London Socialist Historians Group
20th February
Contact Dr Keith Flett 07803 167266
Historians question why Blair’s history of the Labour Party downplays role of Attlee
The London Socialist Historians Group which organises the socialist history seminar at the Institute of Historical Research University of London, has said that Tony Blair’s speech to mark 120 years of the Labour Party at Kings College,London curiously failed to credit fully arguably the greatest ever Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee
In his speech Blair said:
“But then it occurred to me that there are only two people born in the last 120 years who have actually won an election for Labour. And alas Harold Wilson is long gone.
While this is factually correct, Attlee was born in 1883, to miss him out of a keynote line of his speech which focused on why Labour has been in Office for such limited periods since the Labour Representation Committee was formed at the Memorial Hall in Farringdon St on 26th & 27th February 1900 is curious to say the least.
Blair does mention Attlee twice but not in the pantheon of Labour Prime Ministers which apparently only includes himself and Harold Wilson
The historians say that while there are many criticisms that can be made of Attlee’s Premierships from 1945-1951 the fact that he led a Labour Government that introduced the NHS must surely mark him out as one of the greatest modern Prime Ministers
London Socialist Historians Convenor Dr Keith Flett said, Tony Blair is no labour historian and his speech was primarily about how he sees the future of the centre left in Parliamentary politics. Even so to pass over Attlee’s central role in the history of the Labour Party is an astonishing ommission
Link to Tony Blair’s speech
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