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From Socialist Appeal, December 1945, pp. 3 & 4.
Transcribed by Iain Dalton.
Marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for the Encyclopaedia of Trotskyism On-Line (ETOL).
| We print below some correspondence sent by the Revolutionary Communist Party to the Labour Party, the Communist Party and the Independent Labour Party calling for the organizing of a united front campaign to force the Government to end its imperialist policy of intervention in the Far East. Only the I.L.P. Has replied. Any working-class organisation with the interests of the struggle at heart, would immediately come to the defence of the colonial people by organizing a united front campaign to mobilise the whole of the Labour movement for action. Neither the Labour Party nor the Communist Party are prepared to do this. The Labour Party backs up the infamous actions of the Government. The Communist Party does not wish to go further than harmless verbal protests. The reply of the I.L.P. Reveals its political bankruptcy. The panic of the I.L.P. Leadership, their fear of a united front with a revolutionary party which will expose the inadequacies of their policy, their retreat before theLabour leaders, can be seen in their replies to the R.C.P. This correspondence is of historic interest in showing the real positions taken by the organisations of the British working class parties in facing the tasks of rallying to the aid of the colonial peoples in their struggle for independence from imperialist domination. – Ed. |
11th November 1945
To the National Secretary,
Labour Party,
Transport House,
Smith Square, S.W.1.
Dear Comrade,
The actions of the Labour Government in Indo-China and Java are not the actions expected by the Labour masses who elected that Government, and are against all the principles for which the Labour Government claims to stand. Directed against the progressive aspirations for national freedom and democracy on the part of the colonial peoples, the military and political intervention of the Labour Government must be condemned by every section of the organised working class and progressive democratic opinion.
It is the opinion of the membership of the Revolutionary Communist Party that all who claim to speak for socialism, for internationalism, for democratic ways of life, have the duty to organise a campaign throughout the working class of opposition to the Government’s policy; to force the Government to end its policy of military intervention, and allow the peoples of these countries to organise their own form of national government and their own ways of life.
Labour with a white skin can never be free while Labour with a coloured skin is held in imperialist chains. It is the duty of the British working class to take action to prevent the Government from attempting to keep the colonial masses in chains.
We call upon the Labour Party to initiate, and take the leadership of a mighty united movement of organised Labour in Britain, a united front of all working-class political and industrial organisations, to refuse to handle or ship arms or other materials to be used against the people of Java and Indo-China; a united front which will force the Labour Government to end the present imperialist war of colonial intervention and to withdraw all British military personnel immediately from these areas.
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| Yours fraternally, |
11th November, 1945
Harry Pollitt,
General Secretary,
Communist Party of Great Britain
Dear Comrade,
Enclosed is a copy of a letter sent by the Political Bureau of the Revolutionary Communist Party to the National Secretary of the Labour Party.
It is the view of the membership of the R.C.P. That a united campaign of all working-class organisations, such as outlined in the above mentioned letter, is an absolute duty which must be carried out by all members and organisations of the working class.
The Communist Party is undoubtedly the largest and most influential political organisation of the working class, after the Labour Party. It has therefore, a great responsibility to rouse the workers in defence of the colonial peoples.
We should be pleased to hear what steps your organisation has taken to force upon the Labour Party a campaign of opposition to the Government’s policy of intervention, and to know what steps you are prepared to take, independently of the Labour Party in the event of refusal, but in conjunction with the I.L.P., ourselves and other working-class organisations.
|
| Yours fraternally |
11th November 1945
Fenner Brockway,
Political Secretary,
Independent Labour Party
Dear Comrade,
Enclosed is a copy of a letter sent by the Political Bureau of the Revolutionary Communist Party to the National Secretary of the Labour Party.
It is the view of the membership of the R.C.P. that a united campaign of all working-class organisations, such as outlined by us in the above-mentioned letter, is an absolute duty which must be carried out by all members and organisations of the working class.
The I.L.P. Has a great responsibility to rouse the workers in defence of the colonial peoples. We would be pleased to hear what steps your organisation has taken to force upon the Labour Party a campaign of opposition to the Government’s policy of intervention, and to know what steps you are prepared to take independently of the Labour Party and Communist Party in the event of refusal, but in conjunction with the R.C.P. and other working-class organisations.
|
| Yours fraternally |
Nov. 14th , 1945.
The Revolutionary Communist Party,
256 Harrow Road,
London, W.2.
Dear Comrades,
We duly received your letter of the 11th inst., regarding the defence of the colonial peoples.
During the past two or three months we have unceasingly done our best in our Press and Platform to arouse the workers of Britain on behalf o four coloured brothers. We have been in close association with such bodies as the Pan-African Congress and our brother groups among the colonial peoples. In the House of Commons our Parliamentary Group are working with those elements of the Labour Party which desire that the Government policy of Imperialism by proxy should be ended. In particular we would refer you to the special statement issued by our Council two days ago which willappear in this week’s New Leader.
We agree with you that the I.L.P. Has a great responsibility and we have endeavoured to discharge this to the very best of our ability. We shall continue our efforts in the cause of International Socialism.
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| Yours fraternally, |
19th November 1945.
General Secretary,
I.L.P.
Dear Comrade McNair,
Your letter of the 14th inst. was discussed [by the Political Bureau] at its meeting on the 17th November.
We are familiar with the activities of the I.L.P., as outlined by you, since we follow your press and the day to day work of your Party. But the principal point of our correspondence seems to have escaped your attention: “What steps are you prepared to take independently of the Labour Party and Communist Party (in the event of refusal by them), to conduct a united working-class campaign against the Government and in favour of the Indonesians in conjunction with the R.C.P. and other working-class organisations”
That is the crux of our letter to the I.L.P.
To repeat what is already known to you from our previous letter: we have sent a letter to the Labour Party, as the mass organisation of the working class in Britain, proposing that they should undertake the leadership of a campaign to force the Government to withdraw British troops from Java and Indo-China. The workers should be mobilised to “refuse to handle or ship arms and other material to be used against the people of Java and Indo-China,” to form a “united front which will force the Labour Government to end the present imperialist war of colonial intervention and to withdraw all military personnel immediately from these areas.”
We have addressed ourselves to the C.P. as the largest political organisation next to the Labour Party asking that they undertake such a campaign.
And we address the same appeal to the I.L.P. What steps are you prepared to take to initiate a campaign in conjunction with our organisation and other working-class organisations?
If the leadership of the I.L.P. does not believe that a campaign outlined by us is necessary, we would be pleased to hear alternative ideas. If you do not wish to have a joint campaign together with our organisationand otherworking-class bodies, please say so, and we will all know where you stand.
Trusting that the failure to answer this point was an oversight, we await a considered answer to our proposal.
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| Yours fraternally |
Nov. 21st , 1945.
The General Secretary R.C.P.,
256 Harrow Road,
London, W.2.
Dear Comrade,
Thank you for your letter of the 19th in reply to mine of the 14th regarding the proposed campaign in favour of the Indonesians.
I note the specific question which you pose regarding a joint campaign. Neither the L.P. Not the C.P. would be prepared to conduct a campaign with yourselves or ourselves. It would be a waste of time making official approaches to them.
We are always prepared to collaborate with any workers in the struggle against capitalism and imperialism, but we do not think that the initiation of a campaign in conjunction with yourselves would serve any useful purpose. You have your function to fulfil and we have ours. You really do not believe in the I.L.P. and your general tendency is to use any collaboration in order to develop and put across your own political line.
We feel on the other hand, that, when engaged in a campaign against oppression one’s political line should be, in a sense, subordinated to the purpose of the campaign. The campaign should not exist to “boost” the I.L.P. or the R.C.P. but to redress the evil against which it has been organised.
We realise that this line of thought is not in accordance with your own political and social philosophy and for that reason we feel we can remain comrades in the common struggle without the conjunction to which you make special reference.
|
| Yours fraternally, |
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