UK General Election 1955 Campaign - Sir Anthony Eden takes questions from the press

In 1955 the Conservatives made it two election victories in a row, achieving the coup of stretching their lead over Labour that they had gained at the last poll three and a half years ago.

Winston Churchill had finally let go of the reins of power in April, leaving Sir Anthony Eden to take up the Tory leadership and the premiership.

In what politicians and pundits alike refer to as the dullest post war election, Labour saw itself lose ground as prosperity persuaded voters to back the status quo.

This election saw the Liberals avoid losing any seats - staying on six - although their share of the vote dropped once more.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• conservative
• labour
• liberal
• united
• kingdom
• broadcast
• party
• suez
• crisis

[Mantis06]

I love hearing these classic English accents.

[Vesman1]

unemployent 2,9%? what a disaster...

[MrRobertJameson]

@thesubtleface Devolution has been a fucking disaster.

I'm so glad John Smith, Donald Dewar and Robin Cook all died early.

[ColoriProductions]

@rankingtrevor No, even in the home counties, the old gentrified accent has largely ceased to exist, especially in the younger generations. There are a few remnants left, but sadly they are dwindling in numbers. Speak to any young Etonian, and rest assured, you will not find such a traditional gentrified accent.

[Myndir]

@thesubtleface Eden was devolving the question to MacLeod.

Scotland has the Tories of that period to thank for keeping our health service independent of England, whereas the Labour government of that day (Bevan et al) wanted a national National Health Service and destroyed many of the distinctive Scottish institutions that existed pre-1948. Labour made up for their chauvinism with devolution, though.

[Myndir]

@rankingtrevor I think that they were very concerned to be understood. Afterall, they were speaking in front of a national audience. I wouldn't say they were speaking RP though: it's possible to be clear when speaking with a regional accent.

[thesubtleface]

Interesting the way Eden made the rather condescending decision to transfer the question about Scotland to his minister as though it was a trivial matter not worthy of himself to answer. I'm English but that seems to me to possibly be symptomatic of the way governments - both Tory and Labour - have treated and still do treat Scotland, and hence devolution was definitely a Good Thing.

[rankingtrevor]

The northern chap asking the question seems to going to great lengths to suppress whatever 'northern' accent he may have had, even the glaswegian chap sounds relatively cohesive and ''RPish'' as opposed to most native glaswegian folks. British Society taught its citizens in these days that this was accent to speak in (RP) preferable, on the contrary nowadays British TV tends to embrace regional differentiation and to a lesser degree its received pronunciation speakers - of which they are few.

[rankingtrevor]

What is so brilliant about RP?? (Queens/BBC English accent) If you wish to hear it albeit not as cut glass or sharp as it is back in these days just travel around the home counties or toward central/western London. You guys must be foreign LOL

[lakelandchief]

No word of lie but don't know how I am related to him from my dads side of the family.

[Fleshious]

Good old days. Good old accents...

[leonaofficial]

@RichardElden He had been suffering illhealth for many years . Indeed the medication he was on was said to have played a part in his ill judged decisions . the political embarrassment of being forced to back down by US threats meant he was forced to resign and quoted ill health as the reason . he lived to a ripe old age and died in 1977 .