Born this date in 1866 was former UK prime minister, James Ramsay MacDonald. 10 facts about him:
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He was the first Labour prime minister, and the first to appoint a woman as a minister. Her name was Margaret Bondfield and she was appointed in 1929.
He was born in Lossiemouth, Scotland. He was the illegitimate son of John MacDonald, a farm labourer, and Anne Ramsay, a housemaid. The couple did intend to marry, but the wedding never happened. It’s not known whether they fell out or if Anne’s mother put a stop to it because she didn’t think John was a suitable match for her daughter.
He left school in 1881, at the age of 15, and began work on a nearby farm, although less than a year later he’d taken a job as a teacher at his old school.
In 1885, he moved to Bristol to take up a position as an assistant to Mordaunt Crofton, a clergyman who was attempting to establish a Boys' and Young Men's Guild at St Stephen's Church.
In 1886–87, MacDonald studied botany, agriculture, mathematics, and physics at the Birkbeck Literary and Scientific Institution (now Birkbeck, University of London), but a week before his exams, he suddenly became ill and a career in science was now out of the question.
In 1888, MacDonald took employment as private secretary to Thomas Lough, a Tea merchant and a Radical politician. Lough was elected as the Liberal Member of Parliament for West Islington. MacDonald worked for him until 1892, when he left to work as a freelance journalist.
Ramsay MacDonald married Margaret Gladstone in 1896. They had six children, but she died of blood poisoning in 1911. His daughter Ishbel cared for him and took on the duties of a PM’s wife during his tenure.
He became unpopular for opposing Britain’s involvement in the first world war. Not only did it lead to him losing his seat in 1918 (he later returned representing a different constituency), but he also got thrown out of his Golf club in 1916. His pacifist views allegedly brought the club into disrepute.
In 1924 he was asked by George V to form a government when Stanley Baldwin’s small Conservative majority proved ungovernable. He had a very small majority and was defeated in the next election. In 1929, MacDonald returned to power, but his government was faced with a worldwide economic recession. The cabinet split over spending cuts and after the next election, MacDonald again was heading a minority government dependent on support from the Conservatives. MacDonald soldiered on as prime minister until 1935. While he may not have been popular among his fellow MPs, King George V is said to have regarded MacDonald as his favourite prime minister.
Aged 71, MacDonald was advised to take a sea cruise to restore his health. He set off on the liner MV Reina del Pacifico with his youngest daughter, but died of heart failure during the trip.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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