Ramsar MacDonlad (contd-2)

Party Leader : In 1911 MacDonald became party Leader (formally chairman of Parliamentary Labour Party), but within a short period his wife died out of illness for blood poisoning which affected MacDonald very much. He held an anti-war opinion. In Aug 1914, when war was declared Labour Party supported the Govt. in its request for 100 million Poundof war credits. As MacDonald could not support it, he resigned the chairmanship.                             

His illegitimacy was no secret and he hadn't seemed to have suffered by it, but according to the Journal, John Bull, he had by using a false name, gained access to Parliamentfasely, and should suffer heacy penalties and have his election void. He wrote in his diary:
            "I spent hours of terrible mental pain."  
Yet, despite his opposition to the war, MacDonald still visited the front in Dec 1914.
MacDonald stood for parliament again in 1921, Woolwich East by-electionand lost to war veteran.
By now the party was reunited and macdonald was re-elected as leader. In the 1922 election the labour became the main opposition partyto the conservative govt. of Stanley baldwin, making Macdonald the opposition leader.MacDonald was a good speaker and known as "woolly" rhetoric.