The Cine Technician (1953-1956)

164 CINE TECHNICIAN George Elvin reports on The Labour Party Conference rpHF Margate Conference was A the first after the General Election, the first election at which for very many years the retiring Government had been returned to office with an increased majority. It was, therefore, to be expected that the Conference would be in the nature of an inquest on Labour's electoral defeat. To a large extent this proved true. The much publicised Wilson report highlighted this side of the Conference, but, regrettably, the tone set to the debate by the early speakers from the floor of Conference was inclined to turn that session of Conference discussing the report into a bear-garden. But as it happened this led to the intervention in the debate of Aneurin Bevan who, for the first time, really brought the Conference alive with his emphasis on policy as against a machine and his forthright criticism of those who had .sought to expel him from the Labour Party just prior to the General Election, in his view an action which had a substantial bearing on the Conservative's General Election victory. He received a greater ovation than I have ever known be given to a Conference delegate. But this does not mean the Labour Party is Bevanite — his 5:1 defeat for Treasurer shows that — but as the " New Statesman " wrote, " He (i.e., Bevan) remains the symbol of protest. He alone challenges the domination of the big unions and insists that the Labour Party exists not to create an efficient electoral machine, but to remake society." " A CHARADE " But when it came to discussion on how to remake society, the question of future policy, the Conference failed. For this, the Conference Arrangements Committee must be largely to blame. They arranged business so that the debate turned on a resolution containing the principle of nationalisation without compensation, a principle totally unacceptable to the Labour Party. We therefore had what Aneurin Bevan called " a charade of a debate." For the Executive James Griffiths talked in general terms and said a new policy would be worked out over the next three years. During this time a series of policy reports would be prepared for submission to future conferences. The subjects to be covered are equality; the ownership of industry; housing; the publicly owned industries; social security and, in particular, pensions; planning and controls; the nuclear age and automation; education; agriculture; and the individual and society. OUTSTANDING DEBATE By far the most outstanding debate of the week was on the national insurance scheme, an example of debating at its best with the expression of conflicting views all submitted in a genuine search for an equitable solution to a difficult problem. Aneurin Bevan wanted the scheme removed from its present actuarial basis and to be financed wholly by the Exchequer and the principle of equal benefits strictly adhered to. Alfred Roberts, the T.U.C.'s expert on social insurance, wanted a continuance of the insurance principle without which, he insisted, means tests were inevitable and benefits could not be assured. Alfred Blenkinsop, a former Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health, and, prior to that, to the Ministry of Pensions, drew attention to the present unequal benefits in old age as a result of private schemes, many of them devised solely to avoid income-tax payments. Richard Crossman, M.P., winding up for the executive, mentioned the possibility of trying to arrange a scheme under which any worker who could not belong to a private scheme could belong to a Government one, so that in addition to a basic pension people could look forward to a supplementary superannuation scheme. On foreign affairs, Conference unanimously passed resolutions calling for speedy action by the United Nations with a view to the peaceful settlement of difficulties, and immediate reduction of armaments and the banning of hydrogen and atomic weapons; demanding the admission of China to the United Nations and the withdrawal of Chiang Kai-Shek from Formosa; it opposed an arms race in the Middle East and pressed for a November 1955 settlement between the Arab States and Israel based on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the States concerned; it called for the reunification of Germany in peace and freedom. It also unanimously demanded a cut in the call-up and pressed for an independent inquiry into National Service. A feature of the Conference was the jockeying for position amongst the aspirants for leadership when the time comes for Mr. Attlee to retire. After Bevan had shaken up the Conference on Tuesday afternoon, in a plea for a more Socialist policy, we had in the following days both Morrison and Gaitskell baring their souls in claiming they are just as good Socialists as anybody else, but that you musn't run ahead of the electorate even if that means, according to the impression I received, that you have to water-down your election policy. And there I think you have the clash of view which still pervades the Labour Party, whether a fullblooded policy is both right in principle and likely in practice to capture the imagination and votes of the electorate; or whether, as Morrison puts it, whilst it was nonsense to try and divide the Conference into Socialist and nonSocialist, the Party policy accepted a mixed economy and we should not go forward on a policy which you could not get the electorate to accept. One thing is certain. Conference procedure must be radically overhauled. Four hundred and eighteen resolutions, a number with amendments, were on the agenda. Such a number cannot possibly be tackled in a week's conference. Amongst the casualties were two to be seconded by A.C.T.'s delegate, one dealing with the 11-day ban on radio and television discussion of topics to be discussed in Parliament, and the other, to have been moved by the Musicians' Union, calling for increased funds to be made available to the Arts Council. WHO WANTS A TYPEWRITER? Here is a chance for any A.C.T. member in need of a typewriter. Head Office has four second-hand machines, all " Royals ", for sale. Anyone interested in purchasing one of them should get into touch with Bunny Garner.