anti-Soviet elements of British society.
If they were to apply the logic of be smaslied because they are dominabecessary to defend the unions uncor This is why Red Weekly does not outpat in the plan.
ment in many aspects of social and cultural life-such as housing-at no time does he point out their domination by the bureaucracy and their use not to defend the workers' interests but simply to execute the plan.
It is only this role as part of the state apparatus that explains the ease with which Shelepin could be transferred from heading the KGB, to holdof trade unionism in the Soviet Union.
The sass of worters in the borer Untai are not involved in the drawing up and intplementation of the economic and social plan. Instead, the trade unions are an extension of the state apparatus for the exec Tegard to the interests of the workers When agrounsels are made between management und workers in a particular factory who all belone to the same union Union is "socialist" and chiss antagonisens are therefore Jimpossible-Chey arnouL to le mow than rubber atamping the pro posals dictared by the bureaucracy tough The largebeset for wapes, praductivity and The lack of worker democracy, of workers involven cot in working out the largels for the plan, has resulted in hugo discrepancies berweed avallable resours Lavestocol browsitnes and production targets Instail competition for mooting prodestion tarpets willout overall acterdon do the plan, is encouraged often se suiting in vast quantities of uscless and shaddy products Although technically a worker cannot De sacked without being offered another Job, so-called Inbour indiscipline is dealt with by offerieg jobs in Siberin. Despite the facts that strikes ase illegal, many have taken place since 1956. The most Duncas of those was at Novocherkassk in 1963 when troops moved in and killed several hundred workers it is in the workers and rerolutionar dissident inteliochials in the Soviet Union that the British trade unions should be holding out their hand. This way we can bot leam frow the victory of the Russian workers and peasants in Esse in carna ing capitalism and introduning a plannod conor, and help the jocess of sweep ang away the bun arrate trom the Rusan worken state. This can only heip our job worker torment and getting on with out own socialist apolution.
-THEY CALL THISOn 6 March an agreement to end the "politics of confrontation' between the two Middle Eastern regimes of Iraq and Iran was publicly launched in the shape of a tender, loving embrace between two former 'archenemies -the Shah of Iran, and the Iraqi Vice-President, Saddam Husayn. IN its Iraqi wing The 6 March accords do away with these obstacles, at least for the time being and thereby open up for the Shah the posibility of working along with the Arab ruling clusses on a number of fronts most notably oil diplomacy and political stubilisation of the area.
It was no coincidence that the And they call this a democracy cy. Don't make me laugh. " These are the words of Mr Sonny Leon, Ieader of the Labour Party in South Africa, who is currently experiencing the delights of the so-called "detente' in the The Labour Party is one of the tro main parties represented on the Coloured Kepresentative Council (CRC) of South Africa. This body was set up some five years ago as a concession by Vorster to the Coloured People (poople of mixed race) -they were to have their own parliament.
It was however, unique in being a parDEMOCRACY Lament witlout a country — Chere is no "homeland' for the Coloureds. Not could it make any decisions concerning police, defence, industry, etc. In fact, it had less power than the white town councils.
But even this shell represented a threat to the South African regine. So they decided that only two-thinds of the total of 60 members would he elected, while the remaining 20 would be nominated by ne Govemment. At the first elections this duly ensured a narrow majority for the proapartheid Federal Party -all 20 nominated members were of course from the Federat Party, having lost their seats (and in bost When the time came for new electiotis ....
last month, howerer. it was prodictable that the Labour Party would win a major ily in spite of the system of nomination. And the policy of the Labour Party is to boycolt the CRC and call for direct representation in the South African parliament So the Minister of Coloured Affairs, Dr Schalk van der Meree, has now intro duced a Bill enahling Idas to take over from the CRC. In other words, he lus made a farce of a lance. But at least be ha made clear at the same time that detente is aimply a cover for South Africa's deter mination to maintain its racist regime at all costs.
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As a herald to Shelepin's visit the Morning Star, paper of the British Com munist Party, has been running a serias of articies by Mick Costello extoll- ing the merits of Soviet trade unions. Although he stresses their involve-
ing four key party posts, to leading the trade unions, without ever being a worker, leading a strike, or even carrying out the most mundane routine of a lower level trade union official. Below, Red Weekly looks at the reality