Labour Heritage AGM  and Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of Indian Independence

The AGM of Labour Heritage was held in the Fenner Brockway Room, Conway Hall on Saturday 17^th March.

This year the theme was the commemoration of the 60^th anniversary of Indian independence.

Stan Newens, Chair of Labour Heritage introduced the topic by saying the fight against colonialism had deep roots in the labour movement. The Levellers in the 17^th Century had opposed the conquest of Ireland. Tom Paine had campaigned for American independence. In the 19^th century the movement had campaigned for an end to the slave trade and the Independent Labour Party had campaigned against colonialism. The League against Imperialism was active in the 1930s, under the inspiration of Fenner Brockway.

The first speaker was Tony Benn who began by saying that Fenner Brockway had always been a source of inspiration for him. His father had been appointed Secretary of State for India by Ramsay MacDonald who was Prime Minister in the 1929/1931 Labour Government. He tried to arrange a Round Table Conference to discuss Dominion Status for Indian but Gandhi and the Indian National Congress insisted on conditions that the Vice-Roy of India would not accept. This meeting did however take place later and Winston Churchill who was bitterly opposed to Indian independence complained that  Mr Gandhi “ a seditious middle temple lawyer, now posing as a fakir of a type well known in the east” was seen “striding half naked up the steps of the vice regal palace, while he is still conducting a defiant campaign of civil disobedience, to parley on equal terms with the representative of the king-emperor.”

Gandhi was also famous for saying that he thought that British civilisation would be “a good idea”.

In the 18^th century India produced 18% of the world’s manufactured goods, Britain only 1%. Within a century this position had been reversed.

Tony speaks of how the campaign for Indian independence and the Left joined together in the India League.

Indian independence in 1947 was an inspiration for other colonies. It marked the end of Britain as an imperial power. The days when 20% of the world was ruled from London were gone.  The Suez crisis again confirmed this fact. The role of world imperialist has now been taken over by the United States.

The second speaker was Neelam Srivastava, a lecturer on post colonial Indian literature at Newcastle upon Tyne. She spoke of the non-violent traditions of the Gandhian movement. The tactics of the movement had included a boycott of British goods which was begun in 1905. This had been a problem for British governments. The Non-Cooperation Movement was set up in 1919 as a movement of civil disobedience against British rule. The boycott was against foreign titles, goods and schools. Gandhi promoted Indian industry including domestic home spinning. In this he was supported by Indian industrialists. He advocated boycotting British imposed taxes including the infamous salt tax. He led a march to the coast to show the British that the Indians could collect their own salt.

Gandhi opposed any violence including from supporters of Indian independence. The Non Cooperation Movement was suspended after an attack on a police station. Violence was seen as part of European imperialism. But he also disliked modernity – he saw law, politics and medicine and education as concepts imposed by imperialism in contrast to traditional Indian civilisation.

He was against the modern state and favoured small communities. He rejected human passions and became celibate and a vegetarian. This assertion of cultural values was mirrored by some of the Irish nationalists in the 1930s in their campaign for home rule. By the 1940s Gandhi was seen as an eccentric  by other Indian nationalists such as Nehru who favoured a centralised state, state planning and industrialization

The third speaker was Sajid Ali Khan, a past World Affairs editor, and a former member of Chatham House. He spoke on Jinna and Subhas Chandra Bose and the role of the Indian National Army. This army comprised Indian prisoners of war captured by the Japanese. This had an impact during the Second World War. He believed that Gandhi alone was not responsible for Indian independence. The British could not hold India. President Roosevelt had played a role as he had wanted to see the end of the British Empire. India was now two nations – defined by a mistaken view of the past and hatred of neighbours.

The meeting was attended by a representative from the Indian High Commission and one person who addressed the meeting who had actually been in prison with Gandhi.

There was a discussion on partition and who was responsible. Tony Benn did not believe that Lord Mountbatten had wanted partition and believed that Jinnah was to blame. Neelam said that the way that the British had ruled India, encouraging citizens to register themselves as Hindus or Muslims in a way that they had not considered themselves before had created the conditions for partition.  Also there was a question of the policy of the Indian National Congress in creating a centralised state, instead of a loose federation.

There was a discussion on why there was less violence in India than in other colonies at the time of independence. One reason was the Gandhian influence. But also there were no settlers as in French Algeria. In addition the role of the Labour Government in 1947 which had resolved to give India its independence, was very important. This had been the long standing policy of the Labour Party.

Labour Heritage members held a short AGM at the start of the afternoon.

It had been an active year for Labour Heritage, holding two events in Essex and Chiswick as well as the AGM. Labour’s centenary year had been the theme for these events. It had been involved with the publication of a pamphlet on Bill Miller, written by Jonathan Wood and two bulletins had been produced.

The National Committee had met three times since the last AGM.

The following officers were elected –

 Chair Stan Newens

Secretary Maureen Colledge

Treasurer John Grigg

Bulletin editor Barbara Humphries 

In addition Bill Bolland, Kit Snape, Stephen Bird and Alan Spence were elected to the National Committee