alike perhaps in little else, the leadera of the French C.F. and of the British Labour Party share one problem, te 4 of keeping in check their respective youth movements. In rect months French C.F. has first refused to print an issue of Clarte, the journal of the Union of Communist Students which conteined an article by Tezliatti offensive ta Le party leadership, and second to permit the appesrance of the fourth number of be Lutte, published by the Young Communists of Bezons (a suburb - Paris), on the erounds that an article attacking the Church might lose the party valuable Catholic votes in Bezons,
The editorial board of la Lutte retorted by brinzine out a special nuiber in which they announced that “in view of the bureaucratic and antidemocratic methots of the party" they are withdrawing from the Young Communists. Their declaration, reprinted in the current issue of La Voie Commniste, the organ of a Communist opposition proup, mokes it plain that the they regard the nent of their paper merely as the worst in A series of frustrating experiences, Listing their differences with the official view they object that in establishing seperate organisations for girls and for boys (respectively, Union des Jeunes Filles de France, and Jeunesses Communistes) the party is "leaning upon bourgecis prejudices instead of fighting them" though in order "to drown opposition" it does wnite all youth groups e@t the top.
For British Young Socialists the sther complaints have a familiar sound. Of political education there is "absolutely none"; the activists “are content to organise dances, outings (and) the sticking up of posters The 'Communist' activity of the Jeunes Pilles...consists of talking sbout claithesnand hanging about the cloakrooms at dances." The stress upon social activities, particularly in recruitment, resulte in many branches with a very large nominal membership having only a handful engaged in political work. The official journal of the Young Communists devotes only 10% of ite space to "more or lesa political acticles" and the remainder to"blown-up photes and biographies of ‘teen-age idols' (end to) competitions for guitars,"
It is, claim the editors, because La Lutte, "basing itself upon the class strugzle," attempts to involve young people in politics end because those responsible for its production believe that "young people can be interested in other problems than guitars and 'ye-ye'" that the paper so displeases the leadership of the party sand leads them to attack it.