June 10, 2013

FINEST HOUR 134, SPRING 2007

BY JAMES LANCASTER

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There used to be a rule in the House of Commons, endorsed by Churchill himself, that prevented the erection of statues to statesmen in the Palace of Westminster until ten years after their death. Most Conservative MPs thought this rule should be waived in the case of Churchill and won their point after considerable debate. Oscar Nemon was given a commission of £10,000 for a large statue in bronze, which was unveiled on 2 December 1969. Replicas are in many cities, including Toronto, Halifax and Brussels.

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Rubbing Churchill’s left foot on the way in to the Commons Chamber has been a good luck habit for Conservative MPs for years, but its effect can be seen clearly on the cover photograph. In 2006 it was discovered that there were hairline fractures in the foot. Oscar Nemon used periodically to make the shiny foot less conspicuous by darkening it, but he died in 1985. The Speaker’s advisory committee on works of art is currently looking at the problem. It is most unlikely, even in a Labour Government, that MPs will no longer be able to pay their respects by rubbing Sir Winston’s foot.

The story of the Churchill Arch goes back to 10 May 1941, when bombs destroyed the Chamber of the Commons. A famous photograph shows Churchill, accompanied by his faithful Parliamentary Private Secretary Brendan Bracken, looking at the broken arch while standing on a pile of rubble.

Those were stern and trying times. On this first anniversary of his Premiership Churchill had just routed the rebels on a Vote of Censure—but Britain still stood alone. Now the birthplace of parliamentary democracy, Churchill’s spiritual home, had witnessed sacrilege. The Ministry of Information wanted to down- play the disaster, but Churchill said: “Publish it to the world, and leave that arch to remind those who come after how they kept the bridge in the brave days of old.’:

Churchill insisted that the Chamber be rebuilt exactly as it had been before: There are two main characteristics of the House of Commons which will command the approval and the support of reflective and experienced members. They will, I have no doubt, sound odd to foreign ears. The first is that its shape should be oblong and not semi-circular. Here is a very potent factor in our political life.. ..It is easy [in a semi-circular assembly] for an individual to move through those insensible gradations from Left to Right, but the act of crossing the Floor is one which requires serious consideration. I am well informed on this matter, for I have accomplished that difficult process, not only once but twice….

The second characteristic of a Chamber formed on the lines of the House of Commons is that it should not be big enough to contain all its members at once without over-crowding, and that there should be no question of every member having a separate seat reserved for him. The reason for this has long been a puzzle to uninstructed outsiders, and has frequently excited the curiosity and even the criticism of new members. Yet it is not so difficult to understand if you look at it from a practical point of view.

If the House is big enough to contain all its members, nine-tenths of its debates will be conducted in the depressing atmosphere of an almost empty or half-empty Chamber. The essence of good House of Commons speaking is the conversational style, the facility for quick, informal interruptions and interchanges. Harangues from a rostrum would be a bad substitute for the conversational style in which so much of our business is done. But the conversational style requires a fairly small space, and there should be on great occasions a sense of crowd and urgency.

It was not until 26 October 1950 that the House of Commons returned to its old Chamber. Following Prime Minister Attlee’s opening address, Churchill said, “I am a child of the House of Commons and have been here I believe longer than anyone. I was much upset when I was thrown out of my collective cradle.” Attlee had earlier told the House that the arch, which had been faithfully restored stone by stone, was now named the Churchill Arch. That evening Churchill told his friend Lord Camrose that he had always wanted the arch to be preserved, but that he had no idea that it should be given his name. He said that “Attlee had been very nice” in naming the arch after him.