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Newspapers of the International Marxist Group and its forerunners, 1968–1988

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Red Weekly No. 151, 20 May 1976 · p. 3 of the scan · 573 words

The scan: rw-no151-may-20-1976.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive, opens at this page)

Uncorrected machine reading. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from a scan of a newspaper page, and the page was cut into articles by machine, at the headlines found by their type size. Nothing has been corrected: expect misread words, text from a neighbouring article, and titles that are the machine reading of the headline, some of them only fragments. Quote from the scan, not from this page.
How this article was cut and titled: headline found by type size in the OCR geometry (split_tabloid.py); 4-6 of 6; machine-segmented newspaper page; uncorrected Vision OCR.

page 3 of the scan

group on the Walsall Metropolitan Borof all plans for proposed cuts, and the protection of social expenditure from The failure of people like Geoff Edge to wage a fight for a socialist solution to the crisis ends up adding fuel to the fire being kindled by the National Front. The campaign can provide an alternative way out for those crushed under the weight Two months after 3,000 delegates at the National Assembly on Unemploy. ment voted for a day of action against cuts and unemployment on 26 May, it is quite clear that the Communist Party, the main force behind the Assembly, is doing nothing whatsoever to fight for serious action. In Manches ter Trades Council they even went so far as to rule any discussion on the day of action out of order in the report back from the Assembly delegates. In other towns they have refused even to call demonstrations.

The reason for this attitude, this complete waste of the possibilities created by the National Assembly, is quite clear. The 'lefts' so beloved of the Communist Party refuse absolutely to support any actions against the Government's wage cutting and unemployment policies.

The last weeks, in fact, have sseen the most humiliating climb-down by the CP's favourite lefts in years.

* Only one year ago, Tribunite MP Eric effer could refuse to support the £6 limit. This year he writes in the New Statesman: I am in favour of a voluntary wages policy ..... Although I am unhappy about the way the Government/TUC agreement was reached, and its contents, it would be futile to oppose it as such."

* Two years ago Benn came out and called for 'an irreversible shift in the balance of wealth and power in favour of working class people and their families'. Now he boasts to the North West conference of the NUM that the new wage-cutting plan 'has greatly and permanently increased trade union influence in the formation of public policy, and whatever government is in power that particular clock will never be able to be turned back * The role of Scanlon is perhaps the most disgraceful of all. The disastrous policy retreats of the Broad Left in the AUEW have allowed the right wing to become increasingly entrenched there. Now Scanlon stands up at the AEU National Committee as a firm spokesman for wage controls -something Boyd and the right wing have advocated for donkey's years.

It is this type of capitulation which shows what the CP's policy of 'unity tion firmly on the backs of the employers. Resolutions to trade union bodies opposing incomes policy must include the socialist What is needed is a permanent opposition. The Tories know that their time is coming. The preparations to resist the return of a Tory Government are not going to be found in the way forward offered by the trade union leaders - support of Tory policies carried out by a Labour Government.

The 44 workers arrested in the police attack on the Right to Work March will appear in court on Friday 21 May.

The National Right to Work Campaign calls on all trade union and labour movement bodies to send delegations to a picket outside the court on Friday 21 May at 10am.

outside Hendon Magistrates Court, The Hyde, Edgware Road, West Hendon, London NW9.

Send delegations. Make sure you are represented Bring banners.

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DEFEND NO MORE SHREWSBURYS!

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