The sage of Birmingham
Theresa May’s pugnacious chief-of-staff prescribes a new direction for the Conservative Party
ON JULY 7th 1906 Joseph Chamberlain led an 80-car rally to celebrate his 70th birthday. Thousands of Brummies lined its 17-mile route. “Our Joe” had fought for Birmingham’s workers as mayor and, on the national stage, had advocated tariffs protecting its industries. The city was a palimpsest of his achievements: its schools for the poor, its magnificent parks, its grand civic buildings, its whirring workshops and clanking factories full of confident, well-fed workers.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “The sage of Birmingham”
From the August 6th 2016 edition
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