Party News Briefs

May Day in Glasgow provided the most promising activity that the Glasgow branch has experienced in many years. The day commenced with an all-day literature drive which was supported by loud speaker advertising. This produced sales amounting to £7 10s. The “best seller” of the day were our pamphlet, “Russia since 1917” and the Socialist Party of Canada’s pamphlet, “The Russian Revolution.” In the afternoon a most successful out-door meeting was addressed by Comrade Harry Young at the Queen’s Park gates. (The official demonstration was held inside Queen’s Park.) At 6.30 p.m. a meeting was held in the “Cosmo” Cinema and an audience of 500 attended, contributing a collection of £13 towards the expenses of the day. Later in the evening, from 9.30 to 11 o’clock, another large out-door meeting was held in Rose Street. Glasgow branch decided to follow up this enthusing activity with a massed meeting in the Central Halls, Bath Street, on Sunday, May 15th, where Comrades Higgins, Mulheron and Duncan were billed to speak. This latter meeting was advertised by loudspeaker, in the newspapers and by street chalking. We go to print too soon to be able to give a report of the result.

May Day at Stratford was upheld by the Leyton, Hackney and West Ham branches, which combined activities to hold a Mass meeting in Stratford Town Hail on Monday evening. May 2nd. The speakers were Comrades G. Kerr, R. Coster and A. Turner and the subject, “Can the Labour Party abolish Capitalism?” About 250 people heard our very emphatic “No” to this question and listened attentively to the explanations. Question time provided a plentiful crop which ranged from the subject of the meeting to Indian Nationalism. An encouraging quantity of literature was sold and a collection of £10 was contributed by an appreciative audience.

May Day in London was a little different from May Days in previous years. The official demonstration which is normally centred on Hyde Park was, this year, held in Trafalgar Square. This had the result of depleting the crowds in Hyde Park, but a number of political speakers were there together with the usual hotch-potch of cranks. We held our meeting in the park as usual and attracted a large audience. Comrades Thorburn, D’Arcy, Cash and Turner were the speakers. In the evening a well-advertised May Day Mass Meeting was held in St. Pancras Town Hall. Comrades Lestor, MacDowall and Turner addressed an audience of nearly 1,000. A collection of £26 and sales of literature amounting to £3 did much to defray the cost of the meeting and to encourage the comrades who worked to make it a success.

In Edinburgh meetings are still being held on The Mound, Princes Street. On May 7th the Central Organiser visited the city and together with local comrades, held a successful meeting with satisfactory literature sales. A comrade in this city says that, although it has not yet been possible to re-form the Edinburgh Branch, it “is not barren ground for Socialism.” Any comrades or friends in and around Edinburgh who can assist in the re-formation of the branch should contact the Central Organiser at Head Office.

Radio Luxembourg. In answer to readers who have enquired about the suggestion of a Party broadcast from Radio Luxembourg, it was ascertained that this station would only allow a broadcast provided that other political parties were given an equal opportunity and providing that the British Government would give its consent. The Government on being approached declined to give consent on the grounds that, (1) the long wave that Radio Luxembourg had been using for commercial broadcasting had never been internationally agreed, (2) at the Copenhagen Conference the station had not been allotted a long wavelength, (3) it is the Government’s considered policy to oppose commercial broadcasting across the frontiers, and (4) it is the Government’s own policy on the B.B.C. not to use sponsored programmes. The September, 1948, delegate meeting of the Party took the view that the expenditure would not be justified.

The Social Committee has issued its balance sheet for the Annual Conference:

The collections taken up at the Conference amongst delegates and friends, amounted to the following:

Collection at the Rally at the Conway Hall on the evening of the last day of the Conference was £22 Os. 8d. Thus the total of collections plus the balance from, the Social Committee’s activities amounts to £104 15s. 7d.

The Dublin Socialist Group timed the issue of its first publication to coincide with the declaration of the Republic of Eire. This publication is a manifesto addressed to the workers of Ireland. Unfortunately for us the group, with its limited means, could only manage to turn out a small number of copies and in consequence there are none for distribution in this country. On May 5th the Trade Unions held an annual commemoration for James Connolly (the Labour leader who was executed on that date for his part in the Easter Rising of 1916) in Dublin. This was instead of May Day celebrations, the Unions crying that they did not wish to be identified with “Communist” demonstrations elsewhere. The Dublin Group hoped to be able to issue another publication for this affair. We are awaiting the result, and, we hope, a copy of the leaflet that they are hoping to publish.

Comrade Bill Kerr who was injured in Hyde Park when the platform from which he was speaking was blown over by a high wind, is progressing slowly but satisfactorily.

Ealing Branch is struggling hard to maintain its efforts in the face of Labour and Tory campaigns in the area. The last debate with the “Individualists” at Ealing Town Hall on May 5th was a well-attended and successful piece of propaganda, notwithstanding our opponent’s desire to discuss the case for eating roast beef in preference to, the question posed by the subject for debate, namely, “Socialism or Capitalism.”

The local press continues to give the branch space for write-ups of meetings and branch members were recently involved in correspondence with a young Tory on a religious controversy. This Tory apparently took great exception to our attacks on religion on Ealing Green and put his objections in writing to the editor of the Ealing press. Our Ealing members were quick to reply but only one of the letters sent in on the subject was published.

The Branch now runs three outdoor meetings a week at Ealing Green, Heron Court (Richmond) and Shepherds Bush Place, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday evenings respectively. Despite initial bad weather, a good start has been made at these stations, particularly at Heron Court, where an orderly and interested audience, together with excellent literature sales, has given the Branch members every encouragement to continue then: efforts, the first at this spot since mid-September, 1947. Branch meetings continue with a high average attendance.
W.WATERS