The National Council for Civil Liberties and the policing of interwar politics : at liberty to protest / Janet Clark.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clark, Janet, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

National Council for Civil Liberties (Great Britain)--History.

National Council for Civil Liberties (Great Britain).

Great Britain. Metropolitan Police Office--History.

Great Britain.

Civil rights--Great Britain--History--20th century.

Civil rights.

Public policy (Law)--Great Britain.

Public policy (Law).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 215 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Manchester : Manchester University Press, 2012.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Issues around the policing of public order and political expression are as topical today as in the past. This book explores the origins of the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL) that emerged in 1934 in protest at the policing of political extremes. It discusses the police attempts to discredit the NCCL and the use of Special Branch intelligence to perpetuate a view of the organisation as a front for the Communist Party. The book analyses the vital role played by the press and the prominent, well-connected backing for the organisation and provides a detailed discussion on the formation of the NCCL. The use of plain clothes police officers was a particularly sensitive matter and the introduction of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and subsequently Special Branch was controversial. The book examines the nature of the support for a civil liberties pressure group, the political orientation of the organisation, its place in non-party ideology and its role in a political culture. Liberal Internationalism, pacifist groups and women's organisations are also considered. The book then discusses the NCCL's networks, methods and associations through which it was able to bring complaints about legislation and police behaviour to public attention and into the parliamentary arena. Public, press, police and ministerial responses to the NCCL's activities form a focal point. Finally, it reviews the ongoing role and changing political relationships of the NCCL following Ronald Kidd's death in 1942, alongside the response of the police and Home Office to the emerging new regime.

Contents:

Introduction and background debates

Our precious liberties: disparate interests and common cause

Political expression: people, parties and pressure groups

Policemen, protesters and libertarians

The NCCL in action: networks, methods and strategies

Beyond the legitimate province of a policeman: fascists, anti-fascism and new police powers

Police powers and politics: police and Home Office responses

The NCCL: recognition and regime change

Conclusion

Appendix A: biographical information

Appendix B: extracts from the Public Order Act 1936.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 24 Apr 2026).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-5261-2958-2

OCLC:

1085650772