The Newsletter, vol. 2 no. 70

QNE simple question overshadows the 57th annual conierence of the Labour Party which opens in Scar-.

borough on Monday: ‘Why is it, when the economic situation is getting worse, with unemployment nearing the half million mark, that the Tories are strengthening their ‘Position and a the electorate?’ — Many delegates will be seriously concerned to bring out into the open the reasons why the party has lost ground ina year when it should have gained support. Had a General Election taken place just after the 1957 conference there is little doubt that Labour would have romped home.

Many will blame Gaitskell, Bevan and the Right wing of the party. And there is much to be said for this judgment.

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After all, by hedging on nationalization and refusing to oppose the ‘manufacture of the H-bomb at last year’s. conference, they prevented the working out of a policy to meet. the There will be not a few delegates at Scarborough who will place on the shoulders of the present leaders the responsibility for leaving the party without-a programme at a time when a programme is needed more than ever before. . Not an easy: struggle Not that the delegates face: an easy struggle. ‘Backed up by the wielders of block votes, the Right. wing will do everything it can to stifle any really socialist decisions.

Under the. three-year rule, delegates will be constrained to’ discussing economic matters without advocating nationalizaLabour is losing support among

tion. One might well wonder how it is possible to answer the

TO RANK-AND-FILE CONFERENCE

First delegate has been elected to the national rank-and-file Conference called by the Editorial Board of THE ‘NEWSLETTER at London’s Holborn Hall on November 16 under the slogan ‘Unity in Action’.

He is Bro. K: Snelson, who will represent Salford branch of. the National Union of: Vehicle Builders, ‘Bro. Snelson will, we féel sure, contribute something .very useful to..the Conference, especially as far as youth is concerned,’ write branch. secretary Bro. T..G..Turner and branch president Bro. G. Wilcock.

The decision to support the Conference was taken unanimously by the branch committee.

(Lancashire militants’ welcome: page 247)

fa CONFERENCE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE A meeting of Manchester workers addressed by Brian

problem of unemployment unless Labour pledges itself to take over the industries concerned.

And so the discussion on economic’ questions looks like being one-sided. There are a number of good resolutions on the Cohen report and unemployment, but unless delegates press the platform for.an undertaking that industries affected by unemployment will be nationalized by a Labour government and operated in the interests of the whole. country, Labour’s policy will lack teeth.

The H-bomb debate will undoubtedly produce another crop of well-prepared and well-delivered speeches against manufacture.

But the past year has shown how mere propaganda has only limited value. Not that the national executive has done much Behan on Sunday set up.a committee of five Ieembers of different trade. unions to ensure that Manchester workers are well-represented at the rank-and-file Con- ference on November 16.

At Liverpoot Bro. Behan spoke to a meeting of 46 workers, including dockers, building workers, engineers and miners.

These gatherings climaxed a series of factory-gate meetings in Lancashire—part of the tour by the Newsfetter van.

propaganda.

Nothing, nothing and nothing At one point it looked as if the leaders. had decided to lead a great campaign to ban the bomb. Tom Driberg declared on April 13, in Trafalgar Square: ‘This is the beginning of a campaign.’ Then came nothing and nothing and yet again nothing. The Trafalgar Square rally was the beginning and end of the campaign.

But opponents of the H-bomb would be mistaken if they ; confined themselves to verbal opposition. If the whole Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has any lesson“at all, it is this: unless the working class is actively mobilized, the best propa(Continued overleaf)

It is reported that Charles R. Sonnex, one of the four men who run the anti-communist intelligence outfit IRIS (Industrial Research and Information Services Ltd), has resigned from the Labour Party.

Sonnex is said to have declared that he is ‘in disagreement with parts of Labour Party policy’. General reaction . of Croydon Party members is: ‘Good riddance!’

Sonnex used to be a clerk at the head office of the Amalgamated Engineering Union. . His colleagues at IRIS—they produce a witch-hunting sheet called Iris Newsletter—include Jack Tanner, former AEU president, William. McLaine, former assistant general secretary of the. union, and James L. Nash, formerly Tanner's personal. secretary at. the AEU.

a LABOUR (Continued from front page) ganda has little “effect. - What.is needed now is effective on-the-spot résistance to :

"THE statement of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress to Macmillan is quite inadequate. It asks the Prime Minister to make it.clear that if the USA became involved in-war with China.over Quemoy, Britain would not join in. How much notice is the Tory.

Government going to take of a pious statement that is not backed by action? The TUC has immense power in its hands; by using that power it could not merely make British involvement in such a war impossible, but prevent the construction or use of rocket ‘bases in this country—and sweep. away the Government that is placing the future of all of.us in jeopardy.

The TUC and the Labour Party should say this to .

Macmillan: The entire might of the organized. working-class movement will be used to prevent war with China.

All rocket sites are henceforth ‘black’, and not a single carpenter, bricklayer or electrician who is a union member will do,any work to build or maintain them. If in spite of our warning you do join with the USA in a Far East war, we shall use all traditional means to make the prosecution of the war impossible and to force out of power the criminals who want to carry it.on.

But this warning needs to be supplemented by an appeal in the name of the British workers to the workers of the USA, for joint. action against the warmongers. STOP THIS WITCH-HUNT!

members of the St Pancras Labour Party is dealt with in the national executive’s report to the Labour Party conference is an insult to delegates’ intelligence. They are given four short paragraphs—23 lines—which tell them precisely nothing about the reasons for the expulsions. On the basis of this section of the.report it is quite impossible to judge fairly the opinions of those expelled. “The activities of Mr John Lawrence,’ we are told, ‘have been a matter of concern to the national executive committee for somé time’. The ‘courtesy visit’ of George Brown MP. to the-fascist dictator Franco at San Sebastian is indeed a matter of concern to the rank and file. Yet Brown is not being expelled.

Why in fact has Lawrence been thrown out of the party? Because he holds Left-wing socialist opinions. If his expulsion is upheld it will be a blow, not merely against the Left wing, but against the best. interests of. the whole party. If there is room for Brown and Shawcross in the party, then there is-room for. Lawrence. Conference should decisively rebuff this attempt at a witch-hunt. Lawrence should be allowed to address conference, and he ‘and the other expelled members should be reinstated. the building of rocket bases and the manufacture: of H-bombs, organized by local Labour Parties:

_This can be done only -by campaigning among. the workers who. are doing this’ work. Industrial action against: the bases and the bomb ‘means that socialists“must organize inside the trade unions, and not just confine their opposition to resolutions and demonstrations.

From propaganda to action Of- course. the platform will defeat the opposition to the H-bomb at Scarborough: But this should spur the opponents of the bomb to-pass over from propaganda to the organization -. of industrial action.

This means first: of all. participating in the day-to-day struggles of the working ¢lass on hours, wages and conditions. It is when this bread and butter fight is linked to the fight against the bomb that.real progress will be made.

-This approach ‘is, in fact, the key to the struggle for a socialist foreign policy. Left-wing. demands such as the cail for a break with NATO must be backed up by socialist efforts ‘to rally the working class for action against war preparations.

Here is where those members of the Labour Party who base their policies on Marxism and the working class have such an important part to play—not merely at Scarborough, but ia the whole of the coming year.

SHELL-MEX MEN, SACKED BY McALPINE’S, , ‘WE shall fight them all the way,’ declared chief shop

Let British Labour speak to American Labour and call for a joint campaign against those who want to drag our two countries into war. ;

If a declaration in this sense came from Scarborough next week it would galvanize.the entire international working-class movement.

* THE way the expulsion of John Lawrence and other steward Hugh Cassidy on Thursday when McAlIpine’s announced they were. closing the Shell-Mex site on London’s South: Bank and sacking the whole labour force—1,500 men.

-Notices posted on the site said that due to the behaviour of an ‘irresponsible minority’ it was necessary to close down the contract and ‘rephase the construction programme’.

Six hundred labourers were due to be paid. off on Thursday night, and another 900 men were told they would finish by 4.30. p.m. on Friday.

‘McAlIpine’s were planning ‘top-level meetings’ over . the wek-end, with ‘the aim of devising a method of restarting the work——presumably with blackleg labour—by the middle of the week. : ;

-Over 100 steel-fixers and labourers have been out in protest at a charge-hand working overtime despite the men’s decision to. work only four nights a week, 6.30 p.m. to 6.30 a.m., on night shift.

Said steward Cassidy: ‘This is an attempt.by the firm to cover up for their own inefficiency. They are using this method to. get rid of all militant-trade unionists.

SHELL-MEX WORKERS PROTEST AT ‘FAILURE TO REINSTATE BRIAN. BEHAN THE trade. union committee.on the Shell-Mex site, representing all trades, has pledged itself to support any action, including a withdrawal of labour, to secure the reinstatement of Brian Behan.

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Behan, a-well-known militant, was sacked by McAlpine’s six hours after starting work on the site.

An appeal signed by M. Maguire (Wandsworth branch, ; . Amalgamated Union of. Building Trade Workers) and J. Power (Loughton AUBTW), and endorsed by the site committee, expresses disgust. at the failure of the conciliation panel to i reinstate him.

The appeal: goes.on: ‘We ask our EC. to reject the findings of this commission, which are that the employer. was entitled to sack without any reason under rule XD of the civil engineering agreement, which is similar to rule 2(6) in the building agreement.

“This was- introduced in order to give the employer the opportunity. to sack anyone who.was not capable of doing his job properly. It was not introduced. to give an employer a cloak. for. the black list. :

“McAlIpine’s ‘have persistently, sacked leading trade unionists within: a short time of starting... They sacked. Bro. Cassidy (Transport and. General Workers’ Union), Bro.. Harrison (Balham“AUBTW) and Bro. _ Maguire.’

Labour group on Leeds City Council has decided. to -withdraw permission forthe Town Hall to be used for a meeting addressed by Sir Oswald Mosley.

~ Holborn Hall, London, on: November 16.. Here are: their statements; .

of hig union branch, in a- personal statement: ¥-feel there is an-urgent need for ‘rank-and-file link-up -.- 2. to’ fight the challenge of the. Tory.:Government. and the employers, who are threatening the living. standards of the workers. : This Conference. can be the- first ‘step. towards that :

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branch, National Amalgamated -Stevedores and Dockers: © -Various séctions of: “workers i in: \-and around the. dock industry have.a common. ‘enemy:They. need a united: policy to ‘fight against a common employer so that future action by. gne. section will automatically be suppérted by. all.

T‘support.a Conference where railitants « can 1 be brought : together to discuss how ‘to -get such united policies.

_. STAN BOYD, treasurer of Cronton branch. of the National Union of. Mineworkers:

The present surplus of coal and the way.the National Coal Board is trying. on.a ‘get tough’ policy with: the miners, call for militant leadership in the ‘Coalfields “as in other industries.

I welcomé “a Conference where rank-and-file. trade unionists can-thrash out the-problenis-of buildi ing Such leaderships.

P. F. CREDIDIO, chairman -of Walton. branch, Amalgamated Union of Building Trade .-Let.us. welcome the forthcoming ‘Conference. Brothers, -let-us now make an: effort to build a militant and united ..

labour front with a pure socialist policy.

Let us not forget that, a short time ago, there. were on: Merseyside -over 2,500 building. tradesmen out of work. .The position is now slightly: improved but it is liable . .. to worsen. again in the very near future, with the Present Government’s policies and restrictions.

Let us make a stand with our fellow trade unionists, 3 S apteus ER 2 t ‘9 58 we

LEEDS LABOUR’S ‘NO’ TO ‘FASCIST MEETING before agreements governing. conditions on nights had: been vvam Lancashire Militants Welcome Rank-and-File Conference ~~;

A number of. industrial militants in ‘Lancashire have declared: their support for the national rank-and-file Conference, called by the Editorial Board of The. Newsletter, which is being held in the on LOYDEN, Mersey. dredgerman and chairman - force this Government out and réplace it witha governELECTRICIANS IN. TWO STRIKES AT BRIGGS By Our Industriai Correspondent Workers employed by the two electrical contractors on the new £75 million extension. to the Briggs Motor Bodies works at Dagenham are on strike.

Last week 140 electricians and mates, employed by Rash:~ leigh Phipps, struck ‘against the introduetion of outside labour tc work a newly introduced night shift.

When. the--firm’s representatives asked for immediate volunteers to work nights, the men refused’ to operate’ the shift settled. .

In. their shop .committee statement appealing “for financial : - Support they explain: ‘No. member would .work. nights .untif. -certain safety and other basic requirements had been met. The ment which’ will carry: out: full ‘nationalization’ and workers”: control and work in the general interests of the: people: I believe that most militant, unionists: will welcome the Confererice as a great opportunity to get together with fellow trade unionists to. discuss our-problems and help the, Labour movement to achieve these: changes.

le-as a DIS) militant member ‘of the AUBTW: y :

The conference can-do.a useful job in discussing how ~~ a united, militant: -front of thé-‘unions-can “be. built : .to-meet- -the offensive of the em ployers.:.

Rank-and-file. militants ‘wilt welcome ‘the: opportunity st oo to discuss the struggle for democracy in the trade unions. . and the. struggle to.turn the unions into -fighting organs of the working class.

Tv T. HARRIS, thiner - and ‘standing delegate from Cronton branch to the monthly conference: of Lancashire area of ' the’ ‘National: Union of Mineworkers:

The leadership of the trade union movement is not adequate tothe present -situation. That can be clearly seen in the “mines: The ‘miners’

problems cannot be solved, and the nationalization of the mines cannot. be worked. inthe. interests. of the miner, unless the mines are run as part of a planned economy. .< “ That.can be- achieved. only by.an 1 extension of. nationalization to. all. basic “industries; which must -be run. under.a plan drawn up and “approved. by workers’ organ-.~ izations:

At the present’ moment the ‘planning’ of the mines. is determined by the interests of a capitalist economy.

Our leaders are not prepared to face up to this. Hence only lead -to the worsening. of-the miners’ conditions. they line up with the -NCB’s“ economy’ drive, which can There is an urgent need for militant rank-and-file trade ‘unionists to’ get together to build a leadership in every industry. which has the necessary courage: and policies. for ‘the. fight to bring. a socialist. economy. All. militant trade unionists. should: attend the Conference called by The Newsletter to help lay. the foundation for-a Jeadership and needs of. the working class. based on. the decisions, ‘desires _

- job has-a very high accident rate?

07.0 The" management retaliated by. bringing. in outside labour ae to work the night shift. The workers withdrew their labour, supported by the night shift:

Tbe men are insisting-that Rashleigh Phipps place the night :

shift men on day work while negotiations take place. -Told to ‘get out?

The other dispute on the Briggs site involves: twenty :mem- ; bers of the Electrical Trades Union, two Amalgamated Engineering Union members, a Constructional. Engineering Union member and a member of.the Boilermakers’ Society, who. are employed by Scrivvan’s of Luton, The steward for the.job, ETU member Mick Scanlon, and . -deputy. steward Tod Sullivan outlined to me. the troubled history .of ‘this job. _ :

‘When we first went in to. see Mr Woodward, Scrivvan’s representative, over outstanding issties such as fares and conditions, we were told to “get out” and _all the shop was locked out,’ said Bro. Scanion. - eb a SE Se :

‘Only. as a. result of pressure fromthe Rashleigh Phipps works committee and the union: area office were: we reinstated __—and, by the way, got 3s. 6d. a. day for fares.

“Later we brought ina Mr Stacey, who is the site safety : ; officer. He agreed with us that there should bé facilities for a hut for meals and that ‘the scaffolding needed: bringing up to standard; in order:to. meet the safety requirements.

‘Again, :when we brought this: to. Mr. Woodward's attention we. were locked: out. Once again it was only outside inter-. vention that secured our reinstatement.

Refused to accept:it = -‘Finally, Bro. Sullivan and myself were called into the office ee ; one day and told that all. the men were to be sacked, with the. exception of the welders and. one ETU. mate.

‘The men refused to accept .that there was a. shortage of: work and decided to -take®strike.-action and. we have. been out ever ‘since.

‘After six. weeks the executive council of the: . : = . ETU: has .: accorded us official recognition. Owing to.a number. of circum-- ; stances they couldn’t ‘get: a- full ‘meeting -of the EC before ~ then.

“However, they have made this conditional upon. Scrivvan's taking back eight men besides the four welders, the committee to.decide who the eight shal! be.

‘A meeting of the strikers. turned this down by. 19 votes against and two. abstentions,. voting’ instead that we. stay out until all. are reinstated.’

Both the steward and the deputy steward considered that . . - —— this policy.of Scrivvan’s was receiving the full backing of all the other firms on. the site.

Over 650 Leeds Corporation Transport Department employees have signed a petition saying they are dissatisfied with working conditions, and with the Leeds 9/12 branch of the Transport and General Workers’ Union.

The petition calls for: : ’ :

(1) An investigation into the working of the branch;.

(2) Re-election of branch officials by secret ballot; and (3) Production by the branch of copies. of the local agreement.on working conditions, negotiated by the branch with the Transport department, for all members to see.

Branch members complain that they cannot get sight of the -agreement and are being kept in the dark.

While in some ways the agreement is working to. their ~~ advantage, in others it is adversely affecting the working conditions of bus and tram crews. :

The local agreement modifies a national. agreement, and

E NEWSLETTER Morcover, -between “the actual “murder, inhumanity; “perversion of science, destruction of human happiness and security perpetrated by capitalism and the. brave new’ world outlined: by Professor Rubinstein, lies the small detail of replacing. it by another and superior ‘social system. He says nothing about that.

Indeed he is at such pains to show. that armaments spending is really harmful to capitalism. that’ one wonders: does he think that its replacement on a world scale by a rational and humane system, one in which private greed and ‘ambition would no longer impede the development of the: productive forces, is necessary?

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Of course there is something in. Rubinstein’s argument that ‘the use of the arms race for bolstering up capitalist economy may be likened to the effect of drugs upon a sick organism . . . they undermine the health and: aggravate. the disease they were expected to cure’.

Capitalism is sick all right, but to imagine that. it can get along without ‘such drugs. is a fantasy.

It is not necessarily true, as Rubinstein: asserts; that military :

expenditures ‘ruin the national economy’, ‘reduce drastically the purchasing capacity of the peoples’ and ‘reduce the demand -for consumer goods fo. a level which cannot be compensated for by the expansion in production brought about. by military orders’.

Joe -. Nor can it be ‘said, without qualification, that. in the USA they-have ‘aggravated the economic difficulties of that country and . . . worsened living standards’.

Not a healthy system Under capitalism’ one-can speculate about the use of. resources for peaceful purposes. (even Macmillan: once’ indulged in a ‘pipe dream’ on. those lines), but that is about all. Termination of arms spending, or even a sharp reduction, would present serious problems of falling. demand and- unemployment.— Capitalism is a sick system, not a healthy one. It has now become pathologically addicted to a high level of expenditure on means of destruction. Te And even with 9 to 10 per cent. of national income going on arms it cannot make itself slump-free—it would ‘have even less chance without ‘arnis expenditure.

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Capitalism cannot and will not turn over. to doing all the wonderful things which are technically possible—as Rubinstein seems to assume--or only to the extent that there is a profit -in it.

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We can say that arms expenditure has been a vital factor in ‘the capitalist economy of the past. two decades, and has helped to account for full employment and prosperity.’

Why is. this? Briefly we can put it this way.

Surplus value extracted from the workers. in the course of production has to. be realized on the market: if the market does not expand in line with production, sales fall, profits come down and accumulation and investment sink. Slump results.

Close tie-up with big firms Armaments, financed by the State, open up an additional means of realizing surplus value—with an assured market— thus enabling the process of profit-making, accumulation and investment to proceed. Utilizing, that is, resources and labour which, might otherwise be unemployed.

The close tie-up of arms production with the big capitalist ; firms assists them in renewing equipment, improving technique and building up, capacity to an extent that would not otherwise be. profitable. :

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|The incomes so created actually stimulate other industries and lead’to an increase in output that might not otherwise have occurred. .

Of course there are limits to this process, and when pushed ahead very fast increased arms spending can cut into living standards. and have all sorts of serious consequences. But these are secondary inconveniences as far as capitalism is concerned.

Hf we look: at the economies of: the capitalist’ countries -in the last year or two. we find expenditure on ‘defence’. tending to fall as a proportion: of national income. This ‘is certainly one factor in the current tendency to depression.

In contrast to most capitalist countries production continued . to rise at quite a rapid rate in France in .1957.

War is terribly profitable A major reason, as stated by the United Nations “World Economic Survey 1957’ was ‘a steep rise in public expenditures, consisting primarily. of higher. military outlays .connected with the Algerian. conflict’. War is terribly profitable, Professor Rubinstein. -~: :

Rubinstein wants to see the’ cold war. ended by general agreements on disarmament. It cannot. be doubted <“1t this would offer great opportunities for overcoming the USSR’s economic problems more rapidly and smoothly.

But he gives the impression that this can ‘open the road to a radiant and happy future’ without the overthrow of capitalism. :

That is to say, without getting rid of the system which has been responsible for the loss of some 65 million. lives ~_ in two major wars in this century—not to count all the. little wars, punitive expeditions, repression. of colonial revolts and mere ‘incidents’... :

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Either Rubinstéin really believes this, in which case he is incredibly naive or ignorant... Or -hée knows it-is false and has deliberately. excluded a real Marxist analysis..of the relationship of arms to capitalism, and the need to overthrow the system. _ Which is it, Professor Rubinstein? Are youa fool? An Ignoramus? Or just distorting truth‘in order to comply with the propaganda of ‘peaceful coexistence’ as formulated by your’ bosses?.

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contains provisions on hours of work, time off for meals, split shifts, clothing and holidays, ; Members complain that the branch has not secured the best possible terms, and that conditions have been slipping back over the years. Thus the time allowed for many journeys has-been. cut.

: -.FOR LABOUR STUDENTS .- By John Daniels ‘I HAVE just. spent seven of the most hectic, but rewarding, days of a long political life—this time, however, as a university student.’

In these words, an old socialist miner from Wales summed up his feeling on the NALSO camp-school held in the bracing air of a Lowestoft holiday camp on September 12-19.

About 120 Labour university students studied. and discussed the chaHenging ‘subject. “Beyond the Welfare : State’. _ An innovation for Labour students, the camp-school proved to. be. an unqualified success, and is certain. to’ be repeated next year, = The ideas ‘of Fabian pundits: jostled with the ideas of trade unionist. militants. Scholarly - lectures “by university sociological research workers were followed by the rude blasts of ‘committed’ socialists. “ Everything was in the melting pot, except. the keen vigour of young -people who wanted and intended—in spite of some Jeremiahs. who thought that ‘socialism had: missed the bus’ to build socialism in their time. ~ , Denis Healey-and Michael Stewart, Labour MPs, were the targets of-some boisterous criticism, Stuart Hall ‘and- other supporters of the Universities. and Left Review were given a serious and thoughtful reception, and Brian Behan received an enthusiastic response when he spoke of real and fake workers” -control. pitt And all’ the time, of course,.discussion. -[ ECONOMICS -Is THERE A ‘RADIANT FUTURE’ WITHOUT

LEEDS BUS AND TRAM CREWS PETITION By Our Industrial Correspondent THE idéa is frequently encountered, even in the Labour movement, that armaments are an-economic burden which can -be got rid of within the framework of capitalism with beneficial results all round.

It is surprising to find a leading Soviet economist putting forward essentially the same idea in a recent booklet. entitled ‘If the Arms Race Were Stopped’ (Soviet News booklet, no. 32). te is true that he assembles a mass of useful facts about ;

the human and material costs of twentieth-century wars and about the extent of the resources actually being devoted to _ warlike purposes.

He puts them forward, too, in ‘striking ways, as in the statement that. ‘the annual military expenditure of the advanced industrial countries is equal to the annual income of approximately 1,500 million inhabitants ‘of - the underdeveloped countries’.

Nothing about small detail Useful as such facts are, they remain suspended in the air without an accurate appraisal. of the part played by arms. and war in modern capitalism.

Professor Rubinstein falls short here; and it is hard to _— believe that he is at all acquainted with Marxist ideas on the _ Subject.

IS CONSCIOUS

From A Correspondent SOCIALIST supporters of a vote favourable to the proposed . constitution were described by a Le Monde reporter as ‘gambling on. the liberal intentions and republican convictions of General de Gaulle’.

It_might be remarked that such a. gamble is unbecoming to. people who describe themselves: as ‘socialists’ and solemnly sing the ‘Internationale’. at their party congress.

, Especially since the book ‘in this fateful gamble is held by the roughneck colonels and generals in Algiers.

Such was indeed felt to be the case bv a group led bv Edouard Depreux—he has been in the party forty years—which has ‘set up a new autonomous socialist group in opposition to the. Molletists.

La As for the rest—over two-thirds, of the party—there are two possible explanations.

Either they are honest men bewildered by the swirls and ; : eddies of the world in which they live, hankering after the quiet life of the local council and -political verbiage, ‘merely suffering from self-deception.

‘Or they know perfectly well what they are doing and are not dupes of their own pseudo-criticism of policy in Algeria ~ and elsewhere.

Rogues and time-servers The second explanation seems the likelier as far as a large majority of the leadership-of the Socialist Party is concerned.”

They are rogues-who have become politically and morally quite indistinguishable from the frowzy and corrupt time-servers who make up the bulk of the run-of-the-mill politicians _.of the Centre and Right parties.

an sc ai Se i Fi, he nimi

brothers-in-law “and. the like with local business men ‘and render each other mutual services at the expense of the elector and taxpayer.

The ‘smell of putrefaction rising from the’ mortal ‘remains of.a once principled party has become completely intolerable. As the ‘party becomes stréamlined into. the new régime, we in-the. British Labour Party should lose no opportunity of ‘making this plain—and- encouraging; as: far- as we can, the development of. a new movement:on the ruins: of the old. . - GROUP IN US. COMMUNIST PARTY. CALLS © ~~ From Qur New York Correspondent ote and - opportunist. ’ The .conference,: said to represent 300 party - members, was “called by the ‘Provisional Organizing Committee for a -MarxistLeninist Communist Party’, which is now publishing a monthly newspaper, the Marxist-Leninist Vanguard.

The first. session was chaired by a former Smith Act defendant, “Lucille Bethancourt, and. the organization report - was given by the party’s waterfront section organizer, “A. Marino.

He. pointed out that of the estimated 17,000 membership of the American Communist Party-at the time of the February 1957 convention, only 3,000 remain.

“NaTIONaL’ éxecutive of the U.S. Communist Party has expelled: the 83 delegates who attended” a conference last November.

“By HARRY FINCH The Vanguard group accuses- the party leaders of. being out of line with the international-communist movement in not condoning the -crushing- of ‘the Hungarian “Revolution - and’ in rejecting: the «declaration: of twelve. parties signed’ in Moscow :

THE continual expansion of ‘world production, and the revolutions. in technique accompanying it and initiating it, will not only enrich mankind in all-the material objects in life but will also release everyone to enjoy culture to’ the ‘full.

-socialist- world look’. like? We cannot ‘give-a - .

_ What -will-a full--picture; but from .a study. of «the -potentialities revealed -in present-day science we can sketch some likely features of the future socialist: society. - The rapid: advarice- of automation. and nuclear power: will :

' This is- the last of a series of articles. on: socialism by.

Harry Finch, a Birmingham Labour. councillor - sand. -a shop steward at GEC.

Previous articles in the series appeared. on-Augu ist. 16 = : a (p.. 211), August: 23 (Pp. 219-20), . September 6 ©. 232) _ ‘and’ September 20 (op. 24 2-3). :

again and again redhiice the hours of labour required to turn out an abundance of goods. ~ Factories will be. clean. Dust willbe eliminated. Streets will ‘becleaned by’ electronic devices: Hard physical. labour will be replaced by robots.

- This continual ‘reduction of working “hours will enable ‘all : :

if-they desire to be university students. There-will be'a a great thirst for learning. and adequate time to satisfy: it. Rest of their lives -We can envisage people electing how to do their few hours ; of work required. Some may decide to work for a year of their lives. at, say, thirty a hours. a week (instead.-of the. required two or three hours) arid then Spend the rest of their -- lives in. physical and mental pursuits.

Utopia? I do not think so. Once. capitalism: is removed there is 10 limit to the revolutionizing of production.

Would controversy cease? I think that as long as-man exists on this planet controversy will always be present.

But under socialism there will be no political parties, for these represent economic classes:

Therefore controversy. is most likely to take the form of sharp debates on scientific theories, criticism of. various -schools of ‘art, music and so on.

We can well imagine the line-up of ‘factions’ in the uni- ; ; versities and elsewhere on. the huge projects—inter-planetary travel, for. instance—in which a socialist world will engage.

People will be able: to exercise and develop their mental faculties as. never. before. Having. time before. them many will not only ‘study in art schools but Paint and do handicraft themselves.

“T am’ sure ‘that the socialist man will be as erudite as ‘some ; ; :

of our own scientistsand_ professors today. In fact there -is no reason why: all of the’ future generations shall not be on that level.

ToO WILL: man grow- fat -and lazy ? Why should: :- he?

Released: from. the labour of. capitalism, which even among manual-workers develops only some of: their muscles _(depending ‘on what job they do), people will engage in physical as well as mental culture.

The sports will. be there for all to enjoy. Proper dieting ; coupled ‘with .physical recreation,.tife. in. -beautiful country cities. where smoke.and disease are ¢liminated; should produce people who will tower both: physically and. mentally over the present. generation... -Women will be liberated: The day of the wash- tub ‘and i sink -will. be gone. for ever.

“Af families still-wish:to-eat at home then: electronic machines .

will..cook for them. Already there ‘are ‘experiments on the market for houses: to be ‘panel- switch’ controlled, and ‘infrared’. cookers turn steaks. in’ two: minutes.

_No traveller’s cheques required But to me the most exciting ‘prospect of all is mass migrations- and intermingling ‘of the world’s populations: People will be born in a-certain country but the whole world will be their home.

How often ‘have we ordinary workers said: “How I would love to travel!’?

Socialism will allow all to traverse the globe. No traveller's cheques or visas required!

And for the ‘stay-at-homes’. I am sure that -science will find a. way to improve the climate.

© THIS, and much more that. we cannot visualize, is the glorious socialist future for mankind..

We are facing the last big fight. against capitalism with all its filth and bloody violence.

To reach the bright horizon of socialism we must build up the leadership that will carry forward this fight. The alternative is a planet of radio-active dust.

T am convinced that mankind has not travelled to. within an inch of universal abundance only to allow a few to destroy the human race: Thé working class will destroy capitalism instead, and ‘lead humanity on to the classless society.

-

THEORIZERS about the causes of the race riots have to explain why they. have occurred in some areas: with a large coloured population plus bad housing and so forth, and yet not in others where the same combination of objective factors is present.

In fact it is impossible to leave. out of account ‘the part played by fascist and semi-fascist ‘groups and also, of funda- -mental importance, the strength and militancy of the Labour movement in, the given area.

- Both of these aspects were brought to the fore at the meeting held by the. Movement. for Colonial Freedom in Trafalgar Square on Sunday. ~ ‘ The vice-chairman of Lambeth Trades Council pointed out that they had no race riots in his. area, ‘and that’s’ the way we're going to keep it’. On the other side,.‘National Labour Party’ supporters in the crowd displayed banners with their slogans: ‘Keep Britain White’ and ‘Britain. for. Britons’.

Gaitskell’s experience of being shouted down by Orangewomen in Liverpool is a reminder ‘from. another quarter of how the dark. forces of prejudice and fanaticism always raise their heads. where the Labour:movement has lost its. grip and fallen into’ opportunist -ways.

‘Only Connollyism’. (meaning revolutionary socialism). ‘can ; . deal with Carsonism’, it used to be said in Belfast.

Men still talk of. the days of the 1919 general strike there, ; for the forty-hour week, when the city was freer of faction fighting than for a long time before or after, and ‘Shame on the :man that names religion’ was-a reigning principle among the workers caught up in. their common. fight for their class cause.

Barefaced deception?.

A young man: with a Mosleyite’ badge who. bought Peter Fryer’s leaflet ‘Sweep the Racialists off the Streets’ from me in“the Square glanced through it. and remarked sourly: ‘This has been written by a communist.’ cos -‘Well, as a matter of fact,’ I replied,: ‘Fryer. was expelled ; from the Communist Party.’

‘Ah,’ was the reply, with a knowing air; ‘facially he may have been...’ :

‘Seditious HibeF, 1925 CHANCING to pick up the late T. A. Jackson’s “Trials of British. Freedom’. (1940), I-found myself reading the last chapter, which deals with the arrest of twelve. of the leaders of the Communist Party in October 1925 and their prosecution for ‘conspiring ‘to utter seditious libels’. BO a That.was a political case if ever there was: one:

The Tory Prime Minister had declared that ‘the wages of. ; all workers- have to come down, in order to put industry on its feet’. .

The ruling class Was actively preparing for’ a major show- : : down with thé workers, and part of its preparation was. to intimidate the workers’ leaders. ; ;

The Communist Party at that time was the body with which _ ; most militants were associated, and it was putting forward a programme for countet-preparation by the: working class. ;

Roused to anger. 7 a . Hence it was.the obvious target for a. prosecution. The effect on the mass ofthe workers was to rouse them to anger against the Tories—tremendous demonstrations of solidarity with the accused took place, and. MacDonald complained: that by its action. the Government had. ‘played into. the hands of Bolshevism’. : : . se The ‘trade union leaders were suitably frightened, however, . by the senterices of twelve months arid six. months imposed on: the: communists: : :

-When the crisis came,-in May 1926, the Government had only to hint that the General. Strike was ‘illegal’ and the General Council of the Trades Union. Congress came to heel, betraying the millions. who had trustingly followed: them.

‘As’ Jackson . puts it, these’ bureaucrats ‘had no desire to go where the Twelve had gone, being. fearful. of what their followers might do:in their absence’, ; Jimmy Thomas and. his. pals were able to carry through that historic. betrayal only because thé Communist Party had confined itself to putting forward excellent’ proposals for the Jimmy Thomasés to carry out, but had taken no step to-show the workers the need to build up a rank-and-file I:- lership, from the factory level-upwards, which could have. taken command of the strike out of the traitors’ hands.

~ _ “increasing misery’ ‘THERE is -a curious contradiction ‘in the treatment. in no. 1 of World Marxist Review, the new ‘Cominform’ journal, of the question of the ‘increasing. misery’ of the proletariat:

Yes i -On: page’ 51the Russian. A: M. Rumyantsev declares’ that : the interpretation of ‘this concept..as meaning a decline in the workers” living’ standards is a revisionist distortion: what it means ‘is that there is a widening gap between the living standards of the workers and their needs.

Thus, even while the workers’ real wages were increasing they could be suffering ‘increasing: misery’ because their needs were increasing still faster. -~ Contrastingly, the -reviewer, -on pages 111-12, of Thorez’s booklet ‘More About Impoverishment’: appears. to endosse ‘the French communist leader’s view’ that:‘increasing misery” means what if is usually taken to mean: “that the workers’ real -wages, taking into account intensity of-labour and other relevant factors, tend to: fall, any- advance in one direction being . More than: counterbalanced ‘by losses: in’. others—for example, — a better flat at-the cost of less food. . It would’ be enlightening to have some discussion of. this Important aspect. of Marxist theory in connexion with Harry Finch’s articles. ve oe :

“Twentieth-century revolutions World Marxist Review.announces that active preparations are. now- under. way in the.-German Democratic Republic for the. celebration of the fortieth. anniversary. of the revolution of November 1918.. — Taa It gives. Ulbricht’s official definition of that revolution as . ‘a. bourgecis-democratic type of revolution. which. in some measure was. conducted by proletarian means and methods.’

How much of Europe’s and the world’s. subsequent history. was. decided by the. failure of the trend in-the German working-*~ class movement led by Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg te capture power at the end of 1918-and beginning of 1919!

Had ‘there been a ‘real: Bolshevik Party in Germany then, supported by the majority of. the workers, it would .certainly have been, victorious.

Would it not then, besides carrying through in a thorough- .-. °°. eek going’ way such overdue “bourgeois-democratic measures ‘as expropriation of the Junker class, have proceeded :to socialist measures such as the nationalization of the principal industries? Ce ; : ;

How could it have avoided: doing so, even had it wished?

‘The Permanent. Revolution’ :

It. is good news that.Trotsky’s ‘The Permanent Revolution’ (1930) is to be ‘reissued in the not too distant future in’an improved translation.

: _ This. book examines .whether bourgeois-democratic revolu-tions which remain ‘such can in fact be carried out in modern

Tus NEWSLETTER .

conditions, and analyses the theory and practice of Stalinism, ..

especially in colonial countries, in relation to this question.

As. an-appendix the book will ‘include a new translation of the samé writer’s ‘Results and Prospects’, written in 1904-06, which. forecast with astonishing accuracy the course actually taken by the Russian Revolution.

This pamphlet has long been unavailable_in English, though in 1921 it was translated by Joseph Fineberg and Published by the Communist International.

__ Military. theory and politics Every columnist -is delighted to hear from his readers and I am very pleased indeed to have received my first ‘reader reaction’ in the shape of a letter from Leeds about my remarks on T. E. Lawrence.

The writer points out how Lawrence. was the source of Liddell Hart’s military doctrines, and what was the political backg-cund. of those doctrines.

‘Th >. senseless slaughter of the Somme, : Verdun and Passchendaele contributed ‘to the collapses of 1918, the French army mutiny of 1917 and the ‘geibsequent revolutionary wave in Europe.

You: will: remember how-Aasold Zweig deals. with: this in the trilogy that starts with “The Case of Sergeant ‘Grischa”

and. ends with “The Crowning of a King”. Thé Foch strategy of concentration reflected. in its application the .contempt of a general staff reared in: aristocratic isolation for the common mass of soldiery.

- sense, the Fabian of military ‘Liddell Hart was, in~a strategy and he.had to apply his mind: above all to the political questions of warfare presented by the first world War.

‘ To most: readers of: THe NEWSLETTER Jim Fullerton would be just a name. But to myself, the lads ‘on the dock and our fellow-members of the Liaison Committee, Jim’ Fullerton was a symbol of the best traditions of dock ‘militancy.

In his all too short but very active participation in the class struggle he showed that he possessed all the qualities of a.real docks fighter.

His ‘death is a great loss to the docks movement in particular and the working-class ‘movement in general.

It is little wonder that. at his funeral so many: hundreds of dockers turned out to pay their last respects to a- fine militant and a good mate.

:

; London, E.] Danny Connolly ‘This. is where T. E. Lawrence's ideas came in so. handy . surprise, deceptions, distraction, pinning down large forces with small ones, the psychological. paralysis of an opponent... :

:

Perhaps the key to the Lawrence cult was. indeed that, as David Garnett puts it, ‘he won his victories without endanger- Ing more than a handful of. Englishmen,’ and Liddell Hart’s writings constitute an attempt to work out .a military doctrine for waging imperialist wars without involving the workers too much, lest they rebel against the sufferings - inflicted on them as they did in 1917-18.

The ‘Redman’ pamphlet The. Newsletter possesses a. limited number of copies of ‘The Communist Party and the Labour Left, 1925-29’,. the pamphlet by ‘Joseph Redman’, with an introduction by John Saville, which the Reasoner published early. in 1957 and which helped. considerably to stimulate the current interest in Communist Party history.

These are available at 2s. 3d. post free.

A few copies ‘of ‘Hungary and the Communist Party’, by Peter Fryer, are also available, price 1s. 3d. post free.

~ -Goet-this:

‘The Peter Kerrigan in this case is not the Peter Kerrigan : who is industrial - organizér of the Communist Party, —From..the article by W. Roy Nash: on the: Editorial Board of The Newsletter, in. the. News. Chronicle, Sept. 23: — . .

BRIAN PEARCE dered incapable of making such an atttack.

Certainly we. shall‘ still ‘he:in some danger as-long as there are any H-bomb-carrying planes, or rockets; in Britain.

But .as a short-term measure it is quite simple and .very necessary to prevent the U.S. planes leaving the ground, and this demand should be pressed most vigorously in all Labour Party and trade union organizations.

Great majority of population During the Hungarian Revolution the Russian army was able to paralyse the Hungarian air force, which might have intervened to some effect, by posting some artillery units round all the. airfields. .

How. much ‘more successfully could the U.S. air. force be hamstrung where, as in “our case, the great majority of. the population would whole-heartedly. support the ‘besiegers’.

Certainly there is no harm in calling-on the Government to act in this manner, provided that the working-class movement makes it quite clear that it is determined to take action itself in any event, the moment an atomic’ weapon of any

QUEMOY: BRITISH WORKERS MUST REFUSE.

Ir is now widely realized that there:is a growing danger of general nuclear war arising from the conflict over Formc:za and the Chinese off-shore islands. _ "It is clear that powerful sections of ‘the ‘American capitalist class ‘are preparing to launch a ‘tactical’ atomic attack on China, in-the belief that the: Chinese and Russians will not retaliate, or that if they do the U.S. Strategic Air Command can win the. resulting third world war.

The fact that these calculations are almost certainly wrong, will not be much consolation to us if we are wiped out in the” Process of testing them.

A-large part of the U.S. hydrogen-bomber force is stationed -in Britain; so that if American planes take off to attack Russia—or are thought by the Russians to be about to do so-~we shall be. destroyed. -:

Therefore it is vitally important that the bombers be renEx kind -is used by the U.S. forces.

The prigaary purpose ef this-course of action would fiatuzally be to improve the prospect of survival-should the American capitalists start. atomic war against China; it. relies on ,the fact that they could not have chosen a less popular issue on which to drag the. British working people into war than the ‘defence’ of Quemoy or Formosa.

However, it also seems to me that it might influence the decision of the American Government in favour of. those elements who do not judge the time to be ripe for a successful show-down with Russia:

Of course, none of them would be restrained by considera- ; tions of humanity. or morality; but they. might be by the knowledge that-a very important part of their striking power, and its jumping-off ground, would be unavailable. Ramsgate (Kent) Tony Young -; Published by The Newsletter, 180 Clapham High St,..London,-SW4. Printed by Plough Press Ltd. qr. U.),r.0. 180 Clapham High St., London,