Where to buy the Socialist Standard (1972)

From the November 1972 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Note:

I don't usually make a point of posting the 'Where to buy the Socialist Standard' column on the blog, but I thought I would make an exception this time because of the fact there were seven listings alone for Aberdeen. And that was at a time when there wasn't even a SPGB group in the city listed in the Socialist Standard. Just a 'For Information' listing for Carole Duncan. Within the next 18 months there was a very active SPGB group in the city, mainly made up of students from Aberdeen University. According to Barltrop's book, The Monument, a number of them eventually broke from the Party in the mid-70s to form the Libertarian Communism Group.

Socialist Party Meetings (1988)

Party News from the September 1988 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Note:

I actually went to the debate in Luton featuring Steve Coleman and the Labour Party's Kelvin Hopkins.  I would have been 17 at the time. I can't remember if it was this Luton meeting or another one where I missed the last bus and, as I was living in the age of no mobile phones and no phone at home, I had no other option but to duck and dive the streets of Luton overnight until I could get the first bus home the next morning.  Luton city centre even back then was not for the faint-hearted at 2 in the morning. 

It's a shame there isn't a recording of the meeting. I remember an older Labour Party supporter in the audience who mentioned that he worked in a factory alongside an SPGBer when he was a young man, and he couldn't reconcile the SPGBer's revolutionary fervour with the fact that the SPGBer used to do all the overtime on offer.  Kelvin Hopkins was on the Left of the Labour Party, and was elected to Parliament in the 1997 Labour landslide. He ended up representing a constituency in Luton for the next twenty years. Coleman was an able representative for the SPGB and, even in 1988, when Kinnock was leader of the Labour Party, he anticipated the real future of the Labour Party. I specifically remember him mentioning at that meeting in 1988 that the person to watch out for in the Labour Party was not Kinnock or Hattersley or even John Smith: it was Gordon Brown. Well, he anticipated half the future . . . 

That front cover . . .

Blogger's Note: 

As the September 1982 front cover of the Socialist Standard definitely ranks in the top ten — sod it, top five — of most controversial Socialist Standard front covers in its history ( I happen to like it), I thought it only fair to mention that it generated this critical response from Socialist Standard reader, L de Swart, in the November 1982 issue. They didn't just take exception to the front cover; they also thought Steve Coleman's front cover article, 'Holocaust 2',  in the same issue was also beyond the pale.

The editorial committee naturally replied to Mr. de Swart's strong criticisms.

Having a Pop at Poppies (2026)

From the Socialism or Your Money Back blog

October, so poppies are blooming in shopping centres, superstores and pubs. “Lest we forget” runs an accompanying motto. However, seemingly martial amnesia is widespread. With the budget looming a continuing theme in the news is the apparently vital need for the government to increase military spending.

That there is a threat of war is not news for socialists who fully understand this is and will remain the case for as long as capitalism continues to exist. How many more cenotaphs bearing the endlessly added to lists of young people’s names who didn’t (never have and never will) die for king and country. They are those slaughtered when market competition becomes too acute.

There can be no war to end all wars, the First World War claim was confounded just twenty years or so after it ended. The only way to end war is to end capitalism.

D. A.

 

 

Blogger's Note:

From the archives:

• Nov 1971: The Muted Mockery of Poppy (Cock) Day by James Boyle
• Nov 1973: Day of Remembrance For What? by Ivan
• Nov 2009: Joining the killing machine by Jim Lawrie
• Nov 2018: Remembering What? by John Critchfield

Books for sale (1949)

From the September 1949 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Note:

I don't always post the Books for Sale notices on the blog, but it's worthwhile to occasionally do so. If only to get some sense of what books were being sold through Party channels that weren't the usual classics from Marx and Engels. 

Walter Citrine's A.B.C. of Chairmanship book was still being used 30 and 40 years later in instructing trade unionists how to conduct their meetings. J. F. Horrabin's book is an interesting pick as he was from a Labour Left/Communist background. A previous book of his, published by the N.C.L.C., was reviewed in the April 1934 issue of the Socialist Standard. An Outline of Man's History by G. Walker was new to me. It turns out it was another N.C.L.C. publication, dating from 1939, and the author, G. Walker, is better known nowadays as Patrick Gordon Walker. By the 1960s, Walker was a leading member of the Labour Party — the shadow Foreign Secretary in the run up to the 1964 General Election — but he lost his parliamentary seat in Smethwick, West Midlands at the 1964 election because of a racist election campaign run by his Conservative opponent, Peter Griffiths, locally. The unsigned article, 'Race in Smethwick', from the June 1965 issue of the Socialist Standard gives more background on that notorious election. 

'I never thought it would be two.'

“You wait ages for a bus for a completed Socialist Standard month, and then two come along at once."

— Frank Snelling (allegedly)

Following on from this post, giving details of a blogging first, August suddenly came rushing in shouting "It should have been me! It should have been me  . . . "

And it should have been, but it'll have to settle for the consolation carriage clock. It will help with its future punctuality. With the completion of the August 1933 Socialist Standard, that's all the August Socialist Standards (1905 thru' 2026) now on the blog. I won't repeat myself here but if you're a fan of caveats, there's an abundance of them here.

So what now? I won't start on the November Standards until November kicks in. For the rest of October I could back to another month, but what month? July seems the easier bet but September is more seasonal. Sadly, no months are that near to completion. The figures as they currently stand are as follows:

• January - 29
• February - 29
• March - 30
• April - 14
• May - 24
• June - 19
• July -  8
• August - 0
• September - 22
• October - 0
• November - 30
• December -  17

I know that July looks like the obvious choice but those 22 September Socialist Standards will still be waiting for me ten months from now and that, frankly, sucks. September it is.

'I never thought it would be you.'

A first for the blog . . . and it was a long time coming.

With the completion of the October 1937 issue of the Socialist Standard, that means that every complete October issue of the Socialist Standard (1904 thru' 2026) is now on the blog. The first month to be completed in its entirety. 

One caveat, though. When the blog originally appeared in 2006 it was not fully formed, and bore little or no resemblance to the blog it is today. It has continually been a work in progress over the years, and the way I have approached digitising the Socialist Standards has changed over that time accordingly. 

That means that in the early years of the blog I did not make a point of including screen grabs of Party meetings listed in the Standards. I didn't originally see the point of posting such information, thought it wouldn't be of interest, but I've revised my opinion on that matter in recent years because I've come to realise that the Party's activity at indoor and outdoor meetings was so central to its identity. A reader of the blog cannot get a full sense of the history and vibrancy of the Party in its past if the reader is unaware of how much activity was going on, how many meetings were being held, both indoors and outdoors, and where.

So, unfortunately, some of the earliest completed Standards on the blog don't include the Socialist Party meetings info. I may revisit those old Standards to correct that mistake but it's not a priority right now.

'I never thought it would be you.'

What's with that post title? Well, apart from it also being the title of an excellent short story by the Scottish writer, Gordon Legge, it refers to the fact that October shouldn't have been the first month to be completed on the blog. It should have been July or August . . . definitely August. I don't know what happened . . . 

. . . but I know what's happening next.

General Open Air Propaganda (1937)

Party News from the October 1937 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Note:

Unlike the SPGB Lecture Lists from the pre-WW1 era, this speaking list unfortunately doesn't carry the speakers' forename initials, so it is too difficult to work out who the more obscure speakers are. 

For example, down the decades there's been quite a few Walkers in the SPGB, so I can't be sure who this Walker is who is listed. 'Otto' was most likely a pseudonym and I don't have any info on 'Nesbit', but they must have been viewed as an able Party speaker if they were speaking on the party platform in Hyde Park on a Sunday. That platform always drew the mass crowds. 'Reginald' was the party name of Augustus Snellgrove.

'Banks' was probably Jimmy Banks, who was an SPGBer active in South London, and Rushcroft Road was a speaking pitch in Brixton. He originally joined the Battersea Branch of the SPGB during World War One, and passed away in late 1966. His obituary appeared in the February 1967 issue of the Socialist Standard.

"The World For The Workers." (1909)

From the October 1909 issue of the Socialist Standard

Copies of the above four-part song S., A, T,. B. — complete with pianoforte accompaniment and Tonic-Solfa setting may be obtained, price 3d., or post free 3½d., through the branches or from the Head Office.

Blogger's Notes:

The lyrics for Hans Neumann's party song were reproduced in the April 1909 issue of the Socialist Standard.

Last year a SPGB member put the lyrics — and the S., A, T,. B. musical description — through one of those A.I. software programmes that I neither understand nor particularly like (A.I. brings out my inner Ned Ludd) and brought Hans Neumann's song to 'life'. You can check it out below:

I won't lie: it's not really my cup of tea. Sounds a bit too much like a Runrig album track. I could imagine an accompanying video which would have lots of sweeping shots of Britain's green and pleasant land, which is ironic as Hans Neumann was a German émigré revolutionary socialist. 

In fairness to the SPGB member who put this together, they took another shot with the lyric and came up with a jauntier, folkier version entitled the 'Fitzy version', which is obviously a hat tip to the SPGB stalwart, Jack Fitzgerald. You can check it out below:

I'm not saying it completely works but it's got a certain something. If the more traditional version had a Runrig flavour, this reminds me of the 1980s British folk punk band The Men They Couldn't Hang, and that's not a bad thing. The decision to turn it into a more upbeat song is reminiscent of Billy Bragg, with Dick Gaughan,  recording Jim Connell's Red Flag with the 'White Cockade' tune. 

A socialist song shouldn't be a dirge. (No scoffing at the back, please.)

Society and Morals Series (1917-18)

That's the R. W. Housley Society and Morals series done and dusted. I won't lie: it was a bit hard going at times but that probably says more about me than it does about Housley. In places it was brilliant. I'd especially recommend Part VII. The Morals of Capitalism from March 1918. A really excellent piece.

As this 15 month series was posted on the blog over many years in a rather hap hazard fashion, I thought it best to have a dedicated post which lines the articles up in chronological order. Click at your leisure:

• Aug 1917: Part I. Morality.
• Sep 1917: Part II. Economics and Social Organisation.
• Oct 1917: Part III. The Pre-Class Stage. 
• Nov 1917: Part IV. Chattel Slavery and Civilisation
• Dec 1917: Part V. Military States.
• Jan 1918: Part VI. Feudalism in Europe. 
• Mar 1918: Part VII. The Morals of Capitalism. 
• Apr 1918: Part VII. The Morals of Capitalism (continued).
• May 1918: Part VII. The Morals of Capitalism. (continued).
• Jun 1918: Part VIII. The Outlook of the Proletariat (continued).
• Jul 1918: Part IX. Socialism, its Economic and Theoretical Basis.
• Aug 1918: Part IX. Socialism, its Economic and Theoretical Basis. (continued).
• Sep 1918: Part IX. Socialism, its Economic and Theoretical basis. (continued).
• Oct 1918: Part X. Morals and Socialism. 
• Nov 1918: Part XI. Morals and Socialism.  (continued).

J. A. Dawson and the Socialist Party of Australia: A reply to Thesis Eleven (1986)

From the Winter 1986-7 issue of the World Socialist

The first issue of Thesis Eleven, published in 1980 by a group of academics from Monash University, Victoria, carried an article by Steven Wright on "Left Communism in Australia: J.A. Dawson and the 'Southern Advocate for Workers Councils'". Since Dawson was for a period a member of the Socialist Party of Australia (now called the World Socialist Party of Australia after the original name was usurped by a break-away from the Australian Communist Party in the 1960s) and since Wright used this as a pretext to criticise our principles and policy, a member of the World Socialist Party who was acquainted from first-hand experience with the historical events discussed by Wright sent in an earlier version of the following article as a reply. As it was not accepted for publication we must assume that the editors of Thesis Eleven are merely interested in interpreting the world in the course of academic discussions amongst themselves.

"You rightly consider yourself as a herald of uncompromising fight and clear opposition to capitalism, enabled to do that by clear understanding of capitalism and Marxian science". The writer of these words was Anton Pannekoek, who had been a prominent theoretician of the Second International and was later a leading exponent of Workers Council Communism as a system of society based on workers' control of industry. Pannekoek's words were addressed to Jim Dawson, an active political propagandist in Australia during the first half of this century.

In an article in Thesis Eleven, a publication announcing itself as "a new journal working at the crossroads of socialism and scholarship", the editors made way for an article on Dawson by Steven Wright. One of Wright's major objects in dogging Dawson's political peregrinations was to attack the Socialist Party of Australia and its companion party, the Socialist Party of Great Britain.

Wright steps off on the Dawson trail, saying:

The beginning of the second half of the 1940s, in the wake of the military defeat of fascism, marked a time of resurgence of working class struggle in Europe and America, a wave whose crest the left seemed to be riding everywhere, much to the consternation of both Washington and Moscow. This was the time of victorious Labor governments in Australia, of the Australian Communist Party's peak in membership, of Labour MPs standing in their seats in the House of Commons to defiantly sing 'The Red Flag', and of partisans, Soviet tanks and 'Socialist Unity' parties in Eastern Europe.

Whatever significance this "resurgence" had for the working class, it was certainly no indication of increased actual socialist understanding on the part of the workers.

The rise to power of Labor governments was no new phenomenon in Australian political history and the sordid records of such governments in the second half of the 1940s was merely a repeat of past history, the second half of the 1940s was merely a repeat of past history. The "Australian Communist Party's peak in membership" was merely a reflex of the influx of numerous fellow travellers who had been attracted to the CP after the belated entry of Russia into World War II. Together, the Labor Party and the Communist Party had hopped on the Tour de Triomphe of the Red Army on the Eastern Front While triumphantly proclaiming the "defeat of Fascism" (German variety) the Labor Party pledged support for the Red Fascists — Stalin and Co. The degrading and hypocritical spectacle of British Labour MPs singing the Red Flag in the House of Commons was a miserable vote-catching stunt.

As we claimed at the time, the mushrooming "socialist" and "communist" parties were all part of the Soviet con-game, directed towards trapping unwitting workers into the ranks of Soviet supporters. The only significant feature of the Wright-styled "resurgence" was the willingness of the politically ignorant workers to fall for the political bunk pedalled by self-appointed leaders who were impatiently preening themselves for the romantic roles which they visualised they were to play in what they regarded as the impending world revolution.

What really happened in Russia 

It was merely history repeating itself — a replica of the aftermath of the first world war, with the rise to power of the Bolsheviks, when the self-appointed workers' leaders of the day were lining up for the favours of the Kremlin. Numerous outfits, lefts, rights, centre, and others, sought handouts from the Kremlin coffers, including trips to Moscow with all mod-cons, while battening on the credulity of those they regarded as sheep to be led. Ample proof of this to be found in the belated admissions of these "ambassadors" to Moscow, some of whom were later relegated to "lower mass work" and resigned, while others were unceremoniously kicked out because they offended the local commissars.

One of the few organisations which understood what was really happening in Russia was the Socialist Party of Great Britain and its companion parties in the rest of the world, including the Socialist Party of Australia (which had been founded in Melbourne on 22 January 1924). Unlike our critics and adversaries, we did not wait for fifty years after the Russian Revolution to realise that it was impossible to establish socialism in the immature social, economic and industrial state of Russia. We based our analysis of the situation in accordance with the scientific theories of Karl Marx. Subsequent developments in Russia, China and their satellites vindicated our position.

Still, we can't keep that Wright man down. He pops up again with the old jargon:

October 1917 changed that irrevocably. The new star in the East rendered obsolete the time-honoured charts by which revolutionaries had previously navigated the path to socialism . . . The SPGB was simply left behind From being one among many small socialist sects in Britain, the SPGB found itself standing haughtily out in the cold, watching the rest of the far left fight amongst themselves for official recognition from the Communist International.

The Socialist Party of Great Britain was not left "out in the cold"; it had never been in the hot romantic furnace of the Moscow pseudo-revolutionaries. Nor had it been involved in the frantic fight for recognition by the Kremlin. Hence it did not have to suffer the frustrations of those who saw their former comrades liquidated by the very bureaucratic dictatorship they had, in their stupidity, helped to create.

Furthering flaunting his bias against the Socialist Party, Wright asserts:

. . . the Socialist Party of Great Britain sometimes gave the distinct impression of wishing that the October Revolution had never taken place.

By this he has in mind our strongly-held view that the Russian Revolution helped put the clock back as far as the development of the socialist movement in the West was concerned. But far from wishing that the revolution had never taken place, we said that a capitalist revolution was inevitable in Russia because the material conditions were not there on which to establish a socialist revolution.

Notwithstanding the ridiculous apologetics from Lenin and his supporters, we were proved to be correct when Lenin, with the backing of the bureaucracy, introduced the New Economic Policy. Announcing NEP, Lenin admitted that it was "a step back to capitalism". Actually, except in name the dictatorship had never been in any way socialist

Other superficial changes in nomenclature were introduced in place of the long-recognised definitions used by Marx. These have been recognised and are too widely known to be set out here, but we might mention two: the substitution of "surplus product" in lieu of "surplus value" and the deliberate falsification of one of Marx's most well-known aphorisms "from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs" into "from each according to their ability, to each according to their work" (our emphasis). In this falsified version it became the key for the Soviet classification which cleared the way for piecework, "socialist competition", subotniks and the Stakhanovites who were used to con their fellow workers in the speed-up gangs. Then there came the "Heroes of the Soviet Republic" who, like the Chief Commissars and the military leaders, carried more decorations on their chests than could be found on a Christmas cake.

All these measures have vindicated our attitude, but Wright castigates the Socialist Parties for telling the truth about the lamentable history of the Russian dictatorship and those who supported or apologised for it.

The Dawson enigma

One of those who had been associated with these disappointing ventures was Jim Dawson, the subject of Wright's political and industrial biography.

On Dawson's own testimony he had been through numerous organisations before seeking salvation for a while in the Socialist Party of Australia. Starting off in Britain he was taken in by the "Clarion Socialism" of Blatchford; then he turned to the Single Tax theories of Henry George. Returning to Australia he voted and propagated for the Australian Labor Party. On the outbreak of World War I, he opposed it in accordance with his Christian ethics which he was taught as a child.

After hearing their speakers he joined the Industrial Workers of the World. By mistake he enlisted in the Detroit IWW Club and became hostile to the real IWW. Later, he found his way into the Socialist Labor Party, explaining to Paul Mattick, a well-known US radical, that his reason for doing so was "on account of their 'Plan' — the average worker 'wants' something in the nature of a blue-print".

Once again divesting himself of his previous political and industrial garments, he adopted the garb of the Australian Socialist Party. At that time the ASP had joined the scramble for recognition by the Kremlin during the early years of the Russian dictatorship. However, they were out-manoeuvred by what became the Australian handmaid of Moscow, the Australian Communist Party. This comprised disgruntled ALP members, One Big Union advocates, ex-IWW remnants and other non-socialist opportunists, all led by Jock Garden, secretary of the Sydney Trades and Labor Council.

Referring to these events in 1946, Dawson said:

The Russian Revolution of 1917 burst upon us like an atomic bomb. We went crazy about it. I wrote it up in lengthy articles in the International Socialist (Sydney organ of the ASP) and like most zealots distorted the facts to fit in with our theoretical yearnings (our emphasis).

Dawson then made another switch. He returned to the Detroit IWW, which by then had become the Workers International Industrial Union, and edited its journal the OBU Herald. Later he discarded this outfit accusing it of "sectarianism", a term adopted by the Australian Workers Union which at that time was considered to be the biggest union body-snatcher in Australia because it stood over members of other unions forcing its victims to pay levies to the Labor Party irrespective of what their political leanings were. It was a case of "no ALP levy coupon, no job".

Bad health kept him out of active participation for a time. In the early years of World War II, he set up his Workers' Literature Bureau, stating his reasons for this was to offset the flood of Stalinism by spreading the views of the Socialist Party of Great Britain. At this point Wright finds another excuse for his unsupported attacks on the SPGB, beginning with the caption "Principles First — The Small Party of Good Boys" and continuing:

Of all the schools of revolutionary thought toward which Jim Dawson was drawn in the 1940s, the Socialist Party of Great Britain was undoubtedly the most peripheral. Despite boasting a higher membership than previously by the end of the decade, the SPGB commanded a smaller audience within the labour movement than on the eve of the Russian Revolution thirty years before.

Seeing that the so-called labour movement was always hostile to the Socialist Party, what significance is there in this subtle charge? Fluctuations are common in most organisations, political or industrial. But when Wright uses numbers as a criterion of truth or sincerity he thereby adopts the sneer of the large political parties throughout the world which contain hugh majorities of unenlightened adherents.

By this time Wright is beginning to analyse the Dawson enigma, asking "what had led Dawson to join the Socialist Party of Australia in the first place?". According to Wright,

What attracted Dawson most to the Socialist Party was its vision of a 'genuine' socialism free from such Stalinist distortions, a society 'based upon the common ownership and democratic control' of the means of production and distribution.

Dawson himself had already provided this answer. Having read about the SPGB attitude towards Russia, he found himself in agreement with it Quoting an article from the Western Socialist (official organ of the Workers — later World — Socialist Party of the US) which had pointed out that "the wage system still prevails in Russia", Dawson said:

the exploitation being no different there than in any capitalist society. That is sufficient for us. The existence of a wage system indicated clearly that neither socialism or communism prevails. The wages system, no matter what form it takes, indicates that capitalism exists.

Wright himself then quotes an article written by the present writer that appeared in the Socialist Comment (official organ of the Socialist Party of Australia) at that time:

If the people of Russia own and control the instruments for producing and distributing wealth, why do they pay themselves wages to buy back from themselves the things which already belong to them?

Having acquired this knowledge from the SPGB's Object and Principles Dawson discarded it. Claiming that the Socialist Party of Australia was loath to fulfil the role he expected from it he decided to shoulder the job himself and set up his own propaganda concern. After his wide experience in almost every organisation available to him, Dawson could never understand why a socialist party, based on Marxist principles, could not compromise those principles.

In effect Dawson sought to seduce an impoverished party with his personal wealth. But the Socialist Party of Australia always safeguarded its socialist integrity by refusing to accept donations with strings attached. We had seen too many so-called socialist parties slither down the opportunist path after their wealthy self-seeking patrons demanded the conditions tied in with their apparent benevolence. SPA finances were — and are — controlled democratically by the party, that is by the members themselves.

Dawson could never understand that; it didn't suit him. It does help, however, to understand his disappointment at being denied his paternalistic and condescending offer to become a socialist sugar daddy. It also throws light on this pique at our refusal to cooperate with him after he left the party. Wright seems to have missed these points.

See the blogger's note at the end of the article.

Socialist activity in Melbourne

Trying to further explain Dawson's peregrinations, Wright takes another slam at the Socialist Party of Great Britain, accusing it of championing "a 'pure' parliamentary road to Socialism" that was anathema to the "outside left". Revealing no understanding of the Socialist Party attitude towards the machinery of government he says:

. . . the SPA and SPGB called upon workers to vote into government representatives 'whose sole business will be to abolish capitalism and introduce socialism' . . . What this meant practically was that, apart from at election times, the Socialist Parties refused to dirty their hands with the real world, concentrating instead on weekly classes designed to clarify the participants' grasp of the Socialist program, or public debates where every opportunity was taken to 'prove the case for socialism' through the forcefulness of the argument, and where necessary humiliation of the opponent.

In other words, Wright claims that educating workers in socialist theory is not participating in the real world.

When we contested elections, as socialists we told the workers that if they didn't want socialism we didn't want their vote. At elections where we had no candidate we urged socialists to write "Socialism" across their ballot paper. For the Victoria State election of 1945 Dawson wanted to abandon this position and give support to a non-socialist candidate.

The candidate in question, Jim Coull, who had at one time been a member of the Socialist Party of Australia, was standing as a "communist-socialist" candidate. An official of the Liquor Trades Union he, along with the rest of his Communist and Labor supporters had jumped on the "people's war" (as the war became for them after the German invasion of Russia in 1941) bandwagon and had been rushing around the country boosting war bonds. Incidentally, as the government had exempted union officials from military service, these latter fought the war at their firesides, urging workers to defeat the Nazis and that when "we" had done that "there would be a brand new world" for mugs. Coull had become one of Dawson's darlings and Dawson gave him every support during the election.

Wright says that Coull "performed impressively" in receiving 3514 votes. But he does not mention (perhaps he never knew) that an SPA candidate standing in the same constituency before the war, in 1934, had polled 12,173 votes [see the blogger's note at the end of the article] and against a much stronger opponent in the person of Jack Holloway, head of the Melbourne Trades Hall Council who had defeated the Prime Minister, Stanley Bruce, at the previous election. And during the election the "communist comrades" dubbed us "social fascists".

Now, let us look closer at the picture: Coull lost his deposit, we polled more than the "half-pie communist" whose showing Wright calls "impressive". What price numbers after that? Most irrelevant, one might say.

Over the years the Melbourne branch of the Socialist Party of Australia had been conducting open-air meetings on street corners in Elsternwick, Port Melbourne, South Melbourne, Albert Park (we just about founded the Red Square there), Brunswick, Newport and Williamstown. On Sundays we held meetings on the Yarra Bank, lectures in the city on Sunday evenings, classes on economics, industrial history and other kindred subjects, speakers classes, all based on teaching workers Marxist history and philosophy.

We never claimed to be supermen and the work fell on a limited number of workers. Some were class leaders, others lecturers, some good at debating, and there was a regular number of the Jimmy Higgins type who sold the literature, arranged meetings, carried the platform, and all contributed to the work of the party to the best of their ability.

All our meetings, business and propaganda, were open to the public — we had no secrets, no air of conspiracy and, chief of all, there were no leaders. When people know what they want and where they are going, they don't need leaders. To get socialism, the working class must understand what it is all about. The activity of the Socialist Party of Australia was directed towards this end. Can Wright suggest any other way?

We were always willing to meet our opponents but we could not meet them all; we regret that we could not accommodate Wright's choice of opponent, namely Dawson. Wright demands more. He complains that we allowed only accredited speakers to address our audiences or in debate. We had no mere spouters. We selected representatives who knew and understood the socialist position on many subjects. Our representatives had to be well-versed in their subjects. We could not depute a novice to tackle skilled anti-socialist opponents, including MPs, leading Communist Party speakers, Labor politicians and university professors.

But Wright says that we disdained to get our hands dirty in a world known only to him. What sheer effrontery!

Knowledge is power

Why Wright should constantly criticise the Socialist Party of Australia on its policy of insisting on Marxian education, it is hard to understand. One striking feature of the pseudo-communist and socialist organisations is their muddled politics. This is reflected in the lack of understanding in their rank and file of the import of the policies put forward by the upper echelon.

Constant pandering to ignorant political prejudice to obtain support from any quarter can never bring success to any real socialist party. Nor will it ever, in the long run, bring support to those who practise it. Sooner or later some of their members will wake up. In any case, as all such parties are aspiring to run the capitalist system, it is always the capitalists who win. All the non-socialist parties are reformist and their reforms can never bring success to the cause of socialism. Whatever the result, it is always the worker supporters who suffer the backlash. The more sincere the well-meaning members of these parties are, the more they suffer for the sins of their treacherous "leaders".

Wright himself seems to be infected with the old IWW slogans "Put the Boss in Overalls", "Smash the Ballot Box with an Axe", "Sabotage", etc, to which the boss class responded with the all-powerful reply "Put the Lot in Jail", much to the chagrin of the well-intentioned but misguided followers in the rank and file. The majority of the IWW officials in Australia, together with their rank and file followers, finished up in the Labor Party or in one of the various so-called communist parties. Many of the rank and file suffered for the whims of their inconsistent leaders.

When he criticises the Socialist Parties for their insistence on socialist understanding on the part of ordinary workers Wright decries the one important safeguard against their being misled by "leaders". He twits when we say "Knowledge is Power". When we use this phrase we equate it with socialist understanding. And an understanding of the capitalist system and how to get rid of it is the greatest power that the working class can possess. As Marx said, "Knowledge, too, is a force". And the knowledge of the need for socialism is the greatest force the working class can acquire in their struggle to abolish capitalism.

Bill Clarke (Australia)

Blogger's Note:

". . . that an SPA candidate standing in the same constituency before the war, in 1934, had polled 12,173 votes"

It has to be pointed out here that the Socialist Party of Australia candidate, W. J. Clarke, did not receive 12, 173 votes at the 1934 election. He polled a [still impressive] 3,872 votes at that election. 

In the above article, the votes of The Socialist Party of Australia  and that of the United Australia Party candidate have been switched around. The correct result is recorded on the wiki page for the Melbourne Ports parliamentary constituency, and the correct result is also recorded in this article from the April 1935 issue of the Socialist Standard.  I can only surmise that this misinformation in the article was a genuine mistake by a man in his 80s, who had misremembered the result of the election contest in 1934.

Bill Clarke's obituary appeared in the September 1988 issue of the Socialist Standard issue of the Socialist Standard. It's worth reading. He was a remarkable man.

S.P.G.B. Lecture List For October, 1911. A. Barker

In recent months, when I have posted details of the Pre-World War One monthly lecture list on the blog, I have tried where I can to give some extra information on the listed speakers. That only seems fair when covering a period in the SPGB's history when it was so active and visible in working class politics in London. For example, just looking at the lecture list for the October 1911 issue of the Standard, you have advertised over a hundred meetings in London alone listed with 20 plus speakers.

Sometimes, the added information on the listed speakers is only the basics gleaned from the early SPGB membership records: a speaker's full name; their branch; when they joined the SPGB; if and when (and why) they left the SPGB. Sometimes I'm more fortunate in that there might be a wiki page for a speaker (see R. M. Fox, Frank Dawkins and Tommy Jackson, for example). On other occasions - if a speaker has 'lasted the course' - it might be an obituary in the pages of the Socialist Standard (see J. E. Roe, Alex Anderson and Jack Fitzgerald, for example). Whatever the case - and wherever I can - I try to flesh out the bones of the early history of the SPGB and the Socialist Standard. It's important that that information is readily available for anyone interested in the history of our tradition.

In keeping with that 'mission', posted below is a potted political history of the Socialist Party member, A. Barker, who was a listed speaker in the October 1911 issue of the Socialist Standard. The words below are not mine. It's from an unpublished document entitled 'The Founding Members of the Socialist Party of Great Britain', which was written by Keith Scholey a number of years ago. Keith was an excellent archivist and historian of the Party - he is no longer a member - and this document was an attempt to provide as much background as possible on the founding members of the SPGB. If I can get his permission, I may post the full document on the blog.

Barker, A

Tooting branch. Barker was very active for the Party before the First World War, being a public speaker in 1909-14 and serving on the 1906-7 and 1908-9 Executive Committees. At a local level he served as Tooting branch secretary in 1905-6 and was a local election candidate for Tooting Ward, Wandsworth in 1906 and again in 1909. He had previously been a local election candidate for the SDF in 1903. Barker probably left the Party during the First World War, rejoining on 16th June 1927. He was again most active, for example being nominated as the prospective Parliamentary candidate for North Battersea in the 1929 election (in the event however the deposit could not be raised to contest the seat). Barker finally lapsed on 25th June 1943.

Where to buy the Socialist Standard (1975)

From the October 1975 issue of the Socialist Standard

Blogger's Note:

I occasionally post 'Where to buy the Socialist Standard' ads on the blog because I'm always fascinated with the history of the Socialist Standard, and where it was available. The 1970s and early 1980s were definitely the heyday for independent left-wing bookshops and, looking at this list, I actually visited six or seven of these bookshops in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Of those six or seven - I can't remember the exact number - I think only Housmans still exists.

A bygone age.

Updated: Ralph Critichfield ('Ivan') (1949-2018)

I didn't realise it was so long since I last updated Ralph Critchfield's ('Ivan') page on the blog. I just added about 30 articles - with links - to this page. In time I will properly add a link at the top of the homepage which will allow the reader to not only have easy access to this page but other individual pages dedicated to Socialist Standard writers from down the years.

Articles

1940s

Dec 1949: Too Much of a Good Thing

1950s

Dec 1953: The Truth About Bogey Men

May 1954: Pensions and Poverty

Aug 1954: Perspective on Guatemala

Nov 1954: The Age of Sedatives

Jul 1955: Ealing Branch May Sales Drive

Dec 1955: Mental Illness in a Changing World

May 1956: Rough Winds and Rattling Knockers

Aug 1956: Australia takes guard

Feb 1957: Rowton Houses

Mar 1957: Britain in Deep Water

Sep 1957: How did you sleep last night?

Sep 1957: Drum

Dec 1957: The Soldier and Accountant

Jan 1958: Upset in Accra

Jun 1958: Cyprus—A Mediterranean Hotspot

May 1959: When Will It Be?

Aug 1959: Party Politics

Oct 1959: A Straight Talk on the Election

Dec 1959: Mr. Macmillan settles in

1960s

Feb 1960: Macmillan on Safari

Apr 1960: A Message for Aldermaston Marchers

May 1960: Mr. Macmillan's Worries

May 1960: The Magazine War

Jul 1960: Are Politicians Honest?

Jul 1960: Big Ships v Big Jets

Aug 1960: Aneurin Bevan

Sep 1960: A New Foreign Secretary

Nov 1960: Put Not Your Trust

Feb 1961: Excuses and Admissions

Jun 1961: Rocking the Boat

Jul 1961: To strike or not to strike?

Aug 1961: Who'd be a politician?

Sep 1961: Who are the Mugs? 

Oct 1961: H-Bomb diplomacy

Dec 1961: Is this progress?

Mar 1962: All mad together

Apr 1962: Algeria: Who has won?

May 1962: What Makes a Thug?

Jun 1962: Who is in Charge?

Jul 1962: By-Elections: The Government’s reverses

Sep 1962: Macmillan changes nothing

Nov 1962: Past and Present: Remembrance Day poppycock

Dec 1962: On the brink

Jan 1963: Past, Present, Future: Happy New Year!

Feb 1963: Attlee at eighty

Mar 1963: Labour's new leader 

Apr 1963: Promised Land: Arrival Postponed — Indefinitely 

Apr 1963: Why has CND failed?

May 1963: Snakes and ladders

May 1963: It's The Same In The Sprawl

Jun 1963: The South African snake pit

Jun 1963: This Superiority Notion

Jul 1963: A long, cool look at a hot potato

Jul 1963: The Importance of Mr. Profumo

Aug 1963: Struggle for power in the Tory Party

Sep 1963: Behind the Test Ban Treaty

Nov 1963: Memories of a Lovely War

Dec 1963: I’m alright, Alec

Jan 1964: Kennedy and after

Feb 1964: A Guide for ambitious candidates

Mar 1964: The Piper and the Tune

Apr 1964: Unbalanced exports and experts

May 1964: Behind the Dry Statistics

May 1964: Why the date is important

Jun 1964: Aden: The Cost of Oil

Jul 1964: On the pin

Aug 1964: Fifty years too late

Sep 1964: What have we achieved

Sep 1964: Labour theory of value

Sep 1964: Negative and positive

Nov 1964: After the Election

Dec 1964: 100 days that will not shake the world

Jan 1965: Churchill's birthday

Feb 1965: Away with hanging

Mar 1965: After Leyton, What?

Apr 1965: “My country is the world”

May 1965: Tories : No holds barred

Jun 1965: Smoulderings in Southall

Jun 1965: The Roots of Race Prejudice

Jul 1965: Labour’s righteous leaders

Aug 1965: Remember Hiroshima?

Oct 1965: A marriage of convenience

Nov 1965: Confusion on the left

Dec 1965: Christmas —the great delusion

Mar 1966: Is anyone exploiting you?

Apr 1966: Another stretch of Labour rule

May 1966: How do you like your leaders?

Jun 1966: The Budget

Jul 1966: Democracy and dictatorship today

Aug 1966: Armaments: The economy of waste

Sep 1966: Are we armchair socialists?

Oct 1966: The Government’s confidence trick

Nov 1966: Wasting time at the seaside

Dec 1966: A Cold Look at Charity

Jan 1967: What causes Crime? 

Feb 1967: A Plea for the Human Race

Mar 1967: Leaders : Are they really necessary?

Apr 1967: Vietnam: A Tragedy? 

Jun 1967: Britain's "Red Guards"

Jun 1967: The Newspaper Industry

Jul 1967: Pomp and its Circumstance

Aug 1967: Toying with Soldiers

Sep 1967: "Capital" in its place

Oct 1967: British Motor Car Industry

Oct 1967: Poor Kids

Nov 1967: 1917 Question and Answer

Dec 1967: Gunter gives his Orders

Feb 1968: The British Shipbuilding Industry

Mar 1968: Draft Resistance and Conscience

Apr 1968: Prejudice and Pride

Jun 1968: Enoch Powell: aftermath or prelude

Aug 1968: Is the Labour Government Crumbling Away?

Sep 1968: Myths about Munich

Nov 1968: The Greatest Show on Earth

Nov 1968: The Suffragettes

Jan 1969: The Computer, Karl Marx and the Battery Hens

Feb 1969: Political Prisoners

Mar 1969: A Matter of License

Apr 1969: The Other Militants

May 1969: Part 1: The Road to Smethwick Pier

Jun 1969: Part 2: Labour in Panic

Jun 1969: 1929: Labour's Cruel Memory

Jul 1969: Kings and Cabbages

Aug 1969: How about some real progress?

Oct 1969: The Great Crash of 1929

Nov 1969: Looking at Hippies

1970s

Jan 1970: Colour prejudice is just an idea

Feb 1970: The Myth of fair wages

Feb 1970: The Vicious Circle

Mar 1970: Labour’s run up or run down

May 1970: Another look at law and order

Jun 1970: More Labour dishonesty

Jul 1970: Everything has its price

Aug 1970: Capitalism – Waste – Want

Sep 1970: Stone walls and iron bars

Nov 1970: Cathy — no home to go to

Nov 1970: Putting on the style

Dec 1970: Concern for causes

Jan 1971: Motives of militarism

Mar 1971: A Bang or a whimper

Apr 1971: Up in arms

Sep 1971: Common Market: The great debate — where we stand 

Oct 1971: Ted’s all at sea but does it matter ?

Nov 1971: Malicious Damage

Dec 1971: Doing the Splits

Dec 1971: Warning — this system is dangerous

Jan 1972: Education and Sex

Apr 1972: Excuses, Excuses

May 1972: The Stretcher Bearers

Aug 1972: The Aristocrats

Nov 1972: The Presidential Election: "As Long As It's Black"

Jan 1973: Revolting business

Feb 1973: He gave us Hell!

Apr 1973: The President and the People: Looking Back on Lyndon Johnson

May 1973: Out of Step . . . What Is 'Normality' In Capitalism? 

Jul 1973: Socialism Means: We are Opposed to War

Aug 1973: Low Life in High Places: The Political Scandals

Nov 1973: Day of Remembrance For What?

Nov 1973: Not Sociology — SOCIALISM!

Dec 1973: Why War?

Jun 1974: The Political Background 1904-74

Oct 1974: Socialist Candidate's Address

July 1975: Crossman: Diary of a Flop

Feb 1978: Seeing Through Jim

Mar 1978: A Steel Prop for Labour

Apr 1978: United they stand

May 1978: Little Children Suffer

Jul 1978: Crime — who loses?

Aug 1978: Time and chance

Sep 1978: Right honourable gentlemen

Nov 1978: In 1918 they called it peace

Dec 1978: Striking a balance

Jan 1979: Fallen Idols

Feb 1979: Margaret Thatcher is a woman

Apr 1979: Like with like

May 1979: The stonewaller's end

Jun 1979: On the beach

Jul 1979: Pay now, live later

Aug 1979: Rod of iron

Sep 1979: 'This man would make a splendid soldier'.

Oct 1979: Labour's mock battle

Nov 1979: It’s a lock-out

1980s

Jan 1980: Socialists confront Mr Tony Benn 

Jan 1980: Anthony Blunt: no sort of traitor 

Feb 1980: Russia's Afghan hound

Mar 1980: Social workers need help

Apr 1980: Lock up your youngsters

Jun 1980: Thatcher's monetarism

Jul 1980: Death of Blair Peach and the Special Patrol Group

Aug 1980: Roy Jenkins and his “new” Centre Party

Sep 1980: Running Commentary column -  Take cover

Oct 1980: Running Commentary - Through the looking glass

Nov 1980: Leonardo for sale

Dec 1980: How to survive Christmas

Jan 1981: The life story of a labour careerist

Mar 1981: What is Benn up to?

Jun 1981: Brixton explodes

Jul 1981: Hunger marching in the 1930s

Oct 1981: Labour's bad memory

Nov 1981: Getting the clap

Feb 1982: H. M. Dustbins: Prisoners' Riots

Mar 1982: Rape Prejudice

Apr 1982: Loss of the Titanic

May 1982: The Falklands: Doing the Bulldog Thing

Jun 1982: The State of Medicine

Jul 1982: Desperate exit

Aug 1982: Off the rails

Oct 1982: Death on principle

Nov 1982: Tories back to nature

Dec 1982: The real Michael Foot

Feb 1983: Which way euphoria?

Apr 1983: Disarming critics

May 1983: A badly crumpled man

Jul 1983: Election nasties

Jul 1983: Prisoners on the roof

Aug 1983: Lot of bottle

Sep 1983: Labour's past

Oct 1983: Hairtrigger society

Jan 1984: No change

Apr 1984: Right minded lot

Jul 1984: Is there life after Thatcher?

Sep 1984: Saints and sinners

Oct 1984: Art—for whose sake?

Oct 1984: Political pantomimes

Jan 1985: In the 
minefield

Feb 1985: Trouble in store

Mar 1985: Blue bloods for progress?

Jun 1985: That was the year . . .

Jul 1985: The Man From Peabody

Nov 1985: What's the Russian for "blackleg"?

Jan 1986: Some facts of life at the top

Feb 1986: Capitalism and aircraft

Apr 1986: How to arrest the police

Jun 1986: The good, the bad, the ugly

Jul: 1986: Panic in the Fields

Aug 1986: Poverty — fiddling the books

Sep 1986: Danger: opportunists at work

Oct 1986: Jarrow: the truth that was murdered

Dec 1986: Paradise what?

Feb 1987: Not what he seemed

Apr 1987: A matter of timing

May 1987: Hardly child's play

Jun 1987: Snap, crackle, pop . . .

Jul 1987: A tender trap

Aug 1987: All in order

Sep 1987: Exit a formidable opponent

Dec 1987: Facing facts

Jan 1988: One nation — an emaciated myth

Feb 1988: Power to the people

May 1988: CND at 30

May 1988: Will Jesse run?

Jun 1988: Racist myths

Oct 1988: Useless election

Dec 1988: Arrival and departure

Jan 1989: Whose hand turns the key

Mar 1989: More gruel, anyone?

May 1989: Thatcherism: a PR gimmick

Jun 1989: Passing Show

Sep 1989: The Economic Roots

1990s

Jan 1990: Left Foot, Right Foot

Sep 1990: Death of a politician

Dec 1990: Debt is a four-letter word

Jan 1991: Death in Downing Street

Mar 1991: Myth and Reality

May 1991: Rise and Fall of a Pitboy

Jun 1991: Was Kinnock always a Tory wet?

Jan 1992: When Labour Ruled (3)

Apr 1992: Another pointless bloodbath

Jul 1992: Opportunity Knocks

Sep 1992: Press, privacy and profit

Oct 1992: New act in the courts

Jan 1993: That was the annus that was

Apr 1993: Youth crime- what’s to blame?

Jun 1993: What community

Jul 1993: The Old Bill and the new Tony

Nov 1993: Who needs leaders?

Jul 1994: Whose fault is it anyway?

May 1995: Unhappy Anniversary

Apr 1997: Anyone for more of the same?

Nov 1997: In the chair

Dec 1997: Labour's Traumatic Victory

Oct 1998: Paying the Piper

2000s

Apr 2001: Make A Difference

Mar 2002: Act in the Court: Dipti in the dock

Apr 2002: Who Are The Wreckers? 

Jun 2004: A brush with the fascists

May 2005: 2005 General Election: Vote Effective – Vote Alternative

Jun 2005: Let them Eat School Dinners

Nov 2005: If This Be Treason

Feb 2006: At the Bottom of the Heap

Jun 2006: Exporting Crime

Jul 2006: Asylum: From Pillar To Post And Back

Nov 2006: Patriotism – a politician’s refuge

May 2007 - Goodbye To Bambi ( Regarding the resignation of Tony Blair. Appeared on the SOYMB blog. A version of this article appeared as the editorial in the June 2007 issue of the Socialist Standard.)

Oct 2007: Gun and knife crime

Jun 2009 Not so honourable members (Expenses scandal)

Jun 2009: The price of “freedom”

Nov 2009 Afghanistan – lying about dying

2010s

May 2010: The “tesco-isation” of charity

Sep 2010: What future for the Beautiful Island?

Sep 2011: The riots: not the way to help ourselves

Jun 2012: Something to Remember You By

Jun 2013: Mount Everest: Top of Whose World?

Aug 2014: 1918 – Winners And Losers

Nov 2014: Beside the seaside

Nov 2016: Aberfan: Disaster In The Hillsides

Dec 2016: A Very Costly Illness

Book and Film Reviews

1950s

Jun 1959: Call The Doctor. By E. S. Turner

1960s

Apr 1961: Congo Disaster by Colin Legum

May 1961: Television and the Political Image by Joseph Trenaman and Denis McQuail

Nov 1961: The Twilight of European Colonialism By Stewart C. Easton

Jun 1962: An Atlas of African Affairs by Andrew Boyd and Patrick van Rensburg

Nov 1962 : Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Mar 1964: The First World War: An Illustrated History by A. J. P. Taylor

Feb 1966: Insight into Government by Lord Craigton

Feb 1966: An Atlas of Soviet Affairs by Robert N. Taafe and Robert C. Kingsbury

Oct 1966: An Atlas of Latin American Affairs by Ronald M. Schneider and Robert C. 'Kingsbury

Jan 1967: An Atlas of Middle Eastern Affairs by Norman J. G. Pounds and Robert C. Kingsbury

Aug 1967: The Study of Africa Editors: Peter J. M. McEwan & Robert B. Sutcliffe

Dec 1968: Science and the Concept of Race, Editors: Margaret Mead, Theodosius Dobzhansky, Ethel Tohach, Robert E. Light. 

Jan 1969: The Politics of Harold Wilson by Paul Foot

Feb 1969: The Great Terror by Robert Conquest

Apr 1969: Soul on Ice by Eldridge Cleaver

Dec 1969: Post-Prison Writings and Speeches, by Eldridge Cleaver

1970s

Jan 1970: The People's War by Angus Calder

Jun 1971: Conversation with Eldridge Cleaver (Algiers) by Lee Lockwood

Jun 1971: Trial by Tom Hayden

Sep 1971: The English and Immigration by John A. Garrard

Jan 1972: The Conspiracy Trial. Ed. Judy Clavir and John Spitzer

Jun 1972: Family Poverty. Programme for the Seventies. Ed. David Bull

1980s

Nov 1985: Strike by The Sunday Times Insight Team

Dec 1985: For the Sake of Example by Anthony Babington 

Jan 1986: The Labour Governments, 1945-51 by Henry Pelling 

May 1986: Loyalists and Loners by Michael Foot

Sep 1986: The Worst Accident in the World - Observer staff

Aug 1989: Mississippi Burning directed by Alan Parker

1990s

Jan 1999 : Things Can Only Get Better by John O'Farrell

Short Stories

Dec 1964: In Youth is Pleasure

Jan 1966: Dropped bricks

Mar 1973: . . . A Much More Private Letter

Dec 1981: Ghost of Christmas past

Dec 1983: Having a rotten Christmas

Oct 1985: Decisions

Feb 1992: When Labour Ruled? (4)

World Socialist Spring 1985: Previous convictions

Caught in the Act columns

July 1989: The Greasy Pole

Aug 1989: No, No, Nigel

Sep 1989: High Hopes

Oct 1989: Back to Work

Nov 1989: Cutting Up

Dec 1989: Breakdown

Jan 1990: The Loyalty Game

Feb 1990: Also rans

Mar 1990: Punishers and Moonlighters

Apr 1990: Missing a stroke

May 1990: Out of touch

Jun 1990: Who's afraid of Labour?

Jul 1990: Mad Politicians Disease

Aug 1990: Check out

Sep 1990: One of us

Oct 1990: Oil and carrots

Dec 1990: Brylcreem Boys

Jan 1991: Two Of A Kind

Feb 1991: Time for a change

Mar 1991: Goodbye To All That

Apr 1991: Chequered career

May 1991: A Matter of Timing

Jul 1991: Eric Heffer

Aug 1991: Relief for the Rich

Sep 1991: On the agenda

Dec 1991: In the raw

Jan 1992: Whimper, Whimper, You're Dead

Feb 1992: At Issue

Mar 1992: Politics and Sex

Apr 1992: Future Uncertain

Press Exposure columns

Mar 1995: Sun Stroke

Apr 1995: Who's in Charge?

May 1995: Private parts

Jun 1995: Make Your Excuses and Leave

Jul 1995: Winners and Losers

Aug 1995: Oo dun it?

Sep 1995: Bloody Awful

Oct 1995: It's War

Dec 1995: Taking care of English

Greasy Pole columns

1990s

Jan 1996: No More Mister Nice Guy

Feb 1996: Naming the Day

Mar 1996: The Rate for the Job

Apr 1996: The truth can keep you in shackles

May 1996: On the Scaffold

Jun 1996: Something in common

Jul 1996: Straw man at Howard's end?

Aug 1996: New word, old trick

Oct 1996: New wives’ tales

Dec 1996: The Moral Factor?

Jan 1997: The Year of the Idea?

Feb 1997: Beggars are not choosers

Mar 1997: Getting Tougher

Apr 1997: A Gruesome Business

May 1997: So that's it then

Jun 1997: These You have Loved

Aug 1997: Video Nasty

Sep 1997: Paying For It

Oct 1997: Now where were we?

Jan 1998: Trust Me, I'm A Labour Politician 

Feb 1998: Learning a Lesson

Mar 1998: Death of a Dangerous Man

Apr 1998: Who Said It First?

Aug 1998: False identities

Sep 1998: Twisting the Arm

Oct 1998: Sex, lies and leadership

Nov 1998: Mad Tories and Englishmen

Dec 1998: Gays and capitalism

Feb 1999: Variable standards

Mar 1999: Byers Market

Apr 1999: Howard’s End?

Jun 1999: Waiting for Poverty

Jul 1999: Keeping Their Hair On

Aug 1999: Who needs a willie?

Sep 1999: Prescott on class

Oct 1999: Alan Clark – gladly missed

Nov 1999: Tories In Trouble

Dec 1999: Red benches and Red Ken

2000s

Feb 2000: Nothing New Millennium

Apr 2000: Caning the teachers

May 2000: The Death and Life of Selsdon Man

Jun 2000: Some Thoughts of Chairman Clive 

Jul 2000: Two brains?

Aug 2000: Darling turns the screw

Sep 2000: Leaks and changes

Oct 2000: Making the President

Dec 2000: Naming the day

Jan 2001: Court in the Act

Feb 2001: Crack down on the fraudsters! 

Mar 2001: Kumar's Story

May 2001: Ted Heath—A disappointed man

Jun 2001: It's Hattersley's Party - Right? Or Wrong?

Jul 2001: High Noon In Southall

Aug 2001: Politicians on probation

Oct 2001: The Chingford Factor

Nov 2001: Death of a Buffoon

Dec 2001: Blair backs down

Jan 2002: Pornography and Politics

Feb 2002: In the Club – or Out?

May 2002: Thatcher: the voice is stilled

Jul 2002: Mandelson – Coming Up For The Third Time?

Aug 2002: Money for stale words

Oct 2002: The way they tell ’em

Nov 2002: Good News For The Tories

Jan 2003: Plain Words

Jun 2003: Short Cuts And Runs

Jul 2003: The Importance of Being Irvine

Sep 2003: All at Sea

Oct 2003: Sexing it up

Nov 2003: The Disappearing Leader

Dec 2003: Howard’s Beginning

Apr 2004: The Great - Are They Any Good?

May 2004: Alcoholics Non-Anonymous

Jul 2004: Tough on Sound Bites, Tough on the Causes of . . .

Aug 2004: Countdown To The Election

Sep 2004: Looking forward to 2004 – in 1904

Oct 2004: Farmyard Politics

Nov 2004: Promises or Threats?

Dec 2004: Who are you calling a cheat?

Jan 2005: All good clean fun?

Feb 2005: Toadies And Rebels

Apr 2005: On tactical voting

May 2005: The Dark Side of Sunny Jim

Jun 2005: Hard work, decency and politicians 

Jul 2005: Labour wins in 1945

Aug 2005: The Outsider

Oct 2005: Thug in Suede Shoes

Nov 2005: The Respect That Makes Calamity

Dec 2005: Private (?) Lives

Jan 2006: Nightmare for Tory Leaders

Mar 2006: The Whip Who Cracked

Apr 2006: Hoey Hoo-Hah 

May 2006: Honour rooted in dishonour

Jun 2006: Panic Aboard ‘SS New Labour’

Jul 2006: No grace without favour

Aug 2006: Be kind to a hoodie

Sep 2006: Peter Hain - a case of mistaken identity 

Oct 2006: Is There Life After Tony Blair?

Nov 2006: Postman’s knock?

Dec 2006 : The Queen Speaks - Sort Of  

Jan 2007 : Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word  

Feb 2007: The Trouble With Kelly

May 2007 : Hazel Blears – nuts in May? 

Jun 2007: Baldwin versus Blair

Jul 2007 : Blair bites the hand that fed him 

Aug 2007: Goldsmith gives up

Sep 2007: Like father like son

Nov 2007: It’s A Date, Then? Or Not?

Dec 2007: It’s Nice to Have Friends

Jan 2008: Money, Money, Money . . .

Mar 2008 : Flint’s Hard Line 

Apr 2008: Blair’s a Catholic – it’s official. But who cares?

May 2008 : Winners and losers

Jun 2008: Timer for a change?

Jul 2008 : Weasels at Westminster

Aug 2008 : David Davis Freedom’s Champion? 

Oct 2008 : When You’re Smiling  . . .

Nov 2008 : Lamont - When Cameron Got It Wrong

Dec 2008: Lucky Gordon?

Jan 2009: Post Offices – Open or Shut?

Feb 2009: Standing out in the crowd

Mar 2009 : Brand Obama

Apr 2009: The Rise and rise of “Harperson”

May 2009 : Bloggers at loggerheads

Jul 2009: Hogg’s ditch

Aug 2009 : Jack Straw – getting to know you

Sep 2009 : Alan Milburn – Days of Despair

Oct 2009: The Hard Life and Times of Alan Duncan 

Nov 2009 : TV Debates - much ado about nothing

Dec 2009 : BNP – Question Time Without Answers

Jan 2010: The Thick of It

Feb 2010: Hoon or Buffoon?

Mar 2010: “. . . Less Equal Than Others . . .”

Apr 2010: Michael Foot – An example of principles?

Jul 2010: Friends (?) in need

Aug 2010: You're Nicked

Sep 2010: Home Sweet (?) Home 

Oct 2010: Marshmallows are not the only sweet 

Nov 2010: Blunt instrument of justice?

Dec 2010: Woolas – another fine mess

Jan 2011: Cable unconnected?

Feb 2011: Nothing New In Old And Sad

Mar 2011: Grow up and understand

Apr 2011: Life, death or suicide?

May 2011: Re-Inventing the Losers

Jun 2011: Wind At Daybreak For The New Politics 

Jul 2011: Calm down and listen

Aug 2011: Hacking? Who’s hacking?

Oct 2011: Order… Order…

Nov 2011: Djanogly – One Of The Family

Dec 2011: Oliver Letwin – Eccentric or Fake?

Jan 2012: Theresa May . . . or May Not?

Feb 2012: Getting on at Westminster

Mar 2012: Baby David Speaks

Apr 2012: All in what together?

May 2012: Maude Gone Mad?

Jun 2012: A Kick in the Worst Nightmares

Jul 2012: 1922 And All That

Aug 2012: Jeremy Spanks the Baby

Sep 2012: Reshuffle – Who? When? Why?

Oct 2012: Who Wants To Pick This Bone?

Nov 2012: Contrickery in Conference

Dec 2012: Cracking the Whip

Jan 2013: How Not to Spoil Your Vote. And Why

Feb 2013: Is UKIP worth a vote?

Mar 2013: Disturbance? In Westminster?

Apr 2013: Calamity . . . Calamity

May 2013: Thatcher and Thatcherism – A Long Time Dying

Jun 2013: Not Another Maggie Thatcher?

Jul 2013: Wayward in Westminster

Aug 2013: A Dissatisfied Novice

Sep 2013: All That Stuff – And Nonsense

Oct 2013: Obsessed With Disorder

Nov 2013: Kinnock in the News Again

Dec 2013: Doing the Hokey Cokey

Jan 2014: Catching The Eye

Feb 2014: Ouch! What A Lovely War

Mar 2014: A Tale Of Two Constituencies

Apr 2014: Mission Implausible

May 2014: Tony Benn – Getting it Wrong

Jun 2014: Attack Dog? Or Barking Mad?

Jul 2014: Elections... or Earthquakes

Aug 2014: Pray Silence for the Veterans

Sep 2014: Dobson Drops Out?

Oct 2014: Clashing In Clacton

Nov 2014: Reckless In Rochester

Dec 2014: Slags and Swamps

Jan 2015: Who You Calling A Pleb?

Mar 2015: Fables And Fabians

Apr 2015: Goodbye (?) to All These

May 2015:  Public Accounts Hodge Podge

Jun 2015: Wandering in Wolverhampton

Jul 2015: Labour Pains 

Aug 2015: Liam Byrne Out Of The Shadows

Sep 2015: Catching a Crabb?

Oct 2015: What It Was All About 

Nov 2015: Tessa Fails To Make It

Dec 2015: Liz and Her Life and Loves

Jan 2016: Healey and Howe

Feb 2016: Throwaway Minister

Mar 2016: National Wealth Service?

Apr 2016: Questions...? Answers...?

May 2016: In Europe or Out? Do You Care?

Jun 2016: Goldsmith versus Khan

Jul 2016: European Union? Civil War?

Aug 2016: MayDay . . . MayDay . . .

Sep 2016: How Do You Like Your Leaders?

Oct 2016: Andrea’s Friend

Nov 2016: When it’s Amber it Means Caution

Dec 2016: Rough Ride On Runway Three

Jan 2017: Cameron’s Selections

Feb 2017: Laughter At A Price

Mar 2017: Farewell To Tristram

Apr 2017: New (?) Hope (?) For Labour

May 2017: Taking The Rise With Tony

Jul 2017: Theresa - Strong And Stable

Aug 2017: Working For Jeremy

Sep 2017: How Do You Like Your Leaders?

Nov 2017: Adonis As It Is?

Dec 2017: Beware of Leaders

Mar 2018: What’s ‘Appropriate’ Then?

Apr 2018: Rising Star? Do We Need Another One?