{"product_id":"the-great-tramways-conspiracy-mick-hamer-9781036143343","title":"The Great Tramways Conspiracy: The Covert Campaign That Killed Off the British Tram","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe tramways' downfall reveals how entrenched opposition and covert manipulation reshaped Britain's streets.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of London to witness the royal opening of the London County Council's first electric trams in 1903. The people loved their trams. But trams had powerful enemies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the 1920s the tram-haters became increasingly vociferous. Articles and letters in the press condemned trams as old-fashioned and called for them to be scrapped.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOver the past seven years, Mick Hamer has scoured the archives to uncover evidence of a campaign that was meant to be forever hidden. The Great Tramways Robbery reveals the untold story of a strategy to smear trams as obsolete and drive them off the roads.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe campaign employed a propaganda technique now known as astroturfing, which gives the impression of a grassroots movement while promoting vested interests. Commonly found on social media today, a century ago, hired hacks bombarded the letters columns of newspapers to get the message across.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBankrolling this campaign were the oil companies - and lurking even deeper in the shadows were the security services, which used their propaganda expertise to provide the campaign organisers with handy hints.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe incessant labelling of trams as obsolete became common currency and the mud stuck. In 1931 the Royal Commission on Transport, which was dominated by tram-hating motorists, called for trams to be scrapped.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere was no pushback. The tram industry was riven by internal dissent, and the motor industry assiduously courted the malcontents. In the face of this onslaught the tram industry capitulated and the country's tramways closed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Mick Hamer\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1036143341\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781036143343\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Pen and Sword Transport\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/06\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 232\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"Mick Hamer","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48997484790015,"sku":"9781036143343","price":54.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-great-tramways-conspiracy-mick-hamer-9781036143343","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}