Socialist Challenge No. 206, 16 July 1981
The scan: sc-no206.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive)
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Page 1 scan of this page
Challenge TORY REPRESSION
THOUSANDS OF YOUTH ARRESTED
No. 206 16 July 1981
25p Unemploved and strikers 10p
Socialist
SOLIDARITY WITH LAURENCE SCOTT WORKERS!
Stop press: The workforce has voted to continue the occupation against the recom-
mendation of union officials.
See pages 8, 9 and 10
Page 2 scan of this page
Defend youth rebellion
Editorial
Phone 01-359-8189/8180 (editorial and distribution)
ment, harassed by the police, forced to live in the decaying inner cities without hope for the
boiled over in anger. The riots in
and Southall have reached the proportions of virtual insurrection against authority - insurrections of whole communities.
These uprisings have been predictably led by the most oppressed and exploited the youth. In Southall, intimidation of the community by National Front thugs resulted in the organised defence of the community by the youth.
Elsewhere, youth and the community have boiled over against the police. The first thing that every socialist and labour movement activist should be saying is that, faced with the misery of Tory Britain, the youth are right to rebel. Every per. son arrested in the riots should be released, every charge dropped. The labour should defend those arrested. Defence committees should be established in every locality.
To be sure, socialists, riots and violent attacks on the police are not the most effective methods of struggle. Nonetheless the recent riots, like the uprisings in the black ghettoes in the United States in the 1960s, are a genuine expression of the misery and rage of the exploited and oppressed.
When they struggle against their tormentors, when they hit back at the police who harass them, and when they take the consumer goods which they are unable to afford, then we stand with them irrespective of our opinion of the tactical advisability of such actions. Nothing has been more sickening than the ritual condemnation of the rioters by Labour Party spokespeople.
TORIES - THE REAL CRIMINALS
The real criminals in this situation are the Tories. have doubled
hastening the decline of British industry, have smashed up the social services and driven down dards especially unemployed.
These criminals say that the riots are 'nothing to unemployment, talk 'outside agitators' and make plans to toughen the troduce a new Riot Act, police new weaponry and equipment. Nobody in the labour should be taken in nonsense. Our first task is to put the blame for the tragic situation in the cities where it belongs - not on the
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Socialist Challenge 16 July 1981 Page 2
Side, London black and Asian
the frustration of the
should be movement
for revolutionary It's their policies which unemployment in
catastrophic which
living stanthose of the
do with darkly about
Public Order Act, in-
give the
movement this Tory
portunity
Labour Party
youth, but on the Tories and their vicious anti-working class policies.
The recent events give urgency to the task of mobilising to kick out the Tories, to use every op-
fight against policies and prepare the way for a
government socialist policies.
DEFEND THE COMMUNITIES -POLICE OUT
The first task of the TUC and Labour
IS to provide the battle against this government. The miners fight against pit closure, the Civil Servants' strike and the huge demonstrations against unemployment have shown that the power and fighting spirit exists to Kjck out the Tories.
The TUC must now act against this government of wreckers. We cannot
ALLSTAR
SaM CAR HIRE 32
Tories added
their first useful step.
committed to against
can act to channel
A massive works,
focus for
reactionary
into dole
Challenge has
SOUL afford to stand by and watch the
dismantle our economy and society. We must prepare a general strike to remove the Tories. A one day general strike against the Tories is a
The 19 September demonstration
unemployment in ingham will be a massive explosion of anger against the government - and
the frustration of youth against the Tories.
programme of public not Murray's pathetic posal of f500m, must be presented by the unions and the Labour Party to rebuild the inner cities.
The insanity of a system which proposes to spend £6 billion missile system, while the cities slide
decay and millions rot on must be challenged meaning of the fight which Socialsit
waged for Jobs not Bombs is now completely clear in all its implications. The Labour Party and
of the police in their areas.
defending the racists' provocation.
areas, alleged 'looters'
ploitation passively.
the communities.
ORGANISE
movement should organise police and the Tories have
There is no
revenge.
perspective to the militants.
of
police.
past years, assemblies of debated out the fascism and state racism.
political answers.
ly organisations credibility to do the job. wounded animal,
brutally clear
to lose.
Birm-
RIOTS
pro- inside the labour
press lies.
tion Youth organising meetings the mind. In The
else will.
the trade unions must reach out to the
The labour movement should join in
munities. Our first demand should be
end to police swamping of the communities and for the right of the community to veto the activities
The Asian youth of Southall showed they were perfectly capable of
their community against
The presence of the police in these
with their dawn raids against and saturation harassment on the streets, is designed only to cow and intimidate the ordinary people of these areas, to force them to lie down and accept their ex-
The police, including the Special Patrol Groups and Tactical Aid groups must get out of
COMMUNITY AND YOUTH MUST
In the next period, in addition to organising legal defence, the labour
and the communities for struggle. The • declared war on the communities and youth.
possibility that the authorities will allow these events to go by without trying to take their
The communities and the youth should organise assemblies to work out the political tasks ahead. What is needed now is the giving of a political
This means taking up the methods
mobilisation and mass organisation against the racists and
The precise form of organisation of the community and the youth will vary from area to area. In Southall, in
there have already been youth which have struggle against
The most political sections of the communities and youth will look for
They have to be organised by the Labour Party and the Labour Party Young Socialists, the on-
with the mass
The struggle in Ireland, the situation in the Labour Party, the actions of thousands in the unions and now the youth rebellion have put the Tories on 'the run. This is the beginning of the end for the government. But like a
its savagery will grow as its death comes closer. It is
that the way to win socialișt policies is to remove this government. There is not a moment
GET THE TRUTH OUT ON THE
In the next few weeks, socialists have to do a tremendous job of explanation
and beyond, to get out the truth on what happened - and combat the flood of
All Socialist Challenge and Revolu-
supporters should be with this aim particular Socialist Challenge should be used, to sell on council estates and in the localities to hammer home the truth about what happened. If we don't do it, no one
Page 3 scan of this page
THE youth the topic of conversation in workplaces and pubs throughout Socialist Challenge here presents its basic questions socialists will have answer weeks and months.
Is the rioting'
Surely socialists don't support looting and destruction of property?
Violent outbursts by the most oppressed are inevitable. of people are filled with rage at the daily injustice which they have to put up with, when they are driven to desperation by the hopelessness of their lives, then outbreaks of violence always OCCUr.
Throughout fiance of authority has been the motor force for British parliament only has any authority because it organisea a civil war against conquer it.
Women only won the vote because they organised a militant campaign on the streets.
It is no rioters nave police the existing order, to police the misery that capitalism and the 1 ones nave created.
Yes, the youth rebellion is justified — to rebel against a system that offers them nothing.
The looted shops because they lack the jobs and money to buy con-
goods. there is the productive capacity for everyone to have a decent
But instead a few are rich, and many are desperate. understandable. don't think that witn ine ponce or looung shop:
are that wao thange el con.
change unless pressed stand up and fight. The the exploited
youth tave Sarice Socialists can only rejoice.
Doesn't the rioting the gover timell new repressive measures tougher anti-riot laws, banand police eces, men of marches, new courts
The Tories and the ruling class don't need a reason to new repressive laws. lie: pond this repression is the only way they know to control society.
Before brought in the Prevention of terrorism Act, people to be held without trial, the new Employment prevent They armed whole sections of the police, created the Special Patrol Group and so on.
The ruling class will always
The youth
rebellion is
the land.
view UlI it. which to in the coming
justified?
The
society When millions history de-
change. BUNC quo.
the king to
accident that the
the - their role is to defend
and
the youth are right
youth of today have
In this society
and Looting is perfectly
skirmishes No. come and
do it.
make bring in bring in
because
they HOUS
which enables
Act to picketing.
uprising: the
socialist view
be able to find an excuse for stepping repression. cidentally, isn't it amazing how quickly virtually every police force in Britain got new riot gear? In fact, they already had
The present uprising were
But aren't the police just trying to keep the peace and defend property! they defend the black communities if the attacking them?
police aren't defending everyone That is a fiction. They are there that society includes unemploymcal, talism, poverty.
The police's job is to ensure that those who protest against such conditions don't threaten these who are bankers, foe them bosses, the Tory rich. The cops are there to protect the status
The police aren't interested in defending the black munities against racists — more often they defend the racists. The attitude of the fran. callen racists and ante
When fascists confront one another, the police invariably invoke the Public Order Act to ban marches. If they were serious about defending the black community
stopping racism, would prosecute and arrest the National HTONT Movement leaders under Race Relations Act.
But they never political reasons. ana racists may de an occasional nuisance for them, but they regard the blacks and the labour movement cucules.
Will laws stop uprisings?
Already youth have been tear or arrest will not prevent them mobilising on the streets.
demonstrations in Southall in
79, hundreds of Asian youth were tried and many sent to jail. But still Southall centre of militancy.
than 3 millon there loyed,
long as the youth, especially the black and Asian given no future and harassed by the cops there will be trouble. More repression, harsher laws, could even make the situation have been caused sible parents is one ludicrous Home Secretary Whitelaw.
The youth rebel because
they In -
enough'
Led.
is often preparec Won't
youth stop
July it ucull al, equally.
joyed
bankers,
No.
Con-
police with
racists and anti-
they
the
do for
The fascists
tens
and as their other
the
Thousanes
arrested jobs.
ana ine
all lascist protits,
is a
there are more
youth. a1 c
are the most oppressed and because they have least ic lose. Whenever the mass of ordinary people say
ana start lo youin are always the courageous, the most determin.
In the black communities it
the youth do what parents think ought to be done, but lack the determination or organisation.
When the fascists attacked the community in Southall on 3
was the youth responded and area. If they are outside of the control of their parents, then in general it is a good rather than a bad thing. Let anyone who enfoeir parents say the ollositey being 'controlled'
Isn't 'community policing' the answer?
ConnElly policing
more blacks in the police force, more bobbies on the beat. Is just a velvet glove to hide the iron fist. It is an attempt to get sections of the black and Asian communities
keeping themselves order, rather than having riot police do it.
No kind of policing is going to create more jobs, rebuild the inner cities or restore British industry. It is only the complete transformation of the priorities of society — away from a society based on profit to one based
on peoples needs - which will
reate the possibility of solving these problems.
Britain's cities massive programme of public works to rebuild them.
of thousands unemployed building workers
millions of bricks building stockpiled, the means exist to do the jobs.
British industry millions of pounds pumped in to it to renew investment and create tens of thousands of new
With billions of pounds being spent on nuclear missiles,
banks making huge the means exist to get on with it.
Our Front Cover
her head.
Sir Philip Knights Midlands on Monday ingham Labour Pari had acted in a provo: But the coice Pau! a= = ecutive o'the la: ="=
'enough is fight, most
who are their
who defended the collaborate need With of
materials
needs
ter!
THIS week's front cover features a picture of Socialist Challenge supporter Pauline Roe after being batoned by Special Patrol Group cops in Hands. worth, Birmingham. Pauline later had 16 stitches in
She was clubbed three times by the SPG thugs. While on the ground she heard one say. you done to her? Let's get ou: of here quick
We need to kick out the Tories and get socialist policies working - the sooner the bet-
'What have
the Wes:
Page 4 scan of this page
YOUNG, ANGRY AND
Brixton Station Get the economy roling
HAND ROLLING TOBACCO The Virginian Phole:
Socialist Challenge 16 July 1981 Page 4
years. ground
The 400
'shop with no
estate.
police.
30 minutes, dows smashed and cars outside wrecked
station, seemed to time for when they off they won the streets. Moss theirs.
first,
Koad. smashing
began to relax.
Everybody
onto the
to each other begall nions. Young moved in of the Manchester stood no chance.
revenge, Side with his police.
squads in meat
own streets.
USHEC DOCKS
night
people in almost every major town in England have taken to the streets in battles with police which are virtually unprecedented in the past 50
The smugness of the Tories about their ability to control the social effects of their catastrophic economic By Redmond O'Neill and Jude Woodward THE time is 1am on Wednesday, 8 July. A pall of smoke hangs over the 'meadow', a large field in the middle of Moss Side, Manchester. A hardware store has been burnt to the
police, shields watch helplessly as young and olc
money', 30 yards police lines. If the cops charge the crowd it just melts away into the nearby
Doors are open to anyone who has to bolt for cover. The whole community, led by the black youth, is in open confrontation with the
It began around 10pm on Tuesday night when a 80mph. thousand strong crowd of mainly black youth stormed Moss Side police station. It was under seige for been thrown.
with its win-
Curfew
police
The police later admitted they had feared for the safety of those inside the
and those outside sense it at the moved responsible they had freedom of the Side Wan trouble. when the youth trotted down Prin- In
abreast, community shop windows and daring the police to wildl James react, the rest of the local
seemed tense. really meant. bul no privale nouses werc touched so soon everyone
Cane „oul streets, neighbours who hadn't talked
for cycals exchange opiand old on the shops the The black youth had led a carnival of the communi- tion on the scale
James Anderton, head
cops, causing night sought his areas.
Swalos Moss From snatch ozaniscu wagons That
Anderton's victims
'WE were picked up by the cops a couple of yards
outside a friend's house.
trying to see what was going on.
'Most of those arrested were bystanders. The
police just moved in with truncheons on anyone
seen on the streets. One young black woman was
arrested in a telephone kiosk. She's been fined
£100 for obstruction.
'All in all, hundreds have been arrested in
Manchester for no other crime than walking their
Those accused of throwing petrol
bombs or bricks were badly beaten at the police
station. But the cops themselves openly boasted of
'In the cells we all faced continuous intimida-
tion. We were packed in eight to a cell. The mat-
tresses had been removed.
with all the lights blazing and the cops
Sursing in every 20 minutes to keep us aware
Thei dea was to ge: us inte cour quickiy and as
worn out as possible.
Frank Elvey and Duncan Edwards were two of
those arrested in Moss Side.
The Moss Side revolt
cowering behind their
from the
housing
ruised around the area a
Bv yom about J people had been arrested, by midnight, 150. And yet not one petrol bomb had
But by 11.30pm a total of 900 police had imposed a curfew in Moss Side. The police prosecutor was later
court: 'Any who knew what had been going on would stay in their own
The only reason to be out is to be looking for
effect, the whole was forced to stay in their homes. This is
Anderton's police operatio Whitelaw, so prais-
Willie
Anderton attempted to justify the action by claim-
trouble in Moss Side had been the work of outside agitators. He said:
personally cannot believe that it is within the
of the noe a people in-
young people involved to plan an opera•
There must be other people involved, intent on outside
destruction and anarchy in the inner city
There is no doubt in wole thing was pre-planned and
was also the
chased wielding Thursday We were just looking, were
standing step? town,
We were all held over-
cars
bolic.
urgent talks are going on about how to deal with the crisis.
These on-the-spot reports from Socialist Challenge correspondents give some idea of what is happening on the streets and some of the facts which are emerging about police activity in particular.
theme of local Labour MP
George Morton who blam-
ed 'people coming in from
But if it was all the
fault of 'outside agitators'
why was it necessary for
the police to intimidate the
community by swampin
Why were workers
returning from night shift
by truncheonpolice on the night? Why people arrested for on Leeds, Sunday 12 July At 4am on Sunday
morning barricades
went up in Chapel-
Leeds Along Roundhay
Road shop windows
were smashed, goods
were taken and bar-
ricades erected with
burning overturned
But it was almost as
if the looting was sym- TOn.
After all, who
would want a Black
and Decker grass trim-
mer when nobody in
Chapeltown had a
Talking to local people afterwards a clearer picture emerges. Everywhere
people say the same: "+'s
down to unemployment. "The police have gone to
walking down the SUCELS.
jeorgın Side 15-year
old in said:
'You can understand it
The police seem to think they are some kind of superior species. You're doing nothing and they all
lawn?
All day Saturday in Chapeltown there had been coppers in twos and threes on every street corner. Others were in blue transit vans, hungrily roaming the streets
Right at the start of
vans drive past the ac
waited for the trouble to escalate before moving in.
By 5.30am the police had forced us in-
Friday 10
July A WEEK after the successful resistance to the skinhead invasion of Southall on 3 July rumours of further skinhead attacks reached a peak
Police contributed to these rumours more than anyone else
On 10 July police asked parents to escort their children home from school and asked local
roll up and make
they're something specia
No one likes being treate
like that. If they have a g
at me l walk away caus
don't want any bother, be
you just won't take
anvmore.'
Bas • Jonnson.
driver who operates from
depot in the heart of Mo
explained the rea
people saw comin
Most blame the ToI
government.
to a myriad of side
streets. Our number
had dwindled to 50
But for a while we had
established a no-go
area in parts of Chapel
town, although there
were too few of us to
reach our real target
the business district of
Leeds.
Still the police had
not been able to defea
us. and the next dar
blacks walked the
streets with a nev
found air of confidenc
and celebration.
Page 5 scan of this page
factory employers to send their workers home early to avoid the troubles that were coming.
With these moves they built up an already tense situation into an electric one. Shopkeepers all around the area boarded up their shops and tales of planned confrontations were two a penny.
Workers in the Southall Rights office counted up the number of skinheads reported to be assembling in neighbouring areas and came to a figure of 66,000!
In the evening groups
"They don't agree with
rioting especially after
one of our drivers was
hurt, but they're not
prepared to blame the kids
ecause they know they're
just reacting being
thrown on the scrap heap. Arrests
The truth about Moss
Side is relatively simpie.
The black youth led the
whole community onto the
tunity to have their voices
was to crack down with
blanket policing, curfews,
raids, arbitrary arrests and
In that context local
labour leaders
such as the
shouid not content them-
serves Te beaug
police lies. They should be
striving to focus the anger
which erupted Moss
Side and elsewhere.
They should be
establishing the facts
about the riots. And they
should place themselves in
the front line of the
costalle the
police curfew on the black
community.
FIGHTING BACK
of youth stood around Southall discussing what was going to happen. here was sion that the whole thing was bound to blow.
finally about 50 youth started marching towaras vingles, a alsco less than a mile from centra bowman wins a haunt of young racist thugs.
Within a few minutes Iney were amousnea Dy lines of cops with batons ana snielas. Ine igning which broke out was Totany contised
Hundreds of youth
MORE than four hun-
dred people attended
an Anti Nazi League
rally against fascist
violence in Islington
last Sunday.
The size of the rally
was a bia success as
the police ban on mar-
ches in London led
many people to believe
that the event was
cancelled.
nature of this ban as an
were running to and fro, most of them just watching what was taking nice liners were nrow. ing rocks at the law and at any shop window that was handy.
But the police easily had the upper had and some of them took delight in attacking and arresting young people many of whom had done nothing.
Over 100 were arrested, many of them badly beaten up and many Asian and Engish shops were damaged.
Community reaction
Islington, Sunday 12 July
attack on the
democratic rights of
ine labour movement
was clearly revealed by
Sunday's events.
A large crowd of
fascists were allowed
peddle their racist
filth at the nearby
Chapel Market while
the peaceful Anti Nazi
rally was denied per-
mission to organise its
is confused. The events earlier in the month were seen as a victory for black selt-detence and had focussed attention on the need to fight racism unemployment and police harassment on a national level
A national demonstraHon по пои banned, had been called by local groups.
As we go to press local organisations are meeting to dicuss what comes next including the rescheduling of the national demonstration.
ASING,
LIN
own mass leafletting at
the market or to
demonstrate against
the fascists.
Speakers at the rally
included George Cunn.
ingham, Labour MP for
Islington South, and
Paul Holborrow from
the Anti Nazi League.
Bob Pennington
from The Other
Bookshop called for a
Around noon, a of skinhead youth tried
to climb over a wall of a nursery school. Their larger was DIack children. The school united labour movement campaign against the fascists: 'The policies of the Tory government are responsible for the despair and anger which lies behind the recent social unrest up ana aown ine counti Thatcher and her gang are me red crimals and looters.
Woolwich, Thursday 9 July
was hurriedly closed but a rumour started that skinheads were planning to contaminate the area later that afternoon
Shops, banks and pubs soon had their windows boarded up. offices were closed; tne police advised schools to 'evacuate'.
By 5pm, the streets and markets were deserted. From about 6pm black and white youth, mainly West In. dian and Asian, , started to assemble. at the main square near a sikh temple where an AL maGue was out to take place, , and the Tramshead dance hall where skinheads were due to arrive later that evening. some police with dogs.
crowd heard that fascists were arriving on the Woolwich ferry. There was a rush to where the ferry docked and a few windows were smashed. But it was nothing serious.
As it turned out
Birmingham,
Friday 10 July
Violence flared last Friday in the predominantly black and Asian area of nanas worn in Dumingham. Rumours had spread round the city for two days that groups of
British Movement skinheads were about to invade the area.
The Indian Workers Association advised shop keepers in the area to board up their shops, and issued a leaflet calling for a mass mobilisation to defend the area against racist attacks.
By 9pm on Friday there were 1000 youth on the streets. Superintendant Webb, reknowned in the area and nationally for his pioneering of
'community policing' was singled out for the first
atiacte appeared alone on
rounded him and found
Stoke Newington,
Friday 10 July
ic was to brovoca-
The youth were just
Dhoto. standing round, waiting
101 • something to happen.
The cops started it,
about 35 of them, by
launching a sudden bator
charge. Then the trouble began As the cops mov. ed up the road one of
them was hit by a stone.
Then they charged Three SiG
for blood.
vans arrived and drove straight at a group of youth. The cops were
hysterica!
through a
there were no fascists on the ferry so the crowd turned back the way they came.
There was now a massive police presence which tried to disperse the crowd away from the town
Wherever they Contre. went the youth were harassed by the cops. It was sheer provocation
Meanwhile, the ANL meeting took
had a go for it. They were chased away by Asian youth.
During the next few hours most of the arrests took place. They did so, by and large, as the crowd was dispersing. The next day the media attributed the smashed windows and 'looting' - of which there was very little -to a pre-planned riot
In reality it was an exercise in legitimate self-defence, against a possible mass attack
military-style offensive by the cops.
him reluctant to answer their questions. They then placed a bottle on his head.
At 10.30pm the youth started to attack and loo! the shops. Police in full riot gear appeared on the scene me trules later. On the subsequent two evenings police attempted to impose a vir. tual curfew of the area but the youth returned to the streets in force
Over 300 youth have been arrested, but all refused bail. There is talk
in Birmingham of special emergency detention cen tres being opened to dea with those arrested.
Many of the detained youth appeared in court on Monday morning
One of the mothers of ar accused black youth sug gested that Downing
target next time.
In another shop the."
"looting' was a picture
Charles and Di that u3:
taken out and ripped::
shreds.
The cops chased and
beat up anyone they
could lay their hands or
mouthing racist
obscenities as the! wer:
on the rampage.
youth resisted, thraw t
oncks as une coes
ed
It was al
Page 6 scan of this page
How Thatcher reneged on
ON TUESDAY 7 July, over-ruled her own government ministers, Humphrey Atkins and Michael Alison, and pronounced a death sentence on Joe McDonnell. At 5pm on McDonnell died, the prisoner to die in the last two months.
The full horror of what Thatcher did has come to light through statements issued by the
for Iris Justice and Peace in the aftermath of McDonnell's death.
For over a month the Commission naa acicu as a go-between between the
and the H Block prisoners.
Monday they agreed the basis of a settlement DCIWCCIl the prisoners and Michael Alison, the MusTS ICI responsible for prisons in the north of Ireland.
Twenty-four hours later withdrew its assent to the
and a new chapter in British duplicity in Ireland had been written. Rules
The kev stages in ine negotiations were
3 June. The Irish Commission for Peace and Justice issues a statement on the
strike. makes three suggestions as a way of ending the deadlock: 1)
should be onsoners allowed to wear their own
whenever they wish. 2) There should be a Te axallull the rules governing the association
prisonels, providing there is no military train-
'illegal activity. 3) The question of prison WORK should be reviewed to ensure it is 'of the greatest cultural and educational value'.
June John Hume,
leader of the Social
emocrac anu Labour
Party has talks with Hum-
ONTCY Hume Atkins in told London.
movement' by the
government would
"inevitable' providing 'the
prisoners ц'ere о
clear that. if the govern-
ment were to act along the
unes suggested the
Commission TOH Justice
and Peace' they would
respond positively.
iS June The US Bishops'
Conference
join the Irish,
English and Welsh bishops
commending the pro-
posals of the Commission
is: Justice and Peace. June The lish Bish pse
Conference
call
= soners to indicate ina:
ine proposals made by
Commission. could lead
solution of the
Tre H Biock
== = "
Wednesday morning Joe fifth Irish political
By Geoff Bell
talks to bring about a settlement'.
19 June The Commission savs the atmosphere between the British government and the prie-neimes 'mellowing'. Times Says the Commission's proposals would not
to political status', and that 'they are allioulll changes that any government Cole contemplale making on merit'.
22June A member of the Commission meets hunger striker. According to the prisoners the Commission member 'stated his belief that we were pursuing a settlenuinely ment to the hunger-strike'.
23 June The Commission hold talks Michael Alison, the government minister charge of
According to the Irish Times the
'encouraged the belief among members that 'a resolution
oi ine prison alspuic now possible.
Humphrey 17 Line 'welcomes' the June statement the Irish
Bishops, which called on
indicate
ine prisoners
acceptance of the Com-
mission's proposals.
30 June The Commission holds a further meeting
Alison who then
WiLD
sends a letter to the Com-
clarifying the government's attitude to MUSSIOLE the 3 June proposals.
Atkins issues a slalt
ment which says 'scope ex-
for further
provements in ine prison
regime'.
The Commission says
thai Atkins' statement and
their talks with Alison give
encouragement
continue with their efforts шлел
achieve a resolution of
the prison dispute'.
3/4 July TWO
meetings between the
Commission and Alison
which 'clarify' the govern-
ment's towards
ine s june proposais.
On 4 July the Commisthe hunger
strikers and reports
them that in light of the
assurances given by Alison
Lne liOW
'under a moral obligation
to take action on the inree
areas suggested by us in
our 3 June statement'
tell i he commission
the prisoners that the
goremmer:
erd.re
say they would not object Lo any orson relordi luc were granted being extend ed to all prisoners. On association LNIC prison, 'we : do not envisage
around. ourselves the blocks as we please';
'work' the DISON. 'achievement of compatible arrangement should be
The ......,.-
210000
Ireland.
the H Block deal
This graphic is taken from The H Blocks - An indictment of British prison policy in the North of Ireland, an excellent new
now accepted.
6 July In the words of a later satement issued bi the Commission: 'We met Mr Alison on 16 June, and produced to him a copy of our statement. The state ment contained summary of the essential of prison reform which had emerged in our discussions We informed hir ha he prisoners con.....
accepted ... j... tatement apart from one major point: thai while the
government was committed to the clothing reform, the 'specific details of the other reforms were mean! to be illustrative only'.
Commission was later to say that they did not think that this interpretation was a correct one
previous government undertakings. theless, felt a settle ment was still likely.
All that was now needed was for the government to send in a civil servant to personally confirm what
was now promising. Alison promises to send in such an official by,
pamphlet from Information on Ireland, 1 North End Rd, London W1. Price 40p plus 25p for p&p noon on 7 July.
7 July No official is sent in by noon. The Commission threatens to hold a press conference it a cIvil servant sent immeonately Alison agrees to send such a person that
No-one is sent in. cycllille
July. Joe McDonnell
dies. The government
finally sends a civil servant
to Long Kesh. But the text
of the statement is radical-
different Lildi
agreed by Alison on 6 Ju-
ly.
The Commission com-
ment that the statement is
Martin Hurson: how many more must die? not a 'serious attempt to end the Block crisis They say promises made to them have been Clawed back' by the British gove been They add:
believe Mr Alison himself acted at all times in good faith'.
On this latter point it is assumed that Alison was at the moniel ruled. Humphrey Atkins
understood to have been
working with him
throughout
There is only one other
persus ordered the breaking Could have
agreement. Her name
is Margaret Thatcher.
Page 7 scan of this page
British Army riots at funeral
New York mobilises behind the prisoners
By Tom Marlowe WHEN the Hughes died, the Royal Ulster Constabulary seized coffin and body from being driven through the streets of West Belfast.
seemed impossible for the forces of 'law and
North of Ireland to sink lower than that. But last rridav thev managed it when the army and the RUC attacked the funeral of Joe McDonnell, the fifth political prisoner to die during the current hunger strike. Attack
The RUC and the army launched their attack on the
the traditional volley of shots had UCCI fired over McDonnell's coffin Ander. sonstown, West Belfast.
of plastic bullets and rounds of live ammunition were fired by the army as they went in pursuit of the IRA firing party.
That however was only all CAluse. i ne alm or lne exercise was to intimidate all those who, by attending the funeral, had shown their solidarity WIld hunger strikers. Innocent
According to a local
priest, the Kev
O'Rawe, soldiers and pol.
ice fired "indiscriminately' into the crowd. The one person who was seriously
Patrick Adams,
was described by Sinn Fein
as an 'innocent bystander'
From Tom Martin in New York City 'UNFORTUNATELY it looks as if we're once again entering a phase where the world will look disbelief at what is Ireland.
'We're here to ask the world to do more than We're asking the
America, the most powerful nation in the world, to stand up on this issue.
'This is not just an Irish issue - it's one of fundamental human rights. We're asking you to show Britain that she is a leper in the world.' Appeal
This was the appeal made by Belfast ci-
ty councillor Fergus O'Hare at a press con-
ference here on 3 July. O'Hare is here on a speaking tour organised by the New York
H-Block/Armagh Committee which
take in meetings in
Philadelphia, Boston, Syracuse,
and Pittsburgh as well as a major rally in
New York City. He has also been invited to
address a city
ington, Vermont. Hotbed
The press conference at which O'Hare
spoke attracted considerable media atten-
tion, including several TV and radio sta-
tions. The conference
former New York city council president
Paul O'Dwyer. Other speakers included
Alice McElwee, mother of hunger striker
Thomas McElwee; Oliver Hughes,
of late hunger striker Francis
former US attorney general Ramsey Clark;
and well-known anti-war activist Daniel
second hunger striker Frankie
prevented Frankie's
at the funeral.
He was shot in the back four by the army His 'crime' was that he was known by the army as the brother OI Gerry Adams, vice-president of no rend. Blunder
Martin Flannery, Shetfield Labour MP, describ-
funeral as aclundering.
funeral 'blundering, dangerous olle
He has called for an inquiry into the funeral
Joe McDonnell had
been servilig 15 year
sentence when he died. He
had been convicted tor be-
Ing possession OI
handgun. Last week three
British soldiers were also
CONVICICU
firearms. Arsenal
They were Neville EdIvor Hirst and
Holstulle
Gary Rozier of the Royal
Green Jackets. Somewhat
surprisingly the three had
seen found noi guilty of
conspiring
nan accused of killing the
line year old cousin of Ed
monston.
The three were
however, found guilty of
what was
described as an 'arsenal of
weapons, including two on in horror and happening in
people ot
the Catskills,
, Scranton
council meeting in Burlwas chaired by
brother Hughes;
The traditional salute
sub-machine ammunition, smoke grenades and But unlike Joe McDonnell the solidiers were not given a 15 years sentence. they are Ramsey
Berrigan.
New York today is a hotbed of support for the hunger strikers. Some 10,000 реоple marched when Bobby Sands died; and hundreds still join in the daily pickets of
Ireland
given at the funeral of Republican volunteers. This was given to hunger striker Ray McCreesh.
Only Hirst was jailed — for a year - and that because he had a previous firearm conviction. The other two were given suspended sentences for Speakers at the New York H Block/Armagh Committee press conterence.
Clark, Oliver Hughes, Paul O'Dwyer, Fergus O'Hare, Alice McElwee.
three months.
Then, on Monday there was another outstanding example of British fair play. Lens lous ands marched through
COK
Left to right
the British consulate. These are organised by Northern Irish Aid, which strongly identifies with the Provisionals -leadership plays down the Provisionals' leftward evolution to the extent of censor-
Belfast, carrying swords, pikes and other offensive weapons. The British Army did not intervene. The marchers were Orange
prisoners other aspects participating Irish-Americans
attacked for
been a Coalition the Irish
support in the unions.
Building
makes
Councillors against H Blocks
CAROL Turner, Southwark Labour councillor. has written an open letter to the British labour movement on behalf of the Belfast 34 Defence Committee, which represents those ar rested two weeks ago at a Belfast rally against the H Blocks.
Carol says: am most alarmed that the elected representatives of the minority in Northern Ireland are denied the right to address their constituents in the city Collic... feel strongly. that it is : our responsibility the British labour movement to protest against this blatant denial democratic rights...
Carol Was alone those arrested when the peacetul rally
Photo: AN PHOBLACHT broken up by the RUC
The court hearing has been adjourned until October. Statements of support and contributions to the legal costs will be very much welcomed Copies of the open letter are available from hallenge take to your local Labour Party and union branches. Messages of suport and donations to:
Councillor John McAnulty, Connolly Book. shop Avoca Park.
Andersonstown, Bel fast.
ing out all references to socialism!
The New York H-Block/Armagh Com. mittee was sel up ds an organstion oper to all those willing to build support for the
regardless views of the struggle. , Apart from in Northern Aid tivities, it has its own packed programme of activities. In recent weeks these have included pickets of the QE2, British Airways, and Republican Party headquarters (to demand that the Reagan administra tion breaks its links with Thatcher); public meetings, and film and theatre benefits.
have traditionally tended to play a conservative role in US politics, and not so long ago O'Dwyer was
comparing Britain's role in Ireland with American intervention in E Salvador. But now such links are increas ingly made. A welcome feature of this has
growing identification by black people with the struggle in Ireland.
One of the most significant of recen developments has been the formation o
Irish-American Labour Coalition trade union leaders representing 17 millior workers. While it is likely to organise onh token actions (such as the 24-hour boycot of British shipping by the Internationa Longshoremen's Association when Bobb Sands died), it will give campaigners or
greatly increased oppor tunities of getting a hearing and organisin
Reagan has so far stood by Thatche and her policy in Northern Ireland. But head of steam is building up here tha
increasingly difficult Washington to continue with that stance And that is good news for all who suppor the H-Block and Armagh prisoners.
Socialist Challenge 16 July 1981 Page
Page 8 scan of this page
Laurence Sco
By Phil Hearse WORKING people had great hopes of the last Labour governments. As the LCC conference meets, the question of Labour government will advance towards socialism will be in militants.
In 1964, Harold Wilson brought to an end the 'thirteen years of Tory misrule' and promised a transformation of Britain through the 'white heat of the technological revolution'. But Labour instead pursued years of rightwing policies, including the 1966 wage freeze and the attempted shackling of the unions through 'In Place of Strife'. The outcome was the 1970 election defeat.
In 1974, the miners' defeat of Heath brought in
Labour government pledged to 'a fundamental and irreversible shift power and wealth to work-
people and their families'
fact, the abour government pursued pro-
under Wilson, Callaghan and Healey, leading doubling unemployment, he debacle of the
of discontent'
Water 1978-9, and finally Thatcher's victory in the May
1979 general election. (Socialist Challenae)
Platform
These experiences have led large of the rank and file of the labour movement to insist that it must not be repeated and that the next Labour government should be accountable to the labour COOKSON movement and pledged thorough-going socialist measures. Tony Benn the leader of the Labour left most associated with GM
In his recent circular to
Photo:
che consulucily parties Benn asks for support on :his basis. But is Benn's five point programme AIS election platform adequate for gellilig Labour really push through
push through acialist polícies?
First, we have to consider une present relationship of forces inside the
abour movement. Benn's campaign for the deputy
eadership may have put
trade union bureaucrats and the right
*ing under pressure, but even if it was successful it would not automatically nean left 'Bennite' government.
Pressure
Foot is currently the guardian of the policies of
the right. Foot-led government, with Healey
and Hattersley in leading
zosts, would not even at-
:empt the kind
measures extending
democracy' mentioned in
Benn's programme.
certain,
however, about the next
LaDOul government.
will be under tremendous
pressure from all the
forces of right-wing reac-
Coming to power in a
period of acute economic
and political crisis, the rul-
ing class would be deter-
mined not aloW
Labour government any
room for manoeuvre.
Immediately it would
face attempts to force it in-
line like the
under massive
assault since taking power.
Socialist Challenge
Will the next Labour
government advance
towards socialism?
whether the next
the minds of many
To deal with the problems of unemployment, de-industrialisation, collapsing social services and decaying inner cities,
have to immediately find
ment and public works on a large scale.
It would have to ensure the implementation of a socialist national plan for
and social Chilli recovery in the interests of working people. This would be impossible without the immediate nationalisation of the banks and the leading monopolies.
Every socialist governfaced wItn capitalist sabotage. Labour government elected on a socialist programme
won't for a moment allow the democratic choice of the people to be implemented without a fight. financial weapon and every They will use control of industry to prevent socialist change. They will refuse financing to the
They will government. refuse to invest. A socialist government will have to
control investment HOULD control the
commanding heights of industry and control of the banks. Defence
Even if a Labour
government carried
hrough nationalisation, it 16 July 1981 Page 8
would, faced with the hysterical reaction of the capitalist class, have to call on the workers to mobilise in its defence.
To prevent sabotage in both the nationalised and non-nationalised sectors of industry would require workers' supervision and control in all lil major enterprises. Workers' control goes hand-in-hand with nationalisation.
How does Benn's programme match up to these tasks? To be sure, in addition to policies EEC, nuclear disarma ment and the extension of aenues for a return to full Tony Benn argues for employment' and 'full restoration of the social service cuts'.
Key
But the best of intentions are useless without The means ro through; nationalisation is
task in carrying through socialist programme. It is grave
weakness marbell s address
gramme doesn't
this issue at all.
In the heat of the fight
for Benn's election
deputy leader, it is all too
easy for his programme to
be overlooked. But this is a
dangerously short-sighted
attitude.
It is vital that the next
Labour government does
not repeat the fiasco of the
'64 and '74 governments.
wide-ranging debate
should theretore be in
itiated in the labour move-
ment. For such a debate to
be fruitful a fatal illusion
has to be dispelled - that
a Labour government wil
have time to gradually imbit by bits As s policy,
by bit. As Ken Liv-
ingstone is discovering in
London, nothing could be
further from the truth.
Labour
government acts decisively
from the beginning, or it
will be driven from office
- or worse stil. tollow the
familiar dreary road mark-
Wilson, ouL
Callaghan and Healey.
'If we had any doubts about the type of boss we re fighting, we've lost them forever now!' Laurence Scott workers in the 12th week of their occupation against closure.
Mining Supplies the group oWls Laurence Scott, is a boss
with the philosophy and style of the
government. He's a 1U1Y favourite with the Engineering Employers Federation which
him full support since the day he declared the closure of the Manchester engineering fact-
with the loss of 650 jobs.
Like mOsl of the closures which are hitting the North West region the reason given was that the plant was making a loss. That was a lie.
Dennis Barry. now convenor Laurence Scott, explains: profitability has contributed a third of the group's profits for the labl nine years. He only quotes us as a loss make. because our work is being transterred ouCI plants.'
Support
This was the reason why laurence workers took the step of picketing the parent company in Doncaster last week in a bid to bring the previously intransigent Snipe to the negotiation table.
The decision to picket had the unanimous support of the occupation the sort of support that has cupa an from of tee day cupation IrON after the workers voted to Still Part of the reason for
the fierce loyalty shown to the occupation during the course of the dispute has been class hatred against Snipe.
Joan Taylor, an APEX steward, sums up the feeling in the plant: Snipe has treated us like we just don't matter. The bulk of us have been here over 25 years.'
Knife
Elaine Cross, an AUEW/TASS steward, confirms it; 'He's put the knife in and he's just kept on turning it. Everybody just had enough.'.
But many plants in Manchester have had employers like Snipe, lilally but few have fought. Why have been closed,
(Socialist Challengel
photo. PETE GRANT
is Laurence Scott dif ferent?
Dennis Barry says: 'It's true people have generally accepted redundancy laid down and refused to fight. But now there's nowhere to run. Once you are out of the gates you are now virtually permanently unemployed. The majority of people at Scotts realised that even for the small
of money that alloulll they got for picketing duty
is fi7, that they would only be getting £19.50 week for something that could be
for the rest of their lives.'
Joan Taylor adas.
of an occupati
Elaine Cross (centre), 'Everybody just had enough.
HURENCE
SCOTT'S
Dennis Barry (1st left, back row), 'Now there's nowhere to run.
'Women workers wouldn't get a job in Manchester at the moment. Nobodi could Neither men nor wollell Apprentice Jed
McNeill at the moment at college, puts his view: 'My future is very rosy isn't it? •ime around wild luc onl ly break to money to m your dole fighting to save my jobs and 650 others.
Trick
But why didn't the workers fall for the redundancy money trick. It was a problem at the beginning as Dennis Barry points
BROTHER
LAUREN
Laurence Sc NO CLOSURE
SIT IN
STRIKE!
out: 'Originally it was block on the struggle. Ac cording to the procedure workers with 2 vears wer guaranteed redundanc monev but the ones wit less were insecure. W would have got into tes Lasco. But the workers had ar
unlikely ally on the ques tion of redundancies. Arthur Snipe!
Mike Cordingley, AUEW/TASS steward ex plains: 'Snipe began saying that Pr we founda, Thee mone
we fought. fev workers that were reall concerned left and we fe better off without them.
Page 9 scan of this page
South Wales last week Mike Cordingley, 'You can't let the Tories walk all over you.
'But Snipe weakened
and paid out. Our solicitor told us that we wouldn't 'be considered
accepted redunlu flave dancy". So we spent it.
t: Lessons
OFFICINI
STRIKE
Challenger
Laurence Scott workers had a successful tour of
"Things were immediate'v better workforce. They really
lo lose.
They can't lose their Icuundan) HOIC because, in cases, they've spent it. Justified
But many workers have drawn the line against occupation even wien they have opposed closure Do the laurence Scott workers think that their decision to occupy was justified?
Mike again: 'Definite ly. We had ao it im mediately too. There was
no point in leaving the occupation une date of 10 July, because by that time we would have been sat in an empty facLUl y When we occupied we look OVer £2.75m ot stock. If we didn't have that Snipe would have just left us there.
Arrest
'We didn't think that the police would bothe us. e have got the sup.
workers in Manchester. there's 650 inside and thousands can t arrest all of us they outside
Support from other unions is vital in occupations. Elaine plains how wide been.
'Support from the other unions in Man-
been cheste strong. GEC Openshaw
has been brilliant. They have sent us a donation of £200 every week. Gardners nave neved us witn sub port and guidance right the way through already had £900 from them
The surence Scott workers have travelled far and wide raising support for their struggle. In every region of the country they visited pits. factories and other workplaces. They lobbied the miners' con-
The response has been tremendous. But what about MPs and the trade union leaders?
Impact
Dennis Barry says: "We've had meetings with MPs, they go away and
0O0A0I do their best
They feel that once come to talk to vou anc make a little impact that is their part the thing done. You've got these things yourself. The same applies to the national union.
Joan laylor nas also been disappointed: 'We naven do as much suo port from Labour MPs as we should have had. They have spoken to us, but thev have lust accepted the answer that the Tories have given. They haven't fought. Whereas we have sald we're accepting nothing.'
And that's the lesson that the Laurence Scotts Worke whole of the labour move-
Mike says: 'You can't let the Tories and management walk all over you. You have got fight back in the old days when shut-downs will you had to queue up for work the gates and whoever worked for less got the jobs.
And Jed. 'We need to Thatcher and the Tories out. By force necessary. By threatening them.'
to work
By Judith Arkwright
work and puts the Tory government in its place.
cranese closure. and determined fight show what has to be done. sponsored by prominent individuals
ty and the TUC to do likewise.
union and Labour Party branches.
STIN
Lee Jeans workers have been an inspiration for all those fighting for their jobs and in particular for a woman's right to work.
For a woman'sright
WITH unemployment amongst women rising twice as fast as that of men, it is becoming urgent that Labour movement takes up the demand for a women's right to
Lee Jeans women, in occupying their factory
have shown us the way. Their brave
And the next step should be to support the call for a demonstration on a woman's right to work in spring next year. This demonstration has to be called and supported by the leadership of the labour movement and the Labour Party so that the weight of the movement can be used to fight for women's interests. A campaign has to start now in the labour movement to get our ledaers to take this up. Already the march has been
Tony Benn, Michael Foot, Arthur Scargill, Jo Richardson, Joan Lestor, and so on. Now let's see some action! The LCC conference should take up the call for this march and urge all its supporters to fight for the Labour Par-
We reprint a model resolution for use in trade
SuppeRT:
LEE TEANS
that unemployment.
Labour and trade oralise woman's right to work.
the LIONS
sion of services, organise creches for the day.
• Model Resolution This branch/conference/trades council notes
bearing the brunt of
One of the factors affecting women and not men is the view, still all too common in the labour movement, that women's right to work is an optional extra, and that women's economic dependence is acceptable. This is an idea that should be opposed and challenged by the whole of the labour movement
We therefore call on the leadership of the
union movement to national demonstration for a
The slogans of the demonstration should
importance of women's independence, the need for defence and exten-
especially childcare, the special need to defend part-timers' jobs, the fight for adequate maternity leave, and the fight against low pay and job segregation.
The demonstration should include special facilities for children, and in the localities the labour movement should be encouraged to
Socialist Challenge 16 July 1981 Page 9
Page 10 scan of this page
ICL workers fight job
threat
By Rita Mitchell, Secretary Joint Union Committee, West Gorton
WORKHRo trom the com-
pre o laby te MP)
their dozna dé díodoran dv uoe new management to cut 5,200
represents 17 per cent of the
MOPS for backing or aised
Rally ablul Lanci. against the redundancies and TOT COO CIe MaO saDOn of the company.
Stan Orme. shadow dustry pledged that
future Labour government will not Just renationalise the 2 %0 coverumnchl recentiy sola oll by hatcher. but the whole of the company
There W West delegations from the Gorton, ASnIOn ane r vmoule rove factories in Manchester and most other plants including Letchworth and Kidsgrove.
The Manchester factories
Bernard Regan elected to NUT executive BERNARD REGAN, well-known leader
Teachers dociallol Alliance, has been elected
The natonà executive
the National Union of
Bernard was contesting unc vall created by the suspension trom toe umor or Dick North, one of the of. ficers thẹ Lambeth 1 cacheis Association. They were Cisco ned LOCI association's support for the
workers' suspended 101 HusaLis trom last reoruary.
In singe transterao e vote-system election, Bernard
received total
,826 votes election, with 1,750, was June aisner a memoer or mue con- munist Party.
Fisher was one of the expresidents whose complaint to the NUT execulvc •uscionary aLIots aralilsi the ampern teaeners. J uRe Fisher endorsed the
actions her stand, Regan's election represents a considerabie victory or unc left in the union against the
dominated ecutive and Communist Tally. who have lent support to me execuuve s reu-Dallllz.
Bernard was able to elected in the second round of the election because almost all LaosC wio rau volcu lOl Luc Rank and Mue canonace Amanda Leon, switched their votes to him after OCCI. eliminated Amanda Leon recerved arouna first preference votes Maoist candidate, Julia Alter
720, also eliminated on ana the first ballot.
NICARAGUA
19 JULY 1979 - 19 JULY 1981
REVOLUTION
Anniversary Celebration
First Snowing of new Films from Nicaragua...
Caribbean Rock Music from Steel and Skin...
Bar
Sacais. Ch 16 July 1981
Will be the worst hit - 26 per
cent of the workforce
threatened. In a recent com-
Wilmot, managing director of oi cocalol. Robb
ICL, let slip that even after
the present job loss we are, he
4,000 jobs Urcian"
ncasi
The three Manchester sites
took one day strike action to
urther industrial action is be-
oresen lne national uno Naripres represented on the
Joint Union
Committee have
ing. It is
Gardners Laurence DLUL wacupalvl and LuC
VICtOr y inlal nave
Torcea oca y anenester OT-
ficials to back our campaign
But we should have
strength of the Confed behind By Pete Clifford AS WE go to press, Laurence Scott workers will be taking a crucial decision as to whether or not to continue the occupation. If they do decide to fight on, it will almost certainly be in opposition to the union leadership.
Terry Duffy, engineering union leader, is recommending ari coucil with Laurence Scott boss.
Arthur Snipe, which won't save jobs. Instead it argues
acceplanice redundancies, the future of the factory to be reviewed during the next three months and the unions to Bernard Regan Sat. 18 July 7.30 MANNING HALL, ULU, MALET ST., WC1 iU L5-ame.con Sorety and the NSC
Page 10
Denny Fitzpatrick, West End Post Office Engineering Union BRITISH Telecoms vestigation Division identities are secret but whose operations are well known.
They lift you between Tam and sam as vou go into work and take you in for yuu don't co-operate IneT buddies the Regional Urme squaa ol scolland Yard — will arrest you. Villains
All that's needed reasonable grounds for suspicion; and if the ID want to see you - that's reasonable. Shades of the
Laurence Scott
offer full co-operation and flexibility. There would be
immediate return work or toree monis or a two day week, with an application for temporary employment subsidy.
The redundancy money workers had received was to be handed back. The stewards overwhelm-
mendation despite threats trom union officials that strike pay and backing for E vould De wiasdrawn. the Doncaster picket
Fight
Yet it has been the picketing Laurence
Darenl company, Mining Supplies, at Doncaster Wnie nas OrCCu Snipe to meet with the workers al all. A stalemeni issued on behalf of the stewards by the new convenor, Dennis Barry, spells out why the recommendation is 'a total surrender. 650 Laurence Scott workers gave the union leaders the platform
Laurence Scott
NO CLOSURE!
ACCORDING to reports in the press on 26 June the pro. secutor .of the martial law
Ankara, the death sentence for leaders of DIsk trade unioi concuclaulon. currenny stan ding trial. They
Hayeuccl held for by
is DISK ch Among chairperson Abaulal bastulk
On the same day as this announcement, two more left wing youtns were nanged by
News
Internal police arrest
Post Office engineers
employs a special In(ID), whose members'
SUS laws!
Why has there suddenly been tnese activites or the ID? Well, thanks to the Daily Mail and Thames Television the public has been led to believe that the real villains in British Telecoms alc the engineers. It seems we accept bribes, fiddle the system, carn Inousanas oI pounds a week and never why you can't get a line or a phone or whatever. So a massive ID police clean up is to protect the industry.
We're fighting on
to fight closures and redundancies; with their backing we'd have won a victory.
'As it is they have sold us down the river and capitulated at Snipe's first offer, instead of building on these proposals to achieve a meaningful settlement.
In spite of this stab in the back from officials the stewards are determined to fight the Nias. meeting on Tuesday 14 July, they intend to the recommendation from the tull time otticials.
They want the agree ment rejected and all levels
worked out before a settleHicill ariccu nere should be no enforced redundancies and the redundancies cheques to be accepted as ex-gratia payment for loss of wages during the dispute.
Pledge
If the stewards' position is adopted and the
leaders, Laurence
UI0 l WITE draws support, Scott workers will need all the help it can get from the aDou moveneol The
urgency is highlighted bs Snipe's intention the same day as the mass meeting to
Save the lives of Turkish union leaders
the authorities in Turkey
• the total to 8 since the coup. Cisk had about a million October.
mendes DeTOTa abolished by the military
when they DWI d The 52 are being chargea wilh davocaung tne
domination of a social class
classes" under the
Molotous HILIcic 141 and 142 . LAC UKIS Penal Code which were bor. rowed directly from Musso-
But who is it that really fiddles the industry, pilfers and wrecks it? None other than Keith Joseph and the Tories who have broken the Post Office monopoly, hiving off their friends in big business.
HIVE OFF
the
I.D.
And it is the public who pays. This year alone, the consumers will have two increases in domestic TCCaH through the courts, if his proposals aren't accepted.
Manchester wide engincerung stewards meeting last Friday, discussed solidarity with Laurence Scott TASS steward, Phil Penning, described the response as 'fantastic. The convenors trom throughout the area hi, 0o for us. have collected over
'The threatened injunction has brought pledges from many convenors to block the streets around Laurence Scott.' If the workers do vote to continue the fight, such support has , to be forthcoming from all over the country.
The stewards are already feeling the pressure. Last Friday the police instructed the pickets to leave the Don. caster plant. but support is there.
A victory tor Laurence Scott will save jobs, show other workers threated WILE realme ne en and closures how to fight and will be a big deteat for Snipe and Duffy alike.
Stop press: the mass meeting voted overwhelmingly to con aue ine occuoanon owine workers are threatened with a writ from Snipe to reclaim the factory. There massive responst Ine labour movement immediato
donation.
G Fryer, 20 Round croft, Romily, Cheshire
lini's in the 30's.
Turkish Solidarity Campaign movement doores to deman the unconditional release the DISK leaders and to figh
action to boycott trade to and from Turkey in partiCula. demand the will •rawa o mre or cover ment's proposed f3m free gif
Can be contaced ai BN BB
5965, London WCIN 3XX
phone rentals.
Meanwhile the Tories • on DI so thạt not enough can be ¡aiscu lo ave « oecent ser vice to the public. Providing free phones for the old, laying cable to rural areas is not profitable
Attack
The leadership of the POEU has responded badly to these attacks from the press and the ID.
Most importantly, nas not conducted a rea callasul to win publi support against the Tories plans to wreck the nationalised industries. riess to tefke the ine workers take LOTIC ara io ocem tionalised industries. doubt these workers will also be subject to the same villification campaign that the engineers have had. What is needed is a cross North West Carnival
against the Missiles
Already the rally, YCND,
has attracted wide support.
Moss Side, local Labour council.
This is the first step towards putting flesh and blood
council's decision to declare Manchester 'nuclear free zone by using council lesources to nerp mobillse people against the Tory reamalicl dial
Bill Risby, a spokesperson for Manchster City Council explained that schools and facilities would also opened up to CND for such activities as showings of the 'War Game', banned by the BBC Action
Bruce Kent. national secretary of CND, gave his tull support to the carniva
anushroomes the national
mushrooming
He explained that the national demonstration in London on 24 October is expected to be the largest ever protest against nuclear weapons.
He warned against 'narrowing the base' of the anti-missile movement.
him the most encouraging recent evelll was a ts aonanon
Northern Carnival
Sat 8 Aug, 1-10pm
sectoral campaign of industrial action to stop the Tory wreckers.
Release
For BT engineers the dawn raids are enough. In Centre Telecoms area the alesis were mel witn sit ins and shut-down cluding the Post Office Tower. These actions secured the release of some workers and the management was forced to cal of the ID.
A mass meeting of the West branch called for a work to rule, a half day strike on 16 July, anc a demonstration to the BT and ID headquarters This is the start of a national campaign. POSU West End Branch WICOSU RE Marylebone ce, LoNdon Nottingham Place, W1 TRIDENT
NEVIRCA A PUBLIC RALLY lauched the 8 August North West carnival against the missiles last week
launched the local
Facilities, including the Alexandra Park in are being provided free by the
from a branch of the Young Conservatives. He said we had to take into account anti-communism anti-kussiar prejudices CNS to Whe pu bre senting when
Kerrey Wade. from Manchester Young CNI set a somewhat different tone 'If older CNDers want to talk to bishops and a few Tories, OK, , but we haven't got time for that 'We walsi action because that's the only the missiles way Lo sluD We want hundreds of thousands on the streets We want a carnival where hundreds of thousands of us can join the movement and enjoy ourselves as part of it. 'We don't want future WITA more Hiro shimas and Nagasakis. We want a future and we're prepared to fight for it.'
In the run-up to the carnival, Young CND
over Manchester.
North West carnival Lal une basis IOr UNL establishing real roots where it maters amon: the youth in places like Moss Side, in the factories and the labour movement
Against the Missiles
Alexandra Park, Manchester
Bands include: Hawkward, Damned, Harlem Spirit
Page 11 scan of this page
We cant wait till 1984
BL: The recommendation is defeated, the plant will close'
LABOUR
GO-ORDINATING
COMMITTEE
By Patrick Sikorski
THE Labour Co-ordinating
better time.
cher's capitalist
is split.
vandalisation of their future.
This government has to
go. We can't wait till 1984.
The campaign management's closure plans at Rover SD1 plant, Solihull, has failed. Shop stewards were unable to convince the workforce of the need to take industrial action to save jobs in the face of massive pressure from the management and little or no leadership from the national unions.
ty convenor chronicled the events in BL over the last few weeks. His diary of resistance has now reached its sad finale. Monday 6 June National conference, the final stage of procedure, in the Warwicksalle countryside.
Twelve pickets lobby the national officers. Gren Hawley chairs for the trade unions. His opening submission attacks closure as economic madness and argues tha SD1 is an essential part of a viable BL.
The company reply that inere Is substantial under-utilised capacity in BL which is a big drain on all resources. Savings from Solhul closure would be used for investment
There moaer developichi.
sufficient apacity LOWICY. Oxford and Longbridge, Birmingham, to cope with any likely im provement in the market.
Final
The afternoon brings a final refusal by the company to change its position. The trade union side meets to consider its posi tion. All the national ofcers relecu COSUIC and promise support for action.
The results of the last
raise meeting al the prats
I alscu. craft unions seek assurances from the Transport Union that the mass meeting will pledge support to their members if they refuse to assist moving machinery.
Gren Hawley states there will be official support but SD1 must deliver the troops. So the national lead is to say they'!! back us — this is readership, not leadership.
Tuesday Shop stewards meeting
Committee conference this weekend couldn't have come at a
After only two years of That'counter-revolution' her economic policies are in ruins and her cabinet
This week's unemployment figures will register some 3 million on the dole, and the last two weeks have seen a massive rebellion by black and white youth against Thatcher's
Only the labour movement has the power to get rid of to defeat the
(Socialist Challenae'
PAT HICKEY, until last week depu-
at Rover SD1, has
Explain national .conference result which surprise to anyone. Go in- AM COOKSON to some details on the position of the national officials.
Mass Arrange the Mass meeting for 11.30 tomorrow morning. Aller a long discussion on thé resolunon tor une mass micellig: agree that should be short and the plant to industrial action if ine company DIOCCCUS with the closure plan.
Prepare Bulletin No 7 with the feeling that it will be the last. Argue for a fight, pointing to the fact that we can take advantage official backing to spread the fight, black BL goods and stop Leyland.
But the feeling on the floor is that we will lose the vote he company puts out noon emphasising that the will not change contoally its mind, and that non-cooperation will result in loss of plant closure terms.
Wednesday Bring Bulletin No 7 into work. It rapidly distributed.
Mass meenne 11.30am. from TGWU and AUEW Ant la ou
EETPU decides to stay away.
Fight
I open the meeting, explaining the agenda and the decision that has to be taken Sam Robinson, district secretary of the TGWU, speaks first.on behalf of the national oflicers of the unions. He pledges full backing, and asks for a fight against the closure.
the Tories. The mass anti-
around the country have
the willingness the workers to fight back.
But the present leadership of the TUC and the Labour Party have diverted this resistance every turn, limiting the movement to 'protest' actions and selling out the workplace struggles.
Terry Duffy and the AUEW executive have cone iner dest to saoorace
Laurence Scott LOC
Photo:
been Rover's undertakers
Coolly received. Then Mick Clarke, convenor, introduces the shop stewards' resolution. Speakers from the floor. The first, who is against the resolution, attacks the 'lack of democracy" because the meeting las| week should have been final.
He attacks the section meetings organised by the shop stewards tha meeting; he attacks the shop stewards. He is applauded throughout.
A speaker for, Raghib Ahsan, who explains how the struggle can be won by blacking, flying pickets and so on. He speaks well, filling in the gaps others have lett.
speaker against,. shon steward who abstain. ed on the recommendation in the stewards'
He points to past defeats, past betrayals by the
the danger oi los ing redundancy money, the impossibility of success. Well applauded.
Then two speakers for. Mick Clarke sums up take the one third for; two thirds against.
'The recommendation is defeated; the plant will
Home News
dispute, and the leaders of the TGWU consistently failed to give backing the fight against the Edwardes' plan to shut down Leyland.
Labour leader Michael Foot spends Lille defending Denis Healey and "social contract' with the Ducalllls
TUC than fighting socialist policies.
What should come out of this LCC conference? An effective campaign to fight unemployment. This HE ROVEK BL management and the union leadership combined have
had promised myself I would not, 'You can now join the dole queue. I hope you enjoy it.
Then a shop stewards' meeting. Like wake. vlck nanks lae stewares ! make a statement resign-
as ucouty collyelul explain this is not because
implementing the closure agreement
was not resigning from the labour movement; on the contrary, l was more determined than ever to take up the fight in the TGWU on the question of the bloc vote and the deputy leadership.
Blame
In addition, the blame for this defeat lies with the past policies of our leadership and the consequent lack of confidence on the part of hoped I would be able to members.
win many the shop stewards and the shop floor to take up this
fight before the plant clos-
I finish by thanking the shop stewards for their support. Applause, a vote of thanks.
means full support with workers struggle like those at Laurence Scott. This means campaigning for a 35 hour week with worksharing and no loss of pay. Import controls play into the hands of the bosses.
Extend
Most of all the LCC has to consolidate and extend the gains alredu made insee une Labour Party by
Jean Rivers vehemently attacks the shop Steware SOUKC against the recommendation at the mass meeting At one point it looks as if she is going to physically attack him. Meeting Cluses
Reports
All afternoon the press is on the phone. Repeated-
out the line that the union leadership must give
clear lead; that the membership is not to be blamed: that mv resigna tion is on the principle of plant • Crosure. reported.
the Birmingham Evening Mail, it sounds as if l've said the fight in BL is over. On the local radio that I accused the member-
SUIC warning against making complex statements to the media.
Well, the diary has met an untimelv end. Ihev sa only the young die good. I will write an assessment o the struggle before the end
In the meantime, I'm oit to reland tor SOme psycho-therapy from Dr
ching a for democracy the
This means full support for Tony Benn for deputy.
This Gaullpaigning for the leaders of our movement to be accountable to the rank and file and to imple. ment policies that are in the interests the
cratic labour movement will remove the
fight with the Tories.
ment — more determined than ever to take up
the fight.
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16 July 1981 Page 12
In the past nine months you, have helped us to the tune of over £36,000. This support has been a source of tremendous strength and confidence for us.
come back to you and ask for more, quickly: and for two very good reasons.
This weekend our centre was firebombed. Two weeks before a member of staff in the bookshop was
alacked fascists and her skull frac-
This is the most serious and sustained attention we have ever received from the growing bands of right wing terrorists which the peaceful and civilised'
British way of life has
We urgently need money to strengthen our defences. We are embark. ing on a comprehensive It's going to cost money SCCULILY, a lot of money. In today's part of the struggle for socialism.
There's a scrond call we have for money. The riots have demonstrated in full public view that Thatcher, her government, and her criminal policies
LAST weekend fascist hooligans attacked our bookshop for the second time in the last month.
On 20 June, Sheila Malone, who was working in the shop, received a fractured skull when skinheads attacked her. They left behind a recorded message threatening us and other socialists in the area with similar treatment in the future.
Last Saturday night, shortly before the Islington rally against violence, a petrol bomb was thrown a our shop by skinhead fascists. Fortunately our night guards raised the alarm and no serious damage was caused.
Socialist Challenge breaks through the thin blue line
ASPECIAL APPEAL
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Socialist Challenge is out in the streets to meet Thatcher's challenge. we want to reach the youth with a socialist message. ir the most direct possible way. We want the truth about the riots, in the face of the barrage of media lies and hysteria that the Tory press barons have whipped up. Fivers
This takes special measures. We want to organise speaking tours. We want assist the youth paper Revolution to produce a special supple-
This also takes cash: cash for defence against fascists, but cash tor a socialist ottensive
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Socialist Challenge News
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Have you just come into a small windfall — a tax rebate, or a backdated pay award? Perhaps you plan ned to use it to pay off all debts? Isn't this your time when your debt socialism should first?
Our quarterly appeal has started well with £579.25. Our thanks this week to:
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This makes it all the more important that we raise substantial funds to reinforce the security of our bookshop and ottices. With the collection made at the weekend rally in Islington the Bookshop Appeal Fund has now reached the £50C mark. The money is also intended to send Sheila Malone on a convalescent holiday.
We appeal to all our readers and sup porters to dig into their own pockets and to raise funds within the labour movement for our appeal fund for Sheila and our bookshop security. Help us boost the
By Alan Freeman
tionary
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Staid 'parliamentarist' Britain is wracked by revolt. One in evers ten
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Manchester supporters organised mass public sale in Moss Side last Saturday morning calis They asked every Challenge seller in the district to be there. We should be out too, spread the truth about the riots as widely as we can.
Popular
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Page 13 scan of this page
Poland: party leaders
By Davy Jones
year later Poland is front page news
throughout the world's press, as the
Polish Communist Party meets for an
emergency congress
dramatic transformation of the coun-
try.
This week's Communist Party congress will disappoint those supporting the of
"socialist renewal' in Poland. It is true that the party undergone The 1,964 massive purge. delegates have been elected by secret ballot for the first time and for 80 percent of them it is their
irst national congress.
Almost two thirds of the outgoing party Central Committee members failCOLO therefore lose their leadership position. Of the 49 new regional party secretaries three held tice at the time ot the lasi congress in February 1980. Abuse
Further, one tenth of the party's three million members have resigned since last August and
12,000 more have been
power or curruption. Such a shake-up of the party ap-
cannot help have a major impact in a society where the reliability of the ruling party is crucial.
But an equally important statistic is the fate of the members of the party Politburo in recent™ elec-
congress delegates. Only out of 16 members failed to be elected. Even the popular 'hardliners' Grabski and Olszowski were elected after the personal intervention of party header nana.
The strategy of the Kania/Jaruzelski ender ship team, which is reluctantly backed by the Soviet bureaucrats, is to concede retorms today, the better to co-opt Solidarity into the runne or une colntry. That way they hope to claw back the gains made by the Polish workers in the past year. It is the most
pursued by the Polish rul
bureaucrats 111countless other failed projects. Threat
They have tried stonewalling manoeuvres SHOW where you stand with a SOLIDARNOSC T-shirt. Small, large and medium sizes. Just €2.99 (incl p&p) „trom SCD T-shirts, Box 50, London N1 2XP. Che-
'The Week'.
RIOTS in Poland over food prices was a short article on page 9 of Socialist Challenge on 10 July last year. One
to assess the avoid granting Solidarity's demands. For months
agreement they refused to icease une rcasuadon Solidarity as the umbrella independent threat of a general strike lorce is recognuon November,
The authorities bitterly opposed the registration of Nul al Solidarity 101 the small farmers. After months ot vicvaricallul and industrial action by Solidarity recognition
WaN finally granted in April.
The leadership
wally have Catholic hierarchy to derail the workers' ment. Last August the late Cardinal Wyszynski
avpealed on television for an end to the strikes before une lamous udansk agree ment had been signed. Martyrs
was Catholic advisors' to the new independent
'leading role of the unc partv clause into soldarity's The same
SLalules people
WILd hurricans.
December's Gdansk flai
Lech Walesa greets the crowd after signing last August's historic Gdansk agreement
tyrs' memorial rally into a religious ceremony, argue today for conciliation with the authorities. Rebuff
The tactic of selective repression has also been
against Solidarity. DuRIne massive strike wave many
milltants like Jacek Kuron and Jan Litynski were jailed. Last November two Solidarity members, Jan Narozniak and Piotr Sapelo were dr rested for publishing
document which outlined the government's plans for repressing the independent union. general strike threat stopped the government in its tracks.
Perhaps the most serious rebuff for the
calmen the Bydgoszcz affair this March. Party hardliners organised the beating up of local Solidarity activists in the northern town when party leader Kania and prime minister Jaruzelski were ol of the country. Again the threat of
International
counter attack
Party congress will make no
fundamental changes to the system
general strike forced the government to back down and accede to the demands
of the last card or its.
The last of the Stalinist rulers is of course a Soviet invasion. It is now commonly accepted that a Soviet Politburo meeting
December only narrowly voted against such a move being proposed to LICI emergency Warsaw Pact summit of December.
In April this year Soviet leader Brezhnev insisted that Polish party leaders had to 'roll back the events of the past months'
lilcobart repeated in last month's letter from the Soviet Central Committee their Polish counterparts which arust find within itself the arouee that: The forces to reverse the course of events.
The Soviet leaders have so far ruled out a military solution for three main reasons. First, the humar
of the intervention, which would meer nerce resistance could be enormous. Secondly the consequences for Soviet relations with the West could
be catastrophic
Finally this could lead to the Soviet Union being forced to take on the entire
the POSI economic crisis. This could cause economic difficulties throughout Eastern Europe — ana 11 was price rises that brought about mer's Poland! strike wave
Without a Soviet invasion the best tactic for the Polish party leadership is to make concessions to the reformers. Already the anti-apparatus movement which held a conference of 500 delegates in Torun last April has been completely undercut. Decline
Having tamed the pariy 'reformers' Kania and Jaruzelski now aim to win over section of the leadership of Solidarity to a project of joint responibility for dealing with the country's economic situation
Not only is $27 billion Owed countries, but this year is likely to see
a staggering drop in national income by per cent, to add to last year's per cent drop, and a 2.3 per cent decline in 1979
In recent weeks Walesa
The workers' gains since last
August's Gdansk agreement
trade unions under
Solidarity.
tical right to use it.
2. Two million small farmers are organis-
in an independent
increase in investment in agriculture.
3. The Communist Party's monopoly of
the press has been broken and Solidarity
now has its own
papers.
official press and a promise of greater
access to economic information.
4. The five day working week has been
won.
5. Greater academic freedom
teaching of the Stalinist models of Marx-
ism and history have been granted. An
independent students union has been
established
and other 'moderates
witnin the union leader-
ship have begun a crack-
down within Solidarity
against those critical of
such a joint project with
the government.
Several editors of loca
Solidarity newspapers
have already been remov. beginning sof pedical che- This has led
ferentiation within Solida-
rity itself as it prepares for
its own first national con-
gress in August.
System
In the regional
Solidarity conference in Lodz two "tendencies'
emerged in the debate. The
'independents' comprised
40 militants from different
lactories wno presented a common programme
They beat the democrats
in the leadership elections
The Polish bureaucrats and the Soviet leaders fear the process of political dif-
within Solidarity. They would love lo turn back ine cock to the old system of stifling bureaucratic and repression. Capitalism may have been overthrown in Poland but the system that has prevailed for the past 35 years has been a
parody socialism
The significance of the heroic struggle of the Polish workers is that for the first time in Eastern Europe a serious struggle has opened up for an alter-
: both to capitalism and Stalinism. Decades
The development of an alternative workers DOW CI organised through Solidarity 1s the nearest thing to socialist democracy Eastern Europe for cecaoes
The significance of this cxamole to me workers or the world should not be underestimated, particularly other Hasterr European countries. It is our duty to ensure that this example continues to exist as long as possible through maximising solidarity with the Polish workers.
Solidarity remains intact and uncorrupted for muCH Longer party leaders' tactic of 'wearing down' Solidarity just might backfire. The workers throughout Eastern Europe may realise that Solidarity is
just 'SiX month wonder and decide Dress for the same ner democratic rights that have been achieved Poland.
1. Some ten million workers are organised in independent and self-governing The umbrella These unions not only have the legal right to strike but also the prac-
Solidarity, and there has been a dramatic union, Rural
national and local There is less censorship in the
and less Socialist Challenge 16 July 1981 Page 13
Page 14 scan of this page
'Ain't going to let him
By Sophia Silj FIVE days before Reagan was sworn in as the president of the United States
massive 100,000 demonstrated in Washington, the centre of US government.
On one level, the demonstration was to commemorate the birthday of the assassinated civil rights Martin Luther King. demonstration of the black community in the United States since 1963 was much more than that.
The mood of the demonstrators can be seen from the speeches: 'The battle we face today is that of human need versus corporate declared William Tate, a New York carworkers' leader.
'Ain't going to let Ronald Reagan
Ain't going to let the Ku Klux Klan turn us around, vowed Jess Jackson
ship, or one of the banners.
The demonstration was a warning to the incoming Reagan administra-
Led. Mane the warning has not been heeded. observers of the US scene are predicting a new upsurge of black militancy in the ghettoes. Subsidies
Vernon Jordan, who was recently the target of an
has 'There's unusual amount hysteria in the black communities.' It is not hard to understand why.
Take the example budget cuts announced and his cohorts. Nearly dollars have been sliced from the feder gives food subsidire for me. federal food stamp very poor. Aid to families with depen dent children, the most
elfare programmes will be reduc
i over a billion dolla
Recipients who are unemployed will be forced to perform 'community work' in exchange for their welfare payments. Legal aid for the poor has been cut completely and housing sidies will be cut by over a third
On top of all that there will be huge reductions in financial benefits or the ill, the old and the very young. Socialist Challenge 16 July 1981
Blacks under Reagan
turn us around'
Ronald lunches
blacks Coloured People, in
philosophy
leaaei But the largest. intention
zones' in the inner city areas.
After his NAACP,
'hardship, havoc,
profit, minorities', complained,
been said before.
Income leading
statements at the was his claim
equal treatment of all citizens'.
Reagan's
Reagan's only 15 have gone to black
general. a black leader don Johnson are long gone,
said, As far back as of tage of black youth broke through the 30 per and it has stayed there the latest Reagan
two billion 1978
tually increased for the decade.
basic of al vances. HACK
Los Angeles,
cent of the population
blacks have won
Page 14
Reagan The latter will be hit by a five billion cut in the subsidy given for school
It was hardly surprising then that when Reagan addressed the National Association for the Advancement of
Denver, weeks ago, he received a cool reception. Explaining his right wing, racist
Reagan sald 'needy' have become 'too dependent on government', and he declared his
create 'free-enterprise speech the director of Benjamin Hooks predicted that Reagan's policies will bring new
despair, pain and blacks and other Another hack speakel 'We held out hope, but he didn't give us anything. It's al
The most outlandish of Reagan's
NAACP meeting that 'We will not retreat on the nation's commitment to
A quick glance at the make-up of
own administraion shows what a lie that is: of the 450 top jobs in
hand-picked government
That is a reflection of the US in
the promised great society' of US president Lyn
if indeed they ever existed in the first place
1971, the percenwithout a job cent ceiling ever since. darags incore orall black families 1 cent. . The
610,880 compared $18,370 for whites, a gap which ac
during the last
There have been a few token ad-
mayors OCCI elected in such cities as Washington, New Orleans but only 1 per cent of all elective offices in the country are held by blacks&compared to nearly 12 per
Even this minimal advance is now under threat for those elections which
have been due, part, to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which put millions of blacks on voting the
Internationa..
Washington demonstration a year ago - a warning to
rolls in the southern states and acted
against racist gerrymandering.
Now, the new Republican of the Us senate Judiciary
Committee, Strom Thurmond plans
to scrap the Act when it comes up tol
renewal next year. Reagan is thought
to be of the same mind
Another reverse in the civil rights
field has recently been recorded: an
act of Congress, passed in 1968 and
designed to outlaw discrimination in
selling houses has
notoriously weak, and an attempt to strengthen it failed in the Congress at chair- the start of the year.
But issues that increasingly black leaders. This is not surprising. In every region of the US the ratio of black Cal lies whites are falling, since the mid-1970s.
71 per cent to 58, in the West from 77 been per cent to 62, in the Midwest from 73
by the Socialist (SWP) and the Young
June.
Judge Thomas P
could have been elemental cocuments
and other government agencies
of the president in
posedly protect Some of these issues, The judge
Led the lawyers for having
really didn't dream of.' brief.
this would be early October.
before the end of the year putting up a proper defence!
per cent to 56 Urban League
CANCE
black
headlines racist
Wing.
of the
and Republic That challenged.
tional
tant has
COnS
for it is mainstream economic pre-occupy
and have done
In the Northeast it has fallen from
US socialists'
trial ends-
By Tom Martin
The trial of the lawsuit brought
Workers Party Socialist Alliance (YSA) against the US government ended here on 25
ro one knew cule wnal lo expect when the trial opened on 2 April. As
Griesa commented, ayter nearty eign years in preparation li
little more than an plodding through ' proving the facts of forty years of spying and disruption by the FBI
But the socialists' attorneys instead used the trial to expose the fundamental
They forced out the way in which the powers
'national security' matters are used to ride roughshod over the constitutional guarantees which sup-
of dissent. it turns out, have never before been ruled on by the courts.
himself paid tribute to these efforts. In his final remaks he prais-
'sensed this issues with a depth and sophistication I
Both sides now have to prepare written briefs summarising their arguments in the trial. The SWP and YSA must file theirs by 25 August; the government has three weeks to respond; and finally the socialists have a further ten days in which to rebut material in the government's
The judge also indicated that he would then like to hear some oral argument from both sides. A likely date for
Given the complexity of the issues, the judge's final opinions is therefore not expected much
Even then, some or all of his rulings will almost certainly be appealed. And the government attorneys have already rais ed the further possibility of a motion to deny the whole case on the grounds that 'national security' prevented them from
per cent to 63 and in the south from 57 Vernon Jordan of the Nationa • тесеоту She US We the situation of blacks in the US: 98l to be a vcal with all that implies for record high black unemployment and an already devastated black economy. Inflation is expected to remain high, squeezing the family budget of the majority of who moderate-income even harder. 'Murderous attacks on black people in many cities continue to make The Klan, and similar most gre of revived anti-back feet. groups, flourish Lobbying The failure of blacks to realise the 'American dream' is partially because old black leadership who depended on polite lobbying and participation in the two main Democratic parties. tradition Last year two new black organisations were formed - - the National Black United Front and the Na Black Independent Political
Pa The US socialist news Baph Mist
commenied. these organisations are vanguard organisai the black They consciously reject many of the old use by the traditional black leaders and openly proclaim the need blacks build a mass-based movement for full equality and seltdetermination'
The 100,000 strong demonstration in January shows there is a growing mood in black areas in the US for such a frontal assault on Reaganisn and for all that it stands for. It still needs organisation, it still needs direc tion, but the sentiment is there: We ain't going to let him turn us around.
Page 15 scan of this page
Spoils of
patriotism
By Jenny Flintoft
THAT WEDDING is almost upon us. If anyone has any doubts about the ruling class's use of patriotism for its own ends a visit to many, Pale Mother would quickly dispel any illusions. This film by Helma Sanders-Brahms explores the complex relationship between patriotism and fascism in Nazi Germany, and its affects the people', Hans and Lene.
As we see ine adora• tion which his party has tor the ruhrer — his name used as birthday greeting, his portrait considered the perfect finishing touch new vwees beeroom - 1l becomes clear how 'Ordinary people talled protest the forcible removal of their Jewish friends and neighbours. Ordinary
The main focus of the changing relationship between Lene
portrayed by Eva Mattes) and Hans (Ernst Jacobi), two 'ordinary people their daughter describes them.
Lene is perhaps typical of many people the time. Nazism holds no illusions for her, but she will not take a stand against it.
When her sister's schoolfriend dragged away screaming in the middle of the night, she simply draws ince curtain ana recurns impassively to bed.
When the proprietor of a local Jewish draper's is taken by the Gestapo, she
VIRAGO have published several interesting and moving accounts of the lives of working class women in Britain. written by feminists before the First World War and the third in DAVENPORT has reviewed them for Socialist Challenge. 'Maternity — Letters from Working Women'
working class members or
working class members the Women's Cooperative Guild, during the time it was organising a campaign for maternity benefit. These harrowing accounts of personal exlicies evidence for the Guild's were written as
case.
The letters show a horrifying picture ig.
anne madl care whatever, incompetent doctors and midwives. even for those who could afford such luxuries. miscarriages, stillbirths and sickly children resulting, the women felt, from their continuing heavy work throughout their pregnancies.
No wonder that many of the women seem show a dread of sex, when what resulted was constant pregnancies and broken health. Many mention the use of 'drugs' (often very
Ger-
marriage of 'two nice
rummages through the boxes in the empty shop for embroidery silks, her only emotion apparently
irritation being unable to find the colour she wants.
Hans, like Lene, is not a Nazi. Called un outbreak of war, at first he WCCUS horror the shoom he sees as 'enemies' whom
peopic just like Lene and himself. Gradually, though, becomes brutalised by the
the Nazi myth Lakes noo
'We must fight on to victory, or glorious destruction!' he tells Lene when on But Lene, who has seen
has walked to Berlin with little more than the clothe on her back, is interested in glory only in survival for herself and her child.
Criminals
The war ends. The wretchedness and disillusionment of a deteated na.
Down among the women
The first two were
the 1930s. JENNY
dangerous to health and like as not ineffective) to attempt abortion.
'Round A Week out Pound was the result of work done bv the Fabian Women's Group in the Lambeth area between 1909 and 1913. The book describes the daily lives of several families where the avclare week income was twenty shillings (hence the title).
As the book points OUT. means the real poor. These were by 110
were 'respectable' working class where the nusbands were in regular employment.
The picture that emerges is of women enduring a life of drudgery. Responsibility the tamılv budget alwavs talks on the woman. While the husband keeps back a few shillings TOr nis 'pocket money , the wife is left to Cale for housing,
clothing and 1urucue household necessities from
Germany, Pale Mother: two 'ordinary people', Hans and Lene.
tion, its leaders branded as war criminals and its glorious Nazi party as an extermination machine, are mirrored in the feelings of Hans and Lene. Lene's fight for survival has made
sell sullicient, painfully, she has carved out an identity for herself
She finds it difficult to accept Hans' return and the rest.
Accommodation overcrowded, unhealthy and expensive. Child mortality is so high that burial loul alice regular feature of most budgets.
EDITED BY
Under Review
impossible accept the passive existence of housewife. Hans becomes increasingly embittered as he sees ex-Nazis promoted over his head. Their relationship spirals downwards into everdeepening hatred and despair.
There are unforgettable images: a Nazi banFood for the whole family has to be bought out of seven or eight shillings a week, and the breadwinner must be provided for first with whatever bits of meat and fish the famil
MATERNITY
- MARGARET LLEWELYN DAVIES
explores the complex relationship between patriotism and fascism in Nazi Germany through
ner, monstrously huge, crawling with flies; young head thrown back in defiance, squing on a sandy Norman facing death firing
beach; Lene giving birth acully while British planes rain down bombs around her; a child scarculle tamily
the rubble of allulle
budget will run to.
Öften mother and children live on weak tea and slices of bread and marge.
'Working Class Wives' is another interesting reprint published by Virago. It is based on the remited by nestome results of a Health Enquiry Committee and answered by 1250 working class women from all parts of Britain.
The study was undertaken in the middle of the 1YUS twenty years on from the earlier accounts, but the picture of women's lives which emerges is little different. As the book shows, where the family is poor, it is the wife and mother who suffers most.
Housing conditions are appalling - most tamiller live in a couple of rooms
cramped, often airless and damp.
When husband or children are sick, the wife will care for them. They probably qualify for a doc-
schemes attached to the man's work • wife though will neglect her own sile is not entitled to
any free medical aid except wnen sne Is pregnan has recently given birth. She can't attord arrer i pay for a doctor or ever a take to her bed ari res:
devastated Berlin ('How long have you been looking for them?' 'Six weeks'.).
Described as 'bleak' by several reviewers, this film
certainly very moving At times, in fact, it is quite painful to
Vonetheless, I was glad I hadn't missed it.
ucalcu
The women barely rest. Most work at least a sixteen hour day, looking after their many small children, and fighting a losing battle trying to keep their inadequate homes clean.
The conclusion of the book is to press for the KING of OTOVISIORS and benefits which most of us HaVe the birth for granted since the of the welfare state: free medical Calle șocial services for children including free school milk;
A•N•D B•O.L.S.H.E.V.I.S.M
HO LIPO Socialist Chalenge
PAMPHLET 45р
Germany, Pale Mother due to be screened Unit One cinema Hulme, near Manchester, from 2-9 August, and at the Ritzy ir Brixton from 16-23 August. Mainline Pictures (01-388 4761) for details of other future showings (There is 16mm print.)
decent housın
vorkers can affor
make are adequat wages to be paid to all. anc for mothers to have facilities to take holidays away from their homes and families every year Thanks to Tory policies their message is lust as relevant now, forty-odd years later!
Maternity - Letters from Working Women Edited hy M Llewelyn Davies; Round About Pound A Week- Edited by Maud Pember Reeves, Working Class Wives by Margery Spring Rice
New Socialist
Challenge
pamphlet Stalinism & Bolshevism By Leon Trotsky
45p, available
from:
The Other
Bookshop
328 Upper S:
Socialist Challenge 16 Juir 3€ =73e =
Page 16 scan of this page
Socialist Challenge Islington rally against fascist violence, see p5.
THATCHER'S THIJAS TROOPS ATTACK McDONNELL FUNERAL inted by East End Oft (TU Lia. Londono, London N1
← Socialist Challenge No. 205, 9 July 1981Socialist Challenge No. 207, 23 July 1981 →