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Socred
DCHP-2 (Jun 2011)
1n. — abbreviation, Politics, originally informal
Social Credit Party, a defunct conservative-populist political party active in the latter half of the 20th century.
Type: 1. Origin — The abbreviation Socred is a Canadian innovation (e.g. the earliest attestations in OED-3 are Canadian). The Social Credit movement was inspired by the monetary policies of C.H. Douglas, a British engineer, outlined in his book Social Credit (1924). There were provincial parties from Quebec west to British Columbia. The national party peaked in 1962 when it won 30 seats. The Alberta Social Credit Party governed Alberta from 1935 to 1971, and in British Columbia the Social Credit party was active in politics, at times as the ruling party, from 1952 to 1991 (Bowering 1996: 300-305).
According to database and internet domain searches the term is used predominantly in Canada (see Chart 1). The term is still used in the Canadian West, especially in British Columbia (Chart 2).
See also Gage-5, s.v. "Socred"(1), which is marked "Cdn. Informal".
According to database and internet domain searches the term is used predominantly in Canada (see Chart 1). The term is still used in the Canadian West, especially in British Columbia (Chart 2).
See also Gage-5, s.v. "Socred"(1), which is marked "Cdn. Informal".
See: Social Credit Party
Quotations
1937
Commerce Club to Sponsor Luncheon Meeting to Hear Briton
BRITISH SOCRED LEADER
STOP PRESS
According to information received from Canadian Press at press time Tuesday, John Hargrave, British Social Credit leader, has left for Eastern Canada, and possibly his home in London. H. J. Hughes, president of the Commerce Club, as yet, received no notification of cancellation of the address scheduled to be given by Mr. Hargrave Monday.
1949
Schindeler replied that he had included that statement in the notice so that the Young Social Crediters would know they are being considered.
Concerning the announcement of withdrawal from the Mock Parliament, Schindeler stated that if the group president did not support the action taken, the Socred executive would have to resign.
Some discussion followed, and one member of the group said hotly that his action was "unforgiveable." He asked, what good is an executive if it is conducted like a dictatorship?
1952
He has no hesitation in saying that the Socred government has not the ability or the courage to face the legislature. They have proved themselves to be meddlesome amateurs, he said.
1962
. . . Social Credit has been badly damaged by the highhanded methods of B.C.'s Socred government.
1978
Socred MP Rene Matte (Champlain) is alone among the federal caucus in his views that Canada should be restructured into five sovereign, but associated, states, a concept which, as it applies to Quebec, is essentially the same as that of the Parti Quebecois.
1985
Mr. Skelly, who is seeking to build bridges to the business community and to project the NDP as a party of the political centre, says the Socreds' right-wing agenda has driven jobs out of B.C.
1995
He hopes Socred promises to make elected representatives more accountable, to make attendance and voting records public, and to reveal how much politicians earn, will be appealing to voters this time around.
2n. — abbreviation, Politics, originally informal
a member or supporter of the Social Credit Party.
Type: 1. Origin — Although the Social Credit movement was developed in the United Kingdom, database searches suggest that the abbreviation Socred in reference to a member or supporter of the party was first used in Canada. In Canadian French, members of the party were called Créditistes.
See also COD-2, s.v. "Socred", which is marked "Cdn", and Gage-5, s.v. "Socred"(2), which is marked "Cdn. Informal".
See also COD-2, s.v. "Socred", which is marked "Cdn", and Gage-5, s.v. "Socred"(2), which is marked "Cdn. Informal".
See: Social Crediter
Quotations
1939
Socreds May Prevent Royal Prorogation
(By the Canadian Press)
OTTAWA, April 20.--Possibility of Parliament proroguing May 19 when the King is here dimmed today when John Blackmore, leader of the Social Credit group in the House of Commons, announced his colleagues intended to fight the government measure to raise $750,000,000 to meet loans and obligations, to purchase unmatured securities and for general purposes.
1941
Socreds Will Name 2 City Candidates
The Manitoba Social Credit league, at a meeting of its members and executive Friday evening in the Y.W.C.A., decided to nominate two candidates in Winnipeg.
1955
. . . the addition of the British Columbia Socreds have [sic] given them just the monkey glands they needed to restore them!
1963
One Socred in the house said during debate that the Peace River $450,000,000 scheme would ensure election of seven Socreds at least. Mr. Gargrave thought there must be a cheaper way to elect members to the legislature.
1978
Before the vote, Mr. Reznowski began his address to delegates by paying homage to the pillars of the Social Credit Movement. He spent much of his time talking about monetary policy. At one point he promised that a Social Credit Government would reduce retail sales prices by 25 per cent. He concluded with a call for a return to moral responsibility with the family as the basis of society.
Conservative, even for a Socred , he stands firmly opposed to homosexuality, abortion, birth control and working mothers. He favors capital punishment and would not object to the RCMP opening his mail.
1985
"The Socreds, some strategists say, would (use) slogans about how white men would lose their homes and businesses to Indian land claims and how the province would be virtually bankrupted."
1995
He was acting chairman of the CRD board during his first stint with the CRD, and served briefly in the chair in late 1989. Susan Brice, chairwoman at that time, stepped down to mount an unsuccessful bid for provincial offices, also as a Socred.
2005
Canada's first televised federal leaders' debate pitted Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau against Progressive Conservative Robert Stanfield, New Democrat Tommy Douglas and Socred Real Caouette.
2013
It can happen. It did in the 1983 provincial election, when the governing Social Credit party started the campaign 10 points behind the NDP. On the day before the vote, the Vancouver Sun carried this headline: "It looks like an NDP win, experts say."
But a fortuitous moment in front of a television camera earlier in the campaign changed the outcome for Premier Bill Bennett and his Socreds.
References
- COD-2
- Gage-5
- Bowering (1996)
- OED-3
Images
Chart 1: Internet Domain Search, 15 Oct. 2012
