NEVER A YES
MAN Liverpudlian. by Eric Heffer. Published by Verso. Reviewed by Steve Smith MANY socialists inspired by Eric Heffer's exemplary fight against the New Realist tide would have puzzled over the fawning obituaries from the lan Aitken/ Alan Watkins coterie of Grub Street hacks.
But this clearly underlines the universally recognised personal qualities of the man, posthumous autobiography and last political testament. his trade union militancy in Liverpool, his record as a leading left-wing parliamentarian and even his short-lived exIne of government Be most revealing and original parts of the book is his account of the post-war birth of Liverpool's heretical political culture. His devoted Work in the Liverpool labour prominence, from where he saw newer activists such as Tony Mulheart Terry Flat rison and Pat Wall cut their political teeth.
After expulsion from the CP l'one of the best things that ever happened to me he was active in the Labour left Socialist Fellowshrip, selling its newspaper, the original Socialist Outlook. Both the organisation and the newspaper were proscribed.
After this he had a flirtation with a short-lived group, the propagandist Socialis Worker's Federation". But he rejoined the Labour Party in 1951, this taterut step reading to his 27-year-long membership of the House of Commons.
Harold Wilson offered the sins armamentary star a ou in the but Eric preferred to side with the seafarer's an id the docker's strikes.
He later took up Wilson's offer as Tony Benn's deputy in the inoustry Department We 1974, bat was predictably acked for speaking out on the vived in the Cabinet and Eric accused him at the time of having "grovelled" to Wilson.
His changing relationship Eric is destined to be compared by historians, is one of the book's many insights. Their comradeship was fre the 1981 Deputy Leadership campaign, which Eric at first hesitated, wrongly, to sup ort. But once convinced of enn's principled fight in the party, their relationship be came far warmer and Benn ac cordingly provides the foreward to the book.
Eric's comments on the Michael Foot are a delight, as is his pen portrait of Neil Kinnock as an opportunistic and setty-minded tyrant, ('At imes he thrusts out his chir like Mussolini).
Nonett eless, Eric Heffer had his fair share of faults- he was in his own way a traditionalist with some conexplain his relatively slow response to the demands of the newer social movements.
In another era of working class politics, his beloved wite Doris, who shared his militant outlook, may have possibly played more than just a sup porting role recorded in the book. Stalinist struggles of East European workers long before the left. As someone who voluntarily left the party in the wake of a previous witchhunt of Bevanites and trotskyites, Eric lays down clear advice for today's militants.
Thus Peter Taaffe and Les ley Mahmood, who claimed reserve the tradition of Eric Heffer, would do well to ponder his words "Some argue that the time has come to set up a new socialist party. ina why dr some stage be necessary but not for as long as the trade Labour Party and give it its working-class base.
The argument for a new party is, to some extent, and there are no short cuts.' Equally, Eric died as a supporter of the Socialist Move ment and Labour Party Socialists, whose founding conference he approvingly refers to.
This book has a clear message for all of us - to continue the struggle for the interests and unity of the working class, to which Eric Heffer so resolutely dedicated his life. netoral class honer, ere netter Socialist United Secretariat, Fourth International Janette Habel author 'Cuba - the revolution under siege' Carl Brecker General Secretary, Workers Organisation for Socialist Action (WOSA, South Africa) Kingsway College, Sidmouth Street, off Grays Inn Road, London Wol No. 9 Oct. 12, 1991
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