 June 5, 1945 "Vote
National, not Party" Prime Minister's Broadcast attack on
Socialism THE Prime Minister opened the election
broadcast campaign last night with a
vigorous attack on the Liberal and Labour
Parties, who, he said, had left their
Coalition colleagues to carry the nation's
burden. Mr. Churchill deplored the departure of
the Liberals, yielding to "the tactical
temptation to acquire more seats" and
denounced the Socialist policy as a
dangerous challenge to liberty and to the
credit of the nation. He stated,
personally attacking Morrison and
Cripps, "No Socialist Government
conducting the entire life and industry of
the country could afford to allow free,
sharp or violently worded expressions of
public discontent. They would have to fall
back on some form of Gestapo, no doubt
very humanely directed in the Þrst
instance. ..." [... etc.]
He accused the Socialists of planning
Gestapo rule of the country. The
Beaverbrook press liked it, and headlined
his speech: "Gestapo in Britain if
Socialists win," said the Express,
and the Telegraph chimed in:
"Premier's attack on Socialists" Gestapo
in Britain if they win."
The Daily Herald [ June 6,
1945] wrote a stinging editorial,
warning that he had thoroughly
disillusioned the electorate by insulting
a vast section of the people with a degree
of venom which he would have deplored if
used just a few weeks earlier against even
the likes of General Franco. Attlee
reminded the people that it was to the
Labour movement that Churchill "owed his
position as prime minister." | 
write to David
Irving