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  Issue No 24 Official Organ of LaborNet 30 July 1999  

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Review

The Split that Changed a Nation

By Rowan Cahill

A new book looks at the Cold War ALP split that redefined politics in this country.

The Split is a term synonymous with the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Cold War. The term does not refer to a single event. Rather it encompasses a long, complex, intense, political and sectarian struggle within the party.

The roots of the Split were in the late 1930s with concern over increasing communist influence in the Australian trade union movement. During the 1940s ALP activists variously organised unofficially and officially to combat this influence; their actions increasingly generated tensions and schisms within the ALP. The soul of this anti-communism was a puritanical Catholicism, and the Catholic Social Studies Movement organised by B. A. Santamaria.

The culmination of The Split was the division after 1954 when a significant number of activists, mainly Catholic anti-communists, left the ALP by expulsion or choice, and formed the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), first in New South Wales and later nationally.

By damaging the party's electoral base and single minded opposition, the DLP kept the ALP off the Federal government benches until 1972. At a personal level The Split had all the elements of tragedy, complete with family divisions, and bitter irreconcilable animosities between former friends. In many respects it was a civil war without guns.

The Great Labour Movement Split in New South Wales: Inside Stories is a welcome contribution to a sizeable body of scholarly comment and analysis. Published by the Sydney Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History, the title pretty well says it all. The book centres on the recollections of eight NSW Split participants; Ed Campion, Kevin Davis, Arthur Geitzelt, Bob Gould, Jack Heffernan, Jim Macken, Jack McPhillips, and Laurie Short.

Originating as a 1994 Labour History conference, the book retains a conferency aura: there's a question and answer section which reveals ongoing ideological and interpretational differences, highlighting the complexity of The Split; and an interesting paper on ALP factional conflict by former practitioner, historian Rod Cavalier.

For me there are two outstanding contributions. The Catholic priest and author Ed Campion examines the appeal of organised anti-communism to youthful Catholic idealists, 1951-1954. He portrays a heady mix of clandestine excitement, great purpose, and intellectual adventure. It is a similar mix that drew other people into the Communist Party during the same period.

The other notable contribution is by Sydney bookseller and long time left activist Bob Gould. In a delightful autobiographical sketch Gould details his youthful development, shaped by the politics of Jack Lang, Catholicism, Marxism, and the fight against the forces that split the ALP.

Overall, the book is a well designed, readable, moderately price contribution to our understanding of The Split. On these counts it warrants support. I am biased towards the book because it is not published by a professional publisher. Increasingly, it seems to me, this do-it -yourself option is the way to go for small run, worthy, niche publications seeking to make scholarly contributions.

A Review of Great Labour Movement Split in New South Wales: Inside Stories. Bradon Ellem (ed), Australian Society for the Study Of Labour History Sydney Branch, Sydney, 1998, pb. rrp: $15. (Copies may be purchased from the Sydney Branch or the author at HO3, Department of Industrial Relations, University of Sydney, NSW 2006)

Rowan Cahill is a labour historian based in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.


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*   Issue 24 contents

In this issue
Features
*  Interview: The Man in the Hot Seat
WorkCover general manger John Grayson cut his teeth in the trade union movement. Now he�s trying to save the state�s workers compensation scheme.
*
*  Unions: Turning Up The Heat: Bush Fire Officers Seek Award Justice
"We want an award for the job that we do, not the job other people want us to do". Donald Bushby, and his fellow Fire Control Officers, know what they want. It's simple: an award for FCO's and deputy FCO's, an award that recognises who they are, the job they do, the pressures they have to live with.
*
*  International: The Virtual Labour Congress
International trade unions are launching an online debate on Labour in the 21th century.
*
*  Legal: The Source of the Issue
Recent legal developments place the spotlight on the outsourcing of government activities.
*
*  Review: The Split that Changed a Nation
A new book looks at the Cold War ALP split that redefined politics in this country.
*
*  Labour Review: What's New at the Information Centre
Read the latest issue of Labour Review, Labor Council's resource for unionists.
*
*  Satire: Man Takes Home Pay - More Pokies Needed
The NSW government has expressed concern following the release of a second report by the Productivity Commission which shows that a majority of employed people still spend their pay on luxury items such as food and clothing for their family.
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News
»  Sixty Cents A Week to Protect Entitlements
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»  Workers Comp � The Rorts Have to Stop
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»  Steggles Roasted Over Family-Busting Policies
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»  Youth Worker Death Prompts Safety Fears
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»  Rail Security Guards Miss Danger Spots
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»  New South Coast Labor Body Seeks Recognition
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»  Howard Ministers, Employment Advocate in the Dock
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»  Management Vandals Take to Sydney Water
*
»  Boston Fiddles While Teachers Burn
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»  Lundy to Star in Workers Online Net Night
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»  STOP PRESS - Firefighters Seek End To Safety Apartheid
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Columns
»  Guest Report
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»  Sport
*
»  Trades Hall
*
»  Piers Watch
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Letters to the editor
»  Snag�s Filmsy Evidence
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»  Amnesty Acts on Timor
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»  Cash in Transit
*
»  Second Wave Action Hits North Vic
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»  Compo: Tips from the Dark Side
*

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