Des Warren re-examines Shrewsbury betrayal

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In the wake of the 1972 national building workers' pay strike under the Heath government came a major frame-up trial against 24 flying pickets, who were charged under the conspiracy laws. and allowed the Tory courts to victimise the Shrewsbury 24'-of whom Des Warren and Warren, a Communist Party member, was subjected in jail to a total solitary confinement, and to savage drug therapy which on one His doctor is on record as saying that Warren's symptoms of 'Parkinsonism' are caused by treatment received while in prison. Warren has now put out a second edition of his pamphlet on the Shrewsbury frame-up. Entitled 'Shrewsbury: Whose conspiracy?' it is published (40p plus 17p p&p) by the Here Warren talks to Socialist Press about the lessons he draws from his experiences.

Chunuchury nrotestors march past law courts Why have pamphiet on you re-issued your the Shrewsbury The first 5,000 copies were sold out and now with the Tory attacks on the trade unions. l thought a re-issue was relevant.

The whole experience of the Shrewsbury frame-up and subsequent cover-up must have provided the Tories with valuable lessons, particularly the treachery of the trade union and labour leaders.

How do you think they will use those lessons in the proposed Employment Bill? Will the conspiracy laws feature prominently!

I don't altogether agree with that, because the union leaders' treachery has been established since 1926. There is a lot more contact between these right wing trade union leaders and the Tories than most people think What: 1 think the Tories learnt was how the movement would react, the rank and file mainly. The lessons that the Torics will have learnt from Shrewshan i develse remin all to the extent that it understands capitalist democracy and the preparations they are making to really batter us. This has gone over the heads of the movement -take the recent arrest of some Welsh lads under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

They were just questioned and released, yet they were described as 'terrorists".

These are the lessons: they are making preparations if it territic rate, and there is a mass of information even in the capitalist press, but our people don't seem to be able to see the wood for the trees.

In the introduction to the nerv issue of your pamphlet you say that: a) the TUC have refused you permission to study their files on Shrewsbury in connection with your private prosecution against the Home Office:

Mb) that UCATT, your own union, have refused you access to information concerning Shrewsbury and:

Gc) that the Communist Party leadership, among other things, refused you an examination by Party doctors upon your release, refused to print (or help in any way) your pamphlet, and suppressed an article giving details about drugs abuse used against you whilst in prison.

Do you think the CP :acted and are acting in collusion with these right wing forces?

I wouldn't say there collusion between the. CP the right wing, I think it's the way they operate.

To take the first. point. My solicitor approached the TUC information on my Home Office prosecution and they said they have a 30 year ban on information.

We went backwards and forwards and they finally allowed us to study certain files-providing we didn't divulge the information.

As far as my union was concerned, a ref orter who's helping me to write a book on Shrewsbury was gi ven access to certain files but not others-the union leaders (saying they were personal UJCATT property.

You see, the TUC and the CP all go along the same lines, even though the CP were pressing the 'TUC to do this, that and the other. They still follow the same reformiist policies and when you was and Just "I THEYTIME YOU M THE gritty, the TUC never talk about smashing the capitalist system and the CP seems to follow the same line. The CP don't call for the downfall of the capitalist system, it's always based on reforming the system.

The British Road to Socialism is a bleeding fairy tale; when you look at what the British ruling class are prepared to do, who can believe they are going to allow us to stroll down the British Road to Socialism?

They're going to batter. us and I believe we've got to be armed with as much informatinn as possible.

«THEY WILLISE I think if the CP were honest they would put everything in relation to Shrewsbury before the people and say this is what really happened and at the same time say "But we still believe in the peaceful road to socialism."

i could accept their view, but when they cover up and hide certain facts that contradict their line, that's being dishonest, this is what sticks in my craw. This question of the drugs, you mention. Jim Arnison wrote an article and the CP suppressed it. The Sunday Times didn't suppress it-they made it headline news!

Why is it the Sunday Times can put something on their front page that the Morning Star won't touch?

of eight months in occasion left him res As to this question of collusion, you mentioned the TUC, the CP and the trade union leaders. I see them all moving along the same line.

I don't see them as three separate organisations.

You have stated in your pamphlet that the treatment you are receiving at the hands of the CP flows from a peaceful road to socialism perspective-essentially that a tortured class war prisoner is a living proof of the bankruptcy of such a strategy. Are there other CP members HIC involved, looking at it this way?

Well you must know yourself there is a lot of controversy going on.

I've been accused by some people of attacking the CP. But what are they saying? That we should all be in agreement and pat each other on the back?

We're only going to get at the truth of the situation if we discuss everything, everything the capitalists get up to. This information should be made available to the movement so they can draw their own conclusions from it.

In my case, in my experience the CP have turned a blind eye to certain aspects of the Shrewsbury case, and the only conclusion I can draw from that is that anything which contradicts the British Road to Socialism or casts any doubt on its validity they just sweep under the carpet. This is very dangerous. It might make the people who drew up the British Road to Socialism feel like smart fellows by hiding the facts from the (right) and Tomlinson arriving at court movement but it's a very dangerous thing to do.

We have to get all the facts and say look, things are not going the way we thought they would, we have to revise this.

But the most important thing for me is not to prove the CP wrong or some other party right but to present the whole movement with the facts. There was a time when 'I wouldn't have done this interview, but I've changed. The WRP have printed my pamphlet and this is an indication of my immediate aims.

NOW AVAILABLE Labour movement bulletin on Ireland with background articles on witch, hunts in Oxford and Tameside. 25p including p&p from SL, BM Box 5277 London WC1V 6XX.

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A labour movement No 3 March 1980 bulletin on IRELAND 10p

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