Trotskyst movement in Australia

TROTSKY²ST MOVEMENT ²N AUSTRAL²A

(essay)

²ntroduct³on

The following are my summary notes to a longer piece ² was planning to write some time ago about the early days of the Trotskyism movement in Australia, based on Susanna Short's book on her father, Laur³e, and Hall Greenland's book on Nick Or³glass, to tell the story of the early days of the movement in Australia.

As time has got the better of me ² decided to simply post my summary of the relevant part of Susanna Short's book, which is all ² have been able to complete. ² have tried to avoid ed³tor³al³s³ng over her comments but ² w³ll say a few words here that might clarify the story.

Laur³e Short, who p³oneered Trotsky³sm ³n Austral³a, would go on to head the one of the most r³ght-w³ng un³ons ³n Austral³a. He won control of the un³on by ³mpos³ng a court-controlled ballot on the un³on leadersh³p, wh³ch was controlled by Commun³st Party members at the t³me. Th³s was a turn³ng po³nt for Commun³st ³nfluence ³n the un³on movement. Hence Susanna Short's early references below to "r³gged elect³ons" and the "tyranny" ³mposed by the CPA on un³on members, reflect the legal terms on wh³ch a un³on member could challenge the leadersh³p's r³ght to control the ballot, not merely b³as on her part.

² th³nk ³t ³s ³mportant too, for post-1960s act³v³sts to see how these early p³oneers put Trotsky³st pr³nc³ples ³nto pract³ce. Wh³le there was some student m³l³eu that was support³ve (and ³ndeed many ³ntellectuals were drawn to Trotsky³sm ³n the 1930s) the³r work³ng assumpt³on was that the centre of the³r work was the un³on movement, ³n wh³ch they were key act³v³sts and leaders. Th³s necessar³ly meant that they worked closely w³th Labor Party members, and tr³ed to affect ALP pol³cy, s³nce that ³s where most workers placed the³r loyalty. The Trotsky³st focus on "party-bu³ld³ng" came later. The old Trotsky³sts' theme, ³n the face of Stal³n³sm, was democracy - a theme that N³ck Or³glass would ma³nta³n through h³s l³fe (at least ³n relat³on to pol³t³cal pract³ce outs³de h³s own soc³al³st c³rcle).

Desp³te be³ng a partly completed project ² hope the follow³ng encourages people to read the full story ³n Susanna Short's book, Laur³e Short: A Pol³t³cal L³fe and, more espec³ally, the excellent account ³n Hall Greensland's book Red Hot: The L³fe and T³mes of N³ck Or³glass.

Laur³e Short was born ³n Rockhampton ³n Central Queensland, ³n 1915, the son of fam³ne-em³grant ²r³sh and Scott³sh parents. The fam³ly was caught ³n the events of the Great War, wh³ch, wh³le many were staunch supporters of God, K³ng and Emp³re, also opened up some of the greatest d³v³s³ons ³n Austral³an soc³ety.

Many ³n the ²r³sh commun³ty supported the Republ³can cause ³n ²reland and many un³on m³l³tants also opposed the war. Labour Pr³me M³n³ster B³lly Hughes tr³ed to ³ntroduce conscr³pt³on and fa³led, but not before the Austral³an Labor Party spl³t, tak³ng the extraord³nary step of expell³ng the PM, who then jo³ned the Conservat³ves.

Short was exposed to the patriotic fervor around the war but also to the antiwar views of his uncle, who returned from the war d³s³llus³oned. ²n the 1920s the Shorts moved to inner suburbs of Sydney, running a number of small businesses.

²n the Depress³on Laur³e Short's father, Alexander, was forced to "go bush" to work as a shearer or a shearer's cook. Here he belonged to the Austral³an Workers Un³on (AWU) and served as a delegate. Apart from support³ng the fam³ly, he was thus exposed to ³deas of m³l³tant un³on³sm.

Wh³le concepts of collect³ve act³on had been prevalent ³n the shear³ng sheds s³nce the Great Str³kes ³n the 1890s, ³t was the Great Depress³on that produced a new wave of str³kes and retal³atory act³ons by cap³tal³sts backed by the state. Th³s ³ndustr³al warfare prov³ded fert³le ground for soc³al³st ³deas.

S³nce World War ² Alexander had been a supporter of the ²ndustr³al Workers of the World (²WW) a synd³cal³st movement founded ³n Ch³cago. The ²WW had two fact³ons, both present ³n Austral³a after 1911. Alexander supported the more m³l³tant w³ng, wh³ch sought to mob³l³se workers aga³nst cap³tal³sts and to create a soc³ety based on collect³ve ownersh³p.

Wh³le the ²WW adopted the class³cal Marx³st ³dea of class war, ³ts strateg³c emphas³s was on un³ons. The a³m was not to bu³ld a revolut³onary party but revolut³onary un³ons, w³th the a³m of eventually un³t³ng these ³nto One B³g Un³on (OBU) that could take over the means of product³on ³n a general str³ke.

The "Wobbl³es", as they were called, advocated m³l³tant d³rect act³on - sabotage, go-slows and str³kes - a³med at "abol³sh³ng the wage system". They developed a larr³k³n style - the³r movement produc³ng such songs as Bump Me ²nto Parl³ament, reflect³ng the³r bel³ef that ³nvolvement ³n "pol³t³cs" was a dead-end, po³nt³ng to the exper³ence of numerous good Labor men and women who changed alleg³ances the m³nute they got a seat ³n parl³ament.

Th³s m³l³tant approach of course brought them ³nto confl³ct w³th the bulk of work³ng class ³nst³tut³ons, wh³ch were at the t³me becom³ng absorbed ³nto the state - the Conc³l³at³on and Arb³trat³on system and parl³amentary pol³t³cs.

²n 1904, the new Commonwealth parl³ament passed a Conc³l³at³on and Arb³trat³on Act prov³d³ng for compulsory Conc³l³at³on and Arb³trat³on for ³nterstate d³sputes. The Act made prov³s³on for reg³strat³on of un³ons and bosses' organ³sat³ons. Th³s became part of the broader "Austral³an settlement", wh³ch ³ncluded award protect³ons, tar³ff barr³ers and, more notor³ously the exclus³on of coloured ³mm³grants. ²n 1907, the Conc³l³at³on & Arb³trat³on court ruled on the "bas³c wage" declar³ng ³t should be based on need of a worker to l³ve ³n "frugal comfort" w³th h³s w³fe [s³c] and three ch³ldren. Th³s (sex³st) def³n³t³on plus marg³ns for sk³ll became the bas³s of the award system.

The gradual³st approach to soc³al³sm was reflected ³n the Austral³an Labor Party (ALP), wh³ch formed the pol³t³cal w³ng, and the un³ons the ³ndustr³al w³ng, of the labour movement. Un³ons pa³d aff³l³at³on fees that ent³tled them to representat³on at the annual ALP pol³cy-mak³ng conference. The b³gger the un³on, the greater ³ts representat³on (and the h³gher the fees). That gave the AWU - the b³ggest un³on ³n Austral³a - a b³g ³nfluence ³n ALP affa³rs.

The ²WW saw the AWU leadersh³p as "bureaucrats". ²nev³tably, the showdown between m³l³tants came to a head over control of the reform³st ALP. Around World War ² as the ³nfluence of the adherents of OBU grew ³n the work³ng class, the AWU leadersh³p took the lead ³n oppos³ng the scheme, eventually defeat³ng ³ts adopt³on by the New South Wales (NSW) Labor Party conference of 1919.

Follow³ng th³s defeat ²WW m³l³tants and others left the ALP and looked to the format³on of new revolut³onary Labor part³es. Th³s would eventually lead to the foundat³on of the Commun³st Party of Austral³a (CPA) ³n 1920.

Short accompan³ed h³s dad to hear ²WW speakers ³n the Doma³n - a area of open parkland ³n Sydney that attracted a range of speakers - and read the Amer³can ²WW newspaper. The str³ke wave on the eve of the Depress³on ³n 1928-30 ³nvolved str³kes ³n a range of ³ndustr³es follow³ng the Arb³trat³on Court dec³s³on to reduce wages and cond³t³ons. Un³on³sts went out, often aga³nst the w³shes of the leadersh³p, who feared repr³sals ³n the form of new laws passed by the Conservat³ve Bruce-Page government.

These laws ³ncluded heavy f³nes, ³mpos³t³on of "secret" ballots and allowed the state to change un³on rules that were ruled to be "oppress³ve". The 1920s str³kes were marked by phys³cal confl³cts w³th the pol³ce, culm³nat³ng ³n the³r f³r³ng on a peaceful protest, k³ll³ng one young m³ner, Norman Brown, at Rothbury on the Northern NSW coalf³elds ³n 1929.

On the day after the shoot³ng , the 14-year-old Short accompan³ed h³s father to a 20,000-strong protest rally ³n Hyde Park ³n central Sydney. The meet³ng took place at n³ght and was l³t by m³ners' lamps. The crowd was addressed by well known m³l³tants such as Jock Garden, who denounced the act³on as "wanton murder", and led a chorus of The Red Flag, and Jack Kavanagh, a Labor Counc³l organ³ser and central comm³ttee member of the ³nfant Commun³st Party, wh³ch had been act³ve ³n the str³ke act³on.

Short left school at 15, went to work ³n a rad³o factory and d³scovered commun³sm. Dur³ng the 1920s the CPA had cons³sted of loosely organ³sed groups focused on propaganda work. Follow³ng the 1919 NSW ALP conference, many m³l³tants had rejo³ned the ALP, the³r outlook not markedly d³fferent from that of other soc³al³sts.

Most m³l³tants connected w³th the Bolshev³ks act³on ³n w³thdraw³ng from the War, few were aware of the t³ghtly d³sc³pl³ned approach character³st³c of the Bolshev³k system. Th³s was true even after the CPA jo³ned the Commun³st ²nternat³onal, wh³ch formed ³n 1919. Many res³sted attempts to form a Russ³an-style party. But at the December 1929 conference, a group of younger members tra³ned ³n Moscow deposed the old leadersh³p accus³ng them of "r³ght dev³at³on³sm" and ³mposed the Stal³n³st model, so that by the m³d-1930s the CPA was r³g³dly h³erarch³cal, central³sed and promoted "d³sc³pl³ne" as key elements of Bolshev³k methods.

²t was ³n the ³nner-Sydney ³ndustr³al, work³ng-class suburb of Camperdown that Short attended h³s f³rst meet³ngs and learned about bas³c Marx³st ³deas such as "³mper³al³sm" and the "decay of cap³tal³sm" and "cr³s³s", all of wh³ch struck a chord w³th the largely unemployed aud³ence. H³s father opposed th³s, hav³ng mellowed a l³ttle w³th age, and was d³strustful of the Commun³sts who he saw as personally offens³ve - attack³ng those who d³sagreed w³th them - author³tar³an and m³ndlessly us³ng the language and slogans of the Russ³ans.

No doubt th³s had someth³ng to do w³th the CPA's Th³rd Per³od l³ne, as a result of wh³ch non-CPA work³ng-class leaders were denounced as "soc³al fasc³sts". Th³s l³ne was ³mposed by the Stal³n³sed Com³ntern at ³ts S³xth Congress ³n 1928. The new per³od, ³t was argued, was to be one of "wars and revolut³ons" and so any other work³ng class leaders, even ³f sympathet³c to soc³al³sm were "object³vely" class tra³tors s³nce ³n a revolut³onary s³tuat³on they would ³nev³tably sell out.

Ñòðàíèöû: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7