The Land Question

Lloyd George

16 November 1909

"Well the Lords have made up their minds. The Lord hath delivered them unto our hands. That is my feeling. The Budget is quite safe as far as its leading features are concerned. We may have to come to terms with the Irish but that won't touch land."

12 August 1912

"I don't mind the Manchester election. As Uncle Lloyd truly says, Hewart was a poor sort of hedging Liberal. He shunned the Land Question. You wait until I start my campaign."

10 September 1913

Lloyd George was then preparing a major new land campaign to deal with rural and urban land alike, and laso housing. E. G. Hemmerde had recently won a by-election in North-West Norfolk as an advocate of a single tax on land.

"We had a most successful breakfast in spite of some ominous rumblings from the Land Taxers -- they were as pleasant as they possibly could be. Hemmerde whom we all dreaded was specially helpful. That is what comes of making troubles in advance."

4 August 1925

George refers to the scheme later embodied in the 'green book', Land and the Nation. Its controversial plan for 'cultivating tenure' led to Mond's leaving the Liberal Party, but younger Liberals were generally very enthusiastic.

"The Shadow Cabinet passed by land scheme today!"

27 August 1925

"I have been working here on the Land hard so as to get out the Report in time for the late autumn campaign. Gwaith ofnadwy arno etto [Tremendous work on it still].


Source: Lloyd George Family Letters 1885-1936, edited by Kenneth O. Morgan (Cardiff: University of Wales Press, 1973)