David Torrance: The Wild Men: The Remarkable Story of Britain's First Labour Government - Part of Derby Book Festival: Autumn Edition

Description

In 1923, five short years since the end of the First World War, and after the passing of the Act which gave all men the vote, an inconclusive election result and the prospect of a constitutional crisis opened the door for a radically different sort of government: men from working-class backgrounds who had never before occupied the corridors of power at Westminster.

Who were these 'wild men'? Ramsay MacDonald, their leader and Labour's first Prime Minister, was the illegitimate son of a Scottish farm labourer; Arthur Henderson was a Scottish iron moulder; J. H. Thomas, a Welsh railwayman; John Wheatley, an Irish-born miner and publican; and William Adamson, a Fife coal miner. Never before had men from such backgrounds occupied the corridors of power in Westminster.

The Wild Men tells the story of that first Labour administration - its unexpected birth, fraught existence, and controversial downfall - through the eyes of those who found themselves in the House of Commons, running the country for the people. Blending biography and history into a compelling narrative, David Torrance reassesses the UK's first Labour government a century after it shook up a British establishment still reeling from the War - and how the establishment eventually fought back.

This is an extraordinary period in British political history which echoes down the years to our current politics and laid the foundations for the Britain of today.

David will be in conversation with Festival Chair, Professor Keith McLay, Provost (Learning & Teaching) at the University of Derby.

This event will be filmed and made available as a digital recording after the Festival. For more information please click here.

Please note that a FREE car park is available at Landau Forte College adjacent to the school.