Minority report (Poor Law)
Encyclopedia
The Minority report was one of two reports published by the Royal Commission into the Operation of the Poor Laws 1905-09, the other being Majority report
. Headed by the Fabian socialist Beatrice Webb
, it called for a system that was radically different from the existing Poor Law
. She, amongst the others heading the report, who included George Lansbury
, felt that it was shortsighted of society to expect paupers to be entirely accountable for themselves. However the report proved unsuccessful, most of its proposals being disregarded by the new Liberal Government of 1906 when implementing their Liberal reforms
.
Historian Jose Harris, the biographer of William Beveridge
, has written that "in historical accounts of modern social policy, the Royal Commission - and in particular its famous Minority Report - has often been closely twinned with the Beveridge Plan of 1942 as one of the two most seminal public enquiries into the working of British social policy over the last hundred years", noting that the Minority Report has often been cited as one of the first descriptions of a modern welfare state. William Beveridge
worked as a researcher for the Webbs on the Minority Report, on the issue of employment exchanges, and was to write in his memoirs that "the Beveridge Report stemmed from what all of us had imbibed from the Webbs".
The central arguments between Helen Bosanquet
of the Charity Organisation Society and Beatrice Webb - who led the intellectual arguments for majority and minority respectively - have resonated across later debates about poverty and welfare. Webb was arguing for a structural understanding of the causes of poverty, against those who feared this underplayed individual responsibility; and she argued that collective responsibility to prevent poverty required a much greater public role for the state in guaranteeing a basic minimum, while Bosanquet argued that charitably led provision would be undermined by the state.
A Guardian editorial in 2009, marking the centenary of the Minority Report, wrote that "the seed that was to grow into the welfare state was planted [in the Minority Report] ... Workhouses lingered on in various forms and the poor law itself lasted until 1948 - but Beatrice had already written its obituary in 1909".
These arguments were not successful in 1909. The divisions on the Commission saw the Liberal government ignore recommendations for reform from majority and minority. The Webbs sold 25,000 copies of a Fabian edition of the Minority Report, and launched a Campaign for the Break-Up of the Poor Law to mobilise public support.
Politically, the experience of the Minority Report campaign proved important in moving the Webbs and other Fabians away from influencing the Liberal Party to focusing on building up the Labour Party. The fledgling Parliamentary Labour Party proposed a private members bill based on the Minority Report: few Liberals supported its measures, with Winston Churchill
a prominent exception. The campaign letter 'The Crusade' was a forerunner to the New Statesman
, both edited by Clifford Sharp
.
Majority report (Poor Law)
The Majority report was a report published by the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws published in 1909. The Royal Commission on the Poor Laws was a group set up to work out the best way to relieve the poor...
. Headed by the Fabian socialist Beatrice Webb
Beatrice Webb
Martha Beatrice Webb, Lady Passfield was an English sociologist, economist, socialist and social reformer. Although her husband became Baron Passfield in 1929, she refused to be known as Lady Passfield...
, it called for a system that was radically different from the existing Poor Law
Poor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...
. She, amongst the others heading the report, who included George Lansbury
George Lansbury
George Lansbury was a British politician, socialist, Christian pacifist and newspaper editor. He was a Member of Parliament from 1910 to 1912 and from 1922 to 1940, and leader of the Labour Party from 1932 to 1935....
, felt that it was shortsighted of society to expect paupers to be entirely accountable for themselves. However the report proved unsuccessful, most of its proposals being disregarded by the new Liberal Government of 1906 when implementing their Liberal reforms
Liberal reforms
The Liberal welfare reforms were acts of social legislation passed by the British Liberal Party after the 1906 General Election. It has been argued that this legislation shows the emergence of the modern welfare state in the UK. They shifted their outlook from a laissez-faire system to a more...
.
Contribution of Sidney and Beatrice Webb
The Minority Report to the Commission was among the most famous of the Webbs' outputs. (Sidney Webb was not a member of the Commission, but the Minority Report was a Webb co-production). Beatrice Webb wrote that its purpose was "to secure a national minimum of civilised life ... open to all alike, of both sexes and all classes, by which we meant sufficient nourishment and training when young, a living wage when able-bodied, treatment when sick, and modest but secure livelihood when disabled or aged".Historian Jose Harris, the biographer of William Beveridge
William Beveridge
William Henry Beveridge, 1st Baron Beveridge KCB was a British economist and social reformer. He is best known for his 1942 report Social Insurance and Allied Services which served as the basis for the post-World War II welfare state put in place by the Labour government elected in 1945.Lord...
, has written that "in historical accounts of modern social policy, the Royal Commission - and in particular its famous Minority Report - has often been closely twinned with the Beveridge Plan of 1942 as one of the two most seminal public enquiries into the working of British social policy over the last hundred years", noting that the Minority Report has often been cited as one of the first descriptions of a modern welfare state. William Beveridge
William Beveridge
William Henry Beveridge, 1st Baron Beveridge KCB was a British economist and social reformer. He is best known for his 1942 report Social Insurance and Allied Services which served as the basis for the post-World War II welfare state put in place by the Labour government elected in 1945.Lord...
worked as a researcher for the Webbs on the Minority Report, on the issue of employment exchanges, and was to write in his memoirs that "the Beveridge Report stemmed from what all of us had imbibed from the Webbs".
The central arguments between Helen Bosanquet
Helen Bosanquet
Helen Bosanquet, née Dendy was a social theorist and social reformer.She is most recognizably known as one of the leaders of the Charity Organisation Society in Britain...
of the Charity Organisation Society and Beatrice Webb - who led the intellectual arguments for majority and minority respectively - have resonated across later debates about poverty and welfare. Webb was arguing for a structural understanding of the causes of poverty, against those who feared this underplayed individual responsibility; and she argued that collective responsibility to prevent poverty required a much greater public role for the state in guaranteeing a basic minimum, while Bosanquet argued that charitably led provision would be undermined by the state.
A Guardian editorial in 2009, marking the centenary of the Minority Report, wrote that "the seed that was to grow into the welfare state was planted [in the Minority Report] ... Workhouses lingered on in various forms and the poor law itself lasted until 1948 - but Beatrice had already written its obituary in 1909".
These arguments were not successful in 1909. The divisions on the Commission saw the Liberal government ignore recommendations for reform from majority and minority. The Webbs sold 25,000 copies of a Fabian edition of the Minority Report, and launched a Campaign for the Break-Up of the Poor Law to mobilise public support.
Politically, the experience of the Minority Report campaign proved important in moving the Webbs and other Fabians away from influencing the Liberal Party to focusing on building up the Labour Party. The fledgling Parliamentary Labour Party proposed a private members bill based on the Minority Report: few Liberals supported its measures, with Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
a prominent exception. The campaign letter 'The Crusade' was a forerunner to the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
, both edited by Clifford Sharp
Clifford Sharp
Clifford Sharp was a British journalist, the first editor of the New Statesman magazine from its foundation in 1913 until 1928.He had previously edited The Crusade....
.