1881–1899

There is still a great deal of room for debate over the causes of the spectacular expansion of trade unionism at the end of the 1880s and in the early 1890s. ¹ The rising standard of living of most people as a result of sharply falling food prices certainly helped. It gave many less skilled workers, for the first time, a margin of existence above subsistence. The emergence of socialism, partly as a result of influences from continental Europe and partly as a result of intellectual dissatisfaction with Liberalism, certainly also played its part. There was also a new sense of political power among groups of workers. The Franchise Reform Act of 1884 gave the vote to many miners and farm workers for the first time and the accompanying Redistribution Act created much more socially segregated single-member constituencies in the cities. MPs of working-class origin found their way into Parliament and the demand for more labour representation began to build. Increasingly, as local Liberal Associations failed to respond to the demand and to choose working-class candidates, there was talk of independent labour.