The IMG clection campuign has certainly achieved its main objects. Findly, it ensured that the revolutionay alternative to reformism was raised, and that the decisive issues such as the Pay Laws, racism, equal pay and the need to fight and break the laws of the ruling class were given a real hearing. Secondly, it has enabled the International Marxist Group to win new members and supporters as well as extend the influence of Red Weekly.
At a mocting in Birley Ward on Monday night 60 clectors turned up. This contrasted with the 'enthusi astic audience of 11 who turned up to hear Labout candidate Dutly on the same evening. The leaders of the Yemeni Workers Union also invited Tarig to address them, and contrasted his anti-imperialist position on Palestine with the support given to Zionism by the other candidates.
Al a meeting organised under the auspices of the Community Relations Group and a meeting for Pakistani workers, where he spoke in Urdu, Tariq attacked the openly racist policies of both Tories and Labour, Both these meetings were well attended by workers from the local immigrant community.
BELOW: Bob Purdie (centrel and his campaign organisers about to hand in his nomination papers last week As one Pakistani worker said at the end of the second meeting: *Labour cannot fight against the Tories' racist laws. The IMG is the only organisation that not only opposes these laws, but really struggles against them amongst white workers.
As a result of Turig's meetings in the mining areas, a number of very useful contacts have been made which have been followed up by the local IMG branches. Special transport was being arranged for miners who had bought tickets for Wednesday's rally, Already by Tuesday evening 300 tickets had been sold for the rally. struggle." Bob in this constituency because of everything the IMG has done to assist the Maclaren's workers in their Another Maclaren's worker who supports Purdie, Andy McColl (above). added: "Right from the start of the strugele the IMG was there. Had their intervention been acted upon this fight would have been won by Sellers of Workers Press received short shrift from Maclaren's workers when they arrived last Wednesday. Irate workers shouted: Where have you been for the last seventeen Sales of Red Weekly have shown a dramatic increase in the last five days, and many new readers have asked about the IMG and its activitiAt St Luke's Catholic School, the children held a mock election. Understanding workers democracy much better than many of their elders, they started off by banning the Tory candidate from standing. The final resull was four votes for the Scottish Nationalist Party, ten for the Labour Party, 12 for the Communist Party, and 29 votes for IMG candidate Bob Purdie. That's Jung, the influcotial Pakistans always been in the forefront of those who support Palestinian, Vietnamese, Irish and other freedom fighters engaged in bloody struggle against the imperialists"; and that. "no other organisation has played such an active role as the IMG in the fight against the racialiste... statement was widely distribuled in all three constituencies and got a very pood response in Newham.
From Friday until Wednesday well over 1000 copies of Red Weekly were sold in Newhain, either at street meetings or through door-to-door sales. Factory gate and college meetings as well as a meering in Fast Ham Town Hall have attracted attentive and orlen sympathetic audiences.
One local branch committee member of the Labour Party told an IMG canvasser: "I will probably vote Ross, Prentice is so bloody right wing that he in no way represents the interests of the working cluss."
The active campaign run by the TMG was in vivid contrast to the Jukewarm efforts of the Newham North-Bast Labour Parly. Lahour canvassers were almost as rare a sight as Trotskyists at a Buckingham Palace garden parly. Those few who were in evidence simply relied on the anti-Tory instinets of the working class; they were not interested in. of capable of, winning the clectors to socialist ideas.
John Ross et Newhem meeting last Friday Neither Ali, Purdie nor Ross will he entertaining workers to tea on the terrace at the House of Commons, The St Luke's vote cannot be taken as an omen, Nevertheless, their campaign has achieved the aims set when we decided to run candidates, irnespective of the number of votes gained. The need to continue the struggle, and the need to rely only on the independent strength of the working class, has been firmly driven home. In the constituencies the IMG has increased its strength and widened its circles of contacts and readers of its paper. It has also gained valuable experience in learning how to agitate on the issues facing the working class in a way that can find a ready response amongst workers.
ting the pressures of international competition These examples demonstrate the difficulties of fighting the fascists, It is one thing to denounce the fascists as 'tools of the bosses". but life isn't as simple as this suggests.
The fascists will denounce big bosses--the big monopolies and international bankers but support the little bosses driven to the wall by the lack of "patriotism" shown hy big capital.
ments can prove fatally attractive to some sections of workers, especially those whose industries are ruined by international competiti BLUNT WEAPON All fascist movements have a certain autonomy from big capital in their initial growth periods. But a mass fascist movement soon becomes a weapon in the hands of big capital to smash the workers' movement.
The price to the British ruling-class of a rove val of extreme-right activity at this time, may well include fascist involvement in strikes and blackings detrimental to employen' intercats. In the longer run, however, they may take the view that the NF as a blunt weapon of the future may be worth the price.
Red Weekly 1 March 1974 Page 3
----- pull-quotes -----
NEWHAM, NORTH-EAST