October 8th 1959 General Election. Shock as Labour suffer third defeat in a row and 'SuperMac' triumphs After Suez - and eight years of Conservative rule - voters agree that 'they've never had it so good'.... The story of the election that triggered the question: ‘Must Labour Lose?’ Gaitskell and Bevin were in Leningrad when … Continue reading Never Had It So Good: 1959 and Must Labour Lose?
1950s
Nye Bevan Quits: The Dawn of Labour’s Divisive Decade
In 1951 Nye Bevan resigned from the Cabinet over NHS charges. He told Prime Minister Attlee that Labour’s budget ‘fails to apportion fairly the burdens of expenditure as between different social classes’ A look back at the beginning of the Gaitskellite/Bevanite battle that would divide the party for the next decade. The 1950 general election result … Continue reading Nye Bevan Quits: The Dawn of Labour’s Divisive Decade
Tides of History 