Attlee Describes Churchill’s Speech As “Luton Hooey”

Wanganui Chronicle, 29 June 1948, Page 5

Attlee Describes Churchill’s Speech As “Luton Hooey”

. „„„„ London June 27 Addressing 25,000 farm labourers at Skegness, Mr. Attlee uescrlbed Mr. Churchill’s speech at Luton as ‘Luton hooey.” He Said that Mr. Churchill, in petulantly complaining that the country had failed to return him to power, was voicing the same demand for a general election, the same ignorant prejudiced talk about India.

The dock strike was causing Britain a loss she could not afford. ‘No doubt here, as elsewhere, Communists are making mischief,’ Mr. Atlee said. Communism was Oriental in conception and did not belong to the main stream of democratic thought. Britain, with democratic Socialism, had higher standards of human rights and life than those in the East. Americans still believed in private enterprise, but he thought they would eventually have to abandon that "extreme individualism.” Mr. Attlee said that people who declared that the United States was seeking to control Europe were generally Communists or fellowtravellers who did not want to see Europe restored to health. He urged a greater effort on the land. Agriculture was Britain's greatest doilarsaver, and he promised that farm workers would no longer be the country’s Cinderellas.

The rally was the biggest in the history of the National Union of Agricultural workers. Nearly 1000 buses and 22 special trains were used.