Friday, February 13, 2015

After the Pirates the Whigs

Talk about back to the 18th century but the Whig Party has been revived and will be standing in Vauxhall. Their candidate will be Waleed Ghani. More on the revived Whig Party here.

For those who don't remember their school history, in the days before the extension of the vote to the industrial and urban midddle class in 1832, the Whigs were the least reactionary section of the landowning ruling class as opposed to their more reactionary section, the Tories. They later became absorbed into the old Liberal Party.

Not sure what we could debate with them. Perhaps: That the 1832 Reform Act should have extended the franchise to the working class? Or: Were the Chartists wrong demonstrate on Kennington Common in 1848 to demand One Man, One Vote?

William Morris had something to say about them (he didn't think much of them). Or, to hear it read, go to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXpMBQiz9Ac

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