1906 Election
Factors that won Liberals the 1906 election
Taff Vale (1901) - the highest court at the time: the House of Lords had ruled that the
business was within its right in suing the trade union and its workers who had been
antagonised by low wages and poor conditions. The Conservatives in the House of Commons
refused to pass an Act of Parliament to overrule their decision. LRC and Liberals promised to
overrule the decision if elected
triggered many workers into believing they would be powerless in achieving higher
wages
the lack of a minimum wage coupled with the little labour support the Conservatives
believed in meant trade unions were the only form of labour protection and this ruling
would only further enable poor conditions and wages in a time of absolute poverty
led to the working class of which many did vote Conservative to switch to Labour
Lib-Lab Pact (1903) - pact meant the Liberals would not oppose Labour in 30 constituencies
in return for restricting Labour candidates in Liberal constituencies
Liberals won 401 seats with 49%, Labour winning 29 with 6%, Conservatives winning
157 with 43.6%
Liberals saved in election costs not fighting a Labour party with a £150,000 election
fund, but most importantly it allowed them to pool resources into fighting just the
Conservatives
vote count between the Liberals and the Conservatives was only ~300,000 (6%)
Non-conformist vote - they held vast influence in British politics during the era due to their
flexibility in switching party allegiance at any given policy. Liberals promised to repeal the
1902 Education Act, 1904 Licensing act and end Chinese slavery gaining their support
significant block of political capital that guaranteed the party’s success as they would
later occupy 200 Liberal seats (nearly a third of parliament) in the 1906 election
non-conformists had not bought into new liberalism often preferring Gladstone's old
liberalism who was a prominent ally of theirs
Chinese labour (1902-1904) – Chinese slaves were kept in poor conditions to work in South
Africa
non-conformists and the middle class were concerned about their wellbeing
working class and trade unions were worried about jobs being taken and wages being
decreased
, Chamberlains Tariff reform (1903) - advocated for protectionism and ‘imperial preference’
promising it would generate the funds to fund social reform, boost British business and
strengthen Britain’s image, however this would come at higher costs for consumers of which
many were poor workers living below the poverty line
free trade was considered to be a ‘bread and butter’ issue for voters, but
protectionism ensured higher food and clothing costs in an age where disposable
income was scarce, and malnourishment was rampant
many simply could not afford to vote Conservative explaining the 4% swing from Tory
to Liberal
Balfour’s ineptitude - Balfour was politically inept who did not understand the extent of
society’s problems. He was at the heart of the Conservatives biggest failings such as:
Education and Licensing Act which pushed away the large non-conformist vote
premature calling of the 1906 general election in a time which the Conservatives
were gaining in unpopularity
the exploitation of Chinese slaves that worried middle-class voters and compounded
fears of workers and trade unions,
protectionism in the form of the Chamberlain reforms his MPs advocated on and
failed to quash or redirect
continuance of individualism and unrestricted capitalism against a popular big
government new liberalism
personal belief in social plutocracy in the Taff Vale case
Factors that won Liberals the 1906 election
Taff Vale (1901) - the highest court at the time: the House of Lords had ruled that the
business was within its right in suing the trade union and its workers who had been
antagonised by low wages and poor conditions. The Conservatives in the House of Commons
refused to pass an Act of Parliament to overrule their decision. LRC and Liberals promised to
overrule the decision if elected
triggered many workers into believing they would be powerless in achieving higher
wages
the lack of a minimum wage coupled with the little labour support the Conservatives
believed in meant trade unions were the only form of labour protection and this ruling
would only further enable poor conditions and wages in a time of absolute poverty
led to the working class of which many did vote Conservative to switch to Labour
Lib-Lab Pact (1903) - pact meant the Liberals would not oppose Labour in 30 constituencies
in return for restricting Labour candidates in Liberal constituencies
Liberals won 401 seats with 49%, Labour winning 29 with 6%, Conservatives winning
157 with 43.6%
Liberals saved in election costs not fighting a Labour party with a £150,000 election
fund, but most importantly it allowed them to pool resources into fighting just the
Conservatives
vote count between the Liberals and the Conservatives was only ~300,000 (6%)
Non-conformist vote - they held vast influence in British politics during the era due to their
flexibility in switching party allegiance at any given policy. Liberals promised to repeal the
1902 Education Act, 1904 Licensing act and end Chinese slavery gaining their support
significant block of political capital that guaranteed the party’s success as they would
later occupy 200 Liberal seats (nearly a third of parliament) in the 1906 election
non-conformists had not bought into new liberalism often preferring Gladstone's old
liberalism who was a prominent ally of theirs
Chinese labour (1902-1904) – Chinese slaves were kept in poor conditions to work in South
Africa
non-conformists and the middle class were concerned about their wellbeing
working class and trade unions were worried about jobs being taken and wages being
decreased
, Chamberlains Tariff reform (1903) - advocated for protectionism and ‘imperial preference’
promising it would generate the funds to fund social reform, boost British business and
strengthen Britain’s image, however this would come at higher costs for consumers of which
many were poor workers living below the poverty line
free trade was considered to be a ‘bread and butter’ issue for voters, but
protectionism ensured higher food and clothing costs in an age where disposable
income was scarce, and malnourishment was rampant
many simply could not afford to vote Conservative explaining the 4% swing from Tory
to Liberal
Balfour’s ineptitude - Balfour was politically inept who did not understand the extent of
society’s problems. He was at the heart of the Conservatives biggest failings such as:
Education and Licensing Act which pushed away the large non-conformist vote
premature calling of the 1906 general election in a time which the Conservatives
were gaining in unpopularity
the exploitation of Chinese slaves that worried middle-class voters and compounded
fears of workers and trade unions,
protectionism in the form of the Chamberlain reforms his MPs advocated on and
failed to quash or redirect
continuance of individualism and unrestricted capitalism against a popular big
government new liberalism
personal belief in social plutocracy in the Taff Vale case
