Drink and British Politics since 1830: A Study in Policy-Making

284 Pages·2003·1.108 MB·English

by  John Greenaway (auth.)

Drink and British Politics since 1830
Also by John Greenaway
THE DYNAMICS OF ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM
(with Richard Chapman)
DECIDING FACTORS IN BRITISH POLITICS
(with Steve Smith and John Street)
Drink and British Politics
since 1830
A Study in Policy-Making
John Greenaway
Senior Lecturer in Politics
School of Economic and Social Studies
The University of East Anglia
© John Greenaway 2003
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2003 978-0-333-91782-4
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First published 2003 by
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ISBN 978-1-349-42329-3 ISBN 978-0-230-51036-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1057/9780230510364
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Greenaway, J. R.
Drink and British politics since 1830 : a study in policy-making / John
Greenaway.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Drinking of alcoholic beverages–Government policy–Great
Britain–History. I. Title.
HV5446G74 2003
363.4′1′0941–dc21 2003040515
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03
This book is dedicated to my late parents
George William and Joyce Mary Greenaway
both fine historians
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
List of Abbreviations ix
Acknowledgements xi
1 Introduction 1
The aim of this book 1
The intangible nature of the Drink question 3
2 The Drink Problem in Early Victorian Britain,
1830–70 7
Six Victorian solutions to the problem 9
Parliament and liquor licensing, 1830–70 19
3 Drink becomes a Party Political Issue, 1870–95 29
Legislation under Gladstone and Disraeli 30
Party polarisation on the issue 37
Licensing and high politics, 1888–95 43
4 New Departures and Old Orthodoxies, 1895–1902 53
New thinking on the Drink issue 53
The Royal Commission 59
Reaction to the Royal Commission 63
Rowntree and Sherwell’s new approach 68
5 The High Water Mark of Party Political
Controversy, 1902–14 73
The changing social and economic position of the Trade 73
The 1902 Licensing Act 75
The 1904 Licensing Act 77
The 1908 Licensing Bill 81
Drink and the nature of politics in Edwardian Britain 86
6 The First World War: Drink and National Efficiency 91
National hysteria on Drink 91
The work of the Central Control Board 97
Lloyd George and state purchase 107
vii
viii Contents
7 The Postwar Settlement, 1919–21 114
New directions 114
Controls on production 116
The future of the CCB and of liquor control 117
The 1921 licensing compromise 121
Drink and the new political order 125
8 Decades of Improvement: The Interwar Years 130
Continuation of the old attitudes 130
The Labour party and the Drink question 133
The Carlisle scheme 135
The ‘improved’ public house and disinterested management 140
The Royal Commission, 1929–31 145
New issues: medical aspects; Drink and advertising 147
9 Policy Fragmentation 1945–70: Three
Case Studies 150
The New Towns and state control, 1945–52 151
Policy towards alcoholism, 1945–75 158
Drink and driving 166
10 Epilogue: A Brief Sketch of the Period after 1970 175
11 Drink, the Political Process and Policy-Making in
Britain 183
Drink and the British political system 183
Some comparisons: contrasting policy agendas 196
Drink and the policy process 198
Notes 213
Bibliography and Location of Unpublished Sources 258
Index 259
List of Abbreviations
AA Alcoholics Anonymous
BMA British Medical Association
BTL British Temperance League
CAMRA Campaign for Real Ale
CCB Central Control Board (Liquor Traffic)
CETS Church of England Temperance Society
CPRS Central Policy Review Staff
DHSS Department of Health and Social Security
DORA Defence of the Realm Act
MoH Ministry of Health
MoT Ministry of Transport
MRC Medical Research Council
MTCP Ministry of Town and Country Planning
NCA National council on Alcoholism
NHS National Health Service
NTDA National Trade Defence Association
NTL National Temperance League
PA Pedestrians’ Association
PP Parliamentary Papers
PRO Public Record Office
RoSPA Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
TLL Temperance Legislation League
UKA United Kingdom Alliance
W.C. War Cabinet Papers
WHO World Health Organisation
ix