about the "White Commonwealth".
policy!
needed.
CRUCIAL to Labour's foreign policy tis the pursuit of peace, development and disarmament'. That is what the party's current: manifesto says and Labour Party members can still be found defend proposstion though only with the most Jesuitical of presumably means the manifesto's continued adherence to NATO, the western "Peace" Is very much a Pax Britannica, as the accompanying table shows — subduing the restless natives to ensure the stability of neo colonial development', the world in which Labour seeks this threefold aim is no longer what it was. The ted which now creeps across the map is the colour colonial revolution, not the empire on which the sun never Sets.
In its light-beaded moments the party will even proudly claim responsibility for this state of affairs. Apart from the itony of any British government taking the credit for dismantling the CIL BITE Labour's claim is simply false.
It was the Tories who dramatic IF YOU have read this far you are unlikely to be very | impressed by the Tories" foreign policy promises of A strong Britain in a free world', or the Liberals continued close relations with the United States', and least of all the National Front's frenzied rantings But what about the Labour Party? Might not something come of its radical phrases on foreign On this page we argue why that will not be so and suggest the sort of internationalist alternative that is Africa. of ere seepings the insurgency operations:
Greece 1944-7, 1945-8, Vietnam 1945, 1945-6, Eritrea Malaya 1962-6, Aden 1963-8, Cyprus Das 1963-present, present, Ireland 1969-present. (twice).
This list excludes open war 15 most obvious 1cature has been crucity and violence.
In Greece British troops were crush a revolution, while Malaya and Aden became bywords for the most bestial ExCess of 100er 150 In some cases Labour simply refused to decolonise, in Java in 1945 it used British troops, helped by Japanese prisoners of TISH THEODORE RU nationalists CREEC handing the colony back to the Dutch.
It was British troops occupied Saivon to cranie the French to regain control in 1946 -andit was British troops who pacified Palestine in the late 19405 to prepare for decolonisation — the famous | formation of the state of Israel.
Strangely the Tories seem to have greater sung-froid and extravagant with the troops these days. But Foreign Office under David Owen has seen a return to the age of gunboat diplomacy.
The 1977 Bermuda expedi tion is a good example. Two were convicted murder by the all-white judiciary. The Gover afraid population's reaction to death penalty being carried out so he Owen told him to hang the blacks and let the troops worry SINCE 1945 Labour govern- (Korea 1950-5), strike breaking ments have sent troops into the at home or abroad eight times following countries on counter- under Labour since 1948), and the following internal security Palestine operations:
India, Belize (British Hon 1948-51, duras Malaysia Singapore, Mauritius (twice) Oman T965- Bermuda (tvice), and Anguni responsible for decolonisation about the consequences.
But why Party which draws its support from the decent, humanitarian and peace-loving sections society behave in this way?
Ernest Bevin, David Owen's predecessor in the 1945-51 overment, gave pert of thi answer:
Empire fell the standard of life of our constituents would fall considerably.* And JONES EACT Michael Foot of his day left-winger turned right, who rated when he explained that by "hook or by development of primary production of all proceed... it was a matter of life the and death for the country."
What they meant by this was reserves of less _use of the of colony's of the the deferred to London. three times), Ghana Kong should a Labour that production of marcrials in the Present polic babwe shows all the the clabocrook the prosper sorts must on imperial expansion Wibson with Portuguese sucial democrat Soares of THIL the way that British capitalism balanced its trade deficits Zimsame ness of that the Labour Even government makes a big show of being the decolonisers of Rhodesia, but they have been unwilling to do so except in world workers circumstances which allow smooth transition from which British business interests can No The very existence of the Labour Party is based upon the existence of empire. Ironically it was economic strength based which for the cumpaign of Japanese - the interestional counter-revolution. gave the British working class movement the power it needed toset up its own political party. for But that imperial heritage has also marked the consciousparty indelibly. carly Brilish Marxists such as H.M. Hyndman were so marked with the idea of their aristocratic position within che movement that they supported British colonialism in the Boer War.
wonder then that anti imperialism played no party in the formation of the Labour Party. From the First War to Ireland to Zimbabwe Lahour has fallen in line with imperialist thinking Even party conferences tend to reserve their verbal radicalism matters ot less cirect importance to British capitalist, such as Latin America.
When revolutionary currents have emerged within the labour movement it has often beco as a result of their intransigent stand on international issues -Russian Vietnamese revolutions.
To do so on cach occasion required a total break with the foreign policies of the Labou Party. To consolidate revolu tionaries in the leadership of the working class will require breaking the Labour Party as a whole