02.04.1998

Scottish notes

From The Call, paper of the British Socialist Party, March 28 1918

The deportation of Russians - at least those who are particularly active on behalf of the workers - is not exactly an unheard of thing in this land of hope and many other habits.

Folk with good memories will be able to recall the dark days when a certain Peter Petrov and a certain George Chicherin were parcelled up and addressed to Russia. More recently a similar operation was performed on a Bolshevik named Kamenev. Everybody will remember the wholesale consignment of Russians from this country in September last.

Comrade Shammes of the Glasgow Jewish branch of the BSP, and secretary to John Maclean, the Russian consul, has been selected by the authorities, and it is not altogether impossible that another special parcel may be addressed to Russia.

Shammes was arrested at the office of the Russian consulate on Friday morning and subsequently taken to Barlinnie [prison]. Up to the time of writing it is not known what special charges are made or what will be done with our comrade. It is understood however that clause 12 of the Defence of the Realm Act did not fit in with the activities of the Russian consul’s secretary, and this enforced absence from his friends of the socialist movement is the immediate result. Clause 12 of the DORA is undoubtedly a frightening business, but looming behind all is the red menacing claws of capitalism itself…

The advocates of socialist unity will be pleased to learn that at a meeting of the Gorbals LRC on March 19 the only nominee put forward for the constituency was comrade John Maclean. One is glad to note that the threatened clash between the ILP and the representative of revolutionary socialism will not come to pass. When the election does take place, the present misrepresentative of the workers, George M Barnes, will, if the field continues clear for Maclean, narrow down the fight to a straight issue between revolutionary socialism and that jumbled confusion of Christian idealism and Labour imperialism, which finds stammering expression in George Barnes.

‘Caledun’