assessment of the Draft.
Previous drafts of The British Road all placed the election of a 311202023121128078205 of political strategy. Based on a parliamentary majority, government would nationalise all and distribution, the banks and insurance companies and minate 'socialist national economic planning, to cover the economy as a whole".
In this tidy schema, everything had its due place. For the first time in history, the "revolution' would accomplish its mission destroying any of the existing institutions (apart from feudal relics such as the House of Lords). The British people, proud of their centuries-old parliamentary tradition, had no need of the advice of that long-dead Russian socialist, Lenin, wnose wild talk of smasning up the state apparatus still embarrassea sopmisticalca ponncal company.
HOSTILITY And yet, any government that uinely socialist programme would be faced from the start with the hostility and rebellion of that state apparatus: ol the civil service departments that have repeatedly shown their ability to impose their will on whichever minister happens to be their 'guest' at a particular Time ane orne oricer caste ortne armed forces, which is the princiDa ccile orlic Dourecos nact nery of repression. How, then, would the "socialist government" introduce socialism with such an apparatus?
Again the answer of the 1968 of The British Road simple. Political power" would be consolidated ensuring that those in commanding positions in the armed forces and police, the The new draft of The British Road to Socialism, which is currently under discussion in the Communist Party, contains a significant change since the first version was publigiance to socialism: how is it possible to make the transition from today's crisis-ridden capitalist regime to the socialist society that will alone remove the obstacles to human progress? PATRICK CAMILLER continues Red Weekly's avil service ana clolomanic service were loyal to the socialist governdid not allow "their" institutions to Dc transionce into une cilcule instruments of the people's will" attempt of the talists to thwart the democratic DrOCESS would De met by "formidable strength' of the popular movement mobilised behind the LOVCEHHICHE PRESSURE This conception of the relation between parliamentary ment and "mass pressure' or "mass action' is the main contradiction of every strategy that seeks to bring about without the creation of a new revowna power.
In The British Road, it is the Traditiona sae inclone raise! above society which carry out the decisive changes, "supported by a shapeless mass movement that alows ramancur to ovcrcomc une obstacles in its path. But just how the masses will bring their "for midable strength' to bear on the Ministry of Defence or the Treasury is nowhere explained.
There systematic organisation energies of the working-class masses to impose their will and crush capitalist resistance; no nonon of ine lorging or new state institutions and officials and a new army al tne nean or une mass movement, and the replacement, or 'smashing of the old bureaucratic-military machine by these MS TUMCHES OL WOrKCIS aCHOn.
For The British Road is persion of a genuine revolutionary of that sudden irruption of millions onto the political arena that alone makes socialism governchange' (and a socialist government) a real possibility.
STRATEGY
notion of the The central section of the new tion') starts out from the correct observation that socialist revolution has to be able to show the wav forward. to spell out, not only the ultimate objective. but also the stages in tha process. However, comes clear that the way forward lies not in mass mobilisation for the defence of living standards, the right to work etc., but in "winning a Labour Government carrying out a lent policy The draft takes differentiate this "left government from a SOCIalISI DarC tied to the existing order and pre acmoralsiona hands of the "lefts' of the day.
In fact, nothing could be more utopian than the idea that, in the present epoch, the social and eco nomie crisis of capitalism coul allow the Labour lefts fifteen o twenty years of stable government and organic development toward SocIalISm Indeed, the perspective is con tradicted by the authors of th Draft themselves when they argue -evel before SUCI Laberger overe would the CHICrECO there would utmost resistance from the ruling class to prevent its establishment"
record of Foot Scanion and Jones leaves little doubt about the course that would be taken by future 'left" friends of King Street.
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shed in 1951. It raises, and answers in its own way the cen- tral problem facing every political group claiming alle-
British Road to Socialism Draft