The Lie of the Land

Central to understanding the political context of the West Midlands, and especially in Smethwick, in the lead-up to the 1964 election, is appreciating the impact of the activities of all three political parties. Unlike previous studies, this study gives equal billing to the Liberal Party, as the third competitor in 1964. To take the approach of political scientist Robert McKenzie, who relegated the Liberals to a two-page appendix in his celebrated 1955 tome, British Political Parties , or to ignore them, as Paul Foot did, would be unhelpful. 1 Furthermore, while the chapter is alive to national-level changes, such as the changing nature of the Labour leadership to a more charismatic, meritocratic, and technocratic one after 1955, alongside the inter-party debates and perceived agreement on ‘Keynesian’ keystones including full employment, a mixed economy, and welfarism, it does not seek to be reductionist. 2 Even Labour and the Conservatives were not unified monoliths. They were plural institutions that reflected shifting alliances over ideas, policies, and actors. 3 How they determined policy platforms, devised rhetoric, and constructed images of themselves to appeal to these electors shaped how people understood local problems and the political landscape. 4 What was apparent was that voters were far from settled on a long-term duopoly, and suggestions that the UK was a two-party state, formed along class lines, was at best simplistic and at worst inaccurate.