WW archive > Issue 401 - 27 September 2001
Letters
CPGB wild talk; United Left; Proceed urgently; Open letter; Mea culpa; Clever scholars; Multiculturalism
Countering war propaganda
Carly Walker reports on the launch of Media Workers Against War
SA executive
Put alliance in forefront
Working class approach
Teesside SA
Poor substitutes
The main enemy is at home
Our history Labour Party affiliation: For and against
After hearing comrades JF Hodgson and William Paul respectively speaking for and against CPGB affiliation to the Labour Party, the Communist Unity Convention (later known as the CPGB?s 1st Congress) adjourned for lunch. On returning, it first occupied itself with some questions of procedure. Then the chair, comrade Arthur MacManus, proposed to throw the matter open for general discussion and get a definite decision as to whether the convention was in favour of affiliation of any sort; after this amendments would be allowed so as to decide the details. MacManus insisted that it was necessary that ?every delegate should feel that the subject had been thoroughly debated?, so he ruled that there would be 23 speakers: nine for affiliation and 14 against. As these extracts from the official report show, those opposing affiliation maintained that the Labour Party was thoroughly corrupt. Some did so from personal experience. A constant theme was that the Communist Party must not be tainted through association and that workers would never understand the ?subtle? reasons advanced for affiliation. It was clear from the debate that when the vote was taken it would be a close run thing. As it turned out, there was a slim 100 to 85 majority for affiliation - by prior agreement all delegates were bound by majority decisions. In this spirit a Provisional Executive Committee was formed by adding to the Joint Provisional Committee six new comrades: Fred Shaw, Bob Stewart, Dr DB Montefiore, CL Malone, George Deer and William Mellor. The convention also adopted Tentative proposals providing for transformation into the Communist Party, a document prepared by the old joint Provisional Committee. This signified agreement with the drawing up of a draft constitution and rules, and the transformation of all the participating organisations and groups into the Communist Party of Great Britain.
Party notes
?Correct? us
Welsh Socialist Alliance
Overcome hesitancy
Stop The War launched
The SWP insists that the anti-war coalition should be established along the lines it determines. Tina Becker reports
War against war
Adams feels pressure
?War on terrorism? puts heat on Sinn F?in
War raises Tory hopes
Alliance?s futile sectarianism
Labour Party member Bob Pitt, editor of What Next?, dismissed the Socialist Alliance in his address to last month?s Communist University as ?serving no purpose?. This is an edited version of his remarks
Minority rights
Dave Craig of the Revolutionary Democratic Group criticises the slogan, ?For a democratic and effective Socialist Alliance?
Manipulation and chaos
Scottish Socialist Party
Mobilising against war
Southwark SA
Combating war drive