NEW CRUSADE OF DEMOCRACY
Absolute Union States Its Case
UNIQUE MEETING AT CLAPHAM AROUSES CURIOSITY

It may have been the time at which it was held; it may have been that people are just not interested in political meetings - even super-political meetings. Whatever the cause, Fire Over Europe, the mass meeting organised by the Absolute Union of Democracy at St. Mary's Hall, Clapham, on Friday, was not exactly massive.

St. Mary's Hall has a seating capacity of several hundred. On Friday it held barely fifty people, and even they seemed prompted as much by curiosity as by enthusiasm for the A.U.D.

The Absolute Union is a comparatively new organisation, and it finds the path of pioneers is hard.

As it was, Fire over Europe just needed a packed hall to make the proceedings truly impressive.

A background to the platform had as a dominating feature the symbol of the Union - a white sword on a scarlet shield, symbol, too of the Crusaders. The device was also prominently displayed round the hall. The motto is: "Total union; total war; and total democracy." Fire over Europe was dedicated to a great democrat and a man of high principle, Abraham Lincoln. Much was made of his famous words declaring "Government of the people, by the people, for the people." There were recordings on a gramaphone of speeches by Lloyd George in the Queen's Hall in September, 1914; by Mr. Churchill in 1918 and 1940; of Mr. Neville Chamberlain at Munich and Heston; and also the ravings of Adolf Hitler.

Fire over Europe was in fact a review in words and pictures of the period 1914-1942 - the last war; the rise of Mussolini and Hitler; the Italian attack on Abyssinia; the German rape of Austria; the fall of Czecho Slovakia; Hitler's "No more territorial demands to make upon Europe"; and then the declaration of the present war. Recordings made at the time of the Battle of Britain gave a realistic touch to that phrase in the struggle - the sound of aero engines and machine gun fire seeming to be overheard in the skies above Clapham.

This dramatic presentation ended with a reminder of the Russians desperately defending Stalingrad, the Japs menacing Siberia, and the U.S.S.R. waiting for a blow to be struck at Hitler's Western Front.

It was Mr. Richard Tathan [sic, Tatham] (general secretary of the South London Region of the Union) who explained the implications of Fire over Europe. The A.U.D. describes itself as a super-political organisation, and Mr. Tathan declared that it has within its ranks people of all parties. Only by unity could anything be achieved, he said.

Mentioning the fact that the religious bodies of Steatham had got together, Mr. Tathan commented: "If religious bodies can do that, so can political bodies."

The A.U.D. did not wish to stop people holding their own beliefs - it wanted total unity which could bring about total democracy.

Total democracy did not mean men standing in dole queues, kiddies starving, or insecurity. What, then, was total democracy? He described it as both economic and political democracy.

A great misunderstanding had been cleared away, he went on, and the Russian and Western democracies were seeing a lot of things they had not seen before.

"It is clear," said Mr. Tathan, "that we have one-half of the new world in this country and one-half in Russia. Russia has got economic democracy, we have got political democracy here. If put together, then surely haven't you got just that kind of new world that everybody is waiting for?"

It would not be achieved by squabbling or party differences.

"People have been so busy in the past sorting differences among themselves that agreements were passed to one side," observed Mr. Tathan. "There is nothing on this earth which a determined nucleus of people cannot achieve."

And what was the answer of Youth to the problem of the world?

"This is the answer: 'From here we will go on. We do not care how many setbacks - we are determined to go through with this."

Mr. Frank Stone came to the point of what the Union is going to do in Clapham.

"We have been here a matter of a few weeks," he said, "and compared with any other political organisation, the number of members we have rallied round our banner is considerable. But for a super-political organisation - which this is - the results are only mediocre. Why? Because throughout the land there is a terrible apathy. This apathy seeps into every corner and crack. It seeps into every organisation, and we see it even among those people who committed themselves in support of the cause for which we stand. But with a little faith we can spread rapidly in this borough. We must increase our membership, and increase it rapidly."

But his next statement roused dissent. "The fact you are here shows you are in agreement," he said. This declaration immediately brought forth a series of "Noes." Mr. Stone was undaunted, however. He put his point in another way: -

"You stand for the defeat of Fascism. To that extent we are united. Can we agree that, in order to defeat Fascism, we must fight a total war? All nations must unite as one great force and strike at the Axis - with all their might, with equality of sacrifice."

QUESTION TIME
To Mr. Harold Walesbury [sic, Walsby] (Regional Organiser for South London) fell the lot of answering questions.

Do you seriously suggest Russia is a democracy?
To this Mr. Walesbury replied that there was a form of democracy distinguished as economic democracy.

Is there a government of the people, by the people, for the people in Britain?
Mr. Walesbury declared that government was something more than sitting at Westminster, although so often thought of as such. Government was something in which everybody could take part, and Britain had got political democracy.

Why don't you try to get rid of the political truce? Do you expect a Union of Conservatives - who would be in the majority - to agree to the abolition of unemployment and other things put forward?
Mr. Walesbury described the A.U.D. as anti-Parliamentary, instead advocating a Supreme Council with representatives of all parties, and a non-party chairman. Branches of the Union were carried on in this way, and he thought that answered the second question.

Total union is totalitarian?
"Yes, I would say we are totalitarians," replied Mr. Walesbury. "We want in this country a total and complete democracy, and not a half-baked one."

FINDING THE WINNER
Mr. Walesbury was asked one last question. It was given in jest, but his reply was prompt.

"Do you know Saturday's winner?" was the query - to the laughter of the audience.

"The vast majority of people are more interested in the vain struggle to 'find the winner' than they are in political matters, and I think a great deal of the evils that exist to-day can be traced to the apathy and disinterest of the majority of people in their communal welfare."