In Praise of …

Stanley Baldwin, unfairly vilified pragmatist

Roland White

A FEW YEARS AFTER HE HAD RETIRED, Stanley Baldwin was travelling on a packed train. He was in his seventies, lame and arthritic, but forced to stand because nobody would give up their seat for him. Enoch Powell famously observed that all political lives end in failure, but “Honest Stanley” suffered more than his fair share of ignominy and disgrace. Many modern historians are more sympathetic to Baldwin, even on disarmament, on which he was simply wary of public opinion. He was the dominant political figure of the 1920s and 30s. He led the Conservative party for 14 years, and fought five general elections. In each of those, the Conservatives won the largest share of votes, even when they could not form a government. He was prime minister on three…

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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2023

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