The debate itself was instructive. Speaker after speaker, in rejecting
the Communist case, based his argu- ment on the necessity of the Communists accepting the democratic standpoint before they could hope for alliance with the Labour Party. Mr. Hodges spoke of the Labour Party as being' " broad-based on the assumption of the democratic will." Mr. Jack Jones in the most effective speech .of the debate said :— " No dictatorship had ever yet been justified, whether it was that of a Napoleon or a Tsar. Tyranny had begun with Alexander I.
and had ended with Trotsky IL—(laughter). If the Communist Party in Great Britain, the whole half-dozen of them—(loud laughter)—monld accept the decisions of the Labour Party in the conference room, if they would do so without bringing in dictatorship from outside, he Would be willing to accept them, but net if they claimed the right of dietation claimed by certain gentlemen in Moscow with unpronounceable names (more laughter) and less distinguishable nationalities (loud laughter)."
This was the authentic voice of the British working-man. As long as the Labour Party remains of this opinion there will be no danger of revolution in this country ;. for, how- ever _mistaken Labour economic. theories may be, they will have to come into the limelight of popular debate.
* * * *
Previous page
