E. J. B. Allen
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Ernest John Bartlett Allen (29 March 1884 – 16 June 1945) was a British socialist active in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Allen was born in
South Hinksey South Hinksey is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish just over south of the centre of Oxford. The parish includes the residential area of Hinksey Hill about south of the village. The parish was part of Berkshire until the Loc ...
,
Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
(now
Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
) and graduated from Oxford University. He joined the
Social Democratic Federation The Social Democratic Federation (SDF) was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on 7 June 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury, James Con ...
in 1900, and in May 1904 participated in the Provisional Committee which led to the founding in June of the
Socialist Party of Great Britain The Socialist Party of Great Britain (SPGB) is a socialist political party in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1904 as a split from the Social Democratic Federation (SDF), it advocates using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes and oppos ...
. During the first few years of its existence Allen was very active in the SPGB, speaking at both indoor and outdoor venues and writing for the '' Socialist Standard''. He was also a member of the Executive Committee from 1905 to 1906, secretary of
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...
branch from 1904 to 1906, and
Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
of the Party's first Conference in April 1905. Allen was in favour of setting up socialist trade unions, a policy which was gradually defeated, and in line with this in mid-1906 he joined the Socialist Labour Party. Although this was contrary to Party rules his membership was allowed to lapse on 23 October 1906 rather than being expelled. His final connection with the SPGB was on 20 January 1907 when he represented the SLP in a debate with
Jack Fitzgerald Jack Fitzgerald ( 1873 – 16 April 1929) was a founder member of the Socialist Party of Great Britain. Fitzgerald was an Irishman who had settled in London, and had joined the socialist movement after becoming a secularist, embracing socialism ...
in
Plumstead Plumstead is an area in southeast London, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich, England. It is located east of Woolwich. History Until 1965, Plumstead was in the historic counties of England, historic county of Kent and the detail of mu ...
.“Is the SPGB the party of the workers?” ''Socialist Standard'', April 1907. In 1907 he was a leading member of the British
Advocates of Industrial Unionism The Industrial Workers of Great Britain was a group which promoted industrial unionism in the early 20th century. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was founded in Chicago in 1905. It called for industrial unionism and aimed to organise ...
, being editor of their journal ''The Industrial Unionist'' and London Branches Secretary. He was expelled in 1908 for anti-parliamentarianism. Taking with him six London branches, the Tredegar branch, and assorted members, he formed the
Industrialist League A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
. He was National Organiser of this group, editor of ''The Industrialist'', and wrote their pamphlet ''Revolutionary Unionism'' in 1909. Associated with Allen in the AIU and the Industrial League was Les Boyne, an early member (1904–1906) of the SPGB. Around December 1908 he moved to
Honley __NOTOC__ Honley is a large village in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated near to Holmfirth and Huddersfield, and on the banks of the River Holme in the Holme Valley. According to the 2011 ...
in the Colne Valley, where he was resident until 1912. Here he became a supporter of Victor Grayson. He spoke in Chicago with Malatesta in October 1908 and with Rudolf Rocker at the Charlotte Street Club in London the following month. In 1910 he was expelled from the Industrialist League because of his association with Grayson. In August 1912 he moved to London to become assistant secretary of Tom Mann’s Industrial Syndicalist Education League and contributed to their journal ''The Syndicalist''. Also in the ISEL at this time was fellow SPGB founder member
George Hicks George Hicks may refer to: * George Hicks (trade unionist) (1879–1954), British trade unionist and politician * George Hicks (footballer) (1902–?), English footballer * George Elgar Hicks (1824–1914), English painter * George Hicks (RAF off ...
. In February 1913 he emigrated to New Zealand, where he became Assistant Editor (later Editor) of the ''
Maoriland Worker The ''Maoriland Worker'', later called ''The Standard'', was a leading New Zealand labour journal of the early 20th century. It was launched in 1910 by the Shearers' Union and was initially published monthly (Frank Langstone was involved). The ne ...
''. He lost this position shortly after the outbreak of the First World War because he supported the war and
conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
and was expelled from the movement. By 1919 he was writing again for the ''Maoriland Worker''. During the interwar years he was a supporter of the
New Zealand Labour Party The New Zealand Labour Party ( mi, Rōpū Reipa o Aotearoa), or simply Labour (), is a centre-left political party in New Zealand. The party's platform programme describes its founding principle as democratic socialism, while observers descr ...
, writing the pamphlet ''Labour and Politics'' in 1922, as well as speaking for the New Zealand Rationalist Association and writing many articles for their journal, the ''New Zealand Rationalist''. During this period he assisted
John A. Lee John Alfred Alexander Lee (31 October 1891 – 13 June 1982) was a New Zealand politician and writer. He is one of the more prominent avowed socialism in New Zealand, socialists in New Zealand's political history. Lee was elected as a me ...
, President of the Labour Party, in his attempt to enter parliament. Despite his degree Allen did not have a professional career, working in the 1920s variously as an unskilled labourer, clerk and driver. He died in Auckland on 16 June 1945.


References

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Socialist Party of Great Britain The Socialist Party of Great Britain (SPGB) is a socialist political party in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1904 as a split from the Social Democratic Federation (SDF), it advocates using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes and oppos ...
1904–1913 membership register *'' Justice'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Ernest 1884 births 1945 deaths Alumni of the University of Oxford Clerks People from South Hinksey Social Democratic Federation members Socialist Labour Party (UK, 1903) members Socialist Party of Great Britain members British political party founders British syndicalists