I AM once again making an appeal for funds for Books for Southern Africa. peal brougnt a tal response and been able to send groups of South African revolutionaries all over Africa.
charges have now exhausted what money we had.
our comrades who are trying to lay the foun dations for parties in Africa. vide them with the means of publishing their own materal.
rades' money but this is part of the job of building the All funds London N1.
CHARLIE VAN GELDEREN, London Our last apwe have quite a lot of books to The increasing cost of books and freight These books provide vital ammunition for building revolutionary socialist We are also hoping to proI know there are great demands on comparty of une socialist to: Books for SA, PO Box 50,
THE British Labour Party has led, for most of its La moderate, perate existence.
Quarrels bance have always been oresent oul uney bubbled under the surface or been confined to occasional Labour Party ferences, after, they can soon be forgotten.
Like other British institutions, the Labour Party usually settles differences by smothering and fudging them.
This time that does not look Merchant banker and bon viveur Roy Jenkins likely to happen. issue avoided in 1931 when the Labour Prime Minister say MacDonald and a few of his cohorts ditched the party they had led to form a 'national government and some Liberals The split of 1981 will not be a replica of 1931, but there are similarities.
The most obvious background in which the split took place: unemplovment and a capitalisi system intent on punishing the working class in order to save The economic crisis and splits in the Labour Party is not coincidental, because the nature and purpose of the party is always most acutely posed when the future of capitalism is at stake.
In 1931 the Labour government had been in power for two VCal) seen Labour winning 287 seats the Tories 260 and the Liberals 59. manifesto, timid document compared to previous ones, had still promised much. Proclaim In a foreword Ramsay MacCatholic anti-abortionist and ex-Labour MP, Donald had boldly proclaimed Shirley Williams that Labour 'unlike other parties is not concerned with patching the rents in a bad system, OUl Willl italism into socialism' The manifesto went on to promise 'an against capitalism unceasing war against poverty and working class servitude'.
concreleiv. inere were oro mIses to establish a WECK. mulllulll agricultural workers and, most ironicaliv as it turned out. to raise the ment benefits.
his number of unemployed insured worker Wd.
December 2,70000, by June 191 The 2,700,000 by June 1931. rise had been hastened by the Wall Street crash of October 1929 and the shattering of the monetary and credit Stem.
and disturhave at to conwhich for Nor was the Ramthe Tories rising mass concurrence of The 1929 election had although a rather capunceasing war and 'an 48-hour the wart LUL scale of unemploy1,640,000. 1930 the total had consequential system of the capitalist democratic' labour movement.
Not since prominent that famous split.
stop the Donalds of the reviewed.
but only f42m was earmarked it, with Chancellor axcneoue! Philip strongly resisting the allocation of more funds plan, drawn cabinet member Mosley, …aucn d thorough-going unemployment was Mosley resigned in protest and began a political journey which was to end up in him leading British tascism There were other critics of government inaction. The Independent Labour WICA was federally-organised Partv. urged the adoptior more radical measures. the PLP and ference of 1930 rejected the calls.
Launch If the Labour Party and its government were unwilling to aunch their war on capitalism une east ural coulu oe exocclcu of it was to offer some form of shelter for the capitalist crisis The manifesto had pledged an increased scale of unemployment benefits of 20 shillings a week with ten shilings to dependent wife and five shillings for each child. When the government introduced Unemployment Insurance Bill the promises forgotten.
Unemployment benefit for men stayed at 17 shillings, the allowance for each child at two shillings; the rate for dependent wife was raised, but one shilling short of what had been promised.
All the government had to offer was melond ang age on bn sanal inere so CONOT familiar years evoked. Philíp Commons in 1930:
'Instead of party bickering, which wẹ can resume later must unite in a common effort to take effective measures to overcome our temporary difficulties and restore our former prosperity.
Sacrifice To acnieve inis Snowden, what was needed was temporary from all. and those best able to bear them will have to make the largest sacrifice' The call for sacrifice from those best able to bear them open threat by leading right wingers in the Labour Party to split and form a 'social group will have significant repercussions in the 1931 have such individuals the Labour Party tried to divide the movement. The divisions in 1931 have a relevancy for today. and below GEOFF BELL recalls A new pamphlet which aims Ramsay future is also Snowden up by Oswald attack on resisted.
Party within the Labour of Both the party conthose worst hit by were and The sacritice' later, was Snowden told February said sacrifices within Mac. no attack on the rich; the only Lax creast part Snowden was waiting for the judgement of the Committee On na which, pressure, he had established in February 1o cuveillcl The committee was headed b Sir George May of the Prudential Assurance.
The May reported in matters came Unemployment 2.75m, and to meet the budget dencil or tizum may proposec a modest increase of taxation amoHmO Lau are Culs o] £96m, two-thirds of which was come ml ssn glvel to the unemployed. Betrayer of a generation Ramsay MacDo was on cliol La enole Conservative enquire into 'extravagance' Committee July and with it La climax. was now and MacDonald wa ed by US bankers. offered on recomandons. Committee were fect. MacDonald agreed, but they kn majority of the La and the TUC woul at last.
By August 1931 government had c end.
followed political drama. Th the Tory and Lib together with Macl King George V had secret meetings on tion of a coalition g having agrcca un outlined by necessary, lie proi plotters was how them with the minir
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Manifesto THE