This film is part of Free
Mr. Stanley Baldwin
With the nation at the polls, incumbent PM Stanley Baldwin’s election call had not yet backfired when this newsreel summary was released.
Overview
Compared to today’s 24-hour election news coverage, a twice-weekly 5-minute silent newsreel might seem a little lacking. But with the country at the polls, and little actual news to report, the padding shots of pensive politicians and fancy graphics - here some “lightning” cartoons of the party leaders - are actually rather familiar.
The cartoon represents Conservative Stanley Baldwin with his iconic pipe; Liberal leader Herbert Asquith, propped up by party rival David Lloyd George; and Labour leader Ramsay MacDonald lifted by the “working man”. Although the Conservatives won the most seats, the result was a hung Parliament leading to the country’s first Labour Government - albeit a short-lived minority one.
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