New Liberal was a party description used by Alan Ernest Lomas (14 June 1918 – 25 January 2016) and his supporters, who were based in the London Borough of Islington in the 1960s. Despite the name, this was a racist and far right organisation.
32-751: By occupation, Lomas was an electrician and then an electrical engineer, and he had been an Electrical Trades Union shop steward. Lomas had been a Labour Party member until not long after the Second World War , when he left because he disagreed with nationalisation . Lomas joined the Conservative Party at the time of the Suez Crisis in 1956; and he had been a Conservative candidate for Islington Borough Council in 1959. From December 1961 onwards, Lomas set up an organisation in East Islington as part of
64-637: A London -based union formed in 1868, and the Amalgamated Society of Telegraph and Telephone Construction Men, based in Manchester . Initially, the union had 570 members, most of whom were employees of the National Telephone Company . Its first part-time secretary, elected at the inaugural conference in 1890, was Dick Steadman. The National Telephone Company's Brighton office was known for poor working conditions and, in 1891, an ETU branch
96-507: A stroke , Frank Chapple became the union's leader in 1966. Unusually for a union leader at the time, Chapple espoused free-market thinking, and he aimed to rid his union of communists ; his former union - the ETU had been run by communists. He was a "reluctant loyalist" to the Labour Party . The union went on to advocate nuclear power , privatisation of state-owned industries and membership of
128-484: A constituency called Islington. The electoral division was replaced from 1973 by the single-member electoral divisions of Islington Central , Islington North and Islington South and Finsbury . The Islington constituency was used for the Greater London Council elections in 1964 , 1967 and 1970 . Three councillors were elected at each election using first-past-the-post voting. The first election
160-420: A downturn in trade the following year; union membership peaked at 1,183 that year but then began to fall. The executive decided to institute a levy of three pennies per member per week in order to make up a shortfall, but this just led to more members leaving, and membership fell to only 402 in 1894. Walker was forced to resign after stealing union funds, and Steadman replaced him on a temporary basis. Steadman
192-541: A semi-literate sheet notably similar to British National Party propaganda, deals almost exclusively with immigration, rats, dysentery, overcrowding, and the 'Defence of England’. Describing the people of Islington in their overcrowded houses, it jibes: ‘Perhaps if they were not English, the Labour Council would help.’ Looking back, former MP and Liberal Party insider Michael Meadowcroft branded Lomas as 'far right and racist', and wrote that Lomas cleverly latched on to
224-605: A separate organisation. Evan Hawken, Chairman of the London Liberal Party, wrote to the North London Press on 30 November 1962, setting out the political differences between Lomas and mainstream Liberal policy. The four key issues were defence, industrial relations, the Common Market, and immigration. Hawken coutlined the differences as follows: The journalist Paul Foot wrote that when Lomas and his group formed
256-588: A three-year term in 1964, 1967 and 1970. It was planned to use the same boundaries as the Westminster Parliament constituencies for election of councillors to the Greater London Council (GLC), as had been the practice for elections to the predecessor London County Council , but those that existed in 1965 crossed the Greater London boundary. Until new constituencies could be settled, the 32 London boroughs were used as electoral areas which therefore created
288-492: The 2008 Stroud District Council election . Lomas left the BNP in 2009 because "The party is divided between the ancient and the modern. Whereas I support some aspects of their policies, others are way out of date and unacceptable." Lomas was an Independent candidate for Stroud at the 2010 United Kingdom general election advocating a referendum on EU membership, reviews of NHS middle management, and stricter immigration controls. At
320-677: The European Union . In July 1968, the ETU merged with the Plumbing Trades Union to form the Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union . The union sponsored Labour Party candidates in several Parliamentary elections. Islington (electoral division) Islington was an electoral division for the purposes of elections to the Greater London Council . The constituency elected three councillors for
352-519: The first London Borough of Islington council election in 1964, running a full slate of candidates in five of the multi-member wards. Lomas stood as the New Liberal parliamentary candidate for Islington East in 1964 and 1966. His vote was 2,053 (7.59%) in 1964, and 1,127 (4.35%) in 1966. In 1970, he stood in Islington South-West and took 1,161 votes (5.49%). In the classic academic study of
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#1733085831297384-654: The 1964 General Election, Lomas was bracketed alongside John Bean of the British National Party (1960) in Southall, and the Independent Colin Atkins in Deptford as one of ‘the three London candidates, in Southall, Deptford and Islington East, who under different labels, fought on avowedly anti-immigrant platforms’.Note that Lomas was seen as anti-immigrant, and not just anti-immigration. Nicholas Deakin wrote of
416-484: The 1964 campaign that Lomas professed as his main objective ’In our lifetime Great Britain into SPACE with automation for all’, but in fact he ‘concentrated very largely on the immigration issue and in particular Labour’s attitude’. The New Liberals also ran three candidates in Islington at the Greater London Council elections of 1964, 1967 and 1970. In 1967 the name Islington Tenants and Ratepayers Political Association
448-525: The 1982 Islington Borough Council elections. They were opposed by Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party (UK) candidates, as part of the Liberal-SDP Alliance. In later life, Lomas moved to Stroud , Gloucestershire , in 1979. In 2004, Lomas was a UKIP candidate for the Nailsworth Ward on Stroud District Council . Lomas stood as a British National Party candidate for Nailsworth in
480-598: The New Liberal Party, The choice of name was shrewd, for it disassociated him immediately from any unfashionable extremist party. The word ‘liberal’, after all, conjures up in the British mind all that is good, honest and decent in politics. Although Lomas kept up a pretence of fighting on a broad political front, immigration was the only issue which really interested him. His journal, the Viewpoint and Islington Advertiser ,
512-806: The New Liberals, with whose policies the Patriotic Party is in sympathy’. In 1966, Braybrooke claimed that his party ‘now has the support of the New Liberals under Mr Alan Lomas, and the League of Empire Loyalists’ The New Liberals turned against the Liberal Party in particular, distributing posters and leaflets at the Hove, Leyton, Erith & Crayford, and Hull North by-elections in 1965 and 1966, seeking to dissuade people from voting Liberal, and calling out ‘the present top Liberals’ as ‘vague and bigoted’. ‘Two carloads from
544-564: The South’ went up to Hull to campaign against the Liberal by-election candidate. Lomas and his first wife Elsie stood as 'Liberal' candidates in a double (two-seat) by-election for the Barnsbury Ward of Islington Borough Council in 1973. They were opposed by candidates using the description 'Official Liberal'. Lomas and his second wife Valerie were 'Independent SDP' candidates for Thornhill Ward in
576-589: The age of 91, he was thought to be oldest candidate in the entire election. Lomas died in Gloucester in 2016, aged 97. Electrical Trades Union (UK) The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) was a trade union representing electricians in the United Kingdom , much of its membership consisting of wiring fitters and telephone engineers. The union was founded in 1889 with the merger of the Union of Electrical Operatives,
608-519: The following year, he too was found to have embezzled union funds, leading to his imprisonment for six months. On release, he tried to set up a breakaway union, the Electrical Wiremen's Union, but this failed to grow and was disbanded in 1903. Alfred Ewer was elected as Sims' replacement, and the union joined the Federation of Engineering and Shipbuilding Trades in 1906. Ewer's time in office
640-440: The generous benefits of the 'Liberal' description while propagating wholly illiberal views. Lomas was eventually expelled from the party but carried his acolytes into an Islington East 'New Liberal' Association. At the subsequent Liberal Assembly, he managed to sneak into the conference hall during the lunch break. Party officials, including Frank Byers, fearful of a public scene, were all for leaving him there but, as Chief Steward, I
672-451: The housing problem’. The North London Press noted, ‘Mr Lomas, in an election statement claims that some tenants in Islington are being intimidated by immigrant landlords’ The New Liberals ran three candidates for the three Islington-wide seats in the 1964 Greater London Council election; and they took more votes than the official Liberal candidates. The New Liberals stood 19 candidates in
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#1733085831297704-525: The then locally-dormant Liberal Party . The London Liberal Party repudiated Lomas and five others who stood as 'Liberal' candidates in the May 1962 borough elections. In November 1962, Lomas was ousted from his office as organiser and agent of the East Islington Liberal Association. The vote for his removal was 28 for, and 20 against. Following a protracted struggle, the New Liberals emerged as
736-457: The union; from 1,500 members in 1907, it grew to more than 80,000 on his retirement. In 1918, the union balloted its members on joining the new Amalgamated Engineering Union , but this was not approved. The early 1920s proved a difficult time for the union, and Rowan negotiated a merger with the Transport and General Workers' Union , but this too was rejected by the membership. Walter Citrine
768-587: Was appointed as an assistant general secretary of the union in 1920, and transformed its finances, making the reputation which led to his later appointment as General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress . Rowan was known for his anti-communism but, despite this, members of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) became prominent in the union under his leadership; by the 1950s, both General Secretary and General President were CPGB members. The ETU
800-490: Was formed there, led by Alfred Ewer . After failed negotiations, the union began a strike, but this collapsed after five weeks. The remaining strikers were sacked, although the union helped them find them work elsewhere. In response, the union decided to appoint its first full-time general secretary; Arthur Walker was elected unopposed. He raised concerns that the union was unable to meet its commitments to out-of-work benefits to members. This became an immediate problem with
832-460: Was having none of it, being sure that he would try and intervene in the proceedings. I went over to where he was sitting and said firmly, "You - out, now!" To my surprise, and relief, he complied immediately and we heard no more of him. When Lomas and his team stood as Liberal candidates in Highbury Ward in May 1962, ‘Lomas’s campaign platform had conflated the issues of commonwealth immigration and
864-403: Was held on 9 April 1964, a year before the council came into its powers. The electorate was 172,917 and three Labour Party councillors were elected. With 45,798 people voting, the turnout was 26.5%. The councillors were elected for a three-year term. The second election was held on 13 April 1967. The electorate was 159,455 and three Labour Party councillors were elected. With 37,100 people voting,
896-621: Was known to have enjoyed close contacts with the London branch of the Caribbean Labour Congress led by communist activist Billy Strachan . In the spring of 1961, there were allegations that ETU ballots were being rigged by communists. In June 1961, the ETU was taken to court by Jock Byrne and Frank Chapple , arguing that members of the CPGB had been part of a "conspiracy to defraud" in internal elections. After its leader Jock Byrne suffered
928-518: Was marked by conflict between the London-based executive and the provincial branches, culminating in a vote in 1907 to move the head office to Manchester. He disappeared in May 1907, and was later found to have emigrated to Australia without informing his wife or friends, having stolen £144 of union funds. Jimmy Rowan , the union's national organiser, was elected as Ewer's replacement, and he ultimately served until 1941. He and oversaw rapid growth in
960-451: Was to stand for Parliament in Clapham as a New Liberal. In the event, this arrangement fell through, and Dr. Russell stood in Clapham as a Radical Liberal instead. By 1965, Lomas was close to the small, nationalistic and anti immigrant Patriotic Party (UK) of former Liberal election candidate Major Arthur Braybrooke, who claimed that at the next election, his party woulld 'have the support of
992-626: Was unable to solve the union's problems, and membership reached an all-time low of 236 members at the end of 1895. Francis Sims was elected as a full-time general secretary, in a final attempt to turn its fortunes around. He undertook a tour of the UK, attempting to form new branches and strengthen existing ones. While this produced mixed results, membership began to recover, and a successful strike in Bolton in 1899, and an agreement signed with Sheffield Town Council in 1900 further improved his reputation. However,
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1024-508: Was used, but in 1970 these were New Liberal candidates. In June 1964, The Norwood News reported that the Clapham Radical Liberal Association, which had split from the Liberal Party because of opposition to the Common Market, had united their efforts with the New Liberals of Islington; and 'the new organisation will be called the New Liberals and is representative of the new members of the Liberal Party'. Dr David Russell
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