In the demonstration by Young Socialists outside Transport House on June 24th, The Times reports, Mrs, Braddock was lifted off her feet, Miss Alice Bacon hit, Mr. Greenwood pushed into a line of scooters, falling to the ground, and many members of the NEC arrived "white and shaken", No doubt it made young demonstrators feel good to rough up NEC members, but this is serious because what is at stake is the whole future of Socialist youth. The Young Seclalists could not have done anything more likely to get the whole movement closed down. No one om the left has any sympathy for (ex-Communist) Mrs. Braddock but to mete out such treatment to Greenwood, one of the few friends the youth movement has on the NEC isdis-usting,.
Such behaviour should be reserved for the class enemy. By enzaging in it a certain group have reached a new low in what can only be described as the pre-war Stalinist 'social-fascist' tactic. That is, they consider anyone in the Labour movement not in their own camp, as bad as the Tories, The right-wing has always held that followers of Keep Left were out to smash the Young Socialists ahd the Labour Party so that they could pick up some of the pieces. The left has always rejected this as a smear, but need certain Young Socialists continue to act so as to confirm the right wing's claims?
Of course the Young Socialists have suffered from the attacks of Transport House which expelled two of its leaders on the day of the demon stration. Again there was no need to close dow the Streatham branch for publishing their leaflet ( admittedly stupid and opportunistic) about mods and rockers. Nevertheless, if one demonstrates it is not for the good of one's soul but to get something done. This latest episode will merely isolate the Y.S. further from the Labour movement and therefore cut if off from the only allies it can have. In other words by such ultra-left tactics the people concerned play right into the hands of Transport House.
A great reservoir of revolutionary energy is at present frittered away in useless battles in the Young Socialists. Only a very small propor tion of Young Socialis.s take part in the Labour Party, and when they do they are mostly like fish out of water. If this reservoir of left wing enthusiasm could be brought into the Labour Party an organic link with the Labour left it could change drastically the whole situation in the constituencies. Your Transport House official knows this very well and he is pleased to keep such a lot of lefts tied up in the Young Socialists where they can run riot without herming anyone but themselves. The Keep Left simpletons fall for this strategy by responding to the needling of the bureaucracy by further isclating themselves,
However, now it has come to a public scandal for the Labour Party and Mr. Williams is hinting that the situation will have to be reviewed after election.
We must not let Transport House and Keep Left pull the youth movement to_pieces. The adult left must insist that the NEC stop expelling Young Socialists, and appeal to the ultra-lefts to give up their sterib sectarianism and work together with the left as a whole,