Ernest Davies

A critique (and a harsh one) of the economic policies of the "National Government" of the 1931-1939 period (mostly Baldwin and Chamberlain). The author's position -- not a surprise, considering this is a Left Book Club offering -- is that the economic policies of the National Government were hopelessly slanted in favour of the rich, including bailouts of Cable & Wireless, the Bank of England, shipbuilders and shipowners, and so forth. I think the one thing that weakens this kind of a book is that if you look at the period of high socialism that followed (circa 1945-1979), you could point to a number of similar errors, such as the infamous "groundnut" scheme, British Leyland, British Steel, et alia. Davies makes a good case that the National Government made errors, and serious ones, but the record of socialism isn't much better. I was bemused by one section in which Newfoundland's government was berated on the one hand, and then, when the Imperial government took over, it was excoriated by the author for superseding a democratic government! Something of a curio, no doubt in favour with certain types today.… (altro)