Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! no. 6, September/October 1980
The use of the PTA against our supporters in Glasgow was and should have been seen by all socialists as a dangerous attack on the basic democratic right to produce and to sell literature. The Glasgow 2 Defence Campaign recognised this and asked for support on a wide basis — from trades unions, anti-imperialist organisations, the Labour Party, MPs, civil liberties bodies, petit-bourgeois socialist organisations and newspapers. The results were very revealing. Some helped. Some would not lift a finger, or just as bad, took hours of time and effort to convince them to offer even token support. Interestingly enough, the second category is filled largely by those who have shouted loudest about ‘democracy’ — the petit-bourgeois socialists.
To those who helped and are helping we extend our sincere thanks. These include:
Edinburgh Trades Council
Lothian Region NALGO
Merchiston LP, Central LP
Labour MPs in Scotland — Ron Brown, Robin Cooke, Norman Buchan, David Marshall
Regional Councillors Hanlon, Mulrey, Nolan
Scottish Council for Civil Liberties
Workers Action Edinburgh
Edinburgh Organisation of Iranian People’s
Fedayeen Guerrillas
Sinn Fein POW Department (Britain)
The Scottish Committee of the Communist Party Great Britain (CPGB) put out a statement expressing concern at the arrests, as did Leeds Communist Party (CP). The Morning Star carried regular coverage of the case and usefully printed a letter appealing for funds. Their refusal to oppose British imperialism however was shown by their refusal to attend pickets called for the Glasgow 2 on the grounds that there were:
‘possibilities of embarrassing actions happening which the CPGB would not agree with.’
However the CPGB did prove far more willing to act than the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), International Marxist Group (IMG) or Workers Revolutionary Party (WRP). Socialist Challenge after some badgering agreed to put in a short item on the arrests. Since then they have failed to print any further news or letters we have sent them. Socialist Challenge and its editor who devotes much of its space to attacking the ‘lack of democracy’ in the USSR, remains virtually silent when it comes to the British state using the PTA against socialists! Whilst IMG members in Glasgow supported various pickets, they have done so only after their local leadership has been chased, phoned and hounded. Their attitude was best summed up when they came to ‘help’ steward an RCG meeting under threat from loyalist attack. Six IMG stewards arrived at 7pm and left at 7.40pm! One of them remarked on leaving:
‘We came to defend your meeting and we don’t think its going to be attacked. If you’re stupid enough to carry on holding public meetings its your affair. You can put that in your Fight Racism paper and it will be one more reason why I don’t read it.’
The SWP also deigned to print a short item, forgot to mention Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! and then forgot about the whole affair. When Glasgow full-time SWP organiser Ian Giddley was asked to mobilise support for a picket he first lied that he had tried to, but under pressure admitted that he had contacted nobody, would contact nobody and hung up on the phone. The SWP members who supported further pickets in the most token manner demonstrated their real concern when on the picket of Monday 18 August, at the Court, they left ½ an hour before it was known that the Glasgow 2 were freed on bail.
The award for sheer cowardice however must go to the WRP. Whilst Newsline carried news of the case, the WRP bookshop in Glasgow refused to stock FRFI as they did not wish to get raided. Such solidarity. Since the PTA charges have been dropped they have begun to stock FRFI again.
The darling of the petit-bourgeois left – Tony Benn was on holiday when the arrests occurred. When told of the news he told his secretary to advise us to contact the NCCL. Now back off holiday we will wait and see whether this champion of democracy takes any action. Joan Maynard, a frequent guest of Troops Out Movement and UTOM public meetings initially refused to even make a phone call – she was, she informed, us ‘on holiday’. On her return she has now condemned the arrests.
The experience of the Glasgow 2 Defence Campaign has confirmed once again that the petit-bourgeois socialists are incapable of and unwilling to defend even so elementary a principle as the right to sell socialist literature.
