John Gifford was an English political writer. He was born John Richards Green until changing his name at the age of 23.

Gifford wrote a History of England (two volumes, 1790), History of France (four volumes, 1791-3), and The Reign of Louis XVI: a Complete History of the French Revolution (1794). A staunch supporter of William Pitt the Younger

William Pitt the Younger

William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...

's government, Gifford wrote loyalist pamphlets such as A Plain Address to the Common Sense of the People of England with an annex titled ‘An abstract of Thomas Paine's life and writings’ (1792). His 1798 Short Address to Members of Loyal Associations was said to have sold 100,000 copies. Gifford also translated a few French émigré royalist pamphlets. He founded the Anti-Jacobin Review

Anti-Jacobin Review

The Anti-Jacobin Review and Magazine, or, Monthly Political and Literary Censor , a conservative British political periodical, was founded by John Gifford [pseud. of John Richards Green] after the demise of William Gifford's The Anti-Jacobin, or, Weekly Examiner...

in 1798 after the demise of The Anti-Jacobin

Anti-Jacobin

The Anti-Jacobin, or, Weekly Examiner was a newspaper founded by George Canning in 1797. William Gifford was its editor. Its first issue was published on 20 November and during the parliamentary session of 1797–98 it was issued every Monday....

. It published until 1821. His Short Address included a scenario of Jacobin Britain: Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine

Thomas "Tom" Paine was an English author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States...

, John Horne Tooke

John Horne Tooke

John Horne Tooke was an English politician and philologist.-Early life and work:He was born in Newport Street, Long Acre, Westminster, the third son of John Horne, a poulterer in Newport Market. As a youth at Eton College, Tooke described his father to friends as a "turkey merchant"...

, John Thelwall

John Thelwall

John Thelwall , was a radical British orator, writer, and elocutionist.-Life:Thelwall was born in Covent Garden, London, but was descended from a Welsh family which had its seat at Plas y Ward, Denbighshire...

, Thomas Hardy

Thomas Hardy (political reformer)

Thomas Hardy was an early Radical, the founder and also the first Secretary of the London Corresponding Society....

 and Thomas Muir would be members of Directories

French Directory

The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...

 for England, Scotland and Ireland, with policies such as disbanding the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

to be given away to France, Holland and Spain with England, Scotland and Ireland having token ships.