NENNI TELEGRAPHERS NOT RISKING EXPULSION

Grey River Argus, 6 May 1948, Page 5

NENNI TELEGRAPHERS NOT RISKING EXPULSION

LONDON, May 4 The Secretary or State for War (Mr E. Shinwell) when he was speaking in Glasgow said: "On the eve of the Italian elections busy little people went round collecting signatures to send best wishes to tne Nenni Socialists in Italy, who had joined with the Communist," Mr Shinwell said. “They knew what they were doing. They wanted to sabotage the foreign policy of the Government which they were returned to support. They wanted to see Italy go the way of 'Rumania and Czechoslovakia.” Mr Shinwell said: “We will not stand any nonsense from people who violate the party decisions. If you are going to run a party, even the Communist Party, you must accept majority decisions. I understand that even in Russia they accept majority decisions. “They talk about a purge in the Labour Party. A purge in the Labour Party in this country is chicken feed alongside the kind of purge that would happen in Soviet Russia if they had Mr Platts-Mills. who violated majority decisions. These so-called •rebels, these so-called revolutionaries, these wretched renegades, are destroying the working classes.” Several of the 21 Labour members of Parliament who sent the Nenni telegram have commented sharply on Mr Attlee’s criticism of them in his May Day speech. Mr Emrys Hughes reminded Mr Attlee that he was not Stalin. ' , Mr lan Mikardo occused Mr Attlee of trying to set workers of one country against workers of another. Mr S. O. Davies claimed that he was acting under pressure from the American Embassy. It is believed however, that practical! all will prefer compliance to expulsion from the Labour Party. Mr Attlee did not spare them in hL speech.