Currents Of Discontent In Labour Party

Chronicle (Levin), 15 June 1949, Page 5

Currents Of Discontent In Labour Party

I ° I . Received Tuesdav, 7 p.m. | LOXDOX, June 1-1. | Last week's annual conference of tlie I Labour Barty at Blackpool lias no>v [ M'cn extuiiined from every angle anl I interpieted nreording to every sliade I >l' poliiical opinion and prejudiee. The I'onsenus of opinion is that tvhile the i • onference gave the opportunity to a inrge section of the rank and file of tlie party to demonstrate their "solidarity . iid support for the exeeutive, it also -liowed that strong currents of discontent and disillusionment exist. Thi^l takes various forms. Some of it is direeted against nation- 1 al'isation and failnre of State control m 1 juaetiee to realise the theories of the -yndiealists, under which the workers would take over complete management if industry. Some of it is direeted : against the failure of the party to ' mahitahi the crusading zeal of earlier cliaTiipions of soeialisni, and some of it against the devitalising efl'ects of the i>ig maehine into which the partv has miw d"veloped. Tliose who coinplained about the lac.k "f missionary zeal, however, were partially satislied at least by the emotional ajipeals which, at different stages during the conference, raised delegates to •t tremendous pitch of enthusiasm and fervour. The most successful in em[doying these revivalist tactics were -Mr. Iferbert Morrison and Mr. Aneurin Beyan and iinally Mr. Ernest Bevin who, instead of being oue of the '•hief targets for Left Wing criticism as lie was at the previnus vear's conI'erence, moved even his critics to en- ; tliusiasm by his liual appeal for unity, at the end of his review of foreign ' jioliey. Opposed to this was the matter-of-faetness of Mr. Attiee and the cohl eonciseness of Sir Stafford Cripps. The I'ormer demonstrated once again tliaf as , tong as he chooses to remain, he will ( be the unehallenged leader of the l'arty. The latter, if he did not >silen:e . ;.!1 iiis critics at least eompelled the ' grudging acfpiiescence of tlie majoritv j "f them. * i

Much less Avas heard from the mai; cmtents of the Party than at previons "onferenees, a fact which is possibly 1 le purtly to the ne'nl for elosing the lanks with the approach of the election, ! artly to Ihe effert of recent disciplinm v measures, and partly to the rallving i ffci t of mass enthusiasm. The draft election programme, as (Milved by the Party exeeutive under the guidance of Mr. "Herbert Morrison, /cceived, on the whole, a vote of eonficcnce tempered bv criticism that a ) >re succinct approach to the eleetors v ould be necrssary before it was iinally mcsenled to the public. It was obvious that a number of 1 "tics, ninnv of them representing the .'"werful cooperative movement, were i'V no means luippv about the Partv's •h termination to nationalise industrUl tusurance. Tt is also evide-nt tlmt ' any of the current grumbles about i c hi-.il cnst of living, have been tem- j t-'fiirilv silenccd and that the convic- 1 1 >11 still remains in many Soeialist cmtrters, that more can be done tfl *"ak tlie rieh for the lienefit of the • re earners. The most di^urbing feature of the '"r ference was oue wliicli did not obUiide direclly but which undoubtedlv a eonfinual shadow over proceedimjs— ihe mounting evidence of resth -^ness and indiseiplinp within the Imdes UTiions as exemplified by the v-'-ckend ra.il strikes and trouble in the t'irihern ports over the Canadian sea- : a > dispute. Botli these denionstrait is recognisod, are illegal and i|;>fli constitute a direct cliallenge to Labour Governinent which will not 1>» ignored by the country as a whole ' cn if they were ignored for the sake >!' liarmonv at Blackpool. ' |