1938 Oxford by-election
The 1938 Oxford by-election was a
Background
On 29 September 1938, British
Candidates
The
On 13 September, Davies offered to stand down from the by-election if Labour did the same and backed a
On 14 September, the Conservatives selected
Campaign
The campaign was intense and focused almost entirely on foreign affairs. Hogg supported Chamberlain's appeasement policy. Lindsay opposed appeasement; his campaigners used the slogan "A vote for Hogg is a vote for Hitler."
Lindsay was supported by many dissident Conservatives such as Harold Macmillan who were opposed to the Munich Agreement. A number of future politicians such as Edward Heath and Roy Jenkins, at the University of Oxford at the time, cut their teeth in the Michaelmas campaign.
In popular culture
A 1988 TV drama-documentary A Vote for Hitler dramatized the events surrounding the by-election, and included interviews with
The by-election forms the basis of part 'XIV' of poet Louis MacNeice's masterwork, Autumn Journal, which he wrote in the autumn of 1938 strongly influenced by the shadow of impending war. The persona in part 'XIV' apparently campaigns for Lindsay: "use your legs and leave a blank for Hogg / And put a cross for Lindsay".
Result
The intensive campaign caused turnout to increase from 67.3% at the last election to 76.3%. Hogg won the seat with a reduced majority of 3,434 or 12.2%.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Quintin Hogg | 15,797 | 56.1 | -6.7 | |
Independent Progressive
|
Sandy Lindsay
|
12,363 | 43.9 | New | |
Majority | 3,434 | 12.2 | -13.4 | ||
Turnout | 28,160 | 76.3 | +9.0 | ||
Conservative hold | Swing | -6.7 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Robert Bourne | 16,306 | 62.8 | N/A | |
Labour | Patrick Gordon-Walker
|
9,661 | 37.2 | New | |
Majority | 6,645 | 25.6 | N/A | ||
Turnout | 25,967 | 67.3 | N/A | ||
Conservative hold | Swing |
Notwithstanding his pro-appeasement campaign, Hogg would subsequently vote against Neville Chamberlain in the Norway Debate of May 1940.
References
- ^ The Times 4 October 1938
- ^ Liberal History, Spring 2002 Archived 24 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ By-Elections in British Politics
- ISBN 0-333-94968-4.
- ^ The Times 15 September 1938