FROM BOB ARNOTT (YCL NATIONAL SCHOOLS ORGANISER)
I have had a copy of your January edition passed to me and I have happened to read the article "[Revolutionary] Schools Students Organise" by Charles Fenech. In this article I happened to [see] a certain [phrase] which is to say the least unfounded and totally [illegible].
[I quote:] "....the YCL failure in the high schools will mean that the national SSU will be a non-aligned organisation....."?
On this obviously I have to make two observations. Firstly, I dispute the fact that the YCL has had no impact on the secondary schools and to back me up I suggest you read the DAILY TELEGRAPH, YORKSHIRE [POST], MORNING STAR, HARROW OBSERVER, and many others. I suggest you write to the Yorkshire Television Ltd. and [ask] them why a [YCL member] for 15 minutes [was] being interviewed [about the] schools campaign. I suggest you write to the headmaster of [Heckmondwike] High School, I suggest you write to the headmaster of a [grammar] school in Bolton where there is a strike on now, led, of course, by the YCL. Then you [may ask me whether] the YCL has had any impact in the secondary schools. In fact in the past two weeks we have distributed over 100,000 leaflets in the schools, sold 1,000 copies of our magazine [COGITO] and on this material have made over 100 members for the YCL.
Secondly, you seem to assert that the so-called YCL failure will mean that the union [that controls] the SSU will [now be] non-aligned. Might I [suggest] that you get Cold War and McCarthy ideas of communist infiltration right out of your head.
We have always and still call for an INDEPENDENT union, and we believe that this [union], a broad movement, will be of a type where it can with its demands appeal to ALL (not necessarily socialists — I don't know where you got the idea in line 5 of the article from).
Yours fraternally, [Bob Arnott]
EDITORIAL COMMENT: comrade Arnott has got quite hot under the collar over a passing reference to the YCL and its failure, in Charles Fenech's [article, based] upon the reports from supporters of the SSU, [illegible] high schools [illegible] where the union was formed. Firstly, we strongly repudiate comrade Arnott's [illegible]. We stand against [red-baiting] and have in fact been the victims of it ourselves. Surely comrade Arnott is aware that we have been [illegible] in the Labour Party and other organisations, [and] that supporters of INTERNATIONAL were hounded by the [illegible] during the [run-up] to the October 27th demonstration. On this matter our position is [clear]: we stand in solidarity with anyone [illegible] and activities. We [will] welcome any [illegible] from the YCL which will enable us to publicise [cases] where its members and supporters are being victimised. Our supporters will endeavour to organise protests against any such victimisation. [illegible] The figures comrade Arnott quotes are [illegible]. The concept of [an] 'independent' [union] appealing to "all" seems to us to be [illegible]. [illegible] The working out of a coherent strategy for the growing movement in the secondary schools and [other] schools is both very difficult and very important. We [would] welcome a discussion in [our] columns on this topic. If comrade Arnott's [angry] letter [illegible] will have been of some value.