anarchist w e e k ly
Vol• 35 No. 5 2 February, 1974
REPORTS FROM mining areas indi Certainly the miners' fight have resulteB — and these cate that their ballot will give is the fight of every other wor cculd be better organised and run by associations of indi- the National Union of Mineworkers' ker, but as in 1926 the leader- w executive authority to call a ship of the other trade unions viduais to help others by mut national strike. An opinion will only bring their members ual aid — but overall the poll by the television programme into active struggle if they State now has far more control "Veek End World" among miners have nc other option. They will over our lives. We believe resulted in a clear majority of in fact be more concerned about that men and women are capable .’84$ in favour of a strike, the effects of the miners' of co-operating together in i Since the start of the overtime strike on the jobs of their mem running their own lives, taking ban miners1 attitudes have har bers. Both the constitutionally decisions for mutual benefit dened towards the National Coal minded leadership of the trade without the interference cr in Board’s offer. The government's unions and the politicians of deed without the existence of stand could bring abcut a major all parties are well aware of the State. confrontation unsurpassed since the danger« of a general strike, The government and the rep % the General Strike of 1926. even i it -ere called offici ressive forces of the State will P Then as now, the national news al lv. In such a situation of do everything in their power to papers and politicians are class conflict workers might defeat the miners and therefore casting the clash as "insur start to take a revolutionary the whole of the working class. rectionary" and a challenge to path and realise that they can Workers can ensure that this the law and ccnstitutional create a free society where the does not happen by giving the authority. productive wealth of the count miners their active support by ry would be held in common and joining them in a general Hovever, what has happened is net owned, dominated and con strike. From this challenge to that Mr. Heath's stubborn stand trolled by the State and e min the State'^ authority and power has cut away the negotiating ority cf individuals. we of the working class can ground from the moderate leader start to take over our places ship of the N.U.M. The execu Our common humanity with our We can follow the ex- tive of the mineworkers' union brothers in the coa.l industry of work, our brothers in Russia have beeD forced into backing a demands the active support and ample of in Spain in 1936 and on strike of its membership. The solidarity of all workers of in 1917, a smaller scale in France in confrontation between the miners nand and brain. The struggle 1968 and create an ir^urrection and the government will sharpen is not just one of how much so that once and for all the the class struggle which could extra will be in the miners' State and the employing class and should lead to an all-out pay packets but one cf the can be removed from the stage of general strike. State control over these wages and conditions and the further history. Arthur Scargill, N.U.M. presi centralising and concentrating The authorities have prepared A I# / dent of the Yorkshire area,came of power. for this coming confrontation near to such a call when he and have larger stocks of coal said: "We shall expect that if Anarchists in the past have than they did in 1972. The pol ve take strike action the ten been prophetic in their acc ounts of how the State would ice are organising and have plans million workers of the T.U.C. c r > to combat flying and mass pick will give us their active sup encroach more and more on our lives. Some benefits might ets. The army will be standing port." L * f by if the civil forces o# rep ression ca.nnot cope, but the working class can win. p ^ % IQING THE INDECENT THING w w
ONE UNCONVENTIONAL reason for Perhe,ps - under tie circum hoping that the life cf this stances - the best government government - as they say - is (from an anarchist point of dra ing reacefully to its close- view) is that which governs *r. is that it will take with it worst. The Indecent Displays the Indecent Displays Bill Bill is admittedly badly writ which is flaunting its way ten, it contains no definition through Parliament. It is a, of indecency, it eliminates testimony to the obsolescence possibility of trial by jury on of the Parliamentary machine such cases as it includes in that there is no quick and its scope; also it makes no speedy way to pass through possible loophole in the law legislation which, whilst net for performances given to 'club' of the government’s choosing, members - either genuine or is not the kind of thing which spurious. Its results will be "NO LIGHT, NO HEAT, NO JOB AND the;/ care to devote time to or §■ + I i take absolute responsibility NO MONEY— AND SO NOW THEY WANT / Continued on Back Page Coj. l for. TO TELL ME WHO MURDERED KENNEDY P Police are enquiring into a claim that a 999 (emergency) FREEDOM PRESS call that a man was about to 84b WHITECHAPEL HIGH STREET The magazine Drugs and Society make a sucide jump from a crane LONDON Ei Phone 01-2479249 ceased publication. Among com was replied to with the advice ments was one by a consultant to ’’climb up and tap him on psychiatrist that MI suspect the finger-tips". Aldgute •ind'* rgrox*id sfiiion *** the fact that the magazine has Whitechapel Art Gallery exit and helped to keep the debate about Thursday (31st Jan.) the trial f u n rigut - Ai.gel Alley next to drugs on a factual and not un opens in Lisbon of three Portu Vimpy Bar. duly emotional level has contri guese writers, for 'obscenity'. The book in question, by three Lessons of the Spanisn Revolution buted to its commercial failure" V. Richards cloth £1.50 14.00 m — 1 ■ ■ ■■ ■■ ■ ~ ‘ ri a ■ ■ - - women, is a plea for the imp Dr. Richard Fox, of a Colches rovement of women’s status in paper £0.75 $2.00 ter menal hopsital, claimed Portugal. There will be read A B C of Anarchism. Alexander that admission had.dropped du- ings from the book at the Ins Berkman 25p post 4p ting the energy crisis, r He titute for Contemporary Arts, US 75c post free said, "The human organism we Nash House, The Mall, London About Anarchism. What Anarchists now possess has developed SWL on Friday 7 February, 8 pm Believe, Hov Anarchists Differ... through a variety of stressful with a collection for the Nicolas Welter I2’,p post 3p situations and I speculate that defence. US 40c post free we need stress and danger, *** Anar chi sm and Anarch o-Svndicalisr. which the crisis is providing. NEGOTIATIONS WITH WORKERS AT Rudolf Rocker 20p post 4p On the other hand, emigration THE LIP FACTORY ON A BASIS US 65c post free enquiries for New Zealand have AGREED BY THE WORKERS HAVE The State : Its Historic Role more than doubled. BEGUN AT DOLE. P. Kropotkin 20p post 4p *** *** US 65c post free Despite the assumed revolu List of other titles including A man of 21 was shot and killed 4 tionary potential of the Com by Spanish police after remark annual vols. Selections from munist Party their comrades in "V-eedon” 1954-64. back issues ing that he could not (as ord Poland, including the ex-miner ANARCHY 1961-70 &c. or. request. ered) go to the police station militant Comrade Gierek, are on Sunday; the police asked not showing much solidarity him to accompany them to head with the miners. Poland has quarters, he refused and was rejected a request by Bert shot. No mention was made of Ramelson of the British Commu this death in Spanish newspapers nist Party not to ship coal to or on radio or television. Britain during the dispute. There ware many lockouts, dis The Central Electricity Board missals and strikes and demon has a contract with the Polish strations in Spain. State Agency to buy 500,000 *** tons of coal by the end of In the twelve months since the March — and even in a ’Social BOOKSHOP OPEN Tues.-Fri. 2-6 pm ’cease-fire’ in Vietnam 1,000 ist' state business is business. (Thursday to 8.00 p.m.) Vietnamese were killed every Saturdays 10 a.m. — 4pm week. 59,845 men, women and Sancho Panza. children have been killed and a Any book not in stock but in similar number wounded. Of the print can be supplied. Please dead, 12,768 are South Vietnam add postage as in brackets. ese soldiers, 44,924 are N.L.F. Tolstoy: The Discovery of Peace and North Vietnamese, the PRESS FUND Ronald V. Sampson £3.50 (l9p) remainder peasants. (on Tolstoy and de Maistre, *** Stendhal, Herzen, Proudhon) Contributions 17 - 23 January Anarchism Today, ed. by David C. Apter & James Joll 75p (7p) LETTER WINTERTON: E.L.H. 50p; BROOK The Fine Tubes Strike. Tony LYN, N.Y.: 0.A. £4.23; COULSDON: Beck £0.45 (6p) M.C. 75p; ROCHDALE: D.C. 55u: SOVIET OPPRESSION *Rebel America : the story of LONDON SW7: D.L. £2.75; BELFAST: Social Revolt in the United H.M. 75p; EDINBURGH: I.S.S. 65p; States, Lillian Symes and Dear Editors, BURNABY, BC: J.Z. £1.25; SAN Travers Clement £1.75 (l9p) FRANCISCO: Gathering at house of I was glad to see two refer A.M. £22.73; SANDVOORT: H.G. *Paths in Utopia - Martin Buber ences in FREEDOM (vol. 35 no.3) £1.05; HALIFAX NS: P. & D.R. on Proudhon, Kropotkin, Landauer to oppression in USSR. Although 57p; ENFIELD: R.B. 25p; LONDON and others £1.05 (9p) I never met Chornovil, I spent NT73:*X.L. 25p; NEW YORK: Lib. Bk a most harrowing hour with his CLub per F.B. 50p; TROY, USA: Message of a Wise Kabouter. wife and sister at their small D.-W. £4.80; WOLVERHAMPTON: J.L. Roel van Duyan on Peter Krop house in Lvov - Chornovil was 40p; J.K.W. lOp; J. & R.H. 45p; otkin £0.15 (6p) away, by a bit of bad luck. BOLTON: D.P. £1.75; ABERDEEN: (reduced from 75p) Valentyn Moroz is another W.M.R. £1.75; BALHAM SW12: ^Society of the Spectacle. Guy victim. His sentence was 14 S.RJ1. £1.75; GUILDFORD: J.N. Debord £0.50 (7p) yearsl These two courageous £1; WESTON, Ont.: A.B. £7.80; Redruth Days : Whisper & Shout men were remembered with MANCHESTER: D.L. 37p; CASTLE No. 2, Poems by Dennis Gould £0.25 (3p) anguish at the Bukovsky vigil DOUGLAS: M .A. £1,75; CHALFONT (reviewed in FREEDOM 17.1.74) a few Sundays ago, where the ST. PETER: W.C. £6.75; LIVERPOOL company of two comrades was J.G. 37p; TADWORTH: N.W. 15p; FIRST ISSUE of FREEDOM - Oct. much appreciated. The struggle HARTFIELD: D.M. £2; LONDON 1886 - photocopies price "at for the release of political SE26: D.L.D. £1.75; NOTTINGHAM: least" 20p post free. prisoners and ’’patients" goes R.W.J. 25p. Walt Whitman/Anarchik Calendar on. ’20TAL £69.97 1974. 10P(3p) Trade terms bulk David Markham Prev. acknowledged £215.48 Working Group on the Intern TOTAL TO DATE £285.45 ment of Dissenters in Mental ^denotes title published in USA Hospitals, Please send SAE 9” x 4" for ful Lear Cottage, list of titles carried Coleman’s Hatch, Sussex. PAGE 2 It t!
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"A DOSE OF ELECTION WILL DO YOU GOOD. YOU MAY HAVE A SLIGHT ATTACK OF REVOLUTION." the organisation of meetings, demonstrations, etc. Eventually they made threats about possible DEALING WITH charges of conspiracy and incite The Daily Express recently in dustrial militants and left- ment. Interspersed in the formed its readers that the wing activists. The police activity is‘intended to serve 'threats were inquiries about Government had prepared a "Red whether I had printing facili List" of 100 industrial milit two purpose's: to gain fuller information about the organi ties, who were my political ants. (100 is a magical con associates, etc. There was al spiratorial figure, of course.) sation , resources and strength of left-wing groups, and also so a number of ludicrous lead The Daily Express ominously ing questions intended to secure warned us that the police were to try and intimidate political activists into inactivity. my admission to some kind of ready to "take rXtion" against criminal activity, any ind of these known agitators if there On the evening of 18 February criminal activity. I declined was an increase in industrial my home was visited by 2 detec to allow them to "step inside" unrest in the next few months. tives,— one of whom would not to discuss the matter and ref What this unspecified "action" reveal his name, presumably be used their kind offer of hospi would be was left to the read cause of his Special Branch tality in their car. Psycholo ers' imagination: internment connections. They inquiried in gically it was much better to camps; 3 a.m. knock on the a roundabout way about a leaflet keep them shivering on my door, perhaps? which had been published from doorstep! my address. The anonymous char Despite the melodramatic In the coming months we can style of the Express the re acter then pulled out a file with "restricted" stamped on it expect many more police att ports do appear to have been empts at harassment. A sur and flicked through what I rec based on fact. It is clear prise raid by the police can ognised as being other leaflets that the Home Office has sent temporarily disorientate and I had published and press cut out instructions to local pol intimidate anybody — that is ice forces to increase the sur- tings about my involvement in eillance and harassment of in PAGE 3 continued on Page 5 Column 3 LOUISE MICHEL was born in the chateau of Vroncourt, aged to escape. L-ter however she gave herself up a village in northeastern France, on May 29, 1830. to save her mother who the Versailles trccp>s had Her mother was a young servant, Marianne Michel. taken hostage in \er place. The identity of her father, though, remains a mys After a stay in the infamous prison camp at tery but it appears to have been either the owner Satcry, she was brought before the 6th council of of the chateau, Charles Etienne Demalin for whom war. The prosecution demanded the death sentence, she worked, or his son. but despite many brave witnesses speaking up for As a child she grew up in the cha'teau, with , her} including the mayors of Yioncourt a.nd AndeJon- ter mcther and M. and Mme. Demalin (who she knew court, she was sentenced cn 16 December, 1871 to as grandfather and giandmcther). She received a deportation for life in a fortified prison. (This liberal education frcir her grandfather, who had however vas commuted to just deportation in May been influenced very much by Voltaire and Saint- 1879 and then to 10 years banishment from France Just, and was also a convinced republican. At an in June of the same year.) After being detained early age she showed the rare selfless spirit that in the central prison of Auberive for 20 months was to dominate the rest of her life. She would Louise Michel embarked on the "Virginie" on 24 give the money her grandfather had given her (and 'August 1873, and a.ft-er a voyage of 4 months ar also money she stole from him) to all the poor rived in New' Caledonia. people around the village. Once settled, she started to teach the After studying at Chaumont she obtained her Caneques (natives of New Caledonia), despite much school teacher's diploma, but was unable to find disapproval from some Communard exiles, and ap work as she refused to swear an oath of allegiance plauded their revolt against- the- French in 1878. to the Empire of Napoleon III. Instead she star In 1879 she c-btaii ed permission to move to Noumea ted her own liberal school first at Andeloncourt, where she taught the children cf deportees, and in 1853, and then at Milleres in 1855. then in a girls’ school. In 1856 she moved to Paris, and taught in a She was later to write, in an article in Le girls' schccl at 14 rue Chateau d'eau. At this Libertaiie of 17 January 1896, "It was during my time Louise Michel started to become politically stay in New Caledonia that 1 became an anarchist." active, contributing to left wing newspapers, wri ting poems (in which she was encouraged by Victor Returning tc France in 1880 after the general Hugo, who in later years was to dedicate his fam amnesty for all those who had taken part in the ous poem "Vivo Major" to her), and going to meet Commune, she devoted the rest of her life tc the ings in republican clubs. It was at this time al anarchist movement. so she became friendly with Jules Valles, Eugene In July 1881 she took p-art in the Internat Varlin (a follower of Proudhon, he was one of the ional Anarchist Congress in London. Other dele French delegates to the First International), gates included Malatesta and. Kropotkin, with whom Rigault, Eudes and Thecphile Ferre, with whom she she became very friendly. It was at this congress fell in love. (Both Varlin and Rigault were to be that propaganda vas encouraged. beaten to death by Versailles troops after the de feat of the Ccmnune. Ferre, who formed the com On January 9, 1882 she received 15 days im mittee of public safety, was tried and executed prisonment for verbally assaulting a policeman during a demonstration on the anniversary of the In December 1869 she became one of the secre death of Blanqui. taries of the "Democratic Society for Moraliza- tion". The aim of thi - society was to help workiig She sp-oke on 9 March 1883 at an open air- class women produce home made goods and sell them, meeting of unemployed workers near the Invalides. rather than sell themselves. When the meeting was broken up by the police, Louise Michel and Emile Pouget, who carried a The following January, dressed as a man, a large black flag, led 500 demonstrators off in the dagger under her coat, she attended, with 100,000- direction of Eoulevard Saint-Germain. In rue des 200~0C0 Parisians, the funeral of Victor Noir* a Canettes, the demonstr a.tors, shouting "Bread, work journalist whe had been assassinated by Pierre cr lead," pillaged three 1 r-kers shops and distri Bonaparte. buted the bread amongst themselves. Then they In November 1870, during the siege of Paris marched off to Place Mautert, where they were at she was elected to the Republican Committee of tacked by the police. Pouget tried to hold the Vigilance of Women Citizens of the XVIII arrond- police back to allow Louise time to escape, but isemen!. At night she -ent to meetings, notably they were both arrested. They used the subsequen' the club of ."Fatherland in Danger". During the trial as much as they could for anarchist propa day she taught in her school at 24 rue Hondon ganda (as Kropotkin had done at the famous Lyons (which she bad founded in 1863), and organised a trial). Louise though vas given, six years solit canteen for her pupils. On the 18 March, 1871 ary confinement, for incitement to pillage, and Louise Michel took an active part in the success Pouget (his case being complicated because the ful attemp* to stop government troops removing police had feund anti-military leaflets in his guns from the Montmartre hill. Tills was the spon-, flat) was given eight years. They were beth freed taneous start of the Commune, which vas proclaimed cn 14 January 1886, after the intervention of cn March 28th. She was now intensely busy as pro Clemenceau. and Rochefort, though Louise had been pagandist, guard in the 61st battalion of national temporarily freed to go to the funeral of her guard?, and an ambulance driver. She was also an mother who died or. the 5th January 1884. active member of "La Revolulion" club, whese meet On the 3rd June, 1886 she spoke, with J. ings she often presided over, in the church of St. Guesde and P. Lafargue, at a meeting in support of Bernard de La Chapelle XVIII arr. As ever, pre striking miners at Decazeville. During the strike, occupied with education, she* many times udvocn*ed a much hated under-manager of the pit, called libertarian teaching methods, the foundation cf Vatrin, was lynched by the strikers. Still defend craft schools and secular orphanages. ing the miners, she received foui months imprison Always ready to defend the Social Revolution ment (with Guesde and Lafargue) for incitement to with a gun, she fought in the defence of Issy and murder. She was freed in the following November. Clamart, where she managed to rally many of the Ariested again on 30 April, 1890, she was re fleeing Communerders. With her detachment of vo leased after spending two months in prison. mer she defended the barricades of Montmartre, and firm'd her list shots behind the barricade of^Chaus- From 1890-95 Louise Michel lived in London see Clignancouit. Then with u few comrades man wThere she taught for a time at a libertarian school founded by French anarchists. Returning THE DEFENCE OF LOUISE MICHEL. to France she started on a long tour of conferences, first from 1893-1897 with Sebastien Faure and then from 1903-1904 with Ernest Girault. In 1898 she fought "I do not wish to defend myself. I do n in the defence of Dreyfus. fended. I belong completely to the social r*-volu»ioo. 1 I_declare that I accept complete r^sponsibi1itv for If we had to choose only two examples L m.y actions. I accept it completely and without res to show the courage and goodness of ervation..,! am told that I am an accomplice of the Louise Michel’s libertarian personality, mune. Certainly, yes, since the Commune waited rore than one would be the defence she addressed anything else the social revolution, and since th? social to Colonel Delaporte, president of the revolution is dearest of my desires...But whv should I 6th council of war on 16 December 1871: defend myself? I have already dec 1arod that I refuse to (to next column)-- ->■ do so. You are men who are coinv to ludffe met before me unmasked. You are men and I am only a worran9 and yet I look you in the eves. I know quite veil that everything I could sav will not make tl ___ to your sentence. So a single last word before I sit down._We never waited anything but the triumph of the great principles of the revolution. I svear it bv our martyrs who fell at Satorv. by our martyrs whom I loudly, and who one day will have their revenge. ’’Once more I belong to you Do with me what you pi Take my life if vou wish._ I am not the woman to ar with you for a moment... "I must be cut off from society. You have do so._Well, the Commissioner of the Republic is right• Since it seems that any heart which beats for freedom haa the right only to a lump of lead. I too claim mv share* If vou let me live. I shall never stop crying for revenge. and I shall avenge mv brothers, bv denouncing the murder- ers in the Commission of Pardons... MI have finished. If you are not cowards, kill me ! ” The second is a letter she wrote to the wife of a madman who tried to kill hex’ on 22 January 1888, at Le Havre: "Learning of your '^'-•■nair, I wish to reassure you that your husband was not responsible for his actions, and he should be returned to you as soon as possible. Neither my friends, my doctors, nor the press of Paris and Le Havre will stop campaigning until he is freed. And if we have to wait too long, I will come back to Le Havre, and this time my conference will have no other purpose than this measure of justice. All the town will be there."
LOUISE MICHEL died in Marseilles on the 10th January, 1905. Her body was brought back to Paris, where an innumerable crowd followed her coffin from the Gare de Lyons to the Levallier-J erret cemetery, where she was buried next to her mother. (Translated and adapted from La Rup by D . & D . P.)
SOUTH AFRICAN' TEXTILE YORKERS I joined the service 6? years ON ILLEGAL STRIKE SECURED VAGE ago I have been asking myself INCREASES OF UP TO 60p PER WEEK the question about why there is IN CAPE TOWN. a haircut regulation, and no *** body knows. I am still looking A squatter in Kentish Town ap for an answer, and I suppose Gloria Geortje, on remand on a peared at Marylebone Court af that is why I am here. Vhen a drugs charge, was sacked from ter the occupation of a London person becomes used to accept her course by the London Univ Electricity Board showroom; she ing and obeying regulations ersity School of Oriental and was an hour late but a warrant that he feels are morally wrong African Studies, before the was withdrawn. Nevertheless and he still accepts and obeys court had given its decision in the police appeared at her these orders, you come to the her case. She was placed, by house and at the Social Secur point where you will have inci the court, on probation. The ity office to serve the warrant. dents like the My Lai massacre where people were- ordered to Students’ Union of the School kill innocent citizens. The is demanding her re-instatement. THEIRS NOT TO REASON WHY *** bombings of South-East Asia would never have taken place if The two daughter os'Denys Val A United States Air Force serg peoplehad stopped and thought, Baker, the writer, were picked eant based at Alconbury, Hunt ’This is wrong, this is wrong, up by the po.lice in a Chelsea ingdonshire, faced a court mar I don’t care who told me to do house where the girls had gone tial for refusing to get his i t ”:" for tea with a friend. The hair cut to regulation length. police were on a drugs raid and Another airman was later chan find .ng a quantity, they arres ged with unlawful distribution . .. continued from P. 3 ted the girls (wno had none in of literature. Sergeant Pruitt their possession) and they were was sentenced to four months held for a while without any precisely what it is intended imprisonment, lost his stripes, to do. It is important that we contact with solicitor or fam was given a bad conduct dis ily (os usual). A^ter much de do not allow ourselves to be put charge and additionally was on the defensive when the situ lay they got bail conditional fined $150 a month for 4 months. on staying at home — Cornwall; ation demands an offensive thev worked in London. When He said he would appeal but against the State. he felt the court martial had the case came on they were YE WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED ! acquitted. been worthwhile. "I am still *** smiling," he said. "Ever since Terry Phillips I
lished in Social Service Appoint^* In the interim the Adoption ments he is described as ' a young Lobby has been exceptionally man in a hurry, who knows what he busy. Several public meetings wonts and how to get it". Father have been #hold with the help of a G.P., mother an Alderman, sister THE BIG CONa financial grant from the Dep a professional social worker. artment of Health and Social Adoption 1974 - Style Security: "Society's view that Prepared to listen to anyone not a child was his mother's proper happy with the Bill, hut saw ty was questionable” (Raissa danger from outside pressurebut PART TWO Page of the Association of Brit was not prepared to be the ser ON FRIDAY 9 November 1973, the ish Adoption Agencies, Edinburgh vant of any pressure group. He Secretary of State for Social October 1973). "Sometimes the said that he believed there was Services presented to Parliament anti-adoption lobby of unmarried a real need for ore-legislative the Houghton Report (proper name mothers seems to make a statement .comrittees able tc consult ex Report of the Departmental Com of claim to absolute ownership" perts in social matters. Such mittee on Adoption). (Editor of Child Adoption. Dec committees shovld be open to ad vice and information fion any Few MPs were present for the ember 1973). ■ ( source. On January when the debate, it being the day that About this time^Dr. Mia Kelmar article vent to presr, copies of many MPs play hookey. Pringle, Director of the National the printed Bill were still not Mr. Ronald Bell (Con., Bucks): Children's Bureau which is also available tc the public, although "I have always been worried ab state-aided, came out against draft copies were being circula biological parenthood: "We hold out the relaxation of matrimonial ted to selected people by the law because I have always believed the natural family too much in ABAA .• reverence and are often too slow that such a step would lead to $ more divorce and this is what it to cut a chili's ties with its This 52-clause Bill is inten has done...There are children with biological parents when this is ded to include the recommenda problems because people are pro needed for the child's sake... tions of the Houghton Report. It miscuous before marriage. That the sheer ignorance*of parents is net quite the same in every arpals- me" (Lecture "Are Parents respect; it suggests making it is why the problem exists today." A. 1 Necessary?", December 1973). very difficult for a single • M r. Bert Oram (East Ham): "I felt mother tc adopt her cwn child impelled to take part in this de Then came the case of Marie" (fer instance tc make him a mem bate because my wife and I are Colwell, one of a family of 7 ber cf her own family); it sug the happy parents - happy adopt whose father died when she was gests that there be a Children's ive parents - of two vigorously a baby. After spending some Advccate who would represent happy boys." years .;ith a relative as a fos children independently cf all M-r. Peter Archer: "The fact re ter child her mother reclaimed other interests (perticularly mains that children are not a her and after an unsatisfactory the parents'). The Government species of propert. This is not period of living with her mother has said it will not oppose the the kind of situation where the and stepfather, uas killed by passage of the Bill. So Sir Keith manufacturer has an unqualified the stepfather. The social wor Joseph has managed to appear to right to the product." ker in the case believed that keep his hands clean so far. the situation was working well. Mr. Peter Hardy (Rother Valley):- After the enquiry, it was clear The most controversial aspect "I take part in this debate as a that the general opinion was of the Bill is the clause which consumer rather than as producer, that even social workers could gives Local Authorities an extra since my wife and I have adopted not be trusted to do the State's power - to assume parental rights a child... Children who a few dirty work and legislation was for any child who has been in years ago would have been placed needed for children's interests