The Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers is a socialist and legal campaigning organisation in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1930 to provide legal support to the then Labour government. The Society was named after Viscount Haldane, a Liberal and subsequently Labour Party politician, who had been Lord Chancellor in H. H. Asquith's government from 1912 to 1915 and subsequently in 1924 during the first ever Labour administration. [1]
Sir Stafford Cripps, Clement Attlee and John Platts-Mills were members as was the current leader of the British Labour Party and the leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition Sir Keir Starmer. Sir Keir belonged to the group from the 1980s and served as the group’s secretary before leaving the organisation in 2008 upon his appointment as Director of Public Prosecutions.[2][3]
It is now politically independent, unlike the Society of Labour Lawyers, which is affiliated to the Labour Party, and was formed after the society split in 1949 over the question of membership for members of the Communist Party.[4]
Personnel edit
Its current[when?] chair is Declan Owens and its President is Michael Mansfield.[5]
Affiliations edit
On the international level it is a member of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers and European Democratic Lawyers.
Archives edit
Some of its records are held by The National Archives (United Kingdom).[6]
References edit
- ^ "Origins". Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
- ^ https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/obiter/legal-comrades-show-starmer-the-red-card/5107377.article
- ^ https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/sir-keir-starmer-censured-agm-haldane-society-socialist-lawyers
- ^ "Post WWII: Progress vs. Red-Baiting". Haldane Society. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ^ "Officers and Exec". Retrieved 24 December 2014.
- ^ "The Discovery Service". The The National. Retrieved 23 August 2023.