Socialist Challenge No. 121, No v, 1979
The scan: sc-n121-nov-08-1979.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
CHOP THE
TORIES
DEFEND THE WELFARE STATE KICK OUT THE TORIES ALL OUT WEDNESDAY 28TH NOVEMBER! ASSEMBLE SPEAKER'S CORNER 12.00 FOR RALLY MARCH TO PARLIAMENT 1.30 MASS RALLY CENTRAL HALL, WESTMINSTER.
No. 121 8 November 1979 • 20p Inside: Interview with Ted Knight
Page 2 scan of this page
SELL YOUR PAPER
OUR TARGET - 5,000 STREET SALES
READ IT, BUY IT, SELL IT
OUR POLICIES
C'apitalism is in crisis. The leaders of the Labour Party and the trade unions offer solutions that are in the interests not of the workers but of the capitalist class.
Socialist Challenge believes that
contronting revolationary socialists are:
• To build broad-based ciass struggle tendencies in opposition to class-collaborationism in the labour movement. These shouid be in krouping together militants holding a wide range of political views.
• To begin to fight for the creation of democratic revolutionary socialist organisation which can, through an application of united lactics, begin lo be seen alternative by thousands workers engaged in struggles.
Such an organisation should be hased on the understanding that: seeks to The struggle for socialism
unite the fight of I workers against the with that of other oppressed layers of society - women, black people, gays struggling for fiberation. This socialism can only he achieved by creating new organs of power and defeating with all necessary means the power of the totals sat
2 han tha chine in Britain socialism
what exists in britain todas, with full rights for political parlies and currents that do nut take up arms against the socialist state. The Stalinist models of "socialism' in the liSSR and Fastern Europe have discredited socialism in the eyes of millions of workers throughout the We are opposed to them and will ofier full support-1o all Tenung for socials democracy
The interests of workers and
on a world scale. Capitalism oni! created a marhet. has created politics. Thus we fight for working class unity an
will in the long run be decisive in defeating both the imperialist regimes in the West and the brutal dictatorships they sustain in Latin America, Africa
In Britain it implies demanding the immediate withdrawal British troops from Ireland and letting the Irish people determine their own future.
The Communist parties in Europe are in crisis. 'Eurocommunist' the pro-Moscow wings have ans meaningful strategy merthron of the capitalist state. den revolutionary socialist parties are than betore. Conditions I002 more tavourabie Inan over ine preceding three decades. But such parties can only be rejecting sectarianism and seeing internal democracy not as a luxury hut as a vital necessity. This means the right to organise factions and ICHUCHCICS
If you agree with these principles and want involved activities by Socialist Challenge supporters in your area, fill in the form below and send it to us.
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Socialist Challenge 8 November 1979 Page 2
character,
and
tront
as an
of
bosses
their
world.
those
world
world
international
01
Neither
HILARY TARR, treasurer the Campaign Against Health Lam beth.
are wandsworth
built by
Britain:
Abread:
Name ..
Address .
"Socialist Challenge'
Socialist Challenge
TROOPS OUT
PANELAND!
1,000
Lambeth
vicious Cuts in Southwark, and Lewisham, told us why Lambeth and
branches
SUBSCRIBE NOW
2 months £12.50; 6 months £6.5| 2 months - - Surface Mail Airmail
Multi-Reader institutions: Double the above rate I enclose a donation for the Fighting Fund of Cheques, POs and Money Orders should be made payable to
Complete and return 1o: Socialist Challenge, 328 Upper Street, London NI
Lambeth order
International Marxist Group have ordered an extra thousand copies of this issue of Socialist Challenge.
The demonstration against the cuts on 7 November called by Council our opportunity yet under the Tories to boost our sales of Socialist Challenge. The Labour council has given council workers the day off to protest at the
policies this government.
We're selling this issue — rushed to the printers as a special offer of 5p
copy, enclosing reduced-price subscription forms - to win new regular readers.
The cuts have hit South London hard. The area health authority has been sacked; St John's Hospital in Lewisham is being closed down; Si Olave's in Bermondsey is threatened with closure.
Along with the local Labour Party, Lambeth fightback which we are involved in forced the council not to cut back on social services this year.
Teachers in Lambeth are utterly opposed to any closure of schools.
$12.50
£18.00
Socialist Challenge
Workers in the area know what Tory priorities mean. for the rich to boost profits and an end to the NHS and the rest of the welfare state. biggest Socialist Challenge tells you how people are
It gives you arguments you need when politicians sayine omy solumon is tale increases Tory It tells you how organising in other countries against their "Tory' governments. It explains that what we need priorities not Tory priorities.
The route of march is plastered with our posters for the demonstration, advertising Socialist Challenge. Supporters of the newspaper will be handing out 5,000 leaflets to the marchers special offer subscription forms on lne Dollom
We expect to sell out of Socialist Challenge early in the day, which will mean ordering more copies for our regular sales.
by Christmas.
Highfields Community Contre 8pm: Why th LEICESTER SC
PADING A group November "The Tory Attacks — How should trade unions responde
Meeting Room Westway Hover endon wusc on sale ever Saturday 11.30-12.30 at the Westbourne Park Road Junction, and every Thursday at 5.15 at
'Fight the racist immigration laws". Meeting on Tuesday, 20 November,
at 7.30pm, Central Hall, Oldham St, Manchester.
Speakers from IWA, Nasera Begun
and Said Bibi Defence Committees.
Tax subsidies
fighting back in other police
the political
taking place. workers are favour.
are socialist there, the 7 November precincts,
with out week to be
Our aim is to double
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE EVENTS
IMG TRADE
For phone 01-359-8371.
Bristol6
ТОГИ Tues
_norbe close , unde
Herne Hill BR kiosk
Socialist Challenge
BLAIR PEACH
10P%
FIGHT THE COVER-UP
¡ SOCIALIST CHALLENGE is your paper and it puts you - its readers. -
We've done this in the anti-Corrie campaign, the campaigns against the cuts and-arising from the Southall
riot last April, Socialist Challenge has consistently exposed the racist nature of the trials now
Now, it's your turn to do us a
We want you to sell your paper, not just the odd one or two here and
wherever you go work, at the dole office, in shopping
outside factory gates, Labour Party and socialist meetings, in women's groups.
Our target is for 5,000 copies a
sold directly by the supporters of the newspaper.
The Tory government is foreing people to fightback. Make sure you're involved in the struggle and make sure vour newspaper Is sold *The hotline number to order extra copies of Socialist Challenge is 01-359 8371. Ask for distribution.
Fractions:
CPSA; 17 Nov, Rail. For details write to Centr
Haymarker. For more info contact Box. 2, c/c Fullmarks, 110 Cheltenham Road, Monrpellier,
premises for scene rentereside
centre
S.W. LONDON: SC on sale al Oval tube kiosk
Tetric Books High St.). Also on sate Sat 11-1, and Thur/Fr mornings at Brixton tube LIVERPOOL: SC forums every fortnight on
. 20 Dec: Immigration Laws. All at 7.30pmat 15A Richmond St (off Williamson Sq)
Page 3 scan of this page
No to steel closures in Corby!
HOMENEWS
the same time,
meeting.
By Jude Woodward
'CORBY born 1 April 1950, brutally slain 1979' was the slogan on the small black coffin carried by hait a dozen Corby school kids demonstration through the town last Thursday.
Later the same afternoon the British Steel Corporation formaly announced that the Corby steel works would close, that the last basin or lou steel would De poured into its mould, in March 1980. Their announcement not death-knell of a steel works, it is a threat to the whole town. only there because the steel mill is there.
Corby was nothing more than a Northamptonshire village until the steel works were opened. was purpose built to workers, mainly from Scotland and some irom Wales, escape unemployment.
These antecedents are still obvious - the high proportion of Glaswegian accents, prominence Strathclyde Hotel (the tallest buildine in the lown) anet the orderly street plan give a lot away.
Most people have quite a grim view of new towns — concrete jungles with gangs of alienated roaming the streets. eight miles from Corby, that's what they think: 'Don't take a camera to
Corby, they don't like
photographed and they'll probably
smash it',. 'If you leave a car parked
overnight in Corby it won't be there in the morning' And so on.
But that isn't Corby.
KAREN is a steelworker in Corby.
She was very angry about the plans
for the plant.
'People can
but what are we going to do about
I. Inere are peoble wno are
there working today while we are
here. They ought to be ashamed of
It's their jobs
fighting for. Next time they all
have to be out."
10,000 march to save a town
ON THURSDAY 1 November 10,000 marched through Corby New Town demanding an end to threats to close the steel mill employs two-thirds of the working population. At
in the town, steel bosses were
meeting with union bureaucrats over bottles of
wine, behind a cordon of a thousand police.
Closure plans were all that emerged from their
then a local
tonshire countryside which the
bosses trees
just the
Corby has
made that completely clear. 10,000
The town house the Steel bosses began.
Surrounded wno moved to
Took place, youth In Kettering,
works, employing being
SHIL believe it will stop there.
plan in Leyland
doest't stop
morning Confederation, the Iron involved at BSC make speeches,
we're
people
which
There's no rail station so for a visitor it's a train to Kettering and
bus. The half hour journey is through rolling Northamp-
extends right up and into Corby. In the town centre you can see out into the open countryside — even the steel mill is only a series of industrial chimneys emerging from behind a horizon of
There is no doubt that the new inhabitants of Corby like their town, they want to go on living there. It may not be paradise, but compared to the urban squalor of most industrial areas
charm. The demonstration on Thursday morning
inhabitants of Corby marched through the town centre as the talks between the iron and stee trades union leaders and the British
There.
Graham House, where the talks
was completelv surrounded by police in full battle gear; there were no controntalions One felt that even the police realised they looked more than slightly ridiculous.
The Corby iron and steel works employ 11,000 people, approximately area. two-thirds of the working population of the town. British Steel announced the closure of the smelting and ore
6,000 people, saying that it will keep the tube milis and the administration sections open. This means no jobs for one in three members of the working population.
Corby They have drawn the lessons of the Edwardes'
once the job cutting and asset stripping starts it
Colleen, Margaret and Jill, punch operators in the administration block, together with Elaine and Mandy who
wurk on int demonstration. They are all members
and Steel the main union
"CORBY NEWTOWN
'There are seven of us in the office and five of us are here today virtually everyone who's in the union has come out. There's a skeleton staff left in the plant. Some of it's still working, but about 75 per cent are out here this morning.
"The thing is that there's nothing much else in Corby if the steel goes. Most of our families work there and it's hard to find jobs here already. t ney. say inal tne aammstralon 1s staying but quite honestly succeed. in closing down the steel works then we'll be next in line whatever they say now. And if our jobs go we just won't get another job
The number of women and young people the demonstration particularly noticeable. There was no question but that the whole town was on the move, the end of the steel plant means the death of Corby and no one wants that
Apart from steel there is only the Golden Wonder taller couple of small shoe factories in the
There were substantial delegations from all of these. Seven of the town's biggest stores closed for the morning.
Festive
There were also delegations from Nottingham NUM, BL TGWU Northamptonshire cultural Workers! Union. dozen trades • councils; NUPE and many Labour CPs and so on, among countless ULIICiS
Despite the festive air, the serious purpose of the gathering was cleat. The platform was open to anyone in the crowd to get up and make their points, and many did, including those who had come from other areas to express solidarity.
But the demonstration and local
general strike didn't have much effect on the meeting at Graham House. After the union leaders and bosses had wined and dined together through most of the day, a firm statement that the plant would close was the only GuLCOnnC demonstrations to turn back the tide. support from BL Cowley, called for a policy of occupation to prevent BSC closing down the works. This would if they be a decisive first step for the Corby
keep the prevent the company stripping the and Cowley
Agrihalf AUEW, •Parties,
thriving steel industry either.
government.'
COR!
SAY
NO
BORN 15T APRIL
BRUTALLY SLAIN
deliver occupation,
will take than steel strike.
ISTC, after
- 11 # occupation would strike workforce together and Corby.
DENNIS SKINNER MP, former coal miner, got rapturous applause for his anti-Tory speech from the plattorm.
'When Parliament talks about the wealth creators they mean people like Sir Charles Villiers, Chairman of BSC. But you are the real wealth creators here today. The Tories are making cuts, yet they spend millions on central heating at the House of Commons — they can't keep their MPs awake as it is. Maggie Thatcher gets two Daimlers to ride around in.
'But it's not just the Tories, Labour MPs shouldn't be allowed to forget the part they'ye played in helping Villiers. And Len Murray. I say to him, it's about time you stopped talking about saving jobs and took some action.
'Bill Sirs had a meeting with Callaghan the other day to discuss the left in the Labour Party — he should have another meeting to discuss how to save Corby. They said 'rationalisation' could make the pits pay — after all the pit closures they still couldn't balance the books.
"The last Tory government saw USC, and we've seen the movement to release the Pentonville 5. Now we have to turn the tide against this Tors
COREY STEEL SAYS WORK:
1950
1979
plant to sell off assets.
However, production moul sea
1o a plant so the have to be the calling of a sar
Bill Sirs, general secrEt! of 3
the annous sen closure, said that "unforce! might be forced io call sat a cite Bill Sirs now has to be in an JE
: doesn'i call sta will be "unfortunate for the peopie
Closures won't make a 5457B 05
BRANCHES
WOODWARD (Sochillat Challenge]
Page 4 scan of this page
Cut capitalist waste
toll.
afford it'
In his speech to the 1976 Labour Party conference, Callaghan tried to justify this by saying we need profits to invest for the future. This is a disastrous policy. Profits are being used to invest for the future in any case inyestment manufacturing stayed put at £3 billion in 1975 prices, right through Labour's terms of office.
But far more importantly, this is & tremendously wasteful way to run the economy. Private enterprise efficient. We are in a because we are short of machines, resources workers. private enterprise cannot organise them properly. To safeguard profits we have to put up with waste on a scale that puts the most spendthrift local authority in the shade.
We should counter the Tories' arguments with a list of cuts we want
- to cut out capitalist waste.
1. Cut out idle capacity. the dawn ot facturers have tried to hold up profits by cutting production - so boosting prices: Since the war, monopoly has grown so much that this is the rule rather than the exception. In other words, to protect profits, private enterprise stops producing people need; keeps prices up so they can't afford to buy them; and sacks workers!
Food, drink and tobacco LAPHA CarS Mechanical engineering KOLUIS
Iextiles Clothing and footrear Paper and printing Construction
Total
Surveys done by Institute for Social and Economic Research in 1976, the results of which are the accompanying showed that increases in output could be achieved simply with capacity. They show that 20 per cent of the economy is lying idle to keep protits up. 1½ workers on the dole, could be given work without building a single new factory. Nerve
Geoffrey Howe has the nerve to
say, in the Sun, "we •cal-Dy-scar mercases spending country
producing enough extra
services to pay for them". But it is the owners, not the social services, alcallaull
Socialist Challenge 8 November 1979 Page 4.
STOP THE CUTS
Where's the money to come from?
system cannot be propped up otherwise.
Geoffrey Howe's argument.
the 1 wills not Economists
in
billion extra goods year at 1978 prices. This could buy: a full Ware unemployed costing E6.7 billion. is not 50%
crisis, not costing £5.0 billion.
La minimum but because 1978 prices,
billion. a 75% building costing f3.9 billion.
costin 4,0 oil man
ment costing £3.4 billion.
Since
Many firm working
local labour things systematic lists of
profiteers and redundancy.
With present hours overtine
6.3 11.0 16.9 18.2 13.6 21.5 1.4 6.7 6.0 10.6 7.4 13.0 15.0 20.8 13.4 22.4 14.9
7.6 12.4
National Institute Economic Revien Februars 1977
the National
table,
existing
million all of whom
can't afford
Whitehall isn't
goods and
that
THATCHER'S PLANS for the social services were unveiled last week.
The government's expenditure plans for 1980-81 will cut the already.
frayed social services to the point where some of them almost cease to
exist. They lop off f2½ billion even before increased inflation takes its
The government uses the same old excuse — 'The country can't
. This is a lie. They have found enough money to push military
spending up to £8 billion — enough to pay for a 50% increase in the
health and education budget. The cuts are not being made because there are too few resources in the economy, but because profits and the profit
We will spell it out by reversing What social services could be achieved by properly?
Andre Glyn and John Harrison, who supplied these figures, calculate that full employment would At allow the production of around £32½ and services per income goods for those now necessiles
increase in benefits
wage of 180 (at equivalent taking inflation into account) costing £9.6
increase in house
25% on health and education
50% on manufacturing investForeign
If workers had the simple right to inspect company books and take over under barakly reconverting to produce for need and not profit, then this waste could be ended at a stroke. Councils and the movement could make idle capacity, organising takeovers and occupations firms declaring middle Sussex
Potential increases in output cuts.
With additional prices,
15.5 19.5 35.0 33.6 far, 31.5 18.3 24-5 28.3 public 36.0
21.5 Capitalism leaves resources lying idle.
Cut the idle rich. Capitalism supports an army of parasites and scroungers. Dennis Healey promised to 'tax the rich until the pips squeak' - but he attacked the poor and the rich got richer.
least billion could released just by cutting out unearned
and reconverting luxury industries produce real
: could these resources be released? By the best incomes policy of all — end unearned income. Take away the right to make money out of other people's labour.
Even before this is achieved, should fight for a wealth tax, punitive income tax on salaries above €10,000, and for the right of local authorities to levy a proportion of this sufficient to meet their needs.
End Britain's imperialist role. investment and military serve to he the
Crawley By Chris Bird
'BRING extra clothes and a torch to school' was the message given to some
school students the beginning of this term. However West
Education Committee plan more than just heating and lighting
Plans to make the 'consumer' pay more include increased school meal
transport, charges for examination entry and
Last week Crawley National Union of Teachers decided to launch a mass campaign of action and publicity against the cuts.
After the local Executive had been censured for their lack of action so
the meeting agreed organise the following: a press and publicity campaign, a newsletter to all union members,
sector discuss common action, to organise public meetings to explain the effects of the cuts to all those affected, and support for me Labour randy and Council campaign against the cuts.
The next meeting discus.
direct action in the schools.
pockets of a tiny layer of oversea investors. They make British workers • be complicit in exploiting and oppressing the very workers support and solidarity against the multinationals. capital a bolt-hole to run to when workers here start attacking profits.
Withdrawal
We should demand we withdrawal from for NATO; we should fight unconditional transfer assets should fight for the negotiation of direct, long-term trading agreements immune from fluctuations in world prices, with the countries of the third world and the workers would provide the long-term, planned domestic expan-
Cut the army and police. They do not defend people but property. The army's main job is to terrorise the people of countries like Ireland that Britain has occupied. They will use what ther have learned Chilean army, against British workers trying to make socialism.
In spite of their tarnished "village bobby' image, better. The murderers of Blair Peach, Jimmy Kelly and Liddle Towers are all
MEMBERS of Camden NUPE saw
red when they heard that Chairman
Hua was visiting Kari Marx's graye in
speech praising Margaret Thatcher to
• skies
lUIE
NUPE members,
branch secretary, chairman and area
officer, pickered
welcoming Hua, calling on him to
break links with the lories. Despite
opposition from the
Mavor of Camden arranged for the
branch secretary, John Suddaby, to
meet Hua as he was leaying
John welcomed Hua in the name
of the council workers, but voiced
their concern at Hua's support for a
government that
policies camelrically opposed to thi
principles Karl Marx stood for.
'Heard Maggie's latest joke? — she says she's cutting unnecessary waste'
abroad whose White Paper need It gives down the drain.
immediate EEC and Ing. for.the of foreign workers abroad; and we
states, that basis for like the
the police are no services
- only hours after making a
people-
police. the
heavily imperialism ments oy
carrying out
even now used as strikebreakers, and to repress biack and other working people. According to the government
• "Defence" will cost £8 billion next year and "law and order" will cost £2½½ billion — more money
Unnecessary costs of competition. Because the economy is not planned, huge amounts of money go down the drain in duplicated effort, advertising, promotion and packagThe Stock Exchange.
Even worse, banking and business
have grown out. of all proportion to the real productive needs of the economy. This sector now employs a staggering 1,152,000
• whilst only 7 million work in manufacturing
The City
Finance is a partie British big sector the because the City SO involved in financing abroad. Interest pay. local authorities to billion almost wipe out the Tory cuts:
Even under Labour, banking profits increased by a staggering 76%. The Tories' policies of high interest rates
Page 5 scan of this page
and a high exchange rate are designed to boost the City even more.
We should be nationalisation under workers control of all banking and finance, and the scrapping of the outstanding interest burden of local should be fighting for a democratic planned economy in which the waste of competition would be ended.
Cut out the costs of capitalist supervision. Everywhere that workers nave taken OY CI chemselves, they have found that a lot of the manager's work was redundant
— because their main function was to discipline workers and make sure they were exportea to cne run. 1 mis coulla be ended by genuine, workers' control, because workers would be working for themselves and not for parasites.
Similarly à lot of the huge and cumbersome apparatus of the State is not incle to provide services our to hold back legitimate demands for democratic rights and proper services. The administration of both factories and the state should be taken over by workers" councils, and by workers' representatives who are elected and subject to recall, and paid no more than the average wage.
The truth is very clear. It is private enterprise which is to blame. It is the profits of the rich that stand in the way of adequate social services.
The workers cannot, and should not accept that they must pay for the crisis. The message to the Tories and the bosses should be clear: you can't run the economy to meet our needs -
we're going to fight to run ourselves.
Scouse turnout on
28 November
By Al Walker, Liverpool NALGO. 30,000 WORKERS in Merseyside will be given the day off, with pay, attend the demonstration against the cuts in London on 28 November, if the Council get their way. The proposal Labour group
to give all council workers the day off has already Personnel co been council's which is Labour dominated, though it is less likely the meeting on Wednesday 7 November will endorse the proposal as Labour is
London demanding the Hospital
ANCILLARY
workers had voted for action
demonstration in November.
democratic with fighting
borough on a united basis.
Hospital;
cent all round cut in services.
Delg
unable to admissions this winter.
Through the
building for Lambeth on 7
unions for 26 November. •in a minority.
If the
workers day without pay.
At conference
Liverpool would be Illica.
the Committee, some form
include the tul council NALGO, UCATT,
WORKERS at the
London Hospital, Whitechapel, have
started boycotting private beds as a
protest against the plan to close 82
NHS beds, including a female surgical
ward. A mass meeting of 700 health
and support Lambeth on
Health workers in Tower Hamlets.
are experienced in fighting cuts
they have been fighting for the last
two years to keep Bethnal Green
Hospital open. Now they are faced
throughout the
The cuts include: the 'temporary'
closure of the 120 bed London Jewish
the abolition coi routing
medical checks in secondary schools
and visits to old people's homes; cuts
in intant weltare, family planning and
district nurses; a 20 per cent cut in
outpatient appointments; and a 15 per
It is predicted that the f2 million Dlanned tor Tower Hamlets will mean the hospitals being
make any emergency
Trades Council number of initiatives are being built
by the anti-cuts campaigns. As well as
the demonstration November, and the Labour Party demonstration on 28 November, a lobby of the full council meeting will be held on the evening of 28 November. A meeting is planned of all stewards from the public sector
and
is
win
proposal carried employees. Liverpool will join Sheffield council which has already voted to give it's
though Council, organised by Corby Merseyside Anti-cuts Committee last weekend, 250 delegates voted to see that a 550 seat train booked to take people to the London demonstration
Incy also volca lO support the lobby of the Liverpool council on Wednesday 7 November, sode fort day heatrial takinn
industrial action G&MWU, NATFHE, NUS, and the Liverpool city council shop stewards ano start representanves commitice
Teachers
Organise
By Will Reese, Coventry NUT
THETORY VAMPIRE is shaping up
to take education by the jugular.
SUNL one area Avon
redundancies threatened,
ALC
Local Education
The new Education Bill proposes to
end legislation
authorities to provide school meals.
Comprehensive schooling is coming
under attack.
Faced with the gravest chailenge
to education tor years,
response of the leadership
National Union of Teachers has been
pathetic. So the Socialist
Alliance and Rank and File Teacher
are organising a joint conference to
organise for action amongst the union
membership and demand & fighting
lead from the union executive. broad race of issues raised by the conference will
Tory attacks comprehensives,
nursery and primary education,
ideological assumptions of Toryism
tell as anti-sexist teaching
other issues. On the second day we
will be concentrating on discussing
campaigns around these issues.
An important aspect
conference will be a speaker from the
teachers in circe. our of ridical
teachers in rrance.
interest will be their work in putting
practice alternative,
educational objectives.
This conference is an important
sten in the - co-operanon
between the two main opposition
groupings teachers
Although we in the Socialist Teachers
Alliance still have differences with the
comrades of Rank and File, freiter hatco set motimatowards
greater unity ultimately
common organisation are possible on
the basis of a clear socialist platform
internal democracy. At
conference itself we will be launching
an appeal for a unified opposition of
socialist teachers
The major proposal the STA will
be putting forward at the conference
the call for a national labour
movement conference in defence of
education. This would be a delegate
conference, which we would aim to
Associations
initially, hoping to win
support on the basis of that.
Be at the conference.
— which represents the 30,000 council
Amonest the speakers at conference were Tony Benn MP,
BOWeI Sheffield City and John Cowling of the Steelworkers Action Committee who threatened that they might be dumping steel ingots in the streets of Corby as part of their stepped up campaign to save the steelworks.
Also contained in the declaration passed by the conference was a call for building links with similar campaigns around the country with a possible view to a joint national conference on fighting the cuts. I nIS Is needed — it is the Tory government which must finally be confronted if the cuts are to be halted.
By Pauline Roe, NUS Executive (in personal capacity).
THE GOVERNMENT is committed to introducing fees of two to five thousand pounds per vear for overseas students trom October 1980. This racist measure, aimed at body, will bring the government an extra £100 million in fee income.
In doing so though it will squeeze thousands of poorer students out of higher and further education, involve course closures, redundancies and even threaten the future of some institutions.
ment to implement these increases
increasing fees for this year by 23 per cent in the Budget of 12 June the introduction of so called 'full cost fees' WON Given the scope of the cuts that the Tories are hoping to make, In attack on overseas students was
406 inevitable.
and
Authority. Students National Executive failed
requiring to anticipate the seriousness of this
threat. From the outset they have concentrated on hardship funds for those already registered on courses. It is only around this issue that they have of the advocated
future status of overseas students, Teachers they argued, has to be secured
through an educational campaign to establish the contribution they make to the British educational system and why they would be discuss a such a loss.
the
and
PUBLIC MEETING: 'Zimbabwe pe cone.
the Venn Street. London SW4. With film & speaker
from Patriotic Front, ZECC, & Ted Knight.
CHILE SOLIDARITY Campaign Day School LarouetOn L0 am Sat 10 Noy.
London Students Union, socialist With
Details from CSC, 272-4298 LUNE KENCE on workers rans Precio, Norry East London Poles Hic union. Heavy na. delete , London E15.
Workshop Motor
REVOLUTIONARY bublic meetin Fire Years of the Prevention of Terrorism Act Speaker: Jenkins. .30pm at Fairholt House, Ciry of London Poly,
the Whitechapel High Street, London El. Adm
20p.
WORKERS' ACTION MEETING TROTSKYISM ANDNICARAGUA Speaker: John O'Mahony (Workers' Action editorial board)
Friday, 9 November, General Picton, London N1 (corner of calling Wharfedale Rd and Caledonian Road. broader Nearest tube King's Cross)
'FREE ABORTION on Demand' neans No' badg Neek, PO Box 50, London N1 2XP. Singly 25 each, bulk 12p each. Make cheques or POs ou the
TWO DANISH Trotskyists We would prefer a collective o Dermans adie • 4 Poss Workshops
Stop racist fee increases
now colleges
dividing the student national COULOU it alone.
The decision of the govern-
surprise. After
has made
openly debated.
an
DES, to
The response of the Union of
calling for
direct action. The
student
the against the Thankfully a handful of
WHAT'S LEFT
— what 7.30. Si Anne's Hal
lor Londoners rovteennie of centrar - Kosover Si Sal: Peace Place d speakers workshops , films & evening social with MAYAPI
council - LullIng Health Cut: Ordon Dis. 17 No Polytechnic Papers & Lewishan.
'Ten Years of the Irish War - Communist Tendency 1979,
WE are
La former country
spread: 1-55. 8pm at the
Course interests
• and 'No are again available from Th
out Erik Pier.
Copenhagen, Box 192,
WOMEN AND NEW TECHNOLOGY
Discover it before it discovers you Wecoshmunications, housellrk, health and safety, rim and slide shor following
Saturday 10 November 10.30-5.30
Harkness Hall, Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London WC....
colleges in London and the North
West were prepared to take action.
Fee strikes are going on in sever
and occupations bane
occurred in a number of Polys am
universities. The small number of
occupations though, and thai
short duration, reflects the lack of
leadership and the approach thai loca
leaderships are taking. Memoria
of the defeats of 1977 and 1973
mean that the most active college.
no longer expect support from de
NUS and are dubious about goin
Breaking the isolation of these
colleges is therefore crucial. At our
level this can be done by seizing on
the one concession that the • NUS
the need for
campaign of mass action. The 31
hour occupations that thes harr
called for on 8 and 9 Notarbes
need to be transformed from toka
actions to apply pressure to th
ongoing occupation
aimed at broadening invon coo
in the campaign. But this
means fighting to link the overse
student campaign in the 125 mo
the gencral campaign of apposi
ion to the cuts.
In a number of aías sat as
Manchester and Bristol, actice en
the cuts is alreat! plassed
student unions have to essere te
the issue of overseas stados
taken up within these. Narional
should be
organising for a mass turn out ou
demonstration and lobby cuts taking place in
London on 28 November.
IRANIAN socialist seeks room urgently. North Socialist Challenge. Tel: 01-3598180. Or write to London prcierrea, rease contaci o onons Iranian fraction, PO Box 50, London N1.
CONFERENCE Against Cuts in the Health Service. Sat. 10 Nov, 1lam to 4.30pm
eakers assl. ge leader, Lamber Stuart Labour MP
Lambell. soutliwark,
LEWISHAM socialist rorum public mecting or
Women and the Cuts. Speakers: Janet Maguir
on health cuts; Pauline Mathews, on Beyond th
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Socialist Challenge 8 November 1979 Page 5
Page 6 scan of this page
Labour's left states worthy
'Defeat the government by any means we can'
HOMENEWS
By Geoff Bell APPROXIMATELY two hundred members of the Labour Party met in Manchester at the weekend with the aim of turning their organisation into a 'mass party...active in all fields .
The conference was called by the Labour Coordinating which played its part in the victories on internal reform won at the recent Labour rarty conierence. the faces associated with victories were seen at the weekend.
Tony benn and Arthur spoke at a rally on the Saturday evening. They didn't conference itself but among. who did were Peter Hain and MPs Stuart Holland and Michael Meacher.
The conference was billed as one for 'activists' but it was dominated by public figures and there disappointing turn-out from rank and file members of the Labour Party. That is one indication of the size of the task the LCC faces in what Peter Hain described as 'creating a mass party.
Changes
Hain's paper to the conference argued "central changes' required in the Labour Party 'are not organisational but political'
He stressed the importance of 'extra-parliamentary activity' said that the 'immediate targets' of the LCC should include stewards, 'those in or around pressure group politics' and the 'periphery of Socialist Worker Challenge'.
Stating such aims and achieving them are two different things. It was, for instance, a sign of how much the leaders out inboaring never -learn about impressing phery' of the revolutionary left that it failed to organise a creche for the conference.
The issue of produced one of the best discussions of the weekend.
The leadership of the LCC came to the conterence sunporting. 'trom a purely democratic point of view', the abolition of the women's section the Labour Party.' paper presented to the conference,
agreement on all sides about this'.
ONE of the main debates at the LCC conference concerned against the cuts in public expenditure.
Many speakers stressed the need for united action against the cuts and for the Labour left to link up struggle with all those fighting the Тогу. axe. There expressed to rate rises, an opposition we agree with.
TED KNIGHT, Lambeth conneil in South London, was one of the main speakers at the LCC. In a separate interview
Socialist Challenge,
views on the cuts and how to fight
them.
Lambeth something in the region of £4
million worth of cut
government funding in the current
financial year.
The Lambeth Labour
decided that such cuts were socially
unacceptable and we asked the local
Labour Parties to discuss the general
situation. They were quite determined
that there should be no cuts and that
the Labour
should lead a fight against the Tories
We discussed this with the trade
unions representing the
They were equally firm and promised
support for the council in the fight
Socialist Challenge 8 November 1979
intentions
Committee
those
Scargill
attend the
those
was and spirited
shop
the right of Socialist separately quences of such a right.
October,' said Ann,
women's rights One
initiative,
There was, said a
fight
was opposition
leader
Knight gave his
we are facing
Ted Knight against the government. council
Tory government. that campaign council Parliament on 7 November.
employees. the demand
Vul UWu.
Page 6
defence of the women's section was made by Ann Ceseck of North Islington Labour Party. She referred to the general principles on
women to organise and the practical conse- changes
"The reason the TUC supported this the anti-Corrie demonstration on 28
'was because of the pressure put on it by the Women's TUC and by the Women's Liberation Movement.' Her speech secured an stated overwhelming vote in favour of the continuation of the women's section.
OI that discussion was the support shown at
annual general meeting of the LCC for the holding of a special conference on women's rights. This
well as further conference on economic strategy, will before be discussed by the LCC executive. The AGM also agreed to calling a national decision-making conference.
The latter meeting will hopefully That proved not to be the case. A | clear up many of the ambiguities | The present deputy leader is Michael
labour So the Labour group has decided that there should be no cuts in the
and that should conduct a public campaign against the
The highlight of the march to
We are conscious of the need to break our isolation and we are makung
that other Labour councils follow a similar position to
We are calling on Labour
which surfaced at the weekend.
An example was the issue of Callaghan leadership. One speaker argued: 'If we want to build a mass party the main obstacle to all the
the leadership. One of the main aims of
conference should be to say "Callaghan must go"?
There was little opposition in principle to such sentiments, but the dilemma the Labour left faces was • It is stupid to get rid of another speaker warned:
Callaghan if Healey is going replace him:'
In the end, the question of the Callaghan leadership was lett abeyance.
No vote was taken; what agreed was that if Callaghan
the next Labour conference, which will debate means of electing the party leader, the deputy leader of the Labour Party should take over on an interim basis. Parties and trade unions to bring pressure on Labour councils, particularly in London and other key areas to oppose all cuts.
Pasts why were it ener
emphasis November demonstration - hoping that it wil show that it is possible to draw the
movement, the Parties, trade unions, and others of the left, into a common fight against the Tory government
Labour councillors worried that they will be isolated. The Clay Cross example is a deterrent because the Clay Cross councillors were deserted by the Labour Party and une Labour government.
Some of those councillors are still paying financially quences of their action.
What we have to show is that there needn't be this isolation again.
So we would urge that Labour Parties in their regions should call conferences which would together the various sectors of the labour movement: so that thev car thrash out a clear line and build support for each other, link up with each other and with other struggles taking place on the question of jobs and wages.
The Greater London Regional
Foot.
Other decisions taken conference included support for the establishment of factory and the election by an electoral college system of Labour shadow cabinets.
The discussion on such issues represented a general move towards securing greater democracy within the Labour Party, but they also reflected the obsession manv on the Labour lett continue to have internal affairs.
This, together with a somewhat drawing room, academic atmosphere •at the conference wil not helo the LCC in its stated intention of relating to workers in struggle.
Suggestions were made on this front. These ranged from community politics to the anti-nuclear campaign. attention was paid to fighting the cuts.
Such issues are seen as a means of revitalising the base of the Labour Party. But this intention, honourable or otherwise, will need more than the *resolution mongering' referred to by one speaker.
For instance, rally on Saturday evening spoke out against the Leyland ballot and why the workers there should have voted 'no'. But Benn did not make. such to
Party
Peter Hain
Council of the committed to such a policy, but if we can't push it into conference we hesitate to call one ourselves.
On the issue of a rate increase next
April, don't principled question.
Labour The object of our whole activity is to mobilise which will defeat government. I don't believe you can are mobilise on cutting services or. on
doing nothing and handing over to the
Lores
• year to off-set
Lambeth
alicasucs bankrupt in a short time and the Tory
commissioners would be in.
bring
T&G Speke:
Similarly, at the individual
branche
cabinets and Ireland
LCC from
than a few with the party's
And
the support it
more grandiose Special "active
did not conference.
Tony Benn at the
. initials.
Labour Party is
calling such in Lambeth won't
peneve
workers into a struggle about the Tory vall
But if we don't increase rates next
Krent. cneaker government's would be Camden: (Lambeth Campaign against But we don't start from the base
Conference to discuss new technology/alternative plans
17 November — N.E. London Polytechnic
Separate workshops on GEC, heavy engineering, aerospace, telecommunications
Details and credentials from N.E. phone Tammy White, 01-597 4630. Sponsored by Lucas, NEI Parsons,
views widely known before the ballot meetings or issue leaflets explaining why the workers should have voted against the Edwardes' plan.
while Benn was sympathetic'when a delegation from the threatened ICL factory cornered him about their struggle, what comes of such sympathy only time will tell.
Nevertheless the LCC now has the leadership of the Labour left. It has
membership hundred, with 39 affiliations from constituency Labour Parties and one from a trade union branch.
That lack of enthusiasm for the
rank and file trades unionists indicates that it needs more
well-known names and promises of action to re-establish the authority of the Labour left.
eventually it will be • the actions which the LCC initiates and
1 it and the Labour Party generally will be judged.
Similarly, it is all very well to talk of the need for the Labour Party to be
in fields', but it is interesting that the issue of Ireland
surface during the LCC And yet, in the last ten years, it has been one of the greates! indictments of the Labour left that is has, by and large, kept its mouth shut on Britain's war in Ireland
Unless the LCC breaks from such traditions it may well be that those on the left outside the Labour Party will conclude that the LCC is just the old, discredited Labour left under new that we haye to increase rates next year. We are starting from the base that we have to organise to defeat the
I'm in favour of industrial action to achieve a political end. I believe the fight against the Tories will take place outside of Parliament, and that the party and trade unions should bring
the defeat of this government by any means we
SKA Uroanser London meetings: blo thrent sneak, sTed night leader back.
Lamn DeLI
Rd/Chichele Rd, NW2
speakers James Ryan (Islingtor 130pm, quires, 83 Carson St, NWI. 15 Nov London Poly Resources s Centre or
Page 7 scan of this page
1011 ANNABLE: socialise C'hallenge's 1980 calendar Hirom which the abore montage i laken on the life of leon Trotsky. It contains many pistographs never before available in Britain and is exclusivels designed be David Ning. Individual orders t2 plus 10p p&p from sociali (hallenge, PO) Bos 50. 2NP. for bulh rates telephone Mike on 01-359 8371.
SELECTED READING
"Trotsky: A study in the dynamic of his
thought", by Ernest Mandel. NLB, £2.95
"Trotsky's Marxism', by Duncan Hallas.
Pluto, £2.50
"My life, an attempt at an autobiography',
by Leon Trotsky. Penguin, £1.95
'History of the Russian Revolution', by
Leon Trotsky. Pluto, £7.95
Permanent Revolution', by Leon Trotsky.
Pathfinder, $2.45
'Revolution
Pathfinder, £2.75
'Struggle against fascism in Gérmany', by
Leon Trotsky. Pathfinder, £3
All available from The Other Bookshop,
328 Upper Street, London N1. Add 10 per cent
if ordering by mail.
TROTSKY 100
ОбДИНЯНТЕСЬ. ATTAANTH ВСЕХ СТРАН London NI Betrayed', by Leon Trotsky.
1140 1)
people...
class rule,
based
children
nothing?
TE CHI
culture. big
for vengeance...
ruined
their plaints
of society
reserves they
eliminated organism
undigested
THE TODAY:
LEON TROTSKY
On swearing
ABUSIVE language and swearing ar: a legacy of slavery, humiliation, aru disrespect for the dignity of mar one's own dignity and that of othtr
Swearing in our lower classes wy. the result of despair, embitterment and above all, of slavery Mithout hope and escape. The swearing of our upper classes... was the outcome •!
of slave-owners" pride and of unshakeable power...
But how can one create a new litr on mutal consideration, un selt-respect, on the real equality • women...on the efficient care
in an atmosphert poisoned with the roaring. rollin. ringing. and resounding swearing masters and slaves. that sHeart: which spares no one and stops s
The struegle against foul langua. is an essential condition of men'= hygiene just su the fight against fi and vermin is a condition of phti.:
On reading
HELL-RITTEN ya
Kfir the WEI: IT KI AT FIST valuable SDd intailit
On fascism
AT THE start of his pittxt i. Hitler stood out onl! taste
temperament. louder than others, and so ietesa.rii mediocrity much more si-kissa: He did not bring into the rorest? any ready-made programme. disregards the insulted soldier's thir
There were in German! plenty
and drowning people with their fists on the table. This Hitler could do better than others. True. he knew not how to cure the evil... (but doomed classes, like those fatally ill. never tire of making variations on
nor of listening to consolations. Hitler's speeches were all attuned to this pitch...
Fascism has opened up the depths
for politics...there lives alongside the 20th century the tenth or the thirteenth... What inexhaustible
possess of darkness. ignorance and savagery! Despair has raised them to their feet, fascism has given them a banner.
Everything that should have been
from the national in the form of cultural excrement in the course of the normal developement of society has now come gushing out from the throat: capitalist society is puking up the
barbarism. Such is the physiology of Nazism...
FOURTH INTERNATIONAL
A detailed analysis of the situation inside the Fourth International will appear in week's issue of Socialist Challenge.
Socialist Challenge 8 November 1979 Page 7
Page 8 scan of this page
The years of exile
TROTSKY 100 TROTS
By Tariq Ali
NATALIA SEDOVA, Trotsky's widow, has left us with an extremely powerful and evocative description of one aspect of Trotsky which is not so well known. It continues to haunt one for it sums up the agony of isolation which the old revolutionary underwent, especially in his last exile in Mexico.
Natalia describes how Trotsky used to pace up and down in his study and talk to himself. On occasion he would have imaginary conversations with Zinoviev and COLCI old would go over struggles in the Soviet Union:
It is an image which both haunts and moves. It is far too easy to ignore the enormous personal sacrifice made by Trotsky — the emotional and mental upheavals on hearing of the suicide of his daughter, the assassination of his sons, the trials and executions of his old comrades, the torture of his supporters in the concentration camps of Stalin. And yet he did not falter.
It is hardly surprising that he felt politically isolated. He was the sole survivor of the classical Marxist tradition, but his ideas were kept from the masses by the most powerful slander machine in historv. What were the options tor this man?
He could have retired to the watch-tower and confined himself simply to writing books and articles, maintaining limited friendly intellectuals. But Trotsky rejected that choice: questions a st His mistakes on
(his early organisational concepts) had aided his defeat at the hands of Stalin. His
2°
Noted Sta
Socialist Challenge 8 November 1979 Page 8
Bolsheviks. He once again the old debates and
the rightness
victories...
contacts with consciously
'organisational hostility
close friend and
TRUTH
MONT TRE WOON THINES
TROTSKY BARES
John Dewey Heads Mexico Inquiry
TROTSKY 100
fellow-revolutionary Adolph Joffe had committed suicide in 1927. Ill-health and political despair had exacted its price. But Joffe had left a last letter addressed to Trotsky. In it he wrote:
•..But I have always believed that you lacked Lenin's unbending will, his unwillingness •yield, his readiness even to remain alone on the path he thought right in the anticipation of a future majority, of a future recognition by every one of the rightness of his path.
'Politically you were always right, beginning with 1905, and I told you repeatedly that with my own ears I heard Lenin admit that even in 1905, you, and not he, were right. before his death, and now I repeat this to you... But you have often abandoned your rightness for
sake of overvalued compromise.
"This is a mistake. I repeat: politically you have always been right, and now more right than ever. Some day the party will realise it, history will not fail to accord recognition... are right, but the guarantee of the victory of your
lies in nothing but unwillingness to yield, forwardness, the absolute compromise in thislav the verv secret of lenin's
Trotsky took these words to heart. From 1927 onwards he become a total Leninist in the real sense of the word. His remaining years were . spent 1n analysine world politics, revolutionary organisations, and some of his most important works: History of the Russian Revolution, The Revolution Betrayed, My Life, etc.
MOSCOW FRAUD
Abramovich
more than justified:
Equality as
historical materialism,
One does not lie Trotsky's
of a twentieth
agreement, making of
internationalist
and You A model
the •extreme the strictest straight-
of all Germany were a
building producing
into
UTH
MASK
But his most powerful writings indictment of the Comintern and the German Communist Party in the years preceding Hitler's rise to power. Trotsky was the only strategist who offered a way to defeat Hitler. Perry Anderson's tribute in Considerations on Western Marxism is
'Isolated on a Turkish island, he wrote from a distance a sequence of texts on Germany, whose
concrete studies • conjuncture is unmatched in the records
'In this field, Lenin himself never produced any work of comparable depth and complexity.
writings on German constitute, in fact, the first real Marxist analysis
century capitalist state -the Nazi dictatorship. of his intervention, designed to arm the German working class against the mortal danger threatening maintained throughout the rest of his life.'
One only need add that. the writings on
model • of •Marxist analysis precisely because they sought to apply Marxism to alife and death struggle. They symbolised the unity of theory and a correct political practice.
The traditions of classical Marxism were upheld by Trotsky and his followers at a time when Europe was submerged in the 'hell-black night' of fascism in Germany and Stalinism in Russia. All Trotky's errors of perspective fade
insignificance when one realises magnitude of the tasks that faced him. After the
Stalin,
For counter-revolutionary witch-hunts and reminiscent of medieval barbarism. In the confessions of those exorcised
executions
was deeply pessimistic. He replied: 'Indignation, anger, human.
passively
were his her back with one's fists.
Torture and death
political of kept alive the internationalism.
tascist and Fascism in Moscow itself. the The
it, was possible alternative
blood. But
put an ice-pick in his skull.
And yet
Trotsky lives on.
hard to build the
Lenin's General Sta
STALIN, THE EXECUTIONER, AL OF THE fifteen members of the Politbureau during Lenin's lifetime, eight were executed by
six died a natural death, disappeared. The majority of Lenin's Central Committee were executed as 'agents of fascism
Trotskyism': the 'confessions'
Middle Ages the
stated: 'I am a satellite and disciple of Satan. For a long time I was a porter at the gate of hell, but
Bukharin, Rakovsky and Tukachevsky, a friend wrote and said that she
revulsion? Yes. Even temporary weariness. All this is human, only too
But I will not believe that you have succumbed to pessimism. This would be like
and plaintively taking umbrage at history. How can one do that? History has to be taken as she is; and when she allows herself such extraordinary and filthy outrages, one must fight
And the Trotskyists fought back. Despite the slanders heaped on them by Stalinism, despite the tortures and deaths suffered at the hands of the GPU and the Gestapo, thousands of militants
Trotsky remained role oiay traditions the Marxist theoretician who could analyse both
blannisi Will dispassionate lucidity. And his writings were read and studied
In his monumental three-volume biography of Trotsky, Isaac Deutscher writes that even in the Moscow of the Thirties senior party members could be heard whispering: What does the Old Man think?' Stalin's aim was to destroy every
This rule. Trotskyism, Zinovievism and Bukharinism were drowned ir
Trotsky was alive: His brain was functioning and his pen never ceased writing. In 1940 a Stalinist agent penetrated his study and
Trotsky's ideas are even more powerful today than they were in his lifetime Dissidents in Prague and in Peking study his writings. The Soviet bureaucracy continues to produce dozens of books to denounce his ideas.
The Fourth International which he fought sc
still confined to small organisations. It is not the mass International of which he dreamed. But such an International
several yea I began to and one As we wer wine and earth for th The In Mos were Satan. Lis defective I religious anti-Bolsh of demons arrived at fascism Trotskyisn
Page 9 scan of this page
KY
a a vital necessity. For Trotsky the very
constructing a party only on
•*iza scale was allen. a reflection of the
neralisation which resulted from the Stalinist
anation of the left wing of the workers
The best way to study Trotsky is to read his
I aritings. They have no equal in the Marxist
Cement. The range of subjects discussed is,
set. unique. But Trotsky, like Lenin and Marx,
cold be studied critically.
Classical Marxism never presented itself as a
agion, and those who view it as such are
kely to go very far. Those who mummified
enin and put his body on show in the Kremlin
ad so to destroy the legacy of Lenin. Those who
ock to do the same with Trotsky should know
at he would have regarded idolatry with
evulsion.
Isaac Deutscher's concluding paragraphs in
his biography of Trotsky remain as true today as
when they were written, nearly two decades ago:
Pilgrims Progress
"Trotsky sometimes compared mankind's progress to the barefooted march of pilgrims who advance towards their shrine by moving only a few steps forward at a time, and then retreat or jump sideways in order to advance and deviate or retreat again; zigzagging thus all the time they approach laboriously their destination.
'He saw his role in prompting the "pilgrims" to advance. Mankind, however, when after some progress it succumbs to a stampede, allows those who urged it forward to be abused, vilified and trampled to death.
'Only when it has resumed the forward movement does it nav the victims, cherish their memory and piously collect their relics; then it is very grateful to them for every aros of biood inev gave — tor it knowsthat with their blood they nourished the seed of the Oppositionists in Moscow, 1927.- • bettom row, left to right, Istchenko, I. Smirnov, Trotsky, I. Smilga, Alsky. future.
Four pillars of Trotskyism
1 of 1917
E REMAINS PROLETARIAN REVOLUTIONS IN THE WEST. In the developed capitalist countries there is only one way to get rid of capitalism: the mass mobilisation of the working class to overthrow the existing statepower and substitute in its place a workers state based on proletarian democracy. Socialist
revolutions are the only way to prevent a reversion to barbarism.
POLITICAL REVOLUTIONS IN THE EAST. In the countries where capitalism no longer exists a bureaucracy has usurped political power. It
preserves itself by a combination of coercion and a complete monopoly of
politics and the means of information. Only the overthrow of this bureaucracy
and the establishment of socialist democracy can lead to the development of socialism. Thus a political revolution is vital. •SOROLTTKON
3. PERMANENT REVOLUTION IN THE 'THIRD WORLD'. In the 'third world' countries the strength of imperialism has meant that they will always remain dependent states unless there is a social revolution. Only such a revolution can guarantee real national independence, radical agrarian reform, and accomplish the tasks which in the West were carried out by the bourgeoisie.
go, with eleven of my companions, waste the kindgom of the Franks. 4. PROLETARIAN INTERNATIONALISM MEANS BUILDING AN dered, we destroyed the corn, the INTERNATIONAL. The processes of world revolution are intertwined and the other fruits produced by the interrelated. The completion of socialism cannot be envisaged within national șe of man.' r in the Thirties, Trotsky became boundaries. Revolutionary parties have, from the very start, to be built on an
to Zinoviev at his trial: 'My international scale, with an international programme and a revolutionary hevism became transformed into in, and through Trotskyism strategy for all parts of the world. The Fourth International founded by cism. Trotskyism is a variety of Trotsky in 1938 remains the only nucleus of revolutionaries organised on a
Zinovievism is a variety of
world scale.
KY 100 KY 100 TROTSKY 10C TROTSKY 10€
Socialist Challenge 8 November 1979 Page 9
Page 10 scan of this page
An uncomfortable dialogue
By Phil Hearse
Trotsky's Marxism By Duncan Hallas Pluto Press, £2.50 A BOOK on Trotsky to coincide with his centenary by a leader of the Socialist Workers Party is bound to be both interesting Duncan Hallas' book is a concise and largely accurate account of Trotsky's ideas. The balance sheet drawn Trotsky's life and overwhelmingly positive.
Long gone are the days when Tony Cliff, the leading theoretician of the SWP, could seriously argue that Rosa Luxemburg's class consciousness was far superior to tne "substitutionist Lenin and Trotsky. Or that Leninism was responsible, in large measure, for Stalinism.
All that has been junked. Under the pressure of the rise revolution since 1967-8, the central leaders of the SWP have undergone a political evolution bringing close to orthodox Leninism and hence Trotskyism. Naturally, for us, this is both welcome and refreshing.
Thus Hallas vigorously Trotsky's critique of ultra-leftism and syndicalism; positions revolutionary road to socialism, and internal party democracy. He comes out strongly to stress that Trotsky's writings on the united front remain an indispensable part of our strategic armoury today. Limited
And yet when one studies the text in detail 1S clear that sympathy for Trotsky limited.
He defends Trotsky, the leader of the Bolshevik Party and of the Third International. Trotsky from 1923. As Hallas says of this period: *Trotsky had the common outlook of the whole Bolshevik leadership, outlook which did not exclude sharp differences of opinion on this or that issue, but which was homogeneous.'
Trotsky's own unique and specific contributions to Marxist theory either rejected or underplayed. His writings on Russia, Betrayed; on socialist revolution in
'third world, Revolution; the programme tactics of revolutionary Third International After Lenin; Or his specific programmatic contributions on the question of the courth International do find favour with Hallas,
The reason for this is not difficult to fathom. It can be traced to two formative factors in the politics of the SWP: the theory of state-capitalism', and the SWP's break with the Fourth International.
It is these breaks which impart inconsistency to the SWP's theoretical views ana Crcale d contradiction between their practice as revolutionaries in the class struggle and important aspects programme. lhe breaks also aid 1n making Hallas" critique of Trotsky somewhat incoherent.
State Capitalist
Hallas repeats the 'state capitalist' critique of Trotsky's views on Russia. We won't go over this ground again, except to remark that Duncan Hallas fails to explain how a society without capital or capitalists, and in which, according to Cliff in his book State Capitalism in Russia, the law or value las Doch suppressco l favour of state planning, can exist int any form.
But the rejection theory of Stalinist necessarily leads to a rejection of the theory of permanent Since the mode of production China and Cuba, for qualitatively the same as in Russia, Hallas and the SWP must explain how state castransin arose.
Socialist Challenge 8 November 1979 Page 10
TROTSKY 100
Duncan Hallas and Leon Trotsky
and revealing.
of
work
working
theories of
of world
them
defends
the is somewhat
1916-
The young Trotsky.
essentially of defeat
proletarian argument can are China. Therefore
The Revolution
upheavals
Permanent
and The aim of.
parties, The portalichl
demonstrate that the tasks
the colonial much countries
question, national market, only be socialist revolution.
permanent
bourgeoisie
of their Since acnevement
workers
once again
Puzzle
have been SWP. the puzzle
capitalism
theory of state of Trotsky's explain how degeneration revolution.
revolution. remarkable
writers
example,
La peasant movement!
In Russia it apparently arose out
successful the revolution. No such apply to Cuba or they have developed the theory of revolutions or
replace imperialism with 'state capitalism'.
This is where the problems arise.
Trotsky's theory of revolution was to peasant of the bourgeois democratic revolution in
. and semi-colonial national unity, independence, the solving of the land
the creation of a genuine and so on - could solved by a proletarian, Marx,
Trotsky correctly concluded that would in the imperialist epoch the national bourgeoisies were tied hand and foot to imperialism, and would not open up a struggle against the imperialist
to achieve their own bourgeois democratic revolution.
was precisely the these tasks which made a self-sustained industrialisation possible, Trotsky concluded that only the socialist revolution can open the up the possibility of starting to solve the problems of the super-exploited
and peasants of the 'third world'. No form of capitalism can do
But in Cuba and China these tasks accomplished. For the How? Their explanation, to be consistent with the
capitalism, has wasn't social
On China, Hallas comes up with a
theory. Other SWP pointed the . LO overwhelmingly peasant composition of the Chinese insurrectionary army. But Hallas is emphatic: '1949 was not
He understands that to attribute
Chinese revolution to peasantry is to say that the latter adopted a massive independent role in world history, in the epoch imperalism; possibility that no only Trotsky but also Lenin though impossible.
Yet Hallas' theory is even more improbable: the victory of 1949 was a
army 'declassed intellectuals' whose specific situation remains unelaborated. reality this is another way of arguing that the revolution was led section of the petty bourgeoisie.
was precisely this class whether in the form of the peasantry or 'declassed intellectuals
Lenin, and Trotsky had said split revolutionary situation between the proletariat and the peasantry.
Communist Party
Hallas fails to demonstrate how his own theory is less improbable than that based on Trotsky's analysis. Is it not possible that these (thousands) of 'declassed intellectuals were in fact
militants of the proletarian origin with a (deformed) Communist Party, proletarian ideology, which took the route of building a bureaucratically organised peasant army as the means of conquering power?
This orthodox Trotskyist position not only shows how China -derivation Cuba, Vietnam , and so on — confirm the theory of permanen revolution, but it also locates these transformations within the Leninist conception of the epoch. theory leads to the conclusion that into the worldwide struggle between the working class and imperialism, steps... the declassed intellectuals to create state capitalism!
The only logical way out of this nightmare for the analysts of the SWP is to reinstate Trotsky's theory
revolution. - But
additionally requires the Trotsky's theory of the Soviet Union
as a bureaucratised workers' state. Throughout the last two chapters
of of Hallas' book he wrestles with two
undeniable facts: founded and built International, and that he declared that in principle one starts with the international movement.
Both facts are very uncomfortable class for the British SWP. The discussion in
In the far left
foundation of the FI has traditionally by a gone along the lines
between those who thought Trotsky Was right and those, Deutscher,. wrong.
For Hallas to simply declare that Trotsky RYON wrong uneasy problems. Trotsky's last years were devoted to building which he considered his life's most important work. this difficulty by Trotsky had no option but to build an international tendency, but the ideas which justified it were off the mark. Moreover. Hallas has in mind not just the errors of perspective which Chinese Trotsky made, but
which argues constructing a national revolutionary party it is necessary to strive to build an international.
On this Hallas is just incoherent. His own organisation, according to another of its theoretical and by leaders, Chris Harman, strives today
to build an international tendency as well as to construct revenue saty that Trotsky (and Hallas' subsequent Trotskyists)
building an international tendency with building revolutionary party.
Yet no one believed or believes that the Fourth International of small leagues and propaganda groups was or is the mass Fourth International
0f which we strive to build. that Hallas and the SWP should be
programme
after ambiguous.
isolated,
Cent.
Inat It
failed to
Britain. Linked
while at the
been
Hallas pointing
Trotskyists.
single-minded more
the world
reinstating Hallas'
Sky. distance Trotskyism,
that Trotsky
the Fourth
around Trotsky's
OI a debate
the rise like Isaac who thought he was
Unique
poses other These
• FI, the errors
Hallas overcomes concluding that
realised.
assimilate
the approach that simultaneous to
theoretically march whether they
SWP strategy and
Trotskyism Hallas national Instead
sidelines, derivation island in contused
international
by mail.
quite explicit: are they definitively in
For opposed to buiding •at international tendency? And if they are for it, then doesn't it have to have
international leadership bodies, Dublications? If the answer is Yes, then the conclusion is that Trotsky was right to build the FI, and it is right to do the same today
•On the political fate of Trotskyism
Trotsky. again Of course, he is right to point out that the Trotskyists were
often disorientated, demoralised and even politically incoher-
All kinds political errors afflicted orthodox Trotskyism.
But it is one-sided to ignore the past of his own tendency which became so confused
failed to take sides in the Korean war, abandoned the Leninist theory of organisation, abandoned the Marxist theory of capitalist crisis,
defend Cuba during the missile crisis and, in practice, failed to capitalise on thereal opportunities for ¡growth and building (seized by the orthodox Trotskyists) after 1956 in
• This failure was intimately linked to its inability to defend Leninism
same time explaining Stalinism. Just as with the orthodox Trotskyists, many errors have since
corrected by the SWP But people who live in glass houses should behave with circumspection.
-can't resist ending by to the problems of proletarianisation faced by the
He claims that the Trotskyists were led away from
on proletarianisation' and their petty bourgeois character was reinforced
No one denies the problems which have existed on this score. But they afflicted the IS/SWP too. . And Halla: well knows that the British SWP is no
proletarian than larger orthodox Trotskyist organisations in
The problem of winning workers to Trotskyism was not one of theories but of objective conditions during the long period of capitalist boom. uncomfortable dialogue with Trots- book
Precisely because he wants to himself from orthodox he has • distance himself from huge slices of the mature Trotsky's political thought; from the most creative development of Marxist theory since the death of Lenin.
It was precisely in his writings during the long and difficult struggle to build the Fourth International that Trotsky surpassed anything written by Lenin or Gramsci on the united front, the nature of the revolutionary party,
of the bureaucracy, and proletarian internationalism.
unique elements of Trotsky's Marxism survive despite all
of perspective, such telescoped time-scales, that he made. And those who mock the Transitional Programme should compare it to the Communist Manifesto, for many of its predictions, too, have yet to be
It is because they have failed to
this contribution by Trotsky that the ideologues of the SWP remain relatively impoverished
despite their dynamic back towards Lenin. And like it or not, the fact remains that the only real debates on
aries throughout the world take place within the boundaries of orthodox.
of standing on the confined all offshore Europe, the SWP should, despite its differences, return to the Fourth International and help to build a mass international.
*'Trotsky's Marxism' is available from The Otherbookshop, 328 Upper St, London N1. Add 10% if ordering
Page 11 scan of this page
Unity is our strength
IRELAND
Prisoners say—
By Geoff Bell
A NEW 'Smash H-blocks' campaign
has been launched in the north of Ireland. This follows conference held in Belfast October.
Fi ne conference was a turning point in the campaign to win political
Republican many of whom are housed in the. 'H-blocks' at Long Kesh prison, near Belfast.
Henceforward participation in the H-block campaign will dependent on support Provisionals' armed struggle, any other tactical position held by organisations or individuals.
The call at the conference was for unity around the sole issue of political
Single Issue
The Provisional Movement has supported emphasis 'single campaign'. The latest edițion of its newspaper, An Phoblacht/Republican News, explains:
'Whatever Have organisational or political differences in the past, these must now lie in the past. In the coming weeks and months tactical differences must be sunk and
purely positive and attitude struck...
'Despite the fact Republicans the H-block struggle is a part of the war-effort and is a heroic continuation of Ine struggle to free this foreign domination, people that Republicans unite on this issue, support the military actions of the Irish Republican Army...
'Conditions placed Republican Movement in the past for political status campaigners to also support the armed struggle no longer apply.'
Attending
The 21 October conference was attended by organisations and individuals.
Included were Sinn Fein, the Irish Republican Socialist Party, Peoples Democracy, the Trade Campaign Against Women Against Imperialism, • Socialist Workers Group, Socialist Labour Party, THE 11 women arrested outside Armagh gaol on an internanonal Women's Day protest appeared Armagh court on 31 October. The case was adjourned until 2 January.
The women are charged with a variety of offences assault on the police — arising out of attacks on them by the Royal Ulster Constabulary at the end of a picket held solidanty with political prisoners in Armagh.
Before week's spokeswoman for Women Against Imperialism, ine organisers or the picket, said: 'We were the victims of a brutal attack. The guilty ones are the police.
'Guilty, too, the warders and the prison governor who keep women prisoners conditions. We give full support to their fight for political status.
Support from Britain for the 11 women has come from the Women in
group,. sections women's movement, and the United Troops-Out Movement. A London-based defence committee has formed and support has also been received from people in Bradford, Sheffield, and Manchester.
a 600-strong
21 not be for the
Republican
the issue
been the
outgoing
that for
centuries-long country from there are many
fully who will not
Workers Group, People. by the One
prisoners. Said the prisoners:
But despite
range of demands which strength to overcome..
Union
Repression,
the the unite your the Irish
Women's trial adjourned
including
women
hearing,
innocent
prison
in horrific
of the
been
Kieran Nugent reading a message from the prisoners on the bi
and the Peace
call for unity came in a smuggled-out letter from the H-block
'Our unity is our strength. They have taken everything else from us.
all their torture, degradation and deprivations it is our unity and the righteousness of our
given us the
*This is our message to you today.
It's a strength that can lie in our unity, a power which can throw open, bring down and smash the H-blocks and we appeal to you to come together, to
voices and your
This call was taken enthusiastically by conference. Even Ciaran McKeown of the Peace People said that he hoped "past recriminations can be set aside.
His view was that 'the propaganda of the British government which says the prisoners are criminals is a lie. McKeown ended his speech with the words: 'Westand ready to help'.
Among motions passed was one proposed the revolutionary socialist organisation Peoples Democracy. It called for a lobby on the issue of the prisoners at the forthcoming conference of the Social Democratic and Labour Party. A PD proposal for a march on New Year's Day was also
up accepted. the Two members of PD were among
the 17 elected on to the new 'Smash H-block' committee. Among others elected were two members of the Irish Republican Socialist Party and four members of the Provisional Fein.
Although the new committee will be the main bullcing mass prisoners, the Committee will continue to exist. In the past it is the RACs which have done most to publicise the cause of the prisoners, and the unity and non-sectarianism some of these RACs experienced on a local level can now
UTOM Conference
THE biannual conference of the | nited Troops Our Movemens will be held in London on 8-4
The LIOM is the largest organisation in Britain campaigning around the (win demands
the Irish Perple. It now has 40 branches
The conference on 8-4 December will take account of the opportunities growth opportuniles evident over the past six months.
The success. of the London I Augusl demonstration — the largest Irish protest for seven years; the interest shown in Ireland at the
Paris failares of both the last Labour government's and the present Tory government's policies or Ireland have opened up the organising significant sentiment in Britain.
The UTOM conference will he open to all
enly UTOM members will hase anting rightThe hope that thi organised and conducted in such d way do tr appeal in sider torts than shone iust hearined
Further detail drum. 11118!
Paul Rd. London &1
previous
step forward.
COMINGE TUC campaign women
the right
women
Sinn
although body organising and support for the
Relatives Action march.
sense of which the women
be translatec particularly
movement,
February.
Other
for yer further
conterence
possionies o
"troops oul now
* Picket
conterence will te
What now
on abortion
By Penny Duggan
FORTY thousand on the streets on 28 October was twice the size of any
pro-abortion demonstraton. It shows that the TUC action in calling the protest represented a real
Not many of the unions went all out to build the demonstration. There were some notable exceptions, such as the National and Local Government Officers Association, which produce and circulated its own leaflet.
But white-collar unions have been prominent in their support for the abortion campaign since 1975.
More significant was the large
from the General and Municipal Workers' Union and from industrial unions like the Transport
General Workers and the Engineers, both of which have a large number of women members
Opinion
sponsorship gave and individual within the grealer authorty in demanding official, active support for the demonstration from union branches and trades councils.
For the first time, many trade unionists will have had to think about
of women have an abortion because the official union movement took a public stand against Corrice demonstration bl
demonstration brought to gether in united action thousands of
from the trade union and women's movements — a vital step in building a mass women's movement.
Unfortunately, this point
overlooked by the small section of the women's movement which demanded the right to lead the demonstration,
those who participated in pressing this demand had done little to build the 28 Octobe
Good start
And when they did rush to the front of the march, they ignored all
from the unions and others who had, perhaps for the first time, come out on a demonstration in support of their interests as womer
Nevertheless 28 October was al excellent start to the campaign, but it has to be just that, a start. From now on the campaign against Corrie needs to be even more consistent and public
A mass lobby has been called for S Paraly this mentand
that means attention towards the trade union
calling on it to use its Streamine industrial action oly organising industrial action
ways of helping the campaign include:
* Hold street, factory, workplace
meetings.
* Arrange for speakers al
schools, youth clubs, colleges.
* Use the Campaign Against
Corrie petition: it's a good way of getting to talk to people
* Picket your MP — remember
Labour Party policy oppose the Corrie Bill. Call for three-line Labour whip against the Bill. and occupy lail hospitals and area authorities, demanding abortion facilities
* Call fo suppor. int
ELLE TETEL Tate
cuba [1 Page 11
Page 12 scan of this page
Zimbabwe - the campaign we
INTERNATIONAL
THE Lancaster House
Zimbabwe
and the Muzorewa
Either the Patriotic
forced to give
pressure or the British
towards recognition
altered status quo.
This Sunday,
anti-racist
over the country
WHEN Cecil Rhodes marched into Zimbabwe in 1890 he was not quite playing the conventional imperialist. He claimed the territory not for a crown but for a company: his British South Africa Company.
One aspect of this is well known. Rhodesia's status as a self-governing settler colony is what has prevented successive British governments from eftecting a smooth decolonisation. This is one reason why we are faced
with Ine task of building a solidarity movement.
But there is another side to the history of Rhodesia which is more easily obscured - the dominant role of British capital. It is conventionally assumed that this declined insignificance with UDI imposition of sanctions. Yet on the contrary, British investments have multiplied over the past 14 years. Subservient
It is routinely claimed that British LOVCHIHCILS subservient multinational capital, but it is worth remembering just multinational interests Zimbabwe: Turner and Newall, BAT, Stewart. and Lloyds, GKN, Dunlop, ICI, British Électric Traction and above all RTZ and Lonrho. The list reads like a roll call of British capitalism - and to it can be added substantial government through British Leyland British Steel Corporation.
To talk about the primacy of British interests
policy is theretore not just a truism; it is the fundamental fact in understanding the situation. Equally, however, the interests imperialist capital do not coincide in important instances with those of the white settler minority. That, indeed, is the cause of the Anglo-Rhodesian conflict.
Yet all too often it is assumed that the solidarity movement can simply put an equals sign between the Tories and Ian Smith. No wonder so many on the left • were wrongfooted Thatcher's "turnaround' at Lusaka.
Imperialist capital's need for a settlement in Zimbabwe flows from the many problems posed by UDI. Clearly the status quo is not adequate. Sanctions and exchange Lucasult have affected
Intercontinental Press
combined i pe THE MOVES to set up a Workers Party in Brazil are featured in the latest Press/Inprecor INSUC of (Vol 17, Intercontinental
Other articles cover assessments or Lice situation in Kampuchea, concessions forced on the Khomeini regime in Iran, etc.
Individual copies cost 30p. 10p p&p, but subscriptions work out much cheaper at £ll for a year (48 issues), t6 for six months (24 issues), or f3 for 10 weeks. should be made out to Intercontinental Press' and sent to: IP/I, PO Box 50, London N1 2XP.
Socialist Challenge
talks have moved into their most dangerous phase yet. The Tories
regime remain committed to the existing settler state.
Front will be way to irresistible will hurry of a barely
11 November, demonstrators from all
will converge on
companies'
South African increasing against its own population.
of the continent.
Inese are which guide makers in both major parties in Washington. justice for the
and the those are in GEC,
stakes and the
over
of company exemplifies the interest' of Understanding: offers richer backward-looking
with sections
the strange by same time,
controi British
Africa community at large.
That settlement sought by
No 40). 1975 and South African military the Angola shortly afterwards. Transfer plus Two approaches
Cheques/POs
already realised solution 8 November 1979 Page 12
of power in
underlying motives
do about them?
slightly edited
International Marxist Group.
freedom operate. companies operations their The regime is losing a war
Above all, the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe carries the threat of mass upsurge and social revolution throughout the whole southern part
the considerations mainstream policy- the - and Neither concern for Zimbabwean people nor the racist banalities of their 'kith and kin' have anything to do with it.
like Lonrho 'enlightened seliBritish capitalism. that Black Africa pickings than the white colony, Lonrho has established close relations
Ine Ineration movement and their backers. Hence
partnership "Tiny'
Rowland and Joshua Nkomo. At the
of course, has reservations about continuing to do business with the settler regime.
The Lonrhos of this world hope for a settlement which avoids the dangers of complete social overturn
therefore large elements ol the existing state will remain intact - but
Africa is acceptable to i therational
international
precisely the sort of British and American governments ever since the defeat of Portuguese colonialism in
the discomfiture of the machine in
were adopted.
Henry Kissinger sold lan Smith the idea of the 'internal settlement' - a peaceful and purely nominal transfer of powerto compliant ex-nationalist leaders. But the British government
that no stable was possible without the
London to demand a genuine transfer
Zimbabwe. A good moment, then, to ask: what are the
behind British policy on Zimbabwe and what car we
Here RICHARD CARVER, in a version contribution to a teach-in organised by the Anti-Apartheid Movement in September, puts the viewpoint of the
Patriotic Front.
While the two tactics momentarily seemed compatible at the conference in late 1976, impossibility of compromise between the unmodified white regime and the Patriotic Front was obvious, and the talks broke down The eventual product of breakdown was a new initiative from the British Labour government and new Carter administration, followed soon afterwards by consummation of the settlement'. Misleading propaganda from supporters of both schemes has concealed the fundamental similarity between the two.
Both allow for the retention of the existing police, judiciary and civil service. In neither is there any role for guerilla armies settlement. The 4. per cent population gets 20 per cent of the parliamentary situation'
Geneva
the
that
Angio-American plan, 2o per cent under the 'internal settlement'.
I he guarantees against expropria
the tion and land reform in the 'internal 'internal
settlement' constitution are matched by 'protection property' In the proposals.
Supervision
show that the real issues constitutional ones MANANGA CM RAGANO
the agreement.
that no settlement without the Droposed that supervise the transition to ensure that nothing got out of hand. The settler regime could swallow the latter only with the former was unacceptable.
But just desirability of international recognition, David Owen and Andrew Young included • their pound Development Fund' originated with underwrite the attract foreign capital, and foster the emergence of a pro-Western black middle class. that for all the Tory accusations about Owen consorting with 'terrorists', it has never been the intention that the white Patriotic Front should be allowed to
survive intact. Hence every diplomatic initiative has as part of its aim to SMITH'S army in action. The primacy of British economic interests...is the
timbabwer
must
betree.
split
other.
from deprivation of
Anglo-American
troops
The similarities are striking and
were not The difference One
Once again the British maintained
would work Patriotic Front, and this
Britain should
British
difficulty, The perceptive underline the
proposals Zimbabwe settlement (the idea Front Kissinger) to settlement, help trying to solution.
(It should be noted, incidentally,
Cynical
thing solidarity
ZANU and ZAPU apart, incorporating one and ditching the
In addition imperialist policymakers have always envisaged the need to liquidate the threat of guerilla fighters who will not accept a neo-colonial settlement. That would be one of the prime tasks of foreign
sent supervise any
The Tory government has never at any point deviated from the essential tenets of the Anglo-American plan.
of the first things Lord Carrington did as Foreign Secretary
- even before meeting Muzorewa in London in July - was to despatch Lord Harlech to sound out the leaders of the front line states and (though
received less publicity)
Patriotic Front.
One of the main aims of successive has been to recognise an acceptable regime Zimbabwe and lift sanctions.
commentators assumed that when Thatcher said she would do just that this signalled a major turn.
But though the Tories may well at
Rhodesian excluding the Patriotic that is why the Lancaster House conterence is importan they would not do so without first
fina a more satistactory The Lusaka "turnaround . was just such an attempt
It is ironic that if a Labour Prime Minister had done exactly the same
at Lusaka, the would fundamental fact in understanding
Page 13 scan of this page
INTERNATIONAL
need
praised his/her sagacity statesmanship. Only because it was a Tory was everyone so quick to spot the cynical truth.
It clear that on the question where the two previous plans diverge, Thatcher and Carrington side with their Labour predecessors
than with Smith •Muzorewa: The government unequivocal that it is Britain's task to decolonise — a proposition roundly rejected by the Patriotic Front in its pre-conference statement of position.
Decolonisation would be super• Visc Dy oreign troops as a wav of dealing with liberation fighters who rejected the settlement. be British but would far more likely be Commonwealth as envisaged under me Ango-American plan. just coincidence that Carrington had secret talks with delegates from India, Nigeria and Jamaica at Lusaka? These were the countries destined to send troops under the Owen-Young plan.)
Finally, just to remind participants at Lancaster House of the rich prize of a successful
Thatcher is oftering the old Zimbabwe Development dressed up in the new €600m 'Commonwealth Resertlement Fund'.
What is missing from all this is any recognitie softhe wishes and rights of the Zimbabwean people themselves.
Smith only
'internal settlement' among the white population, British government is determined that the 'solution' will be foisted on the people of Zimbabwe from outside.
SUNDAY
Korean coup -
THE KILLING of South Korean
dictator park Chung Hee
October has been CouLpiele Hystery:
- by the media. But things become a lot clearer once one asks the classic
question: whose interests did it serve?
You'd never guess it trom the
press, but the three
Park's death were marked by massive
protests against the regime.
They were set off by the expulsion
of New Democratic Party leader Kim
Young Sam from the
Assembly on 4 October.
October the entire opposition
resigned. was
the solidarity movement.
anti-colonial and self-determination.
slogan: Hands Off Zimbabwe! main Slogans
gives some and the Solually criticised 'No
Tory 'sell-out' problem!
may well be in a minority 1n
These could assessment of the
(Was 'Hands Off Zimbabwe'.
That may relationships,
Shadow Foreign Shore.
neo-colonial
Not direct anti-imperialist Fund
guise of the
campaign for vietnam, Milt
forces. held the Given the referendum so the
DEMONSTRATE 11 NOVEMBER 14th anniversary of UDI
Support the Zimbabwe liberation struggle
Victory to the Patriotic Front No sell-out in Zimbabwe Hands off Zimbabwe
No collaboration with the Muzorewa-Smith regime
Sanctions must stay ASSEMBLE 1.30 PM SPEAKERS CORNER MARCH TO RALLY IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE
made in the USA
on 26 CHIL presented as a
felt pressure angered by the expulsion'.
the country's
the protests
On 13 down President Syngman •bloc Kim's
We do not think it is necessary to agree on all the above analysis to be able to find a common perspective for
We believe Met tas sone de dae or a cocca and time-honoured principle of the
and anti-imperialist movements: the right of nations to
the present instance tnal Is summed up In lat
However, we do think our analysis.
insight into the shortcomings of previous slogans of
We HOVCHCHEL.
Tory Sell-out
Zimbabwe' when it was first coined and we think that time has shown that
15 hardly the
Of course, we recognise that we
Anglo-American plan, and nevertheless insist that in the immediate task confronting us it is AL possible to unite around the issue of
upsét few cosy though. Remember that one of the first people to endorse Thatcher's Lusaka initiative was the
Secretary, Peter
Mass solidarity has a long history
The worldwide US withdrawal from its history stretches back to the Russian Revolution, when London dockers stopped the supply them of arms to the counter-revolunlonary
CHloriten British interest in Zimbabwe the kponsibilities of the British labour movement
successful solidarily akhen coukt lic victory for the liberation huggie and
paign step will advice: Washington Post correspond•
William Chapman commented closed. that 'the opposition party's almost
unanimous decision would not have
occurred unless many members had
Trom constituents
Three days later, on 16 October, that anger exploded onto the streets in
second-largest city,
Pusan: Park's response was to declare
martial law there, but on 18 October
- perhaps the biggest
since the upsurge of 1960 that brought
Rhee
spread to the industrial city of Masan.
There, as in Pusan, troops were sent
SAN
and discrimination ZIMBABWE solidarity picket. 'We are not out to "put our point enlightenment for British workers on the international that links
with the Zimbabweans.
Mass activity is the key. We are not out to put our point of view to governments and capitalists but to compel them to surrender through the overwhelming weight of the social forces we can mobilise.
The Zimbabwe Emergency Cam-
Committee is an important in this direction broadly-based call balk. structure initiated to organise solidarity on the streets. But there is still plenty more that can be done.
For example, if at some point the Tories do decide on recognition of the internal settlement and lifting sanctions, mere demand reimposition of sanctions won't cut much ice. We will have to campaign in the trade unions for direct action to reimpose (and reimpose far effectively than before) blockade of trade and commerce with the racist regime.
What is more, to make such action effective it is necessary to tight now for pledges from trade unions shop stewards' committees that they
directly implement sanctions in, a curfew imposed, and universities
But the protests continued spread to other cities - including the shipbuilding centre of Ulsan, as well as Kwongju and Taegu. An on-thespot witness of these events was none other than US Secretary of Defence Harold Brown, representing_ Park's main imperialist backers He had arrived for talks with his Korean on 25 Sorter, in er.
October, unprecedented step, the leadership issued statement proclaiming their solidarity with the protesters in Pusan and Masan, and
when accosal y. possible campaign of meaning of the present manoeuvres. This should be combined with the demand that the multinationals open men books to reveal ine exick their Rhodesia dealings.
Bingham report on busting, nobody can doubt that such deals take place details would be invaluable both for publicity and for planning a campaign of direct action.
Aid
focus OI the of should be the provision of material for aid to the liberation movements.
have no hesitation in supporting the Patriotic Front 100 per struggle against imperialism and the more setter regime tota But the energy
purchasing a handful of weapons is much more usefully spent in closing down the supply enemy. The and witnin our powel,
fruitless venture in the foreseeable future
warning follow 'if democracy is not restored'. Just one day later, Park was no more! Meanwhile the 38,000 US troops in South Korea immediate alert.
Korea against "taking advantage of the situation', Brown arnounced that
radar warning planes were ordered in:
Show case
The swift US indication of the crisis of the regime. Although portrayed in the capitalist as the economic showcase Asia, South Korea is currently in the must or a recessibil running at over 25 per cent, while the government has freeze. Tight credit policies aimed at curbing inflation are driving many companies bankrupt, boosting unemployment.
In line with this, a UPI despatch from Masan on 22 October noted that "many of the city's protesters were identified Learning from Iran, obyiously got the message.
South The difficult part is what to do
next. The new regime clearly has little for NDP working people of South
having dug the grave of one tyrant, will hardly be
of . view"
In that way it is
immediate Call the settlement
troops.
After the sanctions
But to reveal the Some people argue that a central solidarity campaign
We
cent in its
devoted
of arms to the
conceivably the former
that more protests would
were placed on
Warning North
and Zimbabwe! being
action
of
Inflation
imposed a wage factor Washington workers'.
And the Korea,
willing 1o accept
capitalists'
Where we can have a vital impact on the military struggle is in the event of British troops being sent to police a
the despatch British-backed Commonwealth
Legitimate
It is clear from what we have argued so far that in no circumstances will British or Commonwealth troop: be used to guarantee the Zimbabwean people's right to self-determination On the contrary their sole purpose will be for use against the Patriotic Front or other legitimate expressions of that
The practical means of organising such campaigns are many: demons
workers' inquiries, committees, film shows, exhibitions Rock Against Racism gigs of activities that we have discovered in the past and no doubt many more that
What is needed now is agreement on the main lines that the campaign will follow. Will it simply request the reimposition of sanctions or will it try to organise sanctions itself? Will i allow the secrecy of the multinationals to go unchallenged? Will it take a position of agnostic inactivity
Zimbabwe or will it organise the most massive campaign for their withdraw-
We think the answers to these questions are self-evident. They will be consummated in a campaign of mass activity to demand: Hands Off
Indonesia's Presiden
MURDERER YA AT LARGE IN LONDON • State Visit: November 13-16 1579
This man
• wild. in an in donesia and a rested at leas • no in Decenter 199 since har killed 96.000 in West Papua New Guir
PROTEST RALLY
an at November. 1979
For moro dotails concerning this ard other Drotests *
Socialist Challenge 8 November 1979 Page 13
Page 14 scan of this page
LETTERS 328/9 UPPER STREET LONDON N1
Smash Pol
Pot's army
WHEN Tariq Ali and Charlie Van Gelderen stress, in the SC correspondence on Kampuchea, the need for an analysis of the situation in all its concreteness and uniqueness I agree that this is the Marxist approach as opposed to the dogmatist one.
But at the same time 150 years of Marxist analysis of world-wide class struggle, and of revolutions especially, has presented us with genuine gains in our theoretical knowledge. One of these gains has been a set of criteria by which we judge whether a revolution led bv non-Marxist forces has succeeded in setting up a workers' state.
Trotsky's defence of the Soviet Union in the 1930s as a worker's state, and the long discussions on the overturns in China, Yugoslavia and mastern curope should have some bearing on the Kampuchea debate. The discussion on Cuba, which led to the reunification of the Fourth International in 1963, underlined and reinforced the validity of the criteria established in the previous debates.
Those criteria: the smashing of bourgeois property relations; the nationalisation of the economy; the establishment of a monopoly of foreign trade; a planned economy; and a state committed to the preservation of these gains.
When we apply these criteria to Kampuchea we find that the revolutionary process which included peasant uprisings in the Bettambang in 1967 and proletarian general strikes in Phnom Penh in 1974 and which
Spring of 1975 led on to the creation of a workers' state in Kampuchea by sometime in 1976 albeit by brutally bureaucratic and barbarous means.
Now, when Tariq and Charlie challenge this orthodoxy — as they have every right to - - they nevertheless bring upon themselves the onus to prove it to be inadequate and outdated. "Ihis cannot be done in a letter and SC should immediately release major resources for a full debate. When it is begun I predict serious problems for the comrades' 'fish-fowl' thesis.
Of course what we all agree on is the fight for a healthy proletarian democracy in Kampuchea. I'his has not yet been seen there for a single. day Unfortunately neither Clive Turnbull's original article, nor the letters in reply, took a position on the event dominating the process leading to the creation of a proletarian democracy. That event is the civil war.
Clive's line of 'aid for Kampuchea' is meaningless while the major obstacle to it being distributed is imperialism's continued recognition of Pol Pot. While space does not permit me to argue the case, the immediate recognition of Heng Samrin's government and solidarity with the fight to smash Pol Pot's army should be the demands which precede the calling for international aid. AILEAN O'CALLAGHAN, London NW10
Monster...
I thought Alien was a monster movie until I discovered Socialist Challenge. LUNACHARSKY No conciliation
on sexism
NOW WE have it, the perfect solution to sexism. Sisters, don't weep, men are sexist "but not out of self-interest! (Letters, 18 October).
Is an unpaid cook, cleaner, nurse, and maid not a material interest? What about men's sexual freedom, freadom from pregnancy, and the responsibilities of child-care, not to mention the social power all these things give them over and above women? If these things are not materia interests don't know what
Socialist Challenge 8 November 1979. Page 14-
BAD
TASTE one of those is.
Unlike Liz Lawrence, I would say that men do have a material but not a class interest in oppressing women.
But even if I am totally up the creek on that, what consolation is it to women that men's sexism 1s not in men's interest? We know it's not in ours, and as far as I can see Liz's argument implies that men are not only sexist but stupid too - after all, they gain nothing according to her.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, we are then told that male workers' sexism must be explained to them — if only they understood it was not in their interest they'd stop being sexist. I think not.
In my humble opinion and experience sexism has to be confronted before it can even be explained, preferably by large numbers of angry women.
One example of this might be the continual barrage of sexist rubbish emanating from the Nottingham News, a paper run by people sacked by the Nottingham Post and funded by my union.
Explanations have not made much difference, I'm afraid, and yet the mass pickets of the Post have been well supported by women - one estimate put the last picket at two-thirds female. I am now forced to the conclusion that the only way to get the point across is for women in the NUJ to refuse to support their struggle for re-instatement unless they support us.
That's what I mean by confrontation and independent action by women. I don't think anyone would suggest being as conciliatory as Liz does if it were racism we were talking about, rather than sexism. Fighting sexism in the working class means forcing men to relinquish the material gains they make from our oppression, saying 'this hurts us', not 'this doesn't benetit you
Finally, can someone explain how the false consciousness embodied in sexist attitudes can have no material basis in Marxist terms? If there is
where does it come from?
LUIC SUE LANDAU, London NW3
Nun mistake
LAM WRITING to protest at the picture on page three 23 October, which showed nuns with the caption: 'If you get stuffed you can lump it,
What is achieved by such a caption? Is it educative? Does it make a political point? Does it help us fight to control our own bodies? Does it motivate us to make the strongest possible fight for a woman's right to choose?
My answers are all in the negative.
1 he caption tells us nothing about the issues involved in the abortion struggle. It is a crude attemptto suggest that the anti-abortion.
I OUR MAIN ENEMY repress female sexuality. Repression
the result of anti-abortion laws.
enemies are. Nuns, women who have been encouraged into a repressive religious institution because of superstition and fear, are not women's enemies. It is the ruling class, which preserves its own wealth and power through the family, which is the real enemy.
individual nuns. But they are powerless target, and our method should be the
the caption motivate such involvement? It explained nothing to those beginning to think about the abortion issues; it did not involve them.
even nuns have come to support the pro-abortion movement. Such
peopic who are associalea with the paper.
the illustration is grossly sexist. Why choose female members of the Church to ridicule priests or vicars in Britain?
JO'BRIEN, London N16
Jewry's tragedy
SO Dave Rosenberg has the right line on Zionism, and I assume on the Palestinians (Letters, 17 October).
the Zionist Alliance with Lebanese fascists; the Zionists' attemptsto smash the Lebanese economy; to
Palestinians, and to make the latter refugees for the fourth time (this time with nowhere to go).
links with the mass murderers in Pretoria, and the deposed murderers of Iran and Nicaragua. logic. It's equivalent to saying that
Zionism, and both are racist
right!
From the point of view of socialists, the approach to take to Zionism is that of the classical
European Jewry was based on the
of 'Israel' since 1949 confirms that analysis:
DAVE CAPPER, Oldham
THE INTERNAL ERING WITHIN
UNITY!! • NEED of female sexuality is not the cause but
The caption disguises who the real
It did not tell us how we should fight, unless we are supposed to insult
The state should be our
largest possible mobilisations. But did
In some countries Catholics and
flippant captions do a disservice to the Court.
Finally, the photograph used in
- aren't thereany
I suppose that means he supports
alienate the Lebanese people from the
justice shall be done
He must also approve the Zionist
women's
In his attack on the critics of Bob Dylan, Rosenberg employs a strange because Amin and Khomeini oppose
murderers, therefore Zionism must be
Marxist principle that the tragedy of survival of capitalism. The evolution
AND WHAT Funds for
Blair Peach IT IS now six months since Blair Peach was killed in Southall. The Memorial Fund was set up immediately to cope with the many from individuals and workplace collections, and to help organise a campaign to ensure that Blair's assailants) was brought to justice
Over £17,000 was collected, of which £4,000 was promptly paid to his dependents, 25,000 set aside for a long term memorial project, and to date approximately £7,000 has been spent on our public campaign. Already, though, we are about to run out of money, and we have yet to face what might be the costliest part of our campaign: full scale legal representation at the Coroner's
The law, as someone once remarked, like the Ritz Hotel, is open to all. Whereas all police expenses involved in this case come from public funds, ours we have to raise ourselves. We could be involved in finding up to another £10,000 simply to bring the immediate campaign to ascertain who was responsible for Blair Peach's death to a prelimiary conclusion.
If this campaign, which includes the demand for a full public inquiry into the events at Southall, is successful, it could have an important bearing on the cases of the 342 people currently being tried with some severity on charges arising out of the same police action at Southall.
We are therefore appealing to your readers to contribute as generously as possible to this fund, once again seriously in need of money. We are determined that
ANGIE COULTHARD, MARTIN GERALD, JO LAING, AMANDA LEON, DAVID RANSOME, JOHN URE, KEN WORPOLE, For the Blair Peach Memorial Fund, c/o ANL, PO Box 151, London WC2. A voice in the
movement
IN HER article 'Do we need a communist women's movement today?' (25 October), Valerie Coultas correctly pointed out: "The women's movement is broad and heterogeneous and allows anyone who has a view to put it forward in a written and an oral form.'
So broad and heterogeneous is the movement that an enormous void existed within it which Womens Voice is attempting to fill. Womens Voice is part of the women's movement, and its function is to put forward, within
A BUTLE!
(CALLAGHAY MUST GOe the movement, a class struggle perspective. Who is Valerie Coultas that she is able to say which group is or is not part of this broad, unstructured movement?
Her article went on to applaud the movement's lack of structure, having already stressed that 'hectic' though it might be, all views are welcome. Charming though this amateur approach might be, it is the view of Womens Voice that the struggle for women's iberation must belinked to the struggles of the working class, and that in order to put forward this view consistently, imaginatively, and convincingly we need to be organised.
Without a structure any view out forward, orally or on paper, becomes
Womens Voice is an independent organisation based on the politics of the SWP — quite openly. It was at a More as passed there h motion was passed, there was no behind the scenes wheeling and dealing as Coultas suggests.
Womens Voice has actively campaigned around all those issues which affect working women: the low pay campaign last January, new technology, women's health, women in the unions and the anti-Corr campaign. As an organisation it has
women who have never been active before and who found the main concerns of the women's movement before Womens Voice irrelevant to them as working women. It has introduced many women to revolutionary politics - many of them have sinced joined the SWP
Most importantly, Womens Voice is committed to building the revoluționary party. As socialists and feminists this surely ought to be our primary task? Nowhere in her article does Coultas refer to this. Surely this is the area where discussion between us would be most fruitful.
Yes, socialist ideas are popular. They are discussed widely in drawing rooms, at dinner parties, in various journals, by many different people. However, one (or even one thousand) socialist teminist conference(s) doe: not a revolution make. What distinguishes us as revolutionary. socialists is our awareness that 'no women's liberation without revolution. norevolution withou women's liberation' is more than an empty slogan; and our understanding of the need to build the party if the slogan is to become a reality.
So, in answer to the question that Coultas poses and fails to answer — Yes, we do need a mass communist women's movement. We need to be organised to build it. Womens Voice has laid the foundations. Perhaps Valerie Coultas would care to help erect the scaffolding?
HAZELMACPHERSON, NW London SWP
Page 15 scan of this page
They are here because
HOMENEWS
ONCE upon a time the ideas of people like lan Smith and Julian Amery were considered rather extreme among Conservative Party supporters. Margaret Thatcher and William Whitelaw have said goodbye lo all that.
The latest Tory brainwave - to stop black fiancés and husbands coming over here to join their black • fiancees/wives Martin Webster splutter with delight.
Only the intervention of moderates in the Tory Party stopped this measure from being applied to British born women as well. Aler all, it would be a bit much to penalise white women for making the mistake of marrying a 'foreigner', eh chaps?
The ban immiorants from entering Britain ™ is qule clearly a concession to the most disgustingly racist and sexist members of the Tory Party.
It will not apply to women who are members of the EEC. It will not apply to men who wish to marry non-EBC women.
damned lies
ACCORDING 10 Marie Pallerson ot
Line acmonstraon agams.
the Corrie anti-abortion
hilled the sireeisor Londontho weeks
ago was. ince ide 1971 TUC march against in
Industrial Relations Act. Despite the
enormous significance of such a huge
demonsiration tor nberal
laws, nowhere was this fact recorded
Dy the billisi mass media
"Journalists Against
group of media workers opposed to
the Corrie Bill, monitored the press
findings have prompted
circulate aleicalicall
union calling for action to counter
hiased reporting.
FACT 1: The TUC estimates that
beiween 40 and S0 thousand people
took part in the demonstration.
would put the estimate much higher
- i look 4 hours for everyone to
reach Trafalgar Square.
The BBC said that
marched, whilst the ITN said 10,000
which they later amended 1o 17,000,
and the Mail and Mirror said 20,000.
The Guardian probably
largest estimate saying
nothing of its size.
FACT 2: The demonstration was
the first ever in defence of abortion
righis to be organised by the trade
unions, in unis or any Diner country.
Nowhere did the media mention this.
Instead IN
Mirror chose to dwell on the incident
where
demanded that women, rather than
TUC, should
warrants reporting, happened,
warrants reporting,
importance given to the
meant the main story was missed.
numbered 1,500 at most, yet the BBC
Saturday 10November 10amto 6pm
Group.
Films, Kurdish food
we were there!
appearg to
must make which will stop about 9,000
These
Abortion- lies,
and press lies!
30 Bitt which stration. The ineir report
C march against the march.
abortion those of
Corrie' accorded the
got. So much for objectivity. - and then FACT them to within their
Here are some of
the exaggerated reports of them.
Neither "CIt Some
"thousands' measles an 8 week wait.
Sue Landau
the press in this way: gave the теа a co seaous Issue was Telegraph said even the most minimal
serious issue into
Murray.
only campaigning
lead the march. and inflated counter incident press.
They can Hillmarton Rd. I ondon N7
DAYSCHOOL ONIRAN ANDKURDISTAN
Speakers include: Stuart Holland MP, Martin von Bruissen, Kurdish and Iranian speakers, and a speaker from the Iranian Women's Solidarity
Organised by Committee to Defend Democratic Rightsin Iran.
March against racism on 25 November
Anita Bhalla, of the Asian Resources centre in Birmingham, told Socialist Challenge: 'By make a concession to women over the question of fiancés they are • trying to divide women. Women should have the right to decide their own destiny. Yet once again it is a decision made by racist white men for the benefit of white middle class people.' Asian particularly will not be allowed to marry the men they [or their community] choose. It will mean that, as in the South African bantustan, and mining areas, black wives are forced to live separately from their husbands.
It blows apart the rantings of the Tory Party about the sanctity of the family - sanctity that quite clearly applies only to those who happen to have been born with white skins.
The immigration laws in this country give the green light to such 'uncivilised' attacks. laws assume that the must be protected from the 'Asian hordes' gave equal time to the report of the 20
TUC demon Telegraph even led on ine counter-demonstration, barely mentioning the main
Journalists Against Corrie point out that "The one thing we can be sure or ls inal i une cables were turned,
who favour liberal Indian
same generous
4: The Telegraph report harped back lo one of the alleged ethnic "baby born alive after a late abortion'
that official DHSS inquiries into all such incidents completelv discredited
bilkillslalles Act. under which those women had such late abortions dealt with. In at least one case hospital delays cost a woman who had been in contact with german
Journalists Against Corrie sums up the attitude of
'The media
contempt, derision and a total lack of objectivity. which thes in the tace of
journalistic ethics. We find it strange that they can trivialise a demonstration over such a
siories of little women take on the might of Len
Journalists Against Corrie are not
in their against biased press coverage - they intend to produce a guide explaining how local groups can take action to
biased reporting, and get reports of their activity in the local
Conway Hall, Red Lion Sq, WCI
LIC Entrance f1 (75punwaged)
with their marriages of convenience. white
women customs.
values it claims to hold. "British Nation' Nationalities Bill.
By Valerie Coultas
We're
coming
from Brum
By Ahmed Yussef ANGER with Tory racism is: rising. The TUC and Labour Party decided to back the demonstration against Tory immigration laws on 25 November. It looks as if it could be a repeat of the massively successful anti-Corrie demonstration.
Avtar Jouhl, President of the
Association spoke to Socialist Chailenge atter a big public meeting in Birmingham last Tuesday.
"This is the first time that all the
organisations have together in a united front with the organisations of the labour movement, not only to campaign against the Tory proposals but also to call for the repeal of the 1971 Immigration
'We do not see this demonstration in isolation from other working class
Sombarr Riack Bookshairis more
than. an impressive exhibition
books reflecting black backgrounds
and cultures. It is an event in which
black people are coming together to
express their creativity and talent in
Britain today.
It is also an event where the local
Cultu tys educationalists
pupils can participate in a face to face
exchange of ideas with authors, poets,
painters, publishers and distributors;
where topics of particular concern to
black Contal şuch
Disruptive Units, English as a second
Language, Mother Tongue, are being
raised and discussed at the Book Fair,
'peculiar' traditions - including
Every single immigrant who comes here has the right to settle in this country, because our country has forced Asian, West Indian and African people to live in poverty for centuries. And they have the right to live how they choose and marry in the way they choose. It is not up to British people to tell immigrants to accept our
The Tory Party has no real respect for the
Respect, dignity, ‚freedom are kent tor those who are rich and white - disrepect, forced separation, poverty and continued harassment are proffered to the poor — especially if they are black.
The women's movement in this country has a particularly responsibility to oppose this ban and build a massive contingent of women on • the demonstration in opposition to the Tories'
struggles against the Tories, who are have placing the rights students and children alike in danger.
On the contrary, this demonstration will unite the against the Tory intention of dividing the workers, black from white, over the immigration issue.'
IGB], In Birmingham, enthusiasm and making 25 November success is reflected in action.
In the Saltley area a come meeting called by East Birmingham IMG in defence of the Southall 342 is being followed up by who will be going into pubs and clubs raise money defendants and to win support for the campaign.
In the Sparkbrook Communist Party, in order to bring to the attention of a wider public developments in education.
Through the story telling sessions and workshop, we are reviving one of our oldest of tradition, place in education.
The idea for the Black Book Fair arose. Out of the urgent experienced by these two bookshops in Lambeth, to draw to the attention of educationalists, the wide variety of and
of pensioners, campaigning
labour movement
The the anger, Committee commitment to a massive demo, also
• successful from Bradford Asian
Asian youth The
for the Southall it's
area the along with
SOMBARR
Black Book Fair
ST. MATTHEWS MEETING PLACE DRIXTON
LONDON SW2 (opposite Lambeth Town Hall)
9-10th NOVEMDER 1979
some of the adverse
Moral
which we believe has its
I101 necessity requirements.
all it has to offer.
SPEAKOUT
Sparkbrook Campaign for Racia
Harmony, are calling a meeting
Selly ANL is and the Campaign
Against Racism and Fascism - a major
labour movement body - has set its
sights on a big rally in the city centre
to launch the campaign.
National Co-ordinating Against Racist Laws,
which is organising the 25 November
met in Birmingham last
Saturday. A marchris being organised
to London by the Youth Movement the
begins bi bexl year.
• message from the black
community is clear. The Tories are
not going to get away with it. Whether
the tinpot jailers of Barnet or
Whitelaw's racist poison the alan
must be sounded and both black and
white people mobilised. literature that is readily available in the United Kingdom dealing with all aspects of the multi-racial society
Soma Books' activities puts them in the forefront of introducing Indian language and Asian materials into schools, while Sabarr Books covers the area of Afro-Caribbean literature
children through adult
We hope you will participate in this event, enjoy it and benefit from Socialist Challenge 8 November 1979
Page 16 scan of this page
Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper Street, London N1 2XQ. Editorial: 01-359 8180/9. Distribution and advertising: 01-359 8371 Socialist Challenge EDWARDES MAY BE SMILING TOO SOON
BL ballot result
By Pat Hickey, Deputy
steward, Rover Solibull
THEEDWARDES plan to run down
BL won overwhelming support from
BL workers in the ballot. Seven to one
voted for his plan
company by getting rid of 25,000
jobs.
This is clearly a victory for BL
management, and it could also easily
VICIOry
government. The Tories offensive
against the nationalised industries
involves paring down and breaking
them up to prepare for the re-entry of
private ownership.
This has already been begun in the
Post Office, where the
telecommumcatons section is to be
split off from the loss-making posts.
The plan for Leyland fits into this
scheme of things
loss-making. sections,
modernise and then sell it off bit by
bit.
The only barrier to the Tories' and
the bosses' plans is the strength of the
union organisation in BL
what has been severely threatened by
the ballot result.
It is a setback for all BE workers.
Why has this happened?
Eastern
Callaghan and Healey were wielding the axe.
§ Hounslow Hospital and others,'
education, housing, and welfare services.
Labour
ö the Tories. hot
Registered with the
. senior
the plants.
Robinson,
'slim the crucial in
management.
BL's troubles.
Tory
plans to lop off 25,000 jobs.
that was all. lucrative
Edwardes' appeal for
shed the trapped; they pare it down, oppose the bosses' ballot.
Arthur miners' leader,
last weekend, - this is proper response to such should be:
ballots, and conducting their own.
PRIVATE
MEDICINE
CAN YOUR HEALTH AFFORD IT?
FIGHTBACK is a campaigning organisation set up to fight the cuts when
Born out of the work-ins by hospital workers trying to prevent closure at
Fightback says the cuts cannot be fought hospital by hospital, or in isolation from the fight to defend services in
It publishes a national bulletin called Fightback (illustrated above), along with action sheets which can be used to explain the issue in your workplace. A bundred and fifty organisations are already affiliated to Fightback, and further affiliations from labour movement bodies are sought in order to strengthen the campaign's fight in the unions and labour movement for mass action against
All activists should ensure that their union branch, Labour Party, or I stewards committee is affiliated, and takes copies of the bulletin. It's available from Fightback, c/o 30 Camden Rd, London NW1. Phone 01-485 6810.
Post Office as a newspaper. Published
The central blame for the situatior. in Leyland must be laid at the door ot the Communist Party leaderships in
CP leaders like Derek full-time convenor Longbridge, BL's biggest plant, were
accepting the Ryder plan, participation
This lies at the root of much of
Robinson, and the Communist Party-dominated Comb-
the national shop steward's committee - may have opposed the
They called for a No vote in the ballot, but
They didn't organise a campaign for that No vote, in order to counter the mammoth publicity devoted to
La Yes. More significantly, participation has them
completely
Scargill, the Yorkshire the Labour Co-ordinating Committee conference
explainca wlal LIte a Daliol
'Big business is now interfering in
occasions are most Recently we
-fightback action sheet 3 THE
Defend jailed scare.
all by
saw the ballot in BL, backed by the
comprehensive and ordinated campaign...
JAILING of Charter
supporters in Czechoslovakia at the end of last month has been followed by a further crackdown. Nine active supporters of the Committee
the Unjustly Prosecuted
Last ridayre on ned us police
Friday basis 'anonymous letter' which 'stated the intențion of destroying an important building and assassinating President of the Republic'.
Among the nine were two sons of Otka Bednaroya, the VONS activist
in October; two of the Revolutionary Socialist Party jailed along with Petr Uhl in 1969; and one • the mosi popular singers the underground.
However, the use of the terrorist
appears to Have been outrageous to deceive anyont, we went to press it seemed likely that
nine would be released. continued vigilance by the labour movement in the West is obviously necessary to prevent further attacks from being pressed home.
JAROSLAV SUK, former member and one of those arrested Relgocrest
pressure of blackmail that if they didn't vote for the survival plan they the were all going to be out of work..
conduct this sort of dirty tactic insid 77 the no serent and decisively movement
striké action before any such thing takes place.
Participation results in systematic undermining of the independence of the union structures at plant This is what most urgently needs to be rebuilt in BL. However, it would be the foolish to pretend that without the CP
struggle would be easy.
There convince BL workers that there is an former alternative
The world car industry is faced with
musical
AS you can see, we're nearly seven weeks into our quarterly funt drive and we haven't even reached the £500 But mark!
It's shame Challenge readers haven't followed the example of one London railway worker, who sent us £50 immediately he received his tax rebate from the Tories.
We know times are Xmas coming.
Challenge isn't getting a tax rebate from the Tories. like Socialist particularly winter.
They'd much prefer workers to be reading in the Sun, Mail and Express about how they have to accept cuts in their living standards because there's no alternative 'dictatorships' in the East.
Socialist Challenge does have an alternative to the Tories. We support RSP any fightback of
against this government in Britain and Ltd. for Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper St, Lendon
massive profits,
plant basis The througt capitalist
crisis-hit
begin
tactics
been
membership.
the first. workers they attempt
should with the same closure,
* level.
This
urgent need to
edwardes'
out the world.
We
more Socialist
hard and
But Socialist
They don't want
Challenge during Our thanks to:
AnOn J. Strauther M.B • except the dreaded
R. Mahood AHN
Week's Total working people
N1.
overcapacity, declining and stagnant markets. Problems on this scale cannot be
at the level of single company; still less on a plant-by-
failure of the leadership to unite the Combine committee around a fighting policy leaves individual plants to face their problems alone. It certainly doesn't begin to pose a workers' solution for
whole of the car indistry.
The present problems in the car industry can only begin to be solved
demands which confront control. Such demands would centrally include calling for the 'nationalisation of the whole of the car and components industry
Alongside this we have to fight for
he books to be opened, not just in th
Vival : the board in the whole industry. Then we
to find solutions unite workers in the various sections of the industry . rather than the management's divide-and-rule salami
But the unions in BL have not
smashed The fact that Edwardes has to use ballots at all is an indication of this. The victory in the ballot will be used to try and prove that 'militants' do not represent the
But even the Economist doesn'
think that Edwardes has won yet. The ballot, the journal considers "clears the first hurdle in BL's path. But only
The appeal produced massive defeat for BL' shop • stewards voted last month to reject the plan.
"The question now is: can BL get
backing each plant and on wage bargaining?'
The Economist goes on to say that the first big test comes next week
union leaders reply to management's wage offer of 5 per cent with countless strings.
chance to show Edwardes, and the Tory government, that they may have won a battle, but they haven't won the war
The task for militants in BL is to fight to replace the present leadership with one that uses the strength of the shop floor rather than fearing it.
anti-working class regimes through-
debate out the socialist policies needed to take on the bosses and win. we argue loal the only way out of the crisis is a planned economy, one which workers control and which workers orcanise The Tories fear these ideas may become popular as they attack our rights and begin to dismantle the welfare state.
It's a long term investment giving your tax rebate to Socialist Challenge but the dividends you'll receive will never lose their value. So don't delay this week in sending us the cash.
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