Page contents > Introduction | Andrew Faulds | Federal Union and Federal Trust for Education and Research | Geoffrey Finsberg | Sir Gilbert Longden | Ronald Mackay | Sir Andrew McFadyean | Alfred Morris | John Redcliffe-Maud
Introduction
The Foyle Foundation Project at LSE Archives aims to bring to life the social and political history of the 20th century. Over the last three years the archives of eight politicians, public servants and organisations have been catalogued as part of this project. The aim of this page is to introduce these collections. Subsequent pages use some of the documents in these collections to highlight one of the major themes common to all them: Europe and international relations generally.
Click on the thumbnails for larger versions of the images.
Andrew Faulds
|Prior to his political career Andrew Faulds (1923-2000) worked as an actor appearing in numerous plays and films. In 1966 he became the Labour MP firstly for Smethwick (1966-74), and then for Warley East (1974-77).
Faulds worked as Parliamentary Private Secretary to John Stonehouse and had a committed interest in the arts and heritage sector.
Faulds had a keen interest in foreign affairs and was an active member of a number of Parliamentary groups. He was a proponent of the end of white rule in Southern Africa, particularly in Rhodesia and was active in a number of organisations including the British Parliamentary Association for Euro-Arab Co-operation (1974-97). Faulds was a member of the British Delegation to the Council of Europe and the Western European Union (1975-80 and 1987-97).
With his constituency in the West Midlands Faulds was also an advocate for immigration during the 1960s and 1970s, often clashing with Enoch Powell and Margaret Thatcher on the issue.
For more information see Faulds|.
Federal Union and Federal Trust for Education and Research
|The Federal Union was founded in 1938 to advance the cause of federal government among democratic states. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Union was involved in political debates on topics such as the United Nations charter, international monetary reform and disarmament. It promoted European integration and British entry into the European Economic Community.
In 1945, on the initiative of Sir William Beveridge, the Federal Educational and Research Trust, an educational charity, was established. The purpose of the Trust was to encourage the study of international relations and co-operation and further research into federal principles and institutions by conducting enquiries, seminars, conferences and reports.
For more information see Federal Union|.
Geoffrey Finsberg
|From 1949 to 1974 Baron Finsberg (1926-96) served as a Conservative Councillor on the Hampstead Borough Council and became its leader in 1968. In 1970 he was elected MP for Hampstead.
In the 1940s Finsberg briefly worked for Lord Woolton in reforming the Conservative Party after its 1945 election defeat and was an active Conservative both at local and national level.
In Parliament Finsberg served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Employment, the Department of the Environment and the Department of Health and Social Services.
He was President of the Council of Europe from 1991 until 1992, and a member of the Western European Union.
For more information see Finsberg|.
Sir Gilbert Longden
|Longden (1902-97) entered the political arena as the Conservative MP for South West Hertfordshire in 1950 having spent his early working life as a solicitor.
He penned his political views in 'A Conservative Philosophy' (1947) and later became one of the founder members of the One Nation group of Conservative MPs. He was active in a number of other bodies including the Council of Europe, Conservative Group for Europe, the Great Britain-East Europe Centre, United Nations, British Atlantic Committee and the British Council.
Sir Gilbert was an outspoken politician who voiced his opposition to apartheid in South Africa. He was knighted in 1972, and died in 1997.
For more information see Longden|.
Ronald Mackay
|Ronald Mackay (1902-60) was Labour MP for Hull North-West from 1945 to 1950 and for the North Division of Reading from 1950-51. Mackay also undertook other roles during his life including lecturer, solicitor, broadcaster and author.
During his varied career he revealed an interest in European affairs and participated in the activities of groups such as the European Parliamentary Union, European Movement, Federal Union and the Council of Europe.
For more information see Mackay|
Sir Andrew McFadyean
McFadyean (1887-1974) served as Private Secretary to six successive Financial Secretaries including John Maynard Keynes (1917-19). Between 1920 and 1922 he served as Secretary to the British Delegation of the Allied Reparations Commission which had been set up after the First World War to establish the extent of Germany's obligations. From 1922-24 he was General Secretary to the Allied Reparations Commission and then Secretary to the Dawes Committee in 1924.
McFadyean was active in the Liberal Party, standing as the party's candidate first for the City of London (1945) and then Finchley (1950). He held further positions as Joint Treasurer (1936-48), President (1949-50) and Vice-President (1950-60).
McFadyean was also Vice President and Chairman of the Anglo-Israel Association and President of the Royal Institute of International Affairs.
For further information see McFadyean|.
Alfred Morris
|Elected to parliament in 1964, Morris (1928-) came to prominence when he piloted the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act through Parliament in 1970. Four years later he became the world's first Minster for the Disabled.
In 1979 he was appointed Chair of an international committee charged with drafting a UN sponsored Charter for disabled people worldwide. Morris' campaigning continued throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. His introduction of an annual debate on the disabled became a parliamentary tradition, whilst in 1991 he introduced the Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill.
Morris was also active on behalf of ex-servicemen and women and was an active constituency MP in Manchester. He was created a life peer in 1997.
For more information see Morris|.
John Redcliffe-Maud
|Having spent a number of years working in academia John Maud (1906-82) began his public service as the Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Food in 1941 and continued his commitment to public service by undertaking numerous posts in departments such as the Ministry of Education.
His most prestigious role was as Chairman of the Royal Commission on Local Government in England, 1966-1969.
In his latter years Maud developed an interest in the arts and in 1976 he published a report (for the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation) outlining support for the arts in England and Wales.
For more information see Redcliffe-Maud|.
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