Socialist Challenge No. 1, 9 June 1977
The scan: sc-n01-jun-9-1977.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
Socialist Challenge CHARLES 1b.1601 executed 1649
The crisis in the Communist Party The Communist Party leaders have banned a pamphlet Oliver MacDonald asks Communist Party members some of the new 'British Road to Socialism'. We print Doyle's internal democracy in their party.
BUILD A SOCIALIST OPPOSITION written by Charlie Doyle calling for a rejection of the Draft
'platform of opposition'.
We explain what the crisis is all about.
FOR A UNIFIED REVOLUTIONARY ORGANISATION
COMMAMORATTON
• STAMP
CHARLES III b.1947
Turn to pages eight and nine.
9 June 1977, No. 1
JUBILLE
?
questions on workers' democracy and the suppression of
Page 2 scan of this page
First battle for equal pay
HOME NEWS
newspapers.
than their own organisations.
SOMETHING DIFFERENT
other papers of the workers' movement.
paper to be utilised tor
the centre of our political taske today.
workers who are responsive to the initiatives
Inads to sectarian posturing.
our pages to debates and discussion,
Comment.)
A LOT TO LEARN
learn both from
masses In struggle
demoralisation.
is a big growth of the right in national politics.
it we fall in our
or less: 'Social-democracy
problem.
Capitalism is in crisis. The leaders of the Labour Party and the trudes unions offer solutions that are in the interests, not of the workers. but of the
Socialist Challenge believes that the two vital tasks confronting revolutionary socialists are: * To build broad-based class struggle tendencies In opposition to class-cellborationiem in the lahour movement, Theseshould be non-exclusive la charntter grouping together militants holding a wide runge
* To begin to fight for the creation of a anified and democratic revolutionary socialist organissdon which can, through un application of enited front tactics, hegin to be seem as an alternative by thoesands of workers engaged in strnggles.
Such an organisation should be based on the understanding that: fight of the workers spinst the bosses with The strugele for socialism seeks to unile Th
that of other oppressed ingers of society -мотеа, пяся peopic, gay» Iberation. This socialism can only be achieved by creating new organs of power and defeating wils
Editorial
Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper Street, London N1.
Editorial 01-359 8189 NEWS 01-3598180 Distribution 01-359 8371
our tasks
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE alms to create a new tradition on the British left. Till now we have seen two types of
The first consciously aims at breaking the monopoly of the capitalist press by publishing news stories not to be found elsewhere. (The oid Seven Days and the present Leveller are two examples of this.) Journals such as these play a useful role but they operate within self-imposed limitations: they are not interested in
The second type is the party paper. In this category fall Socialist Worker, Red Weekly, Newsline, Morning Star, etc. The use of these papers lies precisely in the fact that they are consciousy unised io bullda particular organisation. Their weakness lies in the fact that they, in general, cannot mobilise forces larger
Socialist Challenge, while recognising the merits of
nonetheless aims at achieving something different. We want our
constructing broad-based class-etruggle tendencles in the unions and we want to place the question of revolutionary socialist unity at
We belleve that there are hundreds of thousands of
of the far-left, but are repelled by its lack of unity. That is why we will continue to appeal to other organisations to participate on the Editorial Board of this paper and help to shape its future. We do not believe that any revolutionary socialist organisation today is a party or even the sole nucleus of a future party. To pretend otherwise
The International Marxist Group, which is launching unis newspsper, wants itto cecome a paper ot strugale utilised by different groups and by workers and other
That is why we will establish special sections in the paper which will be accessible to groups which have no other channels
Ication. (Open Forum', Speak Out', ang
The IMG does not believe that it has a monopoly of the truth. On the central political questions we belleve that we are, In general, correct, but we still have a lot to
other orgenisations and from the
We are convinced that unless the far-left understand the fact that internal democracy and open discussions are not a luxury, but a necessity in today's conditions it will not be able to go very far. If it can grasp this raci and operate accordingly then the task of building a unified organisation will be facilitated a hundred fold
Can we accomplish these tasks on our own? we doubt it. That is why we appeal both to other socialiet groups in sympathy with our two aims to join with us and try and take the far-left forward. The cynicism and suspicions which exist on the left are perfectiy comprehensible, but If they persist for too long then they become impediments which can only lead to turther
We face an extremely serious challenge today. There same time there is a large minority within the working class prepared to fight back against Labour's policies. minority then we will not be able to repeat in five years
and Sia nam have trayed. We ourselves will have become part of the
the
struggling for their
was endorsed by the stewards.
above the minimum.
about the strike and its outcome.
"We have got what we asked for
- but this is just the beginning.
Thestrugglestartsnow.
The company sill deny that the wage stractare is discriminstory. but admit that there are small unomalies". They have said thes will do job-grading for all boerlypaid employees ut a nationallevel.
The money at the end of the day will nut be offset against any nationalaward in September. *Only vur own strength can guarantee saccess. At the end of the day that is all angone has. We will attend all negotiations on our case. Everything will be referred back to the wock force. even the most trivial detail. We have called for a national meeting of Jaeger stewards. Our muss showed that people wunt to maintain the bond that was forged in the strike and spread to other
*Within the group. Jaeger in Kilmarock came out on strike with us. LadyDITE THESE TENSES EO OD any work normally done in our plant; so did Collins in Springburgh. They normally work for us but they have boycotted it 'In the Kilmarnock factory the
Hours. The only difference is that they probably don't have a man in their plant to compare with but that is neither here nor there as they can compare themselves with a man in a different plant belong. ing to the same employer. colpen) лаже sarco слат way ching they concede in our plant they must apply throughout the group. And it will also have an
"An industrial tribunal wouldn't evaluation had been carried our probing the we were ar cas as skilled as the unskilled men in our Pay Act is inadequate and one of ropholes is that there isnothing to say that an employer *Our strike was never made official by the NUTGW. The rule
all necessary means the power of the capitalise Tote Than what el he is hiti tote de muc Our socialism will he infinitely more democ
full rights for all political parties and currents The Stalinist models of socialism' in the USSR and Eastern Europe have discredited socialisen in
exes of millions of workers throughout the world. We are opposed to the and will offer full support to all those fighting for socialist demor-
created world politics. Thus we fight for working class unily on an international scale. This unity will in the long run be declive in defeating both the
The women at Laird Porich and Jaeger have won their demand for job grading. After six weeks on strike in their battle for equal pay, the workers in the East Kilbride and Kilmarnock factories voted on 3 June to accept management's offer, which
It will mean that job evaluation is now carried out throughout the Coates Paton textile glant, which the company has been strenuously resisting. When the demand was first raised, at the and of 1975, skilled women al Laird Porich were paid £1.10 above minimum rates, while unskilled men were paid E10
ELLEN NICKLIN, the National Union of Tailoring and Garment Workers convenor at Laird Portch and a member of the strike committee, told Scottish Socialist Ann Henderson
can
meeling
Coates Paton The Opportuaities The report reseuled:
64.3 per cent.
orher
OUR POLICIES
and Asia.
won at Laird Portch
*Only our
strength
generate
success
book states that for a strike to be made official in the NUTGW • ballot must be taken in the plant.
The result must then be sent to the execurive board who may chen WORE WILT sanction an official strike. This would have given the company timeto per alot of unfinished worl out of the plant to meet their
THOSE WHO ARGUE that
women should rely on legisle- 197Г
tion to achieve equality were
given a rude shock best week with
the publication of the first
Hanual report of the Equal
Commissãon.
* Women's earnings as
troportion of men's are onl
* The leeway to be made up on
equal pay in comparison with отел do.
leading European
countries is, if anything greater imperialist regimes in the West and the brutal dictatorships they sustain in Latin America, Africa
In Britain it implies demanding the Immediute withdrawal of British troops from Ireland and letting the Irish prople determine their own fulure.
The Communist Parties in Europe ure in
crisis. Neither the "Eurocommunist nor the
pro-Moscow wings hure any meaningful strategy for the overthrow of the capitalist stude Sew revolutionary sncialist parties ure more secesary than ever before. Conditions today ure more favourable than over the preceding Ibree decades But such parties can only be built be rejecting sectarianism and secing internul demucracy not as • luxury but us a sital necessity. This means the right to urguaise fuctions and tendencies.
Our members were not pre paredto wait while this happened It would only have prolonged the
WOW SHE PUE Anyway, If it had been made offi
$2.50 a week srike pay, so it was THE BATCATOCHELD TOECIE
Equality:
the sordid record
today shan is was in 1964 or
ted. * There remains a huge difference in the numbero/young men and women who gerday or block releases from work, and the proportion of men and women pay.
who toke up aponenriceshipe. 43. per cent of loung men toke up apprenziceshipsortraining leading to a stilled occuparion, but
омбу 6.5 рег селі об моилу
* Upto December 1976 tribunus
rejected a corol of 496 egual pay
to us:
silies in my areu
do cover costs (Delete if not applicable?
NAME...
2 SOCIALISTCHALLENGE June 1977 "Heneversuw the officials who were negotluting on our behalf antil the offer came last woek. We never heard from them hy letter or
sulted until a national officer comesco manureme somer.
We've had support from as far ?
south as London and as far nort as Aberdeen and Inverness: from trade onion branches, clothing plants, engineering works, miners, Women's Liberation croups, the Working Women'
Charter, the Socialist Worker Party, and Scottish Socialists. "At the beginning people didat 3 want to be insolved on the picket lime, but as the strike went on, more and more people participa ted.
We had regnlar strike committer HIT DISE PISS CRETE EDERSO support, what we could do for people facing severehardship, and to organise public meetings to
1 would say we were apposing the Social Contract. All the other legislation which was supposed to tavour workers - uke the Cousl Pay Act none of it worked. But the Social Conrad dacio well worked. Everybody bad their
were very disorganised before the strike, and now wel noco to ne more angened in our plant and in our union. Tbe workers feel quite strongly about it. They feel that they ane trade UNIOR ID HOLE WOD BULL LEE CUI on a linb. They paid their money TOLE HIS TO WAS BEHI at ali.
We'll certainly be wanting changes. Wewant to keep in touch with other workers in our union.
We want to know what their waet structures are, what their plecework earns. We wunt to keep in touch with them regularly, mot just
dispule." complains our of 709 subunir
* Women who serove to the Commistion spoke of how they had been threwened with the suck forraising the issue o egreat
* The report comments that as well as the hostility of bosses, Nowhen pressing for equal pay suffered the opposition of the Governent and anions, who regard eqtal pur as a margines
WANT TO KNOW MORE? If you agree with these principles and want to be involved in activities by Socialist Challenge suppurtersin sour area, fill in the form below and send in
I am interested in more information ahout scti
1 would iske additional literatore and enclese 50p send to Socialist Challenge, 33K/329 L pper Street
Page 3 scan of this page
As Strike Goes Into 44th Week
News from nowhere
the strike despite management pressure. THE GRUNWICK workers' strike committee, In conJanction with their while collar union APEX, hare pur out an urgent appeal for full backing for a week's mass pickets heginning Monday 13 June.
The arrest last week of (FLI Jayaben Desai, a leading Asian woman militast in the 43-weekold strike, is only the latest case of the harasment and intimidation which must be ended if the workers are to draw the dispute to a successful end. The mass pickets will be an important step in this direction. More 'infiltration'
DAVID H. POPPER, retiring US ambassador to Chile, last week told Newsweek of the junta's improved buman-rights prac tices" and internal security situation', Asked what the US Government would do if free ciections were held and the left came to power, he said ir would respect the TERS DECTS ETILY
But 30 per cent of the people is
significance of 30 per cent! We.
Jeftist groups in Chile as 30 per centor thene tale'
A useful rule of thumb', cansidering that Allende got 43.39 af censor thevore in 19731 And, ithas just slipped our minds, bow many votes did General Pinocbetget?
Bear in mind that the present
abour Government won only
0.A per cent of the vote in the las general election — J per oent less than Allende. Their proportion of
HOME NEWS
Grunwicks...
THE ATTEMPTS of George Ward, Grunwick boss, to break the strike continues. Our pictures show some of the 70 people still working at the factory, some of whom may still join
Ward has just opened a new film-processing factory in Mansfield. London may see the last of him if he does not succeed with his injunction against the Abitration and Conciliation Advisory Service. He accuses ACAS of having acted illegally by interlewing Grunwick
With the holiday season beginning, and hence an upturn _ in Grunwick's film processing, the nest few woeks are vital in bringing the bosses to heel. The strikers themseives have done all in their power to organise a total hoypart and win support, speaking at meeting owen the country and doroa
PROBLEM
The real problem lies with
have channelled the struggle LETOUR and "conciliatory" bodies like
miserably to back up the picker Ine. Aimine to get themselves off the hook, APEX officials have tried to shift responsibility onto the postal workers.
They argue that the strike those eligible to vole is about .... 30 per cens! Are we cext in line for
Jubilee secrets
THE ATTRACTION of fuscism in the Thirties for sections of the British ruling chess in an estublished fact. The recent altention focussed on the Mitford family explains the phenomenon as an encentricity.
What is less well-known is that & HERsn monarch, BawarO YIlE who ister was forced to relinquis ent larone, wus a arong admirer of the Naci regime.
TOLUHEEEATY
eurlier this sear carefully omitted HIS SEESENTE occupier of the throne embarrassed in her Jubilee year.
In reality the main reason for ahdicacion was ant the issue of marrying a divorced commoner', but the fact that the commoner in question had been an insimate of the Naz amhassador
can be won only if the UPW breaks the law and boycotts the
up and M8. LOS
mail. If the UPW did back up the workers at the loenl sorting office it would nave s bis in Lundun, Ribbentrop. coupled with the known Nazi sympathies of Edward, made the marriage a dubious proposition.
in the ubdication the monarch was not shown uny state papers relating
gence operations. Even after his MINAUDIE MAN SHIT BE COSESE Bahamas during the war for fear shat if he remained in Farone thi Nazis right use him as a Quisling King after they Invaded Britain.
The researchers who uncorered these facts were politely told to keep their mouths shut.
shown CP expulsions
ная ON THE FACE of i the debare WELCHIDIBIL ALSOLU programaic is proceeding ami cans in the cares or tomment: However, there are traditional bureaucrabe responses at work underscath
In Glasgow a growing opposi-
them. selves on this paunt.
Take the arrest of pickets.
SUPPORT
This.
political
year preceding his
al of Markisn Foster education committes
Glasgow
effect, hut so would a strong picket line outside the faotories, APEX officials haven't been so ready to disregard the forces of law and order them
case of the mass HICKO BUICE WICH CHIMICE Labour Hail. managing director attacked one of the strikers. The 200 strong picket was reduced to merely a symbolic protes when the vast majority were dirocted to the other side of the road This great reverence for the law has only prolonged the strike. And it certainly hasa't stopped the
but further
Support for the week of mass pickets is growing. The Worktion to the party's rightward turn has compelled the apparatchik:
THEREICHE! netbed of resolving the problem let leveral found Communil
several toung Communist League branches in Scolland. The inspiter of the paposition sts is well known Labour historian John Foster, who has organised he Scottish CP*s asmual Fest
refused a few back to accepe the Isanc Deur
heing ruined with "Trotskvism". Is emourassing two memol af the Prize Committee. Eric Gerry Firl. Habshaun and Monte Ions tone He has now unceremoni-
When Job Goline Inst visiced Cow Cr members at a public he was heckled inseting and received the support of only a handful of the audi ence. Given the fact thar Scotland is a vical party stronghold, i
SOCIALIS strikers. He maintains that they have nothing to do with Grunwick since the time he sacked
His mostenterprising strike-brasking has been the hiring of a private plane to replace the orders lost in the strike from the Continent. The plane has unloaded at Heathrow, Cambridge and Luton. Now Ward is looking for less conspicuous airfields. ing Women's Charter Con Terence pledged its cominic memt lo casure supporters ol the campaign turn out in force on Monday. Brent barter group has organised a creche for that day at the Trades and
UNEMPLOYED
But If Grunwick bosses get through the next few weeks -
the National Associarion for Freedom a lavouratle res Turion of the dispute is not in sent. This qould not pals be a Boss For the Grunwick strikers
demoralise the wbole work force in an area already hit by the rapid decline in local industry and high un is hardiy surprising that discip linary measures' are being taken.
Sins of Sydney
SYD BIDWELL, Tribunite MP for Southall made a fling visit to the conference on British With. drawal from Ireland organised
over the last weekend in May
He hegan his speech by u
nouncing that be wax a b "shamefuced' about his activity on Irelund, although be revealed that he Had many pleasant chan with Bernadeite Destin and
He continued his name drop. ping when be mentioned Tarig Ah, Яna in an nocus wach brought cries of 'shume" from the pedience suid ibet Mir. A shoald either join the Labour Purly or go buck to Pakistan :
When the protests died down Mr. Bidwe said. Well, som should see what he's doing in my
Photos: ANDREW WIARD (Report
emalayment.
SUCCESS
A success at Grunwick will pur on three other struggles it NW London. And it will hav its impuct on the anti-racist the bosses and union leaders
DEI mans In 100 labour movement are just as serikers in proving that the so-called farces of law and order will not deter the struggle
Mass pickets beginning 13 June. Arrive at 7.15pm cach day. Pickets report 1o Brent Trades and Labour Hull, 375 High Roud, Willesden, NWI0, (Willesdea Bus Garuge of meant the near 1,000 votes the IMG got la the recest GEC council cections in Southall.
Trot-hunter
TROTSKYITES' make up the bulk of the Polish Workers Defence Committee according to the Polish ambassador in London. Artur Stareicz
Starewich repeated the charges against WDC memhers that they are working for hostile foreign organtsations. What seemed 1o worry Mr. Starewicz was the fact That ine WOL 1 composed a intellectuals rather than trade
True — but ben who were the MONOTELS DOESS WIRCa on scrike in December 1970 and
Page 4 scan of this page
Blacks get mid-night knock in South London
КОМІН
Racist of
the week
wanted
EVERT WEEK this spor will highlight the activities of indiWaTTULLE.
We intend in this way to show in Bririshsociety, In other words it fascist groups and their friends on therighr wing of the Tory party.
There ane racist solicitors, racist
coya, racist trade union officiais,
President of the National Union described It "A threat to democracy'
Williame.
panie Challengo will continus
Sowelo
CO SEUCANC ODITCH
mading for all student militants.
(hallenges Just il in the form belon. good value lor To: Distribution, Upper Street, London N1.
- Du anciose roue NAME.…...
GONEB.
Socialist Challenge]
NEWS
racist reachers, racin employers,
We trust our readers will kegp is regularly supplied with informo-
per pour facts right, and try and Include a ptotognaph or a sketch of the racist in question.
If you are sty of writing, then give us a ring ar 01-359 8/89 and we Il rake the informarion down.
Calling
socialist
students
'AN ULTRA-LEFT PLOT was how Sue Slipman,
was rasction of Minister for Mis-Education Shirley
hey ward lauing dooui ine soocie 12-w08k subscription ofler Socialist Challenge is making
understandebla. Socle ist
democralic manoeuvres of the execulive malorito of the NUS, as It does in this issue when it reports
batrayais Government, and it will gire unrivalied coverage
This In why Sociatiat Challange is essentiel
But we know many studenta have difliculty laft-wing pagers during tho summer break. That I wny wenre maring our spocial subecription offer to cover this perlod — 12 Issues for €1.50.
Don't toelinhibited if you're not a student, this
Introduction to Socialist
Socialist Challenge, 328/329
Please sand me the naxi twaive Issues of Socialist
Addrass to which the paper shauld be sent.
Chaques & P.O.'s should be made payable to
According to the police, they
were picked up in connection
with a spate of robberies in the
arca. A senior police officer said
we mave te wang а даю
who we believe bas been respon-
sible for at lease 50 per cent of the
street crime in the past six
Talk of "mugging" surrounded
the 21's court appearance on
Friday. No-one was granted bail.
uproar following the magistrate's
decision to remand the 21 in
custody on police recommenda-
On Saturday to protest the acreats
nod the treatment of the 21.
But che police made their
position cleat on haw they would
treal any defence campaign.
ollowin the
rganised by Flam
people were arrested including John Deasan, recently acquitred at the Old Bailey alter bis arrest on the Right to Work march.
Maves are underway to establish a defence committer.
The Cambermell
rakes place during the trial of 18
police
TWENTY-FIYE POLICE were militurils pusitioned outside the
Park, North London, last week squade of police were aise placed nearby — at the tube station, near bus stope and down side rads. The 60-100 youths standing outunusuul sight for the might of a performunce. Whut was differens wastheircoleur.
For these were black youth walting for their friends mesing sperformer. Bob Marley. And they were targets of the increasingiy REMEMBER the pieteres frum the 23 April of a thon charging through the crowd followed by an anti-fascist demonstrator sumped on the ground with blond pouring from his face? Resele: sald thing fined E50 For possession of anoflensive weapon, a knife, at Totlenham Magistrates Court. The police are claiming thar because the victime did not come forward to sive evidence, they wereunanlero charpe bis assaman with a more serious offence -Despite the fact that many bysanders gave Stalements on the day!
This is just one small anstance of the partiality shawa by the police and the pourts around tie events of 25 April. The game was given away by a Special Patrol Group officer in court last week. He said that the police had lost control of the situation and were unable to keep fascists and antifascists apan. So what happened! They promptly turned on the
NIGHT-RAIDS by police in Camberwell, south-
east London, led to the arrest of 21 black youths last
week. Among those roused from their beds were
young people of 14 years of age and a young mother.
'British Justice"
Press Group Horsey street meeting. on 4 June. 4.00pm, 14 June.
Youths fight
kill-joys
black social gatherings.
Theatre In Finsbury
were not an the batile. police
£50 fine
anti-fascist demonstrators
acuittals,
Ciigchest so far towards the defence cosis.
Сомонил.
pouths in singion amested for
соллігасу о лод регона кл-
known on dates unknown.
At the time of their arrest last
a press witch-hunt — orgies of
mugging and violence was the
beckeround to the trial. The 27
May issue of the Istingion Garer
re concord tnis tradion of
"Carnival Trail of Terror' read
it front page. This hystericat
treatment prompted journalists
at the Gazette to contact the
tee. A meeting was held between
the committee and representa-
dives of the Federated NUJ
chapels of the North London
(including the Journal, Camden
Jowmal and Istington Gazetter
The meeting arranged for rep-
resentatives of the 18 to addres
the Gozerre chapel at its next
meeting. The Chapel has already
passed a resolution condertining
the beadline, and supported a
call for a picket of the Gazerte at
LACINET harasoment und intimidation at
In response lo such racist intrusion and kill-joy tuctles of the police, black youts huve takes ap the challenge. In Handsworth, Birmingham, several people were injured following • sell-out ap-
pearance of Sugar Delroy Wilson, at the Rebecca Club, Nine hun dred fans were turned away, but many remuined st the club in the hopethey might bealluwed in. The pollice were called in and a battle began. At least 14 police officers
TandeMakanu content.
The courts were doing their bit tod. Only ten of the 74 anti-fascist delendants have received legal
matters aid, althouth a third of the 15 cases neard so tar have resulted in
amour to.1:4,000, The liest black defendant has been fined E105, the
The April 23 Commitee Aguinst Racism und Fuscism is appealiag tn uil trades enionists. Labour parties and student unions fo support the on-gning asti-fascist Strupele hy backine the trade council inquiry into the Tascist march and police action on 23 April, affiliating to the cumpoign,
donations
information, hond-ous, collec non cheers, and speakers are all
April Commitee cro 28 Middle Lane, London Af. Cheques should be Mate payable to the Appi 23
Romford
paper
rages over
anti-racist
attack
The racist Romford Ohserver is
extremely anhappy. The whole
front page of last week's Issue
avec to berending me
poper against the attack made
in the Cumpnign Against Rac-
Ism In the Media's pamphlet,
*in Black and WanD: KACIN
reporting and how to fight il.
It was the Rougord Observer
which beimeen March and June
last yeur master-minded a local
compuign to bound sa extend-
ed Asian family from s concil-
orned mussion' house. lt
emparco suco suouc neagiane
Asians must ges car",
Asils gived deadlise s
iams wared", 'Asiums go in
NO DEFENCE
Noedless to say, the paper ha
no defence against this rahld
rabble rousing. But il does
provide a powerfal advert to
siert militants thai the pum-
phlet is a mest.
David Edger, author of 'Des
liny", is ome of the speukers at a
CARM conference on Saferday
9 July, where Joerealists and
anti-racist alicants will discuss
how the press shoold deal with
1 follows the excellent ini
the Horsey Journal, Istingion
Gazelle, SE London Mercurs,
and Hockney Greette dering
HOL DES PUEREUR
Journalists
step up
battle for
closed shop
JOSEPHINE KIRK SMITH, for-
dnes mot hare a very high opinion of ibe NUIT. Editors, she believes, shonld have total freedom to hire und fire, and control over editorial
The union, she considers, has aiready fallen down on is pro fessional duties in its atlecupls to control the reporting of racial
Sa Ms Smith, now employed on the Darlingion and Stockion Times, has refused to join the NUJ, and last Friday over a hunEngland Neuspapers group came their post-entry closed shop
•le sniege conses oolva fortsighrafter journnlises in Ketterin uccessfully fought a bitrer 24 week lock-out to maintain a 100 resolute support at the unon's ainual conference in April ta marshal the forces thai the NU leadershiphad failed tocallon.
The Journaliste cow out in Darlington, Teeside and Durbam are decermined not to be isolared in their barile. Already pracrically to crass the picker lines.
Dul enche abille of elitars
4 SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 9 June 1077 Observer *-
À BLACK AND ?
WHITE ISSUE
Pepe un
Observer El
ASIANS WARNED
Lite in a hait s 30
Romtord Observer (top) - ло derance egainat its racist wit ch-hont [adave]
Journalises from these papers and ohers will be attending the working confereace, to be heid at Central London Poly, Marylebone Boud, NW1, from 10gm-брт.
Defalis of conference and postage) from: CARM, Cleve Road, Loadon NW6. papers wirh a lictle belp from their Friends in the roactionary Institute al Journalists (which Ms Smith joined immedietcy the strike began), the solldarity of print workers is vital. To date the print unsons, which have long enjoyed sbown litte support for the NUJ's
-We believe the clused shop is way we Il Improve our bergaining pusition, especially will the three! to johs posed by new teclimology." Mike Duggan. NUt fatber of ebe chapel for the North of England papers, toldSocelist Challenge.
*When it comes to froedom of the press, we ask whose freedom it k. It's newspaper managements generally who sappress views and
The NUI's Code of Coaducr repiy, as well as opposition to the салопа оготовол о1 гасівні аск sexisie. "If the closed shop means the Code', Mike adds. "I will be very pleased'
Resolutions of support, draglices, detais ol pickets from: NLU Strike Citee, 9 Victoria Road. Darlington, Phone0325 50282
GEOFFREYSHERIDAN
Page 5 scan of this page
receive
ovation
management and union officials.
This means there will be an
workers involved in working at the new Sinter plant, there will be an 'in depth" review of the ratio of technicians to electricians, and negotiations are to begin on the effects of new technology in the
The deal, which was little more than could have been achieved ar the heginning of the dispute, was sold to the strikers by Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plimbing Union national nerociator bodie Lancot
Throughout the strike EETPL
everything they could to smash it. Linton he had negotiated at the Shepcote
strike
breaking
NAME: Alun Law in Birmingham for the Transport
Selling out the Randolph Hotel Strike, Oxford.
bureaucracy of the T&GWU res ponsible for the defeat at the Randolph, Hotel on 17 May,
Alter i six-month strike Tor uman recognition and agninst victimisation, the strikers were bedered to accept the terms or Trust Houses Forte manage
2. Saboraging the three-month strike at the Night Our Club in week as the Randolph sell-out.
HOME NEWS
As Port Talbot
strike ends
Stewards
The strike of the 560 electricians at the British Steel Corporation's Port Talbot vorks ended last Friday. As the strike entered its eleventh week the men voted by 206 to 130 to accept the terms of the Immediate payment to those few stabled he pinciple be Port
Talbor electricians were basing their demands on.
He had refused to make the strike official thus allempts of the strikers to gain the support of Swansea dockers, мосте дс со usua y supp00 by the Port Talbot works was CHIDE UKRICE In a fawning and patronising peech to the strikers on Friday Linton appenied 1o you and ignoring his own strike claimed 'you're my boys".
But although the VISIO against the advice of the shap stewards leading the strike it was they, not Linton, who received the five minute ovation at the end
Ten thousand marchers flooded the centre of Newcastie on 3June in protes tagainst rising unemployment
in the arse. The moblisation was so impressive that even the Lord Mayor of Nowcastle felt constrained to
glehis support. The march was headed by a contingent from CA Parsons, the Heaton power plant where
jobs are threatened by the failure to bulld the Drax 8 power stallon. Workers from other plants faced with
sackinge joined the march: Iram Clarke Chapman, Wickers, Plessey and Jackson the Tailor.
Wanted for
committed to winning the dis pate, be stopped the TRIon baycott of the club and called off the regular mass picket Law agreed that the cause of the dispule - the sacking of a wistress by THF for union activities — should go to arhitra-
3. Sabotaging the strike of ürivers ar Morion's (BRS) trans port company in Small Heath, BURRITT The drivers were out for a sickness benefit scherne cha Teast insurance corce The officials persuaded them to go to mockers con tinued picketing until they were promised & obnes cor cicar ng toc hacklog of work.
of the meeting.
The convenor of the strike
committee, Wyn Bevan, made his determination to carry on the struggle clear when Solar Challene He continue the light inside the gutes of the works as vigorously as we
So while the outcome of the strike was not satisfactory for those involved. the support the shop stewards still enjoy, and the determination of the sewards themselves means that British sabotaging Steel Corporation have not heard the last of the electricians ar Port Talbot.
* List Friday the worker occupy ing the British Steel Corporation lads" sinue their acrion. At the mass role in the meeting only one woved against the occupation contiming and reo abstained. The workers accupied
the worky after sir of them hac
sacked for NUPE-called I1 May action in London againer she cues.
Law's reaction? "The men Limited were carried away by overenthusiasms", be geperously suggested, They are just ordinary sorcing poople who have been cut on strike nod want to go back to work. Law nade bem with draw their bones demand, and on 24 May sent theim back lo work.
SANITA Associates:
Houses Forte management, and
National Associntion Froeden, who
What to do: Organise inde nots or suca craven union officials, and light to remove against the policies they stand CEDE
conference next
Albert Spanswick. tions', Spanswick warns.
will
shop sewurds.committees support of
menshers| taking part in * threshold agreements
* a 35-hour week
weeks a year * retirement at 60
ford Hospitals.
come of the conference The ballot was
cers
social service
As carly as Trust
for SCULAL LIL SUELEI intervened to
be balloted.
Organise
Union
Conferences
COHSE
JUST BEFORE DELEGATES set off for the Confederation of demands Health Service Employee'sanmusi
week, their branches will have received a terse instruction from general secredary
His latest circular conpedes the
consisting of COHSE WE TO CE cumstances can they involve rep TO HEALS TEAM ONE DINNER
It will be a centrol fighr or the conferenor, with monous caling for (Re M2X101a02 20205-120002 C0. aperation against the eats, gether with the formation of join
For the first time, women's issues make their appearance on tbe agenda, with a call from
NUPE
THR POLICY ON WAGES Timally decided upon by the NUPE what it wa conference called upon the anion execulive to sobrait elalims for and prepure to lead action in
*a minimum wage of 250 la 30 per centincreuse for most NOPE
* • minimum holiday of 4
CHARLES SUDDARDS.
NUTE branch secretary for Staf-
TOCTSCCUTTES Challenge how he sees the out-
Majority of us no longer belleve that the Government is aflempring to control prines and
Ballot
blown
An astonishing attempt to
rig a trade union ballot re-
ceived a resounding militant
defeat last Thursday.
conducied amongst members of the Nation al and Local Government Offi
services department of the Lon-
The issue was over whether these workers were prepared to pegative vote' take action against cuts in the
which had meant bothered to the loss of 18 jobs over the past
10 March the NALGO menbers affected bad met and roced unanimously to ban visitors at lunchtime, ban calls and visitors for a hail das each week, ban all inquiries from councillors and MPs and ban the preparation of court reports for and 138
But the local leadership and officials of Camden NALGO did everything in their power to
They delayed discussins the That members vole To acbon Talk deciding that the members had to
This bailot evertually cook place last week nearly three months after the original vote had been taken,
They fransed the questions in
Tameside for the adoption of the
Working Women's naiter and artiaton to the Chaner Campaign, nod a proposal from Sutton to reject Benvon' tabortion Bill
CONSE's membership has just passed 200,000 a threefold marcuse in len vesrs, with warner members outnumbering men by threetoone. Tetthe leadership has barely paid even lip service to Taking up women sinterests.
it has been equally silent on the upsurge in racism except for
mission on the NHS that the VTETUCEMERE ON OUTSER doctors should bereduced.
Karim is thiny disguised in a conference motion from Leavesden branch in St. Albans calling for the cutting off of NHS services
e see the Social Contract fe
La con trick. Our branch pobey is to prem for a 260
increasesto Keep pace with the cost of time, and a 33-hour week
Despite Alan Fisher's claim that the union conference showed la support for wage restrains, in fact in pamed a resolution calling on the дисате самки го сотриея for very similar policies to these
secure these demands must nor be let to the full-rimers" shadow boxing. Anyone who thinks Phese 3. howew flexible, will give s
hese policies cannot fe relie apon to lead a fighr. We have to organise inside the union nation ally to make sure that the reader ship can't walk away with less thor what's required!
Webelieve thor NOPE's deys of sucle& way so as to make them as
Most remarkable of all the
panying the ballot paper included
"Picase nots that a con-return will count as a
So if members couldn't be
PLUS wanted to abstain, lost their ballot paper, or were on holiday, they were to be automatically counted as a vote against the action
But the attempt to rig th
esult produced an angry back lash. Of the 220 members entitied to vole. 165 ballet papers were returned, and of those 165, 153
voted respectively to support the chroe actions. In the end, when announcing the wore
bother to count non-returns as TONE SO AURICe METE LIC
Beadership refused to plan la Socialist Challenge Jheir policy of a non-return
NALDO district officer Gareth JOT WA COINCIDE AHOL day when the vote was taken bur his superior, the District Organi-
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE June 1977 thiscountry whadonolcontribut tothe NHS
Pay policyand the cars will bethe central innes around which the incressing left-right split will take place. The most solle oppunition terhe Social Confroct comes from the East Burninghom Dock which rejeers any "onderly return to frer collechur bargaining, and calls for a 1/5 increase with walamant protection against in Nation and a 35-hour week. Birmingbamn has called the first
COHSE conference, to organise
right-wing policies of the majorit of executive members. The meer ing is to he held on Monday 13 Tene, at 5.30pm. in the pouncil chamber at Blackpool Townhall. action were marea publicity stunt than a forceful modulisation. Our ah! Divisional Conscil gave no dear lend as to what was to happen
The members realise that the
own district 78,000 dawn on last yew. for 445 1T 10 demand massive inpiections TWICED DETESECAR ONE prepare for action locally.
enablish a shop stewards commit fee embracing all the unions in our districr.
or dart out open at
hat districts sh books when redundancies are Threatened. Again we mast take p the mouchings of the leadershi and force them tops/action when their words are.
rigging
sation Officer, Andrew Jack, mas available. Asked why this unique procedure had been adopted be said: "1 aon't explain it, it's a matter for NACCO interally. 1 have no comment to make whatsoever"
But the social service workers In NAIGO, organised by an un OCASION HTCARTISTABITJE tee, made their comments loud
action,
By TOM MARLOWE
Page 6 scan of this page
Trying To Turn Scotland Into Switzerland MEL WILAMSON ROnS.
Turf Lodge women say
'extremist' nationalism.
he debate around the party's archy proposed Scottish consticution.
ate a conscuational monarchy under parliamentary soveresgnity.
debate in un obviously coHouse of Windsor. Even the party, Arthur Donaldson, trundled our to explain to delagates how the SNP had "always:
ITS HER OIL
THE SNP in mo party of ring raming rumpena, our mrcares Fo tum working people against the from Ron Daley In Belfast
their part in two armed robberies in 1975.
But seven more
In freeing the men the judge explained that be accepred chat they all joined the organisation our of a sense of loyalty, not out of a sense of working to. their own advantage
He added touchingly. I hope the court is nor asking too much By letting you of lorge!
The same attrude of forgive ness and rpentence shown the PLETIOU day when enocher judge aalied Brian Nic Guigan From Drapersown lor two years for helonging to the IRA and collecting information
In facr the people of Draperstown know quite well tha: McGuigan has never botu a member oh the RA 900 that Be tortured at the notorious Short Strand RUC siation last year when he was "persuaded" to sign
SCOTLAND/IRELAND
SNP Conference
From a fringe group of poets and small business people ten years ago, the Scottish National Party has become West Europe's fastest growing political party. The object of the conference in Dundee last month was to consolidate this growth, and to shed the hangovers from earlier
This was seen at its clearest in supported the principle of moo- behalf of private capital
It envisaged no real change in an radicalism was the support it independent Seocland's political gave to the proposal to have has just appointed its first full-
to model Scotland on the politics
MANAGED
The rest of the conference was • stage mannged affair, which did not exclude differences. Given the teal prosnect of parlamentary and tillcal gains for the SP, petty jealousies and rivalries abound.
Inside a boargeois party like be SP, the terms Heft o right' amount to little. Doeat Stewart, their partiamentary leader and a parochini reactionary of the first order, Is vehemeatly opposed to the Social Costruct. The su-called left winger" Margo McDonald argued ut lengib ugainst any joint
nature, and with a firm commiteconomy, the 5NP is now confiBERY ASSETTE TE DOUCH HO
"We will form
British 'justice' In the north of Ireland struck again on 27 May. In a Belfast court a judge jailed four members of the Loyalist paramilitary Ülster Volunteer Forces for
were only given suspended sentences. This Is in spite of the fact that all admitted various firearm offences and membership of the UVF.
La confession.
Such examples of British juscice help to explain the renewed determination of women in the Belfast Cathole ghero of Turf Lodge to resist the British Army.
They declared last week that the will not jolerate this physica by these uniformed thug and not harrizades to black the lives of our children, and we repeat 30n — you ciled Loo Norney, you killed Brian Sieshomes, you are destroying our The Brash Army UHAS In ir have tilled sounded rheir las; person on Turf Lodge We the wome wil erstre you stay put of the urca.
Pur and parcel of this is the The nearest the party gor in party's aim of winning support
time trade union organiser. Steve itution. It was spoiled when the Butler, an ex-ASTMS stewar
Like so many others in th pany. Baler takes his mod From Scandanavia and has Bo difficulty in seeing the interests of management and labour as reconcilable, although there i a *grey ares where conflict is often inevitable', He claims, probably correctly, to have paper mem bers" in every single plant is Scotland. Butler's job is to get them organised.
MIDDLE CLASS
But it would be wrong to exaggerate these trends. The active membership at consrituracy and regional ever is sou overw beins ingly middle coss, and hostile to any consistent involvement in the lubour movement.
So much so thar the party is actually opposed (privately, of
Political levy to the Labou
confrontation that this would bring with the trade anion bur eaucracy, and the necessity it
human barricades"
the curance
and the
and
coctoral politics
Scottish Socialist YOU CAN
SMASH BARRICADES
BUT NEVER!
HETSEN
PEOPLE
general, Tim
would provoke of Ening up in ae organised way outside percy
As the SP conference proved time and time again, this is no party of flag waving lumpens. Its electoralism, is constitutionali500, and as Bosolely to sel organisution of uny kind. may vel prove is biggest weupon in larming wurking people agains!
incladed: BUILD A SOCIALIST
ALTERNATIVE
with shackles in secret ber
Torturer to be
Army boss in Ireland
THE BRITISH ARMY Is to have a new General Officer Commanding in the North of Ireland. And the nature ol the appoiniment offers positive evidence that the army's torture, murder, and "dirty tricks' are to be stepped up.
The chosen boss is a major-
Credacy, whose military rebord includes service in Aden and Kenya. Most signifi cantly, Creasey, as a serving British officer, was commander of the Sultan of Oman's armed forces from 1972-75.
The record of repression in ing, even hy the standards of the British Army. The British Forces, which included a strong contingent olSASmembers, were operating as advisers" to the tyrannica!
Sultan, backed by Britain against the People's Front for the Liberalion of Oman Oman's oil accounts for Britain's invoive-
The way Creasey direcred his band of official mercenaries was publicised at the time by the PFLO. In |975 a memorandum to Amnesty Incernational, the PFLO listed the acuities practised by British and fordanian officers The tortures overseen by Creasey
* Plucking the hair, nsils and teetle of the prisoners * Hurning them with cigarettes
and gas torebes * Putting prisomen in suckes and und cold water * Forcing prisoners to sland on une leg for several hours * Keeping prisoners chaimed
Preventing prisoners from sleping hy using loudspeakers.
Political parties and trade unions were nannco. Hundreds d. political prisoners were detained THOU THREATS AESDEN ed", never to be seen again. When kensin takeniacether were bed
As well as the PFLO, the Oman Red Crescent the Middle East version 01 the Ked Erass restified to this repcession, res Ponsibality for which rested with the British Government and its
Revolutionaries stand
in South Irish Elections
The electorale of the 28 Counties of Ireland go lo the polis on 18 June for the first general election since 1973.
The present government → a coalition of the former lascist Fine Gael Party and the Irish Labour Party — face Flanns Fail led by former prime minister Jack Lynch.
According to the opinion polls enemployment will be the major issue in the election, although the inability of either the coalicion or Fianna Fail to cut the dole queue is reflected in the lact that in one poll 20 per cent of those questioned said there would he no difference in unemployinent no matter who was clected.
One candidace who has first hand experience of unemploy ment is Joc manner, a ma
of the Movement for a Socialist Republic (Irish Section of the Fourth Incernational) who ls standing in Limerick East as a candidate of Borrow Dog. = Socal trade unionists' newspaper.
Joc, who has been sacked front a number of jabs in Limerick and Shannon for trade union ac tivity, is making women's rights, the right to work, repression in the 26 Counties and Britisb occupation of ibe Six Countles the cencral features of bis campaign, which he fought under the slogan 'For A Socialise Kepub"There are a nueber of other HOLD MEAL SENIHE LAMAIC standing in the election. The Irish
6 SOCIALISTCHALLENGE 9June 1977
In GEOFF BELL malitary representatives headed by Creasey:
The International Committee of the British Labour Party, in a report on Oman in January 1926 acknowledeed this responsihilicy when it reported. "It is generally accepted that British influeace remains dommant in the governTHERE DEFIETL
Replying to those charges the James Called store i James Callaghan, wrote Labour Weekty
'Stability in the Arabian Peo THUGS FINDER DRECWHRTLIDE
should do everything we can to see regime does notzake over 2 COMe Whose terrory COM mandis THEREN chence! throwsh which cho-thirds of our of comes from the Gulf!
The 'everything we can Cal inghan mentioned included not poly the tortures listed by the pertuanent martial law. thee bombliberated renatory, and tfie placing DONLIST HERNS DEUCINECE of the PELO.
the major British representatives responsible for these policies were from 1972-75, Creasey, and from 1974-76. Roy Mason, then Minister of Defence
Now Mason is Secrelary for the British Occupation of Ireland. und his teaming up again with the torturer of Oman Creasey shows just how successful the Loyulists demands for stricter security have heen.
Kepublican Socialist Party b
and two independent Labour candidates are stacking Dublin.
One is a leading figure in the Trish trade union moverbent, NatElection called for Britain to name date' for withdrawal from the North of Ireland; the other is Noel Browne, a former cahine minister and a lang time appo bent of the power of the Carholic Chunch in Ireland
Both Merrigan and Browne were refused nominations by the Irish Labour Party, whose record while junior partner the present government on such is sues as wages, civil liberties and the North of Iceland makes even the British Labour Party appea progressive.
* Joe Harrington and the MSE are desperately in need of fund to promote their election inter vention. All readers of Socialist Challenge are, asked to rush donations to theis campaign at:
109 O Malley Park, Southill, Limerick, Ireland
Page 7 scan of this page
Socialist
Inflation is averaging 20 per cent and real baying power hus fallen
Sillion pounds has been chopped from public expenditure. This means lese houses and higher rents, less hospitals and longer waiting lists, less schools and Tewer teachers and less murseries and facilities to care for the
The centrepicee of Govern ment policy, the Social Contract has been shown to be a con trick The promised decreases in un employment, price controls and
increases have pre-
ictably failed so materialise. While working people have faced wage cuts, tax relief and profits soar for big business.
berties and hard-won gains are
racist attacks, spurred on by the
ration laws. The few concessions won by women are under tracaL, especially the right to abortion. Aid in Ireland, Britain's bloody and costly war continues, while Irish activists in Britain are con-
all making a killing...'
ROGER PROTZ looks at the Jubiles.
THE FOLLOWING front-page
Gatbermore:
SCROUNGERS MAFIA MILK THE NATION
*A highly organised group of
social security scroungers, who
more around the country on
step ahead of the authoricies, are
milking the nation of hundredi
of thousands of pounds a week: Sere get Pana by 10thg dubbed
"Scroungers
security officials, are a shadowy
organisation without known sur-
names. their leaders are known as Liz and Phil.
•As a result of their massive welfare handouts, the group live
in luxury in several secret homes Jotte Sound meant Ha
reporters have sported them in
London, Berkshite, Norfaik and Scotland
*When they feel chat authorities are close on trail, chey slip abroad in a large yacht that is also funded by public money.
'Last night the Tory spokesman on the social services. Geoffrey Yahoo, said: "These disgraceful facts show yet again that while industrious middle class people are heing milked by the taxman, idle ne'er-do-wells are lining their pockets at the expense of the thrifty"!
OPEN FORUM
An Appeal for
Candidates
The INTERNATIONAL MARXIST GROUP and BIG FLAME are launching an appeal for Socialist Unity candidates at the next general election. This is a new initiative which needs some explanation. Our starting point is the performance of the Labour Government under which living standards and the quality of life have drastically declined.
stantly harassed, The result of these policies is by E10 a week in two years. E8 clear The complicity of the
union leaders has limited the Bighback, and working class apathy and disillusionment is that such distilesionment linked not Jase to Labour but to socialism in general. The humilating delcats for Labour in the recent by-cloctions show the fruit the nation thar only by supporwe keep the Tories out.
DANGER The other danger has been the rise in the votes for the fascist organisations like the National.
Front. No matter how false the solutions offered by the fascists, they will appear as an alternative so the bankrupt policies of the major parties and are gaining working class votes. Their hop is to become a respectable part of the system by standing enough CANSIOHECS TO CEL TECHSOO TEME and compete with the Liberals as the third major political party.
Speakout
"It is marvellously good for business; the hotels are packed, the purveyors of such tawdry items as 70p Union Jacks, Jubilee tankards and red, white and blue biros are
That is fantasy of course, Bat and fantasy sometimes get curiously mixed.
The press has been screeching about scroungers" for years. Af the sane Libe the newspapers, whose editors not have the decency to blush ar their appalling hypocrisy, have sorced themselves into a lather cajoling us into celebrating the rava tubilee.
SCROUNGING
The nation 1 in a mess, thei tell us. We must all tighten our belts and pur our nosts to be cliche to bring our battered old nation back onto the right econ omic course.
And yet untold millions of pubic money are being squandered on a mammoth, elebrarion for a tiny group who their represent all rhat is so desperatel wrong with our present system and its twisred priorities.
If our press was truly independent and fearless in when it comes to scrounging and в cool busm, Ine royal drones Jeave the rest of ScandaL The Quest could reach some a thing or two when it comes to
Therefore we think it vital that a radical social alanatus be put forward at the next general election Parlaicut wil solve the problems facing the growing rapidly. The danger is paigns can give us the oppor
tunity to do two things. The first i to present alternative socialist policies, a programme of action that deals with a wide range of Issues facing as today.
However, we are not solely concerned with propaganda, The coction campaigns must be used lo advocate and develop practically the fightback Labour's policies. In this sense we must convince people chat me are more than an election cam NEW UHELTE fore and after, bulldine i
Support could be given to local racism. for better housing, for the strate of women ind so an A radical socialist slare would therefore be building a coalition of militants and organisations based on their activicy in class struggle.
What is needed is the bringing
JUBILEE BLUES
self same syncheric
pay bargaining. She has a private Jortune Di her own reputed to be one of the richest people in the world screws a tidy sum from its quest Government and is never satis-
TIEN Last year the Government, affer much private lobbying by us the Queen, ance by E265,000 increase of t3,300 a week. Her allowance £1,665,000 a year. The Gavern
candidate Brian Heron
community.
naticinal and local lines
La campaign.
PROGRAMME against
• democratic
whenever possible. reprosculative
capossible lores
SHIVER
ment said the incresse was necesshe is
tion'
the wage increases being inMation
*Orher members of the royal Family did well out of be deal. top. Prince Philip's increased her allow - that is an year, the Queen Mother's from
195,000 to E140,000 and Princess nOw Anne gor an extra £10,000 a year.
Princess Margaret gor £15,000
Door to door canvassing in Steonford when Big Flame worked for ING
logerher of all dose political
labour movemen. women's and black orgailisations as well as individual militants oo
would be committed to slich a fight. We aim in huild towards a conference in Ocrober, open to all organisations and individuals who would braadly support sach
NAME
Before and at that conference
discussion mus start to thrash our a national clection slate. Such cand daces
should be oF the clas: sruggle in their area and be decred by and responsible to the
the working class movement. Hope fully, such unity in action could be continued after the elections
Aull agreed programme would have lo be worked our We shall
JUBILEE
sary to take account of infla-
- the same Gorernment parent family.
prates about
rayal
attract allowance 220,000 t0 E85,000 a
be resentine our ideas. hut we
want the process to be as open as
pantributing idear and eventually
having the option of Mexibly
Sporisorslip does not imply support for any parricular programm of financial committient Merely suppor for the conception o Socialist Laily cand aces and the necessity for organised discussion of the political best for such a campaign. including the CUCEHCEEANTCICIER
ORGANISATION
ADDRESS
Please indicate if yoa intend to attend the National Planning Meeting which will be on 2 July at the Golden Eagle, Hill St (nea New Steel Starion). Hirmingham, starting at noon.
All correspondence and inquiries should be addressed to Conference Planning Committee, 3rd Floor, 14 Piccadilly, Manchester 1.
BIG FLAME
their: more, no doubt to compensate for the fact that she is a one-
This is fine according to the sycophants of the press. The
family are part of the nation's stirring history, they
overseas visitors, they work terribly hard plancing trees,
Speakout
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 9 June 1877
relating the final programme to
local situations. But such a pro
gramme would have to take in
starting paint from the view that
the working class can take no
responsibility for the crisis of
capitalism
Insecad it would fight for the
power. Independent organisation
and control over its conditions of
life in the working class. It would
oppose the Social Contract, cuts
and unemployment. I would
right for the rights of women and
black people, and against British
TECHINA Ireland and
Southern Africa. Finally.
would tick these national issues
with the key local ones,
conference would
have to discuss raising money fo
finance sach un Intervention:
how the campaign should be or-
ganised, and the attitude of such
an alliance to other candidates.
particularty Labour
We urge ull orgaeisations und
individuals on the left to sponsor
this conference. In the shurler
lerm, we are culling -FOr
national planning meering that
can set up a mach brouder based
organising committee to build
towards the conference and locul
meetings and coalitions. It could
SIS See to Issue a ben ahe
brunder appest.
INTERNATIONAL MARXIST GROUP
Inunching ships, packing suit-
crises to bove from Buckinghan
Palace to Windsor or Balmora
or Sandringham or the roya
yacht. By jingo, they deserve al
that money from the taxpayers.
In sharp discinction sre cor
miners, car workers, and the
millions of workice people who
produce real, tangible value b
their labour. Their pay should b
savagely pegged by the Govern
ment because, unlike the roya Tamily, they are of listle socia value, they have contributed nothing to the nation's history
And should they have the misfortune to lose thei: job, then
families deserve to branded as scroungers when Lley Seck to recoup some tiny fractica of their contribution to society through welfare henefits.
SMOKESCREEN M
The jutalee celebrations, des perately conjured into life by the
Government and the media through a largely apathetic pop ulation, are a sipantic smoke soreen, a diversion froin our rea probiecos and a crude and naus cating attempe to get us to unite around some clapped-out, socialLy irrelevant totem pole
It is marvellously good fo Business: the hotels are packed the purveyors of such rawdry items as 70p Union Jacks, jubilee tankards and red, white and hlue birns are all making a killing
But for the million and a half jobless, the million and more without a bome, the million: Lving in deepening poverty, i all a caiculaced insult.
And on this sickening occasion 1 send the Following disloyal greeting to the royal family Please seck the urgent atrention of a taxidermist.
Page 8 scan of this page
THE CRISIS IN THE CON
THE COMMUNIST PARTY leadership will carry the vote on the new Draft of the British Road at the Party Congress In November. But it Is not so clear that they will be able to carry the membership as a whole behind It after the congress. The pre-Congress discussion is burst- Eastern Europe. ing through the formal channels of what is called 'inner Party Democracy' within the Communist Party. There is even talk of the danger of a split. The spectre of the split in the Swedish Communist Party is being roused.
Charlie Doyle, an old and respected worker militant in the Party, has written an alternative to the British Koad New Draft. He submitted it 10 Marxism Today and Comment who rejected it on grounds of length (though it is not even a quarter of the lengil of the leadership's draft). So Doyle published the piece as a pamphlet.
Then the Executive Committee banned its distribution, saying that the E.C. meeting in July will discuss whether lather action should be taken. Meanwhile, there are reports of some Party members being suipended for selling the pamphlet: Gordon McLennan contirmed two such suspensions in Yorkshire to Socialist Challenge. Yet the pamphlet is still being passed around 'clandestinely and its supporters have started sending it anonymously through the post to likely sympathisers (a tactic used by the Trotskyists bureaucratised Soviet Party during the 1920s).
PARTY RULES
An even more menacing event is the planned mass meeting of opponents of the draft at Merton Civic Hall on 9 June. This meeting drives tank through the Party rules, but many members are expected to attend.
Socialist Challenge is printing the summary contained in Charlie Doyle's pamphier, not at all because we agree with his general views. Bur because we think that a vital practical principle of Leninism is involved in the banning of his pamphlet, a principle of concern to all socialists, inside and outside che Communist Party. As one writer in Comment said: "Socialist Democracy of course means all things to all Communists." (Joho Holford, Comment, 25 December 1976) Hence the necessity of spelling our what we mean by "democracy".
Leaving aside minor, subsidiary currents, there are two main factional groupings inside the Communist Party today. The differences between these two groupings are pretty deep.
SURREY DISTRICT
One, sometimes called the Frenchites after Sid French of the Surrey District Committer, calls the new draft a "left social democratic programne" (Comment, 30 April) while at the same time backing the bureaucratic regimes in
COMMUNIST PARTY
The story behind the
banned pamphlet
The other grouping, around the leadership, combines what is indeed a lett social democratic programme, with correct, though very partial, criticisms of bureaucratic crimes against the working people of Eastern Europe.
UNEASY FEELING
The Party members are thus effeclively given a cholce between a left social democratic strategy for Britain und a grouping that backs bureaucrutic dictatorships in the East.
Some members Teel uneasy about backing either wing, though they agree GORDON MCLENNAN
with aspects or what both say. Some might take the view of Socialist Challenge and back a revolutionary Marxist strategy in Britain while at the same time wanting militant solidarity with those in Eastern Europe fighting against the burcaucracy for socialist democracy
The leadership of the Party has come down in favour of the right of a plurality of tendencies and parties after the revolution principle of workers" democracy. They are also for maintaining the army and bourgeois state machine throughout the revolution. This machinery is designed to crush the real political participation of the mass of workers, principle directly opposed to workers' democracy, but that is the subject of another
discussion. Why are we in favour of the right for a multiplicity of currents
functioning after the revolution? To be nice to everybody? To show how 'unstalinist" we are? Because we have become worshippers of democracy first, and socialists only second? Not at all: workers democracy is vital for purely practical reasons. There is no other way of deciding between the difference choices of popular opinion and the decision of the majority. Any other view invoives an abandonment of materialism as well as a petty bourgeois contempt for the judgement of the mass of working people. Formally the rules cannot be changed at this stage in a pre-Congress discussion. But if the CP leadership was genuinely concerned to get thorough discussion before the Congress and avoid a confused split it would waive formalities at the July Executive Committee meeting and immediately grant the right of tendencaes and factions and the other measures suggested there. If the membership didn't support this action it could always censure the outgoing E.C. at the Congress. But this is hardly likely since all members of the CP would surely be in favour of maintaining the unity of the Party.
SIMPLE ANSWER
Any Party member who reads this article will probably be saying to himself or herself: what the hell has the situation inside the Party got to do with people outside the Party? Above all, why are the Trotskyists sticking their nose into the CP? The answer is quite simple.
Of course, we have particular political reasons for concerning ourselves with the debate in the Communist Party: we want to convince the many dedicated socialists and working class leaders in the Party to take up the fight for a revolutionary line against re formism and to take up a fight against bureaucratic crimes in the workers"
STALINIST METHODS
Many thousands of workers and socialists in Britain today are watching the British Communist Party and wondering whether the Party has deci sively broken from Stalinist methods. These people have noted what the leadership has said about not trying to establish its monolithic monopoly of power if the Party gains the leadership of the working class. They have noted what the Party leadership has said abour allowing other political tendencies to operate, organise and function openly, and they welcome this recog sition of the right of tendency in the political атела
But if the leadership 5 genuine on that then why does it not allow such rights of tendency to its own membership, as some Trotskyist groups like the IMG do? Can we really expect the CP leadership to operate in a prin-
- PARTY-
cipled way with people outside the Party on the issue of workers' democracy, ver simultancously bureaucratically dominate its own membership and deny it the indispensible right of tendency? Who can believe that? For our part we see it as part of our task to struggle for workers" democ racy throughout the labour movement. This for us is a hasic practical principle and it requires that we defend the rights of socialists whose ideas don't necessarily agree with at all. That is why we consider it a necessary service to CP merbers themselves to publish Charlie Doyle's plutform in Socialist Challenge. If it is read by many CP members then we will have helped to weaken the buresucratic restrictions of the CP rule book. And that is something worth fighting for, METOTAL OPPOSTON I Fourth
concept of The British Road can
besummed up as follows:
First
Britain is neither immune from
the laws of social revolation nor
the possibilly of some unfonseen,
unpredictable violent social up-
heart, although thes mas be
hased on peculin Brish cir
cumstancer and characteristies, Second
The most dangerous and futile
ching a resolutionary cor de is
base political propramme on prog
posticsdods of unknown future developments which is not only Foolish bot impossible We are
revolutionaries, Marxists-
Leoists, not tortunetellers. Third
The British Road seitles for the pastest of all possible options. thereby disarming the warking class of is most important iden logical weapons. te substitutes the soclal democratie, revisionist eveJotonary part for the revolu -tionary path,
ORALISTE
The rules allow any individual n ber to put 800 words into Comr
and 900 words into the Morning
Individual branches can also pass
Jutions for Congress or amendien
"The British Road". And the Par
having a public discussion in
labour movement with other tre
including the IMG and the
speaking on it from the same plac
as the Party leadership.
GOON SQUADS
Is this not "very democratic' generous and very 'unstalinist? not a striking contrast to the bad "undemocraric" days when Trotsk used to be beaten up or worse by Stalinist goon squads? And wouldr
The British Ro:
Socialism Drai
Revolutionary
or diversion?
Irfalls to understand toe c
nature of the state in either ho
geois or be socialist society
confuses bourgeois democ
and socialist democracy and f losee where one ends and the of
begins
Fifth
AL negates the Commu
pays vanguard role and
merges it In some broad den
raticalliance whose compustio
not ver vible in the realitie
British political life Sixth
Imokesa mechanicalscpurs
between the international sud
national, and relies on a st
quality to the reistionship of e
forces on the world arena, h
the docement a decidedly cha
mistic character
Seventh
Because of this mechan
sepacation, we surrender by
fanit our main strength and
Page 9 scan of this page
LENGE 9 June 1977
IMUNIST
be 'unfair' to give Charlie Doyle 3,000 words when every other member, apart, of course, from the Executive Committee, gets only 800. And the IMG doesn't have a running debate week after week in public in its paper
- in the past it has only allowed each rendency to say its piece once or twice in the pages of its paper. Though it gives every tendency equal spacel
Nothing shows the contlict between the organic development of the differences in the Party and the bureaucratic character of the internal structures more clearly than the black farce over Charle Doyle's pamphlet. Foctions are banned, so secret factions are formed. The Frenchites are banned from organising support round the country, so they do it anyway in clandestinity. Opposition platforms are
d to
ath
should distinguish us from all other parties, us a party of social revolution. That is, that we are a contingent together with the socialist countries, the liberation movements, the international working class and pesce forces, in the forefront of the antiImperialiststruggle.
Eighth
'The British Road' confuses objective develophients with suhjectivedesires. Wishfulshinking in place of Marxist dialectical analysis.
Ninth
#l overstates the democratic traditions and understates the brutal history and cunning of the British imperialists, which is also part of our beritage,
Tenth
The adoption of The British Road, no mutter what its content; has a deadering eifeut on Party democracy: Basic policy i discasscd only every nine orien years,
* *
prohibited so Charlie Doyle produces a samizdar platform. At this point administrative measures are started against political dissidents inside the Party,
What will we hear next? That the Frenchites are heing funded by hostile circles abroad, not a hundred versis from Moscow? Some individuals in the Party are already raising this sinister foreign bogey in private, off the record, remarks to Social Challenge. It's probably true. But so what? Is it not possible to prove to the entire membership of the CP in open debate the leadership's point of view. Can a fittle Moscow gold tip the balance? And anyway. why not expose Moscow's general gangsterism openly to the membership? Is that possible for the CP leadership in 1977' the Brities Road be Socallan Deshs
All other Communist Parties: including the Italian, French, Canadian, Spanish, The United Irish, USA, ete., in fact every other party, adopt a political resolution at their party congress which deals with the relationship of forces in the world and at home; the immediate and long-range problens facing the party and working class; & vision of the future society and what man be done in order to achieve it. These resolutions are valid only from one congress to the next, so that basic policy is under regular review at each party congress.
it is time to explode the myths that surround this sacred of sacred COWS The British Rund' wirich has become a suhstitute for air ongoing Mürxist analysis ufibe party stasks ma changing world.
It is my hope that at aur 35tb Congress In November comrades will end this charade of pretence and self-deception. Adopt a realise tie political programme jo line with both our aims stated in every member's card and the realities of the historie moment. Tam con vinced our Party will be a healthsloanger, more united Pacy forit
Copies of the whole tear of the pamphlet from Cassiay Pablicasides 33 Aster Sweet, Loncon
1. The leadership has put forward a new draft programme. Can trends that oppose it pur forward a complete alternative of similar length for circulation through the Party and for voting at Congress?
2. Does the rule book allow a clear polarisation between the leadership and the pro-Moscow grouping in the debate? Or does it allow a united leadership on one side and a pulverised, atomised collection of ind ividual 800-worders on the other?
3. The leadership has been organising public meelings on a draft not per agreed by the membership and invites Tribunites, SWP and IMG speakers onto the Platform to debate this draft. and attack it. Can the currents among the Party's own members opposing the draft also speak on the platforms against the speakers from the icadership? And if not, then isn't this apparent "democracy" on the part of the Executive Committee in reality a means of inhibizing open and serious debate amongst the Party members?
4. If the debate is to clarify to the maximum the differences between the main trends of opinion within the Party then can the opposition groups and trends call supporters of their views in different parts of the country to meetings to clarity the views of the trend and put them down in the most effective way in a common resolution or discussion document?
Would this not minimise distortions of opponents positions and cilminate some red herrings? Would it not also mean that instead of having to plough through hundreds of different documents and thousands of different resolutions, the membership could have a few basic political documents from the main currents to read and digest? And is this not a thousand times more democratic than thousands of bis of opinion that no hard-pressed working person could possibly have the lute to completely master as a
COMMUNIST PARTY
Some questions
to CP members
delegate to the Congress" 5. Can the leaders of different trends travel to membership meetings throughout the country as of right and pu for by the Party centre, to put
their peat of view to the membership.
or is it only the leadership that can
exercise these rights? And can the sup
porters of these different trends choose
who their best speakers are, so their point of view can be put over in the
best possible way at such meetings? Or i5 this right confined only to the leadership?
comment
Jen Bloomfield THE STUDENT MOVEMENT TODAY Roy Hughes MPon devolution
6. Can cach trend reply to points
from other groupings as the debate
develops, via internal bulletins? Or is
the idea of developing the debate,
advancing the discussion, something
that should be scrapped in favour of
the right of cach individual to write
HOU words" Are funds so short as to
exclude the possibility of both?
7. Can the membership discover the
different trends within the leadership
at the starl of the pre-Congress dis
and minority trends
OLIVER MACDONALD
within the Executive Committee put their views to the membership and try to gain support for these views before a Congress? Is the membership banned from forming tendencies and factions while the leadership is bound to act as a mined faction against minority trends in the membership?
Some comrades in the Communis Party may not know the answers to all these questions. The leadership cer tainly knows the answers. And so does anybody who knows the rule book of the Communist Party of the Sovie Union: the rules of the CPSU and the CPGB are not in essence any different. (That is why the "Frenchites", though denied elementary minority rights, don't challenge the riles.) Most mem. bers of the Communist Party think thai these rules embody democratic centralism, Leninist norms for "inner Party life'.
BOLSHEVIK PARTY
If they look at any of the debares inside the Bolshevik Party durint the revolution for example the Trade Union debate between Lenin and the dangerously-mistaken Trotsky in 192021 they will see that a really revolutionary Party like the Bolsheviks understood what democratic central ism really means and it has nothing in common with the bureaucratic centralist model that the British Communist Party rule book still embodies.
The present norms for Party debate (with all the liberal Trills of public discussion including a forthcoming Granada TV show of the debate so that millions can join in!) add up to a situation where the membership is unable to really clarify the differences, get to the bottom of them and democ ratically decide on a course of future action. 100 flowers can bloom in Comment. The more differeor brands the better because they add up to a fragmented series of responses to the great sun which is the leadership.
Page 10 scan of this page
dond upper a see top
SD-t 3u1 Huge i can W01031 2E5 0 DONO DISOUNTOR 1SIISACHET
HMOTTHNU!
westy name pure
• pIos
1030010000021 S
01 ssnesip
playan amas
1041 pip sus moddns pou ja saplanns
passan pastyuos:
SALAAD 105
STUA
KuEN do 164130
SEM
(TRESSIE
-ошор, Ковдошар, Supa-pullu Ma Han Can Can
auny st po paa pao Masq
soounog popuny e sue
10
anissadas ayt or pus ue pue
atos
SERIES
1093n034l
Kared sep -Парапр
Вариом
Page 11 scan of this page
eLL
put
SE.M prop pune] pur peag s14 1e41 pies axey 22N 200] puosag "puno] sem КА р і оз ракош поці
5,sE(Aa
ginog
оці цим
WENITNE a see case said fo genos поци лец! 1U0103 qin rap e do payaco
HINOS
UNHO
VISANTW
1aш0; 341
dn
sello else sock MOU spuewwoo
EHL
ainpol pue HINOS 1a1a udo roded
Spun
30301 30 4588081 A 000P82
appm Supied astop postmord
apsino
Argegend -
• pue sapon pue squapms S4i 100 313м Nags
JUp 34l
3111171 Lt DO PPI BUS IS 253AL
pue
Suppos L5) SL
Page 12 scan of this page
Taletsi Mashinine target of smear campaign
June Soweto anniversary demonstration.
been produced by Colin Talbol,
working party for the demonstralion.
It is no coincidence that the Broad Left it led by members of the Communist Party and that. as their document makes clear, the initiative in this affair lies with the African National Cangress of South Africa, in turn led
' INTERNATIONAL
NUS slanders
Soweto leaders
Last week the majority of the National Union of Students Executive took the seclarian step of withdrawing their Invitation lo Soweto student leader Taietsi Mashinini to speak on the platform of the 18
They capped this off by launching & smear campeign against Mashinini in a document circulated to all their affiliated unions. A minority slatement, including a detalled relutation of all the Broad Left's slanders, has
Sociallst Student Alliance member on the NUS Executive and the
by memhers of the South African Communist Party For many years the ANC has been postering as the leaders of everything that goes on in South
Amin:
ing [or threatening] to attend.
Of counse, the popular press finds Amin's Jubilee Spirit a hit unpalatable because he's black.
But there is no gutter racism in the Sundays; they bother to mention his massacre of tens of thousands of people. It is only the Dora Blochs and Archbishop Luwwums of this world who get a
Amin is a royalist with a reason. It is not just the Crown Agents who keep him in business. Already this year more than 100 Land Rovers and trucks have been bought by Uganda. British Leyland denies selling vehicles to the Amin regime: ICI, Dunlop and Barclays Bank
names with a big stake in Uganda
Britain is Uganda's major ing influence ufter the defeats of the early 1960s. Certainly ANC militants were involved in the recent upsurge and their pisoned waders, lke seelson Mandela, remain political symbols to the mass movement. But the ANC is only one current in a much broader vanguard.
POLITICAL HOSTILITY
Tsietsi Mashinini is part of one grouping which has resisted the ANC': overtures. He has been subjected to the full blast of their political hostility which, as with their attacks on Africanist Congress in tbe "60s and more recently the expelled minority, ANC
of a slander campaign.
In their document the Brond Left say they condemn any
ing to use
own political purposes*. But that I USE WANEL DENISES CLE Broad Left and the ANC doing by making the NUS into a tool for their objecrives in southern Africa.
Already a number of organisa LOTS Students Alliance, the National Creamiestion Socialists Societies and the Man LOSET SEEINGS manded that the NUS Broad Left
organise an anernative, samarian wallocut for the 39 June demonstration.
Roy Alexander
The top Sunday papers vie with each other In their venom lowards Idi Amin. A lew Observer published a report by Amin's doctor on the lunacy of the syphilitic sadist.
Not to be outdone The Sunday Times has jus inted the exclusive revelations of the murder of Dor Bloch and the Archbishop of Uganda. The story is neally timed to coincide with the Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference which Amin was promis-
What neither paper mentioned - and it Is surely worth a few Ines In Jubliee week - Is thai the Crown Agents, the concer responsible for all Crown lands, deals with tens of thousands of pounds worth of transactions with Uganda each year.
respectable just don't
the army-
further. In
over Kampala.
ате household
gant black TRUTH HELT exiles in Botswana.
the us rate
the American National Student theid in Soweto.... the PaDSLANDER (African
withdraw young
situation evidence
Trista/ are
scholarships, LITA
Socialist
BELSCISSI
will Don-
held the article over.
royalist with a reason
weeks ago The
campaigns Mau
Times
trade partner. For example, 232 million of coffee exports reached Britain from Uganda last year. Ninety-five per cent of the revenue went on luxury goods for the ruling clite and on arms, Sixty-five percent of national spending goes on
Amin's relationship with Her Majesty goes back a bit
1971 Milton Obote was out of the country - ironically at a Commonwealth Conference — when Amin's Israeli tanks and Israeli-crained troops took
Her Majesty's Government distingnished itself by being the first government to recognise the regime. And the same newspapers which now fulminate against this arro-
streams man fell over themselves to welcome the
HELP EXILES
IN BOTSWANA Trashine Fundraising o the 'evidence"
financial ald to South African
bringie this harassment in Botswanal and
in perpetrating das theid to the geention or
people, the
national Defence and Aid Fund are touring two central inaders
Cooncil who are among the leaders of the massive student
A key element in the present shalogy ping pursung oy ime
US Government in particular spearheaded by UN AmbassaCON ONE HIMA CONTRI ing the liberation struggle is to
people from
be aducated in the US. There is
of confusion Tower SaiLorden is Mashinins and
peign to provide more such
Targely in the
;Extract from NUS circular 1o affiliated organisations.)
ANGOLA: We had intended la carry an analysis of the recent coup altecapt in Angola. Ho»
the scandalous attack on
Tsietsi Mashinini by the NUS Executive has meant we bave
loyal suhject who had got rid of the 'pinko" Obote.
They had good reason to trust him. He had joined the Kings African Rifles in 1946, distinguishing himself in the
against the Mau rebels leading attacks on the terrorists and repeatedly torturing and killing men suspected of Mau Mau sympathies', ac cording to the York
His record in the ranks made him a natural candidate for leadership as the wind of change swept Africa and Britain opied for neo-colonial revices. Trained as an officer at the School of Infantry in Wiltshire he made it to army Chief of Staff in 1966.
With the undercover help of British businessmen, and the more open support of the Israeli regime, he began plotting his power bid.
By one of those happy coincidences the coup came just at the moment when
-CSE Annual Conference 1977-
July 2,3,4
Thome. The Remucturing of Capital, Clam Struggle and the Stal
The Conference will Hart mid morning on Sacurdav 200 lub, 45 Bradford
Unteers, ant wil or Manday mering
plenty sessions discusin will be hekh it workshops amanged in sequence
Nec Coicnial Slate, Regionalism, Local Sate. State Arpersh.e
KOVEMEN JO NEARE ELECTROM COMIC TO DRACTS CUT CONTRE
Ichn Humpines, Cente for Latin American Studies Dend Bedford St South.
Liverpool L 00 J60
WhatsLeft
Sarucay before put Cation.
oramia
By Londan Ni
NO NEW PAMPHLETS from B
Christine Davidson Marra
AUBREY BERRY CAMPBELES fee, mine at Northumber in Nont meeling
12 SOCIALIST CHALLENGE Obote was trying to persuade the Commonwealth Heads of State of the need for a total arus embargo ou South Africa
It is no surprise that nowa days the power behind the Kampala throne is a group of (white former Brush army officers.
But it is also no surprise that, suddenly, British im perialism and its press tinds Amin's lovable British quali ties — royalism, regimental pride and ruthlessness — less to their taste.
The Kremlin now looks favourubly on Amin, supply ing him with Mig jets. And the collapse of the Ugandan economy and the growth of the opposition have convinced Britain that Amin is not the stable bulwark they had hoped for
That is the reason - and the only reason - why they don't want him at the jubilee
CHRIS O'BRIEN
Bradford
Apar from short opening and closint Trado Union and Labour Movement
Labor Sat 23 June,
Faderation
Page 13 scan of this page
GENUINE SOCIALISTS have always detested the Windsor monarchs, In the pandemonium of Jubilee Year their loathing is growing in proportion to the row. They appear to confront a nation sucked into helpless crown-
worship, without a single ounce of decent republicanism in its make-up. While they dream of communism, the country has not advanced out of this old feudal rhapsody. The "serious' bourgeois Sunday papers lead their bloodshot cousins into new levels of hysteria, Everywhere Labour councillors slobber over the Regal fingers and the Dynastic feet. Huge crowds and street fêtes testify to the continuing popularity of monarchy.
Yet the socialist challenge to this vas
ewichment is niren noticeable feebl
'Parasites and Scroungers!', to quote a recent anti-jubilee leafles handed round by obe group. "The cost of all this frippery!". as William Hamilton and others from the fading non-conformist traditions of the labour movement tend to say. Marxists sometimes go beyond these homilies, but it is usually ro give a standard, somewbat mechanical dismissal in their own terms: monarchy is a deliberately maintained illusion, a class opiate meant to dull and diver class consciousness.
POPULAR UNREASON
Our ruling class has always been strong on idcology, tar superior to coercion as a method of domination when it can he made to work; this is one of is Idoological arms, and certainly one which
This is good enough, as far as it goes However, few really feel it is far enough Confronted by the appailing popularity of monarchy, it is not cnough to choke with with rates of the one or too onesel
tales of the one honest Queen-haters there were in the pub last Saturday night. Such attinudes lead either to a sort of disgust with popular unreason the masses who let themselves be duned hea meretricious show
tions of a people not meally fooled by all, secretly behind the Union-Jack facade.
Both notions are dangerous to socialism. lE is much iDote unponent to ask wast are the historical reasons for the Great-British be reduced to abstract considerations of ideology and class. Furthermore, it is chese same characteristics which help us to grusp the causes of the instrucion's popularity. The British people are not daft because they still adore a Crowned Head; but they are the victims of a political culture which is in cerrain definable aspocts retarded and limited. These peculiar limitations descend from the experience of empire, and are rocced in the nature of the existing state. It is uscless to criticise monarchy in isolation from these things.
BENIGHTED DESPOTS
On the death of Queen Anne in 1714, ibe British ruling class invited the monarch of an obscure German princely state to step into her shoes. They did this to ensure the preservation of the social order established by the limited bourgeois revolutions of the previous century — 1640 and 1688. It was essential that the new dynasty sbould be controllable, and Protestant. No other formula would guarantee the 1689 Hill of Richrs and the union with a mainly presbyterian Scotland achieved only seven
The dynastic pretext for the change lay in the Hanoverians" distant blood connoction to the old Stuart line. However, this was a secondary (though still quire important) technical question Their distance, their Protestantism, and their foseignness were Manoe were petty absolute rules of the what counted. Al home the Electors kind that srill dominaled the European political landscape, But the British Elite calculated. porrecrly enough, that the culture-shock of transplancation front their Small homeland to a great mercantile seate would keep them quiet.
Much mice was at stake here than tbe desire for a quiet life. The POSt-1688 uns cas or landeds and merchanc dreaded the retuca of absolure kingship -still the normal foent of government almos: everywhere eise. To gain soime idea of the unverse of mummilied reaction which kingship represented at that time, ane need
analysis of the period in his Linenges of the Absolutist Sende. If was will a world of benighted despots, showing few signs of following the Dutch or English path of revolution,
The closer Scuart pretenders better blood claim Cieorge 1 — yearned to retuca Die British Istes to that world of sanctified traditionalism. We should remember that the throat was not finally dispelled until thirty-two Vears aller George was broughr in. with the defeat of Charles Edward Stuart's rebellion al Culloden in 1746.
This was the negative installation of the House of Hanover who later retitled bemselves as the House of Windsor). Bur the positive aspect of the operation was more important. preventing the recute or Cathoue Absolurism, the new family was foroed to adapt inself to the character of the post-1688 stale This was — and still remains — the crucial point. From the outser the modern monarchy has been one purt of a distinctive state-system, and it has been from this source wa us come magic derived
surplus value
The
House of Windsor
The first of two articles by TOM NAIN
•WEE GERMAN LAIRDS
- with a far to the throne than carlier
This first-born capicalist stare side of the
world environment.
As well as
lo the late-feudal world the British state was of course a revalutionary force, It was the first great achievement of bourgeois revolution, transcending the city-state limits
fords of middle-class power. The enormous imperus i gained fear the break through would carry it, in a short space of time, to the defeat of France and R bend one career an colonial expansion.
And yet, this astonishing creation still unavoidably bore the marks of its epoch.
like the first-horn socialist scates of the 20th century - suffered profound deformations which reflected its struggle against the bostile
Until 1746 in ver existence was in doubt. The Bourbons and Mise ture From the praise bad false move from the upstan. They powerful internal allies still eager to undo the Revalution Settlement, not all of chen in Ireland or the Scottish Highlands.
Part of the pattern of berrayal and compromise imposed upon the new sale
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE / June 1$77 was the monarchy. The penalty of being first into the new political universe was that the raling clique had to feel is way into permanent hegemony, through a long process of shifts aid strategems. Judged in the light of the radical republicanism that
selves, Liese were shamefiel concessions
The gilded empiricism of the 18th oentury stale could casily be depicted - nod was -so done someace to tae croch. Just 82 Soviet Russia can be caricatured as re-born Tsarism, so the Old Corruption of Walpole and Pilt could be son as no better than the other anciems régimes of the continent.
Fi effect, che post-1688 political saste
suld not help heing a bascard form. cleared a path cowards hourgeois opalitar lanism, the more rational constitutional order of the 19th centurs yet never itself, quite arcived in thar novel world. The original great capitalise state never became a typical one. The ruling class fell foul of sts ome prostity and pose docked in 1ae bizarre illogic of its transitional polity. To Degin WIlD, the Hanoverian kings won: merely a par of that odd compromise position.
COMIC VENGEANCE
Afraid of a return to Divine Right, the governing class did not feei able to dispense with kingship altogether. Quite righdy, they thought that a show-crown would help them to keep authority, both internally and in foreign affairs. Such a STAgO
"constitutional" monanchy could help overauc 8 still unpoliticised people ar home, and Keep their end up in transactions with the continental despots. To this purpose, oligarchy embarked upoo a mighty pro aramme of showmonship whose truels an with us scill. They were helped by the 1745 relief which followed its defear
However, this primitive version of le société du speciacle registered quite limited success 11 Was not mn lac transfigure the "wee German lairds" into an accepcable simulncrum Great-Power Manarchy; and - as carly 19th centur radical history showed - popular scepti cism abour the institurion remained faith strong. The personal limitations of earl the campaign; George Ill's dotage and the dehauchery of the Prince Regent threatenes
cripple it altogether. In the Roya Pavilion at Brighton, absolute kingship wreaked comic vengeance upon its phoney sucpessons.
The usual myth chat Queen Victorie cured all that, through the persona charisma of a genuinely bourgenes mon arch: prudish, sober, penny-pinching and deferential to the norms. of n middle-class state.
La veil of decency over
beding decades, with suspect insouciance
cidcotally, this is one reason why the
egoney has qualified so notably as
enod for romantic historical fictio One recognises bere a typical idealise inversion of the lústorical process: personality is made responsible for th change, rather than a material change fo the personality.
MORAL RETRENCHMENT
In realicy it was military and colonial suocess that transfigured the stodgy British monarchy into the Disneyish charade of over the more radical bourgeois revolution in France had been the key, lt is as It pursuing the analony with socialist stale mentioned before — tbe Brezhner regime were to conduct a successful conquest of China and carve up che whole Asian continent afterwards. Even the most dottish and reprilian of Escablishments could hardly fat to acquite a new lease of life.
In the contest of the times, tie Windsor regimes successes were it anythine greater Lhan that. For a period it wartuall "occupied" ibe world. The advances of its industrial revolution delivered continents into its paws, ill a way that no subsequent state would over be able to emulate The rich life-blood of a world's wealth rushed to its head, lending a new magnificense and meaning to its mediocre dynasty. It is true that caly a discinctly more petir-bourgeois Life-style in the Royal Household made it quite acceptable to the newly-rich middle classes; howerer, this was only the neces sary condition of the apohesis, not its cause. Moral retrenchement was a petty price for external glory; and the glory was reflected from the state's position of primacy and imperial dominance. • To be continued next week.
Page 14 scan of this page
- From Roger Protz
COMMENT
Upper Street, London N1.
I WAS recently doing some re-
search on the origins of En
glish nursery rhymes and |
свіли встови в питое оі впів-
originated during the
Great Plague and its lest line
refers to the deaths.
More Inioresting for your
purposes was the following
"Rock a bre baby on the tree
than the wind blows the
MARTIN SHAW'S 'Open Letter to
leadership is rather
tradition', for what is inis trade Hon? For 25 counterpreed ser to the organ terran
Since its break from Trotskyiam in 1950, when the Socialist Raview
агу спек покіпе ІнноВи 1ле когевп уУ8г 01 108. 8108 0 0= emperialism, the is followed a
Party she any. in
larly, in the 1960g they called for British troope to be sent
Since its discovery of the shop
intently fought against socialist
trade unionism.
This leads them, for example, ta Ilee up with the right-wing buresucrats against elementary demande
Social Contract.
The corporate sector's grosa
trading profite climbed by 26 per
cent in the first quarter of 1976,
and by 30 per cent in May-June.
But in ine same period manu-
facturing investment was 11.9 per
These aretwo extracts from "The
Case Against the Social Contract",
of independent socialists (mainly
co-members of the SWPI
Coralry, It in a review of the
effects of the Social Contract on
the living standards of the workins
lass over the last two ycars. All
he arguments" of the Govern-
ment and popular press are
working class.
And in the crocess herd
mundreds of useful faces, statis-
mca, and quoles from the rulig
LETTERS
Letters to Socialist Challenge [maximum 400 words]
should be sentlo 'Comment', Socialist Challenge, 32859
Jubilee Rhymes
080 108 couge breaste
And down will come baby. cran band all.
What appears to be an innocant dily is in reality
Charles 1 and the overthrow of the monarchy, it was sung by republican children and soldiers alike in Cromwell's days.
Bost Wishes for ihe now paper.
AMELIA ROSS (London)
On SWP
stant staton Their tarded against inflation
With the arbitrary dectaration of
at ite outset. The SWP, Tike th consistently subatitutes Insolf and Its own' rank and file
movement or the working Cas:
Again this is only logical, fo
leadership saw their 'anemy' This has always bean thair attitude towards Trot-
snapportunism Their own rank contal mia curs polites,
which darly altimately trom Menserenes in the rade ust no mata terry are s
Unfortunatels, dome of us. He THEM SANW ANNA NEED ESIM MI this the hard way. Othere should be spared the experience.
much as a ning scale of w80es 10 JOHN STRAUTHER Liverpool
*The worst bargain
"If the British want to go on eating meat, they had better aim at ox-livers, beef-burgers, breasts of lamb, and bellies of pork -and leave the better cuts for the richer consumers', said the managing director of Dewhursts butchers.
WILL REESE reviews a new pamphlet on the effects of the
class are chroen up. For this reason alone the pamphlet is excellent valueat 10p —a valiable propaganes wenpon against ene Social Contract and the policies of
Apart from the serious omission of a cleardemandforecus bayfor women, the formal demands
unemployment, and the currespond closely to those advo cated by Socialist Challenge.
In particular, the pamphlet's proposal that wage siould be operated and re
opened if prices keep rising comes very close to the call for auromatic wage rises far every rise in the cost of living. This is an important step ОГИТИ СТОМ position which sees this demand as
TOMORROW country temporarily, deported by a Labour govemment under pressure from the CIA. Before going, I would like to thank al those who fought against the deportations, and I hope that this experience will be valuable in the light against the Official
sion of this kind.
The campaign against the deportations tants of difference political groups; perhaps the majority were unaligned. united against this measure of the Labour government. I hope this united lowed in other felds of strug gle — It should be one of our strengths.
then I send it my greetings and wish it success.
ROGER PROTZ has been active in revolutionary politics for 17 years, especiaiy a8 9 /oumalist and propegandist. He edited Keep Left founding editor of oce Worker, from which he was dismissed in 1974. He is an Red Weekly as executive member of the National Union of JourTSHISS
SPECTRE SECTARIANISM is haunting the left in Britain. The challenge to the left is clear: unemployment climbs; racism grows and stokes the flames of reaction; civil liberties are under attack Journansts wno sees to discover the truth are hounded and persecuted: years of pay restraint have tied the union
ever made'
WHALE CRES But while the factual arguments extensive, the political sons are only nurtial tacked an almost as an after-thought. The OVERILL DUDE LIC roblems af the role of the trade
w'ages, if facts alone will convince people 01. IDe need for alternative.
Nevertheless, it is vical that all nose An can oe won to Ene kind of demands indicated in the pamphlet are united in a fighrback against the Labour Government. 'The Cise Agains the Social Gresham Rood, Coveniry: Price TEN BLE BATIRE
GREETINGS
From Philip Agee
leave this Secrets charges and
contained mili.
But they all
approach is fol
machine, while bers"
вло was CUTESOO
In Northern Ireland
OF
grow and
ment.
as
Insignificant doctrinal
THE Scottish League was March of this year by soclalisis who had been expelled from tish Labour Party by Its reformist was founded as a revolu-
tion for the united all-British tionary party and the unificalion of those organisations of the lar left in Britain divided by questions of than principle.
conclu-
DEJILICE
socialist
Schlondorff
31- These film
sues. Some their memHAEVE BEEn decimated by inflation; the
Ruritanian
forces for possible civil war at home through its activities dealt with
Faced by this steady drift с коте ванни to the right and the ominous growth of the fascist move- for sectarianism ment, the left has frittered away many opportunities to
establish a tim tain that would base in the labour move-
HOVERISHE
The grouplets proliferate common as organisations split over
Vis-
Socialist set up in setting
the Scot-
leadership. It Its policies. tionary Marxist organisa-
committed to light creation of revolu- opments
to natlonalism.
tactics rather
Faced with the right-wing Axel Springer press on the one
hand and the repressive West German state on the other,
one can imagine — in one's more paranoid moments
drawing conclusions about their all-powerful domi-
nance. But in The Lost Honour of Katherina Blum Volker
and Margarethe von Trotta
paranoia on the audience for a tedious 106 minutes.
MEARISCEIACUED
deal with the crucial questions of
the strong siale, the guiter press
and the way they combine to
reintorce bourgeons sociely, But
14 SOCIALISTCH oman sitions that seemed healthy and in ternaly democratic have as sumed the airs and graces of
stage puffed themselves up out of all proportion to their real size and strength and rudely
those who dis 'unity agree with the folly of small been groups declaring yet more
We will pay a heavy price But price could be a viclous authornarien recime in Br UITE
ruthlessly opposed smash the organison abou
It is time for prepared socialists to join together in
endeavour to spread socialist ideas and to lay the groundwork for
From Scottish Socialist League
The SSL welcomes the
up of Socialist Challenge as a step on the road to creating a class struggle opposition to the Labour Government and
anti-working Class
We will be submitting regular coverage of devel
-In Scotland, from industrial struggles
the rise of Scottish
Our bers will be selling Socialist Challenge and see It playing a central role in
The lost Honour of K
Inflict their
what chey do is to simply reduce
SUNCE
conspiracy the chief prosecutor
handing over documents to a
9 June 1973
Socialist
Challenge
EVENTS
oweto atudent leader ING an
Antl-Apertheid representative:
BRISTOL: Th
Cholange at alto that-
united socialist movement.
A socialist paper that wal Terences is a vital step for- OCEANE ward. You must allow me a touch of cynicism; over the yeare 1 have seen a number of organisations engage in
campaigns that have crude altempts to shanghal the unwary Into their organisations.
am prepared to aims of Socialist Challenge are gen
-SIT policies of the an of thi
to subordinate those cliterances to the u! gent need to break down the sectarian barners that ravano the left in Britain.
the polilical intervention of our organisation.
STEVE KENNEDY National Secretary, SSL
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MOR
ABOUT THE SSL
Shirling Garh
shira I wa Palley and As
phone 541-221 74฿ ., Glasgow 1
repurter und vica-sersal, alongside completely ham-fisted asser. tions that the press is hypocritical and nasty and the State brutal, LUK TROUS HO STUDE The former is achieved by showing the • reporter, disguised as a hospital doctor, trying to get "din' out of Katherine's dying • WITH CTIMATE passes away. The latter is de monstrued by the brol feratin of tanks and armoured cars a the srrest of Kathering as
Page 15 scan of this page
STATE OF REVOLUTION-
Genesis of a Renegade
cians at the National Theatre in London returned to work after e SS-WAN SCARN OCCICE OEB shop steward sacked for bis 'technical attitade' to work.
Strangely, it took management wo years to discover that the steward, plumber, was not a satisfactory worker. Even more extraordinarily. the several Looper nau peca pronuncot 1! leading opposition to manageHEL SNELC IUDICIA UC. marcation in the mechanical The strike ended when the
National Association of Thealre and Kine Employees, were given an assurance that Cooper would be re-instaied pending the case going to a board of arbitrators acceptable to NATKE, management, and the striking technicians.
But the serskers demand for an Arts Council inquiry inco the cunning of the refused
It is Hall'sarbitrary running of ThE NTe uiC adOC THEM atheroot of the problem, Plans for future roductoas are made with proper-consultacion with
and in a row that flared up four Manchester,
the mos liberating thing he had ever done.
These poems mSC. Somme euI rEnar
the smug self-satisfaction of the sectarians
an excellent example.
Likethere'ssomething eise1 wonnustate The solidaritvon this demo is greet Weall feelcollectiveistrong As wemarch and sing oursongs
Thesolidariry willend
There Sibeno morecomradely adrenalin
cite wien Husanino remun riniar
No w socialiser is imernurioma/ masons smoush ne the LiTeo Nortons slist lover.
It is subily reinforced by her accidenally" sumbling into a nest ol spenal pranch men dressing up in Arab robes and
All this while she is sap posed to be in custody!
Uf tha sownds absurd, ir B.
Films dike this discredi the fett, in eweru wow. This hav nor to te de Worr fim every amade with radical preiensions and Schionduff and von Trona showld
UNDER REVIEW
And in the wings
eks ago over the planning adras House', Hail made dear he was not interested in "technical problems', bur only LHE artistic policy
Hall is paid approximately E26,000 a year, plus a free flat, Ralph Cooper. nat to mention a hetty sum lar the "Aquariur' TV programme.
Manvol His actorsare on a basic of E5S pez week.
SacKIng TOllOWCU incidents in which
INTERNATIONAL
members of the
Nuon d edermu Zucial Zemeceues
THOTSKYISM AND the REVOLUTION Wha ie be Demsenite
TANNORTE WIS by its director, Peter 40 Theses on Imperialism and Permanent Revolution
OUT NOW/ Single copies 50p pius 15p postage. Subscriprion: (3 for 4 issues fram International, 328/329 Upper Street, London Nt. Cheques and POs payable to Meige/ost co ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, 1 met Steve Cohen outside Kings Cross THI OW ULAMA ARME HEUCHSKA AE NOI SEEUAG8UONEHE! the IMG, and borrowed a couple of guid from me to get back to
The other wock, when he came to Liverpool to read some of his poems, I nominac SIEC OF ns prv CnouDic te ГЕриС Dl GscPnwn:
which are very funny nical, extremely intelligent and Jollen poienant - stow ussteve Cohen as he is today: a gay. Jewish, stealis comedian, and how be got there Irom havile been a revolutioary Nisrxist meltaDt
The result is a pamphilet thar all isilitants, especially Marxists, should icad The micase subjectivil, even scil-obscssion of these poonss. l something we can all learfrom. Wencedto, if only to save ourselves from
sieve spoem anour ine blackmarn anti-sasct demoostrattan lastycar ts
But when we aw to/heendof chedemoscration
And we Moltrerare to our individual isaicson
Like did she person marching next to me through Blackburn town Orea dame thar muhead was going througho ner vous breokoown
/koew fuck all about my commades personal simition COnCaV uet Tamer ncon eaRnat For chem their heads michi hove been /ailaysuicide. pontussod itinernpeon e ponen
And resocine ir with world wide personal relanions.
therina Blum
class for wate power.
Lenin.
CCr SICaR munist Party.
Sancer SIT SKETCHY
performance,
TENEINEI
momentous events Tha Comintern and Indien Nationalism
cally-
Zion Insel - as inevitahle.
Last mehr began as poery Tenderes fascism
(Poetry and Fascism)
of the world:
Thar's why /w gor the
ecen Zionist note
Jane Clarke and Carl Gardner ofit
Germany dealt with a situatiog
politically
Ir is highly unasuni for a leadin
IRIEIT ENTAME EH CHUOC AS theme the strugele uf the morking
But this is what Robert Bolt has donein "State of Revolution' - an examination of the rale played by the central figures of the Russian revolution. particularly thar of
The play, ät the National I neaEre In LOndOn, OPCES WIER FRE Bolshevik school in Capri, and ches wim wc rans congress which confirmed with Stalin as
In berween Bolt atrempes to deal WHITTA OENEICYCIS D. the February and Oetoher revolu TOES MCA-TIDER, BaISEL NEP, and the beginning of the degeneration of the Soviet Com-
Invitably, in spite of the long
is a skeichy history and the characters are often over-simplified or mis-rep-
However, the play is essentially an honest attempe to deal with the
of revolutionary Russia; and the problems confroeting the Bolshevik Parly after 1917 are treared sympatheli-
ESME CONE SIO DONCCHE THOTHE
s a fundamental one. He regards
and todend the revolution JACK BEAUMONT reviews 'The Jews and the Genitals', the poems of a gay, Jewish, socialist comedian.
Thisatso gives us Steve's own highly personal and ultra-left definition of politics. Not only is socialism personal relations, but sois fascism)
Northe fascism of organised movement - costie jac chops wew inside curon heads As weanempred tn smash she skals of those we love Accusations orse! Eshness and noncoring
made in the mosse fah and non corine may
Steveis obsessed with the problems of antisemitism, homosesuality, and Fascism. The real subcet of all his pocus is himself and like any middle class individual, betendscoconfuse his own problems with rhose of the rest
I've eor the pred end rudica businessman 's Jawpers" blies TV do ane cuse you cheose T'l even appear for Christions and Jews 'Cepr / wor't do prosecutions Delend rupiss, landlonds, Jiscisrs Or director generals of seate instrurions Poor sired radical hasinessans" inuyes" hises
Steve's amritudes reflect the confusion and immaturity of nany of those
worse. A canoon depicts Trois as pies. A brillant satire on the Jewish ramily → The Epsteins and the Frankensteins — ends on a reachonary,
ever be allowed near a cam safet
ar. Aur no doubt they walt preciser becuse they represen no danper to the statis quo at u having no unefal andennandes
nd thi is in spie of the furo
e film caused on releas
because it omessibl; Baader-Meister tral. 1 the film goes on, however, one realises that far from being beaune
fighet
Trotsky [Michael Kitches] and Larin |Michae/ Bryant) Time and rime ogain, Lenin - history plaved by Michel Bryant gf 'Roads to Freedom' Jame emphasises thar if is not what he, Lenin, does or decides thar i
bur the hitorical forces ar work in the class strogele. concentrating - deliberatels
- on the general hiscorical factors operating on the new Soviet state Bolt omits the supremely scif conscious role that Lentin mapped oat for the Basheviks, wbo led the Russian working class to act on aguinst capitalsm — an 'anarchist' - the man soemingly being pursoed by half of Germany's taco vocca is smoes a acsene whe has robbed the regimental
The way she cemenal fieure Kenterina: — is représented is with commenting on. On one Irvet the fulm is prabewornhy here
strangest carry ti man is
Fi i punished for Ludwig and sepe with hims the
The rise of the bureaucratic clique above the workers and peasen s me apressd0 workers democracy, the tragedy
finally Stalin's domination are all viewed with a definite fatalism
The last-dirch struggle by Lenin, and after his deach by Troisky aai tis opacran appea as a hopeless task in the face af
As a result, the real political
SU PAPEHRE DU. BrYE -ali vou christion: wow/arechrisr.pn.communists, christien Trorsk pins CArstion Stalinis pw who analyse eierysbing burjeef norkengpow jasr gotta k.now aor shing ue dide ego voluntariao rhegiert -anr we went crying inra Zion -and wedidn iser any of you revolutionanics doma much @bourani-semitiom Mary of them murderons -
and thar 's vour fawlt.
Which is, of course, a sander against the militants of the Fourth International, such as Abraham Leon, Marcel Hic, and many orhers who deu in the teslance lo Nasm. But then. a Steve himself admits:
Tonyewsh H hen /idreiph: dassoid my parents had my prick circumcised STAL ME DOMME Andsperr peues circuecising my mind
But he is also hones: with hittiselt:
L ikel we wenzep onesh rhe fash
• ond peranaiy /'mwatthestree Rehring kind Thee first we've posta sonash the trash Richt ost afour fucked up mind Likeu! white peopie une racists Likeulimen areserise Eikel manhitemen Eikeul christians cre antuemizic And borineroon tier pow forger/r Cost manpofshedens AJINWR TEELSP HS Cw naci5: or sexis2H
Sece's honesy descrves our respect, and there is caough truth in bi werds in commanc our atenrion. When Sieve ran nway, the IMG lost r miltom. Bur we also need renegades and critics like him
JACK BEAL MONT
first night they met. She has transatessed and all her bast and future is sransiated in terms of this so she becomes the object of contempt to every man in the sitcct, Tous the constant theas cing phone calls and disgusting letters she receives after the press have "exposed' the fact that the Nun' felt desire
One another level, though the film subscribes to this very analtes ef woten'! setulcy by 'esplaining" Katherina's desire in iemi of "ove at fint sight
meni Ludwig at a party, they exchange lances and
medarly they aie onc All her pas behavlour and per sonality fall away as she recog-
SOCIALISTCHALLENGE 9 Juna 1977
ANDREW VIAND
problems and choices are targely absent, while the central charnc ters are bullieted by Torces besond their pontrel. It is this which accounts for she artificiabty of the scenes portraying meetings of the Party Central Committee
Bolr's rechwical device for overcomine ens rooien a co mant good use ef hamour, iru, and
rww bitter sargum, wyach soes d least make 'State of Revoltion CAECAEIRIRL JOHN GRAHAM nises bc grane passion. Hy inscribing such a corally mywity. ing "phenomena" as che mainspring of the film's action, il endorses the view that it is wrong OT WEE TEa acure Lacs I's love. So while the love theme S JEROOMU LO ECHUCE BLECM more sympathetic, it in lac anderines the oniy progressive theme the film has.
Page 16 scan of this page
KILLERS ON THE LOOSE!
from South Africa.
Air Service In Malaya.
After five days the inva ding racist troops withdrew. Nad Such as messing nothing new. They are a regular feature of life on the castern and southern borders. A year ago Mapai was attacked leaving 18 civilians dead, Two months later the Zimbabwean refugee camp at Nhazonia in Mozambique was devastated by Rhodesian troops. 800 blacks were massacred.
David Owen, Labour Foreign Minister, throws up his hands in horror. Not particularly for the sake of the
SOCIAL
CONTRA
Challenge.
They beard speeches from
the paper's editor, Tariq Ali,
from Carl Brecker, a leading
spokesperson from the joint
shop stewards committee of
Hounsiow Hospital (at pres-
cat under workers occupa-
tion against closure),
from Brian Haddow, one of
am Tyndale school recently
sacked by the Inner London
Education Authority.
Internatiopal
were given by speakers from
Spain and Ireland.
The main speaker
Tally was Ernest
Secretary of the Fourth In-
ternational. He analysed how
Parliamentary
"democracy* was a sham for
the overwhelming
and how socialist democracy
under the dictatorship of
the proletariat would involve
a radical extension of demo.
crufic rights for the mass of
Street. Printed by Presiagare (70], Reading, Berkshire.
Rhodesian troops mounted a major raid Into Mozambique last week. After killing 32 people in an Initial raid on two camps, they moved on to occupy Mapal, 47 miles Inside Mozambican territory and only 30 miles
The commander of lan Smith's army, the man who ordered the raid, is a former British officer Lieutenant-General Peter Walis. Formerly an officer in the Black Watch, he got his brutal training with the Special
because the raid could threatAnglo-American peace* formula. same reason as Vorster's racist government in South Africa was so concerned about the raid.
Both imperialism and Vorster want a negotiated settlement and an end to the armed struggle. In this they have the backing of the front line states, Hut such a provocative attuck threatens to lose this black support, and particu Larly from the President of
Bob Penningion, nationai organiser of the iMo appears or unos for the new pop
Wide support for
new paper
SEVEN HUNDRED people crammed into St.
Assembly Rooms in London for the rally to launch Socialist
greetings
at the Mandel,
Emest Mandel
majority people.
Messages of support for Socialist Challenge were sent to the rally by Barney Mokatle and Selby Semela, Sec
Registered with the Post Officeasa newspaper, Published by Reigorest Lid, for Socialist Challenge, 328/329 Liper
Racist
troops
So invade
Mozambique, Samora Machel.
Some initiai reporis atteninted to nonas Rhodesian attack as the work of the army behind the backs of the more reasonable lan retary and Treasurer of the
Soweto Student Representative Council.
Our rests was Polip
'other reasons" was
Agee, who also sent greetings and support for the paper.
(See page 14)
The rally gave a parricu arly warm welcome to the following message from Wyn Bevan, officially on behalf of the Port Talbot clectricians:
Fraternal greetings from the electricians of Port Talbot on the successful Inunching of Socialist Challenge. May 1. in
apologies for not being pres
ent this erening, thank you for all the most marvellous and magnificent assistance thay you gave us this last
three months. It will not be forgotten.
'The members have decided to return to wort
Socialist Challenge
the beaded by LODEL LI alvice.
Pancras
fight will begin in
Wyn Bevan, Convenor. for miller BSC, Port Talbot. 1600. - And thar's money expressing my
month
for our Fund. So...
messages above all send us
up.
Walls the butchar
Mozambique ea
Smith. Later it became clear that the raid was agreed on 29 May by the War Council,
Smith. The Covernment knows it is losing the war with the guerillas. The white
G THERED
assurances by the union and the employers against
nOW we will continue the fighs inside the gates of the works as vigorously as we did outside.
"We have not been beaten, neither do we intend being beaten. Our purpose is to continue fighting for a sccessful conclosion and that
earnest again on Monday morning.
Finully I can assure you that your invaluable assistunce will not be forgotten.
EETPU Shop Stewards Com-
The rally responded to a rousing speech by Bob Pen
National Organiser of the IMG. His appeal for funds to back up the political objectives of the new paper was answered to the tube of
the sort of E600 to be precise
which is needed every
to keep the paper going. So that is the target
Monthly Fighting send in your comments on the new paper, send in your articles, send in
of support, bur FOUr money. Je's our life-blood
population is emigrating as fast as possible. White farms sland vacant with no buyers.
Foreign investment is drying
Smith recognises the need for a negotiated seitlement and wants to establish the best possible bargaining position. Raids, such as the one on Mapai, in trying to weaken the black puerillas, are bound up with the talks:
Snich wants to negotiate, but with a pistol at the head of the Zimbabwean nationalists.
Inside Zimbabwe the repression of the black population is equally fearsome
the African National Council were sentenced to hang for allegedly recruiting to the guerilla army. Since April 1975 112 blacks have been given the death penalty. How many have been carried out is unknown as the Smith gorernment refuses to announce the names of those executed.
Socialist Challenge
відо з посіліт сековлом.
Please complete and retum 1o:
Socialist Chailerge
Please send me a 6 month subscription
[cost of E2.50 Includes postage).
Please send me a 1 year subscription
[cost of E5 Includes poslage]
Please send me
number of Socialist Challenge each
week for sale
Tenclose a donation of Eucou.. (state
amount)
I am willing to dongle E... each
month istate amount) to the Soctalis
Challenge Fighting Fund
Total amount enclosed: e...
[block caps
NAME
ADDRESS
Every week hundreds of Zimbabweans lee the country from the harassment and repression of the racist security forces, In Francistown, Botswana, HOU refugoes arrive every week,
David Owen and US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance are not going to sop the white racist offensive with their diplomatic notes. Nor do they want to. The 18 June Sowete anniversory demonstration in London must be o massive display of solidarity with the struggle of all the Liberation movements of southern Africa. *Support can he sent to the Zimbabween refugees and the camps in Mozambique through Zimbabwe Medical Aid. Donations should be sent to ZIMA, 84 Tindall Street, Balsall Heath, Birmingham B12 90S
RIC SISSONS olo Relgocrest, 328/9 Upper Street, London, N.1. copies [stale
← Socialist Challenge Pilot unnumbered issue, 19 May 1977Socialist Challenge No. 2, 16 June 1977 →