Cookham Labour Party


		COOKHAM LABOUR PARTY

	TWO GREAT NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, ENRICHING THE LIVES OF BRITISH PEOPLE WERE BROUGHT INTO BEING DURING TWO LABOUR ADMINISTRATIONS That of-
	Prime Minister Clement Attlee (1945-51)	The National Health Service
	Prime Minister Harold Wilson (1964-70)	The Open University
	It must be true that the lives of Cookham people have benefited from the above. In a democracy, a political party gains power through the work and enthusiasm of it's activists in towns and villages. So how did COOKHAM LABOUR PARTY begin? In the late 40's,after the end of the, Second World War, a group of ex-servicemen and friends met in each others' homes to talk politics and support policies that would deal with the destruction done in 6 years of War and before the War, many years of under investment and neglect in our major industries and infrastructure. So the problems facing the Labour Government (1945-51) were immense
	2 million service men and women to be demobilised 5 million homes to be built Government investment (Nationalisation) in the coal mines (1947), electricity (1948),, railways (1948), gas (1949) Changing manufacturing production From a War time one to a peaceful one with insufficient labour to do all that was needed. This was only part of the challenge facing the British people and Cookham people wanted to play a part in it. WHO WERE THEY?
	Ex-servicemen;
	Frank Baker	Bus Driver
	George Boddy	Potter at Odney
	Tony Godfrey	Railway clerk
	Tom McGibbon	Teacher
	Mike Pitt	Publisher
	Walter Silver	Gardener
	Leslie Wood	Film critic for the News Chronicle. who wrote the script for the wartime -film, Lili Marlene
	Also
	John Bew	Manager at Odney Pottery
	Marjoric Castellanos	Her daughter still lives in Cookham
	Ethel Gordon	District nurse
	Barbara Pitt
	Dorothy Silver
	Louise Wood	Teacher
	The most exciting, new and idealistic issue before them was the establishment of the WELFARE STATE, to include a NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE. The Conservative Opposition and British Medical Association fiercely opposed this socialist dream. In February 1948, a B.M.A. poll showed that 86% of doctors voted against joining the N.H.S. The only way that the Health Minister, Aneurin Bevan could get the doctors to work for the N.H.S. was to allow them to spend part of their working time in Private Practice. This was a decision with far-reaching consequences. REFUGEES The end of the war brought thousands of refugees. The Cookham group organised a concert to raise money. Paul Mezulianik, a professional pianist (still living in Cookham), played. Reca McGibbon. sculptor (still living in Cookham). modelled the head of the winner of a 6d (2.5p) raffle. Cheryl Rickard, aged 5, won it. Her mother still lives in Cookham and is a member of Cookham Branch Labour Party. A few years later, in the early 1950's, Reca modelled the head of Stanley Spencer, which is in the Spencer Gallery, and, later, the head of Elizabeth Sanders in Elizabeth House. By this time, the group members had joined the National Labour Party. In 1951 members numbered 145. From then on, as the first post war houses were built in Cookham at Westwood Green (19.53), numbers began to decline.
	WHAT ELSE DID THE 1945-51 LABOUR GOVERNMENT DO? In 1948 it hosted the Olympic Games at Wembley and herein is a Cookham connection. The present treasurer of Cookham Labour Party, STANLEY JONES, ran in the Games, though it must be said that it wasn't until 1951 that he moved to Cookham and joined the Party This Government, anxious to preserve British culture and boost morale after the War, commemorated Prince Albert's Great Exhibition of 1851 with a 1951 Festival of Britain. During this Labour Government, the National Theatre and Festival Hall were built. The Festival was a huge success and is a legacy of pride in Britain's culture. In the exhibition the prototype for modern nursery schooling was COOKHAM NURSERY SCHOOL. Two years later the children of the writer were blessed with a wonderful start in life at Cookham Nursery School and, after that her grand children.
	COOKHAM PARISH COUNCIL Our minute books show that, in the 60's Cookham Branch Labour Party had 5 members on the Parish Council (Rise Ward), each serving 4 years and one serving 12 years. More recently one member has served 3 years. Committees they have served on included the Pinder Hall, Footpaths, Commons and Open Spaces, Planning, Cemetery and Lighting. They also served as Managers of Cookham Nursery, Cookham Holy Trinity, Cookham Dean and Cookham Rise schools. At the difficult time when Furze Platt Secondary Modern School was changing to become a Comprehensive school, it was a member of Cookham Labour Party, HILARY BRODIE, who was Chairman of Governors. September 1948 Middlesex County Council opened Comprehensive schools in Hillingdon and Potters Bar. 1954 The London County Council opened its first new Comprehensive School - Kidbrooke.
	THE OPEN UNIVERSITY 'Education, Education, Education' and life-long learning was as much a part of Old Labour thinking as it is of New Labour. The Open University was set up with the initial financial support of Harold Wilson's administration (1964- 70), with commercial sponsorship, from Marks and Spencer. The aims of the OU were to give a second chance to people who had not fulfilled their potential when they left school, to improve career qualifications, or for the enjoyment of studying at home. Certainly people in Cookham Branch Labour Party have gained degrees with the OU, In January 1973 the OU awarded its first degrees to 867 students. Now the OU is the UK's largest university with over 200,000 current and 2 million students overall. 'It is rated in the top 15% of all British universities for the quality of its teaching. 19 subject areas in the OU have been rated as producing work of international quality.'
	COOKHAM LABOUR PARTY IN LITERATURE JOHN O'FARRELL, author of the book 'Things Can Only Get Better', was the Labour Party Candidate at the mock general election at Desborough Comprehensive School in 1979. He lost ...... and Mrs Thatcher won. The book describes, in a hilarious way, his experiences as a Labour activist in London during the next 18 years. 0n page 224 Cookham Labour Party gets an honourable mention. John O'Farrell has been a columnist in the Independent and now writes for the Guardian. He was one of the writers for the film,, Chicken Run, as well as Spitting Image and Murder most Horrid for television. He has appeared on Have I Got News For You and News Quiz on Radio 4. John stood as our Labour candidate at the last General Election, but lost to Tory, Theresa May.
		Cookham Labour Party Stand in the Exhibition Zone at the Cookham Millennium Celebrations on 15 July 2000
		Cookham Labour Party Stand at the Cookham Millennium History Exhibition at the Pinder Hall over the weekend 10-11 February 2001
	If you want to have more information about joining the Cookham Labour Party contact Joan George

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