reader. from an Oxford

from an Oxford reader The first meeting of the Oxford City branch of C.S.E. was held on Saturday the 5th of February, and was attended by about 35 people, who were members of the Oxford University Socialist Group, Oxford C.L.P., Newbury C.L.P., A.E.U., C.P.G.B., trades councils and Young Socialists, Those present were predominantly political activists from university and city, The theme of this opening meeting was "The British Working Class Today", A.H. Halsey opened the discussion, Among the points he streggaq was that the workers had not suffered "embourgeoisement": affluence to .~ meant something like £18 a week, which would be regarded as starvation wages by his fellow dons, Studies in Luton,- where the workers were mainly newcomers to the town, showed that the pattern of life and consciousness was of the kind regarded charact~ eristically working class, Dr Halsey gave an account of the widespread educational deprivation among workers and their families. This, he remarked, was likely to be at an oxtreme intensity in the coloured immigrant areas, and C.S.E. should think of addressing itself locally to this question, John Palmer and Geoff Carlsson gave a picture respectively of the national and the shop floor. economic situation, and the attack by the Government and business on workers' bargaining power, A C.S.E. branch could work ina servicing role to the local labour movement, not "telling the workers what to do" but providing facts and figures where needed, Among floor spoakers, Bro. Jenner (Oxford Trades Council secretary) remarked that only one speaker, Geoff Carlsson, had spoken to him in his own language. This was a general problem: nobody was telling the workers about socialism,