Party News Briefs (1958)

Party News from the November 1958 issue of the Socialist Standard

Indoor Propaganda. A number of meetings have been arranged by Branches and the Propaganda Committee during the winter months, details of the November meetings are shown in this issue. The Sunday Films at Head Office are also listed and a number of interesting titles have been chosen.

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The Racial Riots. During the racial riots in West London, Fulham and Chelsea Branch issued a statement to the Press. The Branch said that it was opposed to all racial prejudice, and abhorred the rioting, it stated that the basic cause of prejudice was economic, mentioning the bad housing conditions, unemployment, in Britain and the West Indies, etc. The Branch also exposed the activities of the Mosleyites during the disturbances, and the fact that they have been fanning the flames of race hatred for some years—one of their slogans being “Keep Britain White"; an obvious attempt to split one section of the working-class from another, that only Socialism would finally irradicate all racial prejudice and hatred from the World. The statement concluded: “Workers of ALL lands, Unite for a better World! For a Socialist World!" The letter was printed in full in The Kensington Post; in “A Forum of Local Opinion,” The Kensington News and West London Times, together with the typical reformist statements by the Labour Party, the Communist Party, Tenants' Association and the Union Movement. The Westminster and Pimlico News and the West London Press (both owned by the same firm) gave some prominence to the statement printing it together with a statement by a representative of Union Movement, denying our contention that they had stirred up trouble in the area. Mr. Hamm said: "It is too silly for words," but admitted that the Union Movement had held outdoor meetings in the troubled areas. The Fulham Chronicle also published our statement, but in a slightly shortened form. The Fulham and Chelsea Branch Organiser estimates that over 100,000 people will have read our statement in the above mentioned newspapers. At the time of writing. The South London Press, The West London Observer, The Manchester Guardian and The Socialist Leader, have not seen fit to publish our Socialist viewpoint on the rioting.

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Bloomsbury Branch Discussions. “The Trade Union Movement” is the item for discussion on Thursday, November 6th, at 8.30 p.m., in the Branch Room at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square.

Phyllis Howard