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1941 Committee

Historic political grouping

The 1941 Committee was a group of British politicians, writers and other people of influence who got together in 1940. Its members comprised liberals, and those further left, who were not generally involved with a political party. Its immediate purpose was to press for more efficient production in order to enhance the war effort. This swiftly developed into discussion of the methods and mores by which the United Kingdom would be governed after World War II. The members met at the home of Edward Hulton, the publisher of Picture Post.

Members

The committee's members included:

Richard Acland
David Astor
Thomas Balogh
Vernon Bartlett
Violet Bonham Carter
Tom Driberg
Michael Foot
Raymond Gauntlett, Secretary
Victor Gollancz
Eva Hubback
Edward Hulton
Julian Huxley
Margaret Storm Jameson
Douglas Jay
David Low
Kingsley Martin
Christopher Mayhew
J. B. Priestley, chairman
Ritchie Calder
Peter Thorneycroft
Richard Titmuss
H. G. Wells
Kitty Wintringham
Tom Wintringham
Konni Zilliacus

The Nine-Point Plan

In May 1942 the committee published a Nine Point Plan on which it had agreed, calling for works councils and the publication of post-war plans for the provision of full and free education, employment and a civilized standard of living for everyone. This plan was the basis for the successful election campaign of Tom Driberg as an independent in the Maldon by-election. Shortly after, Priestley and most of the moderate members left, and under the guidance of Richard Acland the committee merged with his organisation 'Forward March' to create the Common Wealth Party in July 1942.

Committee members were responsible for the publication of two anonymous best-selling books: Guilty Men by Cato (Michael Foot, Frank Owen, and Peter Howard) and Your M.P. by Gracchus (Wintringham), both published by Gollancz, which exposed pro-fascist sympathies amongst Conservative politicians.

References

[https://web.archive.org/web/20121102095414/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,772686-1,00.html ''Time'' 21 April 1941]
[https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1941/jul/03/1941-committee-terminal-house Hansard 3 July 1941 vol 372 c1475]

Info: Wikipedia Source

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