50 Years Ago: Roundabouts

Between the two wars there was one Labour Government in 1924, and another in 1929/31, followed by a National Government with Ramsey MacDonald as Prime Minister with a coalition cabinet until 1935. These Labour Governments during their periods of office led the workers through such prosperous and happy times that on each occasion when next they had an opportunity to vote they sacked the Labourites, and reinstated the Tories! This story of the hard times suffered by the workers in between the two wars because of Tory mismanagement of affairs is a line of Labourite propaganda churned out with much repetition and emphasis. It must, however, not be forgotten that for three of these years Labour Governments were in office and for a further four years (1931-1935) the Prime Minister was J. R. MacDonald, the former chosen leader of the Labour Party. He and other ex-Labour Ministers, including Snowden, claimed that they were carrying on Labour Party policy as far as the crisis would allow, a plea that the present Government echoes.

Between the two wars the workers have been for many rides on the political roundabout. The main charge may have been a Labourite at one time and a Tory at another, but the workers have still been taken for the same ride on the same roundabout and every time they have come back to the place from which they started.

(From the Socialist Standard,
 September 1948)