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

128 LIFE AND IDEAS OF MITRINOVIC

obtained by agreement and that decisions by voting belong to Old Britain and must be scrapped.”

In a statement issued after the London conference representatives from some of the provincial groups gave vent to their anger and disenchantment.

The founders of the New Britain Alliance have consistently failed to inform any of these Conferences in specific terms of their position on or of their claims to authority within the Alliance . . . So far as we Provincial Groups are concerned there is little doubt that the Founders knew perfectly well all the time what was their attitude to the Alliance. They would not permit any authority to pass to a National Council elected by the Groups, nor would they allow an elected Committee to decide the principles of Aims and Policy.

This attitude is perfectly consistent providing that they “put their cards on the table” and not refrain from witholding from the members the true position.

The authors of this statement concluded that the “dictatorial attitude” adopted by the founders meant that it was pointless to continue with the efforts to reach an agreement on the nature and form of the movement. This view was reiterated by a member of the Sheffield group who, in a letter to Watson Thomson, explored the nature of the division within the movement as he saw It.

Do not think that we underestimate your religious or spiritual ideals. As a result of close contact with some of the members we now realise what you mean by New Britain, it is not easy to explain but it is the feeling of unity to be obtained by working mutually together for a common purpose.

The common purpose is a good one but the mutual feeling of comradeship and unity, a feeling of oneness in God is the main idea and to live it is | now understand New Britain . . .

Well it is quite a good and beautiful ideal for those who want that sort of thing, I am either not ready for it or I have passed it and it does not matter which. My idea of New Britain is entirely a material one. I want to alter the environment so that individuals will have an opportunity to express themselves according to their own desires. To give them leisure so that they will be compelled to develop their individuality.

Whether they join a religious society or whether they go their own way is a matter entirely for themselves to decide. I am prepared to prove that the idea of converting them to certain religious schools of thought does not help in the least to evolve their personality, individuality, ego, soul or whatever name you like to give it.