It’s hard not to admire individuals who fought against entrenched privilege, and who took huge risks in the process. The goal of displaying conviction throughout a career is an admirable one to obtain. David Lloyd George achieved this goal, and more. Clement Attlee rightly gains plaudits for his role in shaping the welfare state, but it was Lloyd George who laid down the foundations.
Born in Manchester to Welsh parents and raised (with Welsh as a first language) in Caernarfonshire, Lloyd George was the first (and to date only) Welsh politician to become Prime Minister. Having developed a successful law career in his younger days, Lloyd George nevertheless was politically active for the Liberals, and was duly elected to Parliament in 1890 for Caernarfon in a by-election, with a wafer-thin majority of 18. Over time he built up a reputation nationwide by opposing the Second Boer War and through displaying strong leadership over attacks on the government’s Education Act. Lloyd George entered the Cabinet in 1906 as President of the Board of Trade after the Liberal’s landslide victory, and succeeded Henry Asquith (who became Prime Minister) as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1908.
What followed next was truly remarkable. The 1906 Liberal manifesto had no commitment to the sort of social legislation that would become known as the ‘Liberal reforms’, yet full in the knowledge that fierce opposition would occur, Lloyd George and Asquith enacted a series of progressive measures. Free school meals were provided for children in 1906 (made compulsory in 1914), and in 1908 pensions were introduced for those over 70. National Insurance was introduced with the 1911 National Insurance Act, which gave the working classes a contributory system of security against unemployment and illness. These measures were met with considerable resistance from the Conservative Party, especially as they were financed by taxes on the rich by the provocatively named ‘People’s Budget’ in 1909. A fantastic orator, Lloyd George as Chancellor defended the budget designed for “for raising money to wage implacable warfare against poverty and squalidness”. The budget passed the House of Commons, but was voted down by a Conservative majority in the House of Lords. Rather than back down, the Liberals called two elections in 1910 to assert their mandate.
Crucially, Lloyd George and the Liberals challenged the supremacy of the Lords over the Commons. Before the 1911 Parliament Act, the Lords had a right of veto over financial and public bills. The 1911 Parliament Act removed these vetoes, and established thereafter the dominance of the Commons over the Lords. The triumvirate of Lloyd George, Asquith and Winston Churchill was vital in these reforms over the years. That an unelected House of Lords (which was often opposite in political persuasion to the Commons) should veto legislation from the elected Commons was an affront to democracy. Lloyd George succeeded in his challenge against such disgraceful privilege; “who ordained that a few should have the land of Britain as a perquisite; who made ten thousand people owners of the soil and the rest of us trespassers in the land of our birth?”
Lloyd-George emerged from World War 1 (where he had served as Secretary of State for War and then Prime Minister) with his reputation at its highest. However, it is particularly the social and political reforms that make him my political hero. Asquith and Churchill were also key players during the Liberal achievements, but it was Lloyd George’s enduring charisma and oratory which was crucial. His policies entailed a crucial (and necessary) step away from the laissez-faire ‘classic liberalism’ of the past, therefore seeing the state as a positive force for good. It’s no coincidence that Lloyd George’s Keynesian economic plan for recovery during the Great Depression was entitled ‘Lloyd George’s New Deal’, echoing the work of another political hero of mine, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Lloyd George’s wisdom and influence was such that he was offered a place in Churchill’s 1940 cabinet, but refused. Fittingly, Lloyd George’s last Parliamentary vote was to condemn the government for not adopting the Beveridge proposals (another Liberal reformer), which were to significantly expand the very welfare state which Lloyd George helped to create. I urge anyone, if possible, to visit the David Lloyd George museum in Criccieth, which has a fitting tribute to the great man. Perhaps a quote from the man himself will help; this one in particular sums up the productive rhetoric he possessed against the vested interests of the House of Lords: “The finest eloquence is that which gets things done; the worst is that which delays them”.
Born in Manchester to Welsh parents and raised (with Welsh as a first language) in Caernarfonshire, Lloyd George was the first (and to date only) Welsh politician to become Prime Minister. Having developed a successful law career in his younger days, Lloyd George nevertheless was politically active for the Liberals, and was duly elected to Parliament in 1890 for Caernarfon in a by-election, with a wafer-thin majority of 18. Over time he built up a reputation nationwide by opposing the Second Boer War and through displaying strong leadership over attacks on the government’s Education Act. Lloyd George entered the Cabinet in 1906 as President of the Board of Trade after the Liberal’s landslide victory, and succeeded Henry Asquith (who became Prime Minister) as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1908.
What followed next was truly remarkable. The 1906 Liberal manifesto had no commitment to the sort of social legislation that would become known as the ‘Liberal reforms’, yet full in the knowledge that fierce opposition would occur, Lloyd George and Asquith enacted a series of progressive measures. Free school meals were provided for children in 1906 (made compulsory in 1914), and in 1908 pensions were introduced for those over 70. National Insurance was introduced with the 1911 National Insurance Act, which gave the working classes a contributory system of security against unemployment and illness. These measures were met with considerable resistance from the Conservative Party, especially as they were financed by taxes on the rich by the provocatively named ‘People’s Budget’ in 1909. A fantastic orator, Lloyd George as Chancellor defended the budget designed for “for raising money to wage implacable warfare against poverty and squalidness”. The budget passed the House of Commons, but was voted down by a Conservative majority in the House of Lords. Rather than back down, the Liberals called two elections in 1910 to assert their mandate.
Crucially, Lloyd George and the Liberals challenged the supremacy of the Lords over the Commons. Before the 1911 Parliament Act, the Lords had a right of veto over financial and public bills. The 1911 Parliament Act removed these vetoes, and established thereafter the dominance of the Commons over the Lords. The triumvirate of Lloyd George, Asquith and Winston Churchill was vital in these reforms over the years. That an unelected House of Lords (which was often opposite in political persuasion to the Commons) should veto legislation from the elected Commons was an affront to democracy. Lloyd George succeeded in his challenge against such disgraceful privilege; “who ordained that a few should have the land of Britain as a perquisite; who made ten thousand people owners of the soil and the rest of us trespassers in the land of our birth?”
Lloyd-George emerged from World War 1 (where he had served as Secretary of State for War and then Prime Minister) with his reputation at its highest. However, it is particularly the social and political reforms that make him my political hero. Asquith and Churchill were also key players during the Liberal achievements, but it was Lloyd George’s enduring charisma and oratory which was crucial. His policies entailed a crucial (and necessary) step away from the laissez-faire ‘classic liberalism’ of the past, therefore seeing the state as a positive force for good. It’s no coincidence that Lloyd George’s Keynesian economic plan for recovery during the Great Depression was entitled ‘Lloyd George’s New Deal’, echoing the work of another political hero of mine, Franklin D. Roosevelt. Lloyd George’s wisdom and influence was such that he was offered a place in Churchill’s 1940 cabinet, but refused. Fittingly, Lloyd George’s last Parliamentary vote was to condemn the government for not adopting the Beveridge proposals (another Liberal reformer), which were to significantly expand the very welfare state which Lloyd George helped to create. I urge anyone, if possible, to visit the David Lloyd George museum in Criccieth, which has a fitting tribute to the great man. Perhaps a quote from the man himself will help; this one in particular sums up the productive rhetoric he possessed against the vested interests of the House of Lords: “The finest eloquence is that which gets things done; the worst is that which delays them”.
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