Pierre Frank International Committee

PRINCIPLES are very awkward things to those who proceed in politics with the method of opportunism and manoeuvres.

Pierre Frank. veteran leader of the Pabloite revisionists (the Ligue Communiste) in France, is discovering this, not for the first time in his life.

Like Joseph Hansen of the Socialist Workers Party (USA), he has been unable to resist the temptation to comment on the divisions within the International Committee of the Fourth International (IC).

And he burns his fingers very badly, just as Hansen does. (See Joseph Hansen and the International Committee.)

Having avoided for so many years the principled theoretical questions in the world Trotskyist movement, Frank cannot approach the present differences in the IC except from a 'tactical' point of view.

He would like to use the SLL's criticism the OCI (Organization Communise Internationalfor his one ends in France.

But, unfortunately for him, the principled nature of the majority's criticisms calls in question all his own political past and future!

Frank's difficulty is to make use of the SLL's criticisms while still covering up the differences he has, within the Pabloite movement, with Hansen and his want reveal the political differences even within the Ligue Commun-. iste itself.

On top of all this, he still is obliged •to slander the SLL,_ because he senses quite correctly that it is around the politics of . the' SLL that the decisive issues' in the movement will be settled.

To do all 'these things at the same time has produced a predictably confused article by Frank • (Intercontinental Press'. November 29.)

Hitting out at the SLL, Frank 'Healy [SLL national secretary] leans towards ultra-leftism (not the Maoist or spontaneist but the "Third Stalinist type) .

This hash has been. served up by Ernest Mandel and his friends for years, but it is in remark. able contrast to the main body of Frank's own article.

For example, he quotes the October 24 IC document at length on the OCI's mistaken elector policies and its absten tionism tsues, and says: whole number attack severe. It warrants being quoted because the whole tory, or almost the whole story s there.

very similar identical, those lone expressed by the «Ligue Com munisle.

This is not true, but it indicates that Frank agrees with the Criticisms. for me a to so te fight critiGo in 196g Po Presidential ComThe same time insisting oliche should have been done, OCI the Stalinists forming gue stove of ment during the mariovern he Stalinists to It is sheer nonsense for and stil accuse tallansin!

Period" (1929-1933) refus "Third retllsed ant social-democrats fascists or miesing united they said:

Alter hitler, our turn.

Pray footie comes shat Third numbers OLICC Britain, the Groan and its ered Mole Margist.

Election abstention between The sanne Robin Blackburn who advocated This ine mos as recenily as November 3 'Rogue' had article It is sake nat frank * en organ!

Alain Kitine.

Phelen, is Chat our eric his Frank knows that this tand wis adventuristic greater cult is a reconcile is not diffi reconcilé with sheer reformist opportunism.

For example, the same Krivine, torerner with other Pante officialy Rocard and nd ularly and leaders. meetc PSU, a party 5 Commifts On the reconciling organization, matched only bu DOSIUOn DIS oWi the international dilemma TOr Hrank.

Whereas he Finding sticks to beat weight in against All these elements have been fical impasse heretice crisis i capitalism. They would cap out of this impasse but t Impasse want to without involved in the questions principle theoretica ear ter Fourt latter's claim that the Internationa had heen destroved.

Frank is no better. Like Hansen, he rushed through the basis discuss issues inevitable in the course dispute internal among those who 'reunified"

that to support expelling the La great mistake is an accounting on these questions that Frank fears.

Reconce resorts to decared referring "Committee" the same falsifications as Hansen the "Interna.

aim Wa. the Internaallegedly destroverby the "Patraid of the tact at on setween ignores outstanding differences the SLI and the OCI is that raient thic ice- that estroy ahle real discussion Pabloism vere and what the lessons he fight were -these are accential auestions for the revolutionar rank, movement.

Neither Hansen being a swere dan prevent else their The injustice of it all 'I FIND it intolerable,' said the High Court barrister, 'that members of the should be expected to work in such conditions.' What does he mean by intolerable? The choking dust and heat miners work in? The blistering heat in the steelworks or bakeries or laundries?

Does Mr Michael Ogden, OC suffer body-smashing manual work day after day, work in difficult or cramped conditions or get himself filthy?

What is he complaining about? The temperature in his court room.

am • beginning to feel as though 1 am in a Turkish bath,' he said.

Poor fellow. It must be tough working at court all day in a temperature of 72 degrees. Physical Mao A CONFERENCE on physical culture took place recently in the Kwangsi province of China. The participants agreed that, 'under the leadership of the Party Central Committee with Chairman Mao as the head, the situation on the physical culture front in the region was excellent'.

Physical culture departments were called upon to mobilize the masses to repudiate counterrevolutionary revisionist black goods 'championship mentality, 'material incentiye, the theory that physical culture is useless' and the theory that 'physical culture cannot: go gio rural areas.

With an eye on touring table tennis teams, it was agreed to implement seriously the principle 'friendship first and results second' and to repudiate thoroughly great power chauvinism.

It was concluded that all phy. sical culture workers should seriously study Marxist-Leninist books and,, Chairman Mao's works.

The boot -p057-78--0m other foot THE BOOT was on the other foot, so to speak, when Sir David Barran, chairman of Shell had right-wing, patriotic Labour MP Douglas Jay to lunch the other day.

You see, like all good Fabians, Jay had a decent edtication. None of this state education system for him. No, he landed up at Winchester public school.

When • he got there he found he needed a fag.

In public school parlance this is not something you smoke, but a pupil who runs around polishing his master's shoes, and so on.

Anyway, Jay turned to Barran for the job.

To cut a long story short, it seems that Jay had one occasion to flog Barran because he wore Jay's trousers on a date.

Now Sir David, and head of one of the world's largest oil firms, Barran had a little laugh when the roles were reversed.

At the lunch the new master reminded the Labour servant of capitalism about the Winchester incident. It' is reported that Jay was not amused now that the boot is on the other foot. HUGH SCANLON is teetering on the brink.

No, this is not a reference to a possible battle in the engineering industry over the current pay claim.

The President of the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers is literally about to fall over a cliff-or at least he will if he stays in his holiday hideaway in the Isle of Sheppey.

Like a relentless tide of militancy the sea is rapidly eroding the Scanlon cottage. Each day the little nest gets nearer the terrible edge-20 more feet and it's down into. the raging surf. Already a large crack has appeared in the wall.

But the union leader has already fled the coop and moved his furniture out. But he is unlikely to get any compensationhe's not insured for landslides!

Now I'm no great believer in the Biblical parable, but there does seem to be a message in this happening somewhere?