Scottish Land Restoration League
Encyclopedia
The Scottish Land Restoration League was a Georgist
political party
in Scotland
.
In the 1880s, enclosure
was still in process in the Scottish Highlands
, and resistance to it often received support from radicals around Britain and Ireland. Branches of the Irish Land League, founded in 1879 to campaign against landlordism
, had been set up in Scotland, but the League was wound up in 1883.
In 1884, Henry George
toured the Highlands and major cities of Scotland on the invitation of the English Land Reform Union. Touring with Edward McHugh
, he spoke on his theory of land reform
. The tour culminated with a large meeting Glasgow on 18 February 1884, chaired by John Murdoch. Almost 2,000 people signed up, on the initiative of Richard McGhee
, to form an organisation to propagate and campaign for George's ideas. This group was formed as the "Scottish Land Restoration League". William Forsyth became its first President, and McHugh its first Secretary. The group immediately spread to other cities around the nation. Among those who joined were many former members of the Land League.
A second tour by George at the end of 1884 attracted less attention, and McHugh was accused of mismanaging its publicity. Already, the League was in decline, and when it stood five candidates in the UK general election, 1885, they received a total of only 2,359 votes.http://www.election.demon.co.uk/geresults.html McGhee soon assumed the Presidency of the League.
In 1888, some members, around Keir Hardie
, formed the Scottish Labour Party
, and ceased to work with the League. McGhee left his post in 1889, to become honorary President of the National Union of Dock Labourers
. Alexander Bowman was elected as the League's new President the following year. The League merged with the Henry George Institute and the South Side Single Tax Association and renamed itself the Scottish Land Restoration Federation. Two further organisations were born of the demise of the League—the Scottish Land Restoration Union and the Scottish League for the Taxation of Land Values. Bowman left this post in 1892, but the organisation continued, with a much lower profile, renaming itself as the Scottish Single Tax League. In 1904, it was again renamed, as the Scottish League for the Taxation of Land Values
.
Georgism
Georgism is an economic philosophy and ideology that holds that people own what they create, but that things found in nature, most importantly land, belong equally to all...
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Scotland
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...
.
In the 1880s, enclosure
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
was still in process in the Scottish Highlands
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands is an historic region of Scotland. The area is sometimes referred to as the "Scottish Highlands". It was culturally distinguishable from the Lowlands from the later Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands...
, and resistance to it often received support from radicals around Britain and Ireland. Branches of the Irish Land League, founded in 1879 to campaign against landlordism
Absentee landlord
Absentee landlord is an economic term for a person who owns and rents out a profit-earning property, but does not live within the property's local economic region. This practice is problematic for that region because absentee landlords drain local wealth into their home country, particularly that...
, had been set up in Scotland, but the League was wound up in 1883.
In 1884, 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...
toured the Highlands and major cities of Scotland on the invitation of the English Land Reform Union. Touring with Edward McHugh
Edward McHugh
Edward McHugh was an Irish land reformer, trade unionist, Labour activist and social reformer. He spent a great deal of his lifetime engaged in the struggle for social reform not only in Great Britain and Ireland, but also further afield, including spells in America and the Antipodes.Born in rural...
, he spoke on his theory of land reform
Land reform
[Image:Jakarta farmers protest23.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Farmers protesting for Land Reform in Indonesia]Land reform involves the changing of laws, regulations or customs regarding land ownership. Land reform may consist of a government-initiated or government-backed property redistribution,...
. The tour culminated with a large meeting Glasgow on 18 February 1884, chaired by John Murdoch. Almost 2,000 people signed up, on the initiative of Richard McGhee
Richard McGhee
Richard McGhee was an Irish Protestant Nationalist home rule politician. A Land League and trade union activist, he was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for more than 20 years.-Family and education:McGhee was born in Lurgan, County...
, to form an organisation to propagate and campaign for George's ideas. This group was formed as the "Scottish Land Restoration League". William Forsyth became its first President, and McHugh its first Secretary. The group immediately spread to other cities around the nation. Among those who joined were many former members of the Land League.
A second tour by George at the end of 1884 attracted less attention, and McHugh was accused of mismanaging its publicity. Already, the League was in decline, and when it stood five candidates in the UK general election, 1885, they received a total of only 2,359 votes.http://www.election.demon.co.uk/geresults.html McGhee soon assumed the Presidency of the League.
In 1888, some members, around Keir Hardie
Keir Hardie
James Keir Hardie, Sr. , was a Scottish socialist and labour leader, and was the first Independent Labour Member of Parliament elected to the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, formed the Scottish Labour Party
Scottish Labour Party (1888-1893)
The Scottish Labour Party , also known as the Scottish Parliamentary Labour Party, was formed by Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham, the first socialist MP in the parliament of the United Kingdom, who later went on to become the first president of the Scottish National Party, and Keir Hardie, who...
, and ceased to work with the League. McGhee left his post in 1889, to become honorary President of the National Union of Dock Labourers
National Union of Dock Labourers
The National Union of Dock Labourers was a trade union in the United Kingdom. It was formed in Glasgow in 1889 but moved its headquarters to Liverpool within a few years and was thereafter most closely associated with Merseyside...
. Alexander Bowman was elected as the League's new President the following year. The League merged with the Henry George Institute and the South Side Single Tax Association and renamed itself the Scottish Land Restoration Federation. Two further organisations were born of the demise of the League—the Scottish Land Restoration Union and the Scottish League for the Taxation of Land Values. Bowman left this post in 1892, but the organisation continued, with a much lower profile, renaming itself as the Scottish Single Tax League. In 1904, it was again renamed, as the Scottish League for the Taxation of Land Values
Scottish League for the Taxation of Land Values
The Scottish League for the Taxation of Land Valuesis an independent national campaigning organisation that advocates radical reform of Scotland's system of taxation. Known as The Scottish League, the organisation advances the programme of the nineteenth century American social reformer Henry George...
.
External links
- Moses : a lecture ... delivered in St. Andrew's Hall, Glasgow, December 28, 1884 Glasgow : Scottish Single Tax League