We have just roceived a quantity of Noes ll, 12, 13 and 15 of the Fourth International, which we did not have for some time, Nunber 11 contains comrade Pablo's article on the liboration of women which has aroused a lot of interest 3 No, 12 contains the complete documents of the 6th Yorla Congress; and No, 13 , contains the article by Ortiz on Cuba which effectively answers many of the ultra left criticisms of our attitude towards Cuba, Number 15 is the current issue and we ron out before meeting oll the orders which wore placed,
{/
Ding {TH ON THI CilS.3 OF COLIN JORDAN by Me (ex Liverpool now London) ° The trouble with ry type of brevity is that it can provéks tho sxcessivs airin,; of whet is basically an unimportant issue. vomr vde We makes ths usual point about Fascists hoviny to be harried wherever they arise, but what particularly struck me about the Jordan affeir, indeed even the big turn outs ayainst the recont Fascist rallies, was the shoor blind snotionalism involved. Fascism appears in ths strests - hivh blood pressure, yoneral excitement but what the hell was ever dons ~bout the Inniration Bill, whors was the tremendous sonse of outrac se on this? Jordon procssds to [at the boot for his opinions, but what =<bout ths whole votten edifice of our education2l systen, its inability to provide 2. bare niniru: of understanding of values or ideas for the young? Doses scoventry or any othsr logal education committees Jo into revere about this? No! Tho ideas, values, tou ht —- ars the ideas, values of the socisty arcund then -— — lets have the Coventry ‘Jducation Jormittee lesding off on this score, That Vormittes, and I dontt care waether its left or right, acts as tho unp id ssrvant of the aise Ets system. he enotionalisn in xvelation to the Jord:n issue rominds one of ths hestic enotionil slush of the Bevanite period, another tine of empty Vostures, The v.P.,; that decrepit buvh of rofcrnist nits, »xcels itsslf on such occasions, a further oxc hanzzo of msudlin emotion allisd to political inanity.
Vonr.de We brings in ths snslocgy of Germany when ths state and local Jovermient wers furiously conniving with Pascist Gonysters. Ais a natter of intovest, hew nany of these psople were actually retoved? Did it rake any difference if they were? “srs not tho real struggles in Gormany reflected in the stre:t battles, strikes, stc? Was not tho fate of Germany sealed beezuse the %.P, and the Jocial Denocrats proved a rotten leadership, whereas the Nazis, the bourlsoisic and ths functionaries connectod with thom in the sxisting apparatus knew wht they wnted? Tho class struzvls is not decided by frigving about in connection with ‘one insi;nificont Fascist toncher. In any c-se, if the level of counsciousnoss is so high, and the victory so significant why was Jordan appointed in the first place or not throwm out before?
‘hen I usod the term extra-Parlianentary, I meant 2 movement free of all established sommittees, not workin; through such ¢ ge as ge but cutside then, inicpendently, spontaneously — dealin: with Paseisth? 0 pao y the bourgeois adninistrative apparatus can be used to serve workin; class intorests, &..%, the Bill against racialisn, tho Panto Acts, ctc., but such uces are strictly linited. arxists would only use Parlianent the bettsr to smash it.
The dismissal of Jordan was a triviol administrative act which moans little in itself and I renoin unropsentant in ry scepticism over using the .xistin; apparcuts in any serious combat against these people, The omphasis on this type of action breeds all sorts of peculiar illusions about local government being the "gurvant of the psople in a frees country." (Prosumably, of course, Comrade V. would support the Public Order ict, after 2.11 it can bs used ayvainst the Fascists; its inteorsstingy to note that the ra,ulation bannin,; Pascist meetings in Trafalgar Square can also be used against J.N.D.)
I rourst havin, brought up the issue because in the context of affairs in this country its of little inportance, I still ses nothin: gained for the loft by this dismissal, except a fselin; of ge tligia pion ous satisfaction for the people whe have done it. Its a pity ths hot air gonorated by that episode didn't so into scmethin,; more constructive, such as buildin. erestsy unity betwoon the white ond coloured werrers against their common oppressors. Neither an I zeoing to say how splondid the bour;-eois state is for arrestin, Jordan. I'm not voing to applaud a stuto apanetiie “which has snforced the I:mipsration Bill and now has an awkward problon. But, of course, I forgot, we should "make" the police do cur biddiny; and "make" the Tories snoke out the Fascists and "make" then st-p boing capitalists.
Incidentally, I can't romember "frse speech" bein ny absolute. You hows vy full pernission, Comrade W. to snash up Fascist meetings, just ksep the "lo ol" capers at a distance.