Glasgow Camlachie by-election, 1948
Encyclopedia
The Glasgow Camlachie by-election was held on 28 January 1948, following the death of Member of Parliament
for Glasgow Camlachie
Campbell Stephen
.
Stephen had been elected for the Independent Labour Party
(ILP) in the 1945 general election
, and had held the seat for them since 1935. However, he resigned the ILP whip
in 1947, and later that year joined the Labour Party
- for which he had held the seat from 1922 until 1931.
The ILP had achieved a fairly close victory over the Unionist Party in the seat in a two-way fight at the 1945 general election
. Since then, its most prominent figure, James Maxton
, had died. The party won the subsequent by-election
, but all three of its MPs had since defected to the Labour Party. With the ILP in sharp decline, and given that the Labour Party intended to contest the seat, commentators did not expect the ILP to hold the seat, and concluded that it would be a Labour-Unionist contest. The ILP stood Annie Maxton
, sister of James.
As a seat in a working class
area of Glasgow
, the constituency seemed natural Labour Party territory. The party stood John M. Inglis, a train
driver and trade unionist.
UK-wide, Labour had won a large victory at the 1945 general election, and the Conservatives had not gained a single seat since. However, given their strong second place in Camlachie in 1945, and the left divided, they hoped to gain the seat. They stood Charles McFarlane, a local factory owner.
Despite having no background in the constituency, the Scottish National Party
and Liberal Party
also stood candidates. Guy Aldred
, a well known local anarcho-communist stood for his United Socialist Movement
on an abstentionist anti-Parliamentary platform.
The election was won narrowly by McFarlane for the Unionists. Labour came a close second, but were warned by the Manchester Guardian "Camlachie's chief warning is ... that a government candidate cannot even rouse the slums".http://time-proxy.yaga.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,855993,00.html The ILP vote declined dramatically, and demonstrated that the party was no longer a significant political force. The SNP took a close fourth place, while the Liberals came in sixth, beaten even by Aldred. This is the worst Liberal placing in any British by-election since World War II, equalled only by the Hamilton South by-election, 1999
.
McFarlane lost the seat at the 1950 general election
to William Reid
of Labour. Annie Maxton remained prominent in the ILP, eventually becoming its chair.
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 Glasgow Camlachie
Glasgow Camlachie (UK Parliament constituency)
Glasgow Camlachie was a burgh constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1955.It elected one Member of Parliament using the first-past-the-post voting system.-Boundaries:...
Campbell Stephen
Campbell Stephen
Rev Campbell Stephen MA BD BSc was a Scottish socialist politician.A native of Bower parish, Caithness, he was educated at Townhead Public School, Allan Glen's School and Glasgow University....
.
Stephen had been elected for 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...
(ILP) in the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
, and had held the seat for them since 1935. However, he resigned the ILP whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
in 1947, and later that year joined the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
- for which he had held the seat from 1922 until 1931.
The ILP had achieved a fairly close victory over the Unionist Party in the seat in a two-way fight at the 1945 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1945
The United Kingdom general election of 1945 was a general election held on 5 July 1945, with polls in some constituencies delayed until 12 July and in Nelson and Colne until 19 July, due to local wakes weeks. The results were counted and declared on 26 July, due in part to the time it took to...
. Since then, its most prominent figure, James Maxton
James Maxton
James Maxton was a Scottish socialist politician, and leader of the Independent Labour Party. A prominent proponent of Home Rule for Scotland, he is remembered as one of the leading figures of the Red Clydeside era.-Early years:...
, had died. The party won the subsequent by-election
Glasgow Bridgeton by-election, 1946
The Glasgow Bridgeton by-election was held on 29 August 1946, following the death of Independent Labour Party Member of Parliament for Glasgow Bridgeton, James Maxton.The constituency had been held by Maxton since the 1922 UK general election...
, but all three of its MPs had since defected to the Labour Party. With the ILP in sharp decline, and given that the Labour Party intended to contest the seat, commentators did not expect the ILP to hold the seat, and concluded that it would be a Labour-Unionist contest. The ILP stood Annie Maxton
Annie Maxton
Annie Maxton was a Scottish socialist and trade unionist.Born in Glasgow, Maxton was convinced to join the Independent Labour Party by her elder brother, James Maxton. She trained as a teacher and became active in the Educational Institute of Scotland....
, sister of James.
As a seat in a working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
area of Glasgow
Glasgow
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...
, the constituency seemed natural Labour Party territory. The party stood John M. Inglis, a train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
driver and trade unionist.
UK-wide, Labour had won a large victory at the 1945 general election, and the Conservatives had not gained a single seat since. However, given their strong second place in Camlachie in 1945, and the left divided, they hoped to gain the seat. They stood Charles McFarlane, a local factory owner.
Despite having no background in the constituency, the Scottish National Party
Scottish National Party
The Scottish National Party is a social-democratic political party in Scotland which campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom....
and Liberal Party
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...
also stood candidates. Guy Aldred
Guy Aldred
Guy Alfred Aldred - often Guy A. Aldred - was a British anarchist communist and a prominent member of the Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation...
, a well known local anarcho-communist stood for his United Socialist Movement
United Socialist Movement
The United Socialist Movement was an anarcho-communist political organisation based in Glasgow. It published a journal, The Word.The group's roots lay in the Anti-Parliamentary Communist Federation. Guy Aldred, a leading figure in the group, came to believe that Parliamentarianism was essentially...
on an abstentionist anti-Parliamentary platform.
The election was won narrowly by McFarlane for the Unionists. Labour came a close second, but were warned by the Manchester Guardian "Camlachie's chief warning is ... that a government candidate cannot even rouse the slums".http://time-proxy.yaga.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,855993,00.html The ILP vote declined dramatically, and demonstrated that the party was no longer a significant political force. The SNP took a close fourth place, while the Liberals came in sixth, beaten even by Aldred. This is the worst Liberal placing in any British by-election since World War II, equalled only by the Hamilton South by-election, 1999
Hamilton South by-election, 1999
On August 4, 1999 NATO announced that the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Hamilton South, in Scotland, the Rt. Hon. George Robertson, had been chosen as its new Secretary-General. This meant that Robertson was required to resign his seat which he had won as a Labour candidate in the...
.
McFarlane lost the seat at the 1950 general election
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...
to William Reid
William Reid (politician)
William Reid was a Scottish Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament from 1950 to 1964....
of Labour. Annie Maxton remained prominent in the ILP, eventually becoming its chair.