James Dunlop MacDougall

James Dunlop MacDougall (1891 – 1963), also known as James McDougall, was a Scottish political activist, best known as John Maclean's leading supporter.

Early life

MacDougall was born in Pollokshaws. His father, a tailor also named James, served as the Provost of Pollokshaws from 1905 until 1911, and held unionist views.[1] However MacDougall was increasingly influenced by his two uncles who lived nearby: John and Daniel, a disabled cobbler, who were active in the Progressive Union, an anarchist group in which John Maclean was involved.[2]

McDougall left school at an early age and found work as a clerk at the Clydesdale Bank.[3]

Social Democratic Federation

In 1906, John Maclean, already a well-known socialist, gave a series of speeches in Pollokshaws, his home town. The speeches inspired the formation of a local branch of the Social Democratic Federation (SDF), and MacDougall became its first secretary, aged only sixteen.[3]

MacDougall soon became a leading supporter of Maclean, working with him in the co-operative movement, in particular campaigning for it to organise classes to teach Marxist economics.[4] He personally taught well-attended classes in locations including Paisley and Lanarkshire.[5]

MacDougall lost his job when a local landlord wrote to the Clydesdale, threatening to withdraw his money unless MacDougall was sacked. MacDougall and Maclean responded by launching a campaign for trade unions to withdraw their money from the bank.[6] The Falkirk branch of the Associated Ironmoulders of Scotland did so, and MacDougall later repaid this by working unpaid for the ironmoulders while they were on strike in 1912.[1]

British Socialist Party and the Clyde Workers Committee

The SDF became the British Socialist Party in 1911, and MacDougall attended its first conference, the following year, at which he was appointed to a committee to investigate grievances in the Aberdeen branch.[7] Around this time, he became interested in syndicalism, a position which Maclean did not share, but this did not produce a lasting rift, and MacDougall was soon back to acting as Maclean's chief supporter.[8]

In 1914, MacDougall was elected to the Eastwood School Board, joining his comrade James Blair, the SDF's greatest success in the area.[3][9] The following year, he worked with Maclean to relaunch The Vanguard, newspaper of the Glasgow BSP. They used this to make anti-war propaganda, a position they tried to get the Clyde Workers' Committee to adopt.[10] The Socialist Labour Party held a majority on the committee and disagreed, at one point having MacDougall and Peter Petroff removed from a meeting for trying to debate the subject.[11]

Opposing the war often led to trouble from the authorities and confrontations with pro-war groups. In 1916, he and Jimmy Maxton spoke at a meeting on Glasgow Green against the deportation of David Kirkwood, and the two were arrested and charged with inducing workers to obstruct the war effort. They were advised to plead guilty, and were sentenced to twelve months; around the same time, Maclean, Willie Gallacher and many other leaders of the Clyde Workers' Committee were jailed.[12][13] Kept in Calton Jail in Edinburgh, MacDougall struggled mentally during his time inside.[13]

At the 1918 UK general election, MacDougall stood for the BSP in Glasgow Tradeston. Unlike some BSP candidates, he did not receive the support of the Labour Party, although its local Glasgow committee gave him its support, so he did not face any Labour opposition.[14] He took 19.4% of the votes cast, the best performance of any BSP candidate who did not have official Labour Party backing.[15]

Activities in the 1920s

Unconvinced about the merits of the new Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB), Maclean established the Communist Labour Party in 1920, but was not able to attend the founding conference, so MacDougall led support for Maclean's positions at its founding conference. However, Gallacher convinced a majority of delegates that it should instead seek to join the CPGB, barracking the official speakers and nearly starting fights, and he succeeded in defeating MacDougall in the votes.[16] Maclean left the group, joining the Socialist Labour Party, and MacDougall may have followed him.[17]

In 1919, a Scottish Labour College was opened, largely on the initiative of Maclean, MacDougall, Maxton, Gallacher and Helen Crawfurd.[18] Two years later, the offices of the Scottish Labour College were raided by the police, and MacDougall was sentenced to sixty days in prison for incitement and sedition.[19] This second imprisonment led MacDougall to suffer what was described as a "nervous collapse", and kept him out of political activity for some time.[20] The Communist Party of Great Britain unsuccessfully attempted to persuade him to resume political activity for them.[21] After a visit to Russia, MacDougall instead joined the Liberal Party.[22] He stood for the Liberals in Rutherglen at the 1929 UK general election, but took only 8.8% of the vote and was not elected.[23]

Later life

MacDougall next joined Oswald Mosley's New Party, although he never identified as a fascist.[24] He became one of the party's southern organisers and wrote a pamphlet entitled "Disillusionment" for the group in 1931.[25][26] In later life, MacDougall became known for anti-Catholicism.[24]

References

  1. 1 2 The Plebs, Vols. 50-51, p.127
  2. ↑ Nan Milton, John Maclean, p.20
  3. 1 2 3 Brian John Ripley and J. McHugh, John Maclean, p.28
  4. ↑ Brian John Ripley and J. McHugh, John Maclean, pp.60-61
  5. ↑ Frederic Lee, A History of Heterodox Economics, p.109
  6. ↑ Tom Bell, John Maclean: a fighter for freedom, pp.17-18
  7. ↑ The first annual conference of the British Socialist Party, British Socialist Party, p.10
  8. ↑ Brian John Ripley and J. McHugh, John Maclean, pp.57
  9. ↑ Nan Milton, John Maclean, p.43
  10. ↑ Brian John Ripley and J. McHugh, John Maclean, pp.86-88
  11. ↑ Martin Crick, The History of the Social-Democratic Federation, p.275
  12. ↑ Brian John Ripley and J. McHugh, John Maclean, pp.94-96
  13. 1 2 William Knox, James Maxton, pp.23-25
  14. ↑ John Hannan, The life of John Wheatley, p.69
  15. ↑ David Boothroyd, Politico's guide to the history of British political parties, p.24
  16. ↑ Raymond Challinor, The Origins of British Bolshevism, p.249
  17. ↑ Brian John Ripley and J. McHugh, John Maclean, p.145
  18. ↑ Lindsay Patterson, Scottish Education in the Twentieth Century, p.97
  19. ↑ Brian John Ripley and J. McHugh, John Maclean, p.146
  20. ↑ Brian John Ripley and J. McHugh, John Maclean, p.149
  21. ↑ Tom Bell, John Maclean: a fighter for freedom, p.113
  22. ↑ The Times House of Commons, 1929
  23. ↑ Gilbert MacAllister, James Maxton: The Portrait of a Rebel, p.69
  24. 1 2 Brian John Ripley and J. McHugh, John Maclean, p.29
  25. ↑ Matthew Warley, Oswald Mosley and the New Party
  26. ↑ "Index of Fascist Literature", Working Class Movement Library
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