ABSTRACT
The profound shock of losing the 1945 general election prompted the Conservative Party to re-examine many of its policies. There was a recognition that, amongst other things, the Conservative Party needed to convince the electorate, especially the ‘floating voter’, that it had constructive policies, ones which avoided extremism and conflict. Nowhere was this truer than on the party’s stance towards trade unionism. Thus, in the wake of the election defeat, there were demands from the Conservative rank-and-file for the parliamentary leadership to clarify and crystallise its policy towards the trade unions. Certainly, the feelings of many Conservatives were expressed at the 1946 Annual Conference by a delegate, Geoffrey Rippon (who became an MP in 1955), when he declared: ‘We know our principles. We want a policy.’
