The people speak - The People's Convention official report

The People's Convention was something I hadn't heard of till I started to do my research into Beatrix Lehmann. I came across it as she was one of the early supporters, and her and Michael Redgrave were banned from working at the BBC becuase of their support for the convention. This is the official report of the convention. It has copies of the main speeches outlying the points of the convention, points from the delegates speeches, as well as resloutions and elections to the national committee (which included electing Beatrix as one of only two women on a committee of 25).

The convention's main resoultions called for the raise of living standards for the people (including those in the armed services), adequate ARP bomb proof shelters and provision for air raid victims, resoration, safeguarding and extension of Trade Union rights, emergency powers to affect bansk, land and transport, National independence for India, Friendship with the USSR, A people's government to represent the working classes, a people's peace.

It was the anti-war emphasis that drew the most criticism of the convention from those outside it. The pamphlet strongly condemned the rich, and the government who served the rich, and called upon the working classes to rule themselves. One of the most moving parts were the testimonies of the different delegates. Often how much people suffered during the war is forgotten. There were thousands of miners who were out of work, while people had fuel shortages, there was a call from Coventary about how they were left without any aid, utlities or homes for weeks after they were attacked in the air raid, there was a call from a young woman representing the communist youth, it was little slices of history from the people who are usually forgotten or ignored in the grand scheme of things. Truly fascinating reading.

What was interesting from a Beatrix perspective was that she didn't come from a working class background but from a privildeged one (11 servants on the census!) But here she was counting herself amongst them as she was working for herself and representing those around her.