Duncan Carmichael (1870 – 31 August 1926) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

trade unionist A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and Employee ben ...

and

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

activist. Living in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

, Carmichael joined the

Social Democratic Federation The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, James Con ...

(SDF) in 1903, and served on its executive committee from 1909 to 1911. He stood for the group in local elections to the Battersea Metropolitan Borough Council on several occasions. Labour Party, ''Report of the 26th Annual Conference'', p.71 The SDF became the main component of the

British Socialist Party The British Socialist Party (BSP) was a Marxist political organisation established in Great Britain in 1911. Following a protracted period of factional struggle, in 1916 the party's anti-war forces gained decisive control of the party and saw t ...

(BSP), and Carmichael was elected to its first standing orders committee, alongside C. T. Douthwaite, E. C. Fairchild and

Peter Petroff Peter Petroff ( bg, Петър Петров; 21 October 1919 – 27 February 2003
''The New York Times'': Pet ...

, the four working together to ensure voices within the party which opposed British re-armament were heard.David Howell, ''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.XII, pp.72-76 The BSP affiliated to the Labour Party, and this enabled Carmichael to win a seat in the Winstanley ward, which he held until his death in 1924. He championed the Battersea Right to Work Movement and the Workers' Welfare League for India. While regarding himself as a revolutionary Marxist, proposed only motions which he believed had the support of a large number of local workers. Carmichael was one of the leading members of the

National Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks The National Amalgamated Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks (NAUSAWC, often known as the Shop Assistants' Union) was a trade union representing retail workers in the United Kingdom. The union was founded in 1891 with the merger of t ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Through this, he unionised workers at

Smithfield Market Smithfield, properly known as West Smithfield, is a district located in Central London, part of Farringdon Without, the most westerly ward of the City of London, England. Smithfield is home to a number of City institutions, such as St Bartho ...

and founded the

Journeymen Butchers' Federation of Great Britain The Journeymen Butchers' Federation of Great Britain was a trade union representing workers in the meat trade in Britain. The union was founded in 1902 by Joe Couldwell, bringing together the Barnsley Journeymen Butchers' Union, which had been fo ...

. He was also one of the main founders of the

National Union of Police and Prison Officers National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Carmichael sat on the London Food Vigilance Committee, and argued that

rationing Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...

should be introduced in order to prevent starvation of workers due to food shortages. He was also a leading campaigner against conscription. Following the war, he became the first president of the National Union of Ex-Service Men. In 1917, Carmichael was elected as the secretary of

London Trades Council The London Trades Council was an early labour organisation, uniting London's trade unionists. Its modern successor organisation is the Greater London Association of Trades (Union) Councils History Leading figures in the London trade union mov ...

, and held the post until his death in 1924. In this post, he was known as an ally of the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

, although he does not appear to have joined the party, and by this time was known for his interest in

guild socialism Guild socialism is a political movement advocating workers' control of industry through the medium of trade-related guilds "in an implied contractual relationship with the public". It originated in the United Kingdom and was at its most influent ...

.Alan Clinton, ''The Trade Union Rank and File: Trades Councils in Britain, 1900-40'', p.90

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmichael, Duncan 1870 births 1926 deaths British Socialist Party members Councillors in Greater London Labour Party (UK) councillors British trade union leaders People from Battersea Social Democratic Federation members