On this day, 24th January 1965 : Winston Churchill dies - Was he Britain's best PM?

[MenInG]

1965: Winston Churchill dies

Sir Winston Churchill has died at the age of 90 with his wife Lady Clementine Churchill and other members of the family at his bedside.

He suffered a stroke 15 days ago and gradually slipped into a deep sleep from which he never awakened.

Sir Winston died in his London home at Hyde Park Gate.

Earlier in his illness, there had been crowds anxiously waiting for news at the top of the quiet Kensington cul-de-sac - but when the announcement finally came there was only a handful of journalists in the street.

Mourning crowds

News of his death was announced on the BBC shortly after 0800 GMT. Within half-an-hour, crowds began to gather near his home to pay homage to Britain's greatest wartime leader.

When Sir Winston fell ill, he was visited by one of the country's leading neurologists, Lord Brain, who advised on his treatment.

Since then, regular medical bulletins have been issued by Sir Winston's own doctor, Lord Moran.

Sir Winston has spent the past few days lying in the downstairs room he converted to a bedroom after a fall four years ago in which he injured his back.

Members of the family were summoned to his bedside at 0700 GMT. Lady Churchill and the couple's eldest surviving daughter, Mary Soames, have been with him throughout his illness.

Their son, Randolph Churchill was seen arriving with his son, Winston. Soon after, Sir Winston's actress daughter, Lady Sarah Audley, looking pale and drawn, arrived with her daughter, Celia Sandys.

Many television and radio programmes have been cancelled or re-scheduled to make way for tributes to Sir Winston.

Sir Winston will lie in state in Westminster Hall - an honour not accorded any English statesman since Gladstone in 1898. His body will remain there for three days, before the funeral at St Paul's cathedral on Saturday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/24/newsid_2506000/2506493.stm

 

[KingKhanWC]

No one of the worst.

A racist who has the blood of many innocents on his hands.

 

[James]

Clement Atlee, Harold MacMillan and David Lloyd George are the greatest in my opinion.

 

[Robert]

Not a good peacetime PM. But exactly what Britain needed in 1940. Arguably the most influential Briton ever, in terms of world affairs.

The four best (most influential) PMs in the 20th century were Lloyd George, Attlee, Thatcher and Blair.

Worst - Cameron for leading Britain to the Referendum and then losing it.

 

[Markhor]

Churchill had one moment of clarity in his life that defines his legacy which is WW2 - a warmonger can see another dangerous warmonger hence his prescient warnings about German remilitarisation.

However his career had been hitherto defined by a series of misjudgements and grotesque imperial cruelty. The chargesheet is extensive.

• He supported the Black and Tans, describing them as "gallant and honourable" despite being responsible for murdering civilians in Ireland, including Bloody Sunday at Croke Park.

• Oversaw the Bengal famine and described Indians as a "beastly people" that "breed like rabbits" prompting Leo Amery, a Cabinet colleague, to quote that his views differed little from Hitler's.

• Supported Operation Ajax that overthrew Iran's democratic government and the looting of Iran's oil which the Iranians themselves benefited little from.
• Oversaw the Gallipoli debacle in WW1.
• Oversaw the detention and torture of Kenyans in concentration camps in the Mau Mau rebellion.
• He sent in the troops against the Welsh miners in Tonypandy.

Most laughably, he opposed the creation of the Welfare State by the Labour Party, saying a "Gestapo" like force would be needed to administer it.

This unrepetant racist Churchill isn't even a hair on the backside of Clem Atlee who actually ran the Home Front. Fact is he was dumped on his rear by the British people soon as they got their chance after the War and elected the first Socialist Government in a massive landslide.

The names from [MENTION=1842]James[/MENTION] are about right though I'd add one more - Harold Wilson for his social reforms, creating the Open University giving millions an opportunity of higher education and keeping us out of the Vietnam quagmire despite intense US lobbying.

 

[waqar goraya]

Not a good peacetime PM. But exactly what Britain needed in 1940. Arguably the most influential Briton ever, in terms of world affairs.

The four best (most influential) PMs in the 20th century were Lloyd George, Attlee, Thatcher and Blair.

Worst - Cameron for leading Britain to the Referendum and then losing it.

Don't you think best (superlative form of good ) and influence (positive or negative) are completely two different concepts?
On influence levels we could rate people like Hitler at very top where as on qualitative scale he would rank at the very bottom.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

The film about Churchill has been playing to standing ovations in some cinemas I hear.

 

[Robert]

Don't you think best (superlative form of good ) and influence (positive or negative) are completely two different concepts?
On influence levels we could rate people like Hitler at very top where as on qualitative scale he would rank at the very bottom.

I suppose so.

It is important to consider that morality changes. Attlee for example commissioned the British nuclear weapons programme, stockpiled WMD and invaded a country.