Labor Day 1933

[Owlet]

So I was poking around in the archives of the Times of London (I'm researching for a novel I'm writing), and just for the hell of it decided to see what was happening on this date in 1933 under the search term 'unemployment'. This popped up, which is eerily similar to what we have today - 78 years on. The media bias is there in the words of the reporter (the Times was nothing then if not pro-business) and while we don't have the outwardly para-military aspects - yet - we do have the gun-toters at Tea Party rallies. Anyway, here's the piece: (sorry - can't link to the original as it's a restricted-to-subscribers site.)

The Times |  September 5, 1933
Page 10 of 22 in this edition   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  


Dictatorship In Politics FROM OUR LABOUR CORRESPONDENT BRIGHTON. SEPT. 4 The Trades Union Congress, which opened here to-day. cut short its public session in order that certain disputes between unions might be thrashed out in private. To-morrow the main subject will be unemployment, and an emergency resolution calling for a resumption of trading relations with Russia will be moved. The discussion on dictatorship will be taken on Thursday. The address of the President, Mr. A. G. Walkden, had Fascism and dictatorship for its principal theme. In its more important affirmations it had been anticipated by the report which the General Council issued last week, and, lacking something of the General Council's breadth of treatment of the subject, it was not so much a lead to the congress as the seconding of a lead already given. Mr. Walkden appears to share a view not uncommon in the Labour movement that the modern development of political dictatorship was with Fascism, whereas, of course, it is to be traced back at least to the form of Socialism which established itself in Russia. Mr. Walkden went further in endeavouring to identify Fascism and capitalism as one and in concluding that in dictatorship and capitalism the trade unions and Socialism were confronting the same enemy.

Fascism was to be found in different countries and wearing different colours, but its characteristics, as Mr. Walkden described them, were the same. It was destructive of Parliamentary institutions. fanatically anti-Socialist, and hostile to trade unionism; it exploited patriotism and the enthusiasm of youth and subjected its adherents to a militarized form of political organization. He condemned Fascism also for deliberately exciting class antagonism among politically immature young people, and for the inculcation of a political philosophy of violence which was converting young people to the doctrine that a minority might seize power and rule by force. That these accusations could be brought with equal force against the disciples of Karl Marx found no admission in the presidential address. Nevertheless the blows that were aimed with so much vehemence against Fascism were felt to light with almost as much directness and effect on those who claim to be in the vanguard of the Labour movement, and who are themselves the advocates of some form or other of dictatorship. Mr. Walkden really admitted that there is no Fascist danger visible in this country, but refused to allow the delegates to enter- tain a sense of security. Capitalism had, he said, as much to lose by the triumph of democracy here as elsewhere. and capitalists were fighting for their lives in the last ditch. The declaration excited no enthusiasm whatever, and it was followed by a restrained eulogy of the Roosevelt experiment in America. This experiment was approved because it required the recognition of trade unionism by employers and cooperation between employers and the unions; and, moreover, it rested on the establishment of a shorter working week and the raising of wages with the object of redistributing employment and increasing purchasing power. Mr. Walkden was able to argue that the experiment proved economic individualism of the American model to be played out, but he refrained from claiming that it made an inroad on capitalism.

The questions of domestic policy to which Mr. Walkden referred were those of the shorter working week, the means test, and the loss of health insurance rights by unemployed workers unable to maintain their contributions. Eighty thousand unemployed workers had already lost their insurance rights, he said. "In other words, for the crime of being unemployed they lose health insurance benefit and will shortly lose pension rights as well." Ultimately between 5,000,000 and 6,000,000 workpeople would be affected by this change in the law. " It is the very refinement of cruelty to confront a man, harassed by prolonged unemployment and at his wit's end to know how to exist, with the necessity of paying health insurance contributions out of his inadequate allowance as an alternative to forfeiting benefit altogether."

[orpupilofnature57]

1. K&R You would of thought we had learned about unchecked Wealth.

[Poll_Blind]

2. +1 Damn, that bolded bit is amazingly relevant.

It's really true that some things don't change.

PB

[pnorman]

3. K&R for Times of London!

n/t