Tom Griffin (London, OK): Monday was the 200th anniversary anniversary of the death of Tom Paine, the man who, in Mike Marqusee’s words, “inspired and guided revolutions in north America and France, and equally important, the revolution that did not happen in Britain.”
As both Brendan O’Neill and Edward Vallance note, Paine’s writings retain remarkable relevance to today’s political crisis, not least because on his own terms, the British revolution he sought remains unfinished business.
Here is Paine’s verdict on the House of Commons in The Rights of Man:
With respect to the house of commons, it is elected but by a small part of the nation; but were the the election as universal as taxation, which it ought to be, it would still be only the organ of the nation, and cannot possess inherent rights. When the national assembly of France resolves a matter, the resolve is made in right of the nation; but Mr. Pitt on all national questions, so far as they refer to the house of commons, a …
Leave a Reply