ABSTRACT
The first decade of the twentieth century saw the British working class further develop its political muscle with formation of the Labour Representation Committee in 1900 and its emergence as Labour Party with 29 representatives in the House of Commons six years later. Increasingly in Tillett’s mind, government-regulated binding arbitrationre presented labour’s only chance of gaining parity with the employers. He wanted union representatives and management representatives to argue their opposing cases before an arbiter appointed by state, or to advocate their claims before a board composed of equal numbers of workers and employers. In any case, Tillett’s action was misguided to say the least; Labour Representation Committee had not yet established its viability as a third force in British politics. Had Tillett’s health remained strong, he none less might have won the seat. The general election, when it finally took place early in 1906, proved overwhelming success for Liberal Party and, on more modest scale, for Labour as well.
