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Mumby - The Lincolnshire Poacher
I'm not even sure if this is the right place to put this
1919: (Rural and Independent minorities)
1922: (Rural minorities)
1925: (Rural minorities)
1928: (Socialist Labour and Rural minorities)
1931: (Workers of Lincolnshire majorities)
All-Lincolnshire Industrial Congressional elections
1929: (National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers)
1931: (National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers)
Basically, WW1 is fought to a stalemate which considering Russia, Austria and the Ottomans collapse, the Kaiserreich becomes a military dictatorship with the Kaiser on his throne but under house arrest and France enduring a civil war as radicalised soldiers try and overthrow the government and argue with one another about what the new France should be, Britain comes out fairly lightly. Lloyd George's Coalition Coupon only barely wins a majority, with the rise of new and radical forces like Labour, the National Party, and of course the Rural party who do particularly well in Lincolnshire. The traditional non-partisan county council elections in Lincolnshire's three counties deliver Rural minorities in all three counties, albeit ones which only persist because of the tolerance of substantial numbers of sympathetic independents.
They secure a stronger grip in 1922, and by 1925 the Lincolnshire Rural Party is beginning to explore a very different thread to the national party, namely Land Reform, Mutualism and Agrarian Trade Unionism. The General Strike happens on cue despite butterflies, and it's a lot worse. Lincolnshire's highly unionised agricultural labour force goes out on strike too and the Rural Party splits between those who support the strikers and those who don't. With Labour trying to stay above it all on a national level, the pro-strike Ruralists defect to the Scottish based Socialist Labour Party, Britain's branch of DeLeon's Socialist Labor Party.
The strike is brought to an end in 1927, but at the county council elections in 1928, Socialist Labour wins a minority and forms an alliance with their former comrades in the Rural Party. One of their first reforms, disputed by but eventually accepted by the minority Labour government in Westminster is the creation of the All-Lincolnshire Industrial Congress which established workplace democracy, and elections on the basis of occupation, alongside maintaining normal county council elections.
Shortly after the first industrial election, the Socialist Labour Party had a tremendous dispute between the national body and it's Lincolnshire branch over ideological nuance. The same went for the Rural Party, whose national party could no longer tolerate the 'Bolshevism' that had taken root in their Lincolnshire branch. Both Lincolnshire parties broke from their respective national party and merged into the Workers of Lincolnshire Party. At the 1931 election, they got the union vote out and won majorities in every county council.
THE LINCOLNSHIRE POACHER
Democracy in England's Syndicalist County
County Council elections in Kesteven, Lindsey and HollandDemocracy in England's Syndicalist County
1919: (Rural and Independent minorities)
1922: (Rural minorities)
1925: (Rural minorities)
1928: (Socialist Labour and Rural minorities)
1931: (Workers of Lincolnshire majorities)
All-Lincolnshire Industrial Congressional elections
1929: (National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers)
1931: (National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers)
Basically, WW1 is fought to a stalemate which considering Russia, Austria and the Ottomans collapse, the Kaiserreich becomes a military dictatorship with the Kaiser on his throne but under house arrest and France enduring a civil war as radicalised soldiers try and overthrow the government and argue with one another about what the new France should be, Britain comes out fairly lightly. Lloyd George's Coalition Coupon only barely wins a majority, with the rise of new and radical forces like Labour, the National Party, and of course the Rural party who do particularly well in Lincolnshire. The traditional non-partisan county council elections in Lincolnshire's three counties deliver Rural minorities in all three counties, albeit ones which only persist because of the tolerance of substantial numbers of sympathetic independents.
They secure a stronger grip in 1922, and by 1925 the Lincolnshire Rural Party is beginning to explore a very different thread to the national party, namely Land Reform, Mutualism and Agrarian Trade Unionism. The General Strike happens on cue despite butterflies, and it's a lot worse. Lincolnshire's highly unionised agricultural labour force goes out on strike too and the Rural Party splits between those who support the strikers and those who don't. With Labour trying to stay above it all on a national level, the pro-strike Ruralists defect to the Scottish based Socialist Labour Party, Britain's branch of DeLeon's Socialist Labor Party.
The strike is brought to an end in 1927, but at the county council elections in 1928, Socialist Labour wins a minority and forms an alliance with their former comrades in the Rural Party. One of their first reforms, disputed by but eventually accepted by the minority Labour government in Westminster is the creation of the All-Lincolnshire Industrial Congress which established workplace democracy, and elections on the basis of occupation, alongside maintaining normal county council elections.
Shortly after the first industrial election, the Socialist Labour Party had a tremendous dispute between the national body and it's Lincolnshire branch over ideological nuance. The same went for the Rural Party, whose national party could no longer tolerate the 'Bolshevism' that had taken root in their Lincolnshire branch. Both Lincolnshire parties broke from their respective national party and merged into the Workers of Lincolnshire Party. At the 1931 election, they got the union vote out and won majorities in every county council.
- Mumby
- Word Count: 470