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CHAPTER FORTY-TWO - Deceot up on a platform outside Aberowen town hall at three o&039;clock in the afternoon on the day before the general election He wore for from the Conservatives at the front, but most of the crowd booed Someone threw a crumpled newspaper, and Billy said: "None of that, now, boys, let him speak"

Low clouds darkened the winter afternoon, and the streetlights were already lit It was raining, but there was a big croo or three hundred people, mostly miners in their caps, with a feler hats at the front and a scatter of woes of the crowd, children played on the wet cobblestones

Fitz was ca MP, Perceval Jones He began to talk about tariffs This was fine with Billy Fitz could speak on this subject all day without touching the hearts of Aberowen people In theory, it was the big election issue The Conservatives proposed to end une the duty on imports to protect British manufactures This had united the Liberals in opposition, for their oldest ideology was free trade Labour agreed that tariffs were not the answer, and proposed a prograether with extended years of education to prevent everinto the overcrowded job market

But the real issue as to rule

"In order to encourage agricultural eive a bounty of one pound per acre to every fars a week or more," said Fitz

Billy shook his head, aiveUnemployed factory workers were

Beside Billy, Da said: "This sort of talk isn&039;t going to win votes in Aberowen"

Billy agreed The constituency had once been dominated by hill far class had the vote, the miners would outnumber the farmers Perceval Jones had held on to his seat, in the confused election of 1922, by a few votes Surely this ti up "If you vote Labour, you will be voting for a man whose army record is stained," he said The audience did not arded him as a hero There was a mutter of dissent, and Da shouted: "Shame on you!"

Fitz plowed on "A man who betrayed his comrades-in-arms and his officers, a man as court-martialed for disloyalty and sent to jail I say to you: do not bring disgrace on Aberowen by electing to Parliaed applause and boos Billy stared at him, but Fitz did not meet his eye

Billy climbed onto the platfor me to insult Lord Fitzherbert the way he insulted me," he said

In the crowd, Tommy Griffiths shouted: "Give him hell, Billy!"

Billy said: "But this isn&039;t a pithead punch-up This election is too important to be decided by cheap jibes" They became subdued Billy knew they would not much like this reasonable approach They enjoyed cheap jibes But he saw his father nodding approval Da understood what Billy was trying to do Of course he understood He had taught Billy

"The earl has shown courage, co his views to a crowd of coal -but he&039;s no coward He was like that in the war Many of our officers were They were brave, but wrongheaded They had the wrong strategy and the wrong tactics, their co was out of date But they wouldn&039;t change their ideas until millions of one quiet They were interested now Billy saw Mildred, looking proud, with a baby in each ared one and two Mildred was not passionate about politics, but she wanted Billy to becoo back to London and she could restart her business

"In the war, no working-class eant And all public schoolboys entered the army as second lieutenants Every veteran here today had his life needlessly put at risk by half-witted officers, and eant"

There was a loud reement

"I&039;m here to say those days are over In the army and in other walks of life, men should be promoted for brains, not birth" He raised his voice, and heard in his tone the thrill of passion that he knew from his father&039;s sermons "This election is about the future, and the kind of country our children will grow up in We rew up in The Labour Party doesn&039;t call for revolution-we&039;ve seen that in other countries, and it doesn&039;t work But we do call for change-serious change, e"

He paused, then raised his voice again for his peroration "No, I don&039;t insult Lord Fitzherbert, nor Mr Perceval Jones," he said, pointing at the two top hats in the front row "I sientlemen, you are history" There was a cheer Billy looked over the front row to the crowd ofbut had nevertheless made lives for themselves and their families "Felloorkers," he said "We are the future!"

He got down from the platform

When the votes were counted, he won by a landslide

{II}

So did Ethel

The Conservatives forest party in the new Parliament, but they did not have an overallEth Leckwith froate and Billy Williams from Aberowen The Liberals were third The Scottish Prohibitionists won one seat The Coot none

When the new Parliament assembled, Labour and Liberal overned to ask the leader of the Labour Party, Ramsay MacDonald, to becoovernment