The strain of the approaching showdown between the Tory of Action. A general strike must be Government and the miners in a different way?
Gormley's change of heart is just a bureaucratic stunt to avoid a showdown with the Tory Government. If the Tories did call a general election. Gormley and his right-wing cronies on the NUM executive would promptly use it as an excuse to put off the struggle and, whoever won the elec tion, that would be used as an excuse to call it off altogether.
Harold Wilson, who doesn't have to worry about the wrath of the NUM membership, is more frank. He too is In favour of an clection, but openly admits "I do not support and will not support any action against the lawby which he means a national miners strike.
But these laws have been made by the ruling class to tie the hands of the workers" movement, A commitment to obey them is a commitment to give up the fight against the Tories.
Lahour council at Clay Cross understood this, and were prepared to break law after law in the course of their fight. As a rosalt they have done more for the working class than all the Labour MPs put together.
has obviously been too much for poor Joe Gormley -he's taken to standing on his head in public The same Joe Gormley who a few weeks ago was warning that a miners strike might provoke a general election which the Tories would win, now has this to say about the prospect of an election: "The sooner it comes the better... 1 am damn sure we could elect a government which would be committed to repealing the Industrial Relations Act and dealing with our economic problems Labour Party militants must choose between the road of Clay Cross and the road of Harold Wilson. Are they going lo join the fight against the Tories: committing local Labour ParLies to the struggle, withdrawing the cooperation of Labour-controlled councils from the Government and offering their resouroes to worken" in struggle? Or will they Join Wilson "parliamentary advisors" to the Tories in their efforts to defeat the working class?
Tory Government must be brought down. But the way to do that is by orgumising the acteal struggles that are on our doorstep. (Gormley has been so busy talking about the possibility of an clection that he hasn't even got around to setting the date for a miners strike hallor!)
Active prepurations must be made for an all-out national strike by the miners and enpincers and a fighting alliance organised between these two giants of the trade union movement at both the local and national level.
Other groups of workers in struggle against Phase 3-dorkers, train drivers, power enginees. ambulancemen, journalists should be drawn into this The entire working class movement must be tavolved in planning the struggle through local conTerences and representative Councils LONDON TRANSPORT EALING prepared to unite the working class and kick out the Tories.
If the Tories, frightened by noose the working class is preparing for them, decide to call an election then, by all means, let's smash the Tories at the polls as well. But we should fight on our terms, not theirs. Rather than calling off industrial action at the suing of an electoral writ, It should be stepped up. A general strike would show in practice that the Tories are unable to rule the country, and that only the working class can solve the problems facing the vast majority of people. Moreover, the need for mass action would not cease the day after the Tories fell, No matter who was in Government, the working class would still have to fight for their interests against the ruling class, who would use every dirty trick in the book to defend thair privileges.
Should workers just stroll back into the lactories alter smashing the Tori es on the streets and at the polls and wait for a Labour Government to introduce socinlism? Or should they seize the factories and demand that they are nationalised, elect conunitlees to determine working conditions and oversee the management's business deulings and demand that the Government recognises their authorily, organise workers and housewives' committees to scrutinise prices and demand that the Government accepts their decisions on price nses? The dechion of the NIRC that the STRIKES and East London Comersial Road