The Communist Party of Australia was the only such party in the world, past or present, that has a formal endorsement from its people to legally exist. If we were such a pack of Stalinists as claimed by some then it must be the political maturity of the Australian people that is suspect.
The 1951 referendum to change the Constitution to allow for the banning of the Party showed the truth of Joseph Furphy's claim (in 'Such is Life') of the temper and bias of Australians as being offensively democratic.
At the beginning of the campaign we were veritable dead ducks. The political tipsters in their wisdom, or lack thereof, had us long odds on to get done. Everything seemed stacked against us. What changed?
A major factor was the decision of the ALP to oppose a YES vote. What defeated the Right Wing, who supported Menzies, was the work of the Communists in the Labour Movement. We won the ideological struggle because of our ground work on the job, in the factories, the unions, the localities and in the ALP itself.
This was based on the need to not only defend the right of the CPA to exist as a legitimate and influential part of the political spectrum, but the need to save the democratic rights of all. We defended bourgeois as well as proletarian democracy. Piss weak for real 'Stalinists'.
AND WE WON. Or more correctly, the Australian people did.
In South Sydney we had teams of speakers who hammered our policy, morning, noon and night. One group was Ernie Honeyman from the Eveleigh Railway Loco workshops, George Splayford, Party organiser and myself, at that time also working in the Railways. The last three weeks were plagued by rain. Despite this we did fifty one street meetings in that period. We kept count.
In the localities our style was to start under a street light, leave one to carry on while the other two started another meeting. Again one would carry on alone and the other would then take up position under another light until we reassembled. And so on. Sometimes we seemed to be addressing nobody. Some times a few. Occasionally a number.
Our fiftieth meeting was at Newtown Bridge, famous for its free speech fighting history. We decided about nine o'clock on one last throw. Around to a cul de sac where, scarcely able to croak (no loudspeakers - all this was done raw), George introduced me and I started.
A mixed group of about six were on their balcony. A truck lumbers up and is parked a few metres away. Three or four suited gents get out and set up a large loudspeaker apparatus almost alongside us and one of their number launches into a spiel.
It was the Liberals. They drowned us out completely. While we were discussing whether to try and do something about them or give it away, down from the balcony comes three workers. I thought, maybe this is it. They've had a gutful of the disturbance to their evening and come to send us all packing.
But they walked straight past, to the other group. Then one spoke.
"Look here, you arseholes. This mob were here first and they're talking a lot of sense. This still happens to be a democratic country. At least for now. So, three things are likely to happen. First, we are going to smash your loud speakers. Then we turn your truck over. Then I'm going to take that flash microphone stand and shove it down your throat until it comes out your arse."
Pause.
"Unless you fuck off."
And they did. And quick.
THAT's how we won and why we got drunk the next night and a day or two after as the results came through.
The 1951 referendum to change the Constitution to allow for the banning of the Party showed the truth of Joseph Furphy's claim (in 'Such is Life') of the temper and bias of Australians as being offensively democratic.
At the beginning of the campaign we were veritable dead ducks. The political tipsters in their wisdom, or lack thereof, had us long odds on to get done. Everything seemed stacked against us. What changed?
A major factor was the decision of the ALP to oppose a YES vote. What defeated the Right Wing, who supported Menzies, was the work of the Communists in the Labour Movement. We won the ideological struggle because of our ground work on the job, in the factories, the unions, the localities and in the ALP itself.
This was based on the need to not only defend the right of the CPA to exist as a legitimate and influential part of the political spectrum, but the need to save the democratic rights of all. We defended bourgeois as well as proletarian democracy. Piss weak for real 'Stalinists'.
AND WE WON. Or more correctly, the Australian people did.
In South Sydney we had teams of speakers who hammered our policy, morning, noon and night. One group was Ernie Honeyman from the Eveleigh Railway Loco workshops, George Splayford, Party organiser and myself, at that time also working in the Railways. The last three weeks were plagued by rain. Despite this we did fifty one street meetings in that period. We kept count.
In the localities our style was to start under a street light, leave one to carry on while the other two started another meeting. Again one would carry on alone and the other would then take up position under another light until we reassembled. And so on. Sometimes we seemed to be addressing nobody. Some times a few. Occasionally a number.
Our fiftieth meeting was at Newtown Bridge, famous for its free speech fighting history. We decided about nine o'clock on one last throw. Around to a cul de sac where, scarcely able to croak (no loudspeakers - all this was done raw), George introduced me and I started.
A mixed group of about six were on their balcony. A truck lumbers up and is parked a few metres away. Three or four suited gents get out and set up a large loudspeaker apparatus almost alongside us and one of their number launches into a spiel.
It was the Liberals. They drowned us out completely. While we were discussing whether to try and do something about them or give it away, down from the balcony comes three workers. I thought, maybe this is it. They've had a gutful of the disturbance to their evening and come to send us all packing.
But they walked straight past, to the other group. Then one spoke.
"Look here, you arseholes. This mob were here first and they're talking a lot of sense. This still happens to be a democratic country. At least for now. So, three things are likely to happen. First, we are going to smash your loud speakers. Then we turn your truck over. Then I'm going to take that flash microphone stand and shove it down your throat until it comes out your arse."
Pause.
"Unless you fuck off."
And they did. And quick.
THAT's how we won and why we got drunk the next night and a day or two after as the results came through.
