[587] Davidson, _The Book of Lords_, p. 78.
[588] Davidson, _The House of Lords, Useless, Dangerous, &c._, p. 13.
[589] Thompson, _The Only Way to Democracy_, p. 11.
[591] Thompson, _The Only Way to Democracy_, p. 10.
[592] Thompson, _The Referendum, &c._, p. 3.
[595] Thompson, _Hail Referendum_, pp. 8, 9.
[596] Gronlund, _Co-operative Commonwealth_, p. 130.
[598] Thompson, _The Only Way to Democracy_, p. 4.
[600] Thompson, _The Referendum, &c._, p. 5.
[604] Kessack, _The Capitalist Wilderness and the Way Out_, p. 3.
[606] Bax, _The Ethics of Socialism_, p. 120.
[609] Ethel Snowden, _The Woman Socialist_, p. 20.
[611] Ethel Snowden, _The Woman Socialist_, Introd.
[616] _Independent Labour Party Report, Annual Conference_, 1907, p. 45.
[617] _Report of 27th Annual Conference, 1907, Social-Democratic Federation_, p. 26.
THE ATTITUDE OF THE SOCIALISTS TOWARDS THE TWO PARLIAMENTARY PARTIES
From the Socialist point of view there is for all practical purposes no difference between the two great parties. Both are representative, not of the people, but of capitalism. Both are hostile to labour.
"The difference between Liberalism and Toryism is merely a question of phraseology; there is no fundamental clashing of principle. Both stand for the private ownership of the means of life. They both support a competitive state of society with its inevitable exploitation of the wealth-producers."[618] "Both the Conservative and Liberal parties are agreed in supporting private ownership in the instruments of production for the purposes of profit-making. Their differences are merely superficial and their programmes admittedly offer no solution of the problems of poverty. The Independent Labour Party regards them both as equally the enemies of labour, and in fact merely as two sections of the entrenched forces of plutocracy."[619] "There are not really two parties in the State. There is but one great party, that of privilege, divided into two factions, labelled Whig and Tory, or Liberal and Conservative. Both do much the same things in office. The mimic warfare which they wage with each other, no shrewd observer takes seriously. It is merely a pleasant game of which the stakes are the spoils of office and patronage. An 'organised hypocrisy' is but a mild description of an English Government, whether Liberal or Conservative. The Liberal and the Conservative are the two thieves between whom the people are evermore crucified."[620] "Neither of the political parties is of any use to the workers, because both the political parties are paid, officered, and led by capitalists whose interests are opposed to the interests of the workers. The Socialist laughs at the pretended friendship of Liberal and Tory leaders for the workers."[621] "There's no difference whatever between Bannerman, the Scottish landowner, and Balfour, whose uncle made _200,000l._ out of army contracts in India in four years. These people are entirely antagonistic to the worker."[622]