulted in Labour receiving a slim majority of just five...
and 1951
United Kingdom general election, 1951
The 1951 United Kingdom general election was held eighteen months after the 1950 general election, which the Labour Party had won with a slim majority of just five seats...
. In all he contested eighteen Parliamentary elections. However, he left the Liberal Party in 1962 due to his opposition to their favourable attitude to British membership of the European Economic Community. He founded the Keep Britain Out campaign to oppose British membership of the EEC. In 1979 he founded the Free Trade Liberal Party.
Bars and Nightclubs
Smedley also owned and ran a barBar (establishment)
A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...
and nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in Albufeira
Albufeira
Albufeira is a Portuguese municipality in the Faro District, Algarve region. Its name came from the Arabic: البحيرة . The city has a population of 13,646. The municipality has a population of 35,281 inhabitants and a total area of 140.6 km²...
, Portugal, called the Seven and the Seven and a Half. Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
and others performed there, as well as his son Charles Smedley (he had two children, the other is Emma Currie).
Pirate radio
In 1964, with Alan CrawfordAlan Crawford
Alan Crawford may refer to:*Alan Crawford , Australian rules footballer*Alan Crawford , English footballer and manager...
, Smedley helped to form the British company Project Atlanta, Limited that successfully launched Britain's second full-time offshore commercial pirate radio
Pirate radio
Pirate radio is illegal or unregulated radio transmission. The term is most commonly used to describe illegal broadcasting for entertainment or political purposes, but is also sometimes used for illegal two-way radio operation...
station called Radio Atlanta
Radio Atlanta
Radio Atlanta named after Atlanta, Texas, was an offshore commercial station that operated briefly from 12 May 1964 to 2 July 1964 from a ship anchored in the North Sea, three and a half miles off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England...
. The station used a ship that had once been the home of Radio Nord
Radio Nord
Radio Nord was a Swedish offshore commercial station that operated briefly from 8 March 1961 to 30 June 1962 from a ship anchored in international waters of the Baltic Sea off Stockholm, Sweden. While the station was dubbed as a pirate radio station, its actual operation took place within the laws...
. Radio Atlanta eventually merged with the Caroline Organization led by Irishman Ronan O'Rahilly
Ronan O'Rahilly
Ronan O'Rahilly is an Irish businessman best known for the creation of the offshore radio station, Radio Caroline.O'Rahilly's parents owned the private port of Greenore in Carlingford Lough, County Louth...
and changed its name to Radio Caroline South.
When Reginald Calvert
Reginald Calvert
Reginald Calvert was the manager of The Fortunes pop group and singer Screaming Lord Sutch, and the owner of offshore pirate radio station Radio City....
, manager of The Fortunes
The Fortunes
The Fortunes are an English harmony beat group. Formed in Birmingham, The Fortunes first came to prominence and international acclaim in 1965, when "You've Got Your Troubles" broke into the US and UK Top 10s...
pop group, founded the rival pirate station Radio City
Radio City (pirate radio station)
Radio City was a British pirate radio station that broadcast from Shivering Sands Army Fort, one of the abandoned Second World War Maunsell Sea Forts in the Thames Estuary.- Origins :...
, Smedley tried to persuade Calvert to amalgamate with Radio Caroline in exchange for a new transmitter. The transmitter turned out to work not properly and Calvert refused to pay for it. Smedley as response hired a group of riggers to board Radio City. The next day Calvert went to the house of Smedley, where Smedley killed him with a shotgun. Smedley claimed that he feared Calvert was there to kill him and was acquitted of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
on the grounds of self defence.