Enoch Powell’s Contribution Within the One Nation Group (1950-1955): Towards a Proto-Thatcherite Appropriation of One Nation Conservatism?

Abstract

Powell was the ninth and final recruit to the One Nation Group (ONG) created in 1950 to effectively counter Labour social policies. Their strategy was to produce a number of pamphlets while reappropriating the rhetoric, myth and legacy of Disraeli to promote One Nation Conservatism. The ONG was heterogeneous, resulting in the promotion of ideas and proposals for compromise. However, Powell played an increasingly prominent role within the group, pushing more and more for a free market ideological positioning. The purpose of this paper is to analyse Powell's contribution and role within the ONG, showing that redefining conservatism through the prism of One Nation could provide an effective way to oppose Socialism in the battle of ideas. Powell and Macleod also sketched out a One Nation vision of the Welfare State in 1952. This was a very important date for Powell, as it marked a serious free market inflection in his thinking which was clearly felt in the pamphlet drafted by the ONG in 1954. The study of the ONG through Powell's lens will show the plasticity and fluidity of One Nation Conservatism from the 1950s onwards.

Keywords

• Enoch Powell
• Welfare State
• Thatcherism
• social policies
• Disraeli
• One Nation Group