Arthur Greenwood is not much remembered these days, but in September 1939 he performed a great service to his country.
As Nazi troops poured into Poland, blowing apart Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasing Hitler, Arthur – the deputy leader of the Labour Party – stood up to speak in the House of Commons.
From the Opposition benches, the Conservative MP Leo Amery yelled: ‘Speak for England, Arthur!’ And he did, demanding Hitler be stopped.
But Arthur Greenwood didn’t just speak for England. The Yorkshireman spoke for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and the entire United Kingdom.
Inevitably, Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has been forced to confront a blizzard of questions about the road to independence. But that’s only half the unfolding story