Libertarian Activist
In September 1956 Martell left the Liberal Party. With other dissident Liberals, such as former Liberal Treasurer Lord Moynihan and former Liberal member of parliament Horace Crawfurd, he set up the People's League for the Defence of Freedom, which was later part of the Freedom Group. In 1962 Martell joined the Conservative Party and in 1963 was chairman of the Hastings Conservative association. His anti-trade union newspaper, The New Daily, reached a circulation of 100,000.
In 1958, during a London bus crew strike, the People's League ran replacement buses and in the "work-to-rule" of postal service workers in January 1962 it ran a letter delivery service which was suppressed by the Postmaster General. However the League delivered parcels for three weeks, using its own stamps, until the "work-to-rule" came to an end. This effort was repeated in July 1964 during the one-day strike and overtime ban for postal workers, again with the League's own stamps.
Martell has been described as "an expert self-publicist" who exercised "a volatile influence on public opinion during periods of government unpopularity".
Read more about this topic: Edward Martell (politician)
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