From "Old Left" to "New Labour"? Eric Hobsbawm and the Rhetoric of "Realistic Marxism".

The article discusses British Marxist historian Eric J. Hobsbawm's rhetorical style in debates concerning the labour movement in Great Britain. The rhetoric of realistic Marxism introduced by Hobsbawm to the debates concerning labour movement is stated to constitute a significant part of the rhetorical strategy countering the arguments of the members of the Left. It is stated that Hobsbawm's rhetorical style included vivid, plausible metaphors. His rhetoric of realistic Marxism prepared the ground for the policies of British Prime Minister Tony Blair for the British Labour Party.