Scottish Protestant League
Encyclopedia
The Scottish Protestant League was a political party in Scotland
during the 1920s and 1930s.
The League was led by Alexander Ratcliffe, who founded it in 1920. Ratcliffe was elected as a councillor to Glasgow City Council in 1931 for Dennistoun
(previously a safe Moderate seat) and the League won another seat in Dalmarnock
(previously a safe Labour seat) by an ex-communist, Charles Forrester. The third seat it contested failed to unseat the Moderate but it did come second, pushing Labour into third place. In these three seats (which had the highest turn outs in the election) the League gained 12,579 votes (44%). In 1932 the League stood in eleven wards and gained one more seat (Kinning Park
) and 12% of the total vote. In 1933 the League stood in twenty-three wards and gained over 71,000 votes (23% of the total vote). Again the League did best in seats with the highest turn outs. In the same year Ratcliffe joined the
Scottish Fascist Democratic Party for a brief period. Following a visit to Germany
in 1939 however Ratcliffe became a fully fledged convert to fascism.
The main policy of the League was to campaign for the repeal of the Education (Scotland) Act 1918 and specifically Section 18 of that Act which allowed Catholic schools into the state system funded through education rates, which led to the slogan: "No Rome on the Rates!" The League wished to stop Irish immigration to Britain, repatriate Irish immigrants already settled and deport Irish immigrants on welfare. The League also opposed cuts in teacher's pay, campaigned for lower wages for top council workers and was in favour of building more council housing and was for reduced rents and rates.
However from 1934 the League declined. Protestant churches opposed it and internal splits hampered it. The majority, including Ratcliffe, voted with Labour on the council, with two voting with the Moderates. After disagreements with Ratcliffe's control of the League, four councillors left and designated themselves independent Protestants. In 1934 the League only put up seven candidates and none were elected (Ratcliffe lost his seat even though there was no Moderate candidate and the independent Protestants lost their seats also), although they did gain a considerable number of votes. Ratcliffe failed in 1937 to be elected for Camphill. Although there are reports that the League was virtually defunct by the late 1930s it's "Vanguard" newspaper was still running as late as 1939 and reporting that "Hitler and the
Pope are a pair...much in common...plotting together with Mussolini,
also in the plot, to smash Protestantism throughout Europe".
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
during the 1920s and 1930s.
The League was led by Alexander Ratcliffe, who founded it in 1920. Ratcliffe was elected as a councillor to Glasgow City Council in 1931 for Dennistoun
Dennistoun
Dennistoun is a district of the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated north of the River Clyde in the east end of the city. It is made up of a number of smaller districts - Milnbank to the north, 'The Drives' in the centre of the area and Bellgrove below Duke Street to the south. In a 2004...
(previously a safe Moderate seat) and the League won another seat in Dalmarnock
Dalmarnock
Dalmarnock is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde. It is bounded by the Clyde to the south and east, Parkhead to the north, and Bridgeton at Dunn Street to the north west...
(previously a safe Labour seat) by an ex-communist, Charles Forrester. The third seat it contested failed to unseat the Moderate but it did come second, pushing Labour into third place. In these three seats (which had the highest turn outs in the election) the League gained 12,579 votes (44%). In 1932 the League stood in eleven wards and gained one more seat (Kinning Park
Kinning Park
Kinning Park is a southern suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. In 1897 it had a population of 14326.-Political history:Originally a separate police burgh founded in 1871, it became part of Glasgow in 1905. It was the smallest such burgh in Scotland at just...
) and 12% of the total vote. In 1933 the League stood in twenty-three wards and gained over 71,000 votes (23% of the total vote). Again the League did best in seats with the highest turn outs. In the same year Ratcliffe joined the
Scottish Fascist Democratic Party for a brief period. Following a visit to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1939 however Ratcliffe became a fully fledged convert to fascism.
The main policy of the League was to campaign for the repeal of the Education (Scotland) Act 1918 and specifically Section 18 of that Act which allowed Catholic schools into the state system funded through education rates, which led to the slogan: "No Rome on the Rates!" The League wished to stop Irish immigration to Britain, repatriate Irish immigrants already settled and deport Irish immigrants on welfare. The League also opposed cuts in teacher's pay, campaigned for lower wages for top council workers and was in favour of building more council housing and was for reduced rents and rates.
However from 1934 the League declined. Protestant churches opposed it and internal splits hampered it. The majority, including Ratcliffe, voted with Labour on the council, with two voting with the Moderates. After disagreements with Ratcliffe's control of the League, four councillors left and designated themselves independent Protestants. In 1934 the League only put up seven candidates and none were elected (Ratcliffe lost his seat even though there was no Moderate candidate and the independent Protestants lost their seats also), although they did gain a considerable number of votes. Ratcliffe failed in 1937 to be elected for Camphill. Although there are reports that the League was virtually defunct by the late 1930s it's "Vanguard" newspaper was still running as late as 1939 and reporting that "Hitler and the
Pope are a pair...much in common...plotting together with Mussolini,
also in the plot, to smash Protestantism throughout Europe".
Further reading
- Steve Bruce, No Pope of Rome!: Militant Protestantism in Modern Scotland (Mainstream, 1989), pp. 42–82.