Happy Birthday To The Communist Party Of Australia

[petersj]

Today 5th November 2010 marks the 90th birthday of the Australian Communist party.

Regardless of your political leanings there is no doubt the movement was once huge and hundreds of great Australians were part of it including artists and writers such as Frank Hardy. The New Theatre movement was very strong. I was happy to work with Dorothy Thompson one of Melbourne's most loyal members. Dot frequently went to the USSR and although she was quite different to me politically as she was a Stalinist she was a brilliant theatre director. A difficult obstinate but incredibly astute intellectual.

The Australian Communist party split mainly because of Stalin who most rejected for obvious reasons.

While the Communist party is over the left is alive and well.

In my opinion Communism was a great idea but generally unworkable. Socialism however has sound elements of practicality.

It is an old saying... if you are young and do do not belong to the left you have no heart but if you are older and have not moved to the right you have no sense.

Well not sure but my own left leanings are much more Green and moderate these days but the grand old dream is still alive in many old timers.

[petersj]

I doubt this will be a very popular thread here but as its a Melbourne site I thought it appropriate as Melbourne was a strong hold of the party.

Great achievments in the glorious history of our great unions!

Of course other important members of the party were famous Australian writers Katherine Susanah Pritchard, Eric Lambert and the great Aussie icon Alan Marshall. The poet David Martin and artists such as Noel Counihan. The Communist party was the first organisation to take up the cause of aboriginal rights and a stand against the rise of Nazism. Menzies tried to ban the party but it grew proudly and flourished. It has a long proud history and although ideologies change and evolve the party will always have a significant place in our history.

Happy birthday comrades!

[glen]

Well after being in China twice now I can sympathise better with some of the communist ideals. But as you said, it is hard to make it work in practice.



I would have thought that there is a Melbourne Communist Party or a Victorian Communist Party but all seem to be able to find is an Australia wide one.



http://www.cpa.org.au/

[petersj]

[quote name='glen' timestamp='1289133215' post='30851']

Well after being in China twice now I can sympathise better with some of the communist ideals. But as you said, it is hard to make it work in practice.



I would have thought that there is a Melbourne Communist Party or a Victorian Communist Party but all seem to be able to find is an Australia wide one.



[url="http://www.cpa.org.au/"]http://www.cpa.org.au/[/url]

[/quote]



Glen in its pure form Communism has never actually been tried. Yes certainly aspects of it were practiced in countries like China and USSR but the reality is that these were military regimes. I once heard it argued that man is too greedy for Lenins and Marx ideals to work,

Glen I look forward to reading more about China.

May I say thank you for allowing me to post my tribute to the Communist party, it is now basically defunct although democratic socialism is certainly growing which is a very very good thing. We see the enormous swing to the Greens (and growing) which is the party I am a very proud member of. Personally I would like the Greens to go further to the left.

There was a time when I could not even contribute a post like this. I have never been a communist but like you see great merit in aspects of it.

It is so refreshing that you have taken an interest in what I am saying so few young people are interested in Australia's rich and vibrant history.

The other Peter who has very very different politics than me is a delight because he proves that with maturity one can have friendly discussions without resorting to name calling. Good on Peter! Wish more pollies acted like Peter.

[petersj]

Of course the major reason I could never be a Communist is because in many ways I support a free market economy however I also believe in nationalisation of health and education and other essential services. The privatisation experiment has failed and both major parties are to blame for this.

Privatisation has failed to deliver in its promises of better and cheaper service as well as job creation.

A socialist democracy with the best elements of capitalism seems the option I believe in. This is pretty much what we in the Greens believe also.

[glen]

hi peter, you always have something interesting to say! and always say it with courtesy and good intentions. can't ask for more than that!



cheers, glen