Sidney Webb

**Sidney Webb** (l-isem sħiħ: **Sidney James Webb**, **l-ewwel Baruni ta’ Passfield**, OM, PC; twieled fit-13 ta’ Lulju 1859 – miet fit-13 ta’ Ottubru 1947) kien soċjalista, ekonomista, riformista u kofundatur Brittaniku tal-Iskola tax-Xjenza Ekonomika ta’ Londra (bl-Ingliż: London School of Economics). Huwa kien wieħed mill-membri bikrin tas-Soċjetà Fabian fl-1884, li bħal George Bernard Shaw issieħeb magħha tliet xhur wara li ssawret. Flimkien ma’ martu Beatrice Webb u ma’ Annie Besant, Graham Wallas, Edward R. Pease, Hubert Bland u Sydney Olivier, Shaw u Webb biddlu s-Soċjetà Fabian fis-soċjetà politika-intellettwali preeminenti fl-Ingilterra Edwardjana. Huwa kiteb il-Klawżola IV oriġinali favur in-nazzjonalizzazzjoni għall-Partit Laburista Brittaniku.

## Sfond u edukazzjoni
Webb twieled f’Londra f’familja ta’ professjonisti. Huwa studja d-dritt fl-Istituzzjoni Letterarja u Xjentifika ta’ Birkbeck u kiseb lawrija fl-Università ta’ Londra fil-ħin liberu tiegħu, mingħajr ma waqaf jaħdem f’impjieg fl-uffiċju. Huwa studja wkoll fil-Kulleġġ tar-Re f’Londra (bl-Ingliż: King's College London), qabel ma ssejjaħ biex jaħdem bħala avukat fl-1885.

## Ħajja professjonali
Fl-1895, huwa għen biex tiġi stabbilita l-Iskola tax-Xjenza Ekonomika ta’ Londra, billi uża legat li kien tħalla lis-Soċjetà Fabian. Huwa nħatar bħala Professur tal-Amministrazzjoni Pubblika fl-1912, kariga li kellu għal 15-il sena. Fl-1892, Webb iżżewweġ lil Beatrice Potter, li kienet tikkondividi l-istess interessi u twemmin tiegħu. Bil-flus li ġabet magħha martu seta’ jitlaq l-impjieg tiegħu fl-uffiċċju u jikkonċentra fuq l-attivitajiet l-oħra tiegħu. Sidney u Beatrice Webb waqqfu r-rivista *New Statesman* fl-1913.

## Karriera politika
Webb u Potter kienu membri tal-Partit Laburista u kellhom rwol attiv fil-politika. Sidney sar Membru Parlamentari għal Seaham fl-elezzjonijiet ġenerali tal-1922. L-influwenza tal-koppja toħroġ fid-dieher mill-fatt li kienu ospiti tal-*Coefficients*, dining club li kien jattira wħud mill-istatisti u ħassieba ewlenin ta’ dak iż-żmien. Fl-1929, ġie elevat għal Baruni ta’ Passfield, ta’ Passfield Corner fil-Kontea ta’ Southampton. Huwa kien Segretarju tal-Istat għall-Kolonji kif ukoll Segretarju tal-Istat għall-Affarijiet tad-Dominji fit-tieni Gvern Laburista ta’ Ramsay MacDonald fl-1929. Bħala Segretarju Kolonjali huwa ħareġ il-White Paper ta’ Passfield li kienet tirrevedi l-politika tal-gvern fil-Palestina, li qabel kienet ġiet stabbilita permezz tal-White Paper ta’ Winston Churchill tal-1922. Fl-1930, saħħtu bdiet tmur lura u minħabba f’hekk kellu jirreżenja minn Segretarju tad-Dominji, iżda baqa’ jservi ta’ Segretarju Kolonjali sal-waqgħa tal-Gvern Laburista f’Awwissu 1931.

Il-koppja Webbs injorat l-evidenza dejjem tiżdied tal-attroċitajiet li kienu twettqu minn Joseph Stalin u baqgħu jappoġġaw lill-Unjoni Sovjetika sa mewthom. Meta kellhom ’il fuq minn sebgħin u tmenin sena rispettivament, il-kotba tagħhom *Soviet Communism: A New Civilisation?* (1935) u *The Truth About Soviet Russia* (1942) xorta waħda kienu jagħtu valutazzjoni pożittiva tar-reġim ta’ Stalin. L-istoriku ta’ żmien Trotsky Al Richardson iktar ’il quddiem iddeskriva lil *Soviet Communism: A New Civilization?* bħala “propaganda Sovjetika pura u gidba faħxija għalkollox”.

## Kitbiet
Webb kien il-koawtur, flimkien ma’ martu, tal-ktieb *The History of Trade Unionism* (1894). Għas-Soċjetà Fabian huwa kiteb dwar il-faqar f’Londra, il-jum tax-xogħol ta’ tmien sigħat, in-nazzjonalizzazzjoni tal-artijiet, in-natura tas-Soċjaliżmu, l-edukazzjoni, l-ewġenika, u r-riforma tal-House of Lords. Huwa fassal ukoll il-Klawżola IV, li wasslet biex il-Partit Laburista Brittaniku jimpenja ruħu favur is-sjieda pubblika tal-industrija.

## Referenzi fil-letteratura
F’*The New Machiavelli* (1911) ta’ H. G. Wells, il-koppja Webbs, bħala “l-Baileys”, jiġu mmaqdra u rredikolati bla ħniena bħala manipolaturi tal-borgeżija li jaraw sa mneħirhom. Is-Soċjetà Fabian, li Wells kien membru tagħha għal perjodu qasir (1903-1908), tiġi mmaqdra kważi bl-istess mod.

Fid-djarju tagħha, Beatrice Webb kitbet li huma kienu “qraw il-karikaturi tagħhom stess... b’interess kbir u bi tbissima fuq fommhom. Ir-ritratti tagħha makakki ħafna b’mod malizzjuż”. Hija tagħmel reċensjoni tal-ktieb u tal-karattru ta’ Wells fid-dettall, u fil-qosor tikteb: “Bħala tentattiv ta’ rappreżentazzjoni ta’ filosofija politika, il-ktieb ifalli għalkollox...”.

## Ħajja personali
Meta Beatrice Webb mietet fl-1943, l-urna bl-irmied tagħha ndifnet fil-ġnien ta’ darha f’Passfield Corner. L-irmied ta’ Sidney Webb indifnu hemmhekk ukoll fl-1947. Ftit wara, George Bernard Shaw vara petizzjoni biex it-tnejn li huma jindifnu mill-ġdid fl-Abbazija ta’ Westminster, u eventalment din il-petizzjoni ġiet aċċettata. Attwalment, l-irmied tal-koppja Webbs jinsabu fin-navata tal-Abbazija ta’ Westminster, qrib l-irmied ta’ Clement Attlee u Ernest Bevin.

Il-koppja Webbs kienu ħbieb tal-filosfu Bertrand Russell.

Fl-2006, l-Iskola tax-Xjenza Ekonomika ta’ Londra, flimkien mal-Assoċjazzjoni tal-Abitazzjonijiet, bidlet isem ir-residenza tal-istudenti tagħha f’Great Dover Street għal Sidney Webb House biex tagħti ġieħ lil Sidney Webb.

## Arkivji
Il-kitbiet ta’ Sidney Webb jinsabu fl-arkivji ta’ Passfield fl-Iskola tax-Xjenza Ekonomika ta’ Londra. Posts dwar Sidney Webb jidhru regolarment fil-blog tal-arkivji.

## Biblijografija

; Xogħlijiet ta’ Sidney Webb

* Facts for Socialists (1887)
* Fabian Essays in Socialism – The Basis of Socialism – Historic (1889)
* A plea for an eight hours bill (1890)
* English progress towards social democracy (1890)
* Practicable land nationalization (1890)
* The workers' political programme (1890)
* What the farm laborer wants (1890)
* A Labour policy for public authorities (1891)
* London's neglected heritage (1891)
* London's water tribute (1891)
* Municipal tramways (1891)
* The municipalisation of the gas supply (1891)
* The reform of the poor law (1891)
* The scandal of London's markets (1891)
* The "unearned increment" (1891)
* Socialism : true and false (1894)
* The London vestries : what they are and what they do : with map, table of vestries, etc. (1894)
* The difficulties of individualism (1896)
* Labor in the longest reign (1837-1897) (1897)
* The economics of direct employment (1898)
* Five years' fruits of the Parish Councils Act (1901)
* The education muddle and the way out (1901)
* Twentieth century politics : a policy of national efficiency (1901)
* The Education Act, 1902 : how to make the best of it (1903)
* London Education (1904)
* The London Education Act, 1903 : how to make the best of it (1904)
* Paupers and old age pensions (1907)
* The decline in the birth-rate (1907)
* Grants in Aid: A Criticism and a Proposal (1911)
* The necessary basis of society (1911)
* The Economic Theory of a Legal Minimum Wage (1912)
* Seasonal Trades, with A. Freeman (1912)
* What about the rates? : or, Municipal finance and municipal autonomy(1913)
* The War and the workers : handbook of some immediate measures to prevent unemployment and relieve distress (1914)
* The Restoration of Trade Union Conditions (1916)
* When peace comes : the way of industrial reconstruction (1916)
* The reform of the House of Lords (1917)
* The teacher in politics (1918)
* National finance and a levy on capital (1919)
* The root of labour unrest (1920)
* The constitutional problems of a co-operative society (1923)
* The Labour Party on the threshold (1923)
* The need for federal reorganisation in the co-operative movement (1923)
* The Local Government Act, 1929 - how to make the best of it (1929)
* What happened in 1931: a record (1932)

; Xogħlijiet ta’ Sidney u Beatrice Webb

* *History of Trade Unionism* (1894).
* *Industrial Democracy* (1897); tradott bir-Russu minn Lenin bħala *The Theory and Practice of British Trade Unionism*, San Pietruburgu, 1900.
* *Problems of Modern Industry*, (1898)
* *English Local Government* (1906-1929) Vol. I–X
* The Manor and the Borough (1908)
* The Break-Up of the Poor Law (1909)
* English Poor-Law Policy (1910)
* The Cooperative Movement (1914)
* Works Manager Today (1917)
* The Consumer's Cooperative Movement (1921)
* Decay of Capitalist Civilization (1923)
* Methods of Social Study (1932)
* Soviet Communism: A new civilisation? (1935, Vol I Vol II) (it-tieni u t-tielet edizzjonijiet tal-1941 u tal-1944 ma  kellhom "?" fit-titlu)
* The Truth About Soviet Russia (1942)

## Iktar qari

* Bevir, Mark. "Sidney Webb: Utilitarianism, positivism, and social democracy." *Journal of Modern History* 74.2 (2002): 217–252. online
* Cole, Margaret, et al. *The Webbs and their work* (1949).
* Davanzati, Guglielmo Forges, and Andrea Pacella. "Sidney and Beatrice Webb: Towards an Ethical Foundation of the Operation of the Labour Market." *History of Economic Ideas* (2004): 25–49.
* Farnham, David. “Beatrice and Sidney Webb and the Intellectual Origins of British Industrial Relations.” *Employee Relations* (2008). 30: 534-52
* Harrison, Royden. *The Life and Times of Sydney and Beatrice Webb, 1858-1905* (2001)
* Kaufman, Bruce E. "Sidney and Beatrice Webb's Institutional Theory of Labor Markets and Wage Determination." *Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society* 52.3 (2013): 765–791. online
* MacKenzie, Norman Ian, and Jeanne MacKenzie. *The First Fabians* (Quartet Books, 1979).
* Radice, Lisanne. *Beatrice and Sidney Webb: Fabian Socialists* (Springer, 1984).
* Stigler, George. “Bernard Shaw, Sidney Webb, and the Theory of Fabian Socialism,” *Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society* (1959) 103#3: 469–75.

### Sorsi primarji

* Mackenzie, Norman, ed. *The Letters of Sidney and Beatrice Webb* (3 volumes. Cambridge University Press, 1978, pp. xvii, 453; xi, 405; ix, 482)
** *Volume 1. Apprenticeships 1873–1892* (1978)
** *Volume 2. Partnership 1892–1912* (1978)
** *Volume 3. Pilgrimage, 1912–1947* (1978)

## Referenzi