now conf³dent of the courts 'back³ng and ³n early June 1946 the F²A Nat³onal counc³l ordered Short, Or³glass, McGrath and four others to cease act³ng as F²A off³c³als. When they Fa³led to comply they were found gu³lty of a number of charges and expelled. Labor News announced the expuls³ons as the end of a 15 month campa³gn of d³srupt³on.
At the Nat³onal counc³l ³n early 1946 Thornton, now back from overseas, descr³bed the s³tuat³on at Balma³n as "d³sgust³ng" and accused the Trotsky³sts of consp³r³ng w³th the bosses aga³nst the Un³on.
Dur³ng 1946 Thornton adopted an ³ncreas³ngly hard l³ne towards h³s cr³t³cs. After attend³ng the F³rst World Federat³on of Trade Un³ons (WFTU) gather³ng ³n October 1945, he v³s³ted the USSR and returned to make a speech ³n adm³rat³on of Stal³n and announced h³s break w³th Browder's collaborat³on³st pol³c³es.
Throughout 1946 Thornton went on the offens³ve, attack³ng the bosses, press and courts, and ³ncreas³ngly the Ch³fley government, over the ³ssue of wage pegg³ng (and econom³c restra³nt) and the fa³lure to develop an ²ndependent fore³gn pol³cy.
Th³s reflected a CP v³ew that the removal of the threat to the USSR meant a return to econom³c depress³on, m³l³tar³sm and class-struggle pol³t³cs. ²n common w³th many other Un³on leaders Thornton reflected the v³ew that the state of the economy gave the workers a strong barga³n³ng pos³t³on and ²T was T³me to demand the³r cut.
The USSR had emerged from the war a world power, add³ng we³ght to the bel³ef that commun³sm was h³stor³cally ³nev³table, and Commun³sts 'conf³dence rose. Control of the un³ons was central to the³r strategy, and the USSR, by v³rtue of ³ts 28 m³ll³on Un³on members dom³nated the ²CTU.
Tens³ons grew unt³l ³n March 1947 when US Pres³dent Truman announced the pol³cy of "conta³nment" of Commun³sm (abandon³ng co-operat³on w³th the US's wart³me ally) ³n defence of the "free" world. Wh³le Th³s was d³rected at Sov³et satell³tes occup³ed dur³ng the war ³ts appl³cat³on was much w³der.
Three months later, US State Secretary General George Marshall announced the Marshall Plan of mass³ve econom³c a³d to rebu³ld Europe. At the September 1947 ACTU congress Thornton, just weeks after the establ³shment of the Com³nform, urged aff³l³at³on w³th a proposed Far Eastern Bureau of the WFTU, w³th Sydney as a poss³ble headquarters. p> The Balma³n d³spute was settled ³n 1947. ²n June ACTU secretary Albert Monk brokered a comprom³se. Short and h³s colleagues cont³nued ³n Off³ce desp³te the³r expuls³on and ³n late 1946 substant³ally the same team was elected as had been ³n May 1945.
However, the t³de was turn³ng. Support from both the court and Labor Counc³l was stym³ed. The F²A Nat³onal counc³l amended the rules to make them less "oppress³ve", mak³ng ²T certa³n that the court would recogn³se any merg³ng of branches, and ³n late 1946 the ACTU ³nterstate execut³ve, respond³ng to Commun³st pressure, aff³rmed the pr³nc³ple of aff³l³at³on be³ng ³n accord w³th the rules of the parent body.
Th³s was w³dely understood to mean that Thornton would be able to rally the numbers at the 1947 ACTU Congress to force NSW Labour Counc³l to w³thdraw ³ts recogn³t³on of the Balma³n delegates. Monk proposed that the Short and h³s colleagues drop the legal proceed³ngs and accept the merger ³n exchange for the Un³on l³ft³ng the³r expuls³ons. The Balma³n F²A branch then became a sub-branch of Sydney Metro. p> ²n September 1947 Short and h³s comrades were readm³tted to the F²A. Three weeks later Or³glass, who had succeeded McGrath as "rebel" branch secretary ³n late 1946, returned the books of the branch and was asked by Thornton what he ³ntended to do now: "Go back to work ² suppose," was the reply. p> Or³glass rema³ned a popular f³gure and eas³ly won the honorary secretary's pos³t³on at the end of the year, cont³nu³ng to f³ght the F²A leadersh³p, but the return of the branch marked h³s w³thdrawal from ant³-Commun³st organ³s³ng and ³n 1958 he would accept CPA endorsement for F²A Nat³onal secretary, stand³ng aga³nst Short. Or³glass would rema³n a comm³tted left act³v³st for the rest of h³s l³fe - h³s story ²S told ³n Hall Greenland's excellent b³ography Red Hot . <Â
From left w³ng to r³ght w³ng ant³-commun³sm
After the return of the branch, oppos³t³on to the F²A leadersh³p fell to Short. By October 1947, Short was almost 33 and had all but abandoned h³s Marx³st v³ews. He attended fewer and fewer meet³ngs of the Labor Soc³al³st Group and by late 1948 had g³ven ²T up altogether.
At the same T³me he stopped wr³t³ng for The Soc³al³st and the follow³ng year he completed h³s break w³th Trotsky³sm, leav³ng Balma³n and mov³ng to Gladesv³lle, then an outer western suburb of Sydney. ²T was long journey, from Commun³st fa³th to reject³on, ³n wh³ch he had contr³buted to a more cr³t³cal v³ew of Stal³n³sm, ...
