HAXELL QUITS CP ETU Issues Evaded

• THE Socialist Labour League They scrupulously avoid a study of Stalin's political policies has a very special responsibility which the 'cult of the individual' served, because they do not for the work in the present great discussion taking place wish to make a serious examination of the sectarian and inside the international comopportunist nature of Communist Party policy in Britain. munist movement. We feel this This would apply, in particular, to CP work in the trade responsibility because we are part of that movement. unions. If we are to accept the Daily Worker statement of *We are an integral part of Monday, December 4, which claims that there were ballot the 1917 revolution. Our movement is bound up in its history malpractices' in the ETU, we must then ask ourselves: what is and struggle and actions with that revolution. We are the the political nature of such practices? continuators of the teachings of They can only be described Marx, Engels, Lenin and as opportunist, since they Trotsky: apparently have arisen A well - attended meeting through a determination to listened attentively to Gerry hold the union under the sway Healy, secretary of the Socialist of the Communist Party in Labour League in Caxton Hall circumstances where the polion Friday, December 1. tical policy of the party had We want to suggest to you', clearly lost support inside the said Comrade Healy, that what is union. involved is something very serious Is not the opportunist charin relation to policies which affect acter of the mistakes in the the work of the whole Labour ETU also related to the oppormovement in this country. The tunist character of the mistake Communist Party must begin a discussion on the whole history of which the party constantly makes in advocating the peacetheir party and the policies it has pursued." ful road to socialism?"

He appealed to Communist Was it not Stalin who personParty members to throw out the ally checked the draft of The Stalinist leadership of the British British Road to Socialism' in Communist Party. There would never be a proper communist 19522 If the Communist Party is movement in Britain until they correct when it implies that had been thrown aside.

Haxell has been guilty of malCliff Slaughter, a member of the League's National Committee, practices, then surely the question arises why he found dealt in detail with the events recalled by delegates to the 22nd it politically necessary to carry Congress of the Communist Party out these malpractices. In of the Soviet Union. He challenged John Gollan to tell the support for meetings to expose truth about what had happened the Moscow Trials. in the purges and trials of the Brockway had replied that if 1930s. Gollan was claiming that the skies had been clear of probhe didn't know any details; but lems, then he would have helped, he had sat in the hall at the 22nd but the problem of Spain was Congress and heard delegates looming on the horizon. * These speak of their own experiences in sort of people are playing the the purges. same role today', said Harry An informative contribution to Wicks. the discussion was made by At the end of the meeting the Harry Wicks, a founder member chairman, Mike Banda, called on of the Trotskyist movement the audience to sign the demand, Britain. He described how, as a now being circulated, for an member of the Trotsky Defence investigation into the Moscow Committee in 1936, he and others Trials and the murder of Leon had visited Fenner Brockway, Trotsky. then the secretary of the Inde- Left to right: pendent Labour Party, to seek G. Healy, M. Banda, C. Slaughter. other words, why did support inside the ETU?

The statement proceeds as if there was only one leading Communist Party member involved. But this is nonsense. The Party executive constantly extolled the virtues of Communist leadership in the Electrical Trades Union. They took all the praise when the party controlled the machine.

Why was it, for example, that they ignored the press barrage Gerry Healy of December 1959 which alleged that there had been malpractices? Why did not a commission of enquiry sit and investigate the activities of party members in the union at that time?

Indeed, this was not the first time that the rumour of malpractices had been spread, yet the party leadership remained silent, even though one of the most frequent attenders at the executive meetings was Frank Haxell himself.

CONTEMPT

It is, therefore an act of extreme contempt for Communist Party members in the ETU that this leadership now turns round and attempts to lay the blame on Haxell alone.

Communist leadership in the last instance must accept the responsibility for what its members do in the trade union and labour movement. Otherwise, how can it be called a leadership? Even if we grant that here and there members of the Communist Party can make mistakes of which the leadership is unaware, this cannot in any way apply to the ETU. There Frank Haxell situation inside the ETU in order to retain control in that union as long as possible?

Their real crime in our opinion arises from the fact that what happened in the ETU is directly traceable to the opportunist policies of the party, pursued under the guidance of Stalin.

What is now needed is not an investigation into Haxell, but an investigation into the entire history of the trade union policy over the past 25 years.

The Communist Party statement announcing the resignation of Haxell naively tells us that the executive have in the last few months been examining the facts. The delay, they state, has been necessary because of the appeals which are pending.

CONDEMNED

The publication of the statement, however, virtually condemns any appeal. But that is not the most extraordinary thing. Frank Haxell, who polled the highest number of votes for the CP executive in 1959, announces that he cannot proceed with his appeal because he is short of cash. Yet, according to the last published balance sheets of the party, a substantial sum of several thousands of pounds stands to the credit of the party in the bank. Surely ETU members will want to know why it is that the Communist Party failed to raise the necessary money to enable one of its most prominent trade unionists to appeal to the courts.

First the party leadership endeavours to lay the blame on Haxell, when everyone knows that it was well aware of what (Continued on back page)

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