Reaching through the Iron Curtain

7 November 2009

In the pages of the Kremlin’s secret diary, Pavel Stroilov discovers what Labour’s Soviet sympathisers said when they thought no one was listening

And this is about a T&G reception on the eve of 1980 Labour conference in Blackpool (6 October): ‘Jenny Little even looks pretty, but she is really too skinny. She tried to seat me down next to Callaghan, but he bypassed me as if I was a column. She herself was embarrassed.’

On the whole, however, the communist infiltration of the T&G is hardly a joking matter: its influence in the Labour party was substantial. The decision to give Gordon Brown his first and only safe seat, Dunfermline East, was made by two T&G officials: Hugh Wyper, the regional boss and a Communist Party member, and Alec Kitson. This is not exceptional. Neil Kinnock, Tony Blair, Margaret Beckett, Harriet Harman, John Reid — to name just a few — were all T&G people who made their Labour party careers thanks to the union’s backing. And at that time, of course, T&G political backing was within the gift of Alec Kitson. Chernyaev only saw part of the story however. Other documents, still secret, show Labour’s Soviet relationships ran still deeper.

Additional reporting by Dasha Afanasieva.

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Jez

November 5th, 2009 1:39pm Report this comment

I went to the final Labour party rally in Leeds Town hall in 1987. An old trade unionist at the end of my street got me a ticket.

The pull of my local football team, combined with a sh*t school and then eventually the acid-house revolution totally obliterated any persuit whatsoever in regard to Labour politics, soon afterwards.

Let's face facts; would anyone like to end up like the f*ckwits running the country right now? Hopefully not.

The point is this; I saw with my own eyes Hattersley with his fist clenched in the air calling everyone 'comrade' through out his speech. Kinnock did the same.

To me it was very impressive for a 14 year old.

The things is though, nailed on, these people are (past and present) Marxists / Careerists (or both) of the highest order in my opinion.

At least back then they didn't try to hide it as much.

KindnessofWomen

November 5th, 2009 4:40pm Report this comment

There was no British general election in 1973, as the article suggests. There were two in 1974 though, in February and then in October.

Noa Zrk

November 5th, 2009 7:01pm Report this comment

We need to remember this took place during the Cold war. Even on the limited information available here many of these people should have been tried for treason. In the USSR they would have been sent to the Gulags or shot.

Peter From Maidstone

November 6th, 2009 9:40am Report this comment

I hope the Spectator will be doing some more digging. How do we know the the present Labour leadership is not still communist? Though in a 21st century, Armani suited manner. How do we know that they do not still hold to the ambitions of their youthful communist pasts and have successfully implemented a plan to socialise and centralise our society?