William Clive Bridgeman, PM, 1923

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
William Clive Bridgeman, MP for Oswestry, Home Secretary, considered his options...

After Bonar-Law (retiring through ill health), who next?

Stanley Baldwin has just botched the war loan negotiations in the USA. Grandstanding at the dock to the detriment of the party and the country. Bridgemen had always looked upon him as a close ally, but had doubts now as to his suitability for the highest office.

Lord Curzon was able enough, but too full of himself to get on in cabinet. His poise and dignity suited the post of foreign and colonial secretary, but he was too stiff and superior to make an electable leader. It was unlikely that the people would support government from the house of Lords again and this made it easier for the King to say no.

EFL Wood (Edward Frederick Lindley Wood) had a good chance too he supposed, but didn't command enough support in the party to truly lead it. An able minister, but hardly a leader of men. It helped that he hadn't taken to the education brief with any enthusiasm.

Leo Amery and Philip Lloyd-Graeme were still too junior although showing great promise. Like Curzon, They would find it hard to draw enough support.

It would have to be Baldwin or...

Could I do it? Stanley Baldwin wouldn't lie down meekly and accept this, but he needed Bridgeman's support. Did he dislike Curzon enough to back his old friend Bill for the top job? He resolved to make a bid for the 'brass ring', as the Americans put it.

If he set Baldwin the Home Secretarial task of regulating the unions for better labour relations, that would keep him too busy to cause him any trouble in cabinet. Wood was itching for the Foreign and colonial post, but would be terrible at it. He would rather keep that atrocious prig Curzon in the post. Something he could use to gain his support perhaps. Hint that Baldwin looks set to succeed unless Curzon falls into line with a compromise candidate that will keep him on...maybe even make the Foreign Secretary's role more independent and powerful. After all, did he really want to be bogged down in domestic matters?

Curzon was crestfallen at first, but rather that see that insignificant man Baldwin direct his foreign policy for him, chose to write a personal recommendation to the King in favour of WC Bridgeman. Letters followed from EFL Wood, Leo Amery and Philip Lloyd-Graeme.

Baldwin refused to support him and felt confident that the King would ask him to lead the next government. He was wrong. Bridgeman had pulled the rug from under him and would see the Conservatives into the next election.
 
Last edited:

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
No man seeks high office without high ambition. For William Bridgeman, that ambition was to smash the militant unions that sought to strike. Ernest Bevin's all too powerful T&GWU was top of the list. Both at the Board of Trade and as Home secretary he had become well aware of the threat to the economy that such power to dictate to industry represented. More of a threat even than the tariff imbalance with foreign economies.

He could see that things were coming to a head and that if the government were unprepared to lance the situation they would have a nationwide strike of multiple industries on their hands. He would need a little time to make his mark on the electorate as party leader and a widespread industrial crisis brought forward to suit his timing would offer a good excuse to delay a fresh general election (until 1924 say). As a first move he asked the navy to instigate a large new strategic stockpile of coal. This enormous order would drive up the price of coal, but strike action from mine-workers would be less harmful later. He also ordered an expansion of Naval supply handling facilities (in case the docks closed). As he intended to import this coal. Britain was owed a great deal in war loans by Italy and France and yet they were accepting free coal (as reparations) from Germany rather than buy British coal. Britain would accept free coal from Germany as a part repayment of her ally's war loans.

Asquith was incensed when the House was informed of this policy. 'Coals to Newcastle?!' Ramsey MacDonald predicted that the mine workers would suffer for every rail wagon load of coal loaded at the dockside. Bridgeman pointed out that Asquith's party were in favour of free trade and that he should buy at the cheapest price. This coal was free. He knew that the mine, dockyard and rail unions wouldn't be slow to react, so he pressed on with large orders for other strategic imports. Electricity and coal gas generation companies were advised to stock up on coal close to there generators. The massive shift in the coal market caused greater demand for Locally mined coal in France and Italy, even some imports from Britain at last. Germany was suffering as before, but with more rail capacity free now that coal was heading for the Baltic ports to sail to Britain. Publicly he regretted these lean times for British coal, but pointed out that even with a tariff on non-empire coal, the German reparations would be much cheaper.

The public and industry were pleased, at least, with the cheap price of electricity and town gas. The Miner's Federation of Great Britain were appalled. First they protested and appealed to the government to reconsider, then they went on strike. There was a great deal of public support and sympathy with their cause. Dockworkers and Shipyard workers unions started to discuss the timing of industrial action in support.
 
Last edited:

perfectgeneral

Donor
Monthly Donor
Keynes had another article out warning that reparations against Germany were too exacting. Indeed inflationary problems seemed to be getting worse, in spite of pitiful wage levels. Britain offered to reduce demand for coal if France and Italy would consent to slower repayments. Since they were seeing little of the payments anyway, both agreed to reduce the 26% of German exports to 10% for longer. Meanwhile Britain transferred Germany's monetary debt to the USA at a discount to reduce her own repayments. Britain stopped importing 'free coal', but by this time the strike had a momentum of it's own. Imports switched to Polish and North American coal. Dockers, bargemen and railway workers had started to refuse to handle coal on an unofficial basis.

Bridgeman called upon the Royal Navy and Army to break the strike. He made great play of the fact that the original cause of the strike was now over and that stockpiles were the only thing keeping Britain going. His policy had been vindicated, he claimed. Seeing this as an attack on the trade union movement as a whole, Bevin called the T&GWU out and several other unions responded. A General Strike had started.
 
Last edited:
Top