Was MacDonald a Traitor?

" J'Accuse " Cartoon

• 
• + Suggested that maybe the party but not the public saw him as a traitor
• + highlighted the idiocy of the idea they were betraying the national when their cuts were trying to help it

" Getting On" Cartoon by David Low

• 
• + Believed he was trying to help but going about it completely the wrong way

Historian Interpretation - Shinwell

• Against the idea that MacDonald was a traitor
• Thought MacDonald's contributions to be extremely important
• "Among his people in Scotland he could exert almost mesmeric influence"

Source - The Times Newspaper (25.08.31)

• Was for the idea of the National Government
• In context of the new government - "so fully in accord with the patriotic spirit which has inspired a week's most anxious negotiations"
• Believed MacDonald would be successful in the new setup, and therefore in now way believed he was a traitor for doing this

"The Master Chemist" Cartoon

• 
• Did not think the new Government was going to work
• Refers to the fact that Labour, Liberal and Conservative beliefs/policies are extremely different
• Caption - "Now if only these rather antagonistic elements will blend as I hope, we'll have a real national elixir"