Socialist Challenge No. 148, 22 May 1980
The scan: sc-n148-may-22-1980.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 CONSPIRACY
Welcome to the land of the free
CONSPIRACY! That's the accusation made by GMWU general secretary David Basnett against the Tory press. He accused Margaret Thatcher of plotting Street editors to organise the barrage of anti-union propaganda that preceded the Day of Action on 14 May.
Basnett's is the voice of 'moderation'. Even the Daily Telegraph says so.
Yet Basnett has revealed that some two weeks before the TUC's Day of Action a meeting between Margaret Thatcher and Fleet Street editors was held at 10 Downing Street.
He says the facts as reported to him were that 'Mrs Thatcher said she would have no objection if the newspapers concerned found it possible to rubbish the trade unions in this period. Meeting
Basnett named the newspapers as the Daily Telegraph, the Daily Mail, the Daily Express, The Times, and the Times.
Editors or senior editorial staff on these papers have Basnett's allegation.
Yet the comment from the Prime Minister's office last weekend was a give away. denial, merely the 'very odd'. charactensue me sookesperson acaca.
Government officials do not treat lightly a claim that the media's most virulent АТ1 ТО АЛІС СПІ СПІТАРАТ DIP 0ПАЛО ПО0 1926 General Strike was Street.
That Fleet Street was unanimous in its denunciation of the 'Day of Shame' is no secret. That every conceivable propaganda device barons in their efforts to demobilise the TUC's (half-hearted) call to action and to demoralise trades unionists is yesterday's news.
But the revelation that the Tory press editors sat down with the Tory Prime Minister to plan a huge 'rubbishing' operation of the mass covernment Dolcies certanvis news. Anyung out an outright denial can be taken as tacit confirmation.
The conspiracy - that is the word for the secret planning of such operations -
manuals of the CIA governments were up to such activities long President Nixon's lavourite agency was establisnea
Thatcher's government has a great deal to conspire about. On Saturday it was announced that the rate of inflation leapt to 21.8 percent last month double the rate of a year ago, when the Tories took office, and twice the present average in other Westerr countries.
Prices
I nere sno chance or it stopping tnere. barner lasi week, buried under the barrage against the Day of Action, price increases that will hit every working crass nome were announced
Gas charges are up by a giant 29 per cent. For the second time Taisca, mis ume by lu per cent.
Under the Tories' instructions, these nationalised industries have to make a profit shelled out to the rich in tax cuts.
Thatcher's is the most class-conscious government for decades To defeat the working class it needs LO De weak response, between one and two million people took action on 14 May.
There is one thing the Tories' conspiracies can'1 stand up to — a general strike to kick them out:
There is one thing the Tories' conspiracies can't stand up to - a general strike to kick them out.
with Fleet Financial
strongly denied
There was ne remark that the allegation was •Such a meeting would be very
against the
plotted at 10 Downing
was used by the pres
challenge
- could nave been taken except that Tory before this year, electricity charges have been
- which is then
Day of action
'SAVE OUR STRIKE' PLEA TO RAILMEN TUC lan.
Daily
NOBODY
WANTS
THE TIMES into day of The Daily Telegranh
No. 38857. LONDON, TUEST Officials
stoppage A9 PAGES Mail MONEY MAIL
Give a lift to work tomorrow, says Minister
THE STRIKE
FINANCIALTIMES
PUDI TIRED?
GET ANT TUI
БріСКЕТ!
GO TO
WORK
Patie
No.148 - IN LONDON AND FRANKFURT
3 1980
les Further FINAL 10%
*PRESS
It's that man AGAIN! Len's back home to a
resounding message from the British people
LET'S
earlier for all.
Jury
after they death.
microcosm
than whites.
strate in the streets.
22 May 1980 20p King & Co Rail services
key to Day
of Action EXPRESS THIS is one of the sights which
this week greeted the Cuban refugees as they arrived in Miami, Florida.
A black is forced to lie on the ground, a cop stands over him with a gun in one hand and the lead of an alsation dog in the other. And this, the Cubans are told, is the land of the free, of democracy, of opportunity
The reality is somewhat different. It was expressed in the black rebellion in Miami; sparked off by another example of US justice when an all-white
acquitted four white ex-cops beaten a black to
There was more to it than this single case of one law for blacks and
whites. Miami of the US reflected in such facts that for blacks in the city the unemployment rate is 18 per cent,
double the figure for
For the majority of whites, Miami is the playground, the paradise or the holiday resort where they retire. For blacks, the city means squalor and the ghetto or, if they get uppity, police dogs growling at them as they lie pro-
At least 19 died when the ghettos could take it no longer. Most of the dead were black. That is what life and death is about in the United States. Have a nice time, Cubans!
Page 2 scan of this page
WHAT HAPPENED DAY OF ACTION
OUR POLICIES
Capitalism 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 the two vital tasks confronting revolutionary socialists are:
• To build broad-based class struggle tendencies in opposition to class-collaborationism in the labour movement. These should be non-exclusive grouping together militants holding a wide range of political views.
• To begin in fight for the creation of unified democratic revolutionary socialist organisarion winco can. an application of united front
alternative thousands workers engaged in struggles.
Such an organisation should be based on the understanding that:
The struggle for seeks in unite the fight of
workers against the win tuat or ciner oppressed ragers of nociety weimen. biach peuple. iberation. This seetalism can onis struggling for be achieved by creating new organs of power and deleating with ali necessary means the prower of the capitalist state.
1 Our
than what exists in Britain today, with full rights for political parties and currents that do not take up arms against the socialist state. The Stalinist models of 'socialism' in the USSR and Eastern Europe have discredited socialism in the eyes of millions of workers throughout the We are opposed to them and will offer full support fighting for socialist democracy.
The interests of workers and
on a worldscale. C'apitalism has not only created
created world polities. Thus we fight for working class unit! 07 an international scale. This unit! will in the long run be decisite in defeating both the imperialist regimes in the West and the brutal dictatorships they sustain in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
In Britain it implies demanding the immediate withdrawal British troops from Ireland and feting ine srise peopit defermhie their own future.
The Communist parties in Europe are in crisis. Neither the Furocommunist' the pro-Moscow wings have any meaningful strategy overthron of the capitalist state. New revolutionary socialist parties are than before. Conditions loday more favourable than preceding three decades. But such parties only be built rejecting sectarianism and seeing internal democracy not as a luxury but as a vital necessity. This means the right to organise factions and tendencies.
If you agree with these principles and lo be involved activities by Socialist Challenge supporters in your area, fill in the form below and send it to us.
am interested information about activities in my area. • I would like additional literature and enclose 50p to cover costs. (Delete if not applicable)
Vame.....
deldress.
ist Cha
Claracter.
and CLIVE through report.
largest for Glasgow marched
socialism the
larges there since the war.
bosses
their
Cavor es meaner
Several
in general the strongest support tor the marches came • from public sector workers, especially teachers' from NALGO,: all the CPSA.
Strong
In Aberdeen,
workers took place. all Those
Grampian Women's Action
general strike
worid
workers were on strike.
also strong support for the
steelworkers. In Yorkshire 62 out of 66 of nor
Mirror. the
Never are over the
poor Tony. by in
more
likes of Callaghan and Healey.
believe Tony Benn.
HOME NEWS
NOT much of the action on 14 May made it on to the TV screens or into the Express and the Sun. But in Scotland and the North in particular there were big demonstrations and wide-spread strike action.
TURNBULL and DES
In Scotland, the Scottish TUC demonstrations were the
many years. In 20,000 people rally in the largest demonstration since 1971. In Edinburgh 7,000 took to the streets in what was probably
demonstration
There was strong support caster. for the strike action from the Swelled National Union of Railway-
— 16 of the 19 pits were shut.,
engineering plants were closed in Glasgow, but
IMG member Hundreds the Scottish NO, NUPE, and EIS
workers were on strike.
tions. shorty a demonof 1,400 including strike, public sector and engineering London's dockers.
One of London, the speakers at the Aberdeen Southall rally was Ann Shirley of the attempt
Council Group and the International Marxist Group, who received loud applause for her call for
action In Court.
Dundee an estimated 20,000
Southall Park,
In Yorkshire, there was Day of Action. Nearly 10,000 participated in the rally. people marched in Sheffield, including over 3,000 miners and 1,500 engineering and
"lactory, pits WELC
Mirror, Mirror on the wall
So Benn was right after all THE hysteria of the Tory press against 14 May was not exactly a surprise, but perhaps some people in the labour movement expected a different approach from the Daily
Last year, the Mirror got into a big argument with Tony Benn, who said it wasn't a paper of the labour movement. The Daily Mirror didn't much like that. In fact, it called Benn a liar. It said that everyone knew that the Mirror is the paper of British Labour. Several vicious editorials were devoted to slamming
But then, on 1 May, the Mirror seemed to show its working. class colours. In a special edition it lambasted the Tories with page after page of abuse and contempt for the Thatcher government — a brilliant demolition of the 'richest cabinet for fifty years'. Decisive proof you might think.
Ah, but then along came 14 May. After some initial hesitation, our friends at Holborn Circus chimed in with the Express, the Sun and the rest in condemning the TUC's Day of Action. Why the contradiction? What had changed in two weeks?
The answer is not so difficult to find. 1 May, you will remember, was the day of the local council elections. The -Mirror's special edition had been planned three months in advance. It was purely and simply propaganda for the Labour Party to try to get the biggest possible vote against the Tories.
The Mirror, as Tony Benn said, is the paper of the Labour right; the paper of Callaghan, Healey and the rest. But it doesn't like the left, inside or outside the Labour Party. Neither does it reflect or support working class struggles. Over 14 May it faithfully reflected the views of Dennis Healey.
The real forum for protest, said Healey, is not the streets, but parlament. The only day of 'action' that matters is polling day. In other words wait until 1984, don't struggle, rely on the
Awaiting further evidence, of the Mirror's attachment to the cause of the labour movement, at this stage we prefer to
TIERNEY
closed, as were steel plants in Rotherham and Sheffield.
At the massive City Hall
Sheffield, Arthur Scargill called for mass action to force an early general election to get the Tories out. A thousand people marched in Barnsley, while a demonstration of 500 took place in Don-
At the Warrington steel plant a mass meeting on the morning of 14 May led to a walk-out after an appeal from
Colin Herd. of steelworkers swelled the size of the Warrington demonstration, to the cheers of other marchers.
York and Huddersfield bus
In London, there were a large number of demonstra-
cent London's bus crews were on
were most of West 3,000 rallied Park, after an by Ealing's Tory have the demonstration banned in the interests of 'public order' was thrown out by the Appeal
In the demonstration to
there was contingent, and large number of Asian women
Pete Alexander appealed for support for the 21 May women's picket of the Chix
and Andy Lilley, assistant secretary of Ealing permanent basis.
Five demonstrated
union recognition.
In trades council demonstration occupied hospital 5,000 people Common. pamphiet
assault Challenge, London N1.
Trades Council, called for a SOCIAOI continuation of the organisa- Williams, tion against the Tories on a
hundred people outside the Chix factory in Slough, where Asian workers are striking for
Wandsworth. the organised Fleet trom the workers.
St Benedicts to an anti-Tory total festival, attended by a total of
The festival Clapham preceded by a big teachers' rally after staff at 60 local schools came out on strike.
Forty local groups and campaigns had stalls at the festival, which was addressed by a number of speakers, including IMG members Islay Fullerton from the local NUT
THE TORY PRESS
AND HOW TO be FIGHT IT Socialist Challenge's new
on what lies behind the mass media's
on the Day of Action and how the labour movement can strike out for press freedom.
Every militant's guide to battling with the press barons, for only 5p!
5p (plus 10p p&p) or postfree for bulk orders (pre-paid, sale or return) from: Socialist out
328 Upper •St,
MAMONA
OPRAIL PACTORS CRANICA and Nick secretary of the trades council. Following the success of the festival, the trades council plans a similar venture later in the summer
Several other demonstra tions of over a thousand took place in London, including a 3,000-strong march along
Street led by
In the Manchester area a
of some 9,000 people demonstrated, including 5,000 in central Manchester,
On the buses
By Barry Johnson
TGWU, Princess Rd bus
depot, Manchester
IN Manchester the media's
assault the Day of
Action focussed on the
fact that the buses would
Granada Turtles
Reports televised a con-
Troon berween union
officials and
meeting of bus
who were not prepared to
take any action.
wyno happened WUs
little different At 4.30am on
14 May, 12 of us assembled to
picket ine rrincess ka aepor
Normally over two hundred buses would have left by Jam. Un ine Day ' OT ONLY Tive scabs defied the picket
At Northenden only iwo
buses went out. None went
from Frederick Road Salford depots were also out.
Photo: SOCIALIST CHALLENGE
with other demonstrations in surrounding towns and suburbs. Five of the city's ten bus garages were out strike, but most support came from white-collar and public sector workers.
Birmingham 3,500
CURI people marched to a city centre rally, including : delegations from BL's Rover Solihull and Drews Lane plants.
Numerous other smaller actions . took place, among them 3,000 who marched in
At Tam some of us wen up to the • city centre to turn our are vices that come into our area
With branch
urust up shelter we were able to stop a majority of the buses.
Later 50 of us joined 5,000 other marchers on the Manchester
In the Princess Ra aepo the decision to come out on 14 May was largely motivated by
what was going or in Greater
Mancneste transoort effects of cuts, and harass
ment by loca management
normer aerows. nowever
the general feeling was tha
there was a lack of a focus for
half-hearted would not be particularly effective.
Among LOSE depots
which stayed in were Howaro
Rd and Birchfield Rd, tradi
tionalv two of the most mill
tant. It tne Iuc bullas i
next protest action with more
even fewer buse:
will run in Manchester.
Page 3 scan of this page
Victory or defeat?
Bristol, 2,000 in Leeds. 2.000
Bradford, and 1,400 in Nottingham.
In terms of strikes. bet
two million ween people stayed away from work including
Hulles. steelworkers, electricians, bus workers, rail workers, and others in South Wales; print workers, bus workers, railway workers and something like 50,000 local government workers in London; and total of a quarter of a million workers in Scotland.
ON THEI
Photo: GM COOKSON (Sociallst Challenge)
A total of about 100,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country.
Perhaps the biggest weakness support was in engineering and large-scale manufacturing, possibly reflecting the move to the right in the AUEW. With a firm lead from the TUC the number of those taking action would easily have been doubled. The facts of what happened on 4 Mav show that the will to fight is there.
Photo: SOCIALIST CHALLENGE
14 May-
BETWEEN one and two million on strike. Ters of thousands demonstrating against the Tories - that was 14 May. But despite this response from hundreds of thousands of workers, the Tory Party and its press allies presented the TUC's Day of Action as a victory against the working class
Why has this occarred! PHIL HEARSE looks at 14 May and its aftermath.
14 May represented by far the largest action so far against the Tories. At first sight, berween one and iwo million on strike and tens of thousands of demonstrators against Tory policies hardly represents a 'victory' for the Tories.
But in the period leading up to the Day of Action, the Tory leadership and the unprecedented press barrage upped the stakes enormously.
A challenge was thrown at the feet of the TUC leaders — to carry out an enormous mobilisation of their members, or have 14 May counted as a defeat. Murray and Co entirely failed to rise to that challenge; the only effective reply they could have made was to go all out; to vehemently denounce the Tory press; to make it clear they were not prepared to be bullied.
But instead the TUC leadership prevaricated.
The strategy of the Express, the Sun, the Mail and the rest was to appeal over the heads of the trade union leaders to their members. The mass media effectively said to rank-and-file trades unionists: 'Murray is leading you nowhere. On 14 May you will lose a day's pay for nothing. Not many people will strike. Don't put yourself on a limb for nothing.
This line of argument was backed by the decision of the High Court against the print unions; that their instruction to members at Express Newspapers to strike was illegal. NATSOPA's refusal to withdraw the instruction provided the high point of resistance to Thatcher's rule on 14 May, and Express management duly withdrew its threat to sack the printworkers who took action.
The only reason that the Tories' onslaught could be effective was because most of the unions had made strike action op-. tional. They did not issue clear instructions for mass strike action. Yet it was not only a firm lead at this level that was lacking.
Leaflets
Millions and millions of copies of the Tory newspapers argued the case against the TUC action, but hardly anything was done by the unions to counter this with arguments of their own.
They should have produced tens of thousands of leaflets. Union districts should have organised hundreds upon hundreds of meetings to explain the case for 14 May. In the event the case of the unions, the working class point of view, went by default.
In the light of this, the fact that so many thousands of workers took strike action is remarkable, and represents a glimpse of the deep-seated hatred and frustration with which this government is regarded.
The response to the call was uneren, area by area, sector t, sector. The biggest response came in areas like Scotland, Sand Wales, South Yorkshire and Merseyside. This repeated the par tern of the general clection, reflecting the mulitant traditions those areas. More than that, it stowed that where ibert militant lead: staere taere was esca
25 i Suri TRie and te It MICS -
By raising the sails of tis see Je To este par the TiC leaderst de ine spot Muray an Je scher scuben of the General Conci comit salt tara rumed ja saratio around bi going all out io bave a massive statisacon of the rank and fike. • This thes were sox propared io do; ther Derer wanted a one-day general strike or anything like it. Petrified
As Murray said: 'We achieved everything we wanted to on 14 May.' Precisely. Nothing scares the union bureaucrats more than the thought of the membership, in their millions, taking strike action. The dynamic towards a general strike petrifies them. They wanted just a 'protest'. If the propaganda barrag of the press made that protest ineffective, that was a price thes were prepared to pay.
There was a deep-seated cynicism about the Day of Action, even among the militants. The reason for that is obvious. The arguments of the Tory press - that one-day action would affect little — struck a chord. The one-day action was com pletely unconnected with any perspective for on-going action or long-term plan to kick out the Tories.
14 May, as a 'protest', had no specific demands attached to it. It was simply 'to raise the level of public debate', and to ga the goverment to change course.
Such a perspective had an air of complete unreality about it. Anyone with the least bit of sense could see that the Tories are not going to be turned aside by 'protest'. This is the most derermined and right-wing government since the war. What is need ed is mass industrial action leading to a general strike. That's the only thing which will succeed in throwing the Tories out.
Whatever the short-term demoralisation resulting from the relative lack of impact of 14 May, it will continue to have reverberations inside the labour movement. Thousands of people could see that they were being let down by their leaders; they could see that if a fight against the media offensive took place, it was possible to build a much bigger action.
Socialists have the job of turning this frustration from demoralisation and anger into determination to push the strug gle forward. We have to continue a fight inside the labour movement to commit it at every level to mass action against the Tories. The targets have to be the special Labour Party con ference on 31 May, and then beyond that the Trades Union Congress in the autumn.
But it is impossible to fight the right wing and to commit the trade union leaders to action without building an organised left wing in the unions. That is the key to whole situation. Withou an organised left, 14 May will be not a beginning, but the precursor of more demoralisation and defeat
Socialist CI 22 Maj
Page 4 scan of this page
Printworkers Walk Out
HOME NEWS
By Geoffrey Sheridan THE printworkers who led the march past the Daily Express offices in Fleet Street on 14 May had a few remarks to address to the newspaper which had begun the tirade against the 'Day of Shame' and then gone to the High Court to have strike action declared illegal.
Their main comment, with fists raised, was 'Rubbish!'. To those journalists who had remained in the Express bulding, behind corrugated iron sheets, 'Scabs!', adding the call for 'Matthews out' to the now standard "Thatcher out'.
The refusal by the leadership of NATSOPA to withdraw its instruction to members at Express Newspapers to strike on the Day of Action represents the first blow to the Tories' Employment Bill.
That is what Mr Justice Griffiths was trying to put into force when he ruled in the High Court that unions had no legal grounds for inducing their members to breach their contracts for a 'political stoppage .
NATSOPA won nelEO Matthews, the boss and in effect editor-in-chief of Express Newspapers, didn't dare go back to the courts when it became clear that the union wouldn't withdraw its circular. He knew that his sheets of shame, as one NATSOPA official described them, would be in jeopardy if any union officer were jailed.
For the same reason, sack printworkers who did not turn up for work on the night of 13 May quickly evaporated.
The print union raised two fingers to the law and by taking their defiance on to the streets they showed that the courts and management are powerless when the price of enforcing the Tories' justice is an industrial standstill.
alnews Express and Daily Star in Manchester on 14 May, and so for good measure the print unions shut down the papers on 15 May in both London and Manchester.
Reg Brady, NATSOPA father of the chapel
Ello, ello,
who's jumping
the gun,
then?
A FUNNY thing happened on 14
May outside Old Oak Common
Depot, the diesel depot for
Paddington station.
Three rail workers - Pete Grant a
member of ASLEF, Ernie Tregadon a
member of the NUR executive, and
John Davage, the ASLEF branch
secretary at Paddington, were handing
out leaflets encouraging workers to
strike and explaining why 14 May ac-
tion was taking place.
The three pickets were approached
by two uniformed police officers who
emerged from an unmarked car. 'Do
you work here?' the pickets were asked.
When they answered in the affirmative,
the police inquisitors, taking their cue
from written instructions, countered:
'Are you in dispute with your
employer?'
Tregadon, Davage and Grant realis-
ed that the police were quoting from
the provisions of the Tories' Employ-
ment Bill, which happens not yet to be
law.
Photo: CARLOS AUGUSTO (IFL) This was pointed out to the police,
who came back with: "Move on or we'll
arrest you'. So they moved on.
The Metropolitan Police is evidently
making preparations for putting the
Employment Bill into effect.
The photograph taken by Carlos
Augusto shows mounted police charg-
ing pickets in London's docks. Didn't
hear about it? Not surprising realiy.
They're just practising. The 'pickets'
are cops in civvies.
Socialist Challenge 22 May 1980
on Tory Law
barricaded they shouted down. Victor 'Matthews' threat to managed to publish the Daily says, acted in Page 4
in the Sunday Times machine room and one of the speakers at the rally before the Fleet Street march, considers that the union has written another page in trade union history.
'There have been enough occasions,' he
'when the trade union movement has defiance of the law.
Pentonville Five dockers who first put the knife into Heath's Industrial Relations Act. If the
SUNDAY
has to be changed.
ment Bill's
was une for the movement.
law isn't accepted as fair, then it's broken and
'There's nothing fair about the Employ-
: scabs' charter.' Brady 'NATSOPA's action has been a shot in the arm
We've received dozens of resolutions supporting the union's stand. It's the sort of response to the law that we need to
THE Tory
Civil
system
executive.
Balloting work Diacc delegates' casting
June caci
us believe.
W ilal
membership. proach is needed.
more jobs
MarCl Southport, was held. workers
DAILY
MIRROR
NATSOPA
NIGHT MACHNE CHAPEL
UNITY IS STRENGTH
BLUES + see thoughout the country. 'My union will Employment Bill. adds,
not ine ena. I nal meals ağilale. organise -movement.'
Civil Servants'
delegates turn out
for 14 May
By Sue Owen, CPSA conference delegate
press has been trumpeting the fact that the
and Public Services Association's new election
has brought power a right-wing national
members meetings has replaced bloc vote' a the annual conference. However,
in the Broad Left losing its majority the executive — are not quite such a blow for civil service trade union militancy as the press would have
they show is that the Broad LeIl was loo complacem
more activist ap-
The debate at the CPSA conference last week showed thạt the basis for such an approach exists there are plenty of activists in the
announcement of 70,000 LO DE cut ensurec massive turnout of delegates on the
rally May where the conference port
Conference took the first tentative steps towards the election of full-time officers and the abolition of the Pay Research Unit system, by which our pay is burcauctalcai
determined through a passIve method of comparison with other
In a successful reference back, delegates voted to give the motion on affiliation to the National Abortion Campaign a higher priority on
SUNDA
MIRRO
Photo: GEOFFREY SHERIDAN (Socialist Challenge)
not comply with the
wnat we nave to ensurc h that the Day of Action is the beginning of the campaign against all the Tories' policies and
, educate, and which has been sadly lacking in the the agenda. The motion was still guillotined, because the previous cen ie verta Dul Dersisicul al tempts to get the motion heard and debated were supported by large numbers of delegates
Right-wing president Losinska's tactics of provoking the lett ano inen oresene unen as un "wreckers of the conference' cut no ice with When temnted to quash boints of orde from the floor her ruling was successfully challenged.
r ennas the most important issue facing the conference was the
of Phil Cordell member of the Socialist Workers Party and branch secretary at Brix ton unemployment benefit office TOPCLIC with three colleagues
Phil was given a standing ova tion and motions declaring support tor members vicumisea tor trad union and political activities were carried unanimously
However, as the clapping died down many of us were left wondering what would happen next right-wing executive • wio arc su inexperienced that a school basic trad unionism is being arranged for them - will do nothing.
It will be lelt to aclivists In circ branches to organise strike action COleCuOls and meetings in sup.
the sackee SBXLOL members. Witch-hunting civil service trades unionists is the admitted aim of the Tory government.
these are not reinstated all activists in unions like the roA wi demn cancer, anu lut new-found militancy and strength of the CPSA could be rolled back
Support to: Brixton UBO Campaign for TU Rights, 16 Knowlto
House, Cowley Estate, Cowley Rd. London SW9.
Page 5 scan of this page
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Page 6 scan of this page
SPG LIES EXPOSED
HOMENEWS
SOCIALIST Challenge published last week a resolution calling for a lobby of the Labour Party's one-day conference on 31 May.
The call for a lobby has the backing of a number of prominent labour movement bodies and individuals, including Battersea worth Trades Council national Fightback meting.
This week we publish interviews with a number of individuals who, in their personal capacity, ported the call.
Hugh Richards, Battersea South CLP delegate to the 31 May conference:
'Battersea and Wandsworth, council, supports the call for a lobby. We had 4,000 people out on Wandsworth Common on 14 May. Our real strength lies in the uniens, but we have to try to control the Labour Party.
'The union leaders use the party as an excuse for inaction. Under Callaghan they said: "Look, this is our government, we have to go along with its policies". Now they say: "Look, our government isn't in office, we have to wait until it is".
*But they control the Labour Party with the block vote! We have to use the strength of the union rank and file to control the union leaders and the Labour Party.'
Martin Eadie, president, London Transport district NUR:
'I think it's important membership to make its voice heard in the Labour Party. Although we received a very good response to 14 May in some areas, it was patchy in others. The media played these up.
'I'm suré that one reason was the lack of a united purpose. What are we fighting for - to make Thatcher change her mind?
'If we knew we were aiming to get the Tories out we would have a much clearer sense of where we we're going. problem the one-day conference should discussing.
By Tom Marlowe THE members of the SPG who are suspected of killing Blair Peach during last year's demonstration against Front in Southall have been exposed in court as a bunch of liars.
the inquest last contradicted each other and claimed many lapses of memory. Among the mysteries created by the witnesses were:
The case of the empty van PC Raymond White was the driver of
of the two Beechcrott Avenue area where Blaır was killed. At approximately the time of the murder White said he was driving the van down Beechcroft Avenue. He said he never left the van and was
But the other SPG Inspector Hopkins and PC Greville Bint, claimed that they were in the van with White. When White was questioned about this in court he insisted: 'I don't recollect them being there.' The case of the undrawn truncheons Sergeant Alan Lake and PC Anthony Richardson, two SPG members in the vicinity at the time or the killing, said they didn't see any police officer draw a truncheon.
But this heroic attempt to absolve the police fell rather flat when other SPG admitted that they temselves had drawn their
cheons. These included Lovell and Inspector Alan Murray.
The case of the cul-de-sac
Whai happened at the cul-de-sac
ai the end of Beechcroft Avenue is
vital, for it was around the entrance
of the cul-de-sac that Blair was killed.
PC Lovell told the inquest that he
chased one demonstrator into the cul-
de-sac. PC Richardson admitted to
no tet Chabonge
and Wands-
and the members'
have sup-
trades
for the union This is the sort of
National
week they
police
SPG vans in the
members,
Inspector Alan Murray
quest that he managed to 'stop' quarry. Richardson
over a wire fence.
Richardson
seen Richardson trunBrian remember'.
Farler in
nonca 11 court members of this group.
The case of the bad memories
22 May 1980 ge 6
Bernadette Lynch, chairperson
Lewisham cuts campaign: 'I hope the lobby will let us spread the sort of stand our cuts committee has taken. took a "no cuts, no rates rises" position, and this has a lot of support among local Labour Party activists. 'In Lewisham the area refused to carry out the health cuts, and the government had to appoint its own commis. sioners. This, and the council's refusal to pay have chased two. Lovell told the in-
This said two whom he chased escaped by climbing
Michael said there were no other police in the cul-de-sac at the time of his chase, Lovell said he had
there, but then changed his mind saying he 'coldn't
June inquest other witnesses said they had seen seven or eight cops chase people into the cul-de-sac, ebut none of the police ques-
admitted to being
: A loss-of-memory epidemic seems
'The Labour Party should
be made to build direct
action to stop the Tories'
Labour Party members on a West London 14 May demonstration
backing. any further action taken.
We
health authority to organise it
support it.'
Sergeant Brian Chapman
to have affected the SPG officers who were in Beechwood Avenue.
The worst sufferer was Freestone He 'coldn't remember' who was driving the van he was in, whether it had stopped or slowed down in Beechcroft Avenue whom he had seen when he walked down the street, or whether there was anyone else in the van when he rejoined it. Inspector Alan Murray admitted to a previous memory loss just after the time Blair Peach was killed.
In his first statement, made after the demonstration, claimed he had jumped out of the SPG van at the beginning of Beechcroft Avenue the opposite end to where Blair was attacked.
But in court he agreed that three
the police precept, have roused a lot of local
'We need a national movement to back up
"There is another important point: when the AHA refused to make cuts, the hospitals were still closed. There was no mass action, as there was with the EGA, for example — aithough the AHA's action generated plenty of willingness
It is direct action that will stop the Tories The Labour Party should be made to build and
PC Brian Lovell
weeks later, in a second statement, he 'remembered' that he had jumped out of the van very near the spot where PC the killing took place.
Other SPG members who 'forgot' about what exactly they were doing in Beechcroft Avenue Lovell and PC James Scottow.
The case of the "implements'
variety of excuses to explain how various "implements' used by Inspector Murray - came to be found in their lockers
SPG safe was there in needed for 'executing rants'. PC Raymond Barnes said that a sledge hammer and a spare handle
Ray district NUPE:
support of our struggles
be discussing the Tories'
shop stewards committee: - 'The last national Fightback
important Labour Party.
'Fightback started
control its actions.'
councillor:
elected on • a opposition because
Tories.
seem responsible for their attacks.
make cuts or raise rates.
the government. lend
Nic uHded PC
America'.
The SPG members offered a wide
the words
Murray said a jemmy found in his
• case it was he
search war- hobby'
continues.
Varnes, vice president, London
'I support this lobby. I've been campaigning for NUPE members to use their strength in the Labour Party to get some action from it in
This is what the one-day conférence should
- building mass action against
Carl Becker, chairperson, Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow health
members' meting supported the lobby call. I think it's
we start paying attention to the
under me Labour government, and we shouldn't forget that they made the cuts respectable. Then during the "winter of discontent thev turned on Dublk sector workers who were striking for the very policies on which the government was elected - decent living standards and social services.
'But it's our levies and unions that keep the Labour Party going. We should use them to
Enda Donnely, Hounslow Labour
'I'm glad this lobby has been called. I was
"no cuts" platform after the Hounslow Hospital occupation. But the local Labour group doesn't want to know. It thinks it can duck the problem by raising the rates.
"This is just a disguised cut. It lets the Tories off the hook. Now, when the next round of cuts comes, it will be much harder to rouse mas
the local people won't know if they're fighting the council or the
"That's the Tories' strategy - to make us
"The problem is that the Labour Party has given no clear national lead to councils that willl
"illegal" action by refusing to We need a national movement to defend councils that do stick their neck out — and to force them to take a stand.
"The Labour Party isn't building this movement because it isn't committed to kicking out
We need a grassroots current in the Labour Party that will fight for this.'
PC Greville Bint
were in his locker because he had taken them to the police station to someone • who wanted to 'knock down a wall'.
PC Raymond White said that a metal cosh and a long whip found in his locker were "sovenirs of a trip to PC George Woodcock claimed that a large American truncheon found in his locker had been given to him by a policeman with whom he had stayed when he visited the United States in 1966.
PC Bint, when asked to explain about Nazi regalia, army bayonets and a leather-covered, lead-weighted piece of wood found at his home, said collected • such weapons 'as The inquest, or rather the farce,
Page 7 scan of this page
Onthe edge of the
Missiles, missiles, everywhere
'IF it takes a real bloodbath then let's get it over with."
So spoke Ronald Reagan, the favourite to be the next president of the United States. The words were uttered ten years ago when the US was in Vietnam Reagan was the highest hawk in the sky. He hasn't changed much since.
After Soviet Afghanistan he called for blockade of Cuba and for the US to arm the Afghan rebels. criticised Carter's press ahead with the neutron bomb and the B-1 bomber.
He likes to quote former President Roosevelt: 'We must be the greatest arsenal of democracy'. His favourite television programme is. 'Mission Impossible in which every agents save the world for democracy.
A fool Reagan may be, but he is a dangerous fool.
The prospect of him becoming US president is part of the nightmare. Other elements include the continuing presence in Downing Street ot coldwarrior Margaret Thatcher and the possible - remote though it appears at the moment - election victory in West Germany of Shranz Strauss who was a propaganda officer for the Nazis during the last world Wal:
Knock-out
Imagine the three of them holding. humanity in their hands. It reads like an advertisement for a nuclear fall-
would be a mistake to personalise the nightmare Keazan. Thatcher, representatives of their capitalist societies; apparently the ruling class, or at least significant parts of it, feels they are necessary.
To appreciate why, a quick glance at post Second World necessary.
After the war the US was the undisputed champion of the world. Its development of the atom and then the nuclear bomb gave it a knock-out punch none could match. try had emerged unscathed from the BRITAIN's membership of NATO means that this country is expected to play its part in the war moves of the United States. With Thatcher in charge, the government is a very willing recruit.
Currently, in terms of hardware, contrwuuon Is rolaris, a suomarne-launcned ballistic missile which has been in service since the late 1960s.
There are four submarines in operation, the HMS Renown, Repulse, Revenge, each of shich is armed with 16 missiles
what are known as A3 warheads. These contain three separate packages of 200
Hiroshima bomb. 2,880 miles.
But this isn't sufficient for Thatcher, or for the NATO thiefs.
apparently there could be a problem over shortage of spare parts!
To replace the Polaris, Thatcher is expected to give the go-ahead for the purchase of Trident missiles. will marines each equipped with 16 C4 missiles. Each missile will carry eight warheads of 100 kilotons. Trident will cost the taxpayers of this country £6b, which could prove the most expensive mass suicide in history. Beauties
But the real innovation for Britain will be the Cruise missile. that Britain will play host to 160 of these Deauues, cach or waica nas a rance o1 louv 10 2,000 miles.
INTERNATIONAL
and flying
invasion of a naval
He has decision not to
week US Joseph Walla
hostilities.
too much.
and Strauss are
respective and order. Between
months.
War history is
it wanted.
The coun'Today's
Britain's
Resolution and
some other The Polaris has a range of
They reckon that in about
Third,
be carried in five sub- as to why
Thatcher recently agreed
unlike the Soviet Union which during the states
This allowed the US to act as the policeman of the world, demanding Israel, obedience to its own version of law Africa,
and 1970 the US intervened in Third World countries at a rate of once every 14
Then came Vietnam which was not just a military and political defeat but which, within the US itself, led to a deep questioning as to the morality of American military might imposing 'democracy' whenever and wherever
A more subtle approach was needed, one developed in the 'geopolitical'
Even by military standards number of odd features to Cruise. First, they are not judged to be particularly effective. Soviet defence svstem. what it will be like in a few years, would be expected to knock out 50 per cent of any batch of Cruise missiles that were sent in its direction. Second; Cruise can only be controlled by the US. Its functioning depends on tracking operations fed into computers from American satellite grids. This makes the Cruise missiles which are due to be stationed here reliant on a continuous supply of information under US control. It will be Ronald Reagan or cowboy who will decide when Cruise is fired. Aircraft even if Cruise was necessary there is no military reason for there to be bases in Britain, for Cruise can be fired from ships or aircraft.
All of which adds up to a big question mark
Britain at all. The answer is political.
Through Cruise, , Britain will, be tied to the US war machine and will be a prime target for any Soviet retaliatory attack.
Cruise is a way of ensuring that those countries in which there are such bases become military di colonies of the US, and will have no choice but
foreign policy takes.
Cruise missiles are due to arrive in Britain in two or three years. There is that much time to stop them. In the life-span of planet earth it is
nightmare
strategy of Kissinger and Nixon. At its centre was the promotion of reliable
in strategically important regions of the world; countries like
Indonesia, Greece, Brazil and Iran, whose job was to safeguard their region in the interests of imperialism.
This left the US free to conduct covert operations and to 'destabilise' governments of which it disapproved.
and the CIA-inspired there in 1973, was the classic example.
What this left out of consideration was the attitude of the inhabitants of these 'reliable' states. The overthrow of the fascist regime in Portugal, the emergence of liberation movements in southern. Africa, the fall of Haile
there are a
never mind
which is considered GROUND -160 CRUIS LAUNCHEI MISSILES
"to be sited in
48
For the US,
direction US
Selassie in Ethiopia, Junta, and of Somoza in Nicaragua all suggested that however much the US favoured these regimes, South direct military intervention their sur-
vival could not be guaranteed.
Where the Kissinger strategy really collapsed was in the vital oil region of the Middle East.
The contradictions policy became apparent with coup Arab-Israeli war in 1973 and the use
the Arabs made of the oil weapon. The US - dependent on Israel as a bastion of Western imperialism, but needing to secure the co-operation of the Arabs — had to perform a delicate balancing operation.
David 'peace' treaty is all but dead. NEW MISSILES FOR NATO
NETHERLANDS
GROUND.48 LAUNCHE CRUSH MISSILES BELGIUM
GRONIND d
LAUNCHED
CRUISE
MISSILES
MIŞSILES
of the Greek The fall
rest of the • without
steady capabilities
within US
the Carter's Camp
control,
Life
dwindling.
military
its arms budget gramme missile.
W.GERMANY
96 LAUNCHE
MISSILES
• pre-Vietnam
Central America,
the benefit
Socialist Chállenge
of the Shah and the radicalising effect this has had on the
region has brought the "geopolitical' method to a crisis point. And alongside this there has been the
growth in the military of the Soviet Union, capability which is largely defensive but which does make it difficult for the US to openly intervene to impose its authority on a rebellious world.
Henry Kissinger recently summed up the crisis of imperialism:
I happen to agree with President Carter that the danger to America is the gravest in the modern period. We are sliding towards a world out of
with our relative military • declining, with our economic increasingly vulnerable blackmail, with hostile radical forces growing in every continent, and with the number of countries willing to stake their future on our friendship
Kissinger went on to call for a "new firmness', and it is this direction in which the US is now moving.
Carter is bidding to establish new
bases ll Kenya, Oman, Somali, Egypt and Israel. Before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan the US announced a dramatic increase in
and a crash pro. for developing the MX
countered a Soviet offer to withdraw 20,000 troops and 1,000 tanks from East Europe by telling its West European allies that it had to iet the US install the Cruise and Pershing missiles in the UK, , West Germany, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands.
There is a logic to this madness. What is involved is a return to the old
strategy of open in tervention. The weapons are pointed at the Soviet Union, yet — at least for the moment - they are not so much meant as a direct threat but as a warn. ing that in the event of a US military operation in say the Middle East or
the Soviet Union should stay well clear
This is not a bluff. The crisis of US imperialism is real, which means the danger to the rest of us is real. The US is moving to the position I where for
of imperialism it is prepared to hold the rest of the world as its hostage. It is time the working Class staged its own rescue opcration.
22 May 1980
Page 8 scan of this page
UNCLE SAM THREAT
INTERNATIONAL
Cops
of the
World
By Phil Hearse THE interests of United States imperialism are threatened today in two crucial parts of the world - the Middle East and western Asia, and America.
In the former, America's vital economic interests are threatened. In the the revolution in Nicaragua, Salvador Guatemala threatens to cut the Americas in two.
In response to these threats, the United States has constructed a new and massive counter-revolutionary corps - the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) consisting of 100,000 soldiers and including three marine combat brigades, AWO alvisis. assorted air force and navy units.
The RDF is a dagger pointing at the heart of the colonial revolution. Before looking at the threats to America's interests it is worth glancing history of America's role as world cop since 1945.
The United States emerged from the Second World War as the strongest imperialist power. Two world wars all but finished off the British Empire. So the United States adopted the mantle of 'protector of the WeST perialism's top cop.
Korea
While France and Britain fought their own colonial wars and Indochina, and in Malaya, Greece, Kenya, and Cyprus respectively America's first expedition (under United auspices was in Korea.
The invasion of South Korea by the communist North, American forces being thrown back to a small enclave around the Puchan peninsula. America sent hundreds thousands of troops who North Korea and fought their way to
Chinese border. tervention of a million Chinese troops put paid to any ideas of conquering the North.
But to certain American intervention was successful; South Korea, under the Syngman Rhee, Was 'democracy'
In 1954 the United States limbered up by organising, through the CIA, a mercenary army which overthrow the liberal government of Guatemala. Arbenz's government was by no means socialist, but it made the crucial mistake ol trying pulsorily purchase land owned by the United Fruit Corporation - the agri-
multinational dominated large parts of America.
Cuba Secretary of State, and his brother, John Foster
CIA director Allen Dulles,
be by
United Fruit Corporation.
America saw out the 'Sos by senot in the Lebanon
Central
and and
the
in Algeria
Nations
resulted in The main
period was in Vietnam, of earnest by invaded tiersman'
betore the in-
took power
extent the socialism.
dictator, 'saved' for
half a million to
Arbenz
CIT-
Vietnam
which Central
strongest military power.
happened Johnson, family ties to the
Page 8
counter-revolutionary the American intervention of the post-war
initiated in the liberal 'new fronJohn Kennedy. The American leadership was shocked by the development of the revolution in Cuba, where a guerilla army, apparently of a 'radical democratic' character
and evolved towards
They reasoned that it was necessary to draw a line against the possibility of a series of defeats in the semi-colonial world of a similar character. To draw that line they despatched an army of
Vietnam Kennedy stated his intentions in his collection of speeches "To Turn the Tide'. America
been pushed around by Third World communism long enough.
America fought in Vietnam make clear to insurgent movements all over the world that. in tuture. any attempts to flaunt imperialism would be met with the full might of the world's
This strategy, deepened by Lyndon involved the full-scale and daily bombing of North Vietnam - a point where there were no structures
eft of a size worth bombing — and the systematic destruction of whole areas of the countryside. Mass terror against
FEED 'EM HOT LEAD,
BOYS! I'VE GOT AN
ELECTION TO WIN!!
civilian population sicriminately used
It was a fragile strategy. Every time the Americans escalated the size their commitment, they potential size of the defeat - which came with disastrous consequences.
Hotspots
At the height of the escalation of the Vietnam adventure, Johnson found the resources in 1965 to mount an invasion of the Dominican Republic. The liberal goyernment of Juan Bosch proved too radical. Fearing another Cuba, a pre-emptive strike by the US
America had always regarded central America as its own preserve. As the House of Representatives resolution put it: "The US or any other American nation has the right of unilateral intervention to keep communism out of the Western Hemisphere?
The consequence of the American defeat World-wide political opinion, and opinion inside the United States, direct American military intervention anywhere in the world unthinkable The political overheads of trying to intervene in, for example, the revolutionary process in Portugal in 1974-5 would have been too great.
Since the end of the Indochina conflict, the United States has been trying to reverse the effects of the defeat. The
'4.
was ind-
escalated the
wave chauvinism. Every
again.
Where are
America could hit?
Central
was
Line promised reconstruction ald.
Union.
Nicaragua
socialist made destabilise the whole area
strategic blow Equally,
who control the trade unions.
either country.
revolution in Iran and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan have proved the occasion for the most enormous and calculated political and ideological of-
The Waited State a sne
patriotism racist and anti- Force. communist sentiment has been whipped up. The ideological conditions are RDF being created for the use of force once
the 'hot spots' that America, the US is threatened by the development of the Nicaraguan revolution, and by the upsurges in El Salvador and Guatemala. In Nicaragua the bourgeois ministers have been ejected from the Sandinista's junta. America has not come up with
, so the the Nicaraguans have turned to the Soviet
If Nicaragua carries through
transformation will break the isolation of the Cubans and be a dread-
imperialism. the opposition to the dictatorship in El Salvador is under the leadership of armed revolutionary groups ning
The United States cannot possibly allow the victory of the revolution in
In the Middle East and West Asia, the American interests are m more important economically can be summed up in one word Any further threat to American oil s plies could easily bring about a di intervention by the Rapid Deploym
The key to the RDF is not onh size and firepower — • just half of available forces could swamp a st country like Nicaragua in a few day but its mobility. • Soon it will be eq ped with the C-x, a new jumbo ca plane which (at $295m a piece) can hundreds of troops anywhere in world within hours, , and new ship
super-fast maritime positio ships — which have the same object
The Cops of the World are organising and re-equipping. In a tion to the RDF there are 430 American soldiers stationed abroa
The number of American troop the Middle East has increased by per cent since 1968. There are are 50 countries with some sort of military presence.
So don't believe that Vietnam, s
defeat though it was, World's Cops out of business. just waiting for an opportunity the colonial revolution out of - with a vengeance.
Page 9 scan of this page
ENS THE WORLD
It's not the same the whole world over
By Sylvia Bliss TURN on the television or newspaper these days message that's rather obviously being hammered home. From the Olympic boycott to the Cuban refugees, a clear lesson is intended for workers in the West — there is a major threat to world peace and it comes from the Soviet Union.
We are told that the United States, the last defence of the so-called 'free world', is being undermined by the military Soviet Union. The Soviet Afghanistan has been the starting point for an orchestrated of the 'free munism.
But the Soviet Union is not responsible for the increase in international tension. campaign is a smokescreen for an increasingly aggressive stance by US imperialism. The plans for the creation of the Rapid Deployment Force to intervene in hotspots like Nicaragua, and El Salvador were in existence well before Russian tanks rolled in to Kabul.
Despite their workers states are not taking such an aggressive stand. This is because the Soviet Union is based on an entirely different socio-economic system to that of the West.
The abolition of the private ownership of industry and finance means that simple profit cannot be the driving force of its economy. Soviet Union does not have massive investments abroad which it has to protect powerful arms lobby aiming to gain out of war.
pick up a and there's one determined policy ambitions of the. of vul cauca
propaganaa campaign in aerence the USSR. West' against the spectre of com-
Lames
Iran,
bureaucratic distortions the the
The
There is no long
However, unlike in the early stages of the Soviet state immediately after the 1917 Revolution, the Soviet Union's foreign policy 1s not
by international solidarity and the need to spread the proletarian revolution to the rest of the world.
The policy of 'peaceful coexistence' with the capitalist countries was elaborated by Lenin's successors after the revolution had failed to spread to other advanced capitalist countries, and when the workers' state had developed bureaucratic deformations. The
1S to maintain the privileges within the Soviet upholding the status quo on a world scale, but especially in those areas immediately bordering
This was the motivation for the invasion of Afghanistan at Christmas temot to stabilise' the whole region
Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries I LIC WORe Soviet invasion could have been motivated by the drive for profit, defence of markets or exploitation of raw materials. The demands of the Afghan masses, and the imminent victory reactionary forces, might have spilled over into
Soviet Union itself. There peoples inside the USSR, many of whom share a cultural affinity with the people of Afghanistan. Stability and the status quo were the two major reasons for the Soviet invasion.
Similar considerations apply to the USSR's nuclear deterrents. It is purely a defensive reaction to the imperialist countries' threats oi war
the Warsaw Pact will remain necessary as
imperialism has nuclear
Seven H-bombs on Britain
working class resoles
socialists
aim of this up its threats of wai of the saw Pact.
Union by is no need to oppose it.
Czechoslovakia — a misguided at-
opposed unkey that the But
Army. are Islamic
The American
spearheaded - by • warheads
the or dod to megaton cum pointed at the workers' states. No big capitalists make money out of arms production Soviet Union, it is just a drain on material
In this situation of developing global conflict
do not remain neutral military blocs like NATO threaten the lives of every worker, and are motivated by profits and greed. Military blocs between the workers' states are only necessary as long as imperialism keeps
until this threat has disappeared we defend the existence of the War-
There is no Soviet war drive as such, so there
Military actions of the Soviet bureaucracy, such as the invasion of Hungary in 1956 and of developments that could have led years socialist democracy, and hence must certainly be
the way to challenge the revolutionary role of the Soviet leadership is to support the removal of the bureaucracy, not to undermine the gains of the Russian Revolution
among which is the existence of the Red
Without that military force, the Vietnamese, Cuban and other revolutions would have been quickly snuffed out by imperialism.
war drive is aggressive and profiteering — if death and destruction lies in its path that makes no difference at all, profits are
The real danger to the world working class lies in the imperialist war drive
the US, the defensive manoeuvres of the Soviet Union.
By Valerie Coultas
Pershing
to the limelight.
tries to accelerate
ments have
vious tensions within it.
of stability and well-being by them as an attack on all'.
Greece
Western European
suppress the spread of communism.
tor any country resisting attempted ed at 'protecting' parasite' of communism from within. In post-war Greece, led
parasites'... the Greek people
in the
Imperialist
tribution and capabilities.
Profits
been American.
crushed
be under US control. towards
The Italian
TUI NATO.
likelihood of
will be used as
it's too late.
BRITAIN
OUT OF
NATO
WITH the decision of NATO countries to allow the USA to plant nuclear weapons, particularly the recently negotiated 600 Cruise and
missiles, on Western shores, NATO — the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation - is thrown in-
In his first visit to Europe last week Edmund Muskie, the new US Secretary of State, managed to persuade NATO coun-
their arms build up against the Soviet Union. He was successful despite the reluctance European govern-
displayed in implementing President Carter's request to boycott trade with Iran and to avoid the Soviet Olympics.
The NATO alliance, refuelled with added nuclear armoury, remains strong despite the ob-
What affitude should socialists adopt towards this 'security' alliance!
NATO was set up in 1948 on America's initiative to 'maintain peace, promote conditions
'economic collaboration' and to regard 'an attack on one of
NATO's role in the cold war was clear.
backed up by America, would pool their military resources to
The cound ori tree ichpledged su pore
of 'free peoples' by armed minorities or by outside pressures', was not aim-
European countries from Soviet invasion but suppressing the 'malignant
where communists had anti-Nazi resistance the British-backed government could not control the situation. In 1947 British and American troops were sent into Greece to deal with the 'malignant
Nor has NATO's role changed today. Its "security' duties have allowed it to place aircraft carriers along the shores of Portugal and Italy when it looked likely that the people of these countries might be 'silly enough' to put Communist Party-led governments in power.
Despite attempts, particularly by West Germany, to allow European countries more say in the deployment of NATO's economic weapons, the United States remains very firmly in control of the alliance. It makes the largest financial con-
provides it with its nuclear
All supreme commanders of NATO have
The Cruise missiles that are about to be placed in Britain this September, which are untested and cost £750,000 each, will
Communist Party, which has tried so hard to appear respectable to the European establishment, feels that it is 'provocative'
socialists to call for a withdrawal from
We say exactly the opposite. There is no
La Soviet invasion of Western Europe. NATO's real job is not to 'protect West Europe? but to protect the profits of American and European capitalists and pull Europe into America's war drive against the Soviet Union.
Working people make no profits out of war; they have every interest in opposing the build up of nuclear weapons in Europe. These : weapow
casily against workers in Europ who get out of hand as those in the Soviet Union Britain should get out of NATO right now befor
Socialist Challenge 22 May 1980 Pare?
Page 10 scan of this page
NAC-open to all!
a Socialist Workers Party
HOME NEWS.
By Valerie Coultas
THE National Abortion Campaign con-
ference in Leeds last weekend threw out a
resolution that NAC should become a
woman-only campaign.
open to all who agree with its aims.
Medical
The 250-strong conference also voted over-
whelmingly LauncE
woman's right to choose whether or not to ter-
practice
Local groups will be urging the Labour Par-
ty to adopt such a policy in its manifesto, and
campaigning to ensure that abortion facilities
are mandatory on the National Health Service.
The conference decided to hold a major
rally in the autumn aimed at broadening the
debate on why the 1967 Act is inadequate and
why the choice to have an abortion should be
made by the woman herself and not the medical
profession or the government.
The successful Campaign
had involved more women in the pro-choice
movement than at any other time in the five
years since NAC was set up. The TUC had been
By Stephen Potter MUCH hard thinking is going on in the labour movement as the lessons of the TUC Day of Action are absorbed. Socialist was no exception.
In a major article last week Tony Cliff anticipated events on 14 May with a call for a united front approach against the Tories which also con. tradicted some positions adopted at the last conference of the Socialist Workers' Party:
The main point of Cliff's article was to highlight that 'Above all the 14 May reveals the crisis of leadership'. He gave three reasons for this crisis of leadership which included: the impact of years of collaboration; the depth of the crisis and the strength of capitalist ideas among the working class and the decline of the Communist Party.
His main conclusions were that of building a leadership 'in struggle' especially around defiance of the Prior laws; replacing the Communist Party with a revolutionary socialist organisation rooted in the class; and building a working class united front against the Tories in a way analagous the Anti-Nazi League, uniting with the Labour Party and the Communist Party. Shelters
Gone were the positions defended by Cliff at the Socialist Workers' Party conference last year - — that we were in a period of big defeats for the working class; that rank and organisations had to be 'shelters from the storm'; that we were not in a period where socialists could take big and bold initiatives to unite in action with thousands of workers; that the shon stewards movement has been incorporated into the lower levels of the trade union bureaucracy.
The reason for the change is clear.
It has become impossible to say we are. in a period of big defeats when the steel strike locked the country for 13 weeks. It was clearly a mistake to try and build a party front in the steel strike in opposition to building a national strike committee, particularly in a union where the militants were not under the hegemony of the Communist Party in many areas. It was difficult to justify calling for a general strike in the special Welsh issue Socialist Worker while claiming that there was no possibility of a major fightback from the working class.
The big demonstrations against the John Corre Bill; the uprising in St Paul's Bristol against police harassment; the solid response to the TUC's Day of Action from the industrial strongholds of the British movement despite the violent press witch hunt allow Cliff to reconsider
"It's not true that thete is no feel-
22 May 1980
pressured
the restrictive Bill.
on that support.
NAC remains
tie labour movemen. tion,
Called u for march,
- both in law and in
choice -
central.
to decide'
Against Corrie
paign.
Worker WorkIng
file ing or capacity for doing anything' of he admits.
So what does Cliff propose? A united front good but formed? Cliff's only concrete suggestion is the right to work march from South Wales to the Tory Party ConTerence. Nowhere does he wilal Torn labour Tories should take. He avoids men-
tioning the need to build a movement for a general strike.
Nowhere does
10
into calling 60,000-strong demonstration in October last year to protest at
Next spring NAC will be holding a labour movement conference to build
Discussion at the conference reflected both the potential and the problems involved in an alliance between the women's movement and
The TUC demonstrawhere some women had rushed to the front because Len Murray was leading the
was fresh in people's minds.
At the centre of the debate was what was nicall by a woman's rigat lo choosc. Some women were concerned that in gaining support from the labour movement, the campaign had been stressing the economic arguments for
poor women need free abortions. because rich women can always have them and not stressing that the issue of control was
The slogan 'Our bodies, our lives, our right was adopted to make it clear that women's sexual freedom was at stake.
Women from Leeds and Brighton NAC thought that because the fundamental issue was whether women should have control over them own bodies, only women should run the cam-
Timeto change course?
Cliff dismisses developments in the Labour Party and refuses to confront the disunity of the far left.
against the Tories is a
be
fight against the them. What suggest necessary to acuon agamnst inc unemployment, technology.
Cliff discuss the influence in the trade unions.
But opposition to this argument came from many different viewpoints at the conference Women in the Labour Party pointed out how difficult it would be to from the party if NAC was womenmoney only. Women in smaller local groups felt that if they excluded men they would feel even more Isolated.
Many women who supported the women's liberation movement pointed out that NAC had been successful because it was a broad-based campaign; that anyone who supports women controlling their fertility can join, and that if men were forced out some women might be put off.
Women Trom the Group pointed out that NAC was led women and that men were few in number at the conference. The existing constitution had never barred women from having women's-only meetings or having a women's-only assembly, as was held on & rebruarv when 5.000 womer protested outside the Houses of Parliament during the third reading of the Corrie Bill.
After a great deal of debate on the issue, the conference decided to trom some of the non-aligned women on the campaign steering committee, suggesting that although NAC should remain a mixed cam-
ist WO
issues to be concentrated on or the policies that a united front should be "left' formed around. After five years of a Labour government, and one year of the Tories, militants in the labour movement are keen to know where a make gains.
Tories will take political answers are LIt problems inflation, the new
But Cliff is right in pointing out the decline in the Communist Party's Labour
Then
couraged to lead the campaign. affiliation and pointed out,
Debate and
autonomous
way forward for the campaign.
Sune attempts to
and gaining new licences,
International Marxist
work cut out over the next year.
on demand -
support a resolution
front
CON
that car
sistent rights. fective
failure to act independently of the
bureaucrats has made some trade unionists see membership of the Communist Party as pointless and opened the terrain for the far left to
Wing one.
But it is not only the far left who is viewing the decline of the CP in inshoes. The left in the Labour Party, particularly those forces around the
Co-ordinating Committee, have also grasped what is happening
paign it should recognise that women were oppressed as a group and that they should be en-
On particular occasions, the resolution
this would mean that women might meet separately. The resolution won the support of a large majority of the conference
reflection after a year of successful campaigning was inevitable. Some women expressed disappointment that there was not a little more concrete discussion on the
stop abortion charity clinics advertising on the London underground
and the possible closure of family planning clinics mean thạt, even without a parliamentary attack on the right to choose, NAC groups will have their
Having clarified some of the objectives of the campaign, NAC will hopefully continue to be an open, broad-based campaign that can win more and more people, particularly women, to actively participate in the fight for free abortion
- a women's right to choose
The next NAC National Planning Meeting is on 14-15 June in London. It will discuss the details of the Positive Legislation Campaign Ring NAC on 01-278 0153 for details
and they have made proposals that challenge the division of labour that has existed between the LP in Parliament and the CP in industry since the *20 They are urging the Labour Party to begin organising inside the unions rather than leaving it up to the CP's Broad Left formations. Votes Tony Cliff dismisses these developments in the Labour Party because he argues that the trade union block vote will be used against the left at the next LP conference. In doing so he fails to follow through a united approach consistently. The block vote of the AUEW may be casi at the next Labour Party conference with the right-wing, but there are still thousands of rank and file trade unionists who look to the lefts in the Labour Party to produce a political alternative to the Tories, despite the ract inat wel wadc umon icaucis Ilay cast their votes with the right-wing. Any attempts made by left labour party leaders to break out of the constituency ghetto and actively organise rank and file trade unionists should be welcomed by the far left. A new minority movement of active trade unionists fighting against the right wing inside the trade unions will include Labour Party members if it has any real influence. The far left gains nothing from being sectarian to the Labour rarty rank and me Neither is Cliff willing to look at the far left from a honest viewpoint. Yes, it is possible to build a revolutionary organisation in Britain today challenge the Communist Party as the main organisation to the left of the Labour Party. Revolu tionaries led the Anti-Nazi League
[Report!
Revolutionaries have been most conIn the defence of abortion Revolutionaries have begun,
DAVIES
slowly, to have an influence inside the HoLd workine Crass But for most militants, one thing CHRIS stands out above everything else. The disunity of the far left under the Tories as under Labour makes it inef- Photo: and easily dismissed serious force. Despite having broad agreement on the fundamentals of a revolutionary programme ine left refuses to unite in one organisation. The SWP itself is a case in point Despite being the largest of the far left groups, it has not shown itself willing to discuss with the IMG what obstacles exist to our two organisations becomWe can understand the Communist Party hoping that the far left remains divided We can understand that the Tories like things that way But we don't understand why in the face of such opportunities the SWP is so intransigent.
Page 11 scan of this page
YOUTH
Revolution Youth
founding conference
Youth
take up
the
the United States war-drive,
class.'
That was how Henderson opened discussion on perspectives at the founding conference of Revolution youth.
Awareness of the threat by the war-mongering of the USA's imperialist government Thatcher's collaboration with ran mont toront e conerence. f formed the backdrop to the discussion on the new organisation's pro-
2110wa Tasca Dy speakers during the heated debate on Revolution Youth's relationship
The from the Young Socialist Alliance of the United States keyed into this feeling when she explained:
International
'Internationalism must be at the heart of our programme and practice because we live in the belly of the imperialist beast itself. The barrel is aimed at the revolutions in the colonial world and one barrel is
Average
age 20
THERE were 200 delegates and observers at the Revolution launching conference in London last weekend. A census of Revolution members provided information organisation.
The average age of Revolution ing the conference was 20 years. 38 per cent were young workers, 44 per cent students and school students
There were 55 delegates elected on a ratio of one delegate to three kevolution members some branches sent fewer delegates than their entitle-
such as Cardiff couple of areas sent no delegates at all. New branches of Revolution are being formed all the time and a number of these were not in a position delegates, although, some members did attend as observers.
A number of fraternal guests attended from other There were guest from Barricade, the Socialist
guests Youth League, Rebel, from France Communiste Revolutionnaire,
Alliance (USA)
Fourth International, People's Ali was a guest speaker from the International Marxist Group and Dodie Weppler gave greetings from the
United Secretariat of the
The session which discussed Revolution's rela-
speakers. wnelming vote in lavour of political solidarity with
the Fl and its British section. A motion calling for the
vote on the FI to be postponed fell with 12 in favour
ty was carried with 50 voting in favour, none against
abstentions
bate new to call itselt Revolution yourn. It clecica a mallolta.
committee whose average age is just over 18. Its first
Mandaic Is i0 gear the
contingent on the 22 June demonstration against the
Cruise missile.
challenge
'THE chief tasks of revolutionary socialist youth in Britain today are to mobilise our generation against
against the government and to build a revolutionary youth organisation that is rooted in the industrial working
aimed at the working class of the Ann United States. These two aspects the come cocemer m caners atensi to re-introduce the military draft and re-militarise our society.' 22 June posed Speakers in the and perspectives pointed out the role of it, Thatcher's government in the imperialist war-drive and in particular the importance of opposing the stationing of the Cruise missiles in Britain and defending the revoluHally mons m ran centa America ald the Carribean. Conference voted to go all out to mobilise youth behind me cal ov tie cabour rarty lul d national demonstration nuclear weapons on 22 June.
But it was decided that on the march Revolution Youth would be putting right up front the fact that today is the desperate attempts by the imperialists to roll back the colonial revoluton wmlle maklig lit US working class of their own countries foot the bill for the economic crisis. Kevolunon roul s sugais will be aimed at the imperialist waron the state of the
members attendOf those attending and 18 per cent unemployed
and Manchester • while a
to send any
Barricade, Socialist the Jeunesses
and from the Irish section of the
Democracy. Taria
Fourth International.
The result was an over-
Then the motion on political solidari.
revolutionary youth organisation votec
organisation up for a youth
Tory
mongers demanding:
Missiles Europe out of NATO' and in defence of the debate on colonial revolution.
Countering the fensive at home means lighting to remove the Tory government. For a revolutionary youth organisation
of youth with the workers' movement to build the movement that can kick the Tories out or once. Inat was the meanng
ue the cam digis on Yoon-
against
Lilluc calapalou •Against the Tories' launched in the build-up to 14 May.
• Sonia, from polnica our tnal tne most elective way to carry on that campaign was if the members of Revolution were working in tne neart or tae working Class The conference make a special effort to get a ma jority of its members into industrial
'No Cruise trade unions
'Britain get trade union
IMG
imperialist of- Abortion
the Campaign
kind of mass
womens' righis
will Toe
mer and the
Birmingham, for youth
Revolution organising
OI IS mCmOCIN
decided pression
women's liberation. launching overwhelming.
class
and to build joint fractions with ed the vanguard Britain
Following Revolution's role in
Against conne. many delegates spoke on how to
fight build the liberation movement ment in Britain. among youth. Especially important
Revolution magazine to be launched this sum-
campaign for contraception and abortion facilities
Youth will be organisation. own •schoo or women's liberation to educate all
— men and women - on the origins or women s op
struggle for
from Liverpool
Forward with the
By Paul Adams, Revolution Youth national committee THE MOST important discussion at the
conference Youth was over its relationship with the Fourth International (FL) and its British sectión, the International Marxist Group.
There was opposition to declaring solidarity with the Fourth International, but after a complete and exhaustive
favour of political solidarity with the FI was
Why is this question of building a revolutionary socialist youth organisation as part of a youth international so crucial?
Every day the international nature of the struggle demonstrated.
Afghanistan, Ireland are places that directly
affect the class struggle here in Britain.
Thatcher is second only to Carter in forcing
the imperialist drive to war. The bourgeoisie
understands that to survive it must organise on
a world scale. NATO is not a debating society
for old brigadiers — those alliances are forged
to protect capital's global interests.
Working class youth, blacks, young women
are looking with burning intensity to the strug-
gles against imperialism in Iran, South Africa
and in Nicaragua. Steelworkers understood the
need for international solidarity in their strike.
We, in Revolution Youth, could not afford
to lag behind the advanced sections of the
working class which are beginning to under.
stand the need for international organisation of
the oppressed and exploited.
It is only'the FI that is today organising
moved a resolution which explain-
role that black view youth have played in recent years in
and a in particular the the wOn against ine pollce in bristol. Ine resolution called for a campaign to educate the members of Revolution
politics DHC. liberation and for a sustained campaign to link up with those fighting
dealt
It was also agreed to maintain
convince revolutionary youth in the SYL and Rebel-of the necessity of
tion independent, revolutionary youth
The most livelv debate of the entire conference was on Revolu tion Youth's relationship with the
inte anomal delegates who spoke some argued that the time wasn't right or more
Fourth International
Revolution
history. That party
Revolution
the vote in
rally to the banner of the FI.
organisation? iran, ed
Third World. leadership will be posed.
world party of socialist revolution.
taking a decision. But the majority was that an independent youth organisation needs a revolu party, suC thoroughly revolutionary, internauonal party in the world today is the Fourth International. The vote for solidarity with the Fourth Inter national and its British section, the IMG, was overwhelmingly carried. e final sessions o comerci norms, finance conSULULUI and the election of the tendersam um dese sessons mn bar ticular Revolution Youth demonstrated that those who claim that vou carm mer ow orcausa express than their own lack of confidence in the future and in the ability of working class youth to fight for it.
Conference ended with the singing oi the Internationale, markin, the birth of a dynamic new force build a revolutionary party mulcula tional among youth in Britain. revolutionaries on a world scale; it is only the FI that is building an international party in the tradition of Marx, Lenin and Trotsky.
To achieve a successful revolution a mass revolutionary party rooted in the working class and oppressed is crucial. This is the lesson of
be built if it is internationalist in theory and practice.
Youth is in business to help make a revolution therefore we have to help build that party. Working class youth moving to revolutionary politics are inspired by the revolutions in Iran and Nicaragua and they will
Would solidarity with the FI hinder our struggle to build a unified revolutionary youth
Absolutely not. The IMG, British section of the Fourth International, is the only revolutionary organisation waging a struggle for revolutionary unity. Association of Revolution Youth in this fight can only help us.
The fight for revolutionary unity does not mean concessions on fundamental parts of the revolutionary progrmme, and the fight to build the international party cannot be compromis-
Big battles are coming, in the imperialist centres and the workers' states as well as in the
The question of revolutionary
Revolution Youth will be fighting to build a mass revolutionary youth organisation as part of the fight to build a mass party capable of leading the working class to socialism.
That is the message we are taking out to the youth. Forward with the Fourth International,
Socialist Challenge: 22 May 1980, Pare 11
Page 12 scan of this page
AGENDA
The school will take place between the
12th and 18th July 1980. A deposit of
£10 will secure you a place, but the full
£47-50 has to be paid in advance by the
31st of June, 1980. This will cover your
accommodation, all meals, morning and
afternoon coffee and the full programme
of events. Detailed programme, reading
lists and information
venue will be received on registration.
Attendance at the school is open to
members and sympathisers of the IMG,
Revolution Youth and the 4th Interna-
tional.
The school is designed to combine
A forum for discussing questions of
Marxist theory and strategy.
The opportunity to hear
* Ernest Mandel
* Charles Udry
* Robin Blackburn
* Margaret Coulson
* Tariq Ali
* John Ross
* Oliver Macdonald
A relaxed atmosphere for meeting
comrades from all over the country, together with visitors from Europe.
The School's programme is designed to
provide plenty of time for:
* Relaxing in the sun. * Watching, tivities. (Comrade Tariq will be leading morning jogging sessions... optional)
* Watching films.
An event not to be missed is the Saturday afternoon
Socialist Challenge and Socialist Worker.
Founder of Japanese
Trotskyist movement dies KYOJI NISHI, one of the founders of the Revolutionary Communist League, Japanese section of Fourth International died of cancer. Nishi joined the Japanese Communist Party when reconstructed after the Second World War. Programme
After World War II Japanese CP grew rapidly: it was the only party which had never
Italian
LCR stands
in elections
From Mary Johnson in Milan MUNICIPAL, regional and provincial elections take place in Italy June. This will be an important test of strength between the political forces in Italian society.
For the first time, the Lega Communista will stand its own slate of candidates. These candidates will
provinces of Turin,
Brescia, Taranto two or three other towns in the Venetia region.
The standing of candidates is the culmination of a cam-.
Socialist Challenge 22 May 1980 Page 12
regarding the tion. or joining in sporting ac-
£2-00.
cricket match between
Kyoji Nishi 1926-1980
capitulated to support for the Emperor during the war.
Rut 9 crisis in the CP started in 1956, after the invasion
the Hungary. I Nishi opened up a strug-
has gle inside the CP around the draft of the new party programme.
He wrote an article Programme, the revolutionary road to socialism
Stalinism. 1958 Nishi, and the leadership of the CP students' organisation were expelled from the party:
the From that point on, he was con-
sistentiv a leading member of the Japanese Trotskyist movement. paign to get between 400 and 600 signatures, tor didate. But it also reflects the renewed growth and development of the LCR, in tion of the Fourth
The construction LCR has been a difficult task. major
Before 1969, the Italian Trotskyists carried out two tactics On hand they constructed a left Revoluzionaria tendency in the Italian Com-
munist Party (PCI), around the Journal La Sinistra; orner tney consuuciea an InMilan, dependent revolutionary youth
and organisation (Falce e Martello
Hammer and Sickle):
But with the development of the upsurge of 1969, which included a huge wave of
MAIN SESSIONS
The main sessions are grouped into three parts: The Colonial Revolution, Workers States, and Europe. 1) Permanent Revolution and Strategy in the Third World.
Stalinist Global Policy from Afghanistan.
The Cuban Revolution.
Revolution in Nicaragua.
2) Political Revolution in the Workers States - Hungary and Czechoslovakia (Debate on Afghanistan)
3) The German Revolution 1918/19. Revolution and Counterrevolution in Spain, 1936 Revolution in Portugal 1974/5. The nature of the Coming British Revolu-
(debates on the Trades Unions in Late Capitalism, and State Capitalism)
A full reading list will be supplied on registration — All books and pamphlets available from The Other Bookshop.
Revolutionary Marxism Today, Mandel, NLB, £4-50.
Trotsky. A Study in the Dynamic of his Thought. Mandel, Special
Also: Special Offer - From Stalinism to Eurocommunism. Mandel — £2.00 Lessons of October. Trotsky, 90p. The Transitional Programme
student struggles, It became impossible to run these two tactics simultaneously.
Martello against entryism in the PCI, and the section went into crisis.
Most of the youth organisation went into Maoist tions. of Centrists
The result of the crisis of 1969 was the building of three For the large centrist organisations in
defending Italy — Avanguardia Operiaia,
Il Manifesto, and the largest of them, Lotta organisations built themselves to the stage where they could mobilise tens of thousands. on the - streets, each papers and a membership of over 10,000.
But in 1976, they each went into a massive crisis, unable to give an adequate response to the PCI's They imagined it possible to have a 'government of the left' in which the PCI, the Socialist Party and the far left would participate with the bourgeois radicals through socialism.
The crisis and decline of the verified by a centrists space for the bulding of the given
each can- Italian Trotskyist organisation.
Throughout
LCR (then GCR) had concenItalian sec-
trated on implanting
interna- the factories.
of the has paid dividends. played an important role in the struggle around the renewal of WOlK place in 1978 and 1979. They
the
have been particularly involved in the struggle against the sackings of 61 militants from Fiat on the Turin.
Austerity
Two comrades of the LCR, Angelo Caforio and Pasquale Salerno, sacked,
Yalta to I am interested in
Name/Address. take.
1)......
2).....
Offer price
Mirafiori.
The youth in
rebelled
struggle against organisaContinua. These
had daily
policies. would be
to push
transition to
renewed
Britain: 1970s the Abroad:
itself in This difficult task
The LCR
which -took Name
Address were amongst the 61 for having been in the
IMG 1980
CADRE
SCHOOL
coming to the summer school. I am a member of the IMG/Revolution /I am a sympathiser of IMG/Revolution from I enclose a cheque/PO for...
towards the £47.50 cost of the school.
Please indicate which options you wish to
Note: It is only possible to take two options.
Send cheques or postal orders to The Week Society', PO Box 50, London N1.
ERNEST MANDEL
front line of the struggle in Fiat tories,
ferocious DOSSES.
The current battle of the LCR is concentrated on the
measures, accepted by the PCI
LOWILS and trade union leadership. In particular they are delenaing the workers' councils in the fac- work of the
12 months. £12.50; 12 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 'Socialist Challenge'
Complete and return to: Socialist Challenge, 328 Upper Street, London N1
....(Town)
OPTIONAL COURSES
courses.
1) An Introduction to politics. 2) An economics.
courses on: 3) 4)
Labour Movement. than two optional courses.
which are under attack from the
The Italian section today has activities in 25 of the main
Italy, and is well established in most of the industrial towns. The trade unior
LCR is concen-
SUBSCRIBE NOW
6months £6.50 £12.50 £18.00
DIGANSI
AGITATI LOCATE:
As well as the main lecture course there will be a series of optional three part
Two introductory courses are planned:
Revolutionary
Introduction to Marxist
There will be two other subsidiary
Marxism and the Family.
Aspects of the history of the British
It would be very helpful if comrades would state their first preference on the application form provided. It will not be possible for comrades to attend more
trated in building its cells at the numerous Fiat tactories, the Milan Alla Romeo factory and the Italsider factories Hopefully the LCR slates in the elections will help to con solidate the work done in the publicising the ponlica. of the LCR amongst wider layers of the working class.
Page 13 scan of this page
H Block prisoners the relatives are also the victims
Tameside fights on
By Chris Murray
its disaffiliation by the TUC.
The trades commer was victimised two rotiating a conference on tho months
NOTHI Mcland. COLL position of which the TUC found objectionable.
Speakers invited included Republican member the irish
Socialist Party an ordansalon cac valulla.
Front accused of being 'terrorists' theme later taken up by the TUC
More than 20 trades councils have now condemned the By Liz Curtis FOR the visitor to Belfast, it quickly becomes clear that the issue of overriding concern to the nationalist community is the struggle for political status in the H Blocks and Armagh. There is no getting away from it: the physical psychological impact on both the prisoners and relatives has been too great.
We stayed in the Short Strand, an isolated nationalist enclave of some two thousand people on the bank of the Lagan. This small community has 18 men on tne blanket women in Armagh.
The relatives live under enormous stress. One woman we met. McVeigh, had collapsed a few days previously on the tourth anniversav of her son's arrest. ner, ner nusband burst into tears. Mrs McVeigh explained that he had had a stroke some years back. seen Sean since he walked out that door.'
Decades
Sean McVeigh was the first from the district to go on the blanket. That was three years ago, years to serve. He's 22 now. Like all the protesters, his sentence would be halved if he would accept criminalisation: as he is on the blanket, he will serve his full term.
Like many of the prisoners from the Short Strand, Sean comes from a Republican background. ment for political reasons is nothing new to his family. His father was active in the Republican Movement from the age of 11, and was interned from 1940 to 1944.
Mrs McVeigh, too, was an active Republican for many years. suffered greatly since Sean's arrest.
relative of prisoner tells us later that Sean was 'an awful good wee boy very good in the house for mother.'
Mrs McVeigh says several times that of all the decades of struggle she remembers, ine last len years nave been the worst.
Rosemary Callaghan, too, comes from Republican family. mother is the chairperson of the local Sinn Fein branch. When male screws attacked the women in Armagh on 7 February, Rosemary Was down the wing with her breasts exposed. These assaults led to the women going on a no-wash, no-slop out protest.
Depressed
Her mother tells us: "They were driven to it by the screws. The girls just couldn't take any more.' screws had been refusing Rosemary out of her cell when she had diarrhoea
On her last visit, Rosemary was 'awful-looking': was really depressed, but the morale's grcal.
Like all women prisoners
INTERNATIONAL/ IRELAND
TAMESIDE trades council is continuing to fight
disaffiliation These include
Newcastic. DEClIca. Leeds,
Bradford, yorK Preston.
Southampton and Plymouth.
Threats
It is understood that the
expel Southampton and
Plymouth because of their
support for Tameside.
Todmorden Trades Coun-
cil will be raising the issue at
the ving cite
and
their LWO
Mrs
When we visited
'He hasn't and he has 15 Imprison-
Mrs McVEIGH
She has
British jails, . H Block
change of February. his
their visits. nails were dirty, awful lot of weight.'
Her
carried
so much that way.'
behind her
there will be leaves.' she
their sons out of Ireland. The let up and think.?
Susan MacArt, Cormat she says,
'She
miss school.
trades councils at the end of , Tameside is Dianning to lobby the conterence =. is also pressing ahead with the organisation of conterence. L ns take place June Manchester Poly students'
All bodies are urged to support this conference to show their solidarity Will l amesiac.
recentas ca De obtained from: SECY, 186 Kings Rd, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancs. the women can wear their own clothes. But since going on the no-wash protest, they haven't had
underwear SILe
Mrs Callaghan explains that the women used to get dressed up for
But now, 'her hair and and she's lost an
The cells are stinking. "They used to empty their chambers out of the window, but now it's all boarded up, so they have to use the cell. They say the smell is really awful. The urine is the worst: they just plaster the other on the walls because you can't smell it
Callaghan; like the relatives we spoke to, is 100 per cent
daughter's protest. *Britain should not be in Ireland, and
no peace till Britain says 'The people Britain should go on the streets to get
Then the British government would have to sit
whose husband has been three years on the blanket, talks about the effect on her two sons, who are seven and five. She doesn't take them on every monthly visit, because she doesn't like them to
its
WIll
NATIONAL
The youngest, Seamus, refuse to go on the visits. 'It's chang u now. our uncre uscu to be a zice
was afraid, because they used to lock the door and turn the key. It was the sensation of knowing you couldn't get out.'
Seamus is also very about his father's hair. 'His hair is black now, but really it's yellow. It's black because it hasn't been washed Where is his own hairski Seamus keeps asking doesn't like the beards, because they make the men very old-looking.
Cormac MacArt 27, makes him one of the older prisoners. He is in HS. Susan explains that H5 is really the heart of the protest, as it started in that block.
'When the first blanket started, the authorities didn't think the protest would ever reach this proportion or that it would ever go on this length of time, so they put them all into HS.
'Then, as the numbers started to grow, they tried to segregate the older ones from the vounger ones. because they maintained the older ones were giving the lead. That's why they're so hard on H3 and H4, because the young ones are there and they think they can break their morale.
free.
NEI
SUSAN MacART
used to She says: 'When the blanket pro-
test started first, understood what it entailed, what it really meant. Britain can't go any further, the H Blocks can't get any worse - and still it's not deterring them. They anot believe ve up don't believe confused people in the street in Britain really
know what is going on. now will inevitably get involved, she
me, considers.
And he you really see it? In the summer, they
which
Armagh 11 - more jailings
TWO more women have been jailed for refusing to pay a fine imposed on them after taking part in the peaceful picket of Armagh women's prison on International Women's Day last year.
The two, Liz Largey and playwright Margaretta D'Arcy, are part of the Armagh 11, all of whom were fined after the police attacked the picket.
A third woman, Anne Marie Loughran, because her fine was paid by a relative, against her wishes, she has now been set
Liz has been jailed for two months and Margaretta for four. The fines imposed on all the other members of the Armagh 11 have now been paid.
A picket in solidarity with Margaretta and Liz will now be held outside Armagh women's prison on 24 May. Anyone who can attend this protest from Britain is asked to make a special effort to do so.
It is expected that some form of solidarity action will take place in London on the same day, possibly outside Brixton prison.
I don't think we crowd.
ordinary
The children who are growing up
'You know when I think
Voices For Withdrawal
A forum on Northern Ireland Sat 14 June, Conway Hall, Red Lion Sq, WC1 Speakers include: Ernie Roberts MP, Clive Soley MP,
Bernadette Devlin-McAliskey, Peter Hain, Desmond Greaves
(historian, editor Irish Democrat), Ruth Addison (Young Liberals).
Plus: exclusive filmed interview with former blanket prisoner.
From 10am. Social in evening from 7.30pm.
Delegates £2, Observers £1.
Organised by the Committee for Withdrawal from Ireland, c/o Youth Offic National Liberal Club, 1 Whitehall Place, London SW
was jailed two weeks ago but all come out at night and play football and handball. Every summer there's less of them, and there's a different
You'll look and you'll say, "Oh, there's so-and-so — his chum's away. " This year you can see the ones who have been in jail and you say to yourself, "Oh, there's so-and-so, and he's only out of jail".
Tears fill her eyes as she says: 'Everything is related round jail. It's either he's in jail, he's going to jail he's out of jail. Everything has jail connected with it.'
Socialist Challenge 22 May 1980
Page 14 scan of this page
LETTERS
SCEVENTS SAS
SC on sale at 1985 Books. Londo ad Saturday
30. Sat 104. • For mad Lavailable from Fourth Idea BRENT: SCs
Woolworths 11tube, 1035083150, %, ba os.
Park North, Swindon, Wils.
Socialism in the "80s - Which Way Forward. 22 May 3 ANCHESTER Tariq Ali (IMG) Stephen Marks (IMG)
MIDDLESBOROUGH Steve Potter (IMG)
• Valette courtas ma EAST LOrSe (IMG)
Phil Heal GLASGOW Sleve Potter (IMG)
Phil Hearse (IMG)
LEICESTER Steve Marks (IMG)
VORTH LONDON
ariq Ali (IMG) 30 MINGHAM Phil Hearse (IMG) CARDIP PRESTON Tarią Ali (IMG)
Phone Socialist Challenge with details of venue and names of other speakers for
IMG NOTICES IMG NOTICES
weshin fraction will be naving list contact national coop annot on WHAT'S LEFT
left films in Britait the Wool Exchange London CI
RATES Vr
22 May
incompetent?
THE serious intent of your article on the SAS (8 May) was sadly deformed by the habitual leftwing beller unal abuse 1s a
criticism.
You rightly identify the SAS's use in the state's counterinsurgency apparatus, yet almost Invandale your argument Dy refusing to acknowledge the inescapable fact that the SAS are a formidable enemy.
Whatever one thinks of their ethics, to dismiss them as os chouc scum and incombe tent... thugs' is a disservice, to them or their supporters, but to yourseives and even tncicias: struggle.
Such rhetoric is, at best, wishful thinking, at worst a deliberate confusion of emotional reaction with committed arguIl calt
we ao nol argue witn youl evidence of SAS 'incompetence', but we feel it vital to point out unal one can only be incompetent' on such a level when one has access to enviable skills "and equipment.
If the SAS were to jump through most readers' windows oulos avour mer mena sate would yield little comfort.
Yes, they are killers killers ana waelner uney are sadists and torturers as well is, in this instant irrelevant. were simply there to provoke
This is a favourite tactic of such rags as The Sun, and is less than helpful to those of us who see me DAN nol as a ban or crazed louts, but an efficient organisation ot very hard men win en sos
The present political climate — especially since the 'siege' •ne in walde meaiv emonve language and actions are being encouraged by the state against avonc wild oudoses lu
Rhetoric may well win the Tories an election; it will not win,
struggle.
This is written not in hostility but out of a desire to political comment of the left become realistic and honest. To
to boost the morale of your readers, is manipulative and CaLECTOUS not oniv to individuals but finally to revolution itself. LYNN NORTCLIFF and DICK BARKER, London SW1
Books for
Southern Africa AS A result of the response to this appeal, we have been able to send Marxist literature to groups in Lo coups l Botswana, Zambia, Nigeria, Ghana and other parts of Africa where the refugees from apartheid find themselves temporarily.
The following extract from a comrade in Ghana is typical of Is LyDIcal U1 several we have received:
Thank you very much for the series of parcels you have sent us over ne basiew weeks. organisation, , the Socialist Youth Movement, has found the Iterature most welcome and useful in equipping us for the struggle'
We have also been helpful with comrades in Europe and our efforts are beginning to bear fruit.
99 a this work.
Books are weapons in the revolutionarv struggle. Please help with donations to Books for Southern Africa, c/o Socialist Challenge, PO Box 50, London
CHARLIE VAN GELDEREN, London NW11.
Camp David
must be
opposed
rAk Irom the issue or the Camp David treaty being a complex issue (Letters, 8 May) it is Nigel
The test of the treaty is not
BAL
TASTE
whether 'it sets back the class struggle in the region' but whether ils miemion was lo sabulage une
not fight of the Palestinians against the Zionist state.
succintly by
August.
the region'
- trained
The words
allowing it to
- 1S
tion
Ine west bank. portant,
Ireland.
British Zionist Organisation-Palestinian Solidarity (in an individual capacity) apartheid
Militarism in
both blocs 'defensive'. support the proliferation.
short-stenteemecs bv lie le ne revival of its aims by E P Thomp-
welcomed
Otherwise we would argue that
we should mament supporter , r lne urcaly Giving up
scientific
socialism
The defeat ting them
of the treaty was
Centre.
Both just dismissed the the facts
straight
left unity in Britain
La false picture of the YCL
tion here.
LPYS, the Young Liberal
Www our locener.
snoula operale
son and other is only to be
waereis vour arcrualve focus for the campaign against militarism, even in the West?
MARTIN SHAW, Hull CND and European Nuclear Disar-
noyed me.
London. • subtill al ovel prominent
left. socialism.
movenells YCL - putting ting the
two
I WAS very sad, but also very it, the YCL has angry to read the article 'Why we eft the Young Communists' ( May). I was sad because I thought that the aim of Socialist Challenge was to be a forum for building
- which you article. won't do by an article giving such
In my branch. In Dundee which has just under 50 members, we pride ourselves on being the biggest political vouth organisa-
We are bigger than the Strike!
Young Tories and the SWP and
• we nave gol a record second to none in how a revolutionary youth organisation
We hold regular education classes covering all aspects of
politics - history, economics, law
and order, Ireland (with a speaker
from the Connolly Youth
Movement), gay rights, the state.
And we hold public meetings on
• we've helped , We marched on
my knowledge
Young Communist League Star irritated
I WAS intrigued to read the interview wille wo Torner Yel members (8 May). It gave a pic ture of the Young Communist
ship to any of my experience.
Of all the youth
the YCL is by far the youngest, it is committed to shif-
Tory government out before 1984 - not waiting unti then for a general election, as the
people interviewed claimed.
But the thing that personal irritated me more than anything else was the suggestion that
co SYCLers never discuss Ireland
For all the many demands on
established a working collective on Ireland, and personaly nave over le rouev years led discussions on Ireland at dozens of YCL meeting one of them on the day I read the
CHRIS MYANT, Morning Star '68 - CP led
General
TARIQ Ali's article on France, May 1968 (15 May) despite many excellent general points. gives a totally false view of the position of the French Communist Party.
EEK!
FROGS!
Far from
down any sup. more closely.
mediately
demand?
Repression!'
workers are and called Bendit.
Dundee Police out of
schools
AT A recent meeting of the East
voted overwhelmingly 'not to
- operate with police visits to schools, acuvites organisca o. the police for school pupils ....police recruitment drives etc
enquiry has been held into the death of Blair Peach.
AlI NUT 'members, especially
area, should ensure that a simular motion is passed in their school and branch union group,as par of the national campaign for a Public Enquiry
wille teners volana community workers are facing cutbacks in jobs and resources une volce nave extra resources te promote their public image and to attempt to indoctrinate every Class or scool studculs l H Metropolitan area
Philan Peach commine
Page 15 scan of this page
UNDER REVIEW
THE publication of Perry Anderson's new book Arguments within English Marxism is an event of major importance for the British left. Anderson's book is a polemic against Edward Thompson's influential text The Poverty of Theory, published last year.
Thompson's book was itself an attack on "Althusserian Marxism' regards of 'dogmatic' thought in British Marxism. The debate which Anderson takes up with Thompson ranges over a wide range of questions, including the nature of historical method, Marxism and philosophy.
In part, it is a continuation of a debate which was initiated between them 15 years ago on te nature or wc oourscols Icvolon l Britain, and the extent and character of the Marxist tradition in Britain.
All this may debate is an extremely important one, not just because of the influence of Thompson's broadside against Althusser, but also because the stakes of this debate are ultimately political.
In The Poverty. of Thompson declares 'war'
Marxism and 'all such Marxisms'. In reality, his 'war' turns out not to be just against Althusser and his familiar system of concepts, but defence fundamental categories of Marxist theory.
It challenges vulgar determinism', but it is also opposed to the very notion of Marxism as any form of socio-economic Politically it goes beyond rejecting Stalmism to dispensing with revolutionary Marxism, too. Science
Edward Thompson theory of scientific knowledge, which he argues is incapable of understanding history. According to Althusser, scientific knowledge is derived from the application of Generalities II (G2
scientific theories) to Generalities I (GI -the "raw material,
Generalities III knowledge).
Thompson correctly points out that because of Althusser's insistence on the differences between the 'real concrete' and the 'concrete in thought, Althusser's epistemology runs the risk of circularity. The knowledge takes place entirely without the possibility of verification in the real world.
There are evident parallels with Kant, and a radical difference between Althusser's account and that of Marx in the Grundrisse. Thompson counterposes to this an untenable account of how history.
Thompson recommends the 'reality rule' of Hexter - that historians should back the case which seems most realistic in terms of the evidence. The nature of these terms is com. pletely unelaborated.
Empiricism
Thompson retreats into empiricism, refusing to elaborate the categories needed to interrogate evidence, historical or otherwise, to produce scientific knowlerge. But the necessity of elaborating a systein knowledge is a sine qua non of all scientific procedure, not just an Althusserian whim.
No wonder then that Thompson so radically rejects the elaboration of Marxist categories undertaken by Althusser and his principal collaborators, some of which - the distinction between mode of production and social formation, over-determinanion. dominance - have passed into common usage. Class
Perry Anderson challenges the definition of class given by Thompson. polemicises against Althusser's insistence that class relations are objective structures, and that individual subjects are just the "bearers' or supporiusser s notion is aimed at laska conces. objective of class consciousness and the "class for itself'.
For Thompson the anti-humanist content of the Althusserian position is stark. If human ity is reduced to being the "bearers' of social relations, then what role exists for conscious human action? Thompson replies that class is not an objective structure, but a process of common identity:
'Classes arise because men and women, in determinative productive relations, their antagonistic interests, and come to value and think and struggle in class ways: thus the process of class formation is a process of self"given, although under conditions which are
An even more extreme (and influential) statement of this position is to be found in The Making of the English Working Class. Ander son points out that such a definition is a break with the Marxist notion that class position is not determined by consciousness.
On the contrary,
and what Thompson
'structuralist', seem very abtruse. But the
of the 'old new left'.
Theory Edward-
against Althusser's
the the
determinism.
'Althusser's
the object of knowledge) to
(G3 new
production of in thought,
Yet entirely understand order Thompson identify paign. throughout history
- Perry Anderson replies
• to Edward Thompson
TAKES ON A CRITIC
to elaborate independent anti-Stalinist, anti-capitalist positions.
publication of a rejoinder,
editor of 'New Left Review in the early '60s.
portant works on Marxism to be published for years. ACT For Thompson and the 'old new left' the neutralist CND was a formative experience.
NEW LEFT REVIEW
EDWARD Thompson is Britain's foremost Marxist historian. Author of 'The Making of the English Working Class', 'William Morris - Romantic to Revolutionary' and numerous other works, he is one of the veterans
They were the generation of left wingers who split with the Communist Party at the time of the invasion of Hungary in 1956 and began
Thompson's 'The Poverty of Theory', published last year, attacked many of the ideas about Marxism fashionable on the left. This week sees
'Arguments Within English Marxism' (NLB, £3.95), by Perry Anderson, who took over from Thompson as
PHIL HEARSE argues that Anderson's book is one of the most im'new' left, their first mass campaign was the militant anti-imperialist Vietnam Solidarity Cam-
objective analysis CICIC ICC LU Thompson's account, minant of class.
out trying to achieve a of society'
theory of
mon with Marxism'. accusato technological or
theories.
divorced from practice.
Review and to New
new left',
' 60s. Rebuff
series of Althusser's
clusions,
apparatuses.
contribution tribution
son finally
ing with the
the 'British Road' advance.
Nuclear Disarmament,
Strategy
never really did
tation
Gramsci.
Thompson's attention of every socialist.
numerous classes have not developed any sense of class solidarity or consciousness. Marxism would therefore find it impossible to make any
of class relations without consciousness, which itself, in becomes the key deter-
Thompson's explanation of class gives an insight into his whole account of the corpus of Marxist concepts. He argues that Marx started
'unitary theory of society'. But he became obsessed with the narrow concerns of political economy, leading to a false economic determinism and the infamous 'base/superstructure' model.
According to Thompson, this privileges the economic and is precisely not a 'unitary theory
in which culture and value systems play their proper part - but a false
'economic man'. This account is not at all an original one, but shares much in com-
many forms of 'anti-determinist
The typical failure of this account is its inability to grasp the importance for Marxism of the concept of the social relations of produc tion as the determining level of social reality. Marxism is a determinism. But all Marx's 'economic' categories turn out to be social relations, not objects or structures.
It is precisely for this reason that all the
about Marxism being narrowly 'economic' determinism are so wide of the mark
In his The Poverty of Theory Thompson attempted to give a social account of Althusser's
was the last systemiser of Stalinist thought. His epigones in the universities and polytechnics were 'lumpen bourgeois'
Much of the responsibility for introducing this dogmatic clericv was given to New Left
Left Books who were charged with 'an insistent pressure to re-assert Marxism as as doctrine'. On behalf of the old
Thompson made a damning judgement of the grour around Perry Anderson, Robin Blackburn and Quintin Hoare, who took over NLR in the early
'Anderson delivers a blistering rebuff to this
accusations. Having defended project of elaborating the categories of Marxism, although not all his con-
Anderson rigorously demonstrates Althusser's personal distance from the Stalinist
He rightly demonstrates the scope of the
- we would say an historic conmade by. the ' NIR team in introducing a wide variety of European Marxist thought, previously unknown in Britain, thus making a crucial contribution to broadening the scope of Marxist culture in this country.
The debate between Anderson and Thomp
resolves at the political level around Stalinism, Trotskyism and revolution.
The political period to which Thompson makes constant nostalgic reference is that of the anti-fascist Popular Front and the period of national unity against the Nazis. While break-
Communist Party, Thompson never fundamentally broke with the strategy of
- of peaceful, democratic
All his references to Trotskyism are of a derogatory nature, treating it as a subvariant of Stalinism,_another arid and dogmatic clericy.
Anderson gives an account of the political formation of the core of the NLR team. Unlike the 'old new left', its first major political intervention was not the neutralist Campaign for
but the militant anti-imperialist Vietnam Solidarity Campaign.
Inevitably they were forced to confront the political ideas of Trotskyism, and the history. of the Communist movement, which the old new left
Thus it was forced into a political confron
with the peaceful road strategy, , and towards an elaboration of the revolutionary strategy of Lenin, Trotsky, Luxemburg, and
A brief review of this character can hardly summarise adequately the full scope and depth of the debate that has been set in train, and which has hardly been concluded.
The Poverti of Theory reverberated around the academic left, apparently carrying all before it. Anderson has done the whole of the socialist movement a service in taking this debate so explicitly and rigorously to its political conclusions.
The debate is not over; Perry Anderson makes clear that he regards his conclusions as . But for the provisional and subject to rectification. But it is a debate which transverses all the fundamental issues of Marxism in our time. It deserves the Socialist Challenge 22 May 1980 Page 15
Page 16 scan of this page
BRITAIN OUT OF NATO! t Ltd, for Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper St, London N1. Printed by East End (offset) Ltd. PO Box 82, London E2.
Socialist Challenge says
MISSILES!
Demonstrate
gistered with the Post Officejas
NO CRUISE
June 22nd 12.30pm Assemble Embankment
March to Hyde Park
Organised by the Labour Party
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