What's so bad about the Soviet Union?

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Ex-KGB chief Andropov IN YOUR pamphlet 'Where We Stand' you say "A secondary reason why the labour movement has been unable to change society is the horrible example of 'socialism' in the USSR and Eastern Europe. " But also 'The nationalised economy created on the strength of the 1917 Revolution still remains and is still worth defending. But socialism means a workers' revolution in East and West."

Exactly what is so horrible? Where is the defence of the economy? And where is your international solidarity with the Soviet workers?

Communism is a very real threat to Western capitalists CND — a rival focus of the left? and anti-Sovietism has long been a part of their propaganda. We are conditioned to regard the USSR as wholly evil and dangerous. The presentation is purely emotional. Factual information is suppressed - except for emotive 'facts' about bureaucrats, dissidents and submarines.

This negative emotional reaction to the USSR is extended to communists generally. communis for a ret candidate was probably forcibly reminded of this - "I'm not voting for a communist" was a frequent reaction but it wasn't policies but the emotive label attached by our beloved pressgangsters that people reacted against.

Unfortunately the left also seem caught in the trap of emotional reaction to the USSR. This is dangerous and counterproductive. Anti-communist propaganda will soon be used by Thatcher et al to justify vicious attacks on left activists and it is not the real nature of the USSR but the horrible emotional image of it that is the barrier to winning people to socialism.

I'm not suggesting an uncritical attitude to the USSR, just a rational, analytical one - dare I say a Marxist dialectical one! Marx and Engels learnt from the Campaign the women's Fightback Movement To4 Women's Righty Tories are a di Tory andire New issue 10p plus postage from 10b Landseer Rd, I = - 1 174A 6IN HOpuoT successes and failures of the Paris Commune. We must learn from subsequent experiences of socialism in action. We can only do that on the basis of facts rather than emotional rhetoric. the Tory press tells us nothing, Soviet Weekly is 'poisoned' (Stan Crooke, Writeback, SO 134), Trotsky's 'Revolution Betrayed' is excellent but what is happening now?

It's all very well calling for a workers' revolution in East and West but how can we expect Soviet workers to take up the challenge when they see themselves as part of the system -attacked by both left and right in the West?

Their reaction is bound to be defensive, to protect what is after all "worth defending" rather than challenge the system and risk exposing weakness to hostile forces and ending up further from commynism rathe than nearer to it.

If we are serious about winning people to socialism we must have constructive, factual analysis, admit our mistakes, learn from them and build a real and practical solidarity with Soviet workers.

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