Talk:Sidney Webb, 1st Baron Passfield

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MP for Seaham[edit]

This article said that Webb was elected as MP for Seaham at the 1923 general election. However, a Google search throws up conflicting results:

Schoolnet says 1923,
Rayment says it was the 1923 general election
LSE website says 1922.
The AIM25 archives site says 1923
archiveshub says 1922
the Concise Britannica says 1922.

For now, I have taken the Concise Britannica as the most reputable of these sources, and edited the article to say 1922, but has anyone got a more definitive reference? --BrownHairedGirl ^{(talk) • (contribs)} 18:08, 7 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Doesn't Rayment say 1922? - Crosbiesmith 18:55, 7 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Attacked by Trotsky[edit]

It might be worth mentioning that the Webbs are seen by Trotsky as a canonical example of well-meaning but confused pro-Soviet foreigners— their works get attacked frequently in The Revolution Betrayed in particular. --Delirium 05:03, 12 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

" Stalin initiated and carried out his plan to murder 10 million Ukrainian Kulaks and Russians through orchestrated starvation."[edit]

As you know, the very citation that follows the above statement speaks for itself: I DID site that information, it's in the same book as the citation link (ref: the very citation link you'd have to be blind not to see). Stop vandalizing this article because you want to marry Stalin, thanks.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.79.124.223 (talk) 18:15, 31 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Let's try this: CITE YOUR REFERENCES. This should be obvious. Srobak (talk) 18:18, 31 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

THE GREAT TERROR is the reference genius. It's in the SAME BOOK as the citing link indicates.— Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.79.124.223 (talk) 18:28, 31 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The existing text summarises the situation sufficiently for an article about Sidney Webb. The article about Stalin is the place for more detail. In the meantime it is best to be polite (WP:CIVIL) and not make personal attacks (WP:NPA),Lozleader (talk) 18:56, 31 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Additions[edit]

I think this article should be substantially enlarged, to better account for Webb's political thought. As it stands, the focus of the article bears the mark of having been targeted by a right-wing smearing campaign, which is also suggested by the comments just above me. This is not to say that Webb's highly unfortunate Soviet sympathies should not be mentioned, but that they should be integrated into a more rounded, complete image of his life and thoughts. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 210.55.83.42 (talk) 10:44, 24 August 2017 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified[edit]

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Enlargement of the article plus eugenics[edit]

How come such an important historical figure has so few words written about him? Clearly, the amount of references and links in the article are at odds with the brevity of the content.

Is it because he had a lot of controversial opinions, such as supporting the soviet union, eugenics, and adopting the racist view that there was an "adverse selection" going on? Such as this quote demonstrates:

“Twenty-five percent of our parents, as Professor Karl Pearson keeps warning us, is producing 50 percent of the next generation. This can hardly result in anything but national deterioration; or, as an alternative, in this country gradually falling to the Irish and the Jews.”

Cited from: Webb, Sidney. 1907. “The Decline in the Birth-Rate.” Fabian Society Tract 131. London: The Fabian Society.

Be that as it may, I think it is important to expand the content. Both the good and the bad. I propose this quote to be one of the additions to the article.

2804:14D:4CA4:970D:C4EF:5461:C0C2:129 (talk) 17:15, 15 March 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Early career[edit]

He was called to the bar in 1885. Why was he still working as a clerk until 1892, when he was able to give up the day-job on his marriage to Beatrice? Could we have some detail? Valetude (talk) 13:00, 17 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]

To be called to the Bar does not by itself guarantee any income at all. It is very common to hear of unsuccessful barristers, or even those (e.g. Alan Clark) who never practised law and earned their money by other means. Harfarhs (talk) 17:28, 2 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Why ennobled so early?[edit]

I'm curious why Webb was granted a peerage at what seems like a very early stage of his political career. He had been an MP for only 7 years, during which time he was President of the Board of Trade for less than a year. He had only just been appointed Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs and the Colonies for two weeks when he was "kicked upstairs", and without even the usual knighthood in-between. Others have to put in 40 years of service before their gong arrives. Why was he ennobled so early? -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 16:08, 30 March 2023 (UTC)[reply]

It was not an early, let alone "very early", stage of his political career. He had been engaged in politics for well over 40 years; the Fabian Society was founded in 1884. Given that Webb's value to his political colleagues was always as an 'ideas man' rather than a 'bruiser', it would not be surprising if the Labour Party leadershp 'parachuted' Webb in as candidate for Seaham, viewing his presence as an elected representative not as something useful in itself, but as something to render his real political work more convenient. (After all, Webb can have had little or no previous association with Seaham; perhaps one might compare his candidature with Tony Blair's at nearby Sedgefield.) At that time, for Webb to have been ennobled without having served as an MP would have raised eyebrows, so perhaps the peerage was in Ramsay MacDonald's mind from an early date. Harfarhs (talk) 17:28, 2 April 2023 (UTC)[reply]