AS WE FACE this year's annual conference of the Labour Party. the third since the current government was elected with ar overwhelming Labour majority, it is a useful exercise to look back at the May 1945 conference that discussed the programme for the general election, in which Labour was to win a landslide victory.
The overwhelming impression from reading the report of that conference is that the delegates largely reflected the views of the working class. Workers in the mines and factories, workers still in the armed forces, were demanding change.
The Railway Engineers and Firemen's union argued: "Let us tory will only come when our people fight for a socialist programme to give all workers a full life".
Other contributions to the dis. cussion echoed this. Delegates were unhappy that the National Executive's proposals, while pay. ing lip service to socialism, were not specific about what this meant.
An amendment made it clear that the programme would include the transfer to public ownership of the land, large scale building. heavy industry, and all forms of banking, transport, fuel and power. It also called for "immediate legislation to ensure that the national assets, services ano industres are democratically controlled and operated in the national interest with workers engaged therein and of consumers".
Even Arthur Deakin, the right wing witchhunter who succeeded Aniee: no Leftie Ernest Bevin as general secretary of the TGWU, was caught up in the euphoric mood. He called for the direct participation of all the workers through the Who said this? medium of representation *Privatising electricity, as with water, by the Trade shows what happens when you take Unions ... at all common senses out of political deci levels. sions and just leave dogma. There is Several dele- no popolar groundswell in favour. gates stressed indeed the reverse - the vast majority the need to oppose it. The immediate effects. bring the manufacture of industry. will be worse?
Was Ic(a) Tony Berin, (b) Ken Living armaments under public stone, (c) Tony Blair?
Answer below. ownership and Clokey (AEU), said: "We have all paid tribute, in many ways, to the slogan, "Workers of the World Unite, you have only your chains to lose, the slogan which has been used to greater effect is "Armament makers of the world unite, you have (only) your profits to lose."
The future Labour Prime Minis ter, James Callaghan, also voiced his concern that the issue of public ownership was not included in the National Executive's report, unless the Labour Party is returned to power to bring in a planned system, a planned econory and public ownership, they (the returning armed forces), will come back to unemployment".
Internationalism also featured in the discussion, particularly in the contributons from Dennis Healey and H Short (Eton and struggle internationally is an international one..." and then he went on to quote from an interview in Pravda by Mikoyan, a veteran and loyal Stalinist from the Soviet leadership. Mikoyan spoke of the nessed in Berlin at the end of the war and then went on to say .... tions compel a humanitarian atti.
Stalin must have forgotten to instruct his troops on these lines when they entered Berlin. These sentiments were much more in line with Trotsky's Red Army than Stalin's.
There can be no doubt that i at this 1945 conference, reflectWing that of the working class, which eventually resulted in Labour fighting the election on a radical programme. Of course the programme fell short of socialism. It promised nationalisation of key sections of the economy but made no mention of workers' control, and did not include the demand made by many delegates for the nationaliBank of England and the joint Stock banks. Real power was left in the hands of the capitalist class. There is an unconfirmed higher prices and inscabity within the report that When Dennis Healey moved to the proposed Election Manifesto, to include the demands for nationalisation of coal, the rail. ways, public utilities etc, Herbert Morrison shook a finger at him and said, "Young man, you have neide Care Dine, rough James he Care Group Eneigh! Supput the Striking Tameside care workers were among those who lobbied last year's Labour conference Tamese Here Crop Enl