Liberal History Group ..will they discuss Asquith's love life in war time?

Interesting, I see the Liberal History Group is holding a conference this saturday (November 1st on the  Liberal Party's position in the First World War.
I will be going. 
I want to find out whether they will be discussing Asquith's great passion for Venetia Stanley during those early years of the war. Will they discuss why Asquith was so depressed and why he agreed to the coalition so quickly in May 1915? Are they going to come clean that our prime minister was suicidal when Venetia threatened (and finally did) leave HH Asquith for another cabinet member? 

If not, why not? And why are the Liberals so keen to keep the story hidden after all these years? Are there still people alive and in high places today that need protecting?  And why are the squeaky clean Liberals so squeamish about these very dusty skeletons in their closet?




(A one-day conference organised by the Journal of Liberal History and King’s College, London. Saturday 1 November 2014, Room K2.40, Strand Campus of KCL.)

Asquith wrote to Venetia on 26th July 1914

 Asquith wrote to Venetia on 26th July 1914

Asquith informs Venetia  about developments with Home Rule and then his worries about the build up of tensions in Europe…..
After this he writes ..
"What a screed about politics!  Poor darling - but you are very patient, and, what is even more to the point, really interested - aren't you? "

In my view this shows that he knows Venetia is not really that interested in politics (even though he sends her state secrets in the normal post) ….He is trying to delude himself that she is .. I still find his delusions quite amazing.

Started to reread letters about start of WW1

I have started to re read Asquith's letters to Venetia in the build up to the war… one thing I hadn't noticed before was that he appeared to include in his letters the actual telegrams that he had received and send them to Venetia .. quite extraordinary!

Tim Piggott Smith is going to play Asquith on Thursday BBC 2 at 9.00! And for three nights too…..

Tim was interviewed on the Andrew Marr show and the presenter insightfully asked Tim whether there was  anything about his letter writing to Venetia in the play .. he said there wasn't but they both agreed that Asquith was a serial gropper.. how much dropping does he do in the play?
I can't wait to see the play as it is billed as a proper historical documentary but why has Mark Hayward (the author) missed out the vital fact that Asquith was writing letters to his young lover in cabinet meetings?

That union of prime minister HH Asquith and Venetia Stanley produced my stepfather Louis Stanley!

Its been a busy week and I am still slowly revealing more details from my book. Why don't the Liberals come out of the woodwork and tell us what really happened to their leader in WW1? Was he threatening suicide? Did he take his eye off the ball? Was he more interested in Venetia than what was being discussed in the war cabinet? The story about Asquith's mental health gets worse and worse did Venetia's sister also try and pacify the irrational war time leader?
Watch out for more radio interviews this week...

More interest over the weekend ..

Lots of interest in Conspiracy of Secrets over this weekend! A Scottish newspaper was interested in the story because Asquith was MP for East Fife and rector of Glasgow University and a Welsh newsprint loves the story because Asquith often visited the Stanley family in their glorious summer house Penrhos ( 30 bedrooms) on Anglesey. There is strong evidence that Louis was born here.  Two more radio interviews to come this week Radio Scotland in the morning with another on Thursday morning.

After a miserable month with plenty of personal drama most of which was very sad, I can now look forward to more radio shows taking an in-depth interest in Conspiracy of Secrets. Tomorrow I will be speaking on the Bill Padley on Talk Radio Europe (http://tinyurl.com/ns6ksbk) I am sure  there will be lots of interest from ex-pats in my story. Then perhaps I will be interviewed by  Sue Dougan at BBC Radio Cambridgeshire tomorrow as well. I will keep you posted about timings.