Well - Read your Orwell.

"Homage to Catalonia" - It presents the Communists in, shall we say, an unflattering mode. But accuratley. !

Now in "1984" and my God that is a long time ago, politically, there is that buetifull Cameo.

The scean is 'Airstrip 1' aka the British Isles.

A mass rally, There were 3 parties to the War Oceania, Pacifica, and I forget the other one, lets call it Europenica ( Perhaps someone will correct me - I haven't time to hut down my copy of 1984 tonite)

The venue " A mass rally - Agitprop of course. The speakers are ranting away about the evils of one of the participents - Pacifica ??

A note is passed to the main speaker - He/She reads it, and without breaking the thread of the polemics discovers that the alliance has changed - Pacifica is now an ally, Europenica is now our enemy. The Posters are torn down from the walls, they must have been put there by 'Anti Party Elements' etc.

Now, I am told, by reliable sources (Familly), this was satiring the 1941 Communist Party of Great Brittain conference which was held in July 1941.

Up till that point the CPGB line was that it was a 'capitalist war'- Workers of the World Unite etc.

Harry Pollitt (

qv the DT, it's in there) was speaking. And following the Party Line. (It was the 26th of July, though I am open to correction as to the exact date of Barbarrossa ???)

A note is passed to him, basically reading "Hitler has invaded Russia".

Fair play to Harry. It did not take him more than a second to change his tune.

The war was "Just" "Defend the Workers rights", - 'Second Front now' was not long comming.

Thats the funny bit. Orwell ( real name Eric Blair ) had no illusions.

For myself, well call me a fellow traveller, I have no doubts as to the murderous regime Uncle Joe ran, I also wonder, if under the circumstances, Lenin or Trotsky would have done any worse/different.

The fact remains if it was not been for the sacrifices of the Red Army, and the productive capacity and generosity of the US of A there would be no debate this day about the Euro - we would be using Reichmarks.

And if you want to read a really frightening book try 'Deightons "SS-GB"', or 'Harris's "Fatherland"'

Gareth

"Joe Stalin wasn't stalling,
When he met the beast of Berlin..."