described him as a "saint of socialism" exercising influence without rancour. He joined the Independent Labour Party in 1909 and the Labour Party in 1918. He stood three times, all unsuccessfully, for election to a seat in the House of Commons: for Rochdale in 1918, for Tottenham South in 1922, and for Swindon in 1924. In 1935, Tawney refused the offer of a "safe seat", believing that being an MP was now not the most effective contribution he could make to the Labour Party. He participated in numerous government bodies concerned with industry and education. In 1919, he and Sidney Webb were among the trade union side representatives on the Royal Commission on the Coal Mining Industry, chaired by Sir John Sankey. Equal division of membership between union and employer representatives resulted in opposing recommendations on the future organisation of the industry. The union side recommended nationalisation largely due to Tawney and Webb. His Secondary Education For All (1922) "informed Labour policy for a generation" and Tawney has been credited for the Party document, Labour & the Nation (1928), which formed the basis of 1931 general election manifesto. Geoffrey Foote has claimed that Tawney's importance in the realm of political thought, and his contribution to the Labour Party, cannot be overestimated. His call for specific reforms in health and education were important in laying the basis of Labour's plans for the welfare state, while his criticisms of acquisitive morality were an important intellectual and emotional basis for many future politicians who were committed to social reform. However, the reforms in the social services which were eventually to be put into effect by the 1945 Labour government took place within the confines of the acquisitive society condemned by Tawney. The social advances made by the Labour Party were not to be as permanent as many believed. Adult education advocacy Leveraging his base among intellectuals in the Labour Party, he spent years in making a lasting impact on democratising higher education. He promoted equality, through restructuring and curricular innovation. For more than forty years, from 1905 to 1948, Tawney served on the Workers' Educational Association executive, holding the offices of Vice-President (1920–28; 1944–48) and President (1928–44). He served on the Consultative Committee of the Board of Education (1912–31), the education Committee of the London County Council, and the University Grants Committee. He contributed to several government reports on education. His thinking was