Constant Reader What Butler is after

THE Tory Government appears to ‘be considering how it can use the race riots to justify bringing in legislation to restrict further the working-class. movement.

This would repeat the pattern of 1936; ‘when a. period.-of brawling between fascists and anti- fascists” was. followed by. the passing of the Public Order Act.

Police partiality became, notorious -in: that period. For instance,’ Mosley held a rally in London’s Albert Hall and members of -the atidience “who- heckled. were beaten up by blackshirt stewards under the eyes of the- police.”

The same night, however, a peaceful counter-demonstration -held in Thurloé Square - was attacked by the. police . without provocation or warning.

I well remember how, while we were listening to an address from the back of a truck by a pacifist clergyman. with a beard; a body ‘of ‘mounted -police suddenly charged into us, hitting out in-all.directions, and I had to clamber over somé railings to escape. a ‘kicking and plunging. police horse.

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Gave power to police ‘The ¢ Public” Ordé? “Act, passed” ‘allegedly to ‘deal with the disorders. caused ‘by the fascists, gave power to the police to ban .any political. processions in a given ‘district: and allowed the chairman of'a public meeting to ask any constable. to demand the name and address of anyone. present. — :

This. Act.extended that. convenient offence of ‘using insulting words and behaviour’: from. the. metropolis ‘to. the. rest. of . England.

Tt was used in April: 1937 to arrest the leaders. of ‘the miners’ . strike at Harworth (Notts. ), who were put. away for terms up to two _years.

‘Honest Stan’?

JENNIE Lee rightly draws attention, in Tribune, to the recent: whitewashing treatment given. to Stanley. Baldwin by the BBC.)

-Fhis“links--up. with. ‘the-. Press boosting - of Bassett’s book- -about Ramsay MacDonald, cand with a number of -other phenomena.

A systematic effort’ is being made, it would seem, to change the picture of British political life’in the twenties and thirties: which is fixed-in the public mind and which ‘presents a certain obstacle to Tory plans for the near. future.

People remember. that the Tories used the alleged kindly :

country gentleman Baldwin to put over a- confidence trick that resulted in an epoch of frightful poverty for the workers, They also recall that he was helped’ by: the ‘statesmanlike’ Labour leader MacDonald who, after playing the Tory game ‘inside the party for years, lined up with thé Tories openly at the. crucial moment. ;

From the Tory standpoint it is highly desirable that: this ; ‘legend’, as they. talk of -it, should be obliterated—in order to. make it easier for them to get away with the same. sort of manoeuvres again.

° Gallacher’s tribute Talking. of Baldwin, there should not. be forgotten the obituary of that enemy of the working class spoken by the communist MP, William Gallacher, in the House of Commons, on December 15, 1947.

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Tributes had been paid by the leaders of the Labour, Tory and Liberal parties. Did Gallacher take the opporturiity to call for the. uprooting in post-war Britain of everything Baldwin had stood for in the inter-war years?

Did- he even perceive an excellent occasion for keeping his mouth shut? No. He took neither course, but delivered himself of the. following revealing passage:

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‘Let.him sleep im peace’

‘Stanley Baldwin was the leader of the Condervative Party: i ama leader-of the Communist Party. There was not what might. be called much of a political bond between us, but 1 remember meeting him one night by the tape machine.

‘He appeared to be in a. sentimental. mood. He commented on some. of my Scottish characteristics.

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‘Then he told me that he had a Scottish mother and a "Welsh father. I told him that I had- Scottish mother and an Trish father. That seemed to create, at least, a human bond between us.

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‘History. will judge him and his life work. Some may praise, some may blame, but-here today nothing should be said that could disturb his rest.or the minds of those near and dear to him who are. mourning his passing.

‘In. the quiet» countryside beside his Scottish. mother and his Welsh father, let him sleep in everlasting peace.”

BRIAN PEARCE SEPTEMBER. 20, 1958 “These facts are reported in the September 12 issue of the Paddington. Mercury and .provide part of the background “to the. recent anti-Negro violence in west. London.

Do the authorities see any way out? Mr Legg states: ‘I can see no answer to the problem. I live and sleep with -it, It. will be a considerable relief to leave it all behind when I retire at the end of the month’.

if this is the best the authorities can offer them it is obviously up to white and coloured workers in the area (who will not be retiring at the end of the month) to see what solutions they themselves.can find.

The racialists would like to play them off against each other. Their ‘real interests lie in acting together, against. the employifig class and its Tory Government.

I hope many will attend the rank-and-file Conference your paper is organizing on November 16 to discuss these questions.

London, W.9 N. Meadows