The Rota Club

Abstract

Chapter 14 offers a novel and comprehensive account of the Rota Club, established by Harrington in the autumn of 1659. As well as seizing the opportunity for political speculation, the Rota Club took Harrington’s experimentation with form to a new level. It provided a means of putting into practice two of the more controversial elements of Harrington’s programme: open and inclusive membership of the citizen body, and the debating and balloting procedure. By welcoming members with diverse political and religious views to the Club, and encouraging them to engage in political debate in a peaceful and constructive manner, Harrington was showing that inclusive citizenship would not automatically lead to chaos. By instituting a formal system of debate and the use of a balloting box, Harrington was providing an opportunity for people to experience the controversial decision-making procedure he had described in Oceana.