One of my dear friends has a catchphrase of positively describing certain people to be in his “top 5”. Loosely following on from that, I thought that it’d be good to compile a list of my top 5 Liberals. I’m restricting my list to the UK, and I’m selecting my top 5 from the pre-1980s Liberal Party, rather than the modern day Liberal Democrats.
The modern day Lib Dems face many challenges, so it's important to not lose sight of our heritage, as well as the future direction of the party. Whilst certain Liberals in my list had approaches which were specific and right for a certain time/context, there are nevertheless key lessons to take from Liberal titans of the past.
In no particular order:
1) William Gladstone
The Grand Old Man of politics, William Gladstone became the first leader of the ‘modern’ Liberal Party. A former Conservative who refused to sacrifice his free trade principles, Gladstone also had firm religious convictions, and an oratory power which appealed to the working class. He gets on to my list due to his immense presence in Liberalism, and his views on free trade which are held to this day within the Liberal Democrats. Serving as Prime Minister four times in the 19th century, he had a legendary rivalry with Conservative Benjamin Disraeli. Although used in a negative sense, I still find this particular quote about Gladstone (from Disraeli) amusing: “If Gladstone fell into the Thames, it would be a misfortune. But if someone fished him out again, that would be a calamity”. Despite this, Gladstone's summary of the differences between Conservatism and Liberalism still holds today; "Liberalism is trust of the people tempered by prudence. Conservatism is distrust of the people tempered by fear".
2) David Lloyd George
Clement Attlee rightly gains plaudits for his role in shaping the welfare state, but it was Lloyd George who laid down the foundations. Whilst Gladstone is rightly considered a Liberal hero, it was a necessary move by the likes of Lloyd George and Asquith to move away from laissez faire to a ‘New Liberalism’ platform designed to use the state more as a vehicle for combating poverty. Free school meals were provided for children in 1906 (made compulsory in 1914), pensions were introduced in 1908 for those over 70, and National Insurance was created in 1911, which gave the working classes a contributory system of security against unemployment and illness. These measures were met with considerable resistance from the Tories, especially as they were financed by taxes on the rich by the provocatively titled ‘People’s Budget’ in 1909. A fantastic orator, Lloyd George as Chancellor defended the budget designed for “raising money to wage implacable warfare against poverty and squalidness”. Lloyd George also gets bonus points for emulating the rhetoric of another Liberal hero of mine in FDR; Lloyd George’s economic proposals for combating the Great Depression were entitled ‘Lloyd George’s New Deal’.
3) William Beveridge
Historically, the Labour Party is synonymous with the National Health Service. My Labour opponent at the 2015 General Election went as far as to say “we (Labour) created it; we own it”. Not only was he wrong about the Labour Party ‘owning’ the NHS (it belongs to the people), but it was the work of the Liberal William Beveridge who shaped the NHS. This isn’t a dig at the excellent work of the 1945-1951 Labour administration, but rather at those who are ignorant of history. Beveridge commissioned a report in 1942 on how a post-war Britain should look. Specifically, Beveridge highlighted “five giant evils” which had to be tackled; ‘Want’, ‘Disease’, ‘Ignorance’, ‘Squalor’ and ‘Idleness’. Beveridge’s call for a National Health Service, which was created and implemented in 1948 by Attlee’s administration, was part of the report’s “cradle to grave” approach which helped to shape the post-war consensus period. The NHS greatly expanded upon Lloyd George’s 1911 National Insurance Act, and the fact that it remains free at the point of use to this day is testament to its efficacy and popularity, as well as the enduring legacy of the 1942 Beveridge Report. More private elements have crept in over the years, but we are lucky in Britain not to be reliant on the US healthcare model, even after the good reforms of Obamacare. Beveridge was also an advocate of ‘full employment’, which he defined as 3% or less. George Osborne has also called for ‘full employment’, but refuses to define it, presumably because he doesn’t aim to be as ambitious as the great William Beveridge in this field.
4) John Maynard Keynes
I have already made reference to the post-war consensus period, of which the economic architect was John Maynard Keynes. Keynesian economics helps to get to the core of my values; governments should be active and intervene where markets fail. When I studied A-Level History, we looked at the boom period in the USA during the 1920s, followed by the 1929 Wall Street Crash and subsequent Great Depression. Whilst these were fascinating topics to study, it was immensely frustrating to see how historical figures had been so complacent with regards to the overheated ‘bull’ market and laissez-faire attitudes. I don’t believe in a ‘market knows best’ approach, nor am I for socialist statism; Keynesian economics strikes the right balance for me; a mixed economy which promotes markets but allows for government intervention. Keynes may well have negative “tax and spend” stereotypes from right wing critics, but he advocated building up a surplus in times of plenty, something which many governments have failed to do.
5) Jo Grimond
Now that the Liberal Democrats are down to single figures in terms of MPs, Liberal stalwarts like Jo Grimond should be emulated as we rebuild. Grimond inherited 6 MPs and 2.7% of the vote from his predecessor Clement Davies, and he kept the Liberal Party going as a force during the dark times. His quote on facing adversity in 1963 is just as relevant to the party now; “In bygone days, the commanders were taught that when in doubt they should march their troops towards the sound of gunfire. I intend to march my troops towards the sound of gunfire”. The Liberal Westminster representation doubled under Grimond’s leadership, and fittingly the seat he gained for the party in 1950, Orkney and Shetland, is held by the party to this day. Over 96% of the vote went to the Conservatives and Labour at the 1955 General Election, but Grimond helped to erode the seemingly permanent two party mould. A supporter of Scottish home rule, Grimond was also an advocate for entering the Common Market, the precursor to the European Union. The modern Liberal Democrats would do well to learn from the courage and determination of Jo Grimond’s Liberalism.
Honourable mentions: H.H Asquith, Paddy Ashdown
As you can see, this isn't particularly a list of Liberal ‘thinkers’ in the sense of theorists such as Hobbes, Paine, Smith and so on. I’m not at all suggesting that these are the best Liberals in UK history, simply that these are the top 5 to influence me personally. I'm tempted to do a top 5 of Conservative and Labour figures, but this list was easier to compile, for obvious reasons!
