In the second part of his new series on the Class of 1945, Euan Saunders takes a look at the importance of Ernie Bevin Ernest Bevin is a character who today would have more chance of winning the lottery than entering the House of Commons and rising to a great office of state. Born in... Continue Reading →
July 26th 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the 1945 General Election result. The election itself was conducted three weeks earlier. While commentators across the globe predicted a landslide for Churchill, Labour hammered home their plans for social reform. Here is a day by day account of the final week of campaigning in what would... Continue Reading →
8th May 1945. Victory in Europe Day. Britain rejoices after ‘the people have fought and endured five years, eight months and four days of the bloodiest war in history’ How 'the people' and Mr Churchill, Attlee and Bevin celebrated their VE Day Crowds – of about 10,000 - began to assemble in Trafalgar Square on... Continue Reading →
The death of Ernest Bevin of April 1951 caused reflection and tributes across the globe. Prime Minister Clement Attlee leads the tributes: ‘The country has lost in him a great statesman and the Labour movement a leader of whom it was proud’ How the world – from Churchill to Truman - responded to the death... Continue Reading →
There were just 79 days between Germany's surrender and Attlee’s arrival at 10 Downing Street. Labour shocked the world by ousting Churchill, and had a manifesto to radically alter British working life. For the first time in the party’s history, they had a majority to do it. Yet the 1945 election almost never happened. And when... Continue Reading →
In the aftermath of the Second World War, Britain showed the world that a universal health care system was possible. Here is how Nye Bevan’s vision came to fruition and how the National Health Service Act was guided through parliament. On the 5th July 1948, a young girl was admitted to Park Hospital in Manchester, to be... Continue Reading →
It's 70 years since Nye Bevan claimed the Tories were 'lower than vermin'. The speech took on a life of its own; to some it cost Labour two million votes at a general election, blighted his career and ruined the growing political consensus. But to the current Labour activists his words resonate more than ever. ... Continue Reading →
Twenty five years ago the Conservative's passed the Railways Bill which ushered in the privatisation of British Rail. Labour promised to fight it every step of the way. Once in government they baulked. There will be no backtracking this time. This week the government announced that it will intervene to manage the East Coast rail... Continue Reading →
