John Williamson LONDON

By JOHN WILLIAMSON

The disastrous defeat for the Labor Party at the local elec- tions is a reflection of the gra- vity of the crisis facing Britain’s Labor Movement as a conse- quence of the policies of the Right Wing Labor Government.

Labor lost control of every remaining large and medium- sized industrial city where it had been in power for as long as some people remember. These included Sheffield, Glasgow, Sal- ford, Warrington, Colne and Norwich.

In London only four boroughs remain in Labor control. Some . boroughs in London had a clean sweep for the Tories. Others, like Islington and Hackney, where Labor had been in power for up to thirty-five years, were taken over by astounded Tories who never in their remotest dreams expected to be elected.

The Communist Party vote, with over six hundred candi- dates, showed a small upward trend, a departure from previous experience where its fate had been linked to the outcome of Labor. There are now fifty-two Communist Councillors, includ- ing some newly elected in Bir- kenhead, Merthyr Tydfil and In- verness. In the St. Mary’s Ward in Stepney (the east end of Lon- don) where only Communist and Labor candidates were contest- ing, the three Communist Coun- cillors were all re-elected with increased votes.

In many other contests Com- munist candidates lost by nar- row margins, ranging from six- teen to fifty or sixty. In the one Communist loss of a Council seat in Swinton (Lanos.) the boundaries of the ward had been changed. While defeated, the Communist Councillor increased his vote from 299 to 421, but missed election.

On the heels of this mammoth Setback, the Wilson Cabinet have the gall to introduce a new Prices and Incomes Bill. This extends for another eighteen months the Government powers to regulate wages and limit any increase, mainly for the lower paid, to 3 percent. It extends the scope of the government powers to include wages councils and agricultural wage orders (es- tablished by previous legislation

and supposedly to have final powers). It also included the hated penalty clauses for gov- ernment enforcement.

Add this to the 1966 wage freeze and the British people will be condemned to four years of this medicine. In 1966 Wilson forced acceptance of his policies by the labor movement with promises of how in a short time Britain would be booming. While still waiting for this Wilson miracle, they were hit by deva-

luation with its increases in prices, rents, postage rates, tax- es, etc.

In desperation Wilson now goes before the trade union M.P.’s who are under union pres- sure to oppose him, and before the Parliamentary Labor Party. In both he resorted to a com- bination of threats and demo- gogy.

Wilson played on the fear of bringing the Government down, with the threat of most of them risking their seats, if they did not support the Government’s Prices and Incomes Bill. He held out the danger of a Tory return with anti-trade union legislation and drastic unemployment. But that is precisely what we have the Labor Government. Never- theless, forty-two M.P.’s voted against him in this meeting.

In the most unscrupulous man- ner Wilson said enemies of the Labor Party “tell us that we have to change our nature, that we have to become a party which not only abandons its So- cialism, connections with the trade union movement.”

There isn’t the remotest rela-

NOT A HAPPY

Mitey 4,

THE TASTE OF. POWER by Ladislav Mnacko (Burns and MacEachern Limited, $7.25)

Based on the dictum of Lord Acton that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts abso- lutely, The Taste of Power is an interesting novel for two rea- sons: its country of origin and the fine writing ability of the author.

Mnacko is a Slovak writer, none of whose previous novels have been printed in English, ‘but all have been most popular in his own country. This book appeared first last year in a Prague literary magazine but were stopped at the-order of the censors. In a sense it is an ex- ample of the thinking that led

“>to the process of liberalization

and democratization which un- folded: only months later in Czechoslovakia.

Its theme is of corruption by

- Page 6—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 31,1968

the acquisition of power of a Communist, a partisan, a fighter for the revolution as he moves up in the hierarchy of the socia- list state to become the “head

‘ of government.”

His life is seen through the eyes of the state photographer, Frank, who coincidently was a childhood friend and’ comrade of the dead “statesman.”

It’s not a happy book, nor does it show any expectation of the changes, which must ob- viously already have been in the making, in Czechoslovakia. But then, one cannot expect a book on the corruption of man through power to be happy.

We meet the dead man’s wife and former wife, his son, fellow workers and old-time friends, as Frank takes time between snap- ping pictures not only to remi- nice but to talk to these people as they walk past the bier.

More and more the question

but which severs all

tionship between the Wilson program and Socialism. The root of Labor’s troubles is precisely its operation of policies that are in the interest of monopoly capi- talism and The City overseas in- vestment.

The fight back is already under way inside and outside of Parliament. When the Bill comes up in Parliament for a second reading there should be between thirty and fifty Labor absten- tions.

The Times editorially took note that almost every union has resolutions on its agenda opposing the Government’s Prices & Incomes Policy. The engineers had a one hundred per- cent successful one-day strike in- volving three million workers in support of their pay claim. The Liverpool busmen are now in their tenth week of strike.

The Post Office counter-work-

‘ers engaged in a series of light-

ning two-hour strikes and set a date for a national strike before the Government would enter negotiations on their demands. The previously ultra-conserva- tive Civil Service unions have voted for limited strikes. Sub- stantial pay claims are also being pressed by ship builders, draftsmen, hospital workers, agricultural laborers, electri- cians, seamen, and others. There is prevalent widespread frustration, disillusionment and

anger at the Wilson Govern- .

ment policies. This also finds expression in great confusion, with a mixture of proposals from stopping the political levy in the, trade unions to loss of all hope of changing Labor Party policy and leadership. The technicians, professionals and _ students, many in struggles for the first time, resort either to adventurist solutions or a “plague on all your houses” as far as politics is concerned.

The Communist Party Execu- tive issued an urgent call for the Left to overcome all ob- stacles to unity: “At this critical moment, the millions of men and women, who have always been the Labor movement’s strength, must rally their forces to save it by putting it on a new course.” ... “There can be no advance unless this policy is changed, and unless those who refuse to change it are cleared out of the

BOOK

is posed before the reader—how

can guarantees be built into the

system of government so that corruption does not take place.

And on the night before the interment as Frank lies sleepless trying to answer the question of what had happened to his friend, he thinks, “Tell me, you who lie dead — what was the taste of all that power that you held in your hands?”

Mnacko has a soft style of writing—the underplay—with a sense of the importance of his characters as people, not politi- cal symbols. All of which makes for considerable literary worth.

And for all its negativity, it would be wrong to dismiss The Taste of Power as another anti- Communist novel, for without answering the questions posed, without democratization, the socialist system cannot com- pletely fulfill its promise for mankind. (P.C.)

~ Wilson's debacle

Government and replaced by others who will. There is no other way.”

The report to the Executive contained a warning that, ‘“‘there were great dangers of disrup- tion, of attempts to write off the Labor Party as already finish- ed. It was essential to guard against elements of disorganiza-

‘tion in the working-class move-

ment.”

“Fragmentation of the labor movement will not only not help, but will contribute 1 the confusion.” It emphasiZ that, “the present struggle wa between Right and Left poli cies, the fight was about poll- tical power, and it was this fight that the Left forces must wage relentlessly to compel changes in policy and win leadership i” the Labour movement.”

Oayue OST of the world’s great cities have beautiful

squares, surrounded by the historic and majestic ar- chitecture of long gone yes-

terdays blending restfully with the gaudy veneered util- ity of today.

Moreover part of the esthe- tic attraction. of these histo- ric squares, believe it or not, are pigeons; the plain semi- domesticated pigeon (Colum- bia livia) circling overhead in countless numbers or strut- ting about on the square cleaning up on tourist hand- outs or other litter.

Pigeons, say some of our more “solid” citizens (and some are very solid) ‘are very messy. Something should be done about it.” That “something” generally means kill them off.

Just try to imagine Lon- don’s famed Trafalgar Square, ’Moscow’s Red Square, New York’s' Union Square, the magnificant Alexanderplatz in Berlin, or any score of simi- lar world-renowned areas, without pigeons. The place would seem naked and life- less. = S

To date, as far as I am

‘ aware, no civic administra- tion, capitalist or socialist,, has ever passed an ordinance to shoot those pigeons on sight. That does not mean that periodic scientific meas- ures of control have not been or are being applied. General- ly speaking however those civic administrations accept

cept the square itself.

In Vancouver’s many beau- ty spots we have no large historic squares. But it may be added, in popular Hippie language, that our City Hall is loaded with “Squares,” which probably explains why we also have an “official” pigeon killer on the civic payroll.

This functionary, said to be “appointed”. by our present Chief of Gendarmes, is au- thorized to carry lethal fire- arms to kill pigeons or other feathered residents of city blocks, should some “solid” citizen request such services?

This pigeon sharpshooter ‘out on safari recently to ex- terminate Columba livia had a close call himself when some live-and-let-live _resi- dent, alarmed at seeing a man brandishing a rifle on the street called out the Riot Squad, who gave him the old “throw down. your gun and put your hands up” salute be-

the pigeons much as they ac-

fore they recognized his “official” identity.

For Vancouver’s pigeon eX terminator that was a close shave, but not half so closé as a member of my household experienced recently. While in the bathroom obeying the “call of nature” a bullet from a high powered rifle cut 4 neat hole in the bathroom window and buried itself i” the opposite wall. Had the occupant been standing bé- hind that window instead of where he was, he would havé been a “dead pigeon” for sure.

Remonstrating later with this non-official pigeon shatp- shooter about the dangers in- volved to pigeons and resi- dents. alike, his reply was typical; “the city has guys doing it so why shouldn’t ? I hate pigeons.”

There are people of course in this and every other city and town in Canada who hol strong aversions to pigeons, dogs, cats, birds — anything that lives without their spe cial approval. For all such the immediate “solution” is 10 kill, “legally”. if possible, otherwise if they decide it necessary. Periodically 4

- glimpse of this sadistic men

tality is revealed in cruelties perpetrated upon the life our parks.

The bills of ducks wired shut, swans and other rare birds garroted with wire, etc. When out on the highway should the eye of such mor- ons fall on a beautiful animal, the first thought that comes to mind, spoken or unspoken —‘man, if I just had a gun!’

Of course if you can stom- ach the idea, there’s scads 0 profit in killing, whether it be baby seals in the St. Law!- ence, mothers and children if Vietnam, the total extermina- tion of Canada’s symbolic beaver, the wanton massacre of big game in our forests by so-called “sportsmen” (wh? may kill a dozen noble an mals to get the size of hea “trophy” they crave) or the depletion of our game birds for the mere “joy” of killing.

Having done a fairly com plete job on land, we are noW discovering that an equally effective job is being done i? our oceans. Already some species of whales, seals an other ocean mammals are al- most extinct, with what 15 left of other specie well of the way to becoming so.

How soon before we rea' the point where there is nothing or no one left to kill?