FREDERICK ELWIN SMITH BIRKENHEAD

At the time almost everyone thought him overly pessimistic. Despite huge efforts to bridge the differences including the partition of India and creating a separate Muslim state, the Muslims have become even more discontented in modern times. The Muslim antagonism however has expanded beyond the Hindus, to include the Christians, Jews, Bhais, Buddhists and any other religion in control of land where there are Muslims or they feel should have Muslims. Today, as in 1925 however, the difficult was caused be a very vocal and often violent extremist minority of the Islamic population.

This is a fascinating historical quotation about labor disputes and strikes. The conservatives at the beginning of the 20th century were horrified at the idea of a strike of any kind. Their idea of a labor dispute with picketing would allow one or two protesters with signs stating their case to stand outside the factory. Or one person visiting a worker and suggesting that the worker not work during the strike. However, when the degree of passion was expressed by many people picketing they were opposed. At the time, the working class and the unions had no other resources other than the bodies of their workers. They could not advertise, publish newspapers, hire lobbyists to explain their point of view to Parliament. The conservatives then were then very undemocratic and believed that the monarchy with a responsible aristocracy of the upper class should run the nation for all. They WERE actually intimidated by a large number of people doing anything that was not endorsed by or approved by the ruling class. Women in large protest marches for the right to vote were intimidating also. The threat was, as they saw it, “Do as we demand or we will bring down the world as you know it.” In a sense that is what happened. There is no conservative in England who would today deny a union the right to picket with many people.

At the time almost everyone thought him overly pessimistic. Despite huge efforts to bridge the differences including the partition of India and creating a separate Muslim state, the Muslims have become even more discontented in modern times. The Muslim antagonism however has expanded beyond the Hindus, to include the Christians, Jews, Bhais, Buddhists and any other religion in control of land where there are Muslims or they feel should have Muslims. Today, as in 1925 however, the difficult was caused be a very vocal and often violent extremist minority of the Islamic population.

This is a fascinating historical quotation about labor disputes and strikes. The conservatives at the beginning of the 20th century were horrified at the idea of a strike of any kind. Their idea of a labor dispute with picketing would allow one or two protesters with signs stating their case to stand outside the factory. Or one person visiting a worker and suggesting that the worker not work during the strike. However, when the degree of passion was expressed by many people picketing they were opposed. At the time, the working class and the unions had no other resources other than the bodies of their workers. They could not advertise, publish newspapers, hire lobbyists to explain their point of view to Parliament. The conservatives then were then very undemocratic and believed that the monarchy with a responsible aristocracy of the upper class should run the nation for all. They WERE actually intimidated by a large number of people doing anything that was not endorsed by or approved by the ruling class. Women in large protest marches for the right to vote were intimidating also. The threat was, as they saw it, “Do as we demand or we will bring down the world as you know it.” In a sense that is what happened. There is no conservative in England who would today deny a union the right to picket with many people.