trial Conference in Manchester, the chuirman, Wally Preston, remarked that the presence of so many people made him feel as if 's pretty miri had said yes", However there were many things about chis conference - in addition to the stupid sexism of this comment - that must have made any political trade unionist unwilling lo give an unqualified "yes" to the performance of the International Socialists.
The conference was viewed by IS as a key event, It was supposed to lake them out of the ghetto" of the small revolutionary groups, and launch a now version of the Liaison Committee fot the Defence of Trade Unions only this time controlled by IS rather than the Commumist Party, CRISIS OF LEADERSHIP HUS EL ER USIT summed up the problem facing the CUMULER ARU LI WUTA IDENCCIMI opening adress: "II this conference were to have 1 title if should be how we must deal with the crisis of leadership .." But big dilficulties arose as soom as IS tred to come to grips with prociscly that problein, Of the 30 speeches at the conference, 26 were made by 1S members Most of the speakers talked about the need fot a Rank and File organisation described what their own one was doing. But not one refetred to the type of organiation which the working class movement must forge in the months shead if the Tory Government is to be defeated: local conferences to plan the struggle, a minersginters alilance, picketing pools, strike committees, counces of action.
Cliff spoke about bow times had changed working class were faced with the problem of the Geverment and the bureaucrats because only hig stroges could be seccessful any more. But not sace did he touch on the key question facing vorking class militants at the present time -to Propare a general strike against. the Tory Governsent, He went on te describe how the bureaucrate both lelt and right, will manoeuvre with the Tories to piut and divert the workers struggle, He said that e need to buid a rank and file organisation to pond to these attempts to split the workers moveat. But his opening address did not even refer to e of the most powerful weapons which the ruling das wal use to spuit the woeking class - racin, The resolution adopted by the conferencu gives us. a dear indication of IS's present thinking about the L. The resolu tion contains many worthy sentiThia Conferne pledees ilself to defeat the ly poversmcnt and Phase Three," It is to be hoped hat at leist a few who were not present ut the afareace will be allowed te get in on this praiseminers-engiocers" alliance at all levels? Launch a campaign to convinoe militants of the noed to prepare a general strike aguinst the Tories: Unfortunately, nat quite:. to extond the sale and Infuence of Socialisr Worker to the maximum." A small step forward was the inclusion in the resolu tion of a reference do the need to meht tacisi 1cc1s in the labour movement. However even this was absent from the original draft, and was hastily added only after a black militant'attacked the resolition for its faiare to take up this question, MASSIVE CONFRONTATIONS To understand exactly where the International Socialists ane headed, we must first answer conrade ClifT's question for him: -- how we deal with the criss ol cadershio, At the present moment sh million workers have wage claims in, Most of these traditionally most militant and most powerful groups of workers the miners and the engineers — are in the leadership of this movement, Even pits voted against strike action last time are now gearing up for a struggle In the a.nd entinccrng indusmy. a recent con cronee onsucd by the rank-and-lle paper Engineering Voice voted unanimously in favour of a national strike, despite a speech by Scanlon opposing this move. The Sheffield District Committee of the ALEW has issued a call lot a national conltreno olennecrime convenors Te discuss the straggle, Very lew workers are still confused by Heath's claim that wage controls will keep how the prices down, The ruling class is reeling under the imPHEL OI SRE FCOROEHE DEOMS TEJO CEPPIEU DEET 40C trace nannoe, Au mis anas ua to aac conciusion. massive ciass controntations are on the agenda for 1974, the need On top of all this, the trade union bureaucrats have no clothes left. They cannot agree to an open deal with the Tories, beause the rank-and-file ase too strong. They can only do what they are doing: hesitute, confuse, split up struggios, attompt to sabotage the smaller ones (Chryslers, Glasgow Firemen) and divert and defoe the large oncs (Scanton over the roun! NIRC fines). As a result, every shop stewand and rank-and-file militant is more aware than ever that they will have to fight the buresucrats, Some have even become aware that strong rank-and-file orginisation really representing the mass of WOTKEES like the National Port Shon Stewards Committes - -are not enough to defeat these manoeuvres, as the dockers found out over the Jonespoint WEUSET OUR-UELSES challenge of the bareaucrats. hurentictats, for the working cias Aldingion agrocienL Hese we pet to the crucial the "crisis of leadership" cannot be met just by gilling the rank-and-file together, because a husse part of thar crisis is a crisis of political perspectivos amonp the rank-and-file themselves, It is because the rank-and-fie đo not have a clear sct of political objectiver that they ato threatened hy the vastly The central task facing that conference and bie International Socialists - was to hammer out a set of stuns to he tukun lo areparo lhe workme CLess Tot Te confrontation to come. The bureaucrats will altempt to split up tho coming stroppes — but they will not do it with mascle, they will do it with ideas. When Gormicy says that a miners strike is dangerous Beckise is would upset the chance of Labour geiting hack into office how do we show that the working class, through struggle, can solve the problems of price tous protecrmg, tc condition of the low paid and the pensioner? It was not lack of militanc; that made the big battalions" stumbie over Phase 2, iE was the lack of an alternative set of polițical perspectives with which the workers could meel the POLITICAL ALTERNATIVES Since 1968, all over Europe the woking class hss launched massve struceles as the post-war boon peters out, und the capitalists put the squeeze on. In Franco in '68, Italy in 69, Britan in 72, Dermark and Geemeny in 73. massive actions by the working class opened up a whole porled oi big class struggle. Quite naturaliy workers turned to thoir traditional weapons to begin this fight. But in all cases these traditional weapons were not cough to sash the capitalist offensive and defent the trade union Ne vrthbess, on the back of this upsareo a whole scries of leftist grouns grew, Where the Communist Parties were nol for a light, these groups ilike iS in Britain, Lutte Ouvrere in Prance, Avanguardia Operia in laly) were for onc - as were the mititant rank-and THe, nnew message bas cuar, or koopalg apena trace anion streppe and reinforcing the traditional weapons (in Britain thu shop stewards moverent) the workers woeld win, Unfortunstoly they did not. Certainly they held off the onstaughr - eren forced same Pentonville 5 from gaol, But in no country did they manage to use their muscle to win permanent gains Paul Smith Groups like IS, husuver, continue to baso themselves. con tae Toon ngagons pho taci Bona kirg of workers are now beginnine to discuss hore to torn are herinning to sue that Lhe crisis of leadersin i not just aboef strengtheaing old wcapons - bot forging new ones The failure of the LCDTU was that it was based en the CPs potities of allianc with the left burengerats, The failure afche 15 conference despite all the humor stories about Stanltar and Jones - was that it did not spell out a diffeinr brand of political pungectiven. More militancy, yes a dillerent central thrust, no.
Nobodw dan disgen with the med ot a nee pationa rank und-fie movement - a new Minority Moverent. Howorer such a moeement can only be built on thc DuSs ORa coatt Ponn aerosre co snur pHar Tarwan by the bureaucrats.
Such an alternative mist centre on a campaien for a general strike to smash the Tory Governent and, at a first step in that direction, the creation of p miners engingers alliance. It would iorlude a vigorous campaign inside the AUEW for a national strike and for the convening of mass mortings of enpineering stewards and stewards" delegates to take the struggle out of the hands of the bureaperuts at atl lesefs. And it woule show how through mass working class struggle we can prevent price rises, tent rises and UI TAL HEEI LOT COUTEUS OIODA LEVER LEENE ali sections of the working class in coch arca, to prupare lor a general strike and organise the werkin class to take over the running of local commenities As a strategy for strugele, full support to the miners, build 1S Rank and File orgunisations" does not ovon moet the noeds of nost sectiens ol watkers with claens in aminst Phase 3, much less challe nor the hold of the bureaucrats. Only the work of preparing n general strike can unite the whole woking class, whio share a coccion interest in bringing this government down. 15'3 'strategy" left them outside the prowing campaign to delend the Shrewsbury 24, entil they were forced to make a SO OTE TReDE PUTSe c Cn: soEST COmO which raised important questions af socialise strategy in the minds of tens of thoosunds of workin; CHIS IONENELS. TIO DrOUE LIKUSSEOS BEAUCLr on.to the streets. The IS industrinl conforeoes shoued that, because of their lack of'a novalu tionury pro pratene, Is arc stuck with a recipe for nusc thx hoat and laving the palicios of the workers move? meot in the hands of the barsoucrats Tony Cliff adressing the conference