Hardly a day goes by without the newspapers featuring Tariq Ali. The articles pour out in an unquenchable stream. They vary from the vulgarly spiteful or the deliberately distorted, to the pseudo-knowledgable and the nauseatingly patronising.
There are good reasons for this, the television, press, etc., always try to present politics as a conflict of personalities. For instance the resignations of Brown and Gunter were accompanied by a welter of enquiry into how they felt about other members of the Government, but very little examination of the political reasons for the splits. It is part of the cultural decay of capitalism, that it seeks always to focus on the peripheral the inconsequential and the ephemeral: To encourage people to search for reality in a world of war, exploitation and crisis would be to multiply the forces which are determined to change that world.
The publicity which Tariq receives is determined by the need of the communications media to personalise the upsurge of the militant left in order to avoid discussing the reasons for that upsurge. It has nothing to do with the desire for publicity of Tariq Ali. It is however a measure of the importance of what we all have achieved.
It is noticeable however that this has produced a certain amount of resentment towards Tariq from a number of comrades. The reaction from a section of the crowd outside the Soviet Embassy, when Tariq got up to speak, and the cameras started flashing and whirring, was rather childish. The attempt to shout him down was both undemocratic and unfair, and was gleefully reported in the press next day. [illegible] "take advice from the Black [illegible] Enemy". Our enemy certainly is not Tariq Ali.
One section of the left which is habitually unable to discern exactly who its enemies are is the Socialist Labour League. So convinced are they that everyone else is dedicated to "diverting" the workers from following their "correct" leadership, that they have long ago lost the ability to be objective about other left-wing tendencies.
It was inevitable that they would get round to "dealing with" Tariq. They are faced with the [illegible] the youthful ones in particular, have not yet had their minds closed, and could easily wonder whether their own dwindling ranks compared to the growth of the forces around V.S.C., was a proof of the superiority of their "principled" version of marxism.
Desperate as they are, it was also inevitable that they should turn to the capitalist press for their ammunition, both to pick out reports which can be conveniently twisted, and also to smear Tariq with the insinuation that he courts publicity for his own ends.
THE NEWSLETTER of August [31st] carries an article by Cliff Slaughter entitled "Capitalist Press Praise for Anti-Communists." The main purpose of this article is to "prove" that the two mass left wing demonstrations against the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia were anti-communist, and not [illegible] included reactionary elements, we do not wish here to deal with this accusation which is compounded of misquotation, distortion, and direct lies. Suffice to say that the demonstration held on the Sunday following the invasion started with the participants howling down the hypocrites who spoke at the Labour Party rally, and ended with them howling down a Young Tory who had infiltrated the demonstration, and attempted to speak. And both demonstrations were a sea of red banners.
Now a few examples of what they say about Tariq:-
"The Socialist Labour League is hated, and rightly so by Tariq Ali and those like him......"
"It's time Tariq Ali was told to shut his mouth. He is deliberately used by the capitalist press [illegible] exist to the left of the Communist Party.
"Political playboys [illegible] at [illegible] critical times like the invasion of Czechoslovakia they become the spearhead of all the middle-class 'democratic' rubbish around the left..."
TYPICAL STALINIST METHODS
[illegible] a vicious attack. Since Tariq has not made any statements about his emotions concerning the S.L.L. it is rather stupid to accuse him of "hating" the denizens of Clapham High Street. This is of course a typically stalinist argumentation. Once you establish that someone is moved by hatred for your ideas, you are not obliged to examine his ideas seriously and objectively. Stalinist, too, is the "shut his mouth" language. Come off it S.L.L., you don't impress anyone with that kind of polemic, least of all the new layers of young people who are being drawn into left-wing politics at present. That type of attitude will hasten the isolation which you are bringing upon yourselves.
The "political playboy" accusations are more [illegible] but just unfounded. Tariq worked [illegible] before [illegible] and becoming a national figure has not altered that commitment, although it has changed the way [illegible]. His work on the BLACK DWARF should be mentioned. This is one of the most valuable publications to appear on the left for sometime. Its success is due mainly to the work Tariq has put in, and the job of editor is not the most lucrative post which his talents could command.
And let us not forget that the threat of deportation still hangs over Tariq. Think back to Callaghan's statement in the House, in answer to Robert Mellish's demand for Tariq's deportation. It is likely that the October demonstration will be followed by renewed witch-hunting attempts.
What is required is solidarity with Tariq, and appreciation of the contribution he is making, not petty jealousy and malevolent comment.