Socialist Challenge No. 214, 24 September 1981
The scan: sc-no214.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive)
Uncorrected machine reading of the whole issue. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from the scan and has not been corrected or cut into articles. Each page gives the headlines first, then the columns in order, so one article runs on into the next. Expect misread words. Use it to find things; quote from the scan.
Page 1 scan of this page
Challenge BENNIN
TONY BENN FOR DEPUTY
No. 214 24 September 1981 HYSTERIA has accompanied the closing stages
the contest Labour's deputy leader. Hysteria in the bosses' press and on the right wing of the Parliamentary Labour Party.
Day day the media has spewed out an endless stream of indignation at the prospect of a Benn victory.
Every demagogic argument in the book has been used, from Healey's mudslinging slanders about Jon Lansman, the hypocritical accusations of breaching demo. cracy levelled at the Transport Union's vote for Benn.
Why this hysteria? After all, Benn being elected deputy leader won't break the right wing's grip on the PLP or the shadow cabinet. What the press and the right wing fear is the symbolic impact of Benn victory.
It would mark the determination of the rank and file of the labour movement to impose their will on the leadership to elect the leaders that they choose and to impose policies for radical change.
Whether Benn wins or the fight for left advance will go on. Con-
25p
Socialist
trary to all those who say to that this fight is
sive', it is in fact the best way to pursue the against the Tories.
To win a government which can make a real break with Toryism every variety and push forward socialist vance, it is necessary to sweep away all the old rubbish of the Callaghan-Healey years. A victory for Benn will be a a clear signal that this is
the path that the Labour rank and file has embarked upon.
The deputy leadership fight has shown how far the majority of Labour leaders oppose
Unemployed and strikers 10p
ad- wishes of the rank and file.
The campaign to imWilson- pose the will labour movement these leaders, by removng them it necessary a vital component of the struggle
the
SOLIDE
TORIES OUT
government to socialist victory for of the mark an important stage on in the fight to the Tories IS variety.
for a Labour
Benn on LSE picket line
CND
committed policies. A Benn will
kick out
of
STOP THE MISSILES
DEMO LONDON OCT 24
JoBs
NOT
BOMBS
INSIDE THIS
WEEK
Towards a Socialist Britain - a plan to beat the crisis pp 8-9 Ken Livingstone
on key issues
facing Labour
pp 12-13 Solidarnosc -time for Labour
to act p11
How to ensure a Labour victory
pp 2-3
Ireland - how
the Labour
Party report
was rigged p7 Laurence Scott
fight on: p4 BENN TONY FOR:
Page 2 scan of this page
-ORGANISE FORA
FOR A LABOUR GOVERNMENT
By Brian Heron LAST WEEK Thatcher 'wets' from the Liberals formed an alliance with the Social Democratic Party, deputy leadership battle in the Labour Party reached fever pitch. All three events marked dramatic changes in British politics.
The Tories, according to lan Gilmour, are 'moving on to the rocks!' Thatcher's hard-line politics are not working. And the SDP and Liberals are sitting in the wings waiting for Thatcher's collapse, hoping to wickes.
The fact that the SDP are taking more votes from une Tories than demonstrates the continued resilience of the workers' movement. But nobody can be blind to the fears that Labour's internal battle might provoke a Labour collapse at the next election.
How real is that danger? How can the left defeat it? Disease
First, it is crucial to recognise that the battle inside the Labour been, a fight between the classes. Daily Express sings Healey's praises it is not the 'good old Labour Party' that it is aiming to defend.
Most of the media hate the Labour Party and always have done, even a Labour party that buckles under Labour Party that has the right to impose its policies on its leaders and remove the leaders if they don't carry them out is quite another thing.
It would encourage millions of workers and the unemployed to believe that they could win the battle to finish off the Tories and their system once and for all. The Labour Party battle is over who should lead the workers' movement and to whom those leaders are accountable.
The idea that the Labour Party should be more accountable to the people who support it is a contagious disease. Anybody who watched Len Murray wring his hands over the latest unemployment figures or spectacle of AUEW leader Terry Duffy smiling as he walked past the Laurence Scott workers' delegation on the Labour Party march in Birmingham. knows that the union leaders are due for a good dose of democratic accountability.
The radical policies of the TUC need to be translated into action. It is crystal clear that a new leadership in the unions is desperately required which will remove the roadblock to mass action against the ailing Tories.
Radical
Will the fight for a new leadership in the Labour Party and the unions lose Labour the election? Yes, if that fight through to the end.
There is enormous common ground between Healey, Roy Jenkins, and Edward Heath. ney dal support mucical weapons, micones controls, and the Common Market all hate the idea of radical socialist change. All three are running in the opposite direction to the views of increasing numbers of workers on these vital issues.
ABOUR
ART
81
Socialist Challenge 24 September 1981 Page 2
sacked the
Tory Cabinet, the
and the pick up LICI
Labour Party Party is, and always has
When the
the IMF and NATO. But a
saw the disgusting is not carried
and they Why
'wet' 1 ully
Sunday Campaign
Democracy, Benn;
CRUISE
MISSILES
Organising mass action against the Tories like this Labour Party CND demo last year is the best way to ensure a Labour victory
on earth should millions of unemployed trade unionists vote for a Labour government to carry out an SDP or a Tory
programme, especially when perienced such a programme for four years
Saturday 26 September Brighton Kemptown CLP — Wagner Hall,
Rd 7. 30pm with Tony Benn; Bernard Dix;
Dauluis, nou rica Institute for Workers Control - Oueen's Hotel Kings Rd 7.15pm. …Locaovernment & industria Renegeration' with Tony Benn; Audrey Wise; David Blunkett; Michael Meacher;
27 Septembe for Labour Party Democracy -Metropole nole. Kines na. Benn; Eric Clarke; Dennis Skinner; 1.30pm with Tony
Development and Disarmament
Pavillion Theatre, New Rd 2.15pm
Stuart Holland: Marv Kaldor: Mike Coolev London Labour brieting -Rd 8.30pm with Ken Livingstone; Merle Amory and speakers from Lothian.
SMASH A *
mcialist Challenge
NO
CRUISE
MISSLES
BRITAIN OU
ST HELENS
TRADE A
St Helens Action
CUT
NIST
they ex-
Monday 28 September
Hotel, Kings survive.
Alan laviol
Pavillion Valerie Wise Labour Action For Peace
Liberty: Equality
Joan Maynard.
with Tony Stuart Weir • Queen's Hotel, Kings Labour Abortion Audrey Wise,
PART
ACE (EST
CRUISE
MISSILES
under Labour from 1974 to 1979?
Labour's only chance is to convince working people that it stands for radical change and that it has the leaders to carry it out — or to be
Fringe Meetings at Labour Party conference
•Co-ordinating Committee - King RO 5.15pm. 'Can Local Government with Ken Livingstone; David Blunkett; Labour Campaign for Gay Rights Royal
Maureen Colquohon speaks 8pn - pe gone 1.300] with Tony Benn; Frank Allaun; Ernie Ross; Fenner Brockway; Philip Noel-Baker; Alex Kitson and
: Full Employment Pavillion Theatre. New Rd 7.30om with Frances Morrell: Peter Townsend; Jimmy Reid; Francis Cripps;
29 September Rights Campaign — 5.15pm, Royal Albion Hotel with Jo Richardson Labour Committee on Ireland — Pavilion
replaced by those who will.
daily,
The reason is simple
SOCauSt SOCICLy
Resources
enthusiastic support
ing in the unions.
two important principles. union leaders.
Healey than party policy.
Alongside Foot/Healey clique
that fight.
Third,
need better weapons.
For example, to people
Women
to break the alliance
Ireland now.
TA
policy debate
democratic fashion
movement.
SLOU
system.
Bu working
around such a programme.
Theatre, New Rd 7.30pm Atter the NEC Report
ingstone and others Labour Co-ordinating Committee -announced 7.30pm. Forum
others.
Wednesday 30 September Labour Co-ordinating
, Kings Road 5.15pm
Clarke.
Thursday 1 October Labour
Kings Rd 5.15pm
Rowlands; Audrey Wise.
Eighty thousand people have joined the Labour Party in the last two years. Hundreds of thousands have turned out on the unemployment marches, and in the factories and workplace interest in the Labour Party is growing
The fight for new leaders in the Labour Party opens the door to the fight for a different sort of society - a
If that support can be won at the outset of the left's campaign it can be multiplied tenfold if it is carried through to the end. Three basic policies are needed to make sure that happens.
First, there is a huge base that can be won to
for Labour and for socialist policies inside the unions. The Labour Party should throw its resources into organis.
But such a perspective needs to be linked to
First we need a democratic union movement which elects its of ficers and puts its decisions into action. Second we need a policy of joint Labour Party/trade union action to finish off the Tories.
And that means all-out support for those like the LSE workers who are leading the jobs' fight in the teeth of the opposition of their own
Second, we need to continue the battle for leadership within the Labour Party. It is clear that Michael Foot has to go. At every turn he has shown himself more concerned to defend
open challenge to the Benn should resign his shadow cabinet position if he wishes to lead
'a radical shift of the balance of wealth and power in favour of working people' means fighting for real socialist policies. As the fight against the Tories sharpens, so we will
effectively remove the power of the bosses and the banks we need two things: a commitment to full-scale nationalisation, and the same democratic workers control over the economy as has begun to be achieved inside the Labour Party. Otherwise genuine power will never be in the hands of working
Similarly the debate on the role of the armed forces should be continued by campaigning
will the US-led war machine NATO and to get British troops out of
There is much more to be done to promote the advance of women and youth and to continue the fight against racism. That's why the
must continue in the HIUS throughout the labour
Now is not the time to lose our nerve. The ruling class will do everything to stop the Labour Party coming to office, just as they will
save then exploitative
people are searching for radical policies. The Labour Party can be swept to victory by mobilising the workers movement
'Labour and N Ireland
Maynard; Jock Stallard; Alan Sapper; Ken Liv.
- venue to be AES with Stuart Holland: Adam Sharples: Harriet Harman and
Committee - Kings 'Labour and Mass ronucs witn teler main, Augrey wise, cnarie
Co-ordinating Committee - Kings 'Trade Unions and socialsm with bernara Dix; Jack Dromey; Pere
Page 3 scan of this page
LABOUR VICTORY
Danger! Witch-hunters at work
COMMITTED TO SOCIALIST POLICIES
With the Transport Union votes in his pocket Benn looks set for victory By Alan Freeman
But they have also begun to systematically accuse the Benn campaign Harbouring tremist infiltrators' In particular the International Marxist GrouChallenge, has come which supports Socialist ( under regular attack from Roy Hattersley, Denis Healey and their friends in the right wing
When sixteen right wing Islington councillors deserted the Labour Party for the greener pastures of the SDP they Pid minators. so-called
And in cent weeks a number of IMG members' homes have been broken into and documents SLUICI
All this clearly points to a right wing Call Dalzil against the IMG. But the real target of this attack would be the Labour left as a whole and the Benn campaign Dai ticular. This serves to distract
afterators in the bathur alin
• the Labour right wing and their NATO and EEC backers.
Split
The establishment
BICOS spoke with a different voice last week when it was revealed that Liberal leader David Steel revealed that he had persuaded Roy Jenkins not to join the Liberal Party but to stay in the Labour Party and link up with the Gang of Three.
LABOUR's right wing is getting desperate. Healey's prize blunder of accusing Jon Lansman of organising the heckling against him at recent events shows that.
Steel did not want Jenkins to wage an honest fight to win
LaDou Partv policies. No, he wanted Jenkins to prepare a much bigger split later on. This open encouragement of infiltration with the explicit aim of splitting Labour Party was welcomed by the media a achievement'.
Shah CA- In March the Guardian exposed the so-called Owen Plan which made clear that the Gang
Three plotted Labour Party for over while publicly denying their inother Labour right were not fully aware of the infiltrating Gang's intentions yet they remained silent.
Socialist Challenge exposed last year that leading right wing Labour and trade union figures were sponsors of a shadowy NATO® -funded callea ine Labour ana trades Union Committee for satlantic Understanding.
the vice-chairmen was witch-hunter Roy Hattersley.
The policies of right wing are capitalist policies through and through port for the Common Market and NATO, for wage controls and working class. Their have nothing in common with
By Geoff Bell In the week running up to the meeting ecutive Fleet Street conducted a 'disinformation' operation. Its aim was TGWU no option but to cast their vote for Healey.
Particularly to the fore in this campaign was the Guardian which on 18 September an a front page story headlir d 'Deluge of TGWU votes fo Healey'. No other newspaper that day even mentioned what, on ine surface, dramatic story, based on returns irom Il regions' the hardly do back Mr Healey'. not other papers didn't Guardian story that day: it was based more on the prejudices of the Guardian proprietors than any concrete evidence.
The truth of the matter was SUS
the
'masterly to split the a year
wingers
the interests of working people, and should have nothing to do organisation with the party of Labour.
It's wonder
Tran- Bruce-Gardyne,
Knutsford could write in the of Sunday Telegraph leading February this year the follow-
Wing comment about the Labour „Labour's right wing's former
David Owen!
sup- 'Several years ago I enjoyed
La memorable
Be David test was of sae
the David policies
univally, between the helpings of caviar
Fleet Street failsto
sway TGWU vote
A CONCERTED campaign by the ruling class press to win the vote of the Transport and General Workers Union to the side of Denis Healey failed on Monday, when the union executive decided to recommend a vote for Tony Benn as Labour's deputy-leader.
of the union ex- tion' with
persuade the London, leaders that they had
London'.
media, appeared namely, that i0 of its tion but to vote for Healey.
TGWU 'can anything else but conclusive procedure was carried surprising that different ways
right wing ticials. Nevertheless What would Harold have done in my predicament?
less we disagree about. that Jock came home Tory MP for the wrong party.
Despicable
'darling'
junket as the Deputy Owen was of the tender Denis the more we chatted
that six regions atter 'consulta
their members had called for a vote for Healey, but • that three of the largest regions,
Scotland and Northwest had backed Benn.
The Guardian's report was a deliberate act of disinformation. It claimed the Northwest had voted for Healey and that John Silkin 'has done well in membership
Guardian SLOV was need taken ud by times time TGWU given to the public was that the TGWU executive had no op.
LTACLCU
In tact, the returns were in
The 'consultation' out in Kitson, in different Results sullic his regions were heavily influenced
full-time of- ty leadership the three regions who backed Benn con- TGWU tain the majority of the TGWU
people?
All
tions
method debates
about the state of the world the
seemed to find to By the time we I'd begun
wonder if one of us wasn't in
creeps like
David Owen are two a bennv or
Labour's right wing leading the
witch hunt campaigns against
the Labour left. They are aided
by the establishment press.
leadership conHealey has an
+8.(XX a vear retainer trom the
Daily Express for writing occa-
Denis Healey refused to comment on the TGWU vote
Unfortunately Alex Kitson,
general secretary of the gave the Healey cause some credence when he said at the press conference after Monday's vote that Healey 'had at-
HEUS support' in the consultation process.
, however, has, Stol some weeks now, been running
campaign une TGWU to abstain on the depu-
There is no doubt that the
consultation was badly run. It would have the Daily Express ever said one word in support of working
socialist currents whatever their affiliation, have always tried to influence the thinking of the Labour Party.
But the Labour Party's own reactionary bans and proscrip-
have prevented them Then ols chalenge didaes part of the debate
most democratic of of ne sole Labour within movement would be to open up the Labour Party to all genuine currents in the labour movement. This would lay the basis for building a Labour Party
JOIN THE FIGHT FOR SOCIALISM If you would like to be put in touch with Socialist Challenge supporters in your area or would like more information fill in the form below Name....
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been more democratic had the decision been taken the TGWU conference in June.
But the right and centre of the union combined to prevent
vote being taken there because they knew a majority of the conference would have voted for Benn.
did take solace in ta-
tion take place the
consultation did favour Benn On the other hand Healev' biggest supporters, the Amalgamated Union of Engineering Workers took its decision in July by a dictate of the executive working class.
We are confident that our supporters' campaigns in the Labour Party withdrawal from the EEC and NATO, for
disarmament.
British troops out of Ireland and for workers' control of in. dustry will find an increasingly broad audience
Socialist Challenge readers should be alert to the possibility
witch-hunt, not just against the IMG but against the whole left. They should raise this inside the Labour Party to ensure that a defence will b mounted around the right of all socialists to put their views in the Labour Party.
Socialist Challenge 24 September 1981 Page 3
Page 4 scan of this page
SET THE LAURENCE SCOTT
JOBS NOT BOMBS
EXAMPLE'
By Pete Clifford
week long strike was
which has become a struggle inside the union itself.
AUEW leaders, Boyd and Duffy, had previously
ing when the workforce I CLuscu which did not guarantee keeping the factory open.
Not content with this stab in the back, Sir John Boyd had also sent Tony Benn a letter protesting at his support for the Scott's fight.
But as Benn explained ne was 'verv proud to he here, to give support to the workers Laurence Scott. Trade unions must develop the political dimension in their activities.
Two other Manchester VPs loned Benn on the picket line. Charles Morris, the local MP reaffirmbaob therland, for MP Ter Bob
for Manchester Lettral, endorsed this when he said that he 'would go on backing the Laurence
Scott workers were.
marches
couldn't give
anyone are fighting for jobs.
Socialist Challenge 24 September 1981
Whenever jobs are threatened:
TONY BENN visited the Laurence Scott pickets on Wednesday last week. His support for the 22
timely. Engineering union officials were hotly debating the dispute
Scott strikers against the system and their UWIl union.'
Later that Laurence Scott convenor Dennis Barry spoke at Benn election rally of 1,500 in Manchester. He argued forcefully that 'whenever jobs ai c threatened we've got to set Laurence Scott ample.
He went 'As Ull. are totally behind to we are totally behind Benn.' To tremendous applause, Dennis Barry altacked the misleaders of the trade union movethe likes of Boyd.
LICHE.
Duffy and Chapple. who were trying to stifle the SCOTS strike and defeat Benn's campaign.
Benn again took up the Scott's dispute when he referred to Thatcher's reshuffle. 'Norman Tebbit says you work harder, said Benn. 'But how can Terry Duffy was on the platform at last Saturday's unemployment demonstration in Birmingham. Which was more than the Laurence
The through our cities protesting at a platform to a group Page 4
the Laurence Scott workers work harder when they've been thrown out of ten ractory!
'Unemployment has been tinued, created 'so that Benn con- workers such as at Laurence Scott will be frightened. To see those men and women who Crede the wealth locked out of the gates is fundamentally wrong.'
Benn's visit and the continuing growing port for the struggle of the Scott workers will bring no comfort to Boyd and Duffy. Laurence Scott is now emerging as national symbol in the fight for jobs and a democratic labour movement.
Laurence Scott workers have had no strike pay for
weeks. They need money urgently to sustain the struggle. Last Saturday on the Birmingham demonstration they raised £250 and promises of more to come
But thousands of
week. Socialist Challenge renuers ur e Thpir trade union bran-
steward committees races counce ana subou Parties send money urgently. Have a collection
tions G Fryer, 20 Roundcroft, Romiley, Cheshire.
Labour Party are very good at organising unemployment but it of workers who more than
News
Tony Benn: 'It is these men and women who create the wealth.
AUEW branches
the country.
to procedure for deciding on the
AUEW National Executive).
SL6 4LL with donations.
into every major plant in the country.
Phil Penning,
Challenge,
march, hundreds were sold in a few hours!
John Parkinson,
union or Labour Party branches.
Copies 5p each.
Model resolution for
The following resolution has been sent by the LSE workers to every AUEW branch in
In view of the unanimous support for the Laurence Scott dispute from the 28 July 1981 Manchester North District Committee of the AUEW and the rules of the union with regard
official status of disputes (Rule 14 Paragraph 16), this branch deplores any attempt by the executive to terminate this dispute against the clear wishes of the workforce expressed at two mass meetings (14 July and 23 July) and calls on the National Executive to maintain official backing for this fight for jobs. (For forwarding with your branch stamp and signature to the
If your branch supports this resolution, make sure one copy is sent to the AUEW Head Office and another to the Strike Committee, 20 Round Croft, Romiley, Cheshire
LAURENCE SCULT
STRIKE BULLETIN
TEN THOUSAND copies of the Laurence Scott strike bulletin have been produced to get the truth out about the dispute. The strikers aim to get them
TASS steward told Socialist 'They sold like hot cakes on Saturday's
Orders are coming in from around the country.
secretary the Lancashire Association of trades councils, has ordered 500.
Back the Scotts struggle by ordering a quantity or bullets to ser ar vour stewares committees
Orders to Laurence Scott stewards, 20 Roundcroft, Romiley, Cheshire. Or phone 061 231 4434.
police presence throughout the time
noto: socialist Challenge
Royce at him
two foot hammer
out of the factory.
stewards committee.
Dennis Barry, convenor tionary politics Socialists.
tion in the Speke area
Eventually, of the Standard
Area Trade Union Committee
Through these positions
pool and nationally.
of the International Marxist Group.
Tommy
the bosses.
vice.
extremely
a passionate
proach he lived by.
at Grunwicks'
unionists played a small part in
Tommy's words
Joe Hill's song.
land.
Eileen and children Lewis
Picket attacked... AT FIVE o'clock on Monday morning, 20 men with crash helmets forced their way through the picket and burnt open the gates. There was a
In the scuffles with these twenty cowboys, picketer Colin Mitchell was arrested for allegedly throwing an egg. Ironically it was Colin who was attacked on the Doncaster picket line two months ago when Arthur Snipe drove his Rolls
Later in the day one of the scabs was arrested after he attacked a local photographer with a
None of this will deter the strikers from carrying on and they will do everything in their power to prevent any equipment being moved
Pete Rowen, chairperson of LSE shop
...but support grows AT THE Manchester North AUEW district shop stewards meeting held last Monday in support of Laurence Scott we called for all the factories in the area to send delegations to our picket line.
The meeting passed unanimously a resolution calling for official backing to be restored. To this end, district stewards are calling for a demonstration outside the final appeal court of the AUEW on 12 October in Eastbourne.
Tommy Healey
IT IS with regret we must record the untimely death of Tommy Healey, a fine example from Liverpool's ranks of militant class fighters.
Tommy became a staunch unionist over a decade ago and was introduced to revolu-
the International
During the early '70s he helped to build a strong IS branch of revolutionary workers and an equaliy strong trade union organisa-
The became deputy convenor rumen tactory and tireless organiser in the newly formed Speke
The constantly built support for workers' struggles, in Liver-
After leaving Standards and while work ing on the railways he joined the local branch
brought to it his revolutionary elan and militant trade unionism, constantly steering the branch to any dispute, no matter how small, between the working class and
Although he later left the branch, he remained a constant source of support and ad.
At any picket, demonstration or rally in Liverpool you were sure to meet him. Though
modest and unassuming he war always to be found in the front ranks, and had
hatred for the ruling class and their servants in the trade union bureaucracy.
Most recently he was teaching on shop stewards' courses, bringing to a new layer of trade unionists the sort of class struggle ap.
He regularly showed the film 'Look back
to those classes and would remark that although he had seen it many times he always got a sense ot excitement from this epic battle over basic trade union rights — a battle he and many Liverpool trade
and deeds which we should remember him by are summed up in
'There is a power in a band of working men, a power that must rule in every
We send deepest sympathy to his wife
Carolyn, otuart and
Page 5 scan of this page
SMASH THE 40/0
chester on the journey down
Sunday's unemployment tion in Birmingham.
200 women, mainly working
men to women Laurence Scott.
machines were
the men that they everyone's jobs. every bit as vital as the men's.
BERYL HAYMAN (APEX): In the papers you only hear vi men out ol work. They never mention women. I'd ike a tew the perks that men get. But I don't want to be a man.
Younger women today won't put up with what we did.
JOAN DRABBLE (APEX): Twenty years ago
Over 300,000 US workers
march against Reagan
By Toni Gorton ON 19 September, over a quarter of a million US workers marched on Washington to reaffirm the solidarity of movement and to protest President Reagan's budget cuts and tax policies.
The 'Solidarity Day' demonstration, the same day British workers marched in Birmingham, was the first time in the history of the AFL-CIO (the US equivalent to the TUC) that it had ever called mass national demonstration.
Hats
revole came on di over the country. Many wore matching paper hats produced by their trade unions with slogans and the names of their organisations printed Ull
'Any woman
who wantsto be
like a man
has no ambition'
Women strikers from Laurence Scotts who have been on strike for 22 weeks talked to LAURA and JUDE from Man-
to last demonstra-
Out of a workforce of 650, there are on the shopfloor. In recent years the ratio of
has increased at
Women were not replaced as new introduced. The women on strike are as determined as
are fighting for Their right to work is
not so many women went WOrK Nowadays lots of women WUL A Women have to survive.
We are as much entitled to a job as any man. If a young woman makes it a: engineer makes headline news.
It'll be a long time before we get equality. They still think you're the American labour
them farmworkers from California placards in Spanish, ironworkers from New Jersey and unionised actors chanting 'No business like show business'.
Lane Kirkland, AFL-CIO president, said that President Reagan who spent the day 65 miles away Camn David, could no longer claim to speak for Ine average American worker.
He said that Mr Reagan's tax-cut gramme was helping the
and was proving to be the irresponsible tiscal
just there just to brew up and all that. A man comes to you and says, I've no button on mv shirt.
Well. my attitude is that there's a needle and cotton and he can sew it
Any woman who wants to be like a man has no ambition.
ELAINE CROSS (TASS steward): My pretty strong on women's
There Is a lAS school for women on women HORES. was one of the first unions to go in for equal pay.
We went down to the House of Commons at the time to lobby for the Equal Pay Act. We didn't get equal pay in LSE until 29 December 1975.
BERYL: They the men's jobs different titles. I took my case to arbitration to called me a specia They grade to keep me quiet. They say men 'specialising'. The Equal Pay Act has made no dif-
act of our time.
'They are sacrificing the homes, health and hopes of millions on the altar ot crank coloniu abstractions that defy the laws of simple arithmetic and dismay even their friends on Wall Street, ' he said.
Representatives of civil rights and women's groups echoed the labour movement's warnings. Boots
'We're saying to those W70O have $1000 boots, while our children have no shoes, well, no, we won't take that, declared spokesperson lor the Na tional Association for the Advancement of Coloured People.
International Heraid Tribune reported that the march was inspired by the WUIKCES struggles in Poland.
Thousands of chers wore garments with illai.
News
LINDA MARTIN (APEX): Part of my job involves. what we call 'chasing'. It means I have to go onto the shop floor a lot. When I go down there I get lots of cracks about chatting the fellas up and that I'm not really there doing my job. Men never get any of that and they do far more messing.
BERYL: At the moment peopic over are bran washed into 'his' and 'her' tvpe lobs YOU start training girls for boys
there i go lalking about 'men's' jobs!
Women are more selfsacriticing, they everything, work harder and unvolved more militant if you like. Not aggro but stronger.
JOAN: Women sit much ng on he picker bue. and turn up regularly.
LINDA: Being with the girls from work on things like this demo, makes you feel strong.
the Solidarnose emblem and carried placards praising the Polish workers.
demonstration was the latest in a series of local and national protests against the policies of the Reagin adminstration.
Uniied Mine Workers brought thousands to Washington a Black Lung march last spring; in
20,000 protested government Dorices. there have been the Harrisburg anti-nuclear presis and anti-war march in May along Witt in G Martin Luther King : Day demon-
In speech clearly showing the opposition of the labour movement to Reagan, the president of America said: 'We did not choose this battle.
Battle
'It was thrust upon us by President i candl president who claims to
Elaine Cross Linda Martin Joan Drabble Beryl Hayman
have a mandate from the people.
'Well, we are the peo ple and I proclaim that if i Dallie must be, let UC
right to work
THE women at Laurence Scott, like the victorious women at Lee Jeans, are fighting for the right of everyone, men and women, to work.
But women often have first to combat resistance from workers and trade they should have the same opportunities as men.
therefore, welcome that the Labour Party national has demonstration, probably spring, specifically on this issue.
We reprint a model which aims to build that demonstra tion in the ranks of the labour move. ment.
the future
By Toni Gorton
people in Britain possibility of
the dole.
for Youth' campaign.
Jobs Express,
Friday 27 November.
participants to 400,
train will pass
cent
the older person.
SUCCES
passes through their town.
on November.
youln organisea Dy
tober.
Meet the Jobs Express
Demonstrate for jobs Newcastle - 23 November Edinburgh -Glasgow - 23 November, evening
Liverpool - 24 November, lunch
Manchester 24 November,
Sheffield - 25 November, lunch
Birmingham 25 November,
Swansea 26 November, lunch
Cardiff - 26 November, evening
Bristol - 27 November, lunch
London - 27 November, afternoon
Jobs for youth Festival
London Saturday 28 November
National demonstration
Sunday 29 November
National lobby of Parliament
Monday 30 November
For further information contact your regional
National Union of Students. Labour Party supports a woman's
This branch of
yul.
to take up this issue. male co-
that
possible to ensure
extremely
called for next
resolution
Youth fight for
TWO questions loom large for young
today the death by nuclear weapons and the prospect of life on
As youth jobs go down the drain, the TUC and various youth organisations have launched a national 'Jobs
The highlight of the campaign will be the
La special train which will be travelling from Scotland to London arriving on
Although the organisers are limiting the
specia events are being organised in all the towns through which the
Nearly half the three million unemployed are under 25 with young blacks, women and those living in the inner cities the hardest hit. In some areas youth unemployment is over 50 per
Youth may not have rents or mortgages to pay, or families to feed but being young and out of work is just as soul-destroying as it is for
The rage at the injustice of it all, the feelings of futility and frustration came to a head during July when youth in the big cities took to the
Trade unionists and unemployed youth should be planning to meet the Jobs Express as
Concerts and rallies are being organised and the campaign will culminate in a youth festival and national
the weekend of 28-29
Youth will also be heard at the Tory conference when a demonstration of unemployed
the Right to Work Cam paign assembles in Brighton on Friday 16 Oc
23 November, lunch
. evening
. night council of the TUC or your local branch of the
by the Labour Party for a demonstratio welcomes he co on a woman's right to work early ne We note with aiarm the growir. unemployment amongst women in con parison to men and recognise the urger: need for the labour movement as awho s
We urge the Labour Party NEC to : the date of the demonstration as soon: maximum mobilis: tion throughout the labour and womer movements. We must act swiftly to sir the Tory project of sending women bai the home and lighi lo detena !.. hard won rights which women have ga:
Further information from 374 Grays Inn Rd, WC2. Send letters of support and resolutions to the Labour Part 150 Walworth Rd, London SE17.
Socialist Challenge 24 September 1981 Page E
Page 6 scan of this page
nuclear armsrace
Labour Party.
mitted to this policy.
THE vote for unilațeral nuclear disarmament at the TUC earlier this month makes it certain that this policy will be reaffirmed at the Labour Party conference.
For the second vear running, nuclear disarmament has attracted the largest number of resomuaons ar tae contererce
Over one hundred motions
the WCIC SHOHLILLCU, OvCLwhelming majority calling for •nan to uuraterauv ousarua
Significantly, some of the largest unions are now unilateralist. Among these are the transport workers union, the mineworkers, Tne t public employees the construction By Chris Pitts. TGWU 9/10 branch. NEXT time you get on a bus, have a look at the advertising on the side. Imagine seeing, instead of the usual 'Eat at Joe's' type of advert, a slogan reading 'No Cruise! No Trident! Join CND!'
This is just one of the ideas now being discussed by small group
Sheffield busworkers who are building support or loc Cal barn aralllst
luclear weapons
YC Cac Lozei i as i of showings of the 'The War Game' organised by myself and another Socialist Challenge supporter the buses, with the backing of our union branch.
vur pnony al lne moment is organising the largest possible Lul TOUl for the national demonstration called by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament on 24 October in LOnGOR.
As a worktorce we are split up which made me pretty DCos nsuC aDoul the chances of organising anything.
About 2,000 drivers
ana conauciors mn Sheffield are spread over four garages in different parts
of the city, and work three types of shift - • carv.idlc. and 'part day' shifts.
But when the Sheffield peace and disarmament group, including CND,
Badges
organised the massive local Genos dlon of over 12,000 last March, it was obvious from seeing co-workers on the march, and wearing anti-missile Dauzes alle warus. there was at least as much interest in nuclear disarmament on ine buses as anywhere else.
Socialist Challenge 24 September 1981 , Page 6
Labour debates
Unilateral disarmament is a major issue in the contest for the deputy leadership of the
Denis Healey has gone so far as to say that he won't serve in a Labour government com-
MIKE PICKEN, Oxford Labour Party and secretary of Labour CND, reports on probable developments at Labour Party conference.
workers and the printworkers, SOGAT. This reflects growth of support within the labour Hiuvcilicall policies of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. NATO
Last year's Labour Party conference passed tory resolutions. Motions supporting both multilateralist and unilateralist positions were carried and a resolution calling for wil00awa heavily defeated.
Sheffield busworkers
build CND march
was the Labour Movement Conference last May, called by Manchester Against Missiles and CND, that really gave me the metaphorical kick up the arse that I needed to gel stariea Flushed with enausasm (1 had beer delegated by my union branch), I reported back at the very next branch meeting, and submitted a resolution on CND which has been the springboard for our activites since.
Moving
The resolution basically noted the Transport and General Workers Union national poncy In lavoul of nuclear disarmament and committed the ordica affiliate Sheffield CND, send a delegate to its organising meetings, support the campaign generally and the national demonstration specifically.
To make sure that things actually got moving, we included a few conproposals ln the resolution.
One of these is that the branch would provide a publicity, and finance for two showings of 'The War Game'
This film never fails to attract a rence partly because of the level ot interest in nuclear disar. mament the alilvll: population, but also partiy because the BBC and then banned by them.
This gives
This year, CND supporters will be campaigning for a two thirds majority on a card vote, policies automatically included WOlCD necessary in the party programme draft circulated by CND, Action for Peace and the Bertrand Russell Peace tion has attracted DUI L However, during the debate it will be necessary to draw a clear distinction multilateralism unllateransm.
Unfortunately
resolution failed to do this Despite making it clear that unilateral nuclear weapons should not be conditional on negotiations, the contradic- states that
negotiations are the only way to achieve nuclear disarmament. The resolution does clearly call for future was government to close down all
nuclear bases, to refuse Cruise clandestine. uTuc.ground' flabour, which we played up in our publicity.
When it is followed up properly by a speaker "The War Garme' the best recruiter that CND has.
Stall
Altogether, about 35 people attended, and most said they were interested.
So Tall the unOl branch has bought a bulk
and oroet postels leaflets advertising the demo and are investigating cheap transport down to London.
To build interest in the film showings, we set up a CND literature stal in th‹ canteen on couple of days, but decided that this alone was too passive.
It was useful, in that a few people came over and looked, and asked questions, and we sold a tew pounds worth of anti-missile badges and pamphlets. But most workers walked on by. Petition
So we plan to use some kind of petition, probably in support of the South Yorkshire nuclear-free zone, as a chance to talk to as many co-workers as possible.
Originally, we discussed the idea of a convoy of South Yorkshire buses trucking down the Ml to London for the demonstration.
Unfortunately, this isn't on — shame. I for one
woulu lave cola oe KC from driving one of those double-deckers full of pro-
Labour Party
programme.
electricians' model resolution
ference.
Labour for ing
rounddwide sup-
tuency
between
and ayal Uis unions only Scientific the model Staffs Association
voted against NATO
abandonment of Councils
multilateral
Many
resolution Dimeev such councils have
Labour Party
this.
Labour
Chris Pitts - raring to go
Scots protest
neutron bomb
By T Brennan
OVER three hundred peo-
ple took part in an open air
rally in Edinburgh
September protest
against the Reagan admi-
Misuration s decisor
develop the neutron
bomb.
The rally took place in
the middle of Edinburgh's
famous International
rostival wen
flooded with tourists from
all over Britain and other
testers into the capital.
But this year's
demonstration
anylning
like the last, I will get a big
enough kick just from be
the missiles and cancel the Trident
A multilateralist resolution, Ilkelv to be probosed bv tne
union should be vigorousiy opposed at the con-
seperate resolution callBritain's withdrawal from NATO has attracted increasing support from consti-
_abour Parties.
However, this motion is likely to be overwhelmingly defeated
year. (tne race the Associater and Manageria conference
Labour-controlled declared their areas nuclear free zones. The
national ecutive has officially supported
Some councils, particularly the London ones, have refused
parts of the world.
Edinburgh TOr Nuc eal Disarmament vam oalon had callea tor an international protest bomb decision
Pocket of the us constel
La tew days atter keagan : announcemert. Labour MalYobinc boea „ ine with loca main wide keir tracted a vantely VSos om deenna. tions.
Wing in the crowd, and sensing the organised strength of our class.
See you there on October 24.
to spend money on civil defence preparations for a nuclear war. This is illegal, and the Labour Party NEC has not supported such moves. A further resolution will therefore be proposed
conference supporting such local authorities who are prepared to break the law.
It.ne Michael Foot
There need to be two clear objectives to come out of the debate at conference. First, it is necessary to commit the partv to unilateralism and to show
part the steps to survival
that this is counterposed to multilateralism at some time in cnc lulure.
Drop
Michael Foot used the contradictory position passed last year to appoint Brynmor John
Bill Rodgers' SuL essUl defence spokesperson. We Hlusi ensure that the DOIIC passed is seen to commit the tuture Labour government to complete unilateral nuclear disarmament
Second, we should press for the Labour Party to campaign energetically against the muss ues rather than waiting for the next election.
The party should throw its weight into mobilising its mass working class support behind amenta inst . Cruise and Trident partıcularly for the CND march on 24 October.
•uneay 27 September, assemble 11 am at'the Peace
statue (Hove boundary) march to The Level, rally 1.30 pm. Speakers include ÉP Thompson.
Disarmament tringg neeuine Monday September, 7.30 pm, The Benn, SP akompson, er Tner Benn, Thompson, Fenner Brockway, Joan Ruddock.
Photo: AMIT BANERJI
LONDON • 24 OCTOBER • LONDON • 24 OCTOBER
TOGETHER
WE CAN
CIND-THE BOME
STOP
Page 7 scan of this page
How the Labour Party's statement on Ireland
Labour's national executive will be discussed at this year's party conference.
tains a commitment to Irish unity and a call for. the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Nevertheless, the majority of the resolutions submitted to party conference and of the demands made by constituency parties to the study group which drew up the statement.
study group was heavily weighted in favour of pro-Loyalists and a good deal of its evidence was rigged.
Socialist Challenge can now reveal how and why this occurred. It is also OUSS DIC those
Support LCI
resolution on
Ireland
By Penny Duggan, vice chair,
London Labour Committee on
Ireland
THIS year's party conference is a historic milestone. Over 50 motions on the best guarantee
ference will be forced to discuss
what policy the next government should
resolve the crisis of British rule in Ireland.
The Labour Committee on Ireland has been to the forefront of the battle to get Ireland onto the agenda. This fight has been strengthened by the statements
of leading figures of the Labour left such
as Ken Livingstone and Tony Benn, who have both reflected and stimulated wider
discussion on Ireland among the party and its affiliated organisations.
The LCI are asking for support for their emergency resolution delegates. spells policies the Labour Party must adopt.
Most importantly, and contentiousit calls for pressure on the
Government to concede demands of the hunger strikers. Time
and time again the Labour front bench
has expressed support for Thatcher's in-
around the
ment's policies grows and deepens.
and trade unions who oppose Britain's
on the Tory government to concede.
But longside that we have to tackle
the underlying causes that allow Britain
to get away with the prisoners' situation.
Britain must give up any claim to rule
in Ireland and get out. No its, no buts.
The next Labour government should be
committed to immediately begin to do
The LCI resolution spells out these
points and calls for clear policies to turn
vague support for unification of Ireland
and British withdrawal into a clear com-
mitment by the next Labour govern-
ment.
An exclusive exposure
has been rigged
The policy proposed in the statement con-
this falls short of the views of
The reasons for these failures is that the
chiefly responsible.
These are Dick Barrv. a full-time research officer for the Labour Partv. Alex agenda offer the yet that Con-
Labour adopt to from out the crucial
Tory the five
OSUNER
world Owen Carron, last behind the H Block
nomer soeaker a
dience, to
Kitson, party chairperson anO acting general secretary of the Transport and General Workers Union and Tony Saunois, national executive member for the Young Socialists.
They were assisted by the party's spokesperson on Ireland, Don Concannon.
All were members of the study group, establishtwo ycais ago by the NEC wuch orew un une NEC statement. For dif1C1 CIL i these dividuals were determined to resist the call by rank and file of the party for British withdrawal and
NERS' R
SUPPO
MP spent several days in week the strike. On Septerber 700 people attended a rally in
Town, LonGOn neal wwen the rally was eurO pean MP Richard Balfe who told the au-
'no one who travels in Europe as | is wide support for the H Block prisoners
Labour Party
unambiguous support for a united Ireland
posed because he is, Concannon was UD- by conviction, pro-Unionist.
Even more virulently Loyalist is Dick Barry who
parted ao vine, shat
ported the view Ireland is 'two nations'. This ideology gives unequivical support to the Loyalists. 1976
In 1976 Barry wrote a policy document Ireland for the NEC. This included the view that the TRA O CA 1A1A0! 1970s, whose favourite pastime was assassinating Catholics, could be perly described counter-terrorist organisations'
The 1976 report was rejected by the NEC but the author's views lived on to colour the latest policy statement. Barry was occiclal y of the study group.
Its chairperson was Kitson who, at one time, seemed likely to counter Barry's influence, having previously spoken favour of British withdrawal
Kitson's perience whith his trade union members in Bellast moderated rare overwhelmings. views.
Loyalists, which is hardly surprising as Catholic workers who could join the TGWU prefer to be members of the Dublinbased Irish Transport and General Workers Union. ILPYS
So concerned became Kitson with keeping his Loyalist members ina be that at one point threatened to resign from the study group if it came vut surongiy In lavour ol Irish unity.
Finally, there was Tony Saunois of the LPYS
tant. theory Militant has a "troops out' position, but it does not take this seriously, preferring to conduci truitless searches for 'class unity' in the North of Ireland. Saunois' aim in the study group was to get support for the formation of a new Labour Party the North of Ireland.
Control
There were other, more lett wing, members of the study group because Barry organised it he was able to control how It operated.
This is reflected in the orzanisduons the study
By Geoff Bell
Don Concannon Tony Saunois Prese inceded Ireland.
. the Ulster
alones en rompe
front Dar alillar y Ulster Defence Association, the
defunct Progressive Unionist Party and Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party. Nations
Even more interesting, the study group met the Campaign for Labour Representation, the United Labour Party and the Labour Union Group. All of these contain no more than handful of individuals and are heavily influenced by the 'two nations' ideology espoused by Barry.
CULi
ARN
Alex Kitson (top) and Sam McCluskie
The study group did not meet the anti-unionist Peoples Democracy r or the
Party both of which have elected Belfast councillors — unlike the 'two nations' groupiels
Bias
Neither did the study group see : Sinn Fein who have over 30 councillors in the South Ireland although it met every other political party in the South which had elected public representatives
This pro-Loyalist bias is evident the report behalf of the study drawn by Barry, on which forms the basis of the NEC statement.
Socialist Challenge
in the section entitled 'Unification Our Objective' 50 per cent more space is given to arguments
in favour. Not surprisingl:
SELV group CRiC 'evidence' submitted to it in the North of Ireland as to why unity should be opposed.
Originally, the proLoyalists on the study group wanted their repor to completely oppose İrish unity. As late as February Don Concannon sisting on this in private meetings of the group. Subtle
But series of pressures produced a more
First, the views the CLPs, reflected in evidence sub-
showed the majort up
showed majority favour of troop withdrawal, Irish unity and against the Labour Party organising the North of Ireland.
This was followed by
CLP's over the party leadership's support for Margaret Thatcher's starving to death of Bobby Sands MP
Finally, three members of the study threatened to write
if the Loyalist majority group pushed their views too strongly. Veto
Consequently, the NEC statement is a mish mash of compromise and ambiguity. It says 'our aim
bring about the unification of Ireland by
and consent between the two parts of Ireland.
This implies thai without the 'consent'. of the Unionist minority in Ireland there will be no unity. On the other hand the statement states its opposition 'a veto political development by Unionists
Nevertheless, while the NEC statement
in practical terms it rejects it. Thus it calls for the continuation of direct rule, to be replaced by a powersharing government in the North.
This, together with the formation of a new North of Ireland Labour Party means the NEC is proposing new instituțions and organisations which. because they are long term and confined to the six counties of Northeas Ireland, actually reinforce partition.
Little
The truth is that a long term commitment to Irish unity means little. It needs to be backed up by firm
for unity and
British withdrawal
The pro-Loyalists the study group were never going to allow that to happen. All they did was build a Unionist house and pain: it over with an Irish unit! gloss.
At the NEC meeting when the statement discussed Sam McCluskie of the National Union of seamen recognised this reality and, because he is in favour of a real commitment British with• drawal, voted againsi it The conferenc should follow that exam ple. 24 September 1981 Page 7
Page 8 scan of this page
It's the unelected few in the Stock Exchange who decide the country's economic priorities, not working people
Britain has gone back to the thirties. templated unless she succeeds.
from office.
bankrupt policies that let her in
the Tories.
Party so important.
conference; The Socialist Alternative.
own alternative.
Agreement
Thatcher has pulled the wool from many people's eyes. Indignation at her government has led to policies that were once hotly contested being widely adopted: unilateralism, withdrawal from Ine EEL, large increases in public spending, a return to full employ-
the 35-hour week these are some of the issues on which very broad unity now ex-
We are socialists because we reject une tragic ana destructive results of a society based on profit and not social need. We want an end to a Britain which clings to falling overseas protits by playing second fiddle to keagan in tne world war stakes, which can waste £9bn every vear on weapons. and consign 3 million to the dole while our inner cities, hospitals and schools rot.
We want jobs, not bombs. That's why we agree with many of the long-term objectives in the NEC's plan: jobs for all, common ownership, economic and social edualitv. rights for women (we would add youth and biack people. collective provision for social need, an internationalist foreign policy, and democratic socialist society.
But can this be Labour's traditional methods? We don't think so.
Our plan is one not just to rebuild the economy, but mobilise the resources of the labour movement to meet ana defeat the resistance to change of the rich and powerful.
What can be achieved?
One of the merits of the new Labour left is that it no longer accepts mvth that resources for change don't ex-
we aon t nave to put up with the cuts, wage restraint, and unemployment. Do away with the profit system and you don't need attacks on workers.
costs the government 23,700 in IOSL taxes benefits to put one worker on the dole. Over £10 bn could be
put in government coffers just
by ending unemployment. Lost production costs the country nearly £40 bn every year.
This could pay for: a 50 per cent increase in
nınımum wage of t105 a week,
a l) per cent increase in nouse bullaing, a so per cent mercase
health and education spending and a 50 per cent rise in
industrial investment.
In order to build houses.
Socialist Challenge 24 September 1981
Mass unemployment is here to stay. Wage cuts are back. The social services are in ruins.
The real aim of Thatcher's monetarism is quite clear: a direct assault on working class strength. No economic recovery will be con-
Thatcher is the most hated British Prime Minister of this century. She should be driven
But this isn't enough. We need an alternative not just to monetarism, but to the
the last Labour government. Michael Foot is wrong when he says that the search for an alternative will divert from the fight against
If we can't convince working people that things will be different, our chances of defeating Thatcher will be so much the less. This is what makes the battle in the Labour
But what is the alternative to be? Socialist Challenge looks at the proposals put forward by the Labour Party NEC in its statement to
plain why we disagree with it, and explain our
hospitals and schools we would need to produce steel, building materials. machinerv and consumer goods for the workers cuivlovcu.
The whole economy could be economic plan was used direct the process. It would end the stupidity of having 3 million workless while no-one builds houses or hospitals. socialist alternative should begin by: * rebuilding our system and health services; * making puonc transport inio a genuine social service; SOCIOL inequality: a minimum and maximum wage, index-linked social benefits t01 all in need, an end to unearned
Producing for need and not profit will also mean: * work for all, with special emphasis on the right to work of women, youth and black people; * defence against through index-linked wages; *a 35-hour working throughout industry.
What has gone wrong?
This is not utopian or impossible. Labour's own researchers have shown the resources exist to do i. ine problem is una governments try to VEC's spending without taking control of production and investment. The result has been: * a balance of payments crisis because industry with demand: * industrialists lose profits and refuse to co-operate; the party's plans are sabotaged by Whitehall, the CBI, the banks and its own cabinet.
To deal with this the following new measures are needed: *control of investment production to rebuild industry; * a socialist plan to make sure that growth is co-ordinated; * a plan to stop the banks' sabotage; * a plan to stop the cabinet,selling to the IMF, Treasury and the CBI,
table to working people.
It is in trying to deal with these our problems that Labour left hit problems. They base their strategy laeas to mose our lorwara by Tony Benn in New Socialist, and echoed in Manifesto, detailed alternative Labour leftwingers,
Page 8
CONFERENCE
those of We ex-
proper
5 education
inflation
week
use the
can't cope
and
published by Pan. latter argue that main resistance to change has the CONC from multinational capital, from the and
accoun- livir and lorces
economy. They the idea that 'colony' of the the multinationals. answer is to on similar
walls, using agreements to secure the operation of domestic capital.
by six
are the
recently where did the IMF get its ideas
the tain. In foreign and
sterling crisis.
outsiat our Ransom put forward Britain is
IMF and But these cuts
Thus their rebuild the treasury
beforehand planning Healey's.
actually
facts? First
ment give in.
from? From the banking and The business community inside Bri-
1976 the IMF forced cuts on the government atter a
operate were being demanded by the CBI and the
for two years Joe Haines, the sterling crisis of 1975 was scuicialy that
engineered by the British treasury to make the govern-
multinationals that hold the economy to ransom are not foreign. They are main-
British combates The enemy lives at home. What has happened is that for over a hundred years they have chosen to
abroad because they get more protit oppressing th peoples of the Third Work
'hev are not prepared to in. vest in Britain unless the working class is first smashed up
Between 1974 and
companies acquired £llbn worth of overseas assets. even though industry declined
TOWA
SOCI
BRITA
so much that they lost f8 bn worth of assets overall. The banks increased their overseas borrowing from f5 bn to a stag. gering £3. 3 bn. In the first three months of 1981 alone, £2.6 bn fled overseas This happens because Bri tain was, and remains, an im perialist Louilll y It enslaves will une pound as well as une gun, using sterling's internațional role to safeguard foreign investments and hold down the of the Third World.
Banking, as a result, plays a completely disproportionate
Page 9 scan of this page
LIST
IN
role in the economy.
The 'strong pound' is the
basis for the rundown of
uusul y. the misely or working
people in Britain, , and the star-
vation and murder ot milions
throughout the world.
At the same time, British in-
dustrialists refuse to co-operate
with government plans as long
as working class organisation
remains intact. Benn's Industry
Bill was contemptuously brush-
ed aside.
In its lifetime the Labour
government signed one
planning ani colucill
RDS A
Industrial Production MANUFACTURING INVCOIMEA 1980 81
Chrysler UK. The CBI testified to the Commons, point blank, in- that they would not
with the Industry Bill whether or not it became law.
What is to be done?
The capitalist •class of country will not co-operate in rebuilding the ututlly Stony Benn's _kelne Tony which its agreement. instead oI working out how to take it over, is
Annual expenditure
Defence budget, 1981-82 of which: pay etc of personnel
airrorce equipment
Programmes
Individual items
One Type 22 frigate One Tornado F2 aircraft
One 81mm mortar One light support weapon 8-tonne army vehicle
doomed.
Our plan
the hands of working people.
The first step control finance. * nationalise all the banks and finance houses; * end, once and for all, the role of sterling as a world reserve currency;
resources for investment and control oI inaustrv. it would remove from nanas a weapon thev ensiave peoples World.
look at, and Wages uvn dal tne rinancıal deal-
Kings of every -ORECAST tain. This
publicly by: *giving every union the right to inspect the books, and financial dealings, of any company operating in Britain.
step to being able to control industry. the isolation of sector-by-sector planning and organise, at every level of the labour movement sajes peric es the pooling of
leading to: plemented? The
Strategy's idea agreements'.
But
empiovmer
control. undemocratic.
the people in lave one-third
come trom
etuic means wilal
* authorise
For industry, Lu uuciale ment the
terests;
jorities
this
Any NEC's, motonou.ser looks for government
elected
Spending on arms compared with social services
defence research and development
upkeep of Polaris submarine
Trident nuclear missile system+ Sting Ray Torpedo programme
One nuclear powered fleet submarine
One Challenger Main battle tank *not yet sanctioned by the government tto be bought from the United States
starts from the movemen need to acquire the information
To and control needed to take the running of industry out of the hands of its owners and put it in tionalising
would be to means:
CulalC
social
itself socialist.
This would free tremendous
you cannot bosses' the capitalists'
USC plementing of the Third
It would allow us also to
dustries. publicise informa-
company in Brishould COne rand In
Coa cs terocious
This information is the first
The next one is to end from above.
civil SCaViCg
be
plan has to
propose countability 'planning
return for
structures.
means that
would
the
control says. The which was chosen
monarch'.
to implemovement's and the IMF
are people. workers, The socialismn Is the
and bodies, workers' accountable
£ million
12,274
Child benefit
269
1,689
E million
5,500
950
E million
175 120
1:3
7,500
350
27,000
representatives of the workers
these means: govern- * the commanding including
Not and
WILB na-
democratic
shows na-
ple. the
conclusion
as has Mitterand
reply the
action
Icale icu
to meet
the
We
workers'
should
the
socialism
the the next
class doesn't
The final elected but
Minister
'elected movement .the cabinet against
They
working
own
task of
in the state
tuc against us.
parlia-
Hospital and community health services
Medical Research Council Services for disabled Suplementary pensions
British Rail electrification* Thames flood barrier
Humber Bridge Lothian's rate support grant cut 900 new houses Improvements to 300 houses
Stairlift for disabled person School books for 75 children for one year One meals-on-wheels van
Table: Labour Research Sept 1981
bu e den ty van ng sure nesr
of all
the police of and their by popular organisations alternative forms of popular power cannot be created overnight. But they draw a peculiar
from this. They argue that immediate measures should be verv ulfuLCU. limit any organisation to that which presently exists — parliament and its committees Power
up.
But when workers occupy their plants, when they organise
for wages increases, when they defend themselves against the new picketing laws
when they do all these things then they are laying the basis of mne energence oi mer owa organisation of power. balvil
We have a great disagreement with the NEC about the methods which sould be used in fighting for their policies. We don't believe it is an adequate strategy to wait until the next Labour government is elected.
totally oppose the policies that led to the social contract and voluntary wage restraint, which were based on the idea that the working class smployers and leave politics te give fighting the
parlamentary SLADOUI Parte believe that the working class should now be mobilised to defeat the Tories by driving to them from office, and that in
course of this struggle, should prepare to impose on
Labour government te poncies lal ll necas
A socialist foreign policy
great problem that the NEC does not address itself to properly is that of building a
of international solidarity that can defend us
the international the pressure that will be brought to bear upon us.
fail to acknowledge the connection between international pressure and what our
capitalists are doing. British capital has the most deve opec nework or interna tional contacts of any nation in
world. it will use them
Import controls are the worst possible way to respond to this pressure. First, they ig nore the basic problem, which is investment. Proper diannec
£ million 9,892
3,385 99 97 1,310 { million 750* 750 { million 80 47
1,500 340 4,000
trade is impossible without tackling production and investment.
Second, it is not planned trade at all. Real planned trade would call for a state monopoly
all foreign trade together with series of trading agreements with the rest of the world which mutually benefits our trading partners, instead of being unilaterally imposed by Britain.
Third, it is a disguised sub. sidy to the most backward sec tions of capital: it means working people have to pay more to buy British-made products occause British factory owners have failed to moder. nise production
Fourth, it will antagonise the very people whose support we want to win: the workers of other countries who will see import controls as exporting unemployment to them.
The real goal of a socialist foreign policy should be to link
with all those who are fighting our capitalists abroad and break out of the trading patterns of an imperialist country.
We have to get out of the EEC which is a protectionist cold war creation, a barrier to
Worl, anga devic tor
World, device political collaboration between multinational bosses
We have to abandon any commitment to military alliances directed at the Third World and the Soviet Union which micans gellilg our of NATO as well as getting rid of nuclear weabons We have to end the British WCaos
army's foreign role and withdraw all troops fron abroad, and above all fron Ireland. Oppose
Most of all, we should cease
confuse a neutral foreign policy with an independen foreign policy. Britain should not be neutral in the wars now going on in the world. We should support liberation struggles in Él Salvador, the Middle East, Indochina and Africa, against America and its allies and arals our capitalists and their allies.
We should oppose American foreign policy which
directed at destroying these liberation struggles, and detenc
Soviet Union against American's war preparations.
We should support for the the forefront of Polish workers. whose strug gles point in the direction of a genuinely democratic SOC¡alism, and we should suppor
waen. Central America now, it extends and develops socialist revolution.
In this way we should aim to build up world-wide support from working and oppressed people, who are our best hope lighting the internationa resistance of capital.
Socialist Challenge 24 September 1981 Page 9
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We report the truth in the service of the labour movement. That's why we've championed the cause of workers like those at Laurence Scott Engineering, who have now been struggling against redundancy for 22 weeks. The established press would like to forget LSE: because they aren't going to become another unemployment statistic. They want to fight back.
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accidental 01-836
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death of an
anarchist
Wyndham's Theatre
"a huge
success"
New Std.July 1981 LAST 5 WEEKS
Page 11 scan of this page
SaipArost time for the Labour Party to act
-Turkey's generals: defending the 'Free World'
Solidarity congress
declaration
THE supreme aim of the independent trade union Solidarity is to create dignified conditions of life in an economically and politically sovereign Poland, a life freed of poverty, of exploitation, of fear and deceit, in a society organised democratically and on the basis of law. Today the nation expects:
The improvement of establishment of control distribution, and pricing, in collaboration with the Solidarity union of individual farmers. 2. A reform of the economy, through the creation of authentic self-management councils in the factories and through the liquidation of the party 'Nomenklatura' pointments to key jobs). 3. The truth through social control over the mass media and the suppression of falsehoods in education and Polish culture. 4. Democracy through the introduction of free
elections to the Sejm (parliament) and the people's councils. 5. Justice through the assurance to each of equality before the law, the freedom of prisoners of opinion, and the defence of persons charged for their political, editorial or trade union activities. 6. The protection of the nation's health, through the protection of the environment, an increase in the funds channelled into medical services, and a guarantee to the handicapped of the rights which are due to them in society. 7. Coal for the population and industry, through giving a guarantee to the miners of decent living and working conditions.
We will achieve these aims through the unity of the trade union and the solidarity of its members. The activities of a variety of forces creating a feeling of exterior danger will not remove from us the desire to struggle for the ideals of August 1980, for the Imo cuculation of the Jastrzebie accords.
By Davy Jones A MAJOR confrontation between Solidarity and the Polish authorities seems imminent. In the past week the ruling Politburo has accused Solidarity of fomenting bloodshed, member even demanding the banning of the union movement. And the Soviet leaders sent their toughest warning yet to the Polish Communist Party demanding immediate radical action against Solidarity's campaign.
But the struggle for workers' democracy in
solidarity from the British laDoul movelicil Michael Foot and Denis Healey were in Moscow politely discussing the arms race the day the Kremlin's threatening letter reached • Poland.
The Labour left too has come under fire for its weak LINe Polish workers. The establishment Dress right wing union leaders llave alackcu le col-
ON FRIDAY 12 September 1980,
in the early hours of the morning,
tanks and armoured
rolled into Turkey's major cities.
Three days later, the new ruling junta
had already arrested an estimated 15,000
people, dissolved parliament, outlawed
the right to strike,
political parties. It has been a bloody
twelve months since then.
Repression has reached levels rarely
seen in countries which are not actually
fascist dictatorships. The
forces in the Middle East have been tip-
ped in favour of the
food supplies the
production, Over
(Note: the system of party apGdansk, Szczecin and
with one
alleged anti-Soviet
paigns for democracy in the British labour
He SI being sham
democracy compared
Poland
In the televised debate on Panorama John Silkin
felt able to accuse the Benn
campaign giving
'glimpse of Stalinism'.
What are the Polish
workers fighting for, and
why should the whole
labour movement.
left wing particularly, sup-
port tem!
Poland is supposed to
be a 'communist' society.
main cop in the region.
The coup in vehicles
movement.
reversal: and shut down all
Banned.
surance of the Socialist International. Labour
warmongers as
It is true that Polish capitalism was overthrown, bringing enormous gains to the workers and peasants, but there the similarity with communism ends There is a large ruling bureaucracy Poland linked into the Soviet bureaucracy with it own material privileges over the rest of society. Most im. portantly this bureaucracy wields complete of DOLLA power through the ComParty and repressive apparatus to defend the status quo.
This system denies the mass of the working people any political rights or independent organisation.
At least that was the case until historic struggles leading to me tornabor or e -dependent movement, Solidarity.
Turkey has replaced Iran as Uncle Sam's
Turkey demonstrated once again that NATO is not only a vehicle for the Reagan/Thatcher war drive, but an instrument to repress the workers'
The militant labour moveTurkey has suffered a severe
Trade unions and all political parties and professional associations have been
them the Republican Peoples Party (RPP), the sister party o)
Party, affiliated the
The Labour national executive took
International
Walesa challenaed by union militants durina last summer's strike wave. The nicture comes from Gdansk 7980 -BCM Box 697, London WC1. Though the photos in this £5.50 book are interesting. to independent tion the Polish workers have begun to systematically demand the complete democratisation of society
They have insisted on an end to the censorship of the media which attempts
stifle all opposition. because one continual slander campaigns against
in the official media, Solidarity demanded the right to its own journals. and recently, to its own TV network.
Media
They have not insisted on the shutting down of the state media or other papers with which they disagree, but for an extension of the media to the union movements WILl their undoubted mass sup-
Similarly Solidarity has now called for free elec tions and the ending of the
an important symbolic step in inviting Bulent Ecevit, the former leader of the RPP, to this year's party conference. But we must take steps which are not only symbolic.
The lies in the capitalist press about Turkey's benign and inclined Generals should be combatted. There needs to be a campaign for an end to the hangings, for freedom for political parties and the release of trade unionists. That's the best way to contribute to saying the lives of our sisters and brothers in Turkey.
In particular the Turkey Solidarity Campaign urges supporters
systemn Poland It has not asked for the banning of the ruling Communist Party, but for
extension democracy that the Polish workers can freely choose between all political currents.
At their recent congress Solidarity approved
resolution calling workers' selfhe right to hire and fire including the right to the tactory director. nor. mally appointed by the ruling party.
E. 'communist'
societies the workers are told that they own the fạctories. So with a massive economic crisis and pro ven bureaucratic corruption and mismanagement it is an inevitable consequence of the right of independent organisation that the workers should demand to run the factories themselves.
And on every front
Labour Party to
democratically-
in Ankara.
Turkey Solidarity
Hotel in Brighton.
the anti-communist bias of the commentary leaves a lot to be desired.
Solidarity has opposed the privileges ot the ruling tempts to keep all post- and tions of power in society through the partynominated lists. undemocratic "nomenklatura' system.
The direction Solidarity's development towards the overthrow of the whole ruling bureaucracy in Poland and its
system workers' democracy at every level.
Some socialists fear that this mass , movemen has reactionary goals, like the capitalism, especially when they establishment supporting Solidarity.
We have no illusions in the right wing press. They will be the first to suggest 'moderation' to the Polish workers rather than see a real workers' democracy come into existence. They jumped on the bandwagon try and discredit sucausu and com-
But that should not blind us to the fact that the Polish workers struggle is the best advertisement for socialism we have had
back the campaign against the deportation from this country of Dogan Tarkan, a socialist newspaper editor. The Labour NEC should support a joint Labour Party/trade union delegation to observe the trials of the DISK trade union leaders currently underway
For information on Turkey contact the
Campaign, BM Box 5965, London WCIN 3XX - why not affiliate to the campaign? Labour conference fringe meeting on Turkey is or Thursday I October, 12.30pm in the Ship
Socialist Challenge
Pictures from a strike from Puls publications
for years. The workers are not calling for return to capitalism but TO thorough-going workers' democracy.
For y cal s workers throughout the world have been presented with choice: capitalism Stalinism. The Polish workers are struggling for
third alternative: socialist democracy
The British labour movement faces greate problems, not the least of which that a crisis. wracked capitalism is still well and truly with us. The search for radical policies to tackle this crisis has been coupled with a fight for increased democracy within the labour ment, especially the Labour Party.
The Labour left should draw the lessons trom the Polish workers. They have found at each stage thel gains have been threatened without a thorough-going democratisation of all the institutions of society.
The Labour left has to couple its campaign for party democracy with demands for the extension of democratic rights and workers' democracy to all spheres of society.
More importantly, the Polish workers' appeal to the workers of the Soviet bloc showed that they realised the importance of international solidarity for the success of their own struggle
The Labour left should take the lead. not hypocrites in the establishment press and the right wing union leaders, championing the cause of the Polish workers and building concrete international solidarity them.
The success of the Polish workers in establishing democracy would be hundred times more effer. tive than conterence resolutions in winning thi battle for Labour move. ment democrac Britain. 24 September 1961 Page i1
Page 12 scan of this page
'Benn will be the nex
of London Labour Party MICHAEL HESELTINE has decided to take further powers
Labour-controlled councils in order to massive cut-backs in the social wage.
At the moment the government is moving against Lothian Council in Scotland with their new powers which apply only to Scottish councils.
Heseltine plans to announce the Queen's Speech November measures prevent councils increasing rates in order to avoid cuts in services and jobs. he says ne does not want 'Lothian' style
Limit
Instead he proposes to give himself power to set a limit on Comercineases ano thus force more of the burden oni amesi rarepayers. ne will also have power to fix a percentuse increase limit comestic rates.
Thus councils would face massive cuts or bankruptcy. The only way out for councils would be a supplementary rate.
borrowing cover deficit would be illegal.
But before a council could
CONFERENCE
81
If the left do win control of the Labour Party, you see that affecting the victory of a Labour govern ment at the next election?
There is no prospect of us winn ing the next general election without Benn. Heis a symbol, a focus. Labour voters who abstained iast time will vote with Benn in the leadership.
tories in the Labour Party are building the sense that the right wing conSC VOLVC SeCUOT British public opinion is moving away trom hatcher to the DP 2s the best chance of keeping out a radical left government.
What we're seeing is a shift to the left on the entire British political spectrum. The Labour socialist party, not just a social arty moving to being democratic one; and a conservalve opposition moving from a monetarist Thatcher position.
What you got in the recent solt in sington was a realienment, the Labour vote remained firm, so it provided the basis for a purified labour Par-
socialist analienge A vestember o
A strategy for 1981/2
GLC Labour group paper passed by Regional executive
have a supplementary rate they would have to either hold a referendum ine force dissolve the whole council and hold a full election.
He facing within government and the civil service and also from some for councils so that his plans may vet be amended.
But whatever there can be no that we are entering the final phase of the struggle with the Tories. Either we or Heseltine must eventually lose. powers would prevent a judging of the issue.
We must mobilise total opposition in an attempt to prevent this legislation passing Ine carry nas a maior role 1o play in this campaign but it also has to decide strategy. We will be forced into massive unless we aereal new legislation as it makes its way through parliament.
Call We therefore call on the anente conference to set aside
time for a major debate on this crisis and to call on
ABDUR
ART
ty, a genuinely socialist Labour Party, taking control next time at the May elections, do SDP becoming the
vative Party of Islington.
Look at Warrington.
Brush estabishment is throw. ing everything into building up the SDP in order to prevent the election of left government.
If that means as capital you
something else that's got a better chance, that does represent a shift to the left on the political
the what's happening.
the case that the SDP is replacing the Labour Party on the left. It may be that the sheer weight establishment/media
Cut erose per ale lost us the 70
but those people lost us the and "79 elections.
Working people
rapidly disillusioned. What you would then have is the election oi a radical socialist Party.
Uniess theres vigorous battle against this TOrv unless it's knocked to its
Page 12
all Labour-controlled authorities, CLPs,
oppositioil campaign
of the
attertion to the devastating ef
services and creasing the level of unemployfinally ap- miere.
doubt
cuts;
The new *the National Executive Com-
mittee and Labour Party penalties and lift bans imposed under the powers of the district auditor; *the PLP to take all measures necessary to delay and disrupt wider parliamentary business in order to prevent the passing of this bankruptcy Heseltine's legislation; *the trade unions to launch a
campaign of industrial action to support the PLP and to give clear commitment Heseltine gets his new powers and forces bankruptcy then they will support those councils defending Jos ana ser vices. knees, then
talk terms of unemployment?
No, I don't see that as a danger.
tion but that shift to the left in the Labour think, irreversible.
Benn may not win this time but
will undoubtedly be leader of the Labour Party.
The Labour win the next election but it will only do so if it goes on in a very firm socialist progranime, hard opposition to what the government has done, support for the trade unions.
the few weeks before an election. It really needs to be done HOW
surrounded by and the
cabinet and Conser-
The vanced by conflict Tories are going for Labour pieces or legislation. control or
the unions and controls on the Labour councils, it's a very nice Party and run link that sense.
I'm glad together. could downfall of government during the winter.
way as there was with Heath, against a backdrop of a maior industrial struggle, that a snap DICSS Te election is called.
will be But wner
brought down by the trade unions, he wds Labour make massive concessions.
Surely for the sort
has to be created now with
some Labour
with the unions to bring this
now. government's life to an and.
*the party to mobilise urgently
local Labour Groups, fail to defeat affiliated organisations and trade unions in a concerted Parliament,
opposition to Heseltine's legislation, drawing devastating.
fects it will have on vital council Choice
massively in-
*Labour councillors and those about to seek election in 1982 to jobs MEUSIVE commit themselves not to make redundancies)
vecoming
Parliamentary to /colore ment. dilemma
cillors.
Labour
that
councils into auditor. that KEN
dissipated defeats, Culs.
La
Party is now, mean,
future. Benn the next
Party could
It will be too late to do it in
Even if Benn gets in, he's
shadow parliamentary
which is still going to be a
Now all that could be ad
major industrial autumn. The two key
they're coming And that may mean actually the the Thatcher
You might find, in the same
Yes, that's the strategy Heath fell,
forced to major the best conditions defeating this legislation. of Labour you describe
It is vital that the whole
movement is aware that if we
Heseltine's new
legislation as it goes through
then the , options
before Labour councils will be
We would face a choice bet-
ween Labour councils making
cuts in services and (including compulsory or councils "bankrupt' and call-
ing on the trade unions for a
major campaign of industrial
action to defeat the govern-
The only alternative to this would mass
resignation by Labour coun-
Finally, on the return of a government
PLP to undertake to effect the
repeal of the Heseltine legisla-
tion, and undertake to restore
penalties and lift bans imposed
uniuer ine powers Of ine uistrici
LIVINGSTONE, Labour leader of the Greater London Council, has been in office now for four months — long time these days British politics. His views on running local government, the rates issue, Ireland and gay the Labour group here spelled out What's in the document we put to the Regional Executive - we have
campaign aimed at
If you defeat this legislation you possibly defeat the govern. would ment as well. As we go through
and
major controversial points. negotiating
no cuts,
no rates or
Phyllis Dunnipace
Rob Jones
Socialist Challenge
PAMPHLET
Copies available from 'Rates pamphlet', PO Box 50,
London N1. 25p each plus postage. Bulk orders 10
and over 20p a copy.
left rights are now known. In
in Livingstone
year's Labour ference in Brighton. leader of the GiC on the 4 DOS LiOn
I issued a statement that we struggie against the 4 per cent
expect that representatives in the national
committees will
rent rises!
25p
quite well this interview TESSA VAN GELDEREN and BRIAN HERON question Ken
on the major issues under discussion at this
Party confight against the 4 per cent limit.
You've said that we need a Labour Party based on ference policy. Tony Benn has also been confronted with this question Ho doesn't agree with conference policy on Ireland, nor do at least from
Page 13 scan of this page
Heseltine forces the left
t leader of the Labour Party'
Rates:
By Tessa van Gelderen
MOST militants on the left
of the Labour Party will tell
you that rates are no longer
the issue. Heseltine's new legislation has seen to that.
Tne ecutive Party the London Labour recoanised. 'rate increases cannot provide a way of replacing the
withheld by money government, because ot the harsh effects rate rises have
Nially WOrKeTS standards and the new legal •owers me Tories are expected to take.'
Option
Unfortunately. some of us have been arguing consistently against both cuts and rate rises, that the latter was not an option for the working class who would still be paying for the crisis. your public statements.
Does that
mCau vou wouldn't put forward that policy? How do you see the relationship between Labour leaders and socialist or radical policies when they don't agree conference?
I think it's a problem we've only really thought about since I got electea nere. It's not been a problem Labour leaders have faced in the past, is it?
My initial gut response was to say that I have a right as an
to fight for any position in the movement quite openly and think that is the case on all those issues which al c direct GLC issues.
If the Labour group here decided to go for a policy that I didn't support, I think I'd have
resign. think 1t Benn became leader of the party and the party conference decision was lo continue commit troops to Ireland, well then 1 think he'd have no choice but to stand down.
But it's not likely that a party that's going to elect Benn would then turn round and start pushing right-wing policies.
The reverse is true, the election of Benn would be sense breaking a logjam and there would be a further shift to the lett in policy.
Polls suggest that 67 per cent are n favour of troops out now, yet the Labour Party conference itself doesn't represent that position. Surely this would indicate that it's not so much a case being party accountable Labour conference but rather accountable mass support inside the working class And therefore you need a new instrument to be able to judge and gauge that.
Well to be quite honest. that vote on Ireland was engineered
to think again
And, again unfortunately, it's not simply a case of 'told you so' but one where really serious, pernaps irreparable damage has been done
Inere is no doubt that ex- the SDP has made gains and
will Connue to make callis locally because of the huge
have been subjected to with the increased rates,
often cuts in council services as well.
It is not enough for the
•real lial social democrats The way when they still in the Labour things would have great deal worse. be true, but the real problem remains: many
are fed Labour and it's not just because of the betrayals of the last Labour government - but because of what local with all the machinations of the
union delivering
a spot of bother.
When we had an ende Labour Party conference ¡au a vole leu to unc layoul of Britain out of Ireland.
We timetabled debate; we didn't have the executive running round saying to the trade unions, this, it will be difficult,' and so to and all those appeals to loyalty.
I'm fairly certain that if the Labour Party is allowed a free debate on Ireland and Foot doesn't wander around twisting trade union leaders arms saying, 'this is the one we can't afird to lose, lads, stick with us
Labour councils are up to at present.
tion, try to working class trom cuts and othe attacks that the Tory covernment plementing. Such a position DOLI assumes a passive working class.
people
rents and Mobilise
What was required then and is still required now is
these for Labour councils to give a had had lead in taking on the Tory
were government. It is the job of
Party, Labour councils to mobilise been a working people against the This may Tories, not
their anti-working working policies.
with We have to welcome the
lead that has both the Labour GLC and the London Labour Party. As the
THE
SA
JOB
LOKDON DIVISION
NUPE SATS:
Ken Livingstone on the picket line. But will the pickets be out in support of him?
on this,' then they would vote for withdrawal.
So Labour Party conference
honest could, in that sense, be the
the body which we ass suodortsand opinion inside the working class?
serious
We cannot jump on Labour Party conference as it now is 'Look, defeat and say this is some wonderful
democrațic institution when we Kow Insult. democratise the party also cludes democratise
In a sense it comes back to a struggle inside union. the four major trade unions
The left only saw one op-
'save' the Stop were
patronising
tion
to show 'movement strength
And
Party make that the implement priority. class Labour Party's
Wing the final phase come from struggle
'Only it Heseltine. caballis.
rant
THE CUTS
SAVE
JOBS
FIGHT
THE CUTS
SAVE
IARS
completely Willin with the block vote. represented popular GLC leader
from
inon the left.
Labour Party
each trade Any conference where
through a show of strength can tae ones se torceo re
as the miners and rail workers' victories earlier this year demonstrate.'
Let's go from here. Let's use everything in our power to stop Heseltine's legisla-
in Parliament and out. Let's use from now to the local elections next May
Tine does have the to bring this government to its knees.
that means all Labour councils and Labour
members have LU number one As the London strategy for 1981/82 says: 'We are enter-
of the with the Tories.
Either we or Heseltine must eventually lose.' Let's make
LoNDON DI0S10N SODE 221S have a majority of the votes
lo be democranic, nave democratic proLnOSC
I recognise that I get the publicity that I do because I'm class struggie.
but then that's never discouraged any Labour rightwinger in a national posi-
fighting tor what they actually felt was right. strikes me as quite remarkable. all of a sudden, people are star- Mail.
doubts whether you should do this when you're
I also detect that a lot of hose people on the left who ar critical of the positions on gay rights or Ireland, take this view Order that this is a diversion from the something..
FIGHT
THE GUTS
SAVE
LIVES
...
class struggle, comrades, or this is not the issue. I think that
women and the Irish are just tired of being told by peo ple who claim to be socialists tal lney are not parl or lie
At the moment a supporter of Socialist Challenge in Is!ington is under • turious at tack from the Mail... Who is this? I don't read the
Mick Sullivan. What's the attack about? He's supposed to have coordinated the left offensive Iside une local Labour rar. We'll have to give him
the
What is your to socialist organisations be ing active inside the Labour Party?
My attitude is that I'm in favour of widening that strug-
I'm in tavour bans and proscriptions and
see inen reimposed
believe in the right of socialists organise freely within the Labour Party and that right must be defended. Those elements which are now criticising socialist tendencies within the Labour Party need to justify some of their backers and supporters in the Tory press.
I think there's a most ap palling standard tha people like Hattersley can get up and complain that Benn is supported by a whole range of groupings on the left and no actually try and explain to us all wny ll is inal every natona newspaper has, at some time or other, with the exception of the left press, urged the Labour Party to support Healey rather than Benn.
We exposed in last week's oocialist manenge unat ivel Kinnock has organised
• TOU o† VIPs to abstain.
Nhat's your comment on these people?
I'm not surprised that Neil Kin nock is organising a block of
We have to remember that it was Neil Kinnock at the last Labour Party conference who, when we were lobbying him to say what support could we hav from the Labour Party ecutive in the struggle between Heseltine and Labour councils sala. and i quote 'You don't expect me to stand here and hold wal for you. do you?'
Socialist Challenge 24 September 1981 Page 13
Page 14 scan of this page
Socialist
are becoming clearer. greeted the Giscard is giving way to a much more sober assessment of the extent to which Mitterrand
to challenge the basic structures capitalism in order to acheive radical change.
Without doubt, the new government has taken a series of social measures
the interests of the workine Class.
The new government has abolished the
HULUrious 'State Security Court' used mainly against Basque and Corsican militants. and rrench opponents of the state. It has buspencc mme deporalon of immigrant workers, and taken meaues to make l easier for immigrants to obtain residence and work permits.
The death penalty has been abolished, and the government has announced a "slow down' in the HuC Cdr energy COUSUUCtion programme, including cancellation of the Plogoff project which had become™ focus for Tes starce Huc cal power.
Amnesty
Ot course, some of these reforms are extreme-
parual and contradic-
For example, the alllicly ULI llleza. 1111migrants has been combin-
up of the immigration reguiauons, WIlCI will make it much harder for new immigrants to get into France.
The nuclear energy arogramme has only been slowed down, not abandoned altogether.
Aneln the civil liberties field, the zew gowerne ene has
will be even harder :han its right-wing preTecessor aralls democratic rights for soldiers.
Nonetheless, the posi» ve moves outlined above are general far from t hat could have been ex. eited from a Gaullist or Uiscardian government.
Salvador
In the sphere of foreign soncy, the new government is marked by policy uH COCUOs wien are
of the European Socialist parties.
On the one hand, relation to many, Third Socialist Challenge 24 September 1981 Page 14
France: Four
months of
government
FOUR MONTHS after the election of Francois Mitterrand as French President, the contours of the policy of his Socialist Party government
The euphoria which defeat of right wing President
and his Prime Minister Pierre Mauroy are likely
of French
By Paul Lawson
World countries MitterTanO will daupl a nore 'left' stance. The joint French-Mexican declaration that the FDR-FMLN El Salvador 101 CCS i important icl cocal section of the people of
that country is typical of that stance.
Nuclear But in other parts of the world, in particular on the Soviet Union and the Middle East the picture is different.
Mitterrand's foreign minister Claude Cheysson has denounced the British Labour Party tor its anti-
EEC stance.
The new French boeasovem er! be staunchly pro-Western and pro-Common Market.
It will also be militantly BIO-siee Neither will solidarity and sympathy with people of the third world mean that French troops will be withdrawn from Africa.
CP leaders Marchais and Fiterman
But the contradictions of Mitterrand are most
Seernauon lu the basic issues of ownerSillp CALOH ot the economy, and the condiuons or ure ore crenca workers.
French capitalism
wracked by the same basic Droo ems asausa caotalism. Unemployment neany two milon, wallc inflation has received another big spurt over the
- with transport, sumome -gas, electricity and petrol all rising by about 15 per cent.
Economy
The key medsue. therefore for the government to take, to deal with the crisis to the benefit of the workers, are a shorter working week, al clu redundancies, and a halt in price BUSC leading to decisive measures to put supervision and control of the economy in the hands orine wUrKCis.
How has Ine vutlerrand-Mauroy government responded to these needs?
The government has granted an week's nonday a year (bringing the total to 5 weeks). But instead of legislating the 35 hour week, a 39-hour standard has been
WCCK decreed together with negotiations sector by secLOI bring 35-hour week over five yeals.
International.
Mitterrand with his cabinet
These negotiations will provide endless opportunities to for the bosses to prevancaie
Bosses
The first reaction of the government was to declare a suspension of all redundancies due to be carried out over the sumHICH
But as result of pressure trom the bosses Prime Minister Mauroy has now deciared that the government will respect
right of firms declare redundancies.
Mauroy has also declared in favour of 'price freedom' - in other words the freedom of prices to go upwards.
The new government is also in full Il re natt oon te
questior nuonsd
ions It came to power on
bluei allllic ilationalising the few nonnationalised banks and of nationalising major commercial giants.
Banks
The banks have now been nationalised But the number of nationalisations has been whittled down to five.
Moreover, these nationalisations will only be of 'parent companies which enables the bosses to keep control over key subsidiaries) which resources can be trans terred
Nationalisation will take place with compensaTON The former owners, the precise form vr tis coll oclisalioll is.Il0. yet fixed, but it is certain
to be generous.
There is no doubt that the Socialist government still has overwhelming support and sympathy among the workers. It is a! the beginning of its term of office, and scepticism and doubt have not yet become a willling away or support.
This backing of the government has also been secured by the participation of four ministers of
rrench COMEESURSi Party - given posts at the cost of Communist Party's abandonment of virtually all criticisms of the Socialist Party. Needs
But in the months to come the French workers will judge their new government not by the minor, if positive, reforms that have SO far been brought in, but by the way which it faces up to the basic problems of the economy and the needs of the workers.
By retreating on the 35-hour week and price controls, and by stepping back from any major nationalisation policy, the government has avoided any early clash with the ruca oosses
Ultimately the choice will preciselv be •ether to administer French capitalusm's crisis at the expense of the workers, or to start to challenge the power and prerogatives private capital.
Un the oresell evidence it seems unlikely that Mitterrand's government adopt the latter course.
Iranian students
face death threat
they are deported to Iran.
by the Khomeini regime
cluding those aged 12 or under.
'counter-revolutionary previously punishable by death.
will not be deported.
Four Iranian students recently
on arrival at the
that similar fate will await any deported.
rested by;
charges against the students dropped
Solidaritv, BM Box 9270, London WC1 N3XX.
CERTAIN death faces 54 Iranian students arrested after a peaceful occupation of the Iranian Consulate in London on 4 September if
The students, supporters of the Mojahedin left wing guerillas in Iran, occupied as a peaceful protest against the killings being carried out
These killings aimed at the Mojahedin, but involving all left wing organisations, reached a new peak last weekend when the regime endorsed execution for all those who took part in armed demonstrations against the regime in-
Tehran radio on Sunday also announced that workers who went on strike were guilty of
acts another crime
Bail for the 54 students has been opposed by British police with the result that some have spent over two weeks in jail. Home Secretary William Whitelaw has so far refused to confirm assurances apparently given to MPs who have intervened on behalf of the students that they
deported from West Germany were apparently executed
airport by 'Revolutionary Guards' and supporters of the 54 students fear
Concerned people in the Labour movement can give their immediate support to the 54 ar* Sending an appeal to the Home Secretary that any threat of deportation be lifted and the
* Circulating copies of a petition to this effect.
Petitions and more information from; Iran
Page 15 scan of this page
a My mum has cancer... she hasn't got long to live'
property they are all pleading not guilty.
ped.
what happened to her and her family.
My mum was in hospital when
Giovanni was arrested. She has cancer and has to keep going in. She's there now.
When sne Came none
week later, Carmine told her
about the arrest. rour
had barged in and arrested
Giovanni. No one opened the door. They didn't knock. They
just barged in. They searched
his room. All his clothes were
upside down, all over the floor.
My mum was so upset, she was
crying.
My mum went down to the
police station and demanded to
A policeman held
her arm and told her to go
away. They were all hassling
nc anu askine wuv sic wanicu
to see him at all.
Mum has had a lot of trou-
ble with the police. My other
brother, Carmine, was arrested
during the
bances. one of his white friends
had also been arrested.
Mum
friend was alright.
and the police said,
have black bastards here,
whites'
Our family has had a lot of
trouble with racists.
Closed shop
ignored
I THINK that what we say to people like M Daw in SC 211 whose awareness of their oppression is just beginning to take form is important and I take issue with your reply to her.
I could cite you several examples of the courts or the police acting to aid individual working people and so too could M Daw, which would make it all the more ditticult for her to accept your totally correct point about the general role of the police and courts in defending the interests of the ruling class.
Obviously the role of the right wing media will have played a huge part in formulating the notion amone many ocoolclial the police (armed forces) al c wonderful and neutral institution.
As socialists surely we see how crucial it will be to gain the support of large sections of the 'rank and file' of the police and armed forces ¡we are o ot able to defend any real socialist gains we may democratically make?
The challenging question about the morality of the closed shop was ignored.
There are far erosions individual perpetrated in the name of
tional insurance contributions, are, also obligatory
TWELVE Asian youths in Bradford, members of the United Black Youth League, face life imprisonment. Charged with conspiring to damage lives and
The 11 July Action Committee is organising a campaign to defend them and get the charges drop-
In their new bulletin 17 year old Anna Singh, sister of one of the arrested youths Giovanni tells
(14), my younger brother, was with his nephew (aged 2) playing at the bottom of the street, where there were also six or seven Mods.
The Mods started picking ponce on nil, swearing and all lilal All he thought about was getting Tony, my nephew, from there. He ran back to the house where Carmine was having his tea. Allonso was close to tears and really scared. «armle went cown to see who these racists were, and they hit him with a helmet. He picked up a stick to protec himself and hit the helmet with I. не клоскеа Il aboul a Dil That night, 20 Mods were outside our house.
They kept opening the letter box and shouting, through it, 'Get that black He's going to die!'
My other brother told them to go away. My Mum was really 1l and in bed. We didn't want see if this to worry her. Giovani told us to
stay in the back room and he
We only kept watch on the stairs in case
no they smashed the something, and hurt our Mum.
They carried
Alfonso minutes and knocked the door
but tew people today would question their
Also gains made by trade unions affect all the workers in their particular industry and therefore everybody should be in the unions contribute towards them.
Finally, as the reader implicitly toucned upon the current strife in the Labour Party, there could well have been a few sentences on why it is crucial for socialists support the campaign for Labour Party democracy and to support what people like Benn and Ken Livingstone are trying to achieve: to return Labour government which will carry out programmine or soclalsun Dasca upon Labour Party conandres although we should make
role of the Labour Party quite clear.
about the potential for a new mass Docas! ment in this country in the near future — I think more cutloadill seeped into your reply! should nave
SARAH VEALE London.
away
Picket of Home Office about and left. going to die! We'll be back!' weeks policeman said Carmine had to go down to the statiul for about some disturbances.
said, 'I have been arrested for kicking the helmet in', and the white Mod said that he had been assaulted by Carmine. bastard out.
explaining what had happened They kept him overnight and his case is going to come up in the near future. doesn't know. over.
door or pened to me was when, on one
of the pickets for 45 Magistrates'
leafletting with another girl. A
Letter!
Newcastle... never again
A STANDING ovation fol
TOny Flag
thusiastic start held in the North east ever
the regional officer employees loll pawyci. union, Ine NUPE public
chaired the meeting organisec
halla al
vewcaste ony septemoe
One said that ne nopea the meeting would be a watershed
Labour the region. he last decade had ment.
As well as being a friend of the Tory press and the Internanonal monetarists, he is also a vice chairperSOI called the British Atlantic Committee.
BAC has just
une
'Better thar and links a number of pro-
Ministry Defence figures.
'Examples includes'
News
They said, 'he is taking them. later We saw a few came around and conductors,
questioning 'they all A bit later he rang up and deserve it'.
I said
is in there.
Alfonso gave a statement:
squeezing.
My Mum breathe.
She think it's just stood there.
Another incident that hap-
outside the Court, was
Letters AtterSETTERS
By Atmah Singh
been a period of corruptior о селестон 'Never again in the nor thern region will we select and elect people to misrepresent socialis principles as so many people in the past have done He 'We have learned our lesson and can
democratic socialist party.'
MP Reg Race spoke on the need to unite the different arts of the labour moyemen n support or a socialist pro-
Questions should be asked
HAVING read some of the articles about Denis Healey and Co. I feel inspired enough to add my little bit. Denis Healey receives £8,000 yearly from that Tory gutter newspaper the Daily Express for allowing them to use his name ir their frequent attacks on the labour move-
Carrington and Sir Joh
Third World War a book
lighthe vind simminge
fighting limited European nuclear war.
The committee gives its address the RUSI building next door to the Ministry. of Defence in Whitehall.
GUE
20
lot of Asians and whites were
white bus so we went up to give them the leaflets and there was a white man there. He said
need hanging, they him. 'what do you mean they need hanging? My brothe
He said 'piss off, you black sod and he hit me on my arm. Was He was big and stocky. He got
Sold on my recold sardiy
could hardly The bus conductors
People from the picket then came up. Police came as well. I was really angry and holding on to him because I wanted him arrested for assaulting me
Letters
Only such mobilisation he said. could ensure the success socialist programme against the capitalist press sabotage capitalists.
Questions were raised on Ireland and the hunger strike,
La whole range of other ques-
to The
move away from labourism and the desire for socialism has never been felt so strongly in the north east.
Questions need to be asked about the anti-CND
Labour Party conference.
Just what are the connections between organisations like the BAC and Denis Healey, the Ministry of Defence and the Tory party?
Healev already stated his intention not to participate Labour government that adopts the unilateralist stance, So that being the case, then why persist in standing for Deputy leader of the party?
A NUTHALL Oldham
already
LULOlI
MICHAEL
noto Letters calling
One of the bus conductors charges told the man to get into the bus and wanted to shut the doors. The man went in. Because we were all shouting and saying
London something had to be done, policeman got into the bus with
I went into the police sta tion and a copper asked me it 1 wanted to make a complaint. LOnGOI said, 'of course I do'. While I
waiting, policeman pushed me hard on the back The copper pushed me again.
I started crying. I didn't expect that in there. I said to him, 'you don't need to push me about'. He said, 'shut up, don't open your mouth until you are spoken to'. The copper tried to change my statement. Black
My mum still is in hospital;
letters to 400 words -We may have to space!
50, London N1 2XP. in tavour or tne working class.
more 'starkly'.
'balanced' 'impartial like the BBC or the Times?
not enough.
John Reed an
that Shook the World'.
Bolsheviks and statistics.
Financial Times
the enemy is.
The Clash once said it -'Anger can be power, Do you know that you can use it?' OWEN TUDOR Oxford
she's very ill. They have said she hasn't long to live. She is worried about Giovanni. She says, 'go to see him, don't come to see me.
Giovanni gets such bad migraines, he can hardly speak sometimes. My Mum wrote her will before Giovanni was arrested and she's left him as our guardian.
Join the campaign to free the Bradford 12 Support committees to wit the freedom of the Bradford 12 hav been established in Leicester Huddersfield Nottingham and Leeds For further informa. non, contact.
July Ilth Action Committee c/o 2 Bradford 8 tel c/o 188 Roundbay tel Leeds 492484; Leicester Suppor Group c/o 70 Berners Road, tel Tell ST 4920 ken Sire Southat Leicester 14o/ and telegrams of protest for the dropping and the immediate release of the I2 youth can be sent to the following:
Ton, 4-12 rue Anin GateQueen Anne's Gate, SWI; The General, Hon Sir Michae Havers, 6-b Wood Hayes Road SW19; ecretary Hon William Whitelaw, 5( LOTO con Sell The cottons Lost Metropolitar
Pd Gregory, Wes Constable Ronald Gregory, I OrKSOIre Metropolitan Police Wakear Yorkshire: Laburnum Road Wakefield, your local Member of Parliament National picket 1 October, Bradford City Court. coaches leave from London.
People's Day of Ac. tion, 19 October in Bradford.
WRITING to us? please try to keep your
preferably typed. edit for reasons of
Send to Socialist Challenge c/o Box
Anger - a great weapon
ROB Jones letter, SC 212, 'Anger is no substitute called for less 'righteousness and unreasoned bias
He thinks Socialist Challenge should report
But isn't this going too far down the road to
even 'moderate' reporting.
Anger is one of the greatest weapons the work. ing class and socialism have. The facts alone are
If people aren't just going to accept the facts as given, they must get these facts in such a way that they know they can do something about them.
American journalist in St Petersburg in 1917, wrote a book called 'Ten Days
It is absolutely brilliant journalism - precisely because it itsn't just facts. Reed makes the October Revolution live, he makes the soviet members, the
the conditions real, not just
If I want to know how bad the world is, I'll check it up in a government information bulletin or the
- not Socialist Challenge!
The great thing about socialist newspapers is that they're committed, like us - they know who
Socialist Challenge 24 September 1981 Page 15
Page 16 scan of this page
Poland:
people
eats its
Poland. The Polish
Stalinist bureaucrats who run this largest industrial country in the world. struggle deserves the full support of working people in this country.
As the second half of Solidarity's first national COLLICOS assembles, the ruling Polish Communist Partv is keeping up a barrage of slanders against it.
Solidarity is accused of being 'anti-socialist', even LOU LIC ment has never called for a return to cabilalsil.
There very real danger in the next few days of a new initiative from the Polish bureaucrats and THeM MaSter Kremlin aimed at undermıning the power and uni-
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A hungry
government!
REVOLUTION - that's what is happening in
workers are leading thorough-going political revolution against the
eleventh Their
ty of Solidarity.
Soviet Union starving the Corsiucille Polish people into submission withholding vital goods and services.
And the threat of military intervention ever-present.
But the most dangerous suggestion under consideration the Polish TUCS for major covernmen I his would bring represen-
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state of emergency, repression
union Mutalls and the outlawing of strikes.
Such a radical move may not appear in the Stalinist textbooks but it could be the last political card the bureaucrats have to play to hang on to their rule. it could dangeroust divide Solidarity between lls radical and moderate wings, and seriously compromise the hard-won independence of the Polish workers.
The achievements of the Polish workers in the last year have been mense. They have gained independent and
ucHO cratic trade unions. They have established councils for workers' self-manage-
ment in 14,000 enterprises, the majority of the coun try's factories and they have forced the ment to drastically reduce censorship of the media. challenging the right of a Increasingly they non-elected privileged bureaucracy to exercise its dictatorial rule in every sphere of Polish life. In
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short they are beginning to counterpose real workers' power to the sham 'communism' of the Stalinists.
The Solidarity congress has already offered support to the workers of Eastern Europe their struggle to form independent unions. It is high time that the labour movement in this country extended its
full support to the Polish workers.
The second half of the Solidarit congress this week will debate union's programme. . Central to this will be discussion over the economic crisis which continues to deteriorate.
It is estimated by the government itself that most Poles now spend an
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average of four hours dav in queues tor sions, and the authorities nave dome a cree in malnutrition The Soviets and Polish bureaucrats will nervously watch the congress, remembering a popular Solidarity slogan: 'A hungry people eats its government.
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← Socialist Challenge No. 213, 14 September 1981Socialist Challenge No. 215, 1 October 1981 →