Kim Mackay facts for kids

Ronald William Gordon Mackay (born September 3, 1902 – died January 15, 1960), known as Kim Mackay, was a British politician. He was born in Australia. Kim Mackay was a member of the Labour Party and, for a short time, the Common Wealth Party. He was well-known for his ideas about a united Europe.

Early Life and Education

Kim Mackay was born in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia. He went to the University of Sydney where he studied law and education. In 1926, he started teaching history part-time at St. Paul's College.

In 1932, Kim Mackay helped start the Australian Institute of Political Science. This group wanted to make changes to the way Australia was governed. They focused on updating the Australian Constitution.

Moving to England and Early Politics

In 1934, Kim Mackay moved to England. He was encouraged by a politician named Stafford Cripps. Mackay then started working as a lawyer in England.

He ran for a seat in Parliament in the 1935 general election. He ran for the Frome area but lost by a small number of votes.

In 1939, he worked for the government in the department that made airplanes. He became upset because the Labour Party didn't want to criticize the government's actions. Because of this, he left the Labour Party.

In 1941, he wrote a book called Federal Europe. In his book, he suggested that countries in Western Europe should join together. He believed this would help create a fairer society.

Independent Politician and Common Wealth Party

In 1942, Kim Mackay ran in a special election called a by-election in Llandaff and Barry. He ran as an "Independent Socialist." This meant he was not part of a major political party. He wanted the government at the time to change. He believed this would help Britain fight World War II more effectively. Even though he had some local support, he did not win this election.

Later, in 1943, Mackay joined the Common Wealth Party. This party was new and shared his ideas about European unity. He quickly became the leader of the party. He changed how the party worked so they could focus on winning by-elections. This strategy was very successful, and the Common Wealth Party won three seats in Parliament.

However, some people in the Common Wealth Party disagreed with Mackay. Some thought he was too focused on his own career. Others felt he was losing the party's original goals by focusing too much on winning elections.

Rejoining Labour and European Unity

Kim Mackay became very interested in how elections could be made fairer. In 1943, he wrote another book about this topic. He hoped the Common Wealth Party could work closely with the Labour Party.

In late 1944, Mackay decided to leave the Common Wealth Party. He then rejoined the Labour Party.

In the 1945 general election, Mackay ran for the Hull North West area. He won the seat, becoming a Member of Parliament for the Labour Party. In Parliament, he argued that the United Nations should have more power.

In 1946, Mackay helped start the European Union of Federalists. This group wanted to see European countries work together more closely. Two years later, this group became part of the European Movement. Many in his own party did not like the idea of a united Europe. They thought it was an idea from the Conservative Party. In 1949, he became the leader of the European Parliamentary Union.

Later Life

In 1950, Kim Mackay's election area was changed. He was then elected to represent Reading North. However, he lost this seat in the next election in 1951.

In 1953, Kim Mackay stopped being a politician because of health problems. But he continued to write articles. He kept sharing his ideas about how European countries could work together.