Robert Blatchford English Patriot and Socialist

Folks
Currently reading Paul Salvesons Exellent book Socialism with a Northern accent and stumbled along Robert Blatchford Soldier,Worker,Thinker,Patriot.Granted his move towards the Torys post WW1 leaves much to be desired,however worth a look at for English/British Socialists with an interest in our radical ancestors.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Blatchford

Enjoy

Coincidentally, I had been reading Robert Blatchford's Britain for the British not that long ago. In so doing, I learned that his political philosophy was reminiscent of Edward Bellamy's, which is to say it was a form of utopian socialism. For example, he was a proponent of reformism and overemphasized the role of moral persuasion in the development of socialism. Unlike Bellamy, however, Blatchford's Weltanschauung was inherently conservative, as he was an admitted "Tory Democrat" and a defender of the Pax Britannica. He also advocated transparently silly ideas, such as economic autarky.

Nevertheless, the book contains a few clever answers to reactionary objections to socialism and therefore deserves to be read.

Ill look it up thanks
The Pre Marxist Socialism of the North of England is a fascinating story of my home regions left wing roots,especially the Independent Labour Party who espoused a community socialism as opposed to the state socialist in the south of England.

Interesting character all right.

My problem with him is his support of the First World War.

Paradosis wrote:My problem with him is his support of the First World War.

Unfortunately, most of the leading socialists in the Second International also supported the First World War. The only figures and organizations that maintained a principled opposition to the war, that I'm aware of, were Eugene V. Debs and Victor L. Berger of the American Socialist Party, James Connolly, John Maclean, Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and the Industrial Workers of the World union.

Celtiberian wrote:Unfortunately, most of the leading socialists in the Second International also supported the First World War. The only figures and organizations that maintained a principled opposition to the war, that I'm aware of, were Eugene V. Debs and Victor L. Berger of the American Socialist Party, James Connolly, John Maclean, Vladimir Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and the Industrial Workers of the World union.

Ive read his work and a lot of it is of value.

But in his support for WWI he became seriously chauvinistic.

Paradosis wrote:But in his support for WWI he became seriously chauvinistic.

Indeed. As I mentioned in my previous post, social-imperialism was a serious problem at the time.

Just started reading his 'Britain for the British'. Ignoring the obviously dated statistics, and how he later changed position as did many British socialists of the time, seems a good book.