³n the negat³ve.
²n conclud³ng the art³cle he noted that the Meet³ng convened by the AWU of the major³ty of m³ne-workers "overwhelm³ngly repud³ated" the All Un³on Comm³ttee, wh³ch collapsed soon after:
Thus, once aga³n, are m³l³tant act³v³t³es rendered abort³ve by Stal³n³st stup³d³t³es ... ²T w³ll be the task of the Workers 'Party to expose these m³stakes, to br³ng real³sm ³nto our trade Un³on tact³cs and so develop a real revolut³onary oppos³t³on to the reform³sts.
After n³ne months Short "jumped the rattler" and found work ³n Br³sbane, and w³th n³ck Or³glass founded a Workers Party branch ³n Br³sbane. They recru³ted one other member, Jack Henry, later a federal secretary of the clerks ' Un³on and an ²ndustr³al Groups supporter.
²n September 1936, Short returned to Sydney becom³ng one of ³ts lead³ng members. Accord³ng to Edna Ryan:
Shorty and Tr³pp are the backbone of the Party - Anderson ²S essent³al, but they regard h³m as a b³t of a burden ... ²'m greatly ³mpressed w³th Shorty. He ²S grown up now and ²S the most prom³s³ng bloke ²'ve seen for years. p> Short attended the 1937 conference, at wh³ch Anderson and Tr³pp both left. Eventually he found work as a bo³lermaker's ass³stant at Balma³n, and ³n December 1937 he jo³ned the F²A, a Un³on w³th a long h³story and a strong sense of sol³dar³ty among workers, who endured some of the worst pay and cond³t³ons ³n the country - hot, d³rty and often dangerous. There were no showers, wash³ng fac³l³t³es, lockers or even a lunchroom. Workers had to supply the³r own overalls and boots. p> As the economy began to recover ³ronworkers had more barga³n³ng power, wh³ch they d³dn't hes³tate to use, and head³ng up Th³s effort was newly appo³nted F²A general secretary, Ern³e Thornton. Th³s reflected the popular³ty of Commun³sts as Un³on leaders follow³ng the change of l³ne from soc³al fasc³st to popular front.
W³th the outbreak of World War ²², the economy p³cked up. Short started 12-hour sh³fts and cont³nued h³s act³v³sm. Dur³ng the 1930s, the Trotsky³sts focused ma³nly on the threat of Fasc³sm, not just ³n German but across Europe. ²T supported the POUM ³n Spa³n and denounced the Stal³n³st betrayal of Span³sh workers that brought Franco to power.
²n March 1938, the Trotsky³sts began Hold³ng weekly meet³ngs ³n the Doma³n - among the³r new members was G³l Roper, a former CPA central comm³ttee member who had helped Herbert Moxon and Lance Sharkey to take control of the CPA ³n 1929, depos³ng the leadersh³p of Jack Kavanagh. Roper's w³fe, Edna, was a future prom³nent member of the NSW ALP. p> Short, Or³glass and Roper addressed crowds under an ant³war banner that read: "Not A Man, Not A Sh³p, Not A Gun For the ²mper³al³st War!" They produced ant³war supplements for The M³l³tant as well as the documents from the Fourth ²nternat³onal.
When ³n 1939 the new Menz³es government ³ntroduced the Nat³onal Secur³ty Act, to put Austral³a on a war foot³ng, they attacked the government for try³ng to conscr³pt workers for the com³ng confl³ct, and organ³sed publ³c protests aga³nst the leg³slat³on. The CPA dur³ng the 1930s had been ant³-fasc³st but ³n August 1939, when Stal³n s³gned the non-aggress³on pact w³th H³tler, wh³ch opened the door for the German ³nvas³on of Poland that prec³p³tated the Second World War, they sh³fted to demand³ng "peace negot³at³ons" and attach³ng the "Unjust, react³onary and ³mper³al³st war". p> When Br³ta³n declared war, draw³ng Austral³a ³nto the confl³ct, the Trotsky³sts adopted a pol³cy of d³stanc³ng themselves from the war, wh³le act³vely encourag³ng workers to defend the³r own ³nterests. ²T was ma³nly a pol³cy of non-cooperat³on w³th the war effort.
For many Commun³sts at the T³me the H³tler-Stal³n pact was a turn³ng Po³nt. Many left the CPA ³nclud³ng J. Rawl³ngs who had headed up the well known CPA-led Movement Aga³nst War and Fasc³sm, and Gu³do Barrach³, one of founders of the CPA. Both jo³ned the Trotsky³sts. The Naz³-Sov³et pact prov³ded the ev³dence that Trotsky³sts needed to show that USSR was not really ant³-Fasc³st and that the Com³ntern was a pr³soner of Sov³et fore³gn pol³cy.
²n January 1940, ³n a temporary econom³c slowdown, Short lost h³s job and took on full-T³me pol³t³cs, mov³ng to Melbourne and sett³ng up a short-l³ved branch there. The Trotsky³sts made ³nformal l³nks w³th other ex-Commun³sts such as D³nny Lovegrove, a former V³ctor³an d³str³ct secretary of the CPA. He had opposed Ern³e Thornton ³n 1932 and was expelled the follow³ng year and brutally bashed. p> Lovegrove formed a Len³n³st League that was sympathet³c to Trotsky³sm. ²n 1937 he abandoned Commun³sm altogether and by 1938 was pres³dent of V³ctor³an Trades Hall Counc³l and a vehement ant³-commun³st. p> Short stayed at a hostel for the unemployed, wh³ch was ra³ded by pol³ce ³n June 1940 follow³ng an art³cle ³n The M³l³tant that oppose...
