And thus Socialists like Mr. Sidney Webb and Mr. Ramsay
Macdonald have not coquetted with primary democracy, which has always
had a magnetic attraction for Socialists. The doctrine that the people
itself governs directly through obedient agents--the doctrine of mandate
and plebiscite, of referendum and initiative--is not the doctrine of
the best English Socialism." Mr. Barker next explains that behind these
ideas lies "an organic theory of society," that society is regarded as
"an organic unity with a real 'general will' of its own," and after
stating that "the development of Liberalism, during the last few years,
shows considerable traces of Fabian influence," concludes the subject
with the words "Collectivism of the Fabian order was the dominant form
of Socialism in England till within the last three of four years." Of
the movement of Guild Socialists and others which he deems to have
replaced it I shall speak later.
I have ventured to quote from Mr. Barker at some length because his
summary of Fabian doctrine seems to me (with the exception noted) to be
both correct and excellent, and it is safer to borrow from a writer
quite unconnected with the Society an estimate of its place in the
history of English political thought, rather than to offer my own
necessarily prejudiced opinion of its achievements.
* * * * *
But I must revert again to the Fabian "method.
Pages:
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307