On the left fringe of Australian politics exist several madcap political parties which are fiercely competitive. The Spartacist League of Australia (SpL) and the Socialist Labour League (SLL), each produce a regular newspaper, command the support of a handful of supporters and are continually beset with factional disputes, expulsions, splits and resignations.
On 7th May, the newspapers of Australia’s most influential communist parties, the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) and the Socialist Party of Australia (SPA) carried a joint statement of historic importance and great significance to the labour movement.
Peter Sekuless’ biography of one of Australia’s most famous fellow travellers reveals a gullible personality whose involvement in politics was often pure caricature.
Since the publication of a joint Statement between the Communist Party of Australia (CPA) and the pro-Moscow Socialist Party (SPA), which promised closer co-operation between these two parties, bitter divisions have emerged between the various personalities and fractions. This article evaluates the significance, reasons behind, and ramifications of the joint Statement.
Nearing retirement, Rupert Lockwood plans several books linking the history of his times with his own experiences, ranging from childhood in a German-origin Wimmera community, exclusive private school life at Wesley College, Melbourne – the same school which turned out Robert Gordon Menzies and Harold Holt – to the joining of the Communist Party in 1939, the Petrov Royal Commission, and a three year stint as Tribune correspondent in Moscow.
Twenty-five years ago Donald Horne, expatriate Australian, was considering a new career: full time politics as a Member of the House of Commons. The founder of Citizens for Democracy was in 1954 a monarchist and a committed conservative. Had he decided to stand as a Conservative candidate, Donald Horne might today be ‘Donald Horne, Minister in the first Thatcher Ggvernment Ministry’.
William Morris Hughes debauched Australian politics for more than a generation. In the ninety long years of his life he was a member of six political parties – two of which he had himself formed.
Much of what has been written since the crushing electoral defeat last year has concentrated on familiar themes, the bias of the media, the issue of the leadership, the real meaning of “socialism”, and so on, rather than tackling the important issue of how the ALP is perceived by the electorate.
To say that senator Gietzelt’s article (NR, 2 March) is vague would be the least harsh judgement to be made of it. The article does not sustain a coherent thesis, and this letter would be too long and tedious if it were to deal with each elliptical argument, half thought out idea, stale phrase and factual inaccuracy which clogs senator Gietzelt’s argument, if “argument” is the word for the uncritical treatment of the issues raised in his essay.
The National Committee of Inquiry has been receiving submissions from party members and supporters for nearly 6 months.