It's unlikely that Sidney Webb features in Tony Blair's pantheon of political heroes. It would, in fact, be difficult to think of a less likely match for Tony and Cherie than Sidney and Beatrice. Yet, after almost a century, the Webbs' thinking about local government - their disdain for civic initiative and zeal for state uniformity - still appears to influence Labour Party policy.

LRB 31 October 2002 | PDF Download