1933 Glasgow Corporation election

The 1933 Glasgow Corporation elections were held on 7 November 1933. The results were devastating for the Moderates, who lost control of the Corporation to Labour for the first time, despite socialist candidates making gains in Glasgow at successive general elections.[1] Labour’s victory came as a surprise, even to the party itself, which had already begun blaming its anticipated defeat on vote-splitting caused by the presence of the ILP & the Communists. Labour's dominance of the Corporation would continue, nearly unbroken, to the present day.

1933 Glasgow Corporation election

7 November 1933 (1933-11-07)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader George Smith Patrick Dollan
Party Moderates Labour Ind. Labour Party
Seats won 50 47 11
Seat change

  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Alexander Ratcliffe
Party SPL Independent
Seats won 7 1
Seat change 4

Map showing results in Glasgow Corporation wards

Council Leader before election


Moderates

Council Leader after election

George Smith
Labour

Despite winning a combined share of 52.5% of the vote, compared to the Labour/ILP share of 42.8%, the FPTP nature of the ward voting system meant that the split in the Moderate vote allowed Labour to make strong gains at the Moderates expense. Radcliffe acknowledged and welcomed the role he had played in causing the downfall of the Moderate led Corporation, claiming that "if the Socialists have a majority in Glasgow Town Council, they have the Scottish Protestant League to thank for it."[2]

A split between Labour and the Independent Labour Party had ensued a year prior, although Patrick Dollan; a Glaswegian socialist of Irish descent, was able to keep the bulk of the Glasgweian-based ILP on-side.[3] Despite strong support for Labour amongst Glaswegians of Catholic-Irish origin, only 6 out of Glasgow's 116 Councillors following the election were Catholic.[4]

The Moderates were not to bounce back in the following years election either however, and the combined Moderates/SPL share of the vote fell to 46.4%, whilst the Labour/ILP share rose to 51%. Even after several years, when the SPL had faded from the political picture, the Moderate vote did not rebound to its pre-split height, with many SPL voters in turn moving to Labour.[5]

The election was not only a disappointment for Glasgow's right wing parties, but also for its far-left. The Communist party had fielded 15 candidates; who in fact performed moderately well in several working class wards, notably Cowlairs, Springburn, and Gorbals. Despite this however the party failed to gain a single seat, and ultimately won only 10,484 votes; or 3.4% of the total 311,000 votes cast.[6]

Election result

Glasgow Corporation election, 1933[5]
Total votes: 310,898
Party Seats Gains Losses Net gain/loss Seats % Votes % Votes +/−
  Labour 12 1 11 31.55 98,086
  Moderates 6 0 17 17 24.25 75,385
  SPL 4 4 0 4 23.00 71,512
  Ind. Labour Party 3 2 0 2 11.28 35,083
  Independent Moderate 1 5.27 16,406
  Communist 0 0 0 0 3.37 10,484
  Independent 0 1.27 3,940

Wards

Anderston

Anderston (1)[7]
Electorate: 12,616
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Moderates Hugh Barrie 2,715 36.56
Ind. Labour Party Daniel McMillan 2408 32.43
Independent Edward Kennedy 2303 31.01
Majority 307 4.13
Turnout 7426 58.86
Moderates hold Swing

Camphill

Camphill (1)[7]
Electorate: 13,073
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SPL Francis McGee 4,132 61.87
Moderates James McLuskie* 2546 38.13
Majority 1586
Turnout 6678 51.08
SPL gain from Moderates Swing

Calton

Calton (1)[7]
Electorate: 13,071
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William D. Hunter* 4,115
Moderates Hugh Campbell 1826
Communist Joseph D. McMillan 737
Majority 2289
Turnout
Labour hold Swing

Cathcart

Cathcart (1)[7]
Electorate: 21,014
Spoiled papers: 81
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SPL Angelina Selby 6,333 55.71
Moderates James Kenneth Weir* 5035 44.29
Majority 1298 11.42
Turnout 11,368
SPL gain from Moderates Swing

Cowcaddens

Cowcaddens (1)[7]
Electorate: 16,086
Spoiled papers: 40
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour William T. Doherty* 5,244
SPL Hugh Graham 3253
Communist Joseph Gerrard 726
Ind. Moderate Joseph Gerrard 651
Majority 1991
Turnout 9874
Labour hold Swing

Cowlairs

Cowlairs (1)[7]
Electorate: 11,469
Spoiled papers: 17
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Alexander H. Porter 2,943
Moderates Rev. Robert Daly* 1856
SPL Andrew Brown 1759
Communist Alexander McLean 900
Majority 1107
Turnout
Labour gain from Moderates Swing

Dalmarnock

Dalmarnock (1)[7]
Electorate: 15,599
Spoiled papers: 41
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Socialist Alexander Munro* 3,170
Ind. Labour Party Thomas Taylor 2773
SPL Jane Pickering 1675
Independent Protestant Rev. T. B. Lyons 1165
Majority 397
Turnout
Independent Socialist hold Swing

Dennistoun

Dennistoun (1)[7]
Electorate: 15,778
Spoiled papers: 36
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
SPL Archibald Jackson 4627
Moderates Alexander Sinclair* 4,062
Majority 565
Turnout
SPL gain from Moderates Swing

Fairfield

Fairfield (1)[7]
Electorate: 17,852
Spoiled papers: 44
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour Thomas A. Kerr* 5,159
SPL Cecil Hunter McMichael 3500
Ind. Labour Party Thomas Kinloch 1,464
Independent Moderate David Gillanders 866
Soviet Thomas Anderson 146
Majority 1659
Turnout
SPL gain from Moderates Swing

Gorbals

Gorbals (1)[7]
Electorate: 19,313
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour James L. Gillespie* 4,595 57.50
Communist Harry McShane 1956 24.48
Independent Moderate John M.D. Watson 1440 18.02
Majority 2642 33.06
Turnout 7991 41.38
Labour hold Swing

Govan

Govan (1)[7]
Electorate: 15,911
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Labour John Storrie* 4,457
SPL Robert Hayes 2180
Ind. Labour Party Alexander J. Archibald 1894
Independent Moderate Robert Roxburgh 1507
Communist Peter C. B. McIntyre 810
Majority 2277
Turnout 10,848 68.18
Labour hold Swing

References

  1. Davies, Andrew (15 August 2013). City of Gangs: Glasgow and the Rise of the British Gangster. ISBN 9781444739787.
  2. Smyth, James J. (2003). "Resisting Labour: Unionists, Liberals, and Moderates in Glasgow between the Wars" (PDF). The Historical Journal. Cambridge University Press: 396. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  3. Gallagher, Tom (1987). Glasgow, the Uneasy Peace: Religious Tension in Modern Scotland, 1819-1914. p. 202. ISBN 9780719023965.
  4. Gallagher, Tom (1987). Glasgow, the Uneasy Peace: Religious Tension in Modern Scotland, 1819-1914. p. 203. ISBN 9780719023965.
  5. Smyth, James J. (2003). "Resisting Labour: Unionists, Liberals, and Moderates in Glasgow between the Wars" (PDF). The Historical Journal. Cambridge University Press: 397. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  6. Stevenson, John; Cook, Chris (18 October 2013). The Slump: Britain in the Great Depression. Routledge. ISBN 9781317862154.
  7. "Scottish Municipal Elections". The Glasgow Herald. 8 November 1933.
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