TAKE HEED OF ROCHDALE

messages in the plainest terms to both Tories and ‘Labour. To the Government, reeling from a body-blow worse than any Conservative supporter or Stock Exchange patriot had imagined possible, they say: ‘Out with you! With or without bells and bathing costumes and other such stunts, we’ve had enough of you.’ To the leaders of the Labour Party they say: ‘If you don’t put fire in your bellies and fight, you too may get a ’ shock at the General Election.’

A moment’s study of the Rochdale figures shows that Labour has not the slightest grounds for complacency, despite the dramatic reduction in the Tory vote from 26,518 to 9,827. Labour’s vote, too, dropped, from 24,928 to 22,133. And Labour’s share of the votes dropped, from 48.5 per cent. to 44.7 per cent. We must do better than this if Labour is to sweep back to power with a thumping majority. This pattern of Tory losses without Labour gains is not a healthy one. At Rochdale, of course, the picture is made more complex by the existence of a strong Liberal tradition, which enables a party that is little more than an anachronism to capture perhaps 7,000 disgruntled Tory votes. We may expect attempts by the Labour Right wing to draw from this Liberal success the conclusion that Labour should seek to attract middle-class voters by soft-pedalling on nationalization and discouraging industrial militancy. Such a course would-be disastrous for Labour, which depends first and foremost on the support of the industrial workers. The reconstitution of ‘Victory. for Socialism’ under a new leadership can make an important contribution to the framing of a_ positive socialist policy, and help turn the Rochdale result into a nation-wide rout for the Tories at the hands of the Labour movement—on condition that it engages in serious activity in the factories and trade union. branches as well as in the constituency Labour Parties. Socialist ‘shock troops’ are even more necessary in industry than in the Labour Party.

: ‘ THE anti-communist smear sheet ‘Tris Newsletter has joined the attack on THE NEWSLETTER launched by the Economic League.

On December 14, in an article ‘Defend the EIU against Fleet St and King St!", I referred to the attempts being made by the Iris outfit and other reactionary elements to exploit the situation. in the Electrical Trades Union.

This reference to Industrial Research and. Information Services Ltd has drawn a shriek of hate from the residential flat at Maritime House where the persons who run this organization turn their duplicator handles.

It took Iris no less than seven weeks to react to my reference to them, which is scarcely a tribute to the thoroughness of their ‘industrial research’.

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They start by accusing me of helping ‘to sow disruption in the Labour Party’:

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‘The Newsletter, in common with Keep Left and other doubtful publications, is printed by the Plough Press in hole-and-corner premises in a dirty alley at the back of 180 Clapham High Street, London, S.W.4.’

" ‘Bloodthirsty lies and distortions’

Fryer ‘writes as if he alone is a true communist as distinct from the CP “Stalinists’.” Then comes a quotation from the article, and the comment:

‘The many thousands of trade unionists who really know Iris and the invaluable service it performs will split their sides with laughter at this bloodthirsty language of lies and distortions.

‘ ‘The “renegades” who run Iris have done far more for ‘the “working-class movement” than Mr Peter Fryer can ever hope to do. ' - ‘But this is just the sort of defamatory diatribe to be expected from a dark corner in a dirty alley “at the rear. of 180 Clapham High Street’.’

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Let me commend this attack to the notice of the many honest rank-and-file members of the Communist Party who felt ‘that the ‘Defend the ETUL article concentrated too much on criticism of the ETU leadership, and not enough on exposing the character of the capitalist attack against that union.

‘Defend the ETU! was intended as a principled ‘statement. That it stung in the quarters it was meant to sting in is shown