There was no welfare state, and people had to rely mainly on the Poor Law - that was all the state provided. It was very degrading, very humiliating. And there was a means test for receiving poor relief. Barbara Castle degradehumiliatelaw share on social
You see, another reason for nationalization was that private ownership meant fragmentation. Barbara Castle fragmentationmeannationalization Change image and share on social
Why not pool your resources? And so we broke into the concept of the sacredness of private property. Barbara Castle breakconceptpool Change image and share on social
What we set out to do was to ensure that this system of fair shares and the planning and controls continued after the war, and when we won, that's what we did. Barbara Castle continuecontrolensure Change image and share on social
If you've got unemployment, low pay, that was just too bad. But that was the system. That was the sort of economy and philosophy against which I was fighting in the 1930s. Barbara Castle 1930sbadeconomy Change image and share on social
It was very much a cry for democratic control at that time. Above all, breaking the accomplished power of a few people to rule the lives of everybody else. Barbara Castle accomplishbreakcontrol Change image and share on social
Britain in the 1970s was undoubtedly an economic mess because of the oil price explosion. Barbara Castle 1970sbritaineconomic Change image and share on social
And that had a powerful appeal, particularly to those who had been denied the choice to stay on at school, to go to university, to be something else, other than going down the pit. Barbara Castle appealchoicedeny Change image and share on social
Then, with lots of people doing that without ever looking over their shoulders to see how they were affecting anybody else, it couldn't work, and it didn't work, and it just came to a standstill. Barbara Castle affectlotpeople Change image and share on social
And what always struck me about that war period was how even Churchill had to talk socialism to keep up people's morale. Barbara Castle churchillmoralepeople Change image and share on social
