THE formation of the Communist Party of Great Britain’s Ellesmere Port branch in 1963 marked a recovery in CPGB membership after the 1956 Hungarian uprising and Nikita Khrushchev’s denunciation of Stalin. Deep divisions in the party led to a loss of 20 per cent of the membership.

The questions around the USSR’s action in Hungary had led to a widespread debate and steps to more open discussions at meetings and in print (including the Daily Worker), the setting up of the discussion journal Marxism Today on socialism in Britain and abroad.

At the heart of the debate was the party’s adherence to democratic centralism which was scrutinised in a debate and special party congress on “inner-party democracy.”

The Ellesmere Port branch’s formation came with the election of the Harold Wilson Labour government with Barbara Castle as minister of labour and the introduction of productivity agreements in industry.

We had a stimulating mix of branch members, with Alan Abrahams, a Ucatt building workers’ convener on large building sites, Ronnie and Joyce White, with them a tanker driver, along with a teacher, a postman, a car worker and council workers, plus barber Maurice Jones.

About 30 members spread the word and put the case for socialism, without hiding our communist credentials, leafleting on the topical subjects of the day, explaining, as we saw it, the answer to the problems of the town and its people.

We held open meetings under our communist banner at the Grosvenor pub and included friends and willing fellow travellers who shared our political beliefs. This continued until the landlord acted on customers’ murmurings and said that, sorry, we would have to go.

We transferred to the Grace Arms where the landlord welcomed us. We ended our nights by singing a song (On a Clear Day You Can See Forever) before he heaved us out.

The Liverpool folk artist Pete McGovern featured frequently. I organised a folk concert in 1967 at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall which seats 2,200. The audience was thin, however, with Pete inviting all the audience to move to the front!

The bill that night was topped by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, the most famous folk singers at the time with Willie Russell, the now-famous playwright of Educating Rita and Blood Brothers. On the night over 1,000 people were marshalled by McGovern, who created a decent atmosphere. We covered the cost of the hall and little else. For the record, Willie Russell was paid £8. MacColl and Seeger (after realising our plight) forwent their fee.

The night ended for me in a last-minute dash across the stage and to the front to thank everyone, which was highlighted by me knocking over a glass of water and spraying the front row.

A communist candidate in local elections

In 1965 I stood for the Communist Party in the Ellesmere Port council elections being the first communist ever to do so. This news appeared on the front and inner pages — with a picture — in the local Pioneer and Advertiser newspapers.

The Pioneer’s front page carried my picture proclaiming a councillor’s duty “to protect the services of the people without burdening them with ruinous debts.” Inside was “the communist view” and “the case for socialism.” These are not often seen in print these days and certainly not in regional or local newspaper form aimed at ordinary citizens.

I proposed “a real socialist policy,” to solve the issues of the day and outlined practical and progressive policies.

“In seeking election as a communist candidate I am trying to show that there is a real alternative to Conservative and Labour policies.

“It is a real socialist policy, I make no apologies for the politics involved. Local government is more and more tied up with what happens nationally. The days of the country squires are long gone.”

I pointed out that the main obstacle to getting improved amenities was the vast sum — £377,000 — which was four-fifths of the money taken in rents paid by the people of the town.

My solution to this problem — as per Communist Party policy — was to borrow from the public loans board at 2 per cent. This was something the government would have had to sanction. To find the money from elsewhere I suggested cutting defence spending.

“Given the resources the town could be developed in a different way with much better facilities on the estates, the town centre, places for entertainment and relaxation. These then are some of the problems we face and I have tried to show some of the answers as I see them.”

A handsome election address, front page, had my details and the party’s aims. On the back, we revealed the amount of money Shell made per employee in a year. I’m not sure, given Shell’s influence locally, if this helped me much in the employment stakes.

The Stanlow ward’s 2,600 electorate lived in 1,500 council houses and private, but working-class, homes. The branch fielded about 10 of its members and stood in the ward where I lived.

The Port’s Labour Party was not happy. Then the TUC rules allowed individual trades councils to ban communists as a “disruptive force” from their ranks. The Port’s trades council had no such ban. The Labour Party members on the trades council succeeded in forcing a vote to reintroduce the ban so as to exclude me! And they did. It was nine years before the ban was lifted.

Communist Party members and branches worked assiduously on local issues and kept standing in local elections but with very few council seats won and none to Parliament.

On Merseyside in council and parliamentary constituencies (Roger O’Hara in Toxteth), one seat was won in Birkenhead after 13 years of campaigning. Unfortunately, under the pressure of the council chamber and dealing with a case of travelling people, his socialist principles deserted him and he voted for eviction.

I was active locally through the trades council and our estate’s Wolverhan Welfare Committee which staged dances at the Port’s civic hall featuring local Merseybeat bands. One band called The Beatles played for a fiver a gig.

While on the election trail, I upped the ante taking on complaints of the tenants and residents with some success. My biggest success was a footpath through houses on our estate which lessened the journey to town by a mile.

In canvassing, my opening gambit was simply: “I am Roy Jones, the communist candidate for the Stanlow,” to which most people responded quite civilly. While the subject of discussion was initially local, the cold war mentality meant Russia was never far away. But now and then someone would show an interest in communism.

Illusions grew when a vote was promised and was followed by another in the same street. Any such illusions disappeared as the vote was counted in the civic hall.

A comrade joined me at the count where we knew quickly we had not done well. The result revealed that Roy Jones, the communist candidate’s, vote was 33! Now I can reveal for the first time that in the high excitement I had spoiled my own ballot paper or it could have been 34. The Labour vote was 1,800.

Manifesto Press is proud to bring extracts from this valuable text to Morning Star readers, part three of which will be in next Saturday’s paper, along with a special discounted offer in advance of the book’s publication. Remember 30 per cent of the cover price goes direct to the Morning Star.