Smear of the Year

For some time now it has been evident that many 'radicals' on campus have been fishing around for something to which they can anchor their anti-Trotskyism. And guess what some of them have finally dredged up? That 'Great Patriotic Leader', 'Father of all the Peoples', dear old Joe Stalin himself. Or, should I say, that mastermind at frame-up trials, that expert at re-writing history, that counter-revolutionary giant whose policies were responsible for the miscarriage of revolutions all over the world... that imminent Grave-digger of Revolutions !

Just three or four years ago Stalin and Stalinism were anathema to virtually all those people who had radicalised during the 1960's. And justifiably so. Few would dare to 'justify' the invasion of Czechoslovakia 1968, their repression against dissedents in the USSR, and the right-wing role of the Staliist French Communist Party in the revolt of May 1968.

It appears, however, that a tiny group of Wellington radicals are beginning to re-think their position towards Stalin. Exhibit one; The reply written by Donald and Peter Franks to George Fyson's article "Why the Vietnamese had to make Concessions" in the May 30. issue of Salient (here they protest at Fyson's 'smearing' Stalin and defend the French CP's role in relation to IndoChina 1947-48.) Exhibit two: Peter Wilson's statement to me a couple of weeks ago that Trotsky 'underestimated' or 'ignored' the peasantry in his theoretical writings, and that he was 'wrong on every major question' — two classic Stalinist positions. Exhibit three: The picture of Stalin in the Salient window (in replace (sic) of the infamous 'ice-pick'.) Exhibit four: The way some radicals who are influenced by Maoism defend China's role during the struggle in Bangla Desh; and Nixon's trip to China at a time when he was escalating the Indochina war to new heights.

While I would draw back at this time from claiming that these discernible trends represent a full-blown flight into the Stalinist camp, I would nevertheless like to draw readers' attention to the signs. They point to what could prove to be a 'major' turn on the part of some of the radicals on this campus. And if that is the case, 'comrades', you are going from bad to worse. You are setting out on a truly treacherous path.