Harold Davies, Baron Davies of Leek
Encyclopedia
Harold Davies, Baron Davies of Leek, PC
(31 July 1904 – 28 October 1985) was a British
Labour Party
politician.
He was elected at the 1945 general election
as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Leek
in Staffordshire
, and held the seat until his defeat at the 1970 general election
by the Conservative candidate
David Knox
. Davies was subsequently given a life peerage in August 1970, as Baron Davies of Leek, of Leek in the County of Staffordshire
.
He was Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions from 1964 to 1966, and then Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Social Security until 1967. Afterwards, he became Parliamentary Private Secretary
to Prime Minister Harold Wilson
between 1967 and 1970. He was made a Privy Councillor
in 1969.
He was always associated with the Left of the party and was involved with the "Keep Left" and Bevanite wing. He was an assiduous local MP but his left wing views led to him being overlooked for Ministerial office during the Attlee governments (1945/51). Although appointed to junior office by Harold Wilson, he hit the headlines only briefly when Wilson despatched him on a "secret" mission to Hanoi with the in an attempt to broker talks between the North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh and the Americans and their allies. Wilson was "between a rock and a hard place" when it came to dealing with the Vietnam War. (Curiously, as Blair was to be over Iraq a generation later.) His policy of support for the US was bitterly opposed by large sections of the community at large, and quite possibly by a majority within his own party. But his commitment to the "special relationship" with the US, the need for US economic support and possibly (see Blair again)the desire to be seen an influential friend of the US President meant that he continued to lend his government's support to the US policy of military involvement in Vietnam.
The choice of Davies as a special envoy seems surprising, but Davies' left wing, and anti-militaristic views appeared to lend an air of conviction to an operation designed to put out peace feelers. But through no fault of Davies' it was a fiasco. The secrecy was blown even before Davies emerged from his plane in Hanoi. The Americans were furious, UK diplomats embarrassed and angry and Ho Chi Minh refused to see Davies. It was an ill thought out expedition designed to ease Wilson's political differences at home, and Davies himself, although possibly more sinned against than sinner, was made to look foolish.
When in the Commons, Davies led the 40-strong group of members who spoke Esperanto
.
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(31 July 1904 – 28 October 1985) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
politician.
He was elected 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...
as Member of Parliament
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,...
(MP) for Leek
Leek (UK Parliament constituency)
Leek was a parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, and held the seat until his defeat at the 1970 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
by the Conservative candidate
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...
David Knox
David Knox (UK politician)
Sir David Laidlaw Knox is a British Conservative Party politician. He was the Conservative MP for Leek, Staffordshire from 1970 to 1983, and for Staffordshire Moorlands from 1983 to 1997, when he retired....
. Davies was subsequently given a life peerage in August 1970, as Baron Davies of Leek, of Leek in the County of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
.
He was Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Pensions from 1964 to 1966, and then Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Social Security until 1967. Afterwards, he became Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to Prime Minister Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
between 1967 and 1970. He was made a Privy Councillor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1969.
He was always associated with the Left of the party and was involved with the "Keep Left" and Bevanite wing. He was an assiduous local MP but his left wing views led to him being overlooked for Ministerial office during the Attlee governments (1945/51). Although appointed to junior office by Harold Wilson, he hit the headlines only briefly when Wilson despatched him on a "secret" mission to Hanoi with the in an attempt to broker talks between the North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh and the Americans and their allies. Wilson was "between a rock and a hard place" when it came to dealing with the Vietnam War. (Curiously, as Blair was to be over Iraq a generation later.) His policy of support for the US was bitterly opposed by large sections of the community at large, and quite possibly by a majority within his own party. But his commitment to the "special relationship" with the US, the need for US economic support and possibly (see Blair again)the desire to be seen an influential friend of the US President meant that he continued to lend his government's support to the US policy of military involvement in Vietnam.
The choice of Davies as a special envoy seems surprising, but Davies' left wing, and anti-militaristic views appeared to lend an air of conviction to an operation designed to put out peace feelers. But through no fault of Davies' it was a fiasco. The secrecy was blown even before Davies emerged from his plane in Hanoi. The Americans were furious, UK diplomats embarrassed and angry and Ho Chi Minh refused to see Davies. It was an ill thought out expedition designed to ease Wilson's political differences at home, and Davies himself, although possibly more sinned against than sinner, was made to look foolish.
When in the Commons, Davies led the 40-strong group of members who spoke Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
.