Mr. Beverley Baxter’s Error (1939)

From the June 1939 issue of the Socialist Standard

Mr. Beverley Baxter is M.P. for Wood Green and was formerly Editor-in-Chief and Director of the Daily Express. He writes articles for “MacLean’s Magazine,” Toronto. A Canadian reader of the Socialist Standard draws our attention to the fact that in his articles, Mr. Baxter refers to the Labour Party as the “Socialist Party of Great Britain.” Our correspondent adds that as Mr. Baxter “doesn’t on the surface seem especially malicious perhaps he would make a suitable correction in a future article if his attention were called to the matter.”

The probability is that Mr. Baxter, when connected with the Daily Express publications, picked up their habit of calling the Labour Party the Socialist Party and just doesn’t know any better. When his attention is called to it, he will at least no longer have the excuse of ignorance.

Ed. Comm.

Blogger's Note:

Fast forward to 1956 and the SPGB is still complaining in the pages of the Socialist Standard about Beverley Baxter mislabelling the Labour Party as 'The Socialist Party of Great Britain'. Looks like Mr. Baxter was playing the long game, and had a political sideline in trolling both the SPGB and the Labour Party. Fair play.