Talk:Britain's Industrial Future

Unfortunate Acronym

Wasn't the spelling "Inquiry" used rather than "enquiry" in order to, as somebody put it, "avoid an unfortunate acronym"?Paulturtle (talk) 21:43, 10 November 2019 (UTC)

I've read that too, but I don't recall any definitive source being given. The "Contents" page does say "Membership of Enquiry..... viii", but when we turn to page viii we read "Membership of Liberal Industrial Inquiry". Last-minute change? A slip by a typesetter? DuncanHill (talk) 22:24, 10 November 2019 (UTC)

Ah, David Steel repeated the story in his Foreword to the 1977 impression - "Originally Britain's Industrial Future was subtitled the Report of the Liberal Industrial Enquiry but, sensitive to the unfortunate implication in the initials, Enquiry was altered to Inquiry". DuncanHill (talk) 22:30, 10 November 2019 (UTC)

Ah ha! Found it! In Campbell, John (1977). "The Liberal "Yellow Book"". Lloyd George: The Goat in the Wilderness 1922-1931. London: Jonathan Cape. p. 196. ISBN 0224012967. Campbell wrote "But the directors of the Summer School must have retained some doubts about association with Lloyd George. "The spelling of Enquiry", the secretary of the Committee noted, "was amended to Inquiry when it was pointed out that the abbreviation to LIE would provoke rude scoffing". An ironic reflection, surely, on Lloyd George's reputation for veracity". Campbell sources this to "Note by W. M. Eagar on a file of L. I. I. papers (Eagar papers)". The papers of W. M. Eagar at Nuffield College, Oxford (now at the Reform Club, London). DuncanHill (talk) 23:17, 10 November 2019 (UTC)

Eagar was this chap, he was secretary of the Liberal Land Committee and involved in Coal and Power too, I think. DuncanHill (talk) 23:23, 10 November 2019 (UTC)

Excellent!Paulturtle (talk) 01:52, 11 November 2019 (UTC)