the ‘Common Wealth Circus’: Popular Politics and the Popular Press in Wartime Britain, 1941–1945^†

† This article expands on research conducted for the author’s doctoral thesis: Lovell, “Press, Politics and the ‘People’s War,’ 1939–45.”

Abstract

The popular press is often seen as the ‘voice of the people’. However, an intensive examination of the Daily Mirror, Daily Mail and Daily Express during the Second World War demonstrates some problems with this claim. In fact, the wartime popular press was uninterested in popular political movements, notably the Common Wealth Party, which had a string of by-election successes in the second half of the war. They only took notice of the organisation after it was electorally successful, and even then, its focus was less on its popular support than on the political elites within the party. This paper discusses the Common Wealth Party’s relationship with the press and the implications this has for our understanding of the way non-mainstream political parties were represented in the wartime popular press. It adds to current scholarship by presenting the first detailed discussion of the Common Wealth Party’s coverage in the British press, and widens the debate on the role of the press during the war.

KEYWORDS:

• Common Wealth Party
• by-elections
• Second World War
• Daily Mirror
• Daily Express
• Daily Mail

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Siân Nicholas, Thomas O’Malley and Christopher Smith for their advice and comments on earlier drafts and the reviewers for their useful suggestions.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

† This article expands on research conducted for the author’s doctoral thesis: Lovell, “Press, Politics and the ‘People’s War,’ 1939–45.”

1 Addison, The Road to 1945, 60. See also Bennett, “The Wartime Political Truce” and Jeffreys, The Churchill Coalition, 140–41.

2 Prynn, “Common Wealth,” 169. See also Davies, Trial by Ballot, 149 and Addison, “By-elections,” 165.

3 Loverseed in Eddisbury; Lawson in Skipton; and Millington in Chelmsford.

4 Thorpe, Parties at War, 278 and Jeffreys, The Churchill Coalition, 1940–1945, 152.

5 Calder, “The Common Wealth Party,” Vol. I & II. Calder also discusses the Common Wealth Party in his seminal work, A People’s War, 630–640.

6 Prynn, “Common Wealth” and Geoghegan, Socialism and Religion.

7 Cudlipp, Publish and be Damned; and King, With Malice Towards None and Strictly Personal.

8 Taylor, Beaverbrook; Chisolm and Davie, Beaverbrook; Edelman, The Mirror; and Koss, The Political Press.

9 Calder, The People’s War, 663–677 and Hinton, “1945 and the Apathy School,” 266–273.

10 Addison does not completely ignore the common wealth party in his seminal work, but his coverage the party is limited to a few pages: Addison, The Road to 1945, 225–226 and 249–250; see also Addison, “By-elections,” 165–190.

11 Fielding, Thompson and Tiratsoo only address the Common Wealth fleetingly in their analysis: “England Arise!” 54–55. Tiratsoo, The Attlee Years, 23–25; Fielding, “What Did ‘The People’ Want,” passim; and Fielding, “The Second World War and Popular Radicalism,” 39–58.

12 Lovell, “Press, Politics and the ‘People’s War’,” 21–23.

13 Stevenson, “Planners’ Moon?” 58–77.

14 Gerald, The British Press under Government Economic Controls, Appendix I Table A, 219.

15 Koss, The Rise and Fall of the Political Press Vol. I, 24.

16 Conducted by the Aberystwyth University/Leverhulme Trust Project, ‘A Social and Cultural History of the British Press’ RPG-085, 2011–14. For example, the vote of confidence in July 1942 saw the Daily Mirror and the Daily Express devote over 30% of its total space to the parliamentary debate on 2–3 July 1942. For a more extensive discussion of the political coverage in the wartime popular press see the author’s doctoral thesis: Lovell, “Press, Politics and the ‘People’s War’,” 79–127.

17 Mass Observation: File Report 126: “Report on the Press,” May 1940, Section 1, 25.

18 Curran and Seaton, Power Without Responsibility, 48 and Political Economic Planning, Report on the British Press, 30.

19 John Stevenson, “Planners’ Moon?” 58–77.

20 Koss, for example, has argued that ‘the political press lost its primary function’ because of newsprint rationing and less political content. The Rise and Fall of the Political Press Vol II, 616.

21 Man-in-the-street, “Notes on News,” Newspaper World, December 28, 1940, 7.

22 George Orwell, “London Letter to Partisan Review,” April 15, 1941, in The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell: Volume II, 1940–1943, 113.

23 Christiansen, Headlines All My Life, 237.

24 Geoghegan, Socialism and Religion, 134.

25 For more on the politics of Acland at this time, see Acland, Unser Kampf and Acland, The Forward March.

26 Fagge, The Vision of J. B. Priestley, 45–8.

27 Calder, “The Common Wealth Party,” Vol. 1, 55.

28 For more on Priestley, see Baxendale, Priestley’s England, 153–155.

29 For more on the founding of the 1941 Committee, see Hopkinson, Of This Our Time, 190–3 and Addison, The Road to 1945, 188–9.

30 Hopkinson, Of This Our Time, 193.

31 Minutes of 1941 Committee Meeting, December 4, 1940. Dr Thomas Jones CH Papers. National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth; Minutes of the Fourth Council Meeting, 1941 Committee, January 18, 1940. National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth.

32 Edward Hulton, “The 1941 Committee Discusses the Atlantic Charter,” Picture Post, September 27, 1941, 14–16 and Edward Hulton, “What Is the 1941 Committee?” Picture Post, July 19, 1941, 29.

33 “Plan for Britain,” Picture Post, January 4, 1941. See also John Stevenson, “Planners’ Moon?” 58–77.

34 Calder, “The Common Wealth Party 1942–1945,” Vol. 1, 25.

35 “London Notes and Comment: A Pressure Group,” Yorkshire Post, March 8, 1941, 4.

36 National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth: CH 20/29/4: Minutes of Sixth Meeting of Council, March 12, 1941.

37 National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth: CH/41 Memo to Members by Raymond Gauntlett, May 30, 1941.

38 Tom Driberg [William Hickey], “Uphill Struggle,” Daily Express, April 4, 1941, 4.

39 George Reakes provides his own account of the election campaign, Acland’s support and his wartime experience in: Man of the Mersey, 73–83.

40 Reakes, Man of the Mersey, 83.

41 Davies, Trial by Ballot, 155.

42 Addison, “By-elections,” 167.

43 “Labour Stands By ‘Truce,’” Daily Mirror, April 20, 1942, 4.

44 Calder, “The Common Wealth Party,” Vol. I, 90–1; see also Addison, The Road to 1945, 158–9.

45 Calder, “The Common Wealth Party,” Vol. I, 91.

46 “‘William Hickey’ Fights a By-election,” Picture Post, June 27, 1942, 10.

47 “Common Wealth,” Daily Mail, April 9, 1943, 2.

48 Driberg, The Best of Both Worlds, 182.

49 Wheen, Tom Driberg, 169.

50 Wheen, Tom Driberg, 174 and 186 and Addison, The Road to 1945, 158–9.

51 Wheen, Tom Driberg, 171.

52 “Opinion,” Daily Express, May 25, 1942, 2.

53 “Election Fight ‘Untimely’,” Daily Herald, June 6, 1942, 3;“Three to Fight Maldon,” Daily Herald, June 16, 1942, 4;“Maldon Polls To-day,” Daily Herald, June 25, 1942, 3;“‘No Contest’ Call by Premier,” Daily Mirror, June 6, 1942, 1;“Answer to the Premier,” Daily Mirror, June 8, 1942, 8;“By-election: Three Corner Maldon Fight,” Daily Mirror, June 16, 1942, 2; Parliamentary Correspondent, “Four Contested By-elections,” Times, June 9, 1942, 4; and “Three Candidates at Maldon,” Times, June 16, 1942, 2.

54 “Opinion,” Daily Express, June 27, 1942, 2; W. M., “After Tobruk,” Daily Mirror, June 27, 1942, 3.

55 Churchill, The Hinge of Fate, 321.

56 Calder, “The Common Wealth Party,” Vol I, 104.

57 “Danger Is Desperate,” Daily Mirror, July 27, 1942, 8.

58 Grieg, “Big By-election Challenges By New Party,” Daily Mirror, July 28, 1942, 3.

59 National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth: CH/59 J. B. Priestley, Memo: The 1941 Committee, August 21, 1941.

60 A few examples (not an extensive list) of Common Wealth being mentioned fleetingly are: “21s At War Cannot Vote for MPs,” Daily Express, January 6, 1943, 4;“Dunkirk Man Will Fight By-election,” Daily Express, January 28, 1943, 3;“Six Candidates Likely for Two By-elections,” Daily Express, February 1, 1943, 3;“7 Candidates for 3 By-elections,” Daily Express, February 2, 1943, 4;“Miniature General Election: Seven New MPs in Next 10 days,” Daily Express, February 8, 1943, 4;“Ashford Held by the Government,” Daily Mirror, February 12, 1943, 4;“Unions Ignore Truce,” Daily Mirror, February 17, 1943, 5; Guy Eden, “New Identity Cards: For Everybody in July,” Daily Express, March 17, 1943, 1; Sir Richard Acland made 1911 speeches during his parliamentary career. Notable speeches include his defence of the Daily Worker (Richard Acland, Suppression of the “Daily Worker” and the “Week,” HC Deb., January 28, 1941, Vol. 368, cc. 479–491) and his support for the coal miners (Richard Acland, Coal Policy, HC Deb., June 10, 1942, Vol. 380, cc. 1141–1146).

61 Davies, Trial by Ballot, 158; Purcell, The Last English Revolutionary, 220–221; and Fernbach, “Tom Wintringham,” 82–87. It has been suggested, by Purcell in particular, that Wintringham lost the by-election because of Churchill's intervention. See also Wintringham, The People’s War and Calder, The People's War, 631.

62 Ian Fyfe, “Baronet M.P. Gives Nation Estate to be Working Man,” Daily Mirror, February 26, 1943, 1 continued as “Xmas Gifts Still for Villages,” Daily Mirror, February 26, 1943, 8;“17,000 Acres for Nation,” Daily Mail, February 26, 1943, 3; and “News in Brief: 17,000 Acres for Nation,” Daily Express, February 26, 1943, 3.

63 Addison, “By-elections,” 168.

64 Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results, 304.

65 Mass Observation: File Report 1842, 8.

66 Davies, Trial by Ballot, 159.

67 Addison, “By-elections,” 185.

68 Trevor Evans, “Six Now in One By-election,” Daily Express, March 20, 1943, 3;“Mr. Peacock Has Triple Farming Plan,” Daily Express, March 18, 1943, 3;“Their First Vote for 14 Years,” Daily Express, April 7, 1943, 4;“Three for Eddisbury,” Daily Mail, March 27, 1943, 3;“By-election Lit By Fires,” Daily Mail, April 6, 1943, 3;“Padre Candidate,” Daily Mirror, March 4, 1943, 8;“3,000 Votes Are Lost,” Daily Mirror, March 18, 1943, 6; and “Tory Is 6th Candidate in Defiance of Party,” Daily Mirror, March 20, 1943, 4.

69 Emrys Jones, “28-And They Have Never Voted,” Daily Mail, March 23, 1943, 2 and Bill Greig, “Amazing!” Daily Mirror, March 26, 1943, 2.

70 “Battle of Britain Man Is Now M.P.,” Daily Express, April 9, 1943, 3 and “Common Wealth Pilot Beats Govt.,” Daily Mirror, April 9, 1943, 4.

71 “The Eddisbury Result,” The Times, April 9, 1943, 5.

72 “Common Wealth,” Daily Mail, April 9, 1943, 2.

73 Common Wealth did appear on the front page after a parliamentary interjection by Richard Acland on the issue of identity cards and the electoral register was recorded on the front page of the Daily Express: Guy Eden, “New Identity Cards: For Everybody-in July,” Daily Express, March 17, 1943, 1.

74 Bernard Buckham [B.B.B.], “Parties,” Daily Mirror, April 26, 1943, 2.

75 Orwell, “Profile.”

76 Orwell, “London Letter.”

77 Common Wealth Election Address, June 8, 1943, quoted in Mass Observation: File Report 1845, 10a.

78 Grieg, “Tories Should Thank Sir Richard Acland,” Daily Mirror, June 7, 1943, 1, cont. as “Tories Are Confident in By-election,” Daily Mirror, June 7, 1943, 8.

79 Bernard Buckham [B.B.B.], “Parties,” Daily Mirror, June 8, 1943, 3.

80 Mass Observation: File Report 1842, 4 & 8.

81 Craig, British Parliamentary Election Results, 326, 470, and 526. See also Calder's coverage in The People’s War, 637–640.

82 Addison, “By-elections,” 185.

83 “Ald. Toole Challenges an M.P.,” Daily Express, January 5, 1944, 3;“Skipton: No Farm Candidate,” Daily Mail, December 21, 1943, 4;“The Say-Nowt Election: Three in the Field,” Daily Express, December 29, 1943, 3;“Three-cornered Fight for Skipton,” Daily Mirror, December 29, 1943, 8;“Cow “Heckles” Candidates,” Daily Express, January 4, 1944, 3;“Last Words “Rationed,”” Daily Express, January 7, 1944, 3; and “Skipton Election Result Out Today,” Daily Express, January 8, 1944, 3.

84 Grieg, “Election-with 23,000 Lost Voters,” Daily Mirror, January 5, 1944, 1.

85 “Ald. Toole Challenges an M.P.,” Daily Express, January 5, 1944, 3.

86 “Skipton Poll,” The Sunday Times, January 9, 1944, 1;“Common Wealth Wins By-election,” The People, January 9, 1944, 5;“Farmers Backed New MP,” Sunday Express, January 9, 1944, 5; and “New Party Wins,” News of the World, January 9, 1944, 5.

87 Greig, “Skipton Starts Tory Hunt for Youth,” Daily Mirror, January 10, 1944, 2.

88 Bernard Buckham [B.B.B.], “How to Get Votes,” Daily Mirror, January 19, 1944, 3.

89 William Barkley, “An M.P.’s Life Can’t Begin At 61,” Daily Express, January 11, 1944, 2.

90 Leader, “Skipton Speaks,” Daily Mail, January 10, 1944, 2.

91 “Skipton,” The Times, January 10, 1944, 5.

92 “Common Wealth Victory at Skipton,” Manchester Guardian, January 10, 1944, 2 and “Skipton,” Manchester Guardian, January 10, 1944, 4.

93 Hannen Swaffer, “As Hannen Swaffer,” The People, January 16, 1944, 4.

94 J. L. Gavin, “Parties and the Melting Pot,” Sunday Express, January 23, 1944; Private Wire, “London Correspondence,” Manchester Guardian, January 31, 1944, 4; and “Back to Party Politics,” The Observer, January 16, 1944, 4.

95 Private Wire, “London Correspondence,” Manchester Guardian, January 10, 1944, 4.

96 “Skipton Polls,” Daily Herald, January 8, 1944, 3;“Coalition ‘Spells Death to Labour’,” Daily Herald, January 10, 1944, 3;“Joe Toole Is Expelled,” Daily Herald, January 10, 1944, 3;“Speech Ban on New M.P.” Daily Herald, January 15, 1944, 1; Charles Bray, “The Biggest Thing in Aviation Since Wright First Flew,” Daily Herald, January 7, 1944, 2; and “Airways,” Daily Herald, January 10, 1944, 2.

97 Calder, “The Common Wealth Party 1942–1945: Vol. II,” 168; Calder has suggested that Churchill's intervention in this election indicated that ‘he was galled immoderately by previous by-election reverses’. See also Addison, “By-elections,” 167–171.

98 “Premier Signs New Messages,” Daily Express, February 5, 1944, 1; Guy Eden, “Churchill Writes A Letter to Duke's Son,” Daily Express, February 10, 1944, 1;“Candidates Forecast Another ‘Letter,’” Daily Mirror, February 10, 1944, 1;“PM Letter To-day,” Daily Mail, February 10, 1944, 3;“Churchill: No Petty Squabbles,” Daily Express, February 11, 1944, 1;“Mr. Churchill Writes Another Election Letter,” Daily Mirror, February 11, 1944, 8; and “Churchill Acclaims a ‘Proud Tradition,’” Daily Mail, February 11, 1944, 1, continued as “Churchill Acclaims Tradition,” 4.

99 “The Cobbler's Son: People v. Purple,” Daily Express, February 9, 1944, 4.

100 “Horseman Chases the Tory Votes,” Daily Express, February 12, 1944, 3; Other reports of the Common Wealth electioneers in the Express include “Vote of 4,000 Liberals May Sway Election,” Daily Express, February 14, 1944, 3;““Filth, Mud and Hooligan Gang,” Daily Express, February 17, 1944, 1.

101 Greig, “W. Derby Tories Are Worried,” Daily Mirror, February 15, 1944, 8.

102 F. G. White, “Introducing Madame Palateewa,” Daily Mail, February 16, 1944, 1.

103 Leader, “West Derbyshire,” Daily Mail, February 19, 1944, 2.

104 “The Duke: A Very Powerful Circus,” Daily Express, February 19, 1944, 4.

105 Wilson Broadbent, “‘A Victory for the Acland Circus,’” Daily Mail, February 19, 1944, 1.

106 “M.P. Wins £100 Wager in By-election,” Daily Express, February 19, 1944, 1.

107 “Straight Fight at Bury St. Edmunds,” Daily Express, February 19, 1944, 4.

108 Special Correspondent, “West Derbyshire Campaign,” Manchester Guardian, February 4, 1944, 7.

109 Political Correspondent, “The By-elections,” Manchester Guardian, February 19, 1944, 5 and Private Wire, “Our London Correspondence,” Manchester Guardian, February 19, 1944, 4.

110 “Decision,” Daily Herald, February 25, 1944, 2.

111 F. G. Prince-White, “The “Acland Circus” Hits Bury: Spearhead There,” Daily Mail, February 21, 1944, 1; continued as “The “Acland Circus,”” Daily Mail, February 21, 1944, 4.

112 F. G. Prince-White, “By Ocean Plane to Election,” Daily Mail, February 22, 1944, 3.

113 “Mrs. Wimbush's £5-A-Week Squad on the Job in Bury: Common Wealth Opens Fire,” Daily Express, February 21, 1944, 3.

114 “Opinion,” Daily Express, February 19, 1944, 2.

115 “So Mrs. Ashby Is Kept Waiting,” Daily Express, February 23, 1944, 4.

116 Victor Thompson, “He Found Jungle Warfare at Bury,” Daily Herald, February 23, 1944, 3.

117 Grieg, “Tories Are Fighting an Umbrella,” Daily Mirror, February 26, 1944, 8.

118 Mass Observation: File Report 2035, 9.

119 Mass Observation: File Report 2035, 10.

120 “Govt. Man in at Bury,” Daily Mail, March 2, 1944, 3;“By-election Fight Won for Govt. By 2,500 Majority,” Daily Mirror, March 2, 1944, 2; and “Bury Figures ‘Pleasant,’” Daily Express, March 2, 1944, 4.

121 Leader, “Party Politics,” Daily Mail, March 3, 1944, 2 and “Opinion,” Daily Express, March 2, 1944, 2.

122 “Acland Has Enough to Keep Him “Till I Can Earn A Living,”” Daily Express, February 4, 1944, 3.

123 William Barkley, “Richard in Wonderland,” Daily Express, February 22, 1944, 2.

124 “What It Means,” Daily Herald, February 19, 1944, 2; John Parker (MP) expressed a similar sentiment later in June 1944: John Parker and Maurice Webb, “Electoral Truce,” Daily Herald, June 10, 1944.

125 “Opinion,” Daily Express, April 12, 1944, 2.

126 William Barkley, “General Election? I Doubt if the Socialists Really Want Power,” Daily Express, September 25, 1944, 2.

127 Greig, “X-Ray on the News: Back-room Boys Help Workers Get Illness Pay,” Daily Mirror, November 6, 1944, 2.

128 “Opinion,” Daily Express, April 28, 1945, 2.

129 “Close Poll, Says Tory Candidate,” Daily Mail, April 26, 1945, 3.

130 “People Above Parties: Richard Acland,” Daily Mirror, June 5, 1945, 4 and “People Above Parties: Tom Wintringham,” Daily Mirror, June 16, 1945, 4.

131 Cook and Stevenson, A History of British Elections Since 1689, 422.

132 Calder, “The Common Wealth Party,” Volume II, 1–13.

133 Taylor, English History, 1914–1945, 549; see also Cudlipp, The Prerogative of the Harlot; Cecil King, Strictly Personal.

134 Thomas, “Reflections on the Broken Mirror,” 111.

135 This appears to also support Bromley's analysis of the Mirror's coverage of the Beveridge report. Bromley argued the Mirror was not especially interested in promoting debate and often ignored the ‘authentic voice’ of its readers. Bromley, “Was It the Mirror Wot Won It?” 122.

136 Hennessy, Never Again: Britain 1945–1951, 66.

137 Millington, Was That Really Me? 110.

138 Newspaper World estimated 43 journalists entered parliament in the 1945 general election, while J. F. S. Ross estimated 41: “Many Journalists Elected to New Parliament,” Newspaper World, August 4, 1945, 10.

139 Ross, Elections and Electors, 436–8. Tables 85 and 86; Newspaper World's figures differ slightly claiming that 33 journalists were elected Labour MPs while 7 were elected for the Conservatives, but the ratio remains approximately the same as Ross's: “Many Journalists Elected to New Parliament,” The Newspaper World, August 4, 1945, 10.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kristopher Lovell

Kristopher Lovell, Department of History and Welsh History, Aberystwyth University, Hugh Owen Building, Ceredigion, Aberystwyth SY23 3DY, UK. ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0834-3633