Edward Martell (politician)

Edward Martell (1909 – 1989) was a British politician and libertarian activist.

Martell "worked tirelessly to keep the Liberals afloat during the 1940s" and had "a central role in the 1950 and 1951 election campaigns". [Peter Barberis, "Liberal Lion: Jo Grimond, A Political Life" (I B Tauris & Co, 2005), p. 53.] Another historian of the Liberal Party has praised Martell's contribution to Liberal politics , his ceaseless flow of ideas, his great enthusiasm and his work with another official of the party, Philip Fothergill, in securing broadly based finance for the party, while at the same time damning him as a man with the makings of a dictator and possessing wild judgment [Roy Douglas, "History of the Liberal Party, 1895-1970" (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1971), p250] . In 1946 Martell was elected to the London County Council (LCC) together with former MP Sir Percy Harris in the two member seat of Bethnal Green South-West, the first Liberal LCC victories for many years [Roy Douglas, "Liberals: The History of the Liberal and Liberal Democrat Parties" (Hambledon & London, 2005), p254] .

However Martell left the Liberal Party in September 1956 and set up his People's League for the Defence of Freedom, which was later part of the Freedom Group. Martell joined the Conservative Party in 1962 and in 1963 he was chairman of the Hastings Conservative association. His anti-trade union newspaper, "The New Daily", reached a circulation of 100,000. [E. H. H. Green, "Ideologies of Conservatism" (Oxford University Press, 2004), p. 230.]

During the "work-to-rule" of postal service workers in January 1962, the People's League ran a letter delivery service which was suppressed by the Postmaster General. However they delivered parcels for three weeks (with their own stamps) until the "work-to-rule" came to an end. This was repeated in July 1964 during the one day strike and overtime ban for postal workers, again with their own stamps. [ [http://www.stampnotes.com/Notes_from_the_Past/pastnote240.htm People's League ] ]

In the Bristol South East by-election, 1963 Martell stood as a National Fellowship candidate against Tony Benn and came second with 4,834 votes (19%).

Martell has been described as "an expert self-publicist" who exercised "a volatile influence on public opinion during periods of government unpopularity". [John Ramsden (ed.), "The Oxford Companion to Twentieth Century British Politics" (Oxford University Press, 2005), p. 424.]

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