U.K. Communist “Old Guard” Keeps Power

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28260, 24 April 1957, Page 16

U.K. Communist “Old Guard” Keeps Power

(NJZ. Press Association—Copyright)

LONDON, April 22. A four-day congress of the British Communist Party ended today with victory for the old-style “Russia right or wrong” leadership and the crushing of a rebel faction which had demanded a more independent policy and freer speech. One of the rebels, Mr John McLoughlin, hurled the epithets “swine” and “enemy” at a speaker who justified the line taken by the present leadership. Mr McLoughlin is the shop steward who was condemned and dismissed recently for causing a major strike at Briggs Motor Bodies. The congress re-elected to the policy-forming executive of the party, the old-guard leadership, led by the chairman (Mr Harry Pollitt) and the secretary (Mr John Gollan)— a 'leadership described by a rebel speaker today at the congress as “Stalinist.” The congress rejected by a vote of 472 to 23, with 15 abstentions, a minority report of a commission on inter-party democracy which advocated a new method of electing the national executive and more say for the rank and file in the formation of policy.

It approved the majority report by a similar majority. Several of the rebels have indicated that they intend to continue the fight for greater democracy within the Communist Party.

The congress, the traditional Easter meeting for the British Communist Party, took place against a background of greater ferment than the party has known for more than 20 years. Soviet intervention in Hungary last October resulted in a shower of resignations from the party and a stream of critical letters in the Communist press. The Soviet intervention followed the “eye-opening” of many party members last year with the offi-

cial revelation of Stalin’s crimes. The congress this week-end heard that 7000 members had resigned in the last 12 months, leaving the total party membership at 27,000. Angry scenes marked the last stages of the conference. Today’s dispute stemmed from a speech yesterday by Professor Hyman Levy, mathematician and philosopher, who referred to the “terrible things” that had happened to Russia and said that during a two weeks’ visit there “I got a bellyful to last me the rest of my life.” He said that British Communist leaders knew what was going on, but kept it from the people. I am not going to be a member of a party that is going to be deluded by its leaders,” Professor Levy said.

Replying to the speech today, Mr Andrew Rottstein, a London journalist, spoke of “back-bone-less and spineless intellectuals.” In a reference to the number of Communists who had written to or for the non-Communist press protesting at the events in Hungary last year, he said that the revisionists of the early days of communism did not have at their disposal the immense resources of the capitalist press. “The capitalist press was always ready to give hospitality to the enemies of the party, to dissenting members,” he said amid applause and shouts of disapproval. At this point Mr McLoughlin rose to his feet and shouted: “You are the enemy, you lying old swine.” After this storm the party discussed a report on inner-party democracy. Mr Christopher Hill, a lecturer in English history at Oxford, accused the party of living in a smug little world of its own invention, and said that the most important speech so far made at the conference was when Professor Levy “let some fresh air into this world.” The national executive, he said, considered that the party, now numbering 27,000, had lost only a handful of members because of the events in Hungary. But 7000 had left. “If three or more handfuls of that size were to go there would be no j?arty left,” he said. He concluded that the leadership should not be made a scapegoat. “We are all responsible for the state the party had got into,” he said.