TUC March for an Alternative: What would Clem do?

Tower Hamlets Labour Party on the TUC March 26th.  With the very apt placard to the front "What would Clem do?" (Clement Attlee - former Labour Prime Minister and local MP).   This is important because the National Debt in 1945 was far, far higher than now and yet the Labour government of the time led by Clem managed to nationalise Coal and Steel, have a mass housing building programme and set up the NHS. 

Those were the days!  Hat-tip Col. Roi. Picture Dan McCurry.

The Curse of the Number Two

There is a good article on the BBC website today about Deputy Prime Ministers, questioning why so few of them go on to be successful PMs. Anthony Eden (Top picture) was a loyal Deputy PM to Winston Churchill for many years but, when he succeeded Churchill in 1955, his brief time in office was plagued by disasters such as the Suez Crisis in 1956. Lord Hattersley's view of DPMs is that they are not really Deputy Leaders, but "failed leaders" - unable to win the top spot for themselves. However, Nick Clegg's position, as part of a coalition, is a little different, and perhaps Clement Attlee (Bottom picture), Labour DPM to Churchill's PM during Britain's last coalition during World War 2 is a better example. According to the political historian Peter Hennessey, he had very little charisma or presence, and came across as a "benign gerbil", and yet he went on to become a widely respected PM responsible for the creation of the NHS after the war. Will Clegg be able to follow this model? Only time will tell.

PS: Clegg has come under plenty of pressure after his first performance at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday. He declared the Iraq War to be "illegal" despite the fact it had had the full support of the Conservatives, who are of course now his coalition partners. More details here.
PPS: Clegg's debut at PMQs was certainly historic. It was the first time a Liberal Leader had stood at the despatch box since Lloyd George, over 90 years ago...

60th Anniversary of the Korean War

60 years ago today, on 25 June 1950, North Korean troops invaded South Korea and the Korean War began. The conflict lasted 3 years and caused many casualties, including 2 million civilians. The war has a reputation as the "Forgotten War" in Britain and America but of course is strongly remembered in North and South Korea, which have held very different commemorations to mark the anniversary.

There is plenty of coverage of the anniversary, including this impressive BBC slideshow and this thoughtful piece in the Independent, explaining how the West were caught off guard (the British government were initially reluctant to get involved and not every minister knew exactly where Korea was) by the invasion and how Truman clashed with General MacArthur over whether nuclear weapons should be used. Truman's view prevailed, and Korea remained a "limited war". This was an unpopular decision for many, and Korea remained divided once the ceasefire was agreed in 1953. Tensions continue in the peninsular, as the recent sinking of a South Korean warship have demonstrated, but hopefully the memory of the massive destruction and loss of live of the previous war will be a sufficient incentive to prevent further conflict.

PS: Here are the views of British veterans who fought in the conflict, many of whom were carrying out their national service and had had no idea where Korea was. "It was trench warfare," said one. "We laid in the trenches and dug holes in the sides of the mountains every now and then and that's where we lived. They were rat-infested. I think I was more afraid of them than I was of the Chinese." Meanwhile here are the views of Chinese soldiers who fought in the conflict. The sacrifices they made make them reluctant to abandon North Korea now, despite its increasingly erratic behaviour.