Cigars and pipes ; or, politicians' props

Winston Churchill's fondness for cigars has often been remarked upon. Less often noticed is the fact that three British prime ministers of the twentieth century (Stanley Baldwin, Clement Attlee and Harold Wilson) were all pipe smokers. It has to be said that Wilson's fondness for pipe smoking was largely contrived ; as was his sense of humour (although he became extremely good at practising it). And, of course, one of the most left wing British politicians was Tony Benn, who was not averse to advertising his fondness for his pipe, and who also made a virtue of his teetotalism.

It is a truism that the public face of politics is performative. However, what is the political significance of pipe smoking ? It is an activity which requires thought and time, and cannot be done in a hurry. (I hasten to add that these are observations, not the conclusions of direct personal experience). It is a soothing activity, one designed to foster calm, amity and comity ; one 'smokes the pipe of peace.' It is, then, remarkable that both Attlee and Wilson actively promoted two of the most profound social transformations which Britain experienced in the twentieth century. It is as if they needed to reassure the public that they were not, in fact, radicals or revolutionaries, but, at a deeper level, committed to stability and continuity. (This observation applies even more to Tony Benn, whose remarkable transformation from the hate figure of the 'Daily Mail' to inoffensive 'national treasure' was, in part, due to his pipe smoking). Indeed, it could be said that as Britain has experienced ever greater social change, the more it has insistently evoked dreams of imperial glory and global pre-eminence.

I hear you ask: Doesn't the case of Stanley Baldwin disprove my argument, that it is a useful symbol which some left-wing politicians can deploy ? In fact, Baldwin strengthens this case. Under his leadership, the Conservative and Unionist Party (not without protest from its members) moved away from the reactionary positions adopted by Lord Salisbury, Balfour and Bonar Law. It completed female suffrage in 1928 ; embarked on a significant devolution of power to India ; founded the BBC as a public corporation ; funded the electricity grid ; tried (with the significant exception of the General Strike) to be conciliatiory toward trade unions ; and, against the appeasing instincts of his party, expanded production of fighter aircraft to meet the German threat. It could be said that Baldwin laid the groundwork for the more 'progressive' Conservatism embraced by Butler, Macmillan and Heath after 1945. Baldwin was very canny, one of the first politicians who had to appeal to a truly mass electorate, and he knew what he was about.