Henry Martin also known as Harry Martin, was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 socialist.

Martin was one of the most notable of the impossibilists

Impossibilism

Impossibilism is an interpretation of Marxism. It emphasizes the limited value of reforms in overturning capitalism and insists on revolutionary political action as the only reliable method of bringing about socialism.-Origins of the concept:...

 in the Social Democratic Federation

Social Democratic Federation

The Social Democratic Federation was established as Britain's first organised socialist political party by H. M. Hyndman, and had its first meeting on June 7, 1881. Those joining the SDF included William Morris, George Lansbury and Eleanor Marx. However, Friedrich Engels, Karl Marx's long-term...

 (being expelled in April 1904), and helped found the Socialist Party of Great Britain

Socialist Party of Great Britain

The Socialist Party of Great Britain , is a small Marxist political party within the impossibilist tradition. It is best known for its advocacy of using the ballot box for revolutionary purposes; opposition to reformism; and its early adoption of the theory of state capitalism to describe the...

 later that year. A member of its first Executive Committee (1904–1905), Martin was expelled on 8 April 1905 owing to his joining an unemployed rights association. He rejoined the Party on 6 November 1906 and left again, only to rejoin on 19 June 1908. He was then a speaker for the Party (1909–1911), an Executive Committee member (1911) and briefly Lambeth

Lambeth

Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...

 branch secretary (1911) before finally resigning over the WB of Upton Park affair in 1911. The issue at stake was essentially whether socialist MP

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

s should vote for reform

Reformism

Reformism is the belief that gradual democratic changes in a society can ultimately change a society's fundamental economic relations and political structures...

s, the dissidents taking the stance that they never should. He was a member of the anti-reform Provisional Committee of 1911 and subsequently long-term organiser of the Socialist Propaganda League

Socialist Propaganda League

The Socialist Propaganda League was a tiny socialist group active in London from circa 1911 to 1951.The League was formed as a result of an early dispute in the Socialist Party of Great Britain and of the optimistic belief of the Party’s founder members that the socialist revolution was near...

(an SPGB split-off). He died early in 1951, aged 87.