COMMUNISM AND THE WEST

New Zealand Listener, Volume 31, Issue 796, 22 October 1954, Page 5

COMMUNISM AND THE WEST

Sir,-I wonder how P, J. Alley proposes to ascertain "whether there is anyone who would like to go back to Tsarism in Russia." Even if he were permitted to go to the Soviet Union and make inquiries for himself, he could not be sure of getting the truth. There is no "public opinion" as we know it, for criticism of the regime is not tolerated in a Police State, and the Russians have learned their lesson, Even if he could get freely expressed opinions-if we could imagine such incredible cir-cumstances-I think he would meet with the characteristic Russian shrug and the common, cynical expression, "It’s all the same!" They had the Okhrana in the Tsars’ times, whereas they now have the M.V.D, "Politically accused" people are stil] "picked up" and often sentenced without trial, the only difference being that under the Tsars a prisoner, once he had served his teem in the Lubiyanka or Siberia, was a respectable member of society again until he repeated the offence. Certainly his family were not held as hostages for "confession" extractions. They had not the universal franchise it’s true, whereas today everyone may vote, but where is the value of a vote when there is but one name on the ballot-paper, and that candidate selected by a select committee? The mass of the people have been taught to read and write, but they may not read foreign books and papers, and they must not, if they write, deviate one inch from the Party line. Even under the Tsars a more liberal policy must have come, for the trade unions in Russia were growing strong-the real trade unions, not the pseudo trade unions they have nowand it might have come without blood‘ed. P. J. Alley mentions "kulaks and ndlords who exploited the people." He 1s not aware that any peasant who had more than two cows was reckoned a kulak, while those with five cows and over were "wealthy capitalists."’ And he surely does not think that the ten million peasants who were slaughtered or who starved to death were all kulaks! He might not even be aware that the peasants were not reckoned among the "proletariat." Certainly P. J. Alley is right when he says that "Communism is stirring the peoples’ imagination." Why shouldn’t it, with its glorious promises? And it is not without its spectacular achievements. It is not till people come up agginst the stark and cruel reality of its totalitarian regime that they realise to what a state their credulity has brought them. As to the "right of Communists in this country to stand for Parliament and local bodies,’ I have often wondered how they dare to claim the right, since their sole objective is to bring -to power a government that would prohibit even mention of an opposing party. I would advise P. J. Alley, who I am sure is sincere in his convictions, to hold fast to his democratic right of criticism and his right of rejection or otherwise of any government, for if he loses those rights then indeed his "last state will be worse than his first."

JEAN

BOSWELL

(Auckland).