Party News Briefs (1949)

Party News from the December 1949 issue of the Socialist Standard

Glasgow now has a second Branch of the Party, Kelvingrove Branch having been recently formed. At present, they are co-operating with Glasgow Branch in the running of the winter indoor lectures, where already two of their members have taken the platform in the Central Halls. They are running a Study Class with lectures on Public Speaking, Logic and Economics to which all members and sympathisers are cordially invited. It is hoped that this class will bring forth new members and especially, new speakers. Most of the members of this Branch are in the 25/30 age group and have an average of five year’s membership. They have a hard and thorny path to tread but there is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm which will lighten their task. All the members of this new Branch have been very active in past years in the Glasgow Branch and it is hoped that this new venture will prove highly successful.

Our Educational System. Our Education Committee has submitted the second part of its report dealing with the 1949 Conference resolution which recommended the Executive Committee to review the entire education system of the Party. The Committee has reviewed the various suggestions that had been raised by the Executive Committee and by Conference, decentralisation of classes, correspondence courses, etc., and is not at present in favour of them. The Committee holds the view that expansion of the present scheme is in the hands of the members and that it is premature to review the system until it has developed beyond its present stage.

The Growth of our Party will, in time, necessitate that we appoint full-time paid officers. As our membership increases we shall find it impossible to continue as at present with all posts filled, and all jobs done, by voluntary effort. The special committee set up by the Executive Committee to examine this position has reported and has stated that in considering full-time posts of paid propagandists the E.C. should endeavour to find comrades with a good grounding in Socialist knowledge and Party work and that such comrades should be coached for the position, the training to be in line with that already laid down by the Party and to be for a period of six months.

Bloomsbury Branch is concerned with the disadvantages of holding meetings at the Trade Union Club, Newport Street, Leicester Square, London, W. The main disadvantage is that the hall available is not large enough to accommodate with comfort the audiences that gather on Sunday evenings. A search is being made to find suitable alternative accommodation but without success up to now. All members are appealed to for information regarding suitable halls in Central London for hire on Sundays.

Belfast Branch of the Socialist Party of Ireland continued its outdoor Sunday meetings up to October 16th and the meetings have been reported in the Irish News and the Northern Whig. The local Communists tried to out-do them and steal their pitch on High Street on Sunday afternoons but failed miserably and have not been out since. On Sunday. October 16th, the Irish Labour Party tried to muscle-in on the pitch, complete with a Member of Parliament, councillors, banners, microphones, “and the plough and the stars and all.” But they also failed. Our Belfast comrades challenged them from the S.P.I. platform, with two speakers and their own microphone. The report of this duel in Belfast High Street was headed in the Irish News (17.10.49), “Battle of the Microphone.” The Belfast lecture series has been running for some weeks. The lectures have been advertised and have been satisfactory. The prospects are, that audiences will grow as winter sets in.

The Dublin Branch of the S.P.I. also reports successful activities. A lecture by Comrade Walsh on “Russia ” on October 9th, was a record success— audience, collection and literature sales. The Secretary reports:—“We had a grand night into the bargain, as we were 'honoured’ by the presence of one of the Communists’ leading 'Marxists,’ Mr. O’Higgins, a Trinity College man (step aside for the intellectual!). Well, I can assure you that we merely used the poor fellow as a dish cloth . . . honestly, it would have moved you to tears, and sympathetic outpourings, to have seen the Collegiate squirm and wriggle to get out of the fire he’d so rashly jumped in! ”. . . "Last night I had the pleasure of handing out three application for membership forms with prospects of another two soon. If we can continue this winter lecture activity (and there is no reason why we shouldn’t) we should be well and truly ready, and equipped sufficiently well, to tackle next summer’s outdoor campaign with success.”

Dublin comrades also attend other organisations’ meetings but do not often get time allowed for discussion. Efforts are still being made to get literature into the Dublin public libraries, but without success. The Irish Association of Civil Liberties will not touch the business—outside their province, they say. In addition to these activities we receive regular bundles of cuttings from Eire newspapers bearing letters from members of the S.P.I., expounding, discussing and arguing the Socialist case.

The World Socialist Party, U.S.A., has sent the report of its 1949 Conference held at Boston during the first week in September. The matters discussed included a proposal to remove the National Executive Committee to Detroit. The proposal constitutes item No. I on a referenda ballot sent out to members of the W.S.P. The second item on the ballot is of particular interest to us. It appears to have been the main "bone of contention” at the Conference. The 1948 Conference elected a committee to consider suggested revisions to the Declaration of Principles, and the committee reported to this Conference. The revisions suggested are a re-wording of Principle No. 1, a new Principle No. 2 dealing with State Capitalism, a re-wording of the present Principle No. 2 to constitute a new Principle No. 3 and a re-arrangement of the thoughts in the present Principles 3 to 8. but including them all in a different order in new Principles 4 to 8. Following the carrying of resolutions to adopt most of these suggestions it was moved and carried "That final approval of the re-worded Declaration of Principles be contingent upon approval of the live Companion Parties.”

A number of amendments to the W.S.P.’s constitution were discussed and form items to be voted on in the referenda ballot. It is proposed to hold the 1950 Conference in Detroit. Figures are given in the report, showing a decline in the circulation of the Western Socialist between August, 1948, and August, 1949. We hope to see a reverse tendency before the next Conference; the W.S. is a splendid journal and deserves every effort to get it into the hands of workers in all parts of the world.

The Socialist Party of Canada, unable for financial reasons to engage in the 1949 General Election in Canada, has published a leaflet entitled, “The 1949 General Election—The Issue for the Workers.” We quote the first two paragraphs:— —

‘‘An election campaign is on again and the politicians are once more in the fore displaying their virtues. Peace, progress, democracy and freedom are being solemnly promised by people to whom these terms have questionable meanings. Liberals praise themselves for taking us out of the depression of the Hungry Thirties, forgetting that they also took us into it. Conservatives offer the extravagances of Mr. Drew, hoping these will be as effective in gaining votes as were the antics of Mr. Bennett at the turn of the Thirties. C.C.F. members offer all the good things that are alleged to have come to Britain under the Labour Government, but are awkward in their comments on the continued 'austerity' suffered by the British Workers. Communists rail against the imperialism of the Western World, but pretend that Russian imperialism is wholesome and attractive.

Politics has been described as a dirty game, and it must be difficult for the observing bystander to watch the conflicts of the candidates without feeling sick at the wretchedness of what he sees. Generations of Liberal and Conservative Governments are the political background of existing conditions in Canada. Three periods in office for the British Labour Party without release at all from the widespread want in Britain, have not taught the C.C.F. the uselessness of its own program. Thirty-two years of Bolshevik dictatorship, brutality and mass poverty still find the 'Labour-Progressive Party' offering a similar dictatorship here. Wherever one chooses to turn, the loudest voices to be heard are the voices of confusion and deceit.

But politics is not to be condemned because it is associated with so much that is foul. The rottenness of Capitalist society is bound to permeate its politics. . . .”

Our Canadian comrades in Winnipeg have at last managed to acquire premises for a Head Office.

The Socialist Party of New Zealand sends us a brief report of events in that part of the world:—

"The referendum for compulsory military training for the 18-year-olds resulted in a three to one victory for the proposal with about 60 per cent, of the electors on the roll exercising their votes. Another result of the ‘Victory' was the resignation of the Labour representative for Roskill electorate, Mr. Langstone. This was followed by three Roskill branches of the Labour Party going into recess. The victory was also closely followed by the withdrawal of the Labour Party candidate for the Hurunui seat, Mr. H. A. Kilpatrick. His withdrawal was accompanied by scathing remarks about our Parliamentary representation. It is his opinion that they are the biggest collection of political rabbits, yes-men and phobia-ridden politicians in both Parties that has ever been elected in New Zealand.’ He added that what New Zealand wanted defending against ‘is the present collection of subservient, bankrupt politicians, who can see no other way out of the world’s difficulties than to train young men for destruction.' With the exception of the Christian Pacifists the anti-conscription group were not opposed to conscription but merely to the form it was taking. The Russian Nationalists—pardon—the New Zealand Communist Party, were prominent but they stated that if the same conditions prevailed in New Zealand as prevailed in Russia then conscription would be quite alright. The T.U. representatives opposed it owing to the likelihood of the conscripts being used as strike breakers, which is something they have good grounds to fear as this has already been done by the Labour Government in 1944-45. Also Mr. Fraser has pointed out that should a similar position arise in New Zealand as pertained in Great Britain and Australia, the same measures would be adopted here. Like the man who likes to get drunk but does not like the hangover, the Christian Pacifists want Capitalism but not its hangover. War and all the conditions that go with it.

There has been a temporary lull in the strife on the New Zealand waterfront with the watersiders returning to the 59-hour week. The Minister of Labour has sacked the Union representatives from the Commission, for as the Minister would have us believe, their misconduct. As watersiders all over the country do not appear inclined to accept the Minister's ruling we can expect another flare-up at any moment, though probably the Moderates in the Union may manage to stay proceedings before the election in November. Their overtime strike proved one thing to many watersiders, and that is that they cannot live on money earned in a 44-hour week.

The last 14 years of Labour rule here has been a substantiation of what the S.P.G.B. pointed out so many years ago about Labour Governments and social reforms. They have been a practical example of the claim that the use of the name Socialism as a vote catching device makes the propagation of Socialism far more difficult Naturally, The Nationalist Party members are seizing upon every anomaly and blunder and are broadcasting them as evidence of 'Socialist' mal-administration. Making hay while the sun shines, as it were. The Government in its turn is blaming the Communists for everything and warning the workers against the 'Red Menace.' Owing to the stupid actions of the Communist Party members in the past, this line has had its effect and it is probable that the three to one majority on the conscription issue is a manifestation of it.

There is no doubt that the enthusiastic idiot is a far greater menace than the avowed enemy."

“Socialist Standard” articles have recently been reprinted in “The Socialist Forum,” Johannesburg, South Africa and in “John A. Lee’s Fortnightly,” Auckland, New Zealand.

W. Waters.