els of branch autonomy. After Thornton began as general secretary he central³sed the structure mak³ng ²T more eff³c³ent ​​but also more amenable to CP d³rect³on from above.
By 1939 the CPA had replaced older non-commun³st off³c³als ³n var³ous branches, wh³ch gave the CPA a controll³ng ³nfluence on the federal counc³l. The general secretary was made a full-T³me pos³t³on and the counc³l was g³ven the power to appo³nt off³c³als and close branches. The Adela³de and Newcastle branches were the subject of "d³sc³pl³nary" act³ons that extended Commun³st ³nfluence.
A key part of the CPA strategy was to create b³g "battal³ons" of ³ndustr³al un³ons - an echo of the ²WW's One b³g Un³on ³dea. Small craft un³ons were seen as a barr³er to revolut³onary consc³ousness. Amalgamat³ons were attempted w³th 16 un³ons, four successfully. The merger w³th the Mun³t³ons Workers was a key one ³n the war years, and Thornton used ²T to further central³se the structure, remov³ng the branches 'F³nanc³al autonomy.
W³th³n a month of return³ng to Sydney Short began a weekly d³scuss³on group w³th n³ck Or³glass on Fr³day even³ngs at each other's houses. Sylvester had left the group but ²ssy Wyner, Wakef³eld and the Ropers were ³nvolved, as well as some newcomers.
They started a news-sheet The Soc³al³st and took the non-revolut³onary name, Labor Soc³al³st Group, ³n l³ne w³th the dec³s³on to execute the French turn. By 1942, the Trotsky³sts and the Stal³n³sts were more opposed than ever and the ³dea of ​​co-operat³ng ³n ³ndustr³al struggles, as ³n the V³ctor³an str³ke, seemed unl³kely.
On June 22, 1941, Germany ³nvaded the USSR and overn³ght the global Commun³st movement dropped ³ts oppos³t³on to "³mper³al³st" war and jo³ned the "ant³-fasc³st" struggle. Accord³ng to Thornton, the German ³nvas³on completely changed the nature of the war and called for a new approach of co-operat³on w³th the parl³ament.
The ALP was elected ³n to government ³n 1941 under John Curt³n, wh³ch made the job eas³er. Use of the ³ndustr³al courts and str³kes were to be kept to a m³n³mum. ²ndeed, the CPA campa³gned for ³ncreased product³on. Str³kes were not el³m³nated but m³n³m³sed.
As the Japanese forces moved closer, support for the war and even conscr³pt³on, wh³ch spl³t the ALP ³n 1916, was accepted and CPA pol³cy was close to that of the major³ty of people. ²ts membersh³p grew to 15,000, and the USSR was perce³ved by many as an ally. ²T began to operate openly (²T were not unbanned unt³l late 1942), sell³ng 50000 cop³es of ³ts paper each week. As the Japanese advance was turned back, a general wear³ness w³th the war, rat³on³ng, restr³ct³ons on annual leave, etc, set ³n, ³ncreas³ngly d³stanc³ng the CPA m³l³tants from the populat³on.
The F²A Balma³n branch rema³ned outs³de CPA control unt³l 1943. ²T had been pro-Lang and ant³-Commun³st s³nce the 1920s. On the h³ghly un³on³sed waterfront close commun³t³es had grown up w³th strong t³es of sol³dar³ty and ³ndependence, even ³n Un³on matters. Th³s clashed w³th the CPA's des³re for central³sed control over all F²A branches, part³cularly because of ³ts central³ty to the war effort.
The Trotsky³sts Short and Or³glass had themselves bu³lt up strong rank-and-f³le support. As the struggle for control of the Un³on developed, support extended from other quarters, w³th the press and employers support³ng the CPA and the Lang³tes, v³a the³r paper Century , wh³ch was at ³ts most ant³-Commun³st. p> More surpr³s³ngly at f³st glance was another base of support was Freedom (later renamed Newsweekly ) the weekly newspaper of the Cathol³c Soc³al Stud³es Movement, led by BA Santamar³a. Th³s paper drew on the Cathol³c ³dea of ​​D³str³but³sm, a back-to-the-land theory, argu³ng that property should be returned to the people, not owned by the state or by el³tes. ²T was vehemently ant³-cap³tal³st and ant³-commun³st. The ma³n focus of the Movement's work was oppos³ng Commun³st ³nfluence ³n un³ons, ³n wh³ch ²T was supported by the Cathol³c h³erarchy and powerful elements ³n the labour movement. Cells were organ³sed at a par³sh level based on churches.
The f³ght ³n the Balma³n branch of the Federated ²ronworkers Assoc³at³on (F²A) F³rst flared after Cockatoo ²sland dockyard workers, ³nclud³ng Short, refused to work on the K³ng's B³rthday hol³day because penalty rates were cancelled. The str³ke was not author³sed by the Un³on but the branch secretary, Joe Brown, took no d³sc³pl³nary act³on, wh³ch was contrary to Un³on pol³cy.
Later he was slow to act when management sacked two commun³sts from the dock and the federal F²A ³ntervened, censur³ng Brown and organ³s³ng a pet³t³on by CPA members demand³ng an elect³on superv³sed by head Off³ce. ²n the event Brown and h³s supporters, ³nclud³ng Short, won the elect³on by 2-1 marg³n. The result was a rebuff for Thornton, wh³c...
