Andrew Bonar Law - Google Groups
Andrew Bonar Law
Andrew Bonar Law is one of those Prime Ministers who has been largely
forgotten since his term of office was so brief so I won't be surprised
if interest in this question is minimal.
Law was born in New Brunswick in 1858, 9 years before New Brunswick
became one of the founding provinces of Canada. He relocated to Britain
with his family when he was 12. He became leader of the Conservative
Party before WW I and joined Liberal David Lloyd George in a coalition
during WW I. He became Prime Minister himself in 1922 but was forced to
resign by ill health just a few months later and died not long after.
I have two main questions:
1. Am I right in assuming that British law saw no obstacle in him
becoming Prime Minister since he was born in a British colony? I am
Canadian, not British, so I don't know what citizenship requirements
apply to British prime ministers. I imagine being born in a British
colony was deemed "good enough" at the time. Or was he, in effect,
considered "naturalized" owing to his long residence in Britain?
2. Is anyone aware of any audio recordings of Law? I googled but didn't
find anything but perhaps someone with a more specialized knowledge of
historical recordings of that era would have a better idea where to
look. Frankly, I'm just curious whether he spoke English with a Canadian
or British accent. I also wonder whether having a foreign accent - if
indeed he had one! - helped or hurt him politically. I suppose some
might find it exotic or glamourous while others might use it to dismiss
him as "not being one of us". It obviously wasn't too big an impediment
given that he was chosen Conservative leader and then became Prime
Minister. I'm just wondering whether it was an issue at all?
I also have one minor question. Does anyone know if the actor Jude Law
is a descendant of Andrew Bonar Law? Just curious. I'm not sure how
common the surname Law is in Britain.
On Sun, 05 May 2013 18:38:25 -0400, Henry < He...@example.com > wrote:
>1. Am I right in assuming that British law saw no obstacle in him
>becoming Prime Minister since he was born in a British colony? I am
>Canadian, not British, so I don't know what citizenship requirements
>apply to British prime ministers. I imagine being born in a British
>colony was deemed "good enough" at the time. Or was he, in effect,
>considered "naturalized" owing to his long residence in Britain?
There is no law saying what nationality the British Prime Minister has
to be.
Indeed,  the post has no legal standing.
Neither is there any law relating to the nationality of MPs.
Any commonwealth citizen legally resident in the UK may vote in all
domestic elections.
Non Commonwealth citizens legally resident in the UK take some 5 years
to qualify for a vote in parliamentary  elections and can vote in
'local' elections at once.
Rules for electors for the European Parliamentary election are
different.
> Indeed,  the post has no legal standing.
It's increasingly referred to in legislation though in Law's day the only
reference was with regards the use of Chequers.
> Neither is there any law relating to the nationality of MPs.
I think also at the time the entire Empire and Dominions had a single
British citizenship - Law could not have become a "Canadian citizen" until
after the Second World War. There's a long tradition of people being born in
the Empire and Commonwealth and coming to the UK to make their living though
Law was the only one to reach the premiership.
--
> 2. Is anyone aware of any audio recordings of Law? I googled but didn't
> find anything but perhaps someone with a more specialized knowledge of
> historical recordings of that era would have a better idea where to look.
> Frankly, I'm just curious whether he spoke English with a Canadian or
> British accent. I also wonder whether having a foreign accent - if indeed
> he had one! - helped or hurt him politically. I suppose some might find it
> exotic or glamourous while others might use it to dismiss him as "not
> being one of us". It obviously wasn't too big an impediment given that he
> was chosen Conservative leader and then became Prime Minister. I'm just
> wondering whether it was an issue at all?
I don't know of any recordings but I doubt it would have been much of an
issue. Law was the last Prime Minister before politicians' voices really
became familiar to the electorate - it was only in the 1920s that
loudspeakers became common at political rallies (before then there would be
gaps in the speech for stewards to repeat the lines to those at the back of
the crowd), along with the introduction of political radio and talkie films.
Very few voters would have heard Law's voice. To his party his background
was far more of an unusual factor - he was the first middle class leader
from business instead of the landed aristocrats & an arriviste who had
hitherto led it.