Tuesday 16th October 1968. The Nottingham based ANTI COLOUR BAR CAMPAIGN today referred a publication of the minor Public School, Trent College, Long Eaton, Nottingham, to the police and the Race Relations Board for prosecution in pursuance of the Race Relations Act.
This follows the publication in a school magazine of a poem described by Mrs. Margaret Gardner, the secretary of the campaign, as a "clear example of racial prejudice, calculated to inflame hatred for the coloured population amongst young readers." The campaign decided on this course of action after a copy of the publication was received by a supporter from the Senior English Master, Mr. Simon Bennett.
The ANTI COLOUR BAR CAMPAIGN has also written to the Department of Education and Science asking that the matter be investigated. Campaign chairman, West Indian George Powe, a former member of Long Eaton Town Council, stated "it is deplorable that a fee-paying school should allow this type of racist propaganda to go unchecked. Schools should be checking the growth of bigotry, not providing a platform for such outrageous views."
For further information please contact: ANTI COLOUR BAR CAMPAIGN, 6, Rockford Road, Basford, Nottingham.
MAGAZINE VICTIMISED IN IRELAND
Many people in the present Proportional Representation referendum in Ireland have warned of the danger to democracy if PR is abolished. The following case would tend to reinforce this argument.
I am the editor of a small socialist monthly-the Irish Militant. This paper was originally an Irish emigrant publication, but has reached a stage where, although still printed in London (by t.u. labour) over 80% of our sales are in Ireland. We are a frankly partisan socialist paper. As part of our campaign against Fianna Fail's attack on the few remaining democratic liberties which Irish workers enjoy, the Irish Militant has, over the past three years, consistently warned the Labour movement of Fianna Fail's intentions to abolish PR. Last month we produced a special two page edition on the PR referendum, at a nominal price of one penny. This issue was printed on the 20th September 1968 and posted the next day to our distributors in fourteen centres in Ireland.
To this date this issue has only arrived at four of these distribution centres. In one case, Dundalk, our agent has been informed by Custom officials that the paper had arrived but the copies would not be released until:
(A) A statement of origin is produced- this despite the fact that the publishers and printers names and addresses are clearly printed on the [paper].
(B) A charge of no less than one shilling and two pence is paid per copy- even though the selling price per copy is only one penny.
If this is an example of Fianna Fail democracy now, what price liberty if they succeed in abolishing PR ?
Jery Lawless, 22, Duncan Terrace, London N.1
LENIN AND THE BLACK POWER DISCUSSION
Several of your correspondents have seemed to suggest that there is something intrinsically non-marxist about giving support to the Black Power movement. These same writers, I am sure, would consider themselves disciples of Lenin.
It is, therefore, instructive to read what Lenin wrote on allied subjects. Volume ten of Lenin's Selected Works (a collection of his writings on the Third International) has several important articles touching on this kind of topic.
Lenin made it absolutely clear that marxists had to have a very sensitive approach to the feelings of oppressed peoples. At the end of his Draft Theses on the conditions of membership of the Third International there is a particularly clear statement on this. He also made it clear that in his opinion marxists should support the RIGHT of black Americans to call for a separate black state if this was their desire.
There is no doubt that Lenin would have supported INTERNATIONAL's stand on Black Power.
Likewise with Trotsky, as anyone reading the various pamphlets published by Merit Press on the position of American blacks will observe. It is, therefore, quite dishonest for opponents of Black Power to pretend that they are carrying on the marxist tradition.
DAVE WINDSOR, London.