Initiation and initiative : an exploration of the life and ideas of Dimitrije Mitrinović

POLITICAL INITIATIVES 127

change was indivisible as a process from individual self-change and both regarded the conscious initiative of an active minority as indispensable to this process. The New Britain Movement, for Mitrinovic, was essentially a means of communicating a new vision and world-view to as wide a range of individuals as possible, to individuals who would then try to translate their newly found insights into the realm of everyday practice in the home, the community and at work. As he had written in New Britain Weekly, “from the New Birth in singles depends the era which is in front of us.”® By establishing new kinds of relationships with those with whom they came in contact the New Britons would act as the leaven in the dough of society, through their example and their deeds transforming the very basis of societythe realm of everyday life. The new society would thus grow and evolve gradually from the grass-roots upwards.

In such a scheme there was little or no place for a mass political party with card carrying members who met once a year at annual conference to endorse their elected leaders; with executive officers who would undoubtedly develop into a self-perpetuating élite, making decisions and pronouncements on behalf of the less able followers on issues that had been decided by the ‘tyranny’ of the majority vote. This refusal of the founder members of the central group to accept that decisions should be reached by conventional democratic means created a great deal of confusion and anger amongst those who, like Purdom, wished to transform the movement into a political party. A conference of group representatives was held at Rugby on Sunday, November 19th 1933 to discuss the issue of the draft constitution that had been drawn up by certain members of the London groups. It was reported in New Britain Weekly that “the frankness of speech and success in reaching a common understanding showed a high degree of realisation of the spirit and purpose of New Britain.” It was, however, agreed that “the question of constitution was premature” but that those who had been involved in drawing up the draft should form themselves into a Provisional National Council with the responsibility of drafting a final document.®? Headquarters of this Provisional National Council were established at 3 Gordon Square, London and the members returned to further conferences at Rugby (December 17th 1933), Birmingham (January 1934) and London (February 25th 1934) in their search for agreement on a formal statement of the aims, objects, and organisational form of the movement. On each occasion they were frustrated by the founder members who, fighting to retain guardianship of the direction of the movement, refused to countenance voting on such issues. David Davies, at the London meeting, argued strongly that “the sole authority for all matters relating to aims, policy, literature and organisation must be