ABSTRACT
Before 1918 you could only join the Labour Party by joining an affiliated society like the ILP, or an affiliated trade union. After 1918 anyone could join the Labour Party directly. In the long term this destroyed the ILP. But no one would have predicted that in 1918, when the ILP seemed to be the inspiration of all Labour’s activities, as well as the keeper of its socialist conscience. For a short time, MacDonald took Mander’s place as John’s political hero. John wrote:
The handsome face behind the heavy black moustache, the organ-like voice and the graceful gestures seemed too good to be true. It took me a year to learn the ability behind this God-given exterior, and more than five to discover the vanity and cunning.
