Andrew MacLaren
Encyclopedia
Andrew MacLaren was an Independent Labour Party
politician. His passions were economic justice and art; he persistently campaigned for Land Value Taxation, and he was a painter. He represented Burslem
for three separate terms during the 20th century.
. Early influences were Christianity
, Mozart, Palestrina
, and recent Irish history. An engineering apprentice from age 14 (working alongside John later Lord Reith
), he attended art classes in the evening when able. From 17, when his father died, he had to provide for the family.
With an innate sense of justice and freedom, he looked for the causes of the poverty and deprivation observed around him, hoping to find solutions. He studied Marx extensively, but failed to find answers. However, on discovering Glasgow’s “single taxers” and reading Henry George
’s “Progress and Poverty
” (c 1905) he was set ablaze. From then on, his fine oratory was used to demand that everyone looked to the one issue that (as he believed) could solve the social and economic problems and hence men free: Land Value Taxation.
Andrew MacLaren moved to London in 1914 and joined the Independent Labour Party
. He was MP
for Burslem
1922-3, 1924-31, 1935-45. In 1943 he resigned from the Labour Party and finally lost his seat when standing as Independent Labour. He died in 1975 after a short illness. He had 2 sons, Leon
and John.
Whilst an MP he often toured the most deprived parts of the country, raising the awareness of their plight in parliament. Whilst not an MP, he lectured extensively, encouraging and educating wherever he could to further the cause of land reform. Any remaining time was devoted to his art.
He was a vocal supporter of Philip Snowden’s 1931 budget which included a measure of Land Value Taxation which reached the statute books in 1931. With the next election (1931) lost his seat and then saw the act being repealed. He tried again with a private member's bill
in 1937; it was rejected 141 to 118, and so he never saw his dream fulfilled.
He was firmly against the welfare state, believing it merely appeared to be necessary due to the prevailing inequities in the economic system. As he saw it, without reforming land tenure the welfare state would bankrupt the state. This set him in conflict with the Labour leadership.
When not in parliament he poured his effort and talent into education, hoping to make people see how land value taxation could relieve society of many unhelpful economic tendencies, and provide economic freedom for the common people.
Andrew MacLaren was also an artist and cartoonist. One painting (of Neville Chamberlain
) is in the National Gallery .
He was knowledgeable on renaissance art and in 1948 was commissioned by National Gallery to write a report on Leonardo da Vinci
’s “Madonna of the Rocks”.
He corresponded with many well known people of that age; the letters with George Bernard Shaw
(on Land Value Taxation) are at the British Library..
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
politician. His passions were economic justice and art; he persistently campaigned for Land Value Taxation, and he was a painter. He represented Burslem
Burslem (UK Parliament constituency)
Burslem was a borough constituency in Stoke-on-Trent which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Elections were held using the first past the post voting system.- History :...
for three separate terms during the 20th century.
History
Andrew MacLaren was born in a poor district of GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. Early influences were Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, Mozart, Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was an Italian Renaissance composer of sacred music and the best-known 16th-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition...
, and recent Irish history. An engineering apprentice from age 14 (working alongside John later Lord Reith
John Reith, 1st Baron Reith
John Charles Walsham Reith, 1st Baron Reith, KT, GCVO, GBE, CB, TD, PC was a Scottish broadcasting executive who established the tradition of independent public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom...
), he attended art classes in the evening when able. From 17, when his father died, he had to provide for the family.
With an innate sense of justice and freedom, he looked for the causes of the poverty and deprivation observed around him, hoping to find solutions. He studied Marx extensively, but failed to find answers. However, on discovering Glasgow’s “single taxers” and reading Henry George
Henry George
Henry George was an American writer, politician and political economist, who was the most influential proponent of the land value tax, also known as the "single tax" on land...
’s “Progress and Poverty
Progress and Poverty
Progress and Poverty: An Inquiry into the Cause of Industrial Depressions and of Increase of Want with Increase of Wealth: The Remedy was written by Henry George in 1879...
” (c 1905) he was set ablaze. From then on, his fine oratory was used to demand that everyone looked to the one issue that (as he believed) could solve the social and economic problems and hence men free: Land Value Taxation.
Andrew MacLaren moved to London in 1914 and joined the Independent Labour Party
Independent Labour Party
The Independent Labour Party was a socialist political party in Britain established in 1893. The ILP was affiliated to the Labour Party from 1906 to 1932, when it voted to leave...
. He was MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Burslem
Burslem (UK Parliament constituency)
Burslem was a borough constituency in Stoke-on-Trent which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Elections were held using the first past the post voting system.- History :...
1922-3, 1924-31, 1935-45. In 1943 he resigned from the Labour Party and finally lost his seat when standing as Independent Labour. He died in 1975 after a short illness. He had 2 sons, Leon
Leon MacLaren
Leon MacLaren was a barrister, politician, philosopher and the founder of the School of Economic Science MacLaren was inspired by Henry George, Socrates, Dr Francis Roles, Pyotr Ouspensky, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and finally the philosophy of Advaita Vedānta through the Shankaracharyas of Jyoti...
and John.
Whilst an MP he often toured the most deprived parts of the country, raising the awareness of their plight in parliament. Whilst not an MP, he lectured extensively, encouraging and educating wherever he could to further the cause of land reform. Any remaining time was devoted to his art.
Passions
Andrew MacLaren’ hero was Campbell-Bannerman, and he often repeated CB’s pledge “ … to make the land less of a pleasure ground for the rich, and more of a treasure-house for the nation …”.He was a vocal supporter of Philip Snowden’s 1931 budget which included a measure of Land Value Taxation which reached the statute books in 1931. With the next election (1931) lost his seat and then saw the act being repealed. He tried again with a private member's bill
Private Member's Bill
A member of parliament’s legislative motion, called a private member's bill or a member's bill in some parliaments, is a proposed law introduced by a member of a legislature. In most countries with a parliamentary system, most bills are proposed by the government, not by individual members of the...
in 1937; it was rejected 141 to 118, and so he never saw his dream fulfilled.
He was firmly against the welfare state, believing it merely appeared to be necessary due to the prevailing inequities in the economic system. As he saw it, without reforming land tenure the welfare state would bankrupt the state. This set him in conflict with the Labour leadership.
When not in parliament he poured his effort and talent into education, hoping to make people see how land value taxation could relieve society of many unhelpful economic tendencies, and provide economic freedom for the common people.
Andrew MacLaren was also an artist and cartoonist. One painting (of Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
) is in the National Gallery .
He was knowledgeable on renaissance art and in 1948 was commissioned by National Gallery to write a report on Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
’s “Madonna of the Rocks”.
He corresponded with many well known people of that age; the letters with George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
(on Land Value Taxation) are at the British Library..
Further reading
One other biography exists:- Malcolm Hill; Enemy of Injustice (1999, Othila Press, London) ISBN 1901647196
External links
- Henry George Foundation some notes on his time with the English League 1933 onwards