History of Labour in the Western Isles /
Eachdraidh nan Làborach sna h-Eileanan an Iar
50th Anniversary of Labour's Western Isles Triumph
MALCOLM BURNS looks back at Malcolm K Macmillan's election to the Western Isles seat.
The Western Isles seat had been created in 1918, having previously been divided between Ross-shire and Inverness. It had been held by Liberals since then.
The Liberal tradition, still strong in other parts of the Highlands, encompassed shopkeepers and crofters, merchants and fishermen. The middle-class townsfolk of the Western Isles believed in free enterprise and enlightened self-interest. The crofting people – whose political awareness stemmed from brutal oppression at the hands of the landlords – remembered that Liberals had provided the earliest Crofting Acts, giving protection and security.
Though the Liberals made political gains from the land wars of the 1880s, the Labour movement had been closely involved. The first Labour candidate in the Western Isles, Hugh McGowan in 1918, actually stood on a Highland Land League ticket. He won 10 per cent of the vote.
The rural areas of the Western Isles were the poorest in Britain – comparable to the least-developed parts of the Empire – and by 1929, J M MacDiarmid forced the Labour challenge into second place, only 1,288 votes behind a National Liberal. Labour did not gain the Western Isles, but the General Election had resulted in a minority Labour administration in Westminster.
The Ramsay MacDonald government collapsed in 1931 with the growing international crisis and the defection of the Labour leadership in favour of coalition government. Labour, split and weakened, suffered a heavy defeat against National candidate – an assortment of Tories and ring-wing Liberals. There was no Labour presence in the Western Isles in 1931.
The National government presided over the worst slump in British history. However, by 1935 they claimed that there was an improvement in trade, a reduction in unemployment figures, a balanced Budget and the “pleasant atmosphere” of the Silver Jubilee.
In April 1935, the Lewis Labour Party decided to select a candidate to fight for the General Election predicted for the Autumn. Macmillan, a 22-year-old law student, was selected unanimously. He got off to a good start by default. The sitting MP, Mr. Ramsay, was “severely censured” at weavers' meeting for his support of the 1934 re-definition of the Harris Tweed Orb mark. They believed it was too favourable to the Stornoway mills.
Unemployment was the major issue. Men worked for as little as 2d an hour, and gave half their labour free on Country road schemes in order to qualify for National Insurance stamps. Small wonder the Labour's programme for public utilities, free medical services and pensions of a pound a week at the age of 60 were popular. They criticised the government's “heartless methods” of trying every device thinkable to cut men and women off from benefit.
Coalition with the Tories did not help Ramsay, a Liberal, and with the advent of a Scottish Nationalist Macmillan realised Labour has a real chance. “Sir Alexander McEwan should just about split the opposition,” he observed. He attacked Nationalism for “its dangerous results in Germany and elsewhere – we have seen the rise of Nazism and the persecution of minorities”.
Although they had severe problems themselves, the Hebridean electorate were very interested in foreign affairs. Italian imperialism in Abyssinia and the international arms race were debated at length throughout the campaign. Macmillan pointed out the Britain was supplying Germany and Italy with combat aircraft. Every few years the Tories ran a war, he said, the solve unemployment!
At home, Labour had freed the Luskentyre land raiders, and settled them on their crofts. Labour would plan production and distribution in the herring industry so that all workers got a living wage. The Tories had deliberately cut off the vital Russian market, but Labour would re-negotiate it. The National government's claims of reduced unemployment were false. They had merely transferred the problem from the dole to the parish.
“It had been suggested that Labour was out to nationalise everything, but that was absurd,” Macmillan said. “Labour intends to pursue a policy of socialisation and we intend to apply it first and foremost to finance, because it was finance that broke the last Labour government, and to land, because land is the mother of all wealth. That wealth is for the workers and it is for the workers that we intend to nationalise it!”
Macmillan's enthusiastic socialism and his native awareness of the local situation won greatest support in rural areas. Thursday 14th November 1935 saw a record poll of 47 per cent despite poor weather. The result was: Labour, 5,421; Liberal, 4,076; SNP, 3,704.
There are many comparisons, interesting and occasionally frightening, to be drawn over the half century since that famous victory.
The unemployment problem, which some people thought had been solved 25 years ago, is the clearest echo of the Thirties. Some things never change – then a Tory government (in all but name) tried to make the jobless go away by fiddling the books; their present-day successors have not learned that it doesn't work. The National government of 1931 introduced the “means test” as a method of cutting social security, and they also cut teachers' salaries. Today we have Norman Fowler and Sir Keith Joseph.
The most frightening parallel between now and then is the international arms race. Macmillan was not a pacifist - he joined the army to 1939 to fight Hitler – but he was a veteran campaigner against the Bomb.
Of course, today the standard of living of the majority in Britain is far greater that 50 years ago. The fact that the Western Isle has caught up is no small part to the efforts of Malcolm Macmillan and the practical application of socialist ideas, particularly in health and education.
50 bliadhna bhon chiad bhuannachadh aig na Làboraich
Tha MALCOLM BURNS a’ toirt sùil air ais air taghadh Calum C Mac a’ Mhaolain airson nan Eilean An Iar.
Chaidh roinn-taghaidh nan Eileanan an Iar a chruthachadh ann an 1918, an dèidh a bhith roimhe sin air a roinn eadar Siorrachdan Rois agus Inbhir Nis.
Bha an dualchas Libearaileach, fhathast làidir ann an ceàrnaidhean eil den Ghàidhelatachd, a’ gabhail a-steach luchd-bhùthan, croitearan, marsantaich agus iasgairean. Bha an clas meadhan ann am bailtean sna h-eileanan a’ cur an taice ri saorsa iomairt agus fèin-dhìon thuigseach. Bha na croitearan – le mothachadh poilitigeach ag èirigh à fòirneart brùideil nan uachdaran – a’ cuimhneachadh gur e na libearailich a bha air cùl a’ chiad Achdan Chroitearachd, a thug dhaibh dìon agus tèarainnteachd.
Ged a fhuair na Libearailich buannachd poilitigeach à strì an Fhearainn san 1880an, bha an gluasad Làborach air a bhith an sàs gu dlùth ann. Sheas a’ chiad thagraiche Làborach airson nan Eileanan An Iar, Hugh McGowan, ann an 1918 air ticeid Lìog an Fhearainn. Fhuair e 10% den bhòt.
Cha robh àite am Breatainn cho bochd ri sgìrean dùthchail nan Eileanan An Iar – a’ cheart cho truagh ris na h-àitichean bu neo-leasaichte san Impireachd – agus mu 1929, fhuair JM MacDiarmid air na Làboraich a thoirt chun an dara àite, dìreach 1288 bhòt air cùl Libearaileach Nàiseanta. Ged nach do bhuannaich na Làboraich na h-Eileanan An Iar, thug an taghadh mun cuairt riaghaltas Làborach beag-chuid ann an Westminster.
Thuit riaghaltas Ramsay MacDonald an 1931 an lùib suidheachadh cugallach eadar-nàiseanta agus ceannardan nan Làborach a’ taobhadh ri riaghaltas co-bhonntachd. Bha na Làbaraich air an lagachadh agus roinnte agus chaill iad gu salach an aghaidh tagraichean Nàiseantach – measgachadh de Thòraidhean agus Libearailich an làimh dheis. Cha do sheas Làborach san h-Eileanan an Iar ann an 1931.
Bha na riaghaltas Nàiseanta os cionn a’ chrìonaidh bu mhiosa bha a-riamh am Breatainn. Ach mu 1935 bha iad a’ cumail a-mach gun robh piseach ann am malairt, lùghdachadh ann an àireamhan gun obair, gun robh buidseat cothromach aca, agus gun robh “àile càilear” an cois an Iubilidh Airgid.
Sa Ghiblean 1935, thagh Pàrtaidh Làborach Leòdhais tagraiche airson an Taghaidh Coitchinn ris an robh sùil as t-fhoghar. Chaidh Mac a’ Mhaolain, oileanach Lagha aois 22 a thaghadh gun eas-aonta. Chaidh cùisean gu math on toiseach. Chaidh trom chronachadh a dhèanamh air Mgr Ramsay, am BP, aig coinneamh bhreabadairean airson an taice a thug e do dh’ath-mhìneachadh 1934 air comharradh Orb a’ Chlò Hearaich. Bha iad den bheachd gun robh e ro fhàbharach do mhuilnean Steòrnabhaigh.
Bha cion obrach na phrìomh uallach. Bha pàigheadh cho ìosal ri 2 sgillinn san uair, agus bha iad ri toirt leth an saothrach gun phàigheadh air sgeamannan rathaid na siorrachd, gus am faigheadh iad stampaichean Arachas Nàiseanta. Bu bheag an t-iongnadh gun robh prògram nan Làborach airson seirbhisean poballach, seirbhis mediceach an asgaidh agus peinnsean nota san t-seachdain aig aois 60 a’ còrdadh ri daoine. Bha iad a’ càineadh dòighean cruaidh-chridheach an riaghaltais airson an cuilbheartan gu sochairean a thoirt bho fhireann agus boireann.
Cha b’fheàirrde an Libearaileach Ramsay co-bhonntachd nan Libearaileach agus nan Tòraidhean, agus nuair a thàinig Nàiseantach Albannach mun cuairt, thuig Mac a’ Mhaolain gum biodh cothrom math aig na Làboraich. Thuirt e, “Roinnidh Sir Alexander McEwan an fheadhainn tha nar n-aghaidh.” Chàin e Nàiseantachd airson an cron a bha sin a’ dèanamh anns a’ Ghearmailt agus an àitichean eile, le Nàsachd a’ neartachadh agus geur-leanmhainn air mion-shluaigh.
Ged a bha an cuid fhèin de thrioblaidean aig luchd-bhòtaidh nan eilean bha ùidh mhòr aca ann an cùisean thall thairis. Bha Impireachdas na h-Eadailt ann an Abyssinia agus rèis armachd eadar-nàiseanta air an deasbad aig coinneamhan. Thog Mac a’ Mhaolain gun robh Breatainn a’ reic pleanaichean cogaidh ris a’ Ghearmailt agus ris an Eadailt. Thuirt e gun robh na Tòraidhean a’ ruith cogadh a h-uile ceann sreath airson cosnadh a thoirt seachad.
Aig an dachaigh bha na Làboraich air saorsa thoirt do luchd strì an fhearainn ann an Losgantir, agus air croitean a thoirt dhaibh. Chuireadh na Làboraich cùisean air dòigh airson obair iasgach an sgadain gus am faigheadh an luchd-obrach tuarastal cothromach. Bha na Tòraidhean a dh’aona ghnothach air am margadh Ruiseanach a ghlasadh , ach dhèanadh na Làboraich ath-obrachadh air. Cha robh an fhìrinn ann am briathran an riaghaltais Nàiseanta mu lùghdachd cion-obrach. Bha iad dìreach air an trioblaid a chur bhon “dole” chun na paraiste.
“Bhatar ag ràdh gun robh na Làboraich a’ dol a chur a h-uile dad do shealbh poballach, ach cha robh sin ach amaideachd, “ thuirt Mac a’ Mhaolain. “ Tha na Làborach am beachd poileasaidh sòisealachdas a chur air chois, agus cuirear sin an toiseach ri ionmhas, oir b’ e ionmhas a chur às don riaghaltas Làborach mu dheireadh, agus cuirear e cuideachd ri fearann, oir ’s ann à fearann a tha saoibhreas a’ tighinn. Tha an saoibhreas sin don luchd-obrach, agus ’s ann air an son sin a thig iad fo sheilbh poballach.”
B’ ann anns an sgìrean dùthchail a fhuair eud sòisealach Mac a’ Mhaolain agus a thuigse air an t-suidheachadh ionadail an taice bu mhotha. Air Diardaoin 14 Samhain 1935 thàinig 47% a-mach a bhòtadh a dh’aindeoin fior dhroch thìde. Seo mar a bhòt daoine: Làboraich, 5,421; Libearailich, 4,076; PNA, 3,704.
‘S iomadh coimeas, inntinneach agus uaireannan eagalach, a dh’fhaodar a dhèanamh thairis air an leth-cheud bliadhna bhon uair sin.
‘S e cion-obrach fhathast an samhla as coltaiche ris na 30an, ged a bha cuid den bheachd gun deach a chur ceart o chionn 25 bliadhna. Chan atharraich cuid de rudan a chaoidh – an uair sin le cuilbheartan cunntais dh’fheuch pàrtaidh Tòraidheach (fo ainm eile) ri gleans a chur air cion-obrach; tha an oighrean air ionnsachadh nach obraich sin. Thug riaghaltas Nàiseantach 1931 “deuchainn maoin” a-steach airson sochairean sòisealta a ghearradh, agus gheàrr iad tuarasdail luchd-teagaisg. Tha Norman Fowler agus Sir Keith Joseph againn an-diugh.
‘ S e an rèis armachd eadar-nàiseanta an samhla as eagalaiche ris an àm sin. Cha b’e sìochantair a bha ann am Mac a’ Mhaolain – chaidh e don arm ann an 1939 airson cogadh an aghaidh Hitler – ach bha e a-riamh ag iomairt an aghaidh a’ Bhom.
Gun teagamh tha caithe-beatha a’ mhòr-chuid am Breatainn mòran nas fheàrr na bha e o chionn 50 bliadhna. Tha sin fìor mu na h-Eileanan an Iar cuideachd, agus tha sin an urra gu mòr ri oidhirpean Mhic a’ Mhaolain, agus mar a chaidh beachdan sòisealach, gu h-àraidh ann an slàinte agus am fòghlam, a chur an gnìomh.
