Socialist Action No. 24, 9 September 1983
The scan: 024-sep-09-1983-SA-UK.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive)
Uncorrected machine reading of the whole issue. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from the scan and has not been corrected or cut into articles. Each page gives the headlines first, then the columns in order, so one article runs on into the next. Expect misread words. Use it to find things; quote from the scan.
Page 1 scan of this page
SOLIDARITY WITH THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONI
No. 24 9 September 1983 30p
NO
MORE
ACTION SOCiAlist
CHILES!
CENTRAL
National Demonstration Sunday 11 September
* CHILE 1973-1983
* STOP US INTERVENTION IN CENTRAL AMERICA Join the Socialist Action contingent: 12.30pm, Clerkenwell Green, EC1. March to rally in Trafalgar Sq.
Page 2 scan of this page
2
Anti-communist
hysteria over
Korean jet
THE SHOOTING DOWN of
a Korean jumbo jet by
Soviet planes is an
solute gift to Reagan's anti-
communist crusade. If the
Soviet leadership knew, or
suspected, that the plane
was indeed a civilian
airliner then its destruc-
tion was a foolish
brutal action. But there
are good reasons to think
that this was not the case.
The jumbo jet was inexLABOUR CND has called a demonstration for the ere of the Labour Party conference to argue that we must stand by our commitment to abandon nuclear weapons. conference which fudges our support for unilateral nuclear disarmament.
The march and rally we
will & C highlight the importance of supporting resolutions on unilateral nuclear disarmament. We need a strong «consualon to show unc support for these positions TOUCHOLI Tabout movement.
the election, the Labour Party leadership did not campaign for party policy these issues.
hey will be looking for an opportunity use our electoral failure as an excuse to draw back from the party policies which have son at the last three conferences.
By Joy Hurcombe Secretary Labour CND)
Labour CND has been consistent in its struggle
Socialist Action - 9 September 1983
ACTiON SOCiAList
plicably hundreds of miles off course. The ab- States now admits that one of their spy planes was in the area, and he sed the e the jumbo. airliner was flying over one of the Soviet Union's most and important military installations.
Every nation defends its own air space, not least the United States.
First task of the peace movement is to build the 22 October demonstration against Cruise
Labour CND calls
conference demo
We must not allow any compromise at
for a clear commitment to scrap all nuclear weapons.
As a result we have sut-
Necessary
clarification
The Times of 2 September carried a hidden-away 'correction' withdrawing events in Labour CND had come to a head over attempts to get Labour CND to give money to Socialist Action. Apparently, have said that the Labour Labour Victory. We wonder where the Times got its original mis-information.
Coincidentally, article about the Socialist League and CND in the New Statesman has written to the League explaining that the allegations of SL malpractice were not his, but those made to him by National CND officials.
have happened to a Soviet airliner which above one military installations, turned all its lights. out and refused to respond to signals
candid interview foreign David Owen said 'well, there comes a point when you would have to shoot it down' statist bected to es constantly subjected spy plane overflights. It is well known that the SR-71 spy plane overflies China and skirts the Soviet border. times faster than the speed of sound and at 90,000 feet no Soviet plane can fly as high or as fast.
Union is jumpy about planes United violating its air space.
Rights
probably ath o Corear Reagan's statements
the issue nauseating. with-nations', said 'that don't observe the basics of civilised behaviour?' from the people who brought you Hiroshima, My Lai and El What would Salvador.
PROTEST AND SURVIE
AND fered attacks from inside and outside CND. We believe, at a time. when cruise missiles are due. in this country and when international Lesos lave been heightened by the superpowers, that we must have a clear alternative to natcher s government
its allegations that
the article should dispute was over whether CND should affiliate to Socialists for a
John Rentoul, who wrote an
was flying the US's key
which
CHINA
secretary N
KOREA
Lockheed
regularly
Flying three
No wonder the Soviet
Union and China
Reagan
every. tatorship in the world. on have been Each time 'How can we deal
Reagan,
that
to be END
Photo: PETE GRANT
If the right wing can organise. then so can we Labour CND appeals to all Labour Partv members to come to this demonstraBanners
Please bring your banners, and organise
coaches from you constiwences and LPYS bran ches. Get your trades council and union branches to come along too.
Nuclear weapons are no defence!
Peace march at Labour . Party conference
Assemble 1.30pm, The Level Brighton (near Brighton railway station). Rally 2.30pm, Sea Front near Metropole Hotel Speakers invited include
Benn, Ken 1Uly Livingstone, Helen John, Richard Balfe, Ken Cameron (FBU) and others.
USSR
SAKHALIN
~ S. KOREA Shot down airliner was heading straight over the Soviet
manages to do murdered business day-in, day-out with
bloody right-wing dic says Salvadorean improving village record! massacred in El Salvador the death toll is about the same as The the loss of life on the Korean plane. Every couple of months fully
the wallie number of people 'disappear'
brutally tortured and December.
The main debate on post-election strategy will take place on an emergenresolution from the Scottish CND Committee.
While it contains many useful suggestions its basic thrust is given by the opening paragraph calling for a nuclear 'freeze' This states: 'We must seek to isolate the government by alliance of political forces building new
La) a British unilateral treeze on all new weapon development and deploy
ban treaty c) a new first use agreement'
By Tony Southall (Secretary Scottish Labour CND, delegate Partick and Anderston CLP)
An amendment from Scottish Labour CND seeks ente best words and replace them a renewed ment to building single
the highly successful AntiTrident Campaign, and directed the new developments in the arms race.
Allies
The majority of th cottish CNI committee have become forthright in advocating freeze.
They've plained that the demand is continually for a unilateral freeze. But the lICy allies which they've found to sponsor the campaign don: auer that.
: SEA OF OKHOTSK
Flight 007
, Normal flight path from Anchorage
ALEUTIAN ISLANDS Yonald Reagan the death All about it is that the government its human rights the
Soviet Union, of to course, has a duty to explain military the leading to the shooting down of the plane. If it keeps silent, patently
Scottish CND
debates freeze
THE ANNUAL Conference of Scottish CND will take place in Dundee next weekend. It will be the first occasion that a significant section of the peace movement has had the opportunity to evaluate the situation of the peace movement following the election. Its debates will be an indicator of the themes which will dominate the British CND conference in
Thus the new petition circulating in the name of
by the United Nations (Scottish Council), Church Scotland, Catholic Justice and Peace, World DisarCampaign (Scotland) and many others mere v alls for sup port for the UN ill for a puclear weapons Cruise, Pershing including II, Tri-
dent and SS20s. " It is no directed the British government but at the UN. Test
Thus the price of the 'new broad alliance' drop our unilateralism. Its second price is to direct our main attention away from the mass campaign which should be consuming the energies ing Cruise which is due in December.
Let's test out these new
Thought for the
week
movement. They
CND and marched
affairs'.
in her memoirs "Left, Left. Le":
News
700 Miles
USSR BERING SEA statements, world public opinion thinks the worst.
But it seems certain that passengers aboard the plane were the victims of the Soviet Union's determination guard itself from the encirclement and harassment ILS borders which is the stock in trade of the Us military and intellig ence establishments. allies by calling on them to build the CND demonstration on. 22 OcLODE let's forget that after December, if it is not stop ped before, freeze would confirm Cruise in place!
Shock Socialist Action supporters at Dundee will particularly concerned to rebuff the wave of innuendo about our supposed malpractice in YCND and LCND. We are shocked by the allegations of manipulation, allegations which . have been repudiated by the executives of both Labour and Trade Union CNDs.
We'll continue to fight for our right to express our own views and detenc the right of everyone else to do the same! Aberdeen CND will be submitting a esolution on the appare vitch hunt in YCNI , and defending that organisation's democracy.
We are hopeful that Scottish CND, which has always enjoyed colabordeve relations with its own CND, will support 'CND was always sensible about the youth
recognised that the thousands of young people who worked in
annually from Aldermaston were an asset no other political move. ment possessed. So we provided office staff and paid for their organiser but also gave them complete autonomy to run their own
The late Peggy Duffy, longtime org per of C.ND.
Page 3 scan of this page
Campaign launched
News
work.
new. employers'
Economic League, was founded as long ago as 1919. They keep extensive troublemakers', which are freely available to the employers.
Photo: GM COOKSON
Steph Grant - one of the Cowley 13 fired for their political views
attacks witch hunt
THE EXECUTIVE of Labour CND at its last meeting discussed the press attacks on Action supporters on the committee and allegations of deep splits in the LND leadership. ing extract is from the LCND resolution on this question:
Labour CND executive considers that recent articles in the press regarding Labour CND have presenten a wholly unbalanced view of the dedicated serious work of this committee.
We recognise that this commuee represents broad spectrum of political views from within the Labour Party, as in all such pressure groups.
This reflects he fact that all sections of the party support the policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament. This was clearly shown at the last Labour Party conference when the resolution disarma-
Composite 5l, won
4.950, 0h mich was
for political
rights at work
LAST week Leyland management stepped up their witch hunt by sacking two more workers on charges of having falsified their job application forms. The continued witch hunt by Leyland has spotlighted once again the question of political victimisation at
This kind of political victimisation is nothing
spy organisation, the
files militants and
Labour CND
Socialist
The follow-
per cent of the votes cast.
We congeer that political differences on this committee have heer exaggerated out of all pro. portion bi the press ana we defend the right of members to express them. selves in an open and democratic way. We believe the media attack is an attack on the cause of disarmament and should be recognised as such.
We call on the CND executive declare in a press release their recognition of the imwork of Labour CND in promoting CND's aims in the Labour Party* The CND executive has declined to issue a stateto the press defending Labour CND.
The existence of black
lists Is notorious in ine
bulaing trade ana otner
industries. period of
especially good conditions
for weed out those people they consider politically undesirable.
It is high time a campaign was formed to de-
fend all those victimised at WORK and to uncover the workings of the police
branci and organisations like the
Economic League.
Rights
To that end a campaign is belg Sel fight for political rights at work. The founding appeal is as follows: 'We are deeply concerned that the recent dismissals
British Leyland Cowley for their political views merely one example of increasing victimisation of WOker are considered radical or socialist In our view an employer is not entitled to censor ideas
belaise normal trade union activity.
Blue bress redmend the Cowley story was gravely disturbing assuming guilt where none was proven. Yet few voices were heard in criticism. This is a new McCarthyite tendency to condemn peo-
association and, taken with activity of organisations like Economic League, it is a tendency which ought to be reversed.
Alan Thornett - sacked at Cowley last year
'We would welcome your support in forming a committee to counter this tendency and to give support to those who are vic. timised at work for their political convictions'.
Already a number of MPs, civil liberties activists and labour movement leaders have signed this statement. Next week Socialist will publish full list signatories and murinel
100 00 Derek Robinson - another victim of BL's anti-trade union crusade
details of the campaign.
meantime Socialist Action supporters should collec many signatories from the labour and beyond. Many people
already signed various petitions suppor-
the 15 victimised Cowley workers. They should all approached to sign the
aims of the new campaign.
Socialist Action 9 September 1983
against the
witch hunt
Metal Box
Combine
Committee "This committee a) condemns the sacking of the victimised Cowley workers as an attack on the whole and calls for their defend any Metal Box worker if they receive similar treatment c believes in the right of and District
trades council
'At a special Executive Committee meeting ... delegates were unanimous in their view that the sackings were carried out solely with the purpose of removing active trade unionists from a workforce uncowed by management's bullying
The reason
Lancashire
Association of
'The President of the LCATC, Fred Porter ... slammed the "political decision taken at British Leyland" in their sacking of thirteen workers. He contrasted Government and establishment suppor of Solidarnose victimised Polish workers with the reverse stance taken at
Speakers: Ron Thomas Monday 12 September, 7.30pm,
Photo: VRON WARE
3
Labour movement
every union member to be able to argue for their viewpoint with no fear of victimisation from his/ ner boss o witch hunt from the press d) will give whatever support it can fighting on behalf of the Cowley workers.'
Hemel Hempstead
given by the Company that false statements were made by the thirteen on their applications was felt to be a convenient smokescreen for a management bent on crushing union effectiveness at Cowley'. Trades Councils
Cowley... Calling for opposition "through every avenue possible" to the linking of recruitment policies by employers to the education level and political opinions of workers he asked "Why should a degree in political science not be a qualicalon lo worl on an assembly line"?' Meetings against the
Switch hunt Birmingham
Seeing Red — the Press and the Lejt Speakers: Steph Grant, Clare Short MP, Feter
Tatchell Tuesday 27 September, 7.30pm, Digbeth Civic
Hall Called by West Midlands Campaign for Press
and Broadcasting Freedom
Lambeth Speakers include: Steph Grant, Stuart Holland Wednesday 14 September, 7. 30pm, Abeng
Centre, 7 Gresham Rd, SW9
Bristol
Stop the witch hunt, Defend Cowley
workers Steph Gran!: , Sheperds Hall, Old Market, Bristol 2
Sheffield Wednesday 14 September
Ask Socialist Action sellers for details
Huddersfield Thursday 15 September 8pm Speakers include: Cowley 13 speaker, Terry
Swinbank (AUEW convenor Holset Engineering), Alan Brooke (vice chair Colne
Valley CLP)
Friendly and Trades Club, Northumberland St,
(opposite railway station)
Page 4 scan of this page
ERIC HEFFER, democratic reforms methods, and in particular in the 'block vote'. He says this should be divided between majority and and minority views in the union.
His proposals, wiaely reported in the media, appear in New Left Review, where Heffer also argues for the 'one person, one vote method of selecting the leader and deputy leader. He insists, however, that votes are cast union and Labour Party meetings and not by post, and that the votes of trade
inion members paying th Donucal Icvy be counted equally with those
individual party members.
By Alan Freeman
Heffer also supports
Alex Kitson's proposal,
made in Tribune last year.
for a different method of
counting votes at the
Labour Party conference
that would give the consti-
tuencies a greater share of
the vote.
Heffer's call comes as a
breath of fresh air. Until
twO vens do it was
variably the Labour left
called for more
democracy - both in the
Party and in society at
large. But since the deputy
leadership campaign they
have lost the initiative to
the Labour right who call
for postal ballots for the
leadership election. The
Tories have even stolen
some of this ground.
Tragically. it ISOW
Norman Tebbit, and not
Tony Benn, who appears
television and talks
about democracy. Because
the Labour left stopped
short of fighting for trade
union the
Tories have put forward
their own ideas. These
will not
strengthen union
democracy but are intend-
ed to weaken it. The postal
ballots will help
bureaucrats and their
media minders to bypass
PLE
why does Tebbit treat the T.u.C. with such contempt?
Socialist Action 9 September 1983
'Split the
block vote'
says Heffer
MP has called for widespread in Labour Party voting
participatory democracy on the shopfloor and in union branches.
Worse still, the Tories are using. the very weaknesses of the unions which the left failed to attack, to try and cut the links between unions and Party
altogetner
Thes can appeal to trade union members who rightly feel they have no say at all in the way their union bosses cast millions of votes at Labour Party conference, with a simple proposal: why have anything to do with the Labour Party at all?
The Labour right have played into the
When Roy Hatnialius. tersley calls for 'one per-
one vote, what SUlL. really means that
Labour Parties should use the Tebbit advocates. A postal sallic methods
vote in which individual party members vote without nearing the arguments or being able to
ISSUCk
meetings of the labour
movement undemo-
CIaLIC.
called for
democracy,
instead 'use the
of trade Icaaels,
they have
reply
they
status
quo.
Tebbit's and Hat-
tersley's have
dissolve connection
unions and
between the
Dv
levy. Hattersley does it by
THE ACTION
Why is Len Murray determined to earn this contempt?
severing the connection DeLWeCHl the unions and Party at local level. And they strengthen the leadership at the expense of the membership by allowing
be fought out in the media Instead through meetings where all une arguments can be heard.
Meetings
Eric Heffer wants to strengthen the unliullParty connection which has always occu is g-calesl advantage.
If the leadership was elected by a ballot at union and Labour Party branch meetings, would CIl
participation at would courage these meetings. politicise the unions and force the contenders for leadership elections to put their case openly to trade union members through existing labour movement structures.
It would allow the left to expose the right wing's call for 'one person, one would exclude union par vote' fake ticipation. The left could then lead the campaign for
Just as good is the sugfor a division the block vote, according to minority and majority
views in the unions.
are be
elected according to majority and minority
OUSL
tions, how is the union to
determine the strength of these positions among its
members?
Membership
Only if the two sides of the case are openly put to
the membership and voted on at a conference or by
branch ballots. Open democratic discussion has
been avoided by most
union leaderships — 0 LIC
extent, for example, where
they stopped New Socialist
even staging a debate between the leadership contenders at the TUC But only if there is open discussion in the unions, and if minorities Call •esented at al proper!! levels гер- of
decision making, possible for the Labour Party to take representative decisions and hold democratic elections thus ensuring trade union members feel they have a teal stake in future Labour government.
However there alc weaknesses in uric HeIfer's arguments. By supTHIS MONTH most Constituency Labour Parties will mandate delegates for the leadership election.
Unfortunately the union barons will take the real decisions. Even so the press and right wing. are just waking up to the proKinnockMeacher victory. And they don't like it.
If Hattersley loses both contests would be smack in the nose for last year's right wing NEC and for the union leaders who put them in office. would show that the party rank and file don't want policy retreats.
But strenuous work for Meacher and for Heffer in the first round is vital. The union leaders will not fall into line because of astute lobbying or 'moderate' pronouncements They will back Meacher, not because they
a And what does Len wish to discuss with noxious Norm?
The semantic connection between "creative unemployment
and "creating unemployment"?
Angry AUEW delegates attack former secretary Hugh Scanlon for undemocratic and manipulative use of block vote
porting Kitson's call for a
greater share for consti-
tuencies at Labour Party
conference, he contradicts
his other arguments. If he
arguing that trade
unionists paying LUC
political levy should have
their votes counted equally
with individual Party
members at Constica
level principle
socialists should
- then this should not be national contraullicu level.
Moreover, if the block
vote was democratised by
being divided between ma-
jority and minority post-
Stop witch hunt-vote Heffer
Eric Heffer wants to democratise block vote think he can be a 'tame' partner in a united leadership, but if they are convinced that their members wave renue salt Sid Weighell
and John Golding if they BY # 239/83 ORMAC
And does the lovable Len realise How difficult it is to have talks with some. one when you are kissing his backside?
tions, the main abuse the block vote would be removed. Trade union leaders would no longer be able to sledgehammer con ference into what they wanted without reference to their members.
most important
A special leaflet,
Realities Behind the Slogan',
from the Campaign
Democracy, 10 Park Drive,
7SH (Telephone:
saddle the party with Roy
Hattersley.
And this makes a big
vote for Heffer even more important.
team, no matter how
lent, can sueuer lue part.
from the withering blasts
'Tebbit
Howon on
and the ruling class who
of let
Have lu
ting the Labour Party keep
its present relationship
with the unions.
The amount of
pressure being brought to
bear on the Labour Party
by the l orles
press is shown by the sac
fact of Meacher's climb-
down over the reinstate-
ment liste Militant
editorial board. And his
floating the idea of having
referendum on the
nuclear disarmament issue
which means surrendering
Labour's unilateralis
policies to the mercies of
the media
The Labour Party can
only survive the Tebbit-
inspired onslaught if it has
News
thing nevertheless is that Eric Heffer's proposals point the way forward for the left inside the Labour Party and the trade unions by setting out proposals that can lead to gicale. democracy - and that can only be to the benefit of the labour movement.
'One member One Vote
is available for Labour Party
London NW11
01-458 1501).
a strong left wing pledged to maintain and strengthen
its links with both the
trade unions and
popular mass movements.
Such policies
anathema to most of the
union leaders.
nothing more than to get
WIll
Tory government and
behave 'responsibly'.
The block vote will on-
ly be brought to order if
the union bosses see living
proof that the rank and
file party members won't
with witch hunts
and welshing on con-
ference policies.
This is why a vote is
needed for •Hric Hetfer.
The more votes he gets as
candidate of the left the
better the chance of stopp
ing the witch hunt and the
better the chance
rebuild combative
Labour left. are
essential preconditions for
stopping Tebbit and That-
cher in their tracks.
Page 5 scan of this page
End British complicity in
International
THIS MONTH the Foreign Office received a letter from Geoffrey Drain, the general secretary oi the National Association of Local Government Officers.
He expressed 'the deep concern' of his union 'over the massive and increasing US military involvement in El Salvador and in the enFITe America region 'and asked that the British 'refrain from lending any support •
This is just one of the many union protests to be Senl to the United Stater Embassy and Foreign Office SILC the 14 May labour movement conference EI Salvador issued a declaration urging the British Government to do all in its power to promote a negotiated settlement to the conflict':
Last week US special envoy in Central America, Richard Stone rejected the demands of the popular forces in EI Salvador for negotiations for fundamental change the repressive political set up in the country. The only negotiations US
NICARAGUA:
'Doing nothing
will allow the
US to destroy
the hopes of
the people'
JEREMY CORBYN, MP for Islington North in London has just returned from Nicaragua with a delegation from the Scottish TUC, Scottish Labour Party and Scottish churches.
While he was in the country reports. We publish extracts from his observations on the fourth anniversary of the Sandinista victory.
IN JUNE 1979 the people of Nicaragua achieved what many had considered to be the impossible dream
over forty years of US backed dictatorship was brought to an end by the Sandinista victory.
Since then the efforts
destaousabon have been enormous - culminaue m mne atest Snow or force' by the US with 6000 ground troops committed to 'Pino Grande' military nanoe ve nęęDouing Honduras and the stationing ot the Us Heet on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of this small country.
Effective trade blocked by a private enterprise refusal to trade with the Revolutionary Government and the shortages pile up and the tension SUWO
American financed and backed 'contra' forces are active on both
prepared to consider are conditioned on the liberation forces of the F'arabundo Marti Liberation Front laying down arms and the Revolutionary Democratic Front participating in rigged elections, which open thelr supporters to repression and death.
The FDR.HME N hays
rejected these manoeuvres and declared
intention to boycott the elections and continue the war as long as. the United States are involved in El Salvador.
By Celia Pugh
The British government has already pledged itself promote these sham US backed elections by sending observers.
The No Intervention in Central America campaign NICA week decided to continue its campaign against US intervention and British complicity following 11 September- national demonstration.
Its petition d amti 24 will be extended until October, to allow a major drive for support at the Labour Party conference
The sent regular
the Costa Rican and Honduran frontiers. The demands of defence of the revolution obviously take priority in the allocation of resources by the govern-
but the Illcill. achievements are impressive in every field of health. and education and
popular involvement. Consult
Since the 1979 triumph, popular involvement in the revolution has continuously grown. The Junta lead the government but consult and work with the Council of State all matters.
This has 51 members, drawn from popular
trade unions, womens organisaLOIS. churcher oti. private sector. Before their delegates are able to vote or express an opinion, they
BELIZE
GUATEMALA
EL SALVADOR and the national CND demonstration UI 22 October
Opponents of Reagan and Thatcher's aggression in Central America are encouraged by NICA to plan signature collecting events
offices, LaCEUTICS schools and local comfRuILC.
Other events are in the pipeline, including a tour of trade unionists from El Militia training Jeremy Corbyn must have been through a denate within own body
The Trevoutonar changes in many aspects of sociely are enoamous. the Somozaist past, health care was a limited luxury and public health care conSucre o bt O CalL Hil-
beside the need to feed the coffers of the Somoza family.
Now each 'Barrio' has a series of local committees who deal with the collective needs of defence, public health, education and housing.
Central America
HONDURAS
NICARAGUA
COSTA ¡RICA
Salvador organised for December by the EI Salvador Solidarity Campaign.
From 27 November to 3 December local solidarity campaigns throughout the country will stage week of activities
uluc. the banner 'Central
America nobody's backyard'.
If you are interested in getting support for these — the Nicaraguan people prepare their defence
In one very poor 'Barrio'
we were doe o aI 472 families had dividec themselves into 25 committees and are working together to transform ten acres of former Somoza land into a decent place to live.
Their current problem is getting running water wu to eo orce and to ensure that the school has suficient
Cuduls TOI children to sit on. All problems that did not exist in 1979 when the Somoza LOTCC. were keeping millions in abject poverty and fighting
Lo piescive their power and wealth.
Caré
In the field of health care the revolutionary changes aleuc WLOSE OD vious. Despite all the shortages the vaccination campaigns have gone ahead, the death rate is falling, life expectancy is rising in 1979 it was estimated at
- and for most people
Caribbean Sea •PANAMA
events from your union,
noour Party, LPYS or
CND or want to get invo/ved in campaign yourself contact:
• NICA 20-21 Compton Terrace, London N1.
• El Salvador Solidarity Campaign
Istinglon Park St. London N1.
• Nicaragua Solidarity
Campaign 20
COKOLOr
Terrace, London NI. they can attend a health centre and see a doctor, an event undreamed of four cycais aru
The contrasts of attitude in Nicaragua with Britain are enormous. Nicaragua, a very poor country, under threat trom all sides. is actual creating employment, undertaking Hialu li ral and heat and power pro-
building cus. houses schools and improving health care.
In short, planning national spending for need not private profit. In Britain, incalculably wealthy by Central American standards, our government claims not to be able to afford to build houses, health centres or even maintain the existing number of hospitals.
The over-riding imDICAS OSAS one of deter mination. Every public building is festooned with posters proclaiming the fourth anniversarv of the Sandinista victory 'Todas los
atlas
Socialist Action
No More Chiles
noto: CARLOS AUGUSTO GUARITA (Photon,
America
Events:
of the vigil outside Square London SW1. A delegation of
SATURDAY 10 Chile, , El Salvador and Nicaragua. 10:30am-11.30pm. Imperial Union, Prince Consort Films, bands, pueblo' as the way to defend the gains made
This spirit is proclaim-
on every street and every workplace where press cuttings and information about the military situation are posted. In the street, in taxis and in shops and markets peopl are delighted to talk about th gains and the próblems.
Freedoms
People continually ask whv thev are now being lectured by the United States about the need for free elections when the Somoza dictatorship spent nearly fifty years denying the people basic freedoms and certainly never allowed a free choice of government.
The obsession of the US administration with military and economic en-
cas achieved an eciect oy
has achieved an effect uniting most un e population in determinatron to keep, despite all the shortages and tribulations, undeniable gains and a
9 September 1983 5
US out of Central
FRIDAY 9 SEPTEMBER: 12-2am. Final session
US Embassy, Grosvenor
MPs will try to meet representative of the US Embassy at this time and supporters are encouraged to join a mass vigil.
SEPTEMBER: Festival for
College Students'
Road, London SW7 stalls and more.
SUNDAY 11 SEPTEMBER: National demonstra-
Ec. Joi the Sochals Acion lane a 10.30.
Clerkenwell Green London
government that is actual ly working for them The US administration is clearly determined _ to crush the Nicaraguan revolution. Thus far the British government has slavish support the US, the only European government so to do The declaration that a Count v lidl N OOlI. all its debts is not reall! credit worthy indicates participation economic blockade Britain has 1500 troops stationed in Belize, which borders Honduras and Guatemala, and although there have been strenuous denials of British aims in •the region the government recently feted ex-President Duarte of El Salvador.
One of the Prime Minister's advisors is on a fact finding mission tc nelas Help is needed. So too Sal awaCuC lual uUii. nothing will allow the U
and destroy the hopes of the people of a country that have alreacs rid themselves of the dictatorship.
Page 6 scan of this page
I1 SEPTEMBEL
NEXT Sunday marks 1oth anniversary military coup in Chile. The coup sent shock through the workers movement around the world - the hopes of Allende's peaceful, constitutional road' shattered. Here, concluding our series on Unity government, eban, a member of the Partido Socialista tionaria, the Chilean section of the Fourth International, discusses the day of the coup itself.
At six o'clock in the morning Salvador Allende was awakened with a telephone report that troops were advancing on the Moneda, the presidential palace. He there quickly accompanied by his personal guard of twenty, armed with automatic rifles, submachine guns and a bazooka. they organised their defensive positions.
At 9am the president addressed the country. By that time the army had captured 27 of Santiago's 29 radio stations. But through the remaining two, 'Allende was able to broadcast his final message. called on the workers to go to the
The Moneda Palace bombed by the air force on the day of the coup
the the: further instructions.
waves unmistakable admission of farewell to the Chilean workers.
He said:
were
the Popular justice, who gave his
the Constitution and the law.
Eastmemory will be.
Revoluthan cater the great later,
ter society.
with death.
Crushed
Once there
been expecting.
The tories and tri
to wall tor instruchols.
He
Socialist Action 9 September 1983.
factories, occupy them and wait for
The first part of his speech seemed to be calling on the workers to prepare for combat. But the second part was an
defeat, a 'People of my country, I want to thank you for the loyalty which you have always shown, the trust that you have placed in a man who was only the interpreter of the great desire for
word to respect will always be beside you, or at least my
I have faith in Chile and her destiny. Other men will overcome this grey and bitter moment. May
muCh soone the great avenues through which free men will pass to build a bet-
Long Live Chile!' army nad been broadcasting a communique explaining the reasons for their action, and warning that resistance would be punished
Thousands of workers rushed to their workplaces to occupy the posts in which they expected the final battle with the class enemy. After all, Popular Unity had been threatened many times during its three years in government, aid guns if the need occurred pris mised guns if the need occurred. morning looked like the battle they had
navy, workers blockaded the factones around Santiago. Popular Unity to fortify the shanty people on the ground told the workers
The workers demanded guns instead, and were pro. mised they would be distributed. Many thousands of workers were slaughtered
Salvador Allende with army generals in their factories still waiting for the guns which never came.
By 10am the had given an ultimatum to Allende at the Moneda palace to surrender and to hana over his post to the combined force of army,
and militia which was carrying out the coup They that if he refused the Moneda would be attacked at 1lam.
Just before noon the began. Two Hawker Hunter streaked across the Santiago skyline, making sortie after sortie against palace. As the planes' rockets exploded
the smoke and fire at the Moneda could be seen miles away. The 42 people inside palace against the aircratt attacking troops broke in and murdered Allende.
warned norkers in the factories. issued
distribute guns, or even tell the workers attack to esist with whatever they could g
Jets The leaders
Unity parties simply disappeared as if swallowed up by the earth. they have not explained their desertion
the Socialist
to fire a shot.
The
followed Warned
Many continued to resist hundreds of troops, tanks Parliament,
2pm the
Still the Popular Unity parties had
instructions They failed to
capitulation to of the Popula they • To this dar
at such a crucial moment
It is true that a few individuals from
Party and Communist Party leaderships joined the workers in the factories, but that does not alter the stigma of the terrible betrayal of these leaderships as a whole - they left the workers to their own devices and failed
jalalys. of the reformist eaders of Popular Unity was a fun tion of the political line which they had
for three years before the coup. After three years of manoeuvering at a governmental level, it was im possible to make a turn-around on the day of the coup itself.
of the HOSI advanced workers had resented the inclusion of
warned
- ted couven June 190 (the Tance?)
demanded closing the election of f a Popular Assembly and the arming of the people
in Talcahuano had warner Popular Unity as early as August 1973 of the organisation o tionary officers. But the response of th Allende government
capitulation
While on the one hand they said
expected the reactionaries organise against them, right up to the last moment they tried to engage Chris
Page 7 scan of this page
Pinochet's soliders give fascist style salute
tian Democracy in a 'dialogue' even while that party saying Popular Unity was illegal and should be overthrown.
What is more they Christian Democrat's demand for arms searches in the working class areas which were often carried out with great brutality. As late as september 1915 they were still talking about the professionalism, constitutionalism anditicisme the Chilean angrad laties
were themselves on the correctness of their peaceful strategy socialism.
All this led to 11 September, when defence of the working reduced to 42 armed people who believed in the peaceful road.
With Allende assassinated and the Popular Unity leaders hidden away, the workers found themselves and trapped 1n the factories. resistance in this situation was doomed, but they fought heroically cases with their bare hands. But spontanamed resistance could do nothing taneous, uncoordinated against a powerful centralised army.
nours to occupy the factories which were fiercely defended.
In the shanty town suburbs many armv assaults were driven back. tor example in the La Legua neighbourhood WiCHC LIC WUrKCIS fought heroically.
Within the armed forces there were manv in the rank and ille who relusea to carry out the criminal orders of the generals. Hundreds of them with those with known leftist pathies, were shot.
Could the tragic end of the Popular
experiment have been avoided.
perialism have been defeated? It is impossible to that question. What was needed was a different, revolutionary strategy plemented by a different leadership.
agreed to the congratulating
aboul
class was
teroenes Their
in many
often
took the army
together sym-
Popular Unity to change course Finally,
im-
Like the Nazis, Chilean soldiers burn Marxist books Between 1970-73 nothing persuaded the
Lulust oc salu lal sullic o politics, the reformist leaders including Allende himself, added their names to the long list of martyrs of the working class. But the lessons or historv are not moral. but practical and above all political. If the
people of Chile remember Allende, it is above all not necessarily because of his
but for the brave attitude he showed during his last moments. Many of the other leaders of Popular Unity are still around, and while still sharing his political misconceptions, none of his courage.
AEDIENDS RANCARR ELPASO
MIR THERE have been four national days protest Pinochet dictatorship Ten years after the coup the people are fighting back. But the attempts to organise general failed, despite the combativity and courage of the demonstrators.
The movement Pinochet presents a paradox. The workers and especially the youth have overcome _resulting from ten years of repression. But the Christian Democrats have pushed themselves forward as the 'leaders' of the while failing even to pose the question of bringing down the dictatorship.
The Christian Democrat line is for a 'National Government', including of course the They constantly 'gesture' i from would enable them to call off their actions.
The failure of the last general strike call was precisely because the proposed strike had no demands or objectives. It seemed stupid to risk repression for such a vague affair.
Junta
stantly attempted to keep the ment within peaceful bounds. But the workers in the shanty erected barricades, clashed with the police and demanded that the junta goes. The logic of t shared
Chile
fights back
against the this year. National Party,
strikes have
against
extreme the inhibitions bankruptcies.
movement, Protest
At the
military. appeal for a Pinochet which
stinctively precise
create
there is Democratic The Christian Democrats have con-
move- the ano towns have
military power. the Chris Communists progressive Socialist Action
sonalities like General Leigh, once described by the international press as a super-Hitlerite, an ex-member of the
the most reactionary party in the 1970-73 parliament.
Nevertheless, the very fact that the Christian Democrats are involved at all is significant. It is a symptom of the fact that whole sections of the middle class have suffered under Pinochet's
monetarist policies, which have resulted in economic collapse, 35 per cent unemployment and numerous
beginning of the protests large numbers of middle class people banged empty pots or sounded their car horns as a gesture of protest. But as the movement has adopted more militant forms of strugle, , middle class involve ment has tended to peter out.
The protest movement has coincid. ed with the strengthening of rank and file union co-ordination, which has in.
mobilised around the demand for the removal of the junta. On the other hand, the reformists and Christian Democrats have attempted to
national union 'leaderships' which represent little in terms of rank and file support.
The problem today in Chile is tha
well defined Christian _political project for 'democratisation' in cooperation with
military, which the Communist Socialists are being dragged behind. But the spontaneous thrust of the working class movement is for the total sweeping away of the junta and
Today, unlike 1973, the hold of the
and Socialists over the working class is While is now the crucial tasi
9 September 1983
Page 8 scan of this page
Imperialism's global offensive
8 THE United States is today engaged in its most extensive world-wide operations since the Vietnam war. While American fleet Nicaragua, thousands of US troops are engaged 'manoeuvres' in Honduras.
Simultaneously. ands of US troops are taking part in the 'Operation Brightstar' Egypt, Sudan, Somalia and Oman. troops deployed in El Salvador and Lebanon, and a US 'training' team is helping French troops in Chad.
The military build-up in the third world goes hand in hand with the military against the Soviet Union MX missiles, cruise and Pershing, the Stealth Bomber and the rest. In this global offensive the other imperialist ticular the Thatcher government, have shown themselves only too willing allies.
By Paul Lawson
The of States to world-wide operations is to some observers inexplicable, or perhaps a quirk of Reagan's personality. behind the United States' world wide offensive there is a profound and deadly logic. In anravel it, we have to look at the situation which the United States faced before and after the Vietnam war.
United States imperialism was taken off guard by the victory of the Cuban revolution in 1959. the Castro leadership team rapidly moved in a socialist direction during 1960-61, the leaders became convinced that world communism' was about to make a series of advances through guerrilla struggles in the third world.
Response
Their response was to unleash a massive offensive colonial revolution. This included L'S involvement in the overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah's government in Ghana in 1963, the CIA's operation against the government in the Congo and US connivance in the boody counterrevolutionary coup in Indonesia in 1965. It involved the despatch of 40,000 US marines Dominican Republic in 1965 to overthrow a rather mild socialist government.
But most of all it included the decision to commit all the US's might to destroying the aamese revolution. was effectively taken by President Kennedy in 1961. It not Lyndon Johnson, the decision to commit the Green Berets special forces and begin the huge build up of US troops. 1964 were 500,000 troops in Vietnam.
The war in Vietnam rapidly became a crucial test of strength between world imperialism and the colonial revolution. The huge
Socialist Action 9 September 1983
military
the
menaces
in
thous-
second
in
are
escalation
the
and in parthe United
military
order to
As
American
political significance. unbeatable military might. against the
Tshombe
front
to the
VietThis decision Clear
was he,
who took
was lost.
By US cess of
troops. Nonetheless,
American aircraft carriers patrol off Nicaragua and the Lebanon
firepower, including the bombing of North Vietnam and the secret bombing of Cambodia, was not because the United States' leaders
possessed important resources or
significance. Rather, the outcome of the struggle had an immense
was attempting to demonstrate
would feel the full weight of its
destroyed by a combination of military reverses and the struggle of the US anti-war movement. In particular, the 1968 Tet offensive
myth that the United States was winning the war. The Vietnamese
struggle right into the working class areas of the capital Saigon and temporarly captured the nor-
By the early 1970s it became clear that the Vietnam expedition
President Nixon gradually attempted to disengage from Vietnam through the pro.
"Vietnamisation' building up the South Vietnamese puppet army and withdrawing US
when the South Vietnamese army collapsed
in the spring of 1975, and when
Vietnamese army oc-
that year, the shock to the United
among leading American politi cians set in — the 'post-Vietnam syndrome' as US security advisor
mood was widespread among the US population at large. No one was prepared to countenance fur-
Brzezinski, a pathological anticommunist, set out to reverse this
1970s the US leaders became convinced that new and sustained attacks on its interests were under
quent doubling of oil prices, had been a sharp blow to imperialism's interests in the Middle East. Now, a succession which developed a seige mentality among US leaders.
In 1976 Cuban troops flown to Angola to prevent the destruction of the MPLA government by South Africa. Without
dinated with the Soviet Union. Soviet backing for the revolution
Soviet influence in the
against the Shah of Iran struck a mammoth blow to US interests in
East. This blow was compounded
by the victory of the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua in 1979.
The growing reversal of isola-
Carter involved two major decisions for US global strategy. The first was the creation of the Rapid
strike force designed to put hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the field within weeks. The second was to attempt to counter threats to the United States in the third world by intensifying the
For the United States, it is irrelevant whether or not the Soviet Union is the direct inspiration behind the new revolutions.
What matters is that in any case the Soviet Union utilises anti-imperialist strengthen its own global strategic position, and prepared for its own reasons to give financial and military aid to nationalist or movements coming into collision with imperialism.
States' thrust is aimed at pushing back both the nationalist and revolutionary enemies and any potential backers.
In order to deal with the colonial revolutionaries, necessary for the US to develop a nuclear superiority to create maximum military, diplomatic flexibility. Only from an overall position of strength can the United States • world-wide interests.
measureably result.
result.
Threat
threat to come revolution in
ships, Cycl the
Danger
breakthroughs
moreover The
revolutionary
The United counter-revolutionary
of imperialism
perialism
political and tionalist
protect its
International
The conflict between the third world and imperialism is im-
deepened by the world economic recession, which has hit the semi-colonial countries particularly hard. High interest: rates in the West have dried up loan funds for the third world. Huge foreign debts have piled up in all the third world countries. Austerity and misery are the
Further outbursts against the result of this global debt bondage will be an inevitable
The most direct and ominous
US imperialism has however through the Central America.
The Central American dictator-
derisorily called 'banana republics', are among the most rotten of the regimes backed by imperialism. Their ruling classes are uniquely vulnerable to a sustained and organised attack. But they also have a vital strategic role
Panama Canal, are crucial to US
more importance is the
spark rebellion in Mexico, and indeed throughout Latin America It is an horrendous prospect for a
revolution in 1979, backed up by the overthrow of the Gairy regime in Grenada, proved a turning point in the situation in the
both El Salvador and Guatemala developed apace, putting on the agenda a regional revolutionary
tion of imperialism winning such
regime has understood that if the
capitalist rule in El Salvador and
revolution remains the most immediate danger for imperialism,
enemies remain to be dealt with.
pushing through the
anti-imperialist movements in Africa, the war in Chad and an ongoing struggle in the whole of Southern Africa remain a constant danger. And the refusa of the Palestinian and Lebanese masses to accept defeat remains a constant sore.
So there is no early end in sight for the United States' worldwide adventures. The two thirds of the world exploited by im-
can be offered no economic sops in a period of capitalist crisis; the upsurge of na-
and revolutionary movements is relentless. In the absence of a credible carrot only the stick will do. War in the third world is the order of the day.
Page 9 scan of this page
International
IRELAND
UNFREE
Only one episode
AS KEN Livingstone knows, and will explain to anyone willing to pogroms and oppression did not start and end with Hitler, any more than the Irish question started in 1969. But his main point remains valid.
800 Ireland is the onv country population has fallen since the days of Napoleon. This can only be explained by enforced emigration, massacres and starvation. The blight killed the potato crop, but the British government was responsible for and a half through starvation and one and a half million people were driven out of their homes and country.
The Sunday Times says that Britain may have acted slightly 'callously', treating Ireland as 'an ourpost to de secured rather than a people to be reconciled'. But they say this ended in 1969, and since then their policy has been one of altruism.
Britain has always treated Ireland as an outpost to be secured. The only reconciliation they have ever wanted was that of security. This is the real history of Ireland — 800 years of pitiless repression and slaughter, met by the resistance of an oppressed people. episode.
As the RUC combs the jails of the North with offers of fabulous riches to bribe new informers, the armies shoot-to-kill policy continues to claim nationalist lives. The refusal of the authorities to hold an enquiry or take any perpetrators of these murders does not square too well with the spirit of 'altruism' and 'reconciliation' attributed to the government.
Tragedy
HARD LINE loyalist groups will no doubt be grieving at one death in particular from the South Korean flight over Soviet air space last week. Congressman Laurence McDonald was perhaps their best friend in the US Con-
communist group the John Birch society, is on record several times attacking the Soviet inspired IRA'. A speech McDonald made for the Congressional record in 1981 was later quoted extensively in Combat, the Ulster Volunteer Force magazine.
He referred to the murder of thousands of peace loving protestants by the IRA' phasised his belief that 'the communist inspired IRA was part of a Soviet and Gaddaffi-led plot aimed at the violent destabilisation of the North.'
political figures responsible for getting the Rev Ian Paisley invited to the inauguration of President Reagan in 1980. He has helped gain visas for many Loyalist figures visiting the United States.
'It is a terrible tragedy that such a fine Christian gentleman should have been lost in this way' commented a grief stricken Mr Paisley. Gultekin Bekdemir
Speakers include:
Jeremy Corbyn MP, Anthony Kendall (leader of Hackney
Council) Gultekin Bekdemir (General Secretary Underground Miners Union), Cahit committee, bank workers union), nurdistan soldanity
Campaign Organised by the Turkey Solidarity Campaign to coincide with the third
anniversary or ine coup in lurkes
listen, anti-semitic
years of British occupation has meant
in Europe whose
deals he last Jo. vears is but one
action against the TURKEY:
A nation behind bars
Saturday 10th September 2.30pm Stoke Newington Town Hall, London N16
Baylav (Executive
THE WESTERN press has maintained a discreet silence about Turkey for the past three years. On 12 September 1980, Turkey's armed forces (the second largest in NATO power. Since the coup repression has reached levels rarely seen in countries which are not actually fascist dictatorships: 48 youths hanged, tens of thousands of political prisoners, numerous deaths in custody, widespread torture - and all in a NATO member and associate of the EEC.
MP for Islington South and Finsbury who was recently in Turkey what his impressions were.
My overwhelming impression is that the normal standards OI democracy and human rights are being flouted Turkey:
The Kurds - officially they don't exist prison conditions, the way
conducted, the redne
conducted, the kind charges brought against people, the torture that's
on, press censorthe removal of political parties from being able to contest the election.
Across the whole spectrum of human activity.
rights being denied. I should mention
every WING talked to us (I went with Claire Shori MP former Labour Minister
Turkey:
a nation
behind bars
with 500,000 members) seized
Socialist Action asked CHRIS SMITH, Labour
Alex Lyon) insisted that we neither reveal their identities nor repeat the conversations. They were terrified to talk to us.
What about the mass trials?
Mass show trials of Kurds, socialists, across the breadth of Turkey are junta's chosen vehicle for crushing unc opposition.
The most common charge from 141 142 of the Turkish Penal Code (directly borrowed from Mussolini's) which prohibit "advocating the domination OT SOCIA class over class other SOCIE
In the early days of the
coup the Generals made gestures of evenhandedness in the direc tion of Western Europe by arresting both right and left wingers, more recently made confident by American support the junta has dropped any such pretence. were opened against university
new law overturning the autonomy of educational institutions was passed and also against the Turkish Peace Association whose 'crime' War lavi avocated peace. An estimated fifty lawycis are standing tria as a result of their defence
Photo: TURKEY SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN
visited
Socialist Action 9 September 1983
In the face of farcical charges and legal ceedings, the dignity they
showed made us feel very
Ene no natev we were
that two
strike ned madne Kurds. wilal was gulle on li lt
Dares one non
9
LAHN TERPE KALMAYA,
DEVRIMI
Before the coup. The slogan reads 'Fascist governor, the towns of Unye, Aybasti, Ordu and Golkoy will call you to account.'
In
craven in their support Iol
. IOr wherevel
BM
Box 5965, London WCIN
Page 10 scan of this page
10
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September 17-18 10.30-5 County Hall, London SE1
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one week prior to I nursauy. publication). • No Intervention ir Central America (NICA) a broad based coalition of soncanilv crouos, nunal rights orgs, aid agencies and political parties. NICA have organised a daily vigil Grossve toe U 9-30. Mass Grosvenor Sq, 9-7.30. picket, 12-2 pm, Fri 9 Sept • Caribbean evening North cordon kevorunion fundraising social with food, drink & : music. Sat 10 Sept,
25 Bourgoyne Road, OIll, N4. £1.75/£l unwaged. • No more Chiles — Hands off Central America National demonstration 11 Sept assembles 12.30pm Clerkenwell Grn, London
• Vigil at the Chilean bidassy lo mark ten years of repression, with music and street theatre. Sun 11 sepl, 10-11.svam, Devonshire St, London W1. • London Labour Campaign for Gay Rights next monthly meeting 11 DeDL. oomu Marcumoni Community Centre Marchmont St, WCI. For detaiis contact Mike Harar 659 2938 or Chris Beer 785 9515. National LCGR can be contaciee va cuas Richardson, 21 Devonshire Promenade, Nottingham NG7 2DS.
• Grenada - - a peaceful revoton unaer anrest How can you help? Public meeting Wed 14 Sept /.supm, Moonsnine I neatre, Victor Rd, London NW10. Speakers: Ben Bousquet vma trom grenada support group and Britain Grenada Friendship Society. Organised by NW Londor Grenada Support Group c/o 2 Hardie Close, NW10.
THIS WEEK, more
left-wingers have been
sacked from Cowley
for political
views. The drift to the.
right in Labour
Party led by Kinnock
gets worse.
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are going to continue
and Socialist Action is
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because we are known the labour news-
paper that will not
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• uay zoulg soctälsts nex London meeting 18 Sept
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MOLES
EYE
VIEW
Prison reform? PRISON REFORM is now underway for some. ALOne aCK
orisoner has been given blue band
This means he gets almosi complete freedom to move about the iail and is not super vised. This lucky guy also lives in a hosoita ward rather than cell, there is no slopping out for him in the mornings
The ward has a telly its own shower unit and he gets unlimited association. So he will be able to watch all four episodes of the Godtathel UOTS week, unlike the other inmales
low this prisoner is
it special, I have to ac mit that. He is no ordinary thief. In fact he is
Michael the mole
WILL THE Labour Party have a mole as deputy leader? In this week's Sunday l imes Michael Meacher says: I would love to spend six months on the assembly line at Cowley' .
My informants at Labour Party head. quarters tell me that Roy daatesey is dead keen
'A dead shot?
ROLANDO GALMAN did Mrs Imelda Marcos the favour of bumping off Benigno Aquino at Manila airport, or so the
story goes
Unfortunately Seno Galman longer around to tell us what happened. His body, riddled with bullets, which hit the airport tarmac testifies to his permanent silence. Funnily enough there was little blood around the corpse.
Mrs Marcos claims that's because he did not bleed a lot. Others say that's because the guards shot Benigno Aquino
Assemble 1pm
Plashet Park,
Ham tube).
Called by Newham Eight Defence
paign,
against the Police Bill.
Diary
Peter Caselton, a governwho did ment employee. . his break-ins at the Lon don offices of SWAPO the African National Congress, and the Pan African Congress on behalf of his paymasters the South African gurermlcil And in the eyes of the Home Office and such like, crimes against black liberation movements are justified - especially if they are committed by white men.
So maybe what's happening at Maidstone
breakthrough in prison reform but is the British establishment doing tavour tor its racist bud dies in the South African government.
to get Michael doing jus that. He is said to hav offered to get Michael a reference sayi boile worked the room at Walworth Road and has only got one O-level.
The snag is that Ros is insistent he must take the job before the last week in September.
and arranged for a van tr arrive with Galman's already dead body which was dumped when the shots were flying ,eye wilnesse. report this is what hapOCACU and say an 'Avsecom' van was usec for this.
Coincidentallı Avsecom' Isne anti highjack unit that was protecling Benigno Aquino.
Moles Eye View is compiled by PENNINGTON.
Contrioutions sent to arrive by Thursday am.
National
Newham Eight
March
AGAINST RACISM AND RACIST ATTACKS
Saturday 24 September
at Plashet Park, East Ham E12 (East
Scam supported by National Campaign
Page 11 scan of this page
In the Unions
Britains' picket stays firm LAST WEEK strikers were arrested on the picket line at Britains' Toys in East London.
ment which is inspired by this action of low paid workers for a shorter working week with no loss of income.
and the Black Trade Unionists Solidarity Movement — a campaign set up to promote the interests of Black trade unionists — issued an appeal last week for support. 'WE THE Black Trade Unionists Solidarity Movement fully support the workers from Britains'
Ltd, in their demand for reduction in hours and better pay and conditions.
We are asking the TGWU to step up the sup-
engineers
want more
action
THIS MONTH, British Rail plan to start laying cables for Project Mercury — Michael Edwardes private alternative to the Telecom system.
alongside railway lines in a massive figure-of-eight linking England's major cities.
It hopes to use this network to cream off profitable big business revenue, which con-
BT's 1982-83 profits of £365m.
By a POEU member
But if such investment by Mercury currently underway, RT's 134,000 engineers should make it one of the most expensive white elephants in history.
Meeting Wembley on 18 September, the Post Office Engineering Union will discuss plans to escalate industrial action
Mercury.
For 10 weeks the POEU has been involved
action after engineers refused to connect Mercury. This action has been extended to attack Mercury s oig business Dackers resulting in the boycott of key Barclays Bank, Cable ana Wireless and British Petroleum lines across Central London
In a resolution to this year's TUC POEU calls for the setting up of a
Solidarity grows for
Britains' strike
OFFICIAL
STRIKE
But support is flooding in from the labour move-
The majority of the strikers are of Asian origin
port for the pickets at Briasking other 1A11S trade unions to support LIC SUrIKeS.
Two hundred TGWU members have been on official Britains' ua•, (loy manuacturers) of Blackhorse Lane,
British Telecom
In a deal worth millions, Mercury will run cables
joint nationalised industry and public sector commit. tee to coordinațe a trade union campaign and future industrial action.
Coordinated action involving all the industries hit by privatisation would greatly Sureratien our hand in defeating the government's plans But even if the POEU resolution is passed, such a national alliance would spring automatically to life. Health workers and ASLEF railworkers exverencer now the TUC sacrifices struggles of Worke people on the altar of greater collaboration with government and the captains of industry. Threat
British Rail management are colluding with to undermine the public telephone network kall workers are also under direct threat LOSI WITn proposals for slimmed and rail system.
DECEN
WACE
Walthamstow, London E17. The majority of the workforce are Black workers who are of Asian origin.
They been. on strike since 29 July, 1983.
seeking a reduction in their working week. factory they have to work
av Hours a week and 46¾ hours per week. Women
The firm's to male workers get f2.01½p an hour for a 50 hour week while women workers get
HANDS OFF
TELEPHONES!
United action can help rall and telecom workers. The BR unions have paper commuticalls oppose Mercury and all privatisation in ine public sector But direct links must be made between the strug. gles of workers in rail and télecommunications through i reciprocal solidar..:
Much dependi direction taken
special conference this month. The action of POCU engineers to date has been selective and limited in scope. So, it has failed to attract media at-
£1.70 an hour for a 39 hour week.
A bonus system offering an extra 42½p is also operated but it is conditional each worker achieving a pre-set production target.
Failure to achieve 75
target could result in the sack after three warnings.' For further information Connie Frida. MaTeSM Bernie Grant
House, Black Prince Road, London SEI
• Donations and picket support contact: Britains' shop steward's committee, 205 Fore St, London N18. tention and inspire sup-
oune The action has been con fined to London.
If the action is no: generalised by the Broad Left dominated Natiora Executive Couns Industra Su:
and privatisanor will be dented
This will also prevent POEU action being a spur to effective action by the proposed public sector alliance.
Greenings' workers win after 23 weeks on strike ENGINEERING workers
week strike.
than 300 workers pulsorily redundant.'
Management efforts to smash union organisation, crane estab ished work. ing practices and introduce forced sparked off this bitter strike.
Wul
GODIS
Workers families join the action
buses.
GRAHAM background to the Fabricators construction yard in Nigg, near Inver Gordon.
The dispute at Hi-Fab, which makes oil rigs for the North Sea, started on 1l August when management withdrew the cooling snellers. snowers and fret orange juice frem
== =
ceded because of the heat Wave
When the workers management sakes al, management sacked 2000. Letters were then
Socialist Action 9 September 1983
Greenings
strike victory!
at Greenings in Warrington return to work on 5 September after a 23
They have won the full reinstatement of more
including those made com-
The strikers beat back these attacks, winning rachimes lor a full time convenor, a shop stewards organisation and agreement for no victimisation of strikers.
Highland Fabricators
mass pickets battle on
CTAD
1 E
A BITTER strike in the north of Scotland is grabbing the headlines - with 800 pickets on the line and their families lying down in the road to block scab.
BARNETSON explains the dispute at the Highland Easter Ross
sent to 1600 of the workforce offering them new contracts and 4½ per cent pay rise.
From the beginning of the dispute it was obnou tha: managemen: wanted
TITICETE -e: = =
TA TR =esure io keep the yard compeutive ana ensure d viable future, we were faced with a situation which left us no option but to include you in a yard-wide dismissal. 'Now that we have
11
Problems still remain in the plant, but • the workers victory gives taen the confidence and organisation to defeat the management again.
Their gives boost to the thousands of workers across the countr Who are battling against forced redundancies and assaults on their union.
Greenings shows it is possible to fight and win. made an appraisal of the
and assessed the size of the workforce that the yard can support we are pleased to offer you
When the compan! held interviews at the loca job centre, it claimed that 400 of the striking worker had accepted contracts. Police
A picket has preventec scabs getting into work On 29 over pickets stopped the bus carrying scabs from enter. ing the gate. A few scabs did try to make it on foot but most of the worker jolnca Ine pickels
Only one scab actuall! got through, under heart police escort Manage ment had expected at leas 500 to work
The next day picket: again stopped the buse when the drivers refused to cross the picket lines
In nearby Siness
== manage De: harassment acti The con cool.
Wilson has said that there will be a mass demonstra tion every day unti management agree reinstate the 2000 workers and negotiate a return to work formula.
Page 12 scan of this page
and AUEW in the late 60's the General Council of the TUC has been dominated by a soft left coalition.
This leadership, least at the level of policy if not at the level of action, supported a militant line. The 1983 Conference has changed that.
In the vanguard of the
outgoing Prest dent Mr Frank Chapple. He argued the need for 'a
industrial consensus', for 'greater cooperation at work and for the need to 'argue with goverment and build a partnership that can revitalise Bri-. tain'.
To rub home the point about the need for partnership with the Tory government, Une defeat which had been prepared for the left he atiacked Arthur Scargill for being prepared to travel half way round the world io sympathise with communist dictatorships. Yet seek to prevent the TUC from talking to the elected Government of Britain'.
There was much more in a similar vein, including an implicit acceptance of 4 million unemployed, and the need to make reforms which would meet Tebbit hall way. He included a vigorous defencé of democracy, Tory-style, and attacked 'threats destroy elected governments' as infantile' and a
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ACTION
PAT HICKEY reports on the
opening day of conference
TUC
Since the Jones/Scanlon leadership of the TGWU
'dangerous boomerang'.
Thus did the fomer maverick Igul winger selaccounts with those who defeated the Heath Government, and took his place m the vanguard of the TUC.
Grotesque
The right wing went on remove three from independent representation ConThese the agricultural WOrKCES, the dyers and bleachers, both recently amalgamated with the TGWU, and the Medical Practitioners Union, section of ASTMS. To do this, they had to overturn a General Council recommendation to keep them in. The right naa a majority of 1.6 million.
In addition, automatic representation for unions over 100,000 was reaffirmed. This means that 34 of the 5 seats filled by Congress are automatically taken by the large unions and not elected.
The smaller unions will share 11 seats. The removal of the three unions from this section will strengthen the right, and ensure them a majori-
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on the new General Council.
The full implications of the changes will become clear over the next couple of yéars. But one thing is already clear. The obstacles to united working class action have been increased. fight against Tebbit will disappear from the agenda if the right has its way.
The defeat Blackpool will also have important implications for the Labour Party. Again Chapple leads the way. He stressed the 'mass desertions of Labour votes' and noted that it is extremely unlikely that Labour can win in 1988'
Strike
The context of these remarks is ominous. Many ol une walle collar umnons are not affiliated to the Labour Party. Kites are being flown on talks with the SDP.
It will mean the right will push for 'reassessment' of the traditional links with the Labour Party.
And the fight will get even more explosive in the Labour Party. SPECIAL OFFER For readers who take out a year's inland subscription we are offering a free copy of Hard Times, a new book in the 'Arguments for Socialism' series by Bob Sutcliffe. The book normally costs $2.50.
Alternatively we are offering Alan Freeman's book, The Benn Heresy. For new readers there is our special introductory offer of 8 issues for §2.
All subscriptions are posted first class on day of pubnication
The shadow now calls the tune
Greenham
By Jude Woodward
think about what we are doing and why. give us that opportunity.
ferent workshops on questions
from here.
and help us to sort out our ideas.
and details can 01-251-3133, the London Greenham Office.
17 V-A CHIL
VIVAEL PUEBLO
This banner, commissioned by the Chile Solidarity Campaign and made and designed by John Dugger will lead Sunday's demonstration.
GREENHAM USUALLY means blockading, camping in the mud at the airbase, demonstrating and generally rushing about. But on 10 and 11 September it is also going to mean time to talk and
Manchester Greenham Group is providing the venue and organisation for a national Greenham
After the July blockade many women involved around Greenham felt they needed a respite from continual activity to discuss what we were doing and where we were going. The conference hopes to
On the Saturday there will be a number of dif-
raised women's peace movement, plus films and videos.
Women with proposals for additional workshops will be helped to organise them. Sunday will mainly be given over to discussions on where we go
The conference is open to all women involved in or supporting the movement around Greenham.
We hope to see as many women as possible from all parts of the country come to share experiences
The venue will be the Town Hall in Manchester
obtained by ringing
LABOUR
POLAND
EASTERN
EUROPE
2 DAY CONFERENCE ON CURRENT AND RECENT EVENTS IN EASTERN EUROPE STARTS SATURDAY 17th SEPT IN THE COLLEGE CLUB GLASGOW UNIVERSITY ADMISSION £1 (Per Day): (UNEMPLOYED 50P
MODERN
TIMES
ACHAIR And what is more, I have incontrovertible proof that Arthur Scargill's hair laqueur is imported from Rússia …..
AGENDA:
SATURDAY 17i SPEARE 1.30-3.30 -10.00-12.30 —
Salary or in Brain,
INVITED SPEAKERS ACCOMMODATION
CRECHE
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