Socialist Challenge No. 240, 1 April 1982
The scan: sc-no240.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 TORY WAR ON UNIONS AND YOUTH
LOBBY THE TUC 5 APRIL, Wembley Conference Centre, 9.00 an
No. 240 1 April 1982 25р Norman 'caveman' Teb bit is again on the war path against trade unionists young people.
He is preparing • Further attacks O1: union rights He is con sidering amnenoments to nis own ant-union Bill now going through parliament to force secret ballots on strikes and layoff without pay workers in enterprises аттестем strikes. • The extension of hus Youth Traininu Schemes to include all youth between 16 and 17 This would enforce a maximum wage of f15 per week.
Tebbit has been en couraged to up the ante by the pathetic failure Tory wage cutting plans for all workers.
Unemployed and strikers 1up
Socialist
Norman Terbit • want minun and Labour prepare any serious fight against his laws The response to his at tacks on youth has been 01
Y.O..
CHEAP
LAB L:
Tebbit's slave labour wages for youth are meant to reinforce
disgraceful
tebbits proposals for secret strike ballots nOOk have nothing to do with
emocratie TOTES He has simply
noted the massive im sable pact that the Tory press can have on union deci sion making, if the pro cedure is taken out of
meetings of He SOUL hopeful that playing on
plans the isolated individual outside of the solidarity and feeling of collective strength mass meetings will sap any determination of hand. workers to tiaht back The undemocratic way after that the union leaders
affairs gives •une opening to Tebbit on this front mer
If the anti union youth. laws are Tebbit's right
This attacks on task youth constitute sharp blow to the solar plexis It is indispen Under Tebbit's laws union funds will be liable. employer that has the inclination will be able to take to court any union involved in strike action.
INSIDE
Reagan's
elections
see pages
3, 4, 5.
that the union and labour move ment rise up to defend the youth. If they don't, not only will the youth suffer a crushing blow,
the wate cutting of this Tory government will receive. a massive boost.
The fight for union rights and the fight for youth rights go hand in
Rank and file in workers struggle
struggle, have shown their willingness
fight The youth rebellions of last sum
showed in domitable spirit of the
What we all want is a lead. This is a
which the meeting of trade union executives on 5 April is unlikely to provide.
Any strike
visit and the
El Salvador
Under Tebbit's laws, the clause waiving liability against an official that repudiates strike action will put pressure on th unions to further discipline the rank and file - even fo every day trade union activity.
Under Tebbit's laws the closed shop will be almost impossible to win or maintain. f20.000 will be paid to scabs or 'nonners Under Tebbit's laws, refusal to obey court orders to sto
unionists.
UNION
RISO
JAIL
action will lead to the imprisonment of trad
Page 2 scan of this page
Hillhead's lessons labour movement
THE VICTORY of Roy Jenkins in the Hillhead by-election last
tink is a further consociat
tion Democratic/Liberal Alliance.
It rubs in the message that the Alliance will be a major obstacle to the achievement of a majority Labour government at the next general election.
But the question remains: how can the SDP be fought by the labour movement and why has that fight been cessful so far?
The Hillhead result does not contradict the trends already established by Warrington, Croydon and Crosby. * That the Tories did and will suffer greater losses at the hands Alliance than the Labour 16.7 per swing away from Tories. a 13.7 per cent swing from Labour).
* That the Alliance will be a serious factor in the formation of the next government unless they politically defeated by Labour (even a cautious extrapolation from Hillhead would give a hung parliament with the Alliance in third place acting as coalltion partners for any possible government to have a majority in the House of Commons).
* That the Alliance can win in a wide variety of different seats even against
'radical scottish Nationalist candidate, Roy Jenkins was able to take the lon's snare or the protest vote from the Tories and Labour and deprive the SNP of its deposit - an outcome which many commentators
including Socialist Challenge misestimated.
* That the Labour Party cannot decisively defeat the general election with the sort of 'low profile' campaign waged by David Wiseman.
The predominant attitude towards the SDP within the left of the labour movement has been to turn Nelson's eye towards the SDP in the hope that it will go away. Others have even greeted its emergence. poultice to draw the right wing poison out of the labour movement. of these strategies will succeed.
The argument that the SDP is a creation of the media is true; nobody can question the astonishingly partisan nature of the coverage it has received from a press which it has found its thusiastic members.
But the argument that the SDP will therefore disappear as its news value becomes dated is unjustified. It fails to answer why the press has given this support and whether or not the party has a wider backing from within ruling class circles.
Tony Benn was in no doubt that
Cast described the SDP as a consular hatched by the City. But why should such a conspiracy suggest itself?
hatcher upon assuming office in May 1979 made some firm promises to the bosses. She promised that she would restore the profits capitalist class through curbing the power of the trade union movement. This would be achieved through the
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won by the workig class.
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The Hillhead campaign should have based itself on the gains of the last conference creation of mass unemolovment and the continuous erosion of basic rights
would take two terms of office to complete. recipe was required for maintaining electoral support while implementing devastating attacks on working class
Thatcher, despite cries to the contrary from the 'drys' within the Tory Party, has held true to this strategy. Many defeats have been suffered by the unions in the battle to aelena Joos. Allacks on Dasic Ignis have been carried through with little respone crumbe a to a ment
'law order' election has begun. The Tebbit proposals to shackle the unions will
April. ruling class still fundamentally doubts the ability of the Tories to carry through this pro-
The rot set in with the miners' strike against pit closures in February
Editorial
PO Box 50, London N1 2XP Phone 01-359-8189/8180 (editorial and distribution)
for the
last year. However temporary the retreat of the Tories it confirmed in the minds of the bosses that Thatcher was tar from succeeding in her major • objectives.
This lesson was confirmed by the train drivers dispute, where a small union set back efforts Tories to carry through tionalisation of a major nationalised industry.
The speculation begun a year ago on the outcome of the next general election has not abated. The ruling class is less confident than ever that Thatcher can win through.
This situation would not be serious if it were not the case that the major beneficiary from this crisis of Tory strategy was a Labour Party rendered an prop capitalism as a result of the gains won by the left over the last three years. Today there no Wilson/ the pieces from a
P. SDP SD
A major obstacle to a majority Labour government
WILLHEAD
LABOUR PARTY
strategy
nets must be found. Coalition, with the SDP as the broker, Is the answe which has been arrived at It is this which explains the flexibility of SDP policies rather than an ol ine
ra- holds the line for the bosses on all the most important questions of the day: continued membership of the Common Market; the necessity of an incomes policy as the economy expands slightly; the committment to support Britain's nuclear deterrent and full reponsibilities in NATO; last but not least, the pledge to reform the unions, backed by the majority SDP support for Tebbit. sense represented as a 'soft option', in fact
for its policies in all fundamentals corres-
pond with the basic employing class today, unlike those of Labour.
If the ruling class has to carry out
Tory the grand manoeuvre of coalition the
P SDP
elections
direction Tory/Alliance
HUNTER cher's
the work. which lies at The ment,
Party,
the party.
The
tion of the SDP DOSSeS
characterise
channel for
has never
ment
action policies,
that brought Other safety
Tebbit discrediting
In fact the SDP
the SDP
our and
can the SDP. be
right wing.
needs of the
accused
general
The highly
defeats in the right
price will be high. At least some serious steps towards the introduction
proportional representation
will be demanded by the SDP, sufficient to change permanently the shape of the British political 3 situation. In addition, if the primary
of such a coalition government, were ž achieved the price would be That-
leadership resulting wholesale reform of the Tory party.
This is the reason for the SDP's backing from the ruling class and why
Nelson' eye approach will not
It is te crisis or ine lorie. the root of the way in which the SDP has emerged. Its backing has been achieved not because it is an alternative to the Tories, but an essential complement.
Of course the ruling class has not abandoned the struggle to reverse the process of reform of the Labour Party and once again render it a party 'fit for government' — a reliable prop of the capitalist order.
Its chosen instrument is. and re mains, the trade union bureaucrats.
Bishop's Stortford
far from representing 'a truce' in the internal struggle in the Labour
represents only the first step towards a growing reassertion of the traditional role of the bureaucracy as the major barrier to left advance in
fundamental aim of the right/centre offensive is the promo-
which, like those 'hold the line' for the
That's why its totally justified to
these policies as 'SDP policies', and totally wrong to see the emergence of the SDP as a useful
drawing COUl the right wingers in the party. The fundamental problem with the Labour Party
been right wingers of the Snowden/Gaitskell/ Jenkins type The fundamental problem is the role of the trade union bureaucracy.
So how should the labour move.
against the grand manouevres of the ruling class to deny the Labour Party office?
* There has to be fight for joint trade union and local Labour Party
to defeat the Tories drive them from office and to elect a Labour government committed to socialist policies. A defeat for the Tories particularly on
will lay the best basis for Thatcher and hence any coalition government involving the Tories.
election campaign based on this type of strategy would also have
best chance for success against the
The defeats (of the Hillhead type) and the hollow victories (like that of Warrington) as a result of timid, rightist campaigns should now convince the Labour Party that a bold approach based on the fundamental gains of conference policy is the way to win the next election. * There has to be a fight against the SDP policies of the Labour
The fundamental way to defeat the effect of the SDP within the Labour Party is to confront the real
the trade bureaucracy. Defence of the policy gains of the last three years is part of that, so is the reversal of the witch-
At the same time Tony Benn has
the Labour leadership of a coation with the SP. Fool bas a coalition with the SDP. vehemently denied the charge and it's true that the Labour right and centre general yeaban viery ight ore
election victory threat of coalition is a very real one.
Alliance is a serious and dangerous CLOT BUSI politics for the : labour movement.
be wished away The only basis for ensuring that the Labour fight for hagent alert based ton socialist policies.
for jobs not bombs. It will also mean an end to the truce with the Labour
winderer test and the one But it is the • oniv course -e ride in favour
Page 3 scan of this page
By Bob Pennington WHAT you don't know about the Thatcher government's schemes and plots of the arms manufacturers, can now be put right. Go out and buy a copy of War Lords: the CIS Report on the UK Arms Industry, which at a price of 95p is a giveaway.
The pamphlet shows how the manufacturers and their 3Lcomplices in the Tory Parmy mak ine cconomy ary lo buy weapons whose only use is to kill and maim millions of people.
also shows parliament has little or no say in wnal gels spent the financial year 1980/81 the detence cash limit was set at 610.1 billion. But that turned out lo be not enough. By the end of the year it had been upped by €743 million which was a rise of 7:5 per cent.
Budget
procedures parliament hovere! made sure that no discussion wils allowed on mos of these mics case. altogether less than iwo per cent arms budget was subject to any detailed parhamentary scrutiny.
expenditure death and obsolescence -most weapons including Trident 1 are ourdated by the time they go into production was already nore need.
Tories have their way thines will onlv get worse
In the period 1981/82 the aims spend lotal 01 £12.6 billion which is 11.5 per cent of total government expenditure which means that Britain spends more per person on the armed
forces than any other NATO country.
Crumble
As Britain sinks ever deeper into recession and
services visibl
crumble before our eyes. the Tories have jacked up military spending by eight per cent since coming to
office
From 1975 total public spending, alter taking inPinion to "2m has dipped billion.
Main areas of production spending
Sea equipment (32%) £1,343m
Land equipment (20%) £820m
Air equipment (40%) £1,689m
General support (8%) {316m
Thatcher's war
machine
spending. and the has jumped by &5 billion. while military
billion.
Any increase in public services has been immediately
the head. As Minister of Health Gerard Vaughan says: 'cash limits are paramount once the year starts.
Limits
But closing hospitals down is one thing that any Tory minister is willing to do. Cutting Chevaline, Trident, Polaris and all the other military paraphernalia is quite another matter. which has meant that
single where military expenditure concerned the wash limit
To make sure that the
keep the war machine rolling and not be distracred by cash flou proDiens they have been guaranteed profit of 20 per cent since 1977, which is ‹.o per cent nigner man the average return on industrial capital in period 1973/77.
workers may have to put up with
Project
Tornado GRI & F2 plane
AV8B plane'
Sting Ray torpedo
Type 42 Destroyer equipment
Heavyweight torpedo
Nimrod planes
Sea Eagle missile
Rapier missile update
New sonar systems
Sea Skua missile
Blow Pipe missile Ptarmigan communications'
Notes
Estimated value of work going to UK. Total development and initial production costs. First phase only.
miserly four per cent wage increase, and unemployed youth of Britain may face years Social Security, but no
British Aerospace and the electronics companies' main arms projects
Cost (approximate) £9,500m £1,000m £ 920m 680m 500m 360m £ 350m 320m 240m 200m 200m 150m
Equipment procurement: where the money goes 1981/2 Budget overrun (estimate 10%)
£585m Research & development (26%)
£1,683m Development (22%) £1,419m
Research (4%) £264m
Production (65%) £4,167m New equipment (39%) £2,540m Spares (25%) £1,627m
Stop the missiles.
such economic problems confront the arms bosses.
Government policy to buy the bombs and boost the profits. The
Company BAe/GEC Marconi BAe GEC Marconi Ferranti/GEC Marconi GEC Marconi GEC Marconi BAe/GEC Marconi GEC Marconi Plessey BAe Shorts Plessey
equipment 1981/2
£2,623m Forces pension (9%) £603m
Civilian pay (25%) £1,716m
Aircraft Group
Military aircraft Year Ending sales 31 December tm 1975 267 1979 450 1980 613
2: Fo la inne 1980 CO518.
Dynamics Group
Year Ending Sales 31 December fm 1975 141 1979 344 1980 406
Defence White Paper 1981 said: 'The government will use the purchasing power of the defence budget to give the maximum support to British industry .. But splurging out on weapons does not create Jobs. money spent goes up, and DOTES Cut D recoro heights, Jobs go down.
Ministry of Defence has committed itself to cutting the 1979 total employees from
200,000 by 1984. GEC Marconi which employs 40,000 peopic Is already axing jobs . 900 having been cut at their Chelmsford and Gateshead factories with more sackings on the way
CIS have done a real service to the socialist and anti-war movements. They have shown how the arms manufacturers do well at the expense of people's jobs and the welfare state. Facts, figures and infor-
abount In this pamphlet. We have a duty
make sure it gets the widest possible circulation. Lets make sure wo do that.
LOROS
THE US ARE HOUSTRY
CIS Report 31: The War Lords: The UK Arms Industry, 95p, avalane from Poland street, London WI.
Military running costs, excluding
Forces pay and allowances (38%) Building and miscellaneous stores and services (29%) £1,980m.
WEAPONS SOLD AND PROFITS MADE
Civil aircraft sales Em 127 195 292
EASTER DEMO
Glasgow-Saturday 10th April, 1982 March starts-11.00 a.m.
Blythswood Square Rally with Speakers & Entertainment*
9
weeks
on the production of the neutron bomb,
for nuclear war.
financial support to
£10 billion to buy the
palling level of unemployment.
holocaust.
try.
labour movement figures and organisations.
Events include: * Picket American Embassy, 5.30pm 7 June * Lobby of Parliament, 1pm 8 June
Outstanding Trading military profit' orders £m fm 27 640 55 1,813 63 1,7032
Trading Orders profit outstanding Em 15 430 23 978 29 1,337
Scottish Campaign Against Tric ent
STOP
TRIDENT
NUCLEAR MISSILE BASE
im 420 Sauchiehall St. Glasgow 041-332 3141
PRESIDENT REAGAN is going to visit Britai on 7-9 June. Over the coming months we wi be asked to welcome the man who has insiste
th weapons of biological warfare and who is foi: ting Cruise missiles on Britain and the rest ( Europe, which will make Europe the 'theatr
President Reagan and his advisers condemn th brutal suppression of trade union rights in Polan and yet with blatant hypocrisy they increase tr
• the dictatorial regime in Salvador, which daily sanctions murder and tortur
President Reagan is coming to Britain because t knows he can find full support for his policies fro the Tories, who themselves are prepared to spen
American naent miss
We believe that the colossal sum which is beir spent on arms should be spent on more hospital schools, better housing and bringing down the a
We don't wa bombs, we want jobs. We want peace, not nucle
We therefore think it is vital to show that whe Margaret Thatcher and her Government welcom President Reagan, she in no way speaks for tt labour and trade union movement in this countr and urge support for a picket of the American En bassy on the arrival of President Reagan in this cou
Sponsors include 35 Labour MPs and dozens of oth
Support for the CND march 6 June, London
• **•'Sociălist Challenge ' 1 April 1982' page :
Page 4 scan of this page
AFTER THE GUATEMALAN COUP Will the US change course in Central America?
By Phil Hearse THINGS becoming United States in Central America. hope of preserving a 'moderate' facade for the regime in El Salvador seems to be going out of the window, as it becomes more and more likely that the winner in El Salvador's presidential election will be Major Robert D'Aubuisson.
D'Aubuisson, besides heading ARENA party, is also widely believed to be the leader of El Salvador's death squads. massive support in the middle class. Since the army coup in October 1979, which installed the junta which President Duarte leads, the United States have clung on to Duarte's reputation as a moderate to argue that the problem in El Salvador was 'communist subversion.
With fascist D'Aubuissian DowcI. the possibility of convincing even the American Congress that there something in El Salvador worth defending against Couns seems remote.
The guerrilla movements in El Salvador and Guatemala are becoming increasingly powerful, and it seems certain that the administration considering whether the time has come to change course, to try to reinforce
front of demo, Salvador Moncada of the FDR speaking.
E Socialist Challenge
desperate for the Every last
the fascist
He has 'centre' Central American politics, at the hard right is incapable of defeating the guerrillas.
Debate
The Guatemala coup makes it certain that this is an active debate in the ruling oligarchies in Central America itself. The 'young officers' who are behind teneral Montt's coup against Lucas Garcia seem influenced not ov the ex treme rightist Sandoval Alacron, was first
15,000 march
for El Salvador
15,000 people marched last Saturday to support the struggle of the people of El Salvador, in a demonstration called to coincide with the Salvadorean government's fraudulent 'elections'. Among the speakers were Labour Party leader Michael Foot, who denounced the elections as a sham, and the sending of British observers as a disgrace. Although not many trade union or Labour Party banners were present, the demonstration was a good start to the campaign to stop Reagan's visit to Britain. 800 people marched in the contingent organised by Socialist Challenge and Revolution Youth, behind the slogan of 'Victory to the FMLN". Right,
the rally in Trafalgar Square and below
ALVADOR
NEERA
VE 1 April 1982 page 4
thought, but in favour of trying 're-centre" Guatemalan politics:
These terms in C'entral America
all the major government factions and Partic. in both Guatemala and Salvador are politically very right wing. But for the United States
question what precise combination political forces is capable of defending and their interests. Clue
A clue to the possible provided options looking at what occurred after the 1979 army coup in El Salvador. Duarte's
included Utila both the social democratio MNR. led by Guillermo Ungo. and the Salvadorean Communist Party.
The original programme of the Juild was one of limited reform' which . was sabotaged by the ruling oligarchy. When Duarte's original government fell
Central America
apart. the MR and thi CP walked out and joined the opposition FDR (Revolutionary Democralic Front.
Member, of the Congress Foreign Relations Committee are openly advocating the possibility of drawing a section of the opposition into negotia tions in El Salvador. US Secretary Haig. State ander despite denials, has accidently let it out that secret negotiations have been held about EI Salvador with the Cubans.
Whatever the precise debate inside the administration, there is ob-
an increasingly widespread view inside the US ruling class that simple military victory against the guerrillas impossible
without a disastrous Vietnam-style adventure.
A turn in United States policy towards trying political manoeuvre towards the FDR would
pose some acute tactical
problems for the
Salvadorean resistance. In order to understand whi.
Committee!
SUPPORT DE.
PEOPLES STRUGGLE
we have to look at the ditTerent forces involved in the movement.
The Revolutionary Democratic Front is made up of the revolutionary
Farabundo Marti Front for National Liberation (FMIN), the MNR and even some left wing' Christian Democrats. Reform
The FMLN includes four revolutionary armies, of which the FPL is the biggest, together with the armed wing of the Combut tally
The is ran do the FMLN without doubt revolutionar!. explains that the basic problems of the Salvadorean masses cannot be solved without the rule of the workers and
peasants True.
Salvadorean Communist
Party has a different view.
but to incorporate its arm
ed wing in the FMI.N. i has been forced to swallow
the FMIN's revolutionary
GUATEN MAN Revolution
ommi
Human ights
SO DARITY ALVA
CAMPAIGN
programme.
lhe FDR does however have programme which could be described as revolutionary however. While stressing
remove the LIC need 10 oligarchy and break the hold of imperialism. and
forward Dullllly concrete progressive
measures as lanc reform, nonetheless
Had hack vocating a socialist solu tion tavour of formulas about a 'mixed economy and so forth
It is by no means unprincipled for revolutionaries to participate in a joint imperialism and the oligarthy with forces which are politically bourgeois Nonetheless Ungo and the Salvadorean social democracy are politically opportunist opponents of working class power.
For the moment however. the decisive say in the FDR remains with those who have the armed might - The AMIN guerrillas. It the Us offers negotiations with the guer-
* and Britain
rillas, this could pose some problems.
A political solution in El Salvador must include
elements of the occisive FMIN programme cluding the dismantling ot the army and national guard, the comple removal of all l's person nel. and a refusal to form id coalition with any of those in Duane's munta.
Solve
Revolutionaries their solidarity with Those fighting Salvador against regime. irrespective Nonerheless, the FDR and EMIN have different pro grammes with porcoall!
It is the revolutionaries of the FMLN who have undersood the essence of permanent revolution that il Imposed d solve the basic problems of the masses in like Ml Salvador withou breaking from cantall nationally and tionallv
USMANDS OF
AN
NT acor
Page 5 scan of this page
squadshaveit...
FMLN meets
elections with
widespread
attacks
By Paul Lawson demonstration in London. in Salvador
right wing • parties. politics differ from those of Duarte?
K...:
reporte Dadd Blund was
Talhing 1o Puaile.
That hind finitel
Junta
Portrait of Farabundo Marti carried on Sunday's
The death
AS SOCIALIST CHALLENGE goes to press it is uncertain who will form the next government
But while President Jose Duarte's Christian Democrats are leading the field with about 40 per cent of the vote, it looks as if Roberto D'Aubuisson's ARENA party will be able to forn a coalition with other smaller
How do D'Aubuisson's
thenach mild refore included *lift 1 lifiles. the Democan. democratic MAR and he Communis l'are
Reforms
In personer of lined reform' 1,1717 collies nor Other discussel Bin the
landed
the land reform
patal and the e :..4
day 25 March
offensive.
The aim was to disrupt
election as much possible, and to use the opportunity to demonstrate the strengin ol the guerrillas. Between Wednesday and Saturday sporadic attacks including the destruction of half of San Salvador's bus fleet con-
but the guerrillas tinued staged their main attacks on polling day.
In San Salvador itsell people queued before sunrise to vote. The reason is obvious. Since voting is compulsory and
stamped, Causal asking a lot of the ordinary people ol San Salvador not to vote -- ine pricc not doing so could be dying at the hands of the national guard or the death squads.
In the countryside things different large areas are controlled
the guerrillas, and despite raids by government troops the daily repression is much less severe.
As people queued 1o vote in San Salvador gunfire could he heard all over the city. A long battle look place in one of the middle class suburbs, in which an FMLN commando twelve held down scores of government troops
several hours.
Eventually the use of armoured personnel riers with heavy cannon resulted in the death of the
whole commando - Dut Democrat how low lone id
Duarte " il Asure with no
whalerer. BI Sals ad.11.
standards he has it dear!
of being a moderans
lichel luga
VNR lingo in 110111
posite! Resolutan
Sabotage
Roberto 1) dubai
a cashierer drus
the
dition Par
He side that Wate
commanion:
organi H
liberal
Honie add in
preten:
El Salvador
THE ELECTIONS in El Salvador were marked with widespread guerrilla attacks. On Wednesguerrillas attacked army posts in working class areas of the town. despite rumours to the contrary, the guerrilla attacks did not signify the build up to an all-out
their heroic action showed that FMLN capable of striking anywhere they chose in the capital.
Meanwhile the FMLN took control of the provincial capital Usulutan sixty miles south east of San Salvador. and infiltrated the north eastern provincial capital San-
was cut off Francisco Gotera, wanc All over the country major highways were cut and communicaitons disrupted. Attempts by the army 10 highways. and ticular the route Usulatan, were prevented hy fierce resistance by the FMI.N.
Nobody guerrillas to attemp hold Usulatan and San Ciotera indefintely. By the very nature of things, it is much more ditticult tor the guer rillas to permanently hold toWns.
Nonetheless they have already this month repuls-
piece battle of the war, an 10 dislodge them their stronghold
of around Volcano, not fifteen miles the Guazapa
for TrOn guerrillas San do Salvador. not expect
rapid military victory. But today dual power exists in E! Salvador the growing power of the FMLN guerrillas and the declining power of the regime.
By Dave Smith
econome sabotage The madle tor namm dullik bet to the er, inte Dubaison is the person apronde touch police Thet hate pond rein 1 kindli
with 1513 tripturn
this
deaths a in pas tes
Dunna thir campaien Dage doned
reponse don i de
Sharp
Salvador. Deans Hinton. had no qualms. I the poo-
But
the par- Usulatan. Below,
election.
the
10
The He is
per cent.
Swansea Birmingham Camden Brent Sylvia Brookes Rotherham Bath Women's Rally Fred Kingdom Swindon
Above, FMLN guerrillas stop buses on the road to
Jose Duarte campaigns before
Socialist Challenge
FUND DRIVE '82
Your last chance ...
FOUR DAYS left and f1,400 still to raise that's the prospect facing Socialist Challenge. Just over £1,000 came in last week, a good try but still not enough. That our supporters want to see the paper expand is shown by the fact that orders for this week, which covers the National Sales Day, are up by a staggering forty
But even with such a large increase in sales the money from the sales will not cover the expenses, which is why we have our quarterly fund drive. We are planning a whole series of activities around the Reagan visit - if we don't make our target we won't be able to give Reagan the welcome he deserves. The quarter ends on 5 April - we need to raise another £1,373.09 to meet our target. Show Reagan and Thatcher what you think of their war drive. Send us the money.
Our thanks this week to the following supporters:
£9.50 238.50 50.00 261.00 5.00 Leeds 11.00 Islington 18.75 TOTAL 49.67 42.00 3.00
-D. Thorpe 3.00 Manchester 189.45 Outer West London 65.00 Ford worker 30.00
66.00 100.00 1141.87 Previous Total 13485.04 Total so far 14626.91 SHORTFALL 1373.09
Socialist Challenge 1 April 1982 page
Page 6 scan of this page
LITTLE noted, and greatly underestimated, thousands of women fighting against terrible odds to hold onto their jobs.
At a recent public meeting Ladywood (Labour) Women's Council in Birmingham Brenda Clarke told of her fight for the right to work and her setting up of a campaign for part-time workers. Valerie Coultas gives this report.
BRENDA CLARKE lost hier job as a part-time gatekeeper Imperial Metal Industries in Birmingham. Her the TGWU, agreed management's sack all part-timers. 1o the Equal Opportunities Commission union convenor from her jactory spoke against her reinstatement. She lost her appeal.
She has appealed against the verdict of the tribunal not to re-instate her on the grounds that her By Toni Gorton AS the trial of the Bradford 12 -April -among the trade unions some of whom have protested the political nature of the trial to the Home Secretary.
At the same time, the national demonstration planned for Leeds Saturday 3 April is running into obstruction trom local police.
The mobilising Collmittee states that:
Despile as ance trom top community cop
union brunch to express our concern in the pro 1.4.M writing ecution of Cosani Sinch. Pruvin Purel.
Hussain. Tara fli Munsoor Hussain Buhrum Khan. Lasant Purer. spiracs and explosire substance charges designed mimidare bach interests of their communits.
in the ionners believe that ther at their poil behes outrageons.
He sense that these inns hers"''' sabinese and he mont
is tenserial will be elis
Transport and General Workers Union Leeds
Labeth loan Hall 1:19 4=3.'
Socialist Challenge 1 April 1982
Britain are
sponsored by children are grown up and therefore she is eligible for full-time employment.
IMI have offered her a production joh but she wants her old job back.
She is angry about her convertor and the trearthe part-time workers received. But she Is not anti-union despire the impression given SDP-supporter Polli Toynbee in a Guardian article.
MY colleague and I were employed as gatekeepers. responsible for security at
Support the
Bradford 12
Leeds Sat 3 April
due to start 26 draws closer, support is building up
Inspector Tom Tate of the WeST Yorkshire Metropolitan Police. young Asian memory the campaign has been arrested for fly-posting. 'The police are Contemplating charges of incitement io racial hatred, court and
te von on the instructions of m
Musend Malik. laresh 11771// Tarlon here: (intelall from Bradford. een conif members resurd this us a polite et ridi.
precipie
Truise that these couns men ha. inn
campaions and that be horn
He do cari "hande he persecute beer: addam mered the men min!
He theretore evil upon seid in seein ropped. The ionsequens" "come thet!".
Hame i
National demonstration to free the Bradford 124.
Saturday 3 April Leeds
1pm Savile Park, Chapeltown Road
4om: Mass railv at the town hall.
• Sahall ? 300r.
page 6
'A Charter for working mums'
IMI. Joan Clarke worked from 7-12. I worked from 10-5, another person worked from 5-10.
We were, in effect, ioh sharing. We regularly worked 30 hours or more each week.
Both of us were the 'breadwinners' in family because our husbands were out of work
All the wonde members of the Transport
Workers General Union. In January the entered into a plant agreement.
Item five of that agreement said that part-timers should go full-timers. Then and only then it should be first in first out.
The convenor held i stewards' meeting and
on the Wa.
agreement. The Tell l"
evening shop steward objected but the criminal damage against | Tej Singh.
"They say that the campaign poster which alleges a police conspiracy against the Bradford 12, will cause racial antagonism.
If the demonstration is banned the rally will take place as scheduled.
Speakers are from the Indian Workers Associa-
Liverpool tIon,
Defence Committee and "international
Back alr
found contribution to our knowledge
Books.
April - Saturday 3 April. Entry 25p.
News
majority were in favour mass was held and each proposal in the agreement was put and each proposal carried Ine part-liner. voted against the full-timers. All the part-timet were women.
On 23 October we were asked to leave the company and Joan Clarke was replaced by full-timer with three months service. I was replac mon 10with months'
SCIVIL We resolved to do something about this and secured the support of the National Council for Civil Liberties.
Sandra Powell has a three-year-old daughter and the Tribunal recommended she should be re instated On I January, given her job back Our campaign has rightly been called charter 1OI working
FREE THE BRADFORD 12
12 Astan youths charged with Conspiracy face life imprisonment for fighting Racism.
THE ONLY CONSPIRACY IS POLICE CONSPIRACY
I'I|| BLACK COMMUNITY
• pm
picket
Radical
Black
3raWorlds
Socialist Challenge welcomes the first International Book Fair of Radical Black and Third World
Books The programme of events, the displuy of books, the discussions of political, cultural and social
// is sponsored by Race Todar Publications.
Rogle-/ Ourerture Publications and Von Beacon
the rair is at tne islington town nall, uppe Street, Islington, London N1 2UD from Thursday 1
but it's been Tus. tempered he
children have grown up.
The convenor came as a witness for management.
cross-examined about his actions he said nan only necame award of the TUC resolution not
•scriminale part-timers after he had
agreement Dul that he didn't support it nd suggested that he • was bound by the union block VULC
There is no doubt that we part-timers are thought of as second-class citizens and that's why we decided to set up a campaign.
If you want more informa
about the part-lime workers campaign contac Brenda Clarke, 21 Ensdon Grove. Kingstanding, Birmingham B-+4 0QH.
ON TRIAL
National Demonstration
Savile Mount Park
SAT 3 APRIL LEEDS
of leeds crown court mon 26 april 10 am
Stop
this
deport-
ation
MAZZHAR Hussain
Shah is being threatened with deportation by the Home Office which argues that he has
Walllage of conve nience despite the fact that he and his British
wife Susan have two
children aged 18 mon ths and 9 months
The North tast Lan Campaign
cashire
Against Racialism
asking for your support:
• Take petitions
• Send a telegram to
Timothy Raison
Secretary of State for
Immigrant Affairs with
a copy to the campaign.
• Donations urgently
needed.
For further information contact NELCAR (/0
Mary's Vicarage Man
Rd Nelson phone Burnley: 52380
like Lady Di!
By Judith Arkwright WOMEN suffering from unemployment at
of men Twe me rate But figures published by
Research the LaDOUl department this month
that young women under 25 are the worst hit.
Fifty-four per out of all
under ve
pared to thomas ton per cen
There in sprunate that an increase in the number ol
mages is due to desperation al the • thought 01 ‹) into the par young
The popular press led the
family and
"ell? But ton voung women thes are energ cd 1nl0 1l D
ticular is having a devitatu ellier on the lives of houng
The Aqual Oppor Commission
170,000 jod will base beet lose the Kirclarial
Women's
Music right to
Forums
Employment
Child care
Services
Education 1000. Hemlice lear me school and college the
"tens per cent hase serene! battlill. 9171 687511886:
Is tramme for theole den.
Gains
'hesi
"it disman abril
ma take apte pet set
fiel dermanen
Wich d0:
and training trom int
Discrimination Act altogether
Holle
We don't all live
TO WORS
OMANS
guaranted on at te end o training, for women and
Schemes
this inclared 0041|0
morement, asperalls "licte sitters to all ford equal oppons 1o
and cheese dese dr descer non-traditional incid of marih
But these a We Will! It
women hale dicked hon that these propone I light
LABOUR PARTY
Women's
festival
with major political Rally & trade union speakers
Theatre Stalls Children's Events Refreshments CRECHE AVAILABLE
SATURDAY
5TH JUNE
Battersea Park LONDON from 12 noon
Women more ind Chess
• plasme a in: tole
The a lilit 1e inti
Helles :
lahr
in balding that abor
• Get a resolution of sup port through Labou Younc Socialist: branch Labour Party action and calling for transport to be organised in your area on 5 June by the Labour parv or ine trade.
Council or the regional TUC
• Order copies of the yo leatlets budding tors June
MICKATY local jobs centres deman ding women and jobs for al
• contaci unionists and Labour Par and find out what they're going to do
Page 7 scan of this page
By Toni Gorton
• A DRAMATIC stepping-up of policing tactics to deal with the youth 'riots' cities projected for this summer has been revealed by the Sunday Times of 28 March.
These plans include:
• 10 per cent of every police force in the country to get specialised riot training comprising new offensive tactics learned in America, Kong, the North of Ireland and the continent.
• The use of 'snatch squads' organised militarily special equipment whose aim is to pick off leaders.
on the appointment of Sir Kenneth Newman, Roval bister (ondabularv. as don don's police chicl this
government intends to make to social
Earlier the week Ken 120110 leader 01 the Greater London Council, spoke ou against the appomment of Newman
'His experience is more sunted to the control of a paramlitar! force in a city tom by civil war, than
with a parliamentary democracy.
In his opinion street crime is to tackle the causes. high unemplotment.
education and rather than armine the Fare with the methods of urban witr Efforts
Heurged that 'we redouble our erforts for democraticall! table police force in London'.
The weaknesses of the tabilit" demand are referred to in a major article in Labour Weekly. the official newspaper Party.
Wthough supporting
horough level police made up groups are politically dangerous.
By Aitean O'Callaghan
THE IDEA that the police are needed
to combat crime is a myth.
criminal behaviour has been a feature
of all class societies, the police force
is an invention
system.
There was no police force as such
in Britain before 1829. In revolutionary
Cuba today
Havana they have the only genuine
community policing' possible...
community itself prevents crime in its
own area! Needless
because capitalism has been abolish-
ed in Cuba that such a thing is possi
ble.
The Metropean Ponce was founded it
1829 along the lines of the
organised in heland by the Duke of Wellgion
do combat resolutionary nationalism.
I was the Iron Duke himselt who suggested
deal with the rebellions lower orders per
Wellineton explained to the Both rule
casthan me the pen soda conditions of cl
besome industrialisation in Britain and the pen
political comdions in Purope followag de
French Revolution. the method of reling on
the ama to disperse the
mole was pressing unreliable
The spadied riots in 1816 and the Porcion
Missere in I81" had shown pored milan
fionar movements detented Tondon in 1820 rescaled a 's
vulnerabin of the soldiers to pole done
la to mone do gee of camelon.
table to the public?
chester. of the inner
police impotence. Moss Side
either in the Moss
agains! workers earlier this year.
Hong
Stop cop.
Labour with
SOn. formerly of the
Liv Labour had housing.
institutional
accoun
"accoun
back up.
The squads are accoun and edge forward interest While force.
of the capitalist
there are no cops. In
the
to say is alreads assembled
What communior groups do you select? Which do von exclude?
would representatives he chosen? Would they really he accoun
The police chiet of Cireater ManJames Anderton is explicitly calling for the removal of 'political
despite their
The Manchester Police Commit tee has nor been able to tie his hands
Side rebellions of
Laurence
Anderton's record calls our for his the local/black and labour movement.
Newman should he blocked from becoming London's
must say 'enough enough. Labour must counter-attack in defence of the black minority. the youth. the unemployed. who will be the first victims of direct Tory repres-
No co-operation with the police.
Anderton and Newman must go
Police cordon The snatch squads consist of four five-man teams commanded by an inspector and two sergeants, using two reinvorced transit vans as
equipped with riot shields. The officers wear NATO-stvle helmets inree omicers at the front of the squad interlock their shields
protecting the two 'snatRobert Ped mounted a campaign for the establishment of a police
A number ed special commissions were set #p to chamine the problem. One in 1X22 yared. Iris ditten to reconcile an effective sparem of ponce wah that perfect freddom of adion and stompton from interference whach are the great pridege and blesong of scene in this commis Berneen 1820 and 182d the proposal was repeatedle rejected as being in and of uself a blow agame democrate rights Talware the ruling class's belict in its oun right to rule. asploit and profit, eventually won out over is concern for democrate rights, and tearing the growing labour morement, it had canned ponce force all over the rantra hv the middle of the century in order to deal with the workers The increased ability to delect and panish crime was only a spin off of the main role of the ponce force as a more cacctve straine or repression than the arms:
The technical difference in function her ween the cop and the soldie leads to a decisive difference in outlood berneen them soldier. raperall removed from visition We do the amhad en the barracks nometheless, is it masters of chan, sorrel
mand oat emplosing and ruling classes of seren ENEMY The soldie i tell won! di smithi "..
News
Police
step up
'riot'
plans
Escape route for rioters chers' behind.
given.
arresting officer with his person.
Cops and Robbers
powerin me year
workers.
Able conditions scious of this.
aaronser grenades at the police.
which
done dran dom she
ones
Rioting crowd Short defensive police line sanding behind riot shields 3 Police support unit in Transit van • Five man snatch squad with medic and fire fighter 5 Two officers snatch rioter from crowd, return to van
Van proceeds to prisoner reception area
Once the target is identified a command is the shields part, the snatchers go forward, grab their victim and retreat quickly to their van which moves to a special prisoner reception area. Polaroid cameras are used to photograph each as a necessary sacrifice as long as their duties seem to be directed at 'defending the nation' trom external enemies
This acceptance is put at risk when soldiers are asked to use their weapons against workers in their own country. A feature of event sircessful revolution has heend he winning over of the mont of the arms lo the side o/ lhe
The soldier is the natural ally of the worker The reason for raising the slogan 'trade union rights for the army" is to promote the hest possi-
for making the soldiers con-
The cons on the other hand are the trained enemies of the workers. Their life experiences
of picher-lines and disrupters of demonstrations reach them to hate the working class
Trotsky's History of the Russian Revolu non is full of descriptions of how workers aim. ed slogans at the soldiers and bullets and hand
Avery revolution in the history of capitalisn has revealed the police, along with the officer corps, as the most reliable detachment of the forces of counter-resolution.
The dogan for trade union rights for the police hides the truth about the class nature of the police force from therefore i reactionars slogan which forms no part of a genomely socalist programme
In this contest the call for policing is a nonsense. What gain is it for black cops with pointed helmets and big boots instead
with panda cars, or for of ones that dive panda cars, or for workery that their strikes he broken by local cops indead of ones drafted in from another area?
"democratic control
through police commies, this makes the
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ARGUMENTS for SOCIALISM
presumption the local authorities are themselves democratic.
Socialists counterpose workers' control to all schemes for tinkering with the capitalists bureaucratic machine. Socialist Challenge and Revolution Youth championed the demand of the youth in last summer's rebellion when the! called for the withdrawal of the cops from Brix-
We support the resistance of the nationalist areas in the North of Ireland to the RUC
These struggles have begun to pose the question of a workers' veto over police ac
demnds for police withdrawal we were supporting slogans which educated the youth in the need to rely on their own strength and build their own organisationuruinst those of capitalism's uniformed thug
Socialist Challenge 1 April 1982 page
Page 8 scan of this page
The rise and fall of the LCDTU
the Prior proposals. allowance for motions to be put from
to add to what the TUC has already said. By Pat Hickey ON 8 DECEMBER 1970, more than 600,000 workers went on strike in protest against the Tory government's anti-trade union legislation, dustrial Relations December Day of Action was unprecedented in that it was initiated by an unofficial rank and file body, the Committee for Defence Trade Unions, and carried forward despite the opposition of the TUC.
Mr Feather, General Secretary of the TUC, had opposed the action on the grounds that it was constitutional and contrary to the traditions of the ment to take strike against an elected ment:
Feather's command, Len Murray, was in the lead of those attacking the strike. It could, he said, lead to a snap general election and a Tory victory.
The timid line of the TUC was completely out of line with the mood in the class. The TUC hoped that 8 December was a flash in the pan. But it was followed by another Day of Action on 12 January In Merseyside and Manchester brought out 180,000.
The LTDU campaign began to draw in increasing support from official bodies in the unions — District and Regional Committees; the Execs of some of the smaller unions. Still the TUC hesitated.
Sundav 21 February more than 250,000 demonstrated in London in response to an official call from LEC TUC, (there simultaneous marches in other major centres) whose slogan for the day was 'Attack the Bill'.
This contrasted with the LCDTU slogan of 'Kill the Bill'. It was the latter slogan that was taken up, with 'Heath Out' and Strike.
The platform speeches renected the divisions in the General Councit of the TUC.
Chairing the meeting, Greene told the 250,000 marcters 1o fa transe quiri: and leavespe isailer
socialet
The LCDTU Conference on Sat 27 March marked another step in the decline of this body. It was attended by 492 delegates -over 100 less than attended the last Conference held in 1980 on
As usual at these meetings Tine floor delegating bodies. The declaration put to conference had little
The Conference did not point a clear way forward for the
in the hands of the leaders.
Jack Jones,
rest there.
the InBill. The 8
the shop floor organisation.
Liaison ficial actions, of
Talkand
the and delegations to Carr).
Run- full economic
moveaction governthan million second-inAUEW calls,
many other unions. left officials to call action.
Scotland, which
required all-out action Tories.
Dortunity 1971. presented, the struggle into protest were again.
ship of the
ficials. The Bill became law. along Generat Relations Act,
into effect Sidney jailed for defying the Act.
there was no from will not fight.
But the transport union under
ana ine engineers uncer Hugh Scanlon could not let matters
The main base of the LCDTU was in the shop stewards' committees, and the stewards saw 'Carr's Bill', as it was called, as primarily an attack on
It was they who built the unof-
and turned out ine membership for the demonstrations. action
Moving in to the leadership of the
file mobilisation Scanlon 'The time for political action is over (pressure on parliament
'Have we not the right to demand that the trade union movement uses strike.
and inaustila strength to win this battle for us all! This is the only weapon we have left.
The AUEW then moved in to head up the resistance to the Bill. On 1 March and again on 12 March more
workers struck against the Bill, in response to official
backed up by the LCDTU and action from members of
struck
At this point the weaknesses of the LCDTU's policy began to take effect. sallicy Its ability to take action independent ingham of the official leadership was the key to shifting Scanlon. But once Scanlon moved the LCDTU abandoned its independent role. It now relied on the
But the lefts on the TUC had gone as far as they dared with the protest actions. Stopping the Bill would have
against When, in the summer of '71, the struggle against the closure of Upper . Clyde Shipbuilders broke out, the op-
for building towards general strike against the Tories was
TUC directed the action once
THe LCDTU, under the leader-
Communist Party, contented itself with supporting the of-
The TUC adopted a policy of passive resistance to the Industrial IR
refusing to register under it and refusing to pay any fines.
Encouraged by the lack of action the Tories proceeded to put the Act
On 21 July 1972 five dockers were
Wii Feasher commenied. 'Purting
fight against Tebbit. It calls on the TUC to organise a lobby of Parliament backed by local 2 hour stoppages. But there was no line for the LCDTU to wage an independent campaign, despite the clear lessons of the previous fights against anti-union laws that without a strong rank and file campaign the leadership The conference was so lacking in a clear line of march that it finished early because so many delegates were leaving. people in prison... solves nothing.
The damage that the IR Act is doing to industrial relations and to the nation is now clear to everybody:
Jack Jones spoke of '...industrial difficulties being made worse by the operation of the Act'. (The dockers were TGWU members.)
The officials, in the absence of rank and file action were not going to controll une government
On 24, 25 and 26 July unofficial
involving 250,000 WORKCIS throughout the country forced the freeing of the five.
It was clear that had the Tories not released them the strikes would have spread. Even Vic Feather was forced to talk in terms of a one-day general
The LCDTU played the central role in this action. But once again it failed to build on the position it had gained, and allowed the officials to take control.
The extent of working class opposition to the Tories was Heath had introduced incomes policy which was widely opposed.
In January '72 the miners had
against Phase One, defeated the Tories after the Battle of
Gates' when 10,000 Birmengineering workers SUD* ported their picket.
In the spring of. "72 Manchester engineering workers had used sit-ins to pursue a national wage claim.
In the summer of '72 the building workers had engaged in the first truly national strike in that industry -had used flying pickets to bring the industry to a halt.
Discontent Was widespread; militancy was high. But the officials were determined that there would be no bringing together of action to kick out the Tories.
And the CP ensured that the LCDTU did not mount a challenge to this policy. Their was maintain a friendly relationship with the left officials; pushing the militancy of the workers forward would have endangered that relationship.
The working class was to pay a heavy price. The struggle against the
continued through '72, and '74. The high point was May Day 1973 when two million struck against Phase 2 and the IR Act.
The peak of the LCDTU reached in November 1970, when 2500 delegates met to call the 8 December action. It met irregularly daring the big strugeles that follooned.
But it never again achieved the kind of support that it had then. By the time of its October the CP's policy of relying on the left officials rather than forcing them to move had had its effect.
At a time when the AUEW had just been fined £75,000 under the IR Act, Phase Three had been announced, and the trial of the Shrewbury building workers -charged with 'conspiracy' for their • role in the national building workers'
- had just got under fewer than 800 delegates attended.
The CP was moving right at a rate of knots, to keep pace with Hugh
The hero of the "7l demo canon. had just had f100,000 of union funds seized by the National Court
His response was members 'might be called upon' to give "tangible evidence' of their desire to defend the union! The CP defended this position.
On the Shrewsbury refused to draw up any plans for the LCDTU to take action.
The trials went ahead, with Des and Warren getting five years and Ricky Tomlinson getting three years.
Scanlon diverted against the Act into a series of protests on 5, 12, 19, 23 November. The LCDTU played no independent role.
Not suprisingly, support began to weaken, confirming Scanlon's claim that he was failing because the members would not sup-
This policy of the CP opened the door for even worse betrayals. Behind the scenes, Jones and Scanlon were working on the social contract, the agreement that was to be the cover for the Wilson-Callaghan assault on the working class
The LCDTU did not meet again to until March "75, returned. Even then break with Jones and Scanion.
Faced with the refusal of Labour Home Secretary Roy Jenkins to free the Shrewsbury pickets, and with a new incomes policy in the shape of the '73 social contract, the CP declared that 'the key need is united rank and file
pressure to win the TUC and the
Labour government to change course was now.
This. LCDTU delegates.
The record of the Labour govern.
TeD! I RIE
KILL T
April is not even talking of serious against Tebbit's anti-union laws - let alo seriously planning any.
the unions since the imposition of the 19 Trades Dispute Act imposed only after t massive general strike defeat of the worki class.
But the minimum for real action would invol * a campaign to mobilise the movement to st the Bill *Withdrawal from any cooperation with t government and its agencies * Clear and forthright dustrial action to defend any union or work attacked under the Bill.
Scott workers and to other struggles over t last two years shows that there is a great deal militancy to draw on. The basis for the fig against Tebbit lies with those militants w have demonstrated their willingness to strug! and to support struggles. tapped. While we support the call of the Liais
'73 conference KnOWIl
known.
who had been
way,
terent
Industrial
that the
trials they
the struggle loopholes
IO lead only
dismissed will against , after Labour was
it refused to
attracted 300
incraployment and
The meeting of trade union executives or
acti
These laws are the most serious attack
The TUC declares itself opposed to the B
commitment to
The widespread support given to Lauren
This layer must cutting living standards, and in breaking up the militancy of the class is well
But the role of the CP in allowing it to happen is not so well
As the LCDTU starts a new campaign these lessons need to be learned.
Had the LCDTU fought both to win the officials to action and to organise as an independent rank and file body through the structures of the trade union movement allying with the lett ofticials but never reiving or them the recent history of the labour movement would have been very dit-
Six burnin
figh
1 The closed shop will be almost impossible to win ol maintain. 80-85 per cent of the employees must vote favour. Even then there will be on grounds strong conviction. 2 To assist such strong con victions £20,000 will be paid tr scabs and 'nonners' from funds to thos for membership. 3 The right to strike will b severely restricted. The aim i to outlaw solidarity For example, refusal by lorr drivers to cross picket line be outlawed. Actiol Government polic will be out.
Support action for worker on strike such as at Grunwick will be outlawed. Blacking o equipment from firms wher redundançies are being im posed will be out.
4 Selective dismissal strikors will be made easier At present employers are on titled to sack all workers o
Page 9 scan of this page
The rocky road to Tebbit
receives its final reading.
any trade unionist. mass action against Tebbit to their union leaders. TORY attacks on conditions
of youth
the other side of the same coin as Tebbit's Bill.
Tebbit's proposals are intended to remove all the obstacles to ferocious arive to up protits and cut wages and conditions. Tebbit's 'other' proposals
regard to youth are meant as
way of encouraging employers to take on young people at slave labour rates and dramatically drive down
reasons to
ebbit
strike. But all strikers must be treated equally. The employer is not allowed to sack some and not others.
Now it is proposed to allow the selective dismissal strikers. This is a clear couragement to employers to break strikes by sacking the militants. 5 Making the officials police the members. Trade will not be liable to be sued for damages the repudiate the action taken by members.
This is an attempt to make the unions prevent any action and discipline the ship. 6
Much of the new law will be decided after the passed by decisions courts. The judges will be able
intervene in almost strike, and require the unions to call off the action until a case has been heard - a process which could take weeks. Refusal to obey could mean contempt leading to fines prisonment.
IE BILL
Committee for a lobby of parliament and the 2 hour stoppages, these must be linked to an ongoing capaign of action against Tebbit if they are to convince militants that they have a real chance of stopping the Tories. There must be a call now for a one-day strike when the Bill
This campaign should be clearly tied to a commitment from all the unions to defy the law and to lead mass action when it is used against
A clear lead from union leaders can transform the present situation.
Socialist Challenge will begin the fight to mobilise the rank and file leaders of the class to force the leaders to act. We will be drafting a statement dealing with the weaknesses of the TUC's approach, and calling for a campaign of
begin with a 1-day strike when the Bill comes up for its final reading. We will circulate this statement to the many hundreds of militants who have given support to the LSE and other recent struggles for their endorsement, and at the same time asking them to press through their trade union bodies for a commitment to mass action from
Youth and Tebbit
overall wage rates.
The failure to announce fight against
schemes and the failure to demand union those YOPs couraged Tebbit to propose a maximum wage of £25 for all youth between 16 and 17 in years old.
A fight against Tebbit involves a fight to support struggling Inese tions.
By P McDermott
governments
of centre enfocus of legislation
unions
officials the 'unofficial' organisations. strikes at that time and unofficial, stewards
memberlaid off.
Bill • is In the
Many
proceedings 'and/or im-
prece-work: bargaining in
Tebbit's
rates for has enagainst SINCE the mid-60s successive
have had the trade union question' at the
of their concerns. In the period of the '64-69 Lab-
Government the main anti-trade union the shop steward organisations.
Barbara Castle's 'In Place of Strife' was aimed at strengthening the power of the union officials against
shop stewards The vast majority of were small, short led by the shop In the car industry such strikes often had a massive effect, leading to thousands of workers being
A series of strikes at the Girling Brake factory in Bromborough unofficial and leading to lay-offs in car assembly, provided a particular focus for the government. After a big press campaign against irresponsible and 'wild-cat' strikes Castle — a 'left' in the Labour Party - introduced her Bill. Its aim was to reduce the number • of unofficial strikes, make procedure agreements more formal and binding, and incorporate senior stewards.
This was in line with a government drive for greater productivity which was intended to eliminate sectional
the more "scientific' Measured Day Work.
The LCDTU led rank and file resistance to this Bill and pushed the TUC into opposition to it. withdrew it after getting agreement from the TUC that it would tionalise its structure and establish a procedure to avoid disputes.
The Heath government returned • to the attack with the IR Act. This in troduced the concept of an 'Unfair industrial Practice' , aimed at introducing legally binding agreements and procedures backed up by a National Industrial Relations Court power to fine unions and stewards for action in breach of agreements
Central to this strategy was the inducements to the trade union leaders to register under the Act, and bring their rule books in line with the pro-
approved by the Act. return they were offered immunity from legal proceedings by employers and easv achievement of the closer shop under procedures would tightly control the rank and file.
The kind of agreement the Tories had in mind was exemplified by the Joint Industry Board set up by the ETU (now the EETPU) and the electrical contractors. Essentially the ap proach was one of carrot and stick -favour of t* the carrot was the offer of sweetheart
Union leaders failed to mobilise to win the release of the jailed Shrewsbury building workers.
agreements with the employers if the officials controlled the stick being making the unions liable for failure to curb the rank and file
ra- battle lasting the whole life of the
Tory government, in which the Act repealed by Labour. But the story did was substanuals not end there.
Labour defeats of legislation. different strategy. the former lefts, with Hugh Scanlon, it devised the.Social
Contract. This agreement ficials not the ranks holding back wages and reducing the ability of the rank and file to struggle on this front.
The In
ported this policy, demonstrate their ability to police.the rank and file. Hugh Scanlon led the which Heathrow Engineers and the Ley! threatening
Toolmakers when they wages in defiance of Inc After the 'Winter o finally buried the Social TUC and the governmen Concordat. Its cornerstone wo 'unions should take vigorous steps to end unofficial action', It proposed that docisions about
their members,
There followed a long-drawn out
yellicall.
defeated. It encouraging. did not needed.
had learned from the
It adopted a With the help of Jack Jones and organised. was a 'voluntary' voluntary for the of- • resurgence -. aimed at
TUC enthusiastically sup-
and set out to involved.
sack the
NORTH
CHAR
DEFENCE C
TON Li
strikes should be in the hands of the officials. It also proposed to limit the right to picket, and reestablish a commitment to an 'indicative' pay norm. This initiative fell with the Labour
Then came Thatcher. The history of anti-trade union legislation was not
Voluntary agreements work. Something else was They found it In mass unemployment. While the recessions drastically reduced the level of struggle, the problem for the Tories was that those in work were still strongly
Any UOLUll. the economy was bound to lead to a big
In addition, strikes were no longer of the character that had dominated the 60s and early 70s . Now they were bigger, longer and likely to draw in workers other than those immediately
So the focus of the Tebbit Laws
an broadened to deal with class-wide
most important element coposals is the attack from refusal blacking, sym. on against govern. attempts to involve through secondary pickets. And while it aims to get the officials to police the members, it 'places no reliance on them"t.....
гда 1 Apell 1902
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Socialist Challenge 1 April 1982 page 10
NEWCASTLE: in ale cers sill
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" Bobby Sants
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conference
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Her Hillel Ticki ranian Revolutio
Fan: Deser
Board
main ti dau
Letter!
Write to SC letters, c/o PO Box 50, London N1 HAVING explained the dangers of counterposing coverage on Poland to coverage on Central America, Phil Hearse (Letters, 18 March), goes on to do just that. in Poland would be significant' he says, than the development of the revolutionary process begun in Cuba and Nicaragua.
He goes on to further counterpose IWO revolutionary processes by pedanticaly that Poland is a highly incanased and therefore somehow more He never explains the difference berween processes Cuba: challenging the Stalinist bureaucracy ine one policil and ine other social, and therefore does not explain the relationship between the 1wo.
The emergence of Solidarnose has captured the imagination
throushout the world, because it has illustrated the possibility of
truly proletarian and democratic socialism.
At the same time it has revealed the hypocrisy of imperialism its most naked. While paying lip service to democracy and free trade unionism Thatcher and Reagan unleashed a vicious attack on the organisations of the working class. they are spending nuclear " capons and are supporting
and bloody H
The time is ripe 10 build mIss anti-imperialist morement. atlatests hundreds and thousands of workers and youth. This would he the
Letters etterSETTERs
2XP Editor reserves the right to cut any letter over 400 words.
Poland and
Cuba: two
different
processes
'The victory of the revolution a hundred times more
best way defend Solidarnose. The Stalinist bureaucrat! the workers states bases itself the lear an imperialist offense.
The first workers state degenerated because il was left isolated by such an of. fensive. preserve its oun privileges this bureaucracy therefore follows a forcion police of peaceful in existence" developmen of the anti-imperialist monrement and the revolutionary pro challenges that policy and in C'entral America therefore those privileges. letter suggests that Stalinism in Poland can dependent of the workd wide class immuggle. More importans. head no time mentions the need to build a world par of socialis revolution without which Stalinism will he defeated. less on the base of the need to buld uch a party that we enterento traternal discussion. with the Cuban Ial: hip. in r'emnal Ameri
Stalins b:
that 1e
Letters
sions with the leadership of Solidarnose who also. inevitably. have some 'misunderstandings" the of this bureaucracy.
Socialist Challenge must be in the forefront of the anti-imperialist ment. raising the defence of economic of the workers slage
That is why we will be on the 28 March demo.
all out to build (ND's na tional demonstration. call ed for lunc the day this massive anti imperialis rally H MACPHERSON Harrow
expediency
WAS appalled by the obituart of Rul
Butler (S 18 March). For one thins. it is quite wrong to devote neurt a whole page of a revolutionart newspaper 10 u Tore er-puntser
Why wasn't the space devoted 1o an ohimar of Sam Gordon, which instead had to be hunted for in a small bot on the Letters pase? Is was stated. 'ploved an active role in the formane tears of the /Vi
But furthermore, and more inpe» landle. the Butler obituart contained atsolutel political
that is liberal Torves no explanation that it is no use to le working des: had a amp/s an esper!
'Thank you' from
PEOPLES DEMOCRACY would like to thank the
Socialis Challenge and in dividuals who responded to the dectoral appeal issued to lance our mera chin
the Southern Cieneral Election.
magnificent was raised in Britain and comrades from Scotland. Wales, Birmingham, 1.ondon and Liverpool travell ed to Ireland work alongside PD
The results of the elec tion confirm the continume any or me as capitalists finding solution to the and political crisis and the trend of electoral instabilily in the 26 counties.
the Anglo-Irish talks by both Fianna Fail
Coalition governments shows that for both sections of the Irish bourgeonsie
lies in lose collaboratom
more and South and anger!
unemployment cutbacks and increased social deprivation and misery for the Irish working casi
Election results. las Tune and this February. show all increasing number of voters who are disillusioned with the mas
and Who are
'Butlerism': a question of
the article.
Tortisi
Gordon
comment
SYLVIA BROOKES London SW2
hoto; GM Cookson
the Irish comrades
seeking an altematne Thus, the intervention of anti-imperialiss this
and the votes all imperialists who sood showed a solid base of sun port for the alist_struggle in the South U'ndoubtedly the tature to come logether 1 a united front and campaign on the broad pro gramme advocared by PD
of' anti-imperialiss to pose themsele as a nationa alternative 10 the bourgeois parties. licularly on the cconomic question So the fight for anti imperialist and clectoral unity continues the foretront of this figh! and thus bears a large part ofthe burden in providing the resources to such an intervention, nor mention strengthening our oun organisation. hund raising "p'! have alreads raised [35) o the 15.000 necessary. The
We are faced with another electoral and before #i can lackie the necd do hathe anti-imperialist muiry SINEAD JACKSON PD National Secretary
politics could he forgwen, after reading
for believing ther Rutle wasn't real a bad sort of bloke"-«hir of an ammable rope who likes to keep ererone happe. That mus have been the case. but he marcher under the banner of
Fi what Socialis Challenge should be concerned wah
Alewing this kand of Sunder sup plement aricle curs right across Sociulist Challenes s dempt to cum more reader and supporters in the working eless and a i also insultine to do w/re
Socalis & hallenes can explain the viens this/ arch International and win pren
7819111/6
Page 11 scan of this page
children
By Niall Power, secretary to the National Council of the Labour Committee on Ireland. LAST 14 July six senior police officers 'riot areas' in Britain flew to the North Ireland for a crash course in riot control from the Royal Ulster Constabulary - a course with special emphasis on snatch squads and plastic bullets. This is one of the many facts brought out in a new booklet just published by the 'information on Ireland' group.
In its forty well illustrated pages we are peen an culine or ine ongas or
plastic bullet in the WRen British colony, Hong Kong, a new lethal weapon made of wood and called the 'baton round', first used against i guerrilla army. Always it has been used agains a mass of people in revoll.
Jonathan Rosenhead, from the Britsh Society for Social Responsibility
Science has described
ulke a liver chart of the Northern hoch politic. Prery time lage numbers people hare lahon to the drechs to proes agams Britich guernment policic, there has been a dramatic number fired. in Nay las surge the
lear for crample. the month Bobbe Sands died, the slaggering total of
16,656 were fired.
And the conscqnence of their usc hy Britain in Ireland outlined ( in1.
New pamphlet
shows need for
campaigning
LPYS
By Richard Rozanski
WAR and the dole queue ... capitalism in crisis has no future to offer young
people. Building
Young Socialists
new pamphlet
'Revolution'
youth.
It explains the need to unite all
youth in a common struggle against
the Tories, and to fight for a system
which can offer them a future free of
the threat of nuclear war and the dole
Cutle
aels voune pcope uno hate most olten loc
the lighibach agam»? the Tories: in the disar-
maeai.il.
redundances. che
against police taos de md a ho hope future, and
o! r oi
Railsirmen and ihe enomcor unions. the
Theadandes, d thelen in the l abour Party
lorres.
But ond probiom romains vouh nerd an di as organditdon
• pia !he le
bouch organd ssc deon, dhaa e' ponste le
bankd maansa e". of ion e don and. od
veith
They shoot
from of
Kelly
(A.GE 12)
ED- MAY 22,1981
URDERED BY THE
BETISH ARMY •
R. 1. P.
some detail in the hooklet - has Deen appanne. belApril 1972 and WICH bean.
With
agamnst
The Labour Party - Jobs Not Bombs'
produced by - a socialist paper for
ele's" morement the occupations against
LPYS
drugge agame the
Sicalis io the filiate. med pes.! Mill
woking diets
August 1981, 13 people, six of them children were killed. Injuries too have included blindness and brain damage.
And the army only pay condicoll clalll lion that no lability atlaches to themselves or the police. This means they can avoid the embarrass-
laving
Carol Ann
Wing publicits having themr mnembers un in court Not one soldier or police
The potential to do this todat. massive crisis of Britsh capital and the search for radical solutions, is far greater.
But this can only happen if the L.PYS turns 1o the vouth leading the lightback: ('NI). unionisation of YOPs. solidarit! revolutions in C'entral America and the Carib-
delending Solidarnose lighting for at woman's right to work and abortion, against the racism of the state, for British troops out of reland.
Vicar campaigning LPYS could coday unite and lead the vouth. This would he a massie bood to both the light
the )"les. and misleader of the labour moremen.
The pamphlet makes clear that the young people leading the lighthach •will form the backbone of a nen leadership lor the working class, firm/s based on its experiences and strud-
But we facea huge obstade. Asthe presen right wing Labour leaders set a mass radical vouh marcmen building up beneath them. iheir terror at the challenge from the ranks vill faroutmp thoir pons prodessabou Thatcher Authen bare dond condens bmcs potore. lc will lasd our in an attempe do destre that
In the lade o nethe t rey necos e sadr ship which von't gire dn inch to the inesable crackdomns ot the labour barcancrals.
The pamphle coplams that unfortunate! the Militan leadership of the 1 PYS does nor provide this. While anconditionally defending their right to be in the d abour Paro, it haslo be said that the Militan endenes hats nod built an
currenty abom 9000 member which matches the lends of thomsands of douth who hate taken action agama the dorie
The problem is that the Militan von't build the LPYS our of the ruggles of touth. It has dene nothing do build bouh & Ni despite the decision of lasd deda dl'd do onterende to al
Thet drone Nomen ad blake ohe 2d nise to light los ther geloe dd dading
Instoad of dammend so puddin trom dhe
Under Review
officer has been convicted for any of the deaths or injuries.
Attempts by the army 1O Domay inese weduul) as next to harmless have been very successful. The army deliberately subsuurca me iern ber bullet' for the official lerm paton round'. Ma jor Clayton, Military Programmes Manager for the
manufa uer Seerly.
!he Derrie 4101( ll taches Puerten! •!.! the aim was to get a slightly humourous image', and commented: 'looking back it does seem as if that aim was achieved'
This booklet should be used widely within the British labour movement as a way of fighting such army propaganda, and of building a campaign 10 have these death weapons banned, and zadecu ultimately of forcing Britain to leave reland complerely.
Il we don'i do chis some das these scapons
O SCS C
Thei Shoor Children the use rubber unci plastic bullets in the Vorth
Ireland, published hv Information on Ireland. Box 189, 32 Ivar Place. London NW1 6DA 50p + 20p (post package).
with the
struggles. with the
Poland.
'Building the stratege, the Socialists -
campan cala.
TC" WIEI-
action against the
Wing class 15½ p p&p.
Organised by Brent Cheques pavale to Bren
ice ts 1250
:lee
By N 'Ndabeni ONE CAN be sure that there is one place in the Republic of South Africa where Geoff Boycott and his fellow cricketers playing. This is where Nelson political opponents of the apartheid regime are rotting must be one of the grimmest prison fortresses in the world.
Prisoner 885/63 is Indres Naidoo, by racist South African definition a 'nonwhite' (he would call himself 'black'). one first UMKHONTO WE SIZWE (Spear of the Nation), the armed wing of the African National Congress, leadership of Nelson Mandela in the 1960's. He was arrested following the altempted sabolage of a signal box on a remote part of South African railways.
Like so many of his fellow insurgents, including eventually himself, his arrest was brought about bt an informer in the group with which he was working.
In my introductory paragraph, Irefer to the prisoners 'rotting away' on Robben Island. This must he taken as a figure of speech. Il is difficult to imagine these men, once the leaders of a people struggling for their freedom, isolated for veurs, some of them tor life brutal treatment and degradation at the hands of sadistic warders, not suffering physically and mentally under the strain.
But, as this book makes clear, if the South African white supremist regime intended to break the spirit of these men. they have signally failed in cheir aim. On
and today Nelson Mundela's name is on the lips of every black South African. He and his fellon prisoners are the inspiration for those who are carring on the struggle todar This book is not for the squeumish.
The freatment which black prisoners receive can onli be compared with what went on in the Nazi concentralion camps. True, there chambers huit. short known form of torture and humiliation is practised.
The tragedy is that many of the heroic men and women who look part in the
struggles in C'entral America. the Caribbean and Poland. Militant crincises Solidarnos and the FDR in El Salvador. and does not build solidarity in Britain with these life and death
The only bright spot has been the launching of the YOP, Trainees Union Rights Campaign, which held a mass lobby of Parament in February and is for unionising YOP, worker — we wholeheartedly welcome this campaien.
L.abour Party Young
lobs Vot Bombs' can play an important role in transforming the LPYS into a
It maps out a plan for uiting all vouth in
Tories, and explams the crucial role touth will play in forging a nen fighting leadership for the whole of the work-
All Labour Party and YS activiss should buy this pamphler. Take copies to sell to fellon activists in your Labour Party or union branch. CND or Vouth ('ND group or any other body w here there are people who want to see a mass campaigning Labour Party Young Socialis».
For conies of the pamphlet write to Revolu tion, PO Box 50, London N1 2XP. Cost 20p plus
Write for bulk Cheques and lalos postal orders payable to revolution
Celebrate 50 years of World Revolution Sunday 2 May 6.30 till late A Tribute to Charlie van Gelderen
• memoer or ine rent donosuon una ounding member of the Fourt International Socialist Challenge and Avoilion, i wil oc an evenue or clici ramment woica celebraies the revolunonary struggles over the last 50 years. , PO Box 50 London N1 unwaged) includes 3 course
-Island in chains-
will not be Robben Island, Mandela and other
away in what
volanteers lo
up under the
Nelson Mandela
subiect to the struggle continues
poncar
are no sas
° inar every socialism.
Robben Island,
Books for South Africa Books for South Africa is playing a vital part in providing the revolutionary cadres in South Africa and in temporary exile with Marxist books so that they can I further their theoretical 'There can no revolutionar Your Bank.
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ISLAND IN CHAINS
NER 885/63 C
Ten years on Robben Island by P
'guerrilla struggle' launched by the ANC suffered and are suffering unnecessarily. Armed actions are only practical once the masses are in motion - - otherwise they are only too easily repressed.
Minoritv "guerrilla actions' only waste valuable cadre. mute il eusier for the state to patch up its internal differences and pursue repression against the mas. movement. It creates the illusion amons the masses that there is a road to liberation which does not require their struggle and organisation, but only the heroic actions of relatively few armed militants.
Today the ANC is once again playing a leading role inside South Africa. If il can tear itself away for the influence of the South African Communist Party ia party which is still traditionally Stalinist), away from the ulternating opportunist and adventurist policies of the past, it can become a movement solidly based on the emergent working class and its struggles in the townships and factories.
Failing that, there is no alternative for revolutionaries but to build a nev working class party which will lead the South African masses to victory and
Island in Chains - Ten Years in
by Prisoner 886/63, Penguin, £1.95
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1 April, 1982. page.
Page 12 scan of this page
Irish elections: no confidence in major parties
POLISH SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN AGM Solidarnosc forgotten in rush to attack 'Leninists'
There has been considerable interest in Britain over whether the election of Fianna Fail leader Charlie Haughey will resolve the Irish situation.
tion of Socialist Republic, Democracy (Irish Section of the Fourth International) that none of the major parties have any policies which can overcome the basic problems of Irish politics: an unfinished national revolution and an underdeveloped economy.
Fianna Fail and the Coalition have the same basic strategy: defence of ramon arousacea ed collaboration with Bri-
and development", within the framework 01 imperialist domination. In a situation of international political tension and economic crisis this polic! ian be summed up in two words: repression and austerity.
That is what a growing number of Irish people are beginning to see. And the JUIC they see it the less they like it. The resull is By Martin Meteyard A MAJOR opportunity to build a united national campaign in support of the Polish free trade union Solidarnosc was lost on Sunday.
Nor was it simpiv lost It was trampled to death at the annual general meeting of the Polish Solidarity Campaign by a London-based leadership whose methods made a mockery of their claim to support the democracy of Solidar-
No resolutions for discussion were circulated beforehand. No proper pooled fare was organised for delegates from out of
When many of elatter
when many the latter had already had to leave to get home, a proposal was pushed through to concenirate control in the hands
membership. This effectively
campaign the local sondanty commitees wno have won some of the most significant support for Solidarnosc since martial
was imposed on December.
Unity
Delegates from local committees urged adopion of simple objectives or the campaign aimed at uniting all those prepared :a get out and build sup=ort for Solidarnosc. Inread it was decided to pur he major emphasis creaking all links with the Warsal Pact countries
Solidarnose mented only a single men•or - in terms or dim-
=-daupport forit. And he
This he lahour
the fireter Manchester
Canaparen 1C,1l
BRENDAN KELLY argues in the latest edi-
paper of Peoples popular distrust of the major parties.
This fact was borne out February the results the
election. It was
serious in the history of the
The media and the politicians agreed that for the first time ever the eleccorate would vote for
not personalities. In the event the
havocaco. clear national voting pattern emerged. Swings were mainly on a local basis and tended cancel each other our. People did not vote on Dollel
This was in line with a witch-nunt atmosphere whipped Padership against Leninists and Trotskvists in general and the International Marxist Group (IMG) Dal" ticular. The morning ses-
the platform on General Jaruzeiski ana 14 on ... Ine IMG!
Quiz
all-time low was reached when an Oxford delegate nominated for the National Committee was first quizzed on whether he sion on Poland in 192005- supported Lenin's
The PSC was a natural focus for supporters of Solidarnosc after 13 December because it was the only body which had carried out any sort of national campaign since the strike wave of August 1980. As such its membership rocketed to nearly a thousand.
But its AGM revealed the real face of the PSC leadership: that antiLeninism Comes betore building support for Solidarnose. and that no real democracy will be allowed in ine campaign which threatens the hold of this London-based clique. In practice - Whatever the protestations of some of its members - t
Cold War rhetoric of the imperialists rather than the solidarity of the working (a))
This clearly Wa demonstrated when the conference voted to make the campaign open to all those who supported independent
0ag510
issues but on local ones.
But behind peculiarities of each result there Was one clear message: popular fidence in the ability of the major parties to solve fun-
and damental political economic problems was considerably down.
Some of the local swines nowever could nave d national importance in the
TUD. This ticularly true of the outcome in Dublin for exam ple. Extra
Both Fianna Fail and Fine (ael increased their share of the poll in this area but in radically different ways.
Fianna Fail gained significant extra support in WOrKIng class districts while Fine Gael pulled in the middle class vote. Even more interestingly it was the traditionally "liberal" everywhere'. Mover of the resolution Robin Blick explained that this mean opening the cam. paign SDP members and Liberals'
excluding only the fascist right and the fascist left' Amazingly
Socialist SuDDolICIS Organiser supported this ICSOluLIOnI.
Delegates from the Soludully Collite Manchester, Birmingham, explained
from basing their activities on the organised labour movement and clearly distinguishing themselves from the hypocritical rhetoric of Reagan and solidarity
International.
sections of the middle class (which supported left in-
Noel Brown and John O'Con-
its biggest hoost
What this reflects is an initial class polarisation. The middle class opted for
most conscious and
and austerity while Workes rectica this is only a tentative developmeni since, while Fine Gael consciously speaks for the middle class, Fianna Fail in no wa! represents an alternative for workers.
Despite the depth of political and economic crisis in Ireland it is clear that workers saw no national alternative to the existing set-up. This showed up especially in the performance of the anti-imperialist movement. The Sinn Fein vote and the Bernadette McAliskey campaign sponsored hy
Thatcher.
Local Polish solidarity committees now have no option but to seek some alternative means of coordinating their efforts in building support for Solidarnosc among its
'natural partners' in the
labour movement.
one focus for this should be the labour movement conference planned by the Manchester campaign which has already won support from a number of Labour MPs. Another should be
fighting to commit the Labour Party and TUC leaders to call a labour movement march suppor-
Solidarnosc next December mark one vear since the impositior Piotr Kozlowski from the: Solidarnosr: trade union working group (left) with Laurence Scott striker Phil Penning on a recent factory tour in Manchester. The PSC annual general meetiny voted against supporting the Manchester committer's pro lected labour movement conference.
PD confirmed that the anti-imperialist movemen nas i foothold in the South. The anti-imperialist candidates polled herween 5-7 per cent wherever they stood. This was a result similar 1o that of Sinn Fein - ne Workers Parv. Believe
But there is no room for complacencv. The momentum H-Block
campaign not maintained collan hunger strike found its greatest support
when these people were lookie lor someone to de lend them they did serious beneve that the anti-imperialist movement could play such a role
There are a number of lessons in all this. First. the economic and social imof martial law.
A de facto split has ocCuTTed the Polish solidarity movement
happened because the PSC leadersno is more conccircu lo wage war on Leninism than to unite all forces who give practical support
Solidarnosc Theirs the responsibility for this
And those who situation. suffer for will be the workers of Poland.
Martin Meteyard is the
Treasurer of the Glasgon Polish Solidarity Committee (writing here in a personal capacity) and was a delegate from that mittee to the PSC AGM. COm-
plications of imperialis domination nave lo he systematically integrate Into the overall
imperialis, Ami imperialists must he able to give detailed answers 1o the multitude of ereryday problems which afflict working people.
Secondly
IS nO enough 10 nate a pro gramme: also
be able necessary fight for il. This means winning the confidence of workers by consistent work in their arcas and their organisations (trade
Without building suppor thi
gain real credibility among KOINCIS
Thirdly, the anti-imperialist must he able to present itself as a united national alternative to the established Political organisations such as Sinn
HANDS
off Brush /in
Fein, Peoples Democrity and the 'IRSP have Together and develop a ma- responsibility come tional alliance which will be active in every nook and cranny of the country.
Li SOCIALIST REPUBLIC
EXPLOITATION, REPRESSION, PARTITIOA
ЮГ А
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Page 13 scan of this page
Solidarnosc: the workers'
within the labour movement DAVY JONES spoke to French author JEAN-YVES POTEL about the evolution of Solidarity and the prospects for, its re-emergence. Potel has been in Britain for a series of meetings to build solidarity with the Polish workers. the French journal specialises in Eastern European affairs author of the new Pluto Press book The Summer Before The Frost. Could you explain the evolution Solidarnosc after August 1980 and the debates inside Solidarnosc?
Everyone was very enthusiastic after the Gdansk Agreement. Within months this had changed and people saw inal ll was d
long and difficult process.
the difficulty of the GdanSK Agreement which was a compromise between the strikers and the party. Party leader Kania said that the official policy ot the party was for a social conlau perneen socielv and • the party. But in reality the ally ner for the workers. Whenever possible the party tried to turn the clock back.
Gdansk
For example the Gdansk: Agreement recognised the right of the free trade unions to organise the workers but it took a big struggle by the workers to finally official
will recognition of the union by li November
In many factories the bosses threatened the workers who tried to set up the free that they would lose their special holiday and housing rights and so on. There were lots of other conflicts during the months after Gdansk, the meaning of which was clear: the
governeil didn't want such an agreement. Up until March 1981 the movement radicalised around the question of the implementation OT the Gdansk Agreement.
I was in Poland at the
of the Bydgoszcz LIme events in March when the government organised the
of the local workers' leaders. The workers prepared brilliantly organised general strike. For 10 days
the workers were preparing for the strike, each person in each fac-
Every aspect of social
was coveicu for ha mpie information, the strike committee, food, a legal system, and workers' guards.
Il came very close 1o a general confrontation.
agreemen that was reached. !!!! some manipulanon of the move.
par of the leadership. no1. d defear.
mist also remembe deep
This had
ple ha de walt a quenes
servi: The standard
Becos ai tarnos hada !!!!!!!!: "
• lett the
He is an editor of L'Alternative which
and
party and joined Solidarnose. For examplo in one
2/3000 members of the Dally. salsici 1981 there were only 20 or 30 left. the
Cacultre members of the party. So the real power in ine lactories in the summer was in the hands of the union. Media
On the other hand on the TV
incre was d continual propaganda barrage againsi Solidarnose, which had no acess to the media as none or ne agrecinents
had heen applied. In this situation the
movement hegan 1o radicalise, 10
The desclopment of
the movement another
Solidarose. for in Wester Furopeoneof the main interess in Solidar-
of the democracy the morement. particularly in relation union democracv. Before August the people insolved hadn'l experienced democracv. they hadhl perienced the minimal democrai!
Europe
November 1980 10 July 1981 chere wis a
clections Solidar
level. then the regional
the clections for the
autunmn.
Thas congress was ser democratic real a trade mas don lerence. but rather
ilelegate ill the congress represemed 10.000 people and cach was mandated b their dector Draft
The idopred by soldarnose
Well n: magement drati 176721881 programme win descrised
region. In lume lul cach region adopte gramme special regional
mes por doward ho difter
N the special congress
programa dom the plar
mission ".t. organisel of
Belmir the 10e
21 M0
= cause
eramme tere was mode than one alternative op. non put forward. Thecon-
discussed around programad end different aprions The programme vanced more " than
aprisings in Hungar! 1956
Crechosto ahia 1968 And for all the members of the union this programme was their programmic.
Idea
Within the leadership there mas a lot of disen-
Ir the beginning the general opinion of Solidar nose was the salme as that of all the democratic op position hetore Augus 1980 namel that Habilivny i compromiss between and the party state historical compromise ne consend ide wan the self limitation strateg
The ide mas that the halance Poland the workerepaine balanece forces internationalls Will
sei/ure of
would theretore lei! 10 war with the
Find the crushing of the workers Theretore i comprons was essental.
This vers
umul «hont Tanuary or Pobruary 1981 hur from the Badgoner
disclassion oponed with Solidaries
Pitais 110 pa Hon:
hilton.
¡ 1 1‹1!1,1'
International
that if the party didn't accept this it would have 1o be imposed by strikes and
Such an agreemen s0 On would allow special economic reform with selfmanagement. Strike
The second was exactly the reverse
ment should build sell management economic reform, and it the government opposed " then the use • Of the actise
where the workers wonh
words self-managemen would be imposed through co-ordination with other
and possible an agreement would he signed with the government
There was no one rei! ly who said the! shoukd fake power imediarch No one thought the arm would attack the mode ment in the way it cid
the left. the militands. thought that if the dictatorship war imposed that would be done through legal channeh. that the party would ast lor such ponters through the parliament Coup
As kale cart December theretone only 1 ° 201 per ient duvrial
management podis And the ative strike ident wis
fil Noember 198t when it bogan amond the regional lende
The his
1061 100% nositive but the strategk discussion had not
coup.
When will Solidarnosc rise again? ,First we must note that the whole against the regime. Their hostility absolutely clear. bul i is very alficult for Jaruzekki
leadership par divided.
leadership divided. Jaruzeiski has a project like Kadar's in Hungary 10 rebuild a party with some legitimacy among the per. ple and through an open policy to the Church and peasantry.
Olszowski and Girabski. the party hard-liners want to follow the (rech model with an ideological
purged and hardened party of workers, and con tinuing repression agains
and Church and peasands. But both projects are imprattical, particularly given the lack room for manoeuvre at the level of the economy Morale
Some important members of Solidarnose are free and the revistance
quite well organised in somo maior
sh. Kalowice. Warsil and lado. Peonio are not vo ready for a general upris
are huilding their
and morale through
There's a problem of
solidarnose hut from
the generation "ho ma! he poked into armed ad tions. What don't happen
the government or ans
Spring 1982 issue now out!
Solidarnosc detainees
2XP or from Europe, Box London E8.
Solidarity Committees with Solidarnosc
041-632 1839.
Place, Edinburgh.
Crete St. Oldham
Feickert. 28 Yorkshire. Ring 0532 490927
Roger Murray 11. Ring 021-773 5396
Jenkins. Beatty 0222-764195
c/o ASTMS, 26 Queens Rd, Coventry. Oxford Labour Banbury Rd. Oxford. Ring 0865 58238.
Drive, London NWIl.
Kingsland High St, London E8 London E13 Ring
sWS. Ring 01-373 3492 Labour Poland
Socialist Challenge
gencral uprising agains! : in the short term.
Ine defeat of lei December was a politica defeat and it will take time :or Solidarnosc to absort the lessons. The scope the defeat is clear from th limitation of the initia resistance to martial lav Some 300 factories wen: on strike In December but in the August events oi 1980 there were 4000
Solidarity with Solidarnosc is vital from the international labour movement. When Reagar and Thatcher come out in of Solidarnosi this is used by the govern Poland 10 discredit Solidarnosc. The international labour moverei must make Solidarnosc's cause own.
More extensive treatmen: of some of these themes :: avanute corn in rotel. book. The Summer Before the Frost, and also in ar excerpt laken from the book in the latest issue or International.
Labour Focus on
Eastern Europe
Poland since martial law: Solidarnosc's programme from last year's congress, debates within Solidarnosc prior to the coup, repression and the fightback round-up, resistance documents, labour movement action, list of
and much Everything you need to know on Poland £1.50 per copy, bulk orders available. From Other Bookshop, 328 Upper St, London N1
Labour Focus on Eastern 23, 136 Kingsland High St.
Glasgow Polish Solidarity Committee, c/o lan McCalman, 18 Mossgiel Rd, Glasgow G43. Ring
Edinburgh Polish Solidarity Committee, c/o Edinburgh & District Trades Council, 12 Picard!
Greater Manchester Polish Solidarity Com. mittee, c/o Jon Silberman, SI Montrose House.
Lanes. Ring 061-620 2885.
Leeds Polish Solidarity Committee, c/o Dave
Roundhay Mount, Leeds 8.
Birmingham Polish Solidarity Committee, c/o
28 Blackford Road, Birmingham
Cardiff Polish Solidarity Committee, c/o Mark
Ave, Cardiff. Ring
Coventry Solidarity Committee, John Fisher
Committee on Poland, 468
Eastern Europe Solidarity Campaign, 10 Park
Ring 01-458 1501 Labour Focus on Eastern Europe, Box 23, 136
Polish Solidarity Committee, 69 Edinburgh Rd
01-422 2218 for Londor. speakers, or 01-249 2665 lor out of London Solidarnosc Trade Union Working Group ir UK, 64 P'hilbeach Ciardens, Earls Court. donde-
Solidarity Fund.
1 April 1982 page 13
Page 14 scan of this page
Mitterrand suffers
FRANCE
By Paul Lawson THE French Socialist Party-led
local elections held last weekend. tions last May.
and a victory for the right.
Why has the election of Communist Party govery- Socialist Partyment, naleu will sucil cuthusiasm last year, begun
sour? The answer is simple. In the face of a particularly vigorous electoral campaign waged by the right wing, the left suffered from a large number of abstentions from its supporters.
Many those who voted for the Socialist Par-
and the Communist Party last year cannot see how they have benefitted from the election of Mitterrand. Far from being too quick, change has been all
but non-existent.
After the Presidential and Assembly (parliament) elections last year, when two million
unemployed, the workers expected quick action to help them.
It was widely expected that the minimum national wage would be increased bv 2s per cent to keep pace with inflation. In fact an increase of only 5 per cent was introduced - the first big compromise of the
International
March 1982 DOES THATCHERISM HAVE A FUTURE
OHN ROS:
LESSONS DO MEN BENEFIT FROM WOMEN'S OPPRESSION! OF SOLDARNOSC on Solidarnosc, do women's oppression, Turkey, Laurence Scott's.
Just 60p a copy.
Sociafist Challenge 1 April 1982 page 14
election blow
government suffered a major setback in the nationwide
Half of France's cantons (departments) held elections for councillors, and the right of centre parties - the Gaullist and Giscardian UDF - won 1154 out of the 2029 seats at stake. The left won only 781. As a result the left lost control of six departments. Overall its vote went down to around 49 per cent, as opposed to the 54 per cent gained at the time of the presidential elec-
The results are being interpreted as a considerable political reverse for the government
with the bosses.
Ine government's promise of a 35-hour week has collapsed in a muddle of compromises with the bosses.
When the bosses' federation, CNPF, said a definitive 'no' to the 35-hour week, the govern ment, instead of imposing a law. and mobilsing the workers to defend it, compromised. A 39-hour week was introduced immediately, and the 35-hour week would be brought in during negotiations on an industry-by-industry, plalll vy-plan vasis over a five-year period.
The introduction of the week however been paid for by the worKers. terms of reduced wages -despite mises to the contrary in terms of more 'flexible working hours.
The conditions of the 39-hour week, hidden away in the small print of the agreement, came as a surprise to many workers.
The result has been a wave of strikes in hundreds of
Sir Freddie's Crash on Harrison
THE LAURENCE SCOTT STORY
March '82 issue now out!
British economic crisis, crash of Laker, Potel
men benefit from Reds, Mayakovsky,
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CGT
French trade unionists on the march
factories.
These strikes have led to bitter confrontations, Incidang me death or onc worker in a fight with bosses' squad the use of riot police to clear strikers out of the Leleu factory Lyon.
Riot police were also used to replace customs officers faced with wage cuts and more difficult hours. all in exchange for one hour less a week.
The disappointments
and the 35-hour week
tion of increased national Bodies of Palestinian
shops during general strike.
CFOT:
insurance contributions, amounting to one per cent of every worker's wage to pay for the increasing costs of social security.
The attitude of the government ochiiay. best highlighted by the fate or s bans five industrial groups. The
Constitutional Court ruled that the compensation being offered
inadequate, and therefore the nationalisations couldn't go through.
Mitterrand then
cepted that the nationalisations should be
youths killed by soldiers. Top, Israeli soldiers tried to forcibly open
delayed and billions more francs be paid out to the DOSSCS Once again, the option of compromise was adopted rather than changing mobilising the workers to defend government which claimed to defend the workers interests.
The lesson week's election is that the Socialist PartyCommunist Party government, far from going too quickly, is going far too slowly.
Mitterrand and his
Prime Minister, Mauroy, point to the fact that the assembly is elected for five-year term and
president for seven years to maintain that they can
'go slowly.
But things will go from bad to worse, and posses will bie on more
and more pressure both in
ly, unless they can mobilise
through anti-capitalist measures
Although the government has carried through
some social legislation allacking right-wing control of TV, abolishing the death sentence and abolishing the anti-working class State Security Court - for the mass of the working Cas. Wild matters whether the government which claims to be 'theirs' improves their position at the expense of the bosses.
So far there is little progress on this front, and this lack of progress will ac- continue 10 undermine support for the ment.
Israeli
Jyin
the
the
fidence being the
push tack on Lebanon.
PLO
would land in the north. resources and a 'more secure
into Israel. 0I a strong local
longer give a lead.
the Israelis. order to surround Palestinian resistance is made near impossible tional leve
world today
and Guatemala.
perialist oppression as the US Salvador.
Israel
steps up
West Bank
repression
By Ros Kaplan BEGIN'S 'iron fist' policy of repression
Israeli-occupied territories resulted last week in a vote of no con-
passed against the government in the Knesset. An early election in Israel now seems likely.
It is possible that an early election will increase the likelihood of an at-
The war drive in Israel has been building up for the past few months with the purpose of smashing the Lebanese stronghold of Palestinian refugee resistance and the
A defeat of the Palestinians in Lebanon
apart trom giving the israels more control of the Litani water tessm a much freer hard in the already ongoing border process of merging the occupied territories of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights
The recent wave of Palestinian resistance in the Occupied Territories to the Milson Civil Administration farce is not a new development
1980 saw a long rebellion in the Occupied Territories against what was then military rule.
Nor does it come as a shock to Palestinians that Israeli civilian settlers were opening fire on them with the tacit approval of the Israeli army. A weekly occurence in the occupied areas!
What is qualitively different is the absence
leadership. The National Guidance Committee and the pro-PLO mayors led by Shak'a, which played a significant role in
Today, the growth of the pro-Isracli village leagues led by Mustafa Dudin in Dura near Hebron, the open arming of his supporters by
the growth of the Islamic fun. damentalism is leading to a polarisation ber ween the left and right in the Palestinian camp. It is coupled with the stepping up of settlement building and the pronouncements by the Israeli government that it is a race against time -increase the numbers of Israeli settlers : from 25,000 to 1 million in the next few years. This is
and isolate centres of occupation
reality that the West Bank and Gaza Strip are providing a massive cheap labour reserve and a market for the Israeli capitalist econom!
La defeat for the Palestinians will be a serious setback for the socialist revolution in the Middle East.
It will also have repercussions on an interna-
Al srael's aggressive policies wir then this will prolong the influence it has with some of the most repressive regimes in the
Israel is one of the main suppliers of arms to bloody regimes like the junta in El Salvador
The time has come for the labour movement in Britain to recognise that Israel's war against the Palestinians is just as much a part of im
war in
Page 15 scan of this page
Heathrow rampworkers
London fares fight
'The grass roots
grow outside the
depot gates not
By Paul Styles, East London bus worker presented two slips. passengers that they were Can't Pay, Pay campaigners to which he replied, pay, won't move"!
Alan added that 'even though the campaign has failed Io mobilise public support it has succeeded overwhelmingly creating climate OI hostility and had done great damage the reputation of the Labour GLC among LT workers.
'The GLC association with "Can't Pay, Won't Pay" is seen as an imposi-
face
scabs
HEADLINES the screamed the
workers.
such a foolish act.
disrepute.'
This the latest stage in a bitter dispute between rampworkers and British Airways management.
Hundreds of scabs,
of whom are MOST
of trade have been cooperating with management in their attempts to smash the strongest section organised workers at Heathrow Airport.
Fi ne rampworkers, including loaders and drivers, are now in their seventh week of a lock out.
Airport regulations prevent a picket inside the perimeter Heathrow itself, so they are not even able to properly confront the so-called 'volunteers' who are doing their jobs.
ine alspute Stance with management
which made demands mossie to any lade union to concede. Not Ofly did management want 300 redundancies, they wanted lengthen working hours, change the shift system SO l that ramp-
Transport House'
'A MISERABLE failure.' That's how Alan Payling, a bus driver, summed up the Can't Pay, Won't Pay campaign. As he reported the situation in his own garage at Stamfard Hill, 'I've come across one conductor to date who was
He was told • Wont
"Can't
ton upon workers nave not been consulted about. 'In fact. it has come close to destroying respect that has been won .E. one workplace pigti broader campaign.'
Ken Livingstone, leader of the Labour GLC has made it clear that he sees only ways Il national newspapers sabotage of ground vehicles at Heathrow Airport on 29 March, implying that it was the work of the striking ramp
Transport union shop steward Mike Le Cornu said that his members would not be guilty of
He added that 'it was not unheard of for saboteurs and provocateurs to be employed by the other side to put the trade union side in
workers would have up to 30 days more per year and they demanded no less than 116 changes in working practices.
Despite efforts by the Transport General Workers Union to bend over backwards to accommodate agement's demands, che management threw out the negotiating procedures and locked out the ramp workers.
The object of this exercise is to sell off British Airways private dustry. having broken the organised strength workers.
Unfortunately many British Airways believe that they are dothe management and themselves favour by carrying out organised scabbing on a scale not seen since the General Strike of 1926.
Office staff, many of Inen members of Apex and ASTMS, pilots and some austral workers have been doing ramoworkers lobs during their own time, their annual holidays, at Tales of pay
which the 'Fares policy can be restored.
The Douglas Private Members could pass through its second reading successfully on 23 April thus reversing the Law Lords ruling on subsidised The aim
33383 Or. as the looming become apparent, unlull: could LUve organise a complete stopthat page or the system
Alan Payling, agreeing with ingstone's sentiments, the pointed out, 'there is a dif-
ference statements and implementing Incl 'To mobilise working class peopie we have to le mind the Labour officials grass rools grow oursiac Donations and support to: Ray Davies, name Feltham Community.
Feitham Middr. Hanworth
By Oliver New
higher than that of the rampworkers.
Meanwhile a secret report, with every copy individually numbered, is proposing that British Airways should be sold off, after having received a cash injection from the ment of £600 million.
Under this plan ten to fifteen thousands jobs at Heathrow would be lost - in addition to work
the recent Phase t cies under •Phase which cost 10,000 jobs.
After seven and on dispute pay alone
(£12), with constant and effective demoralisation danger of setting in Management 100 workers responded to an appeal for them to return dividually sufficient numbers be first their locked
leagues. the Mike Le Cornu,
ramp steward
staff that: 'If the ramp, which
is one of the strongest areas, is defeated, can say goodbye to the rest constitution, negoulations unions will nothinos.'
Members of and ASTMS should call on their union leaders to come down like a ton of the bricks on any of their
members who are scabor bing
response has been little much more than token.
News
Fair' the depot gates Transport House.
Jay "I nere was Bill spirit on our picket line on 10 March had come down from the TGWU or GLC and said a few words it would have public done a lot of good. 'What the
THE 'Can't Pay, Won't Pay' campaign is led by Labour GLC councillors notably Valerie Wise and Dave Wetzel. It involves handing in a slip giving your name and address in lieu of the increased fare on London's buses and tubes.
was to bring London Transport to a standstill through having to process thousands of such slips. first days of the increased fares showed that isolated, individual passenger action was ineffectual. Far from swamping LT with slips only a few hundred were handed in.
cuts and leaders should be doing is giving us the information the LT what Transport is actually planning Many LT workers were while reluctant to strike on LivMarch occause uncy they were being ordered to and had no real say between what action was possible actually and effective.
In order hearts and minds of these workers for future action and vic coutcuptuous allituu of the labour and union officials has to be conHeathrow • lo CenRoad, first Scabs at Heathrow weeks
scabbing.
claim By Toni Gorton have
in-
to Transport Review. from Weighell states that 'Since col- 1975, railwaymen have suf fered relative to the reta price declint
told aex in every vear excest 1910. 'This is a limit to the fall in Challenge living standards railwaymen Management you not lo neea ine rising nae of anger and
basic rates, substantially meon statements mempers wages rores dies part of his motivation is to HOGA neat of erow experien head off le issue. decision over the flexible rostering heads of his their resulted in unofficia strike action being taken by a
not fronted. few great started to intorm and involve the
somebody Stamford
among these outgoing approach and Its results were explained by Alan. 'Once people know the truth unlock their potential. •We started putting out bulletins the sold about 200 badges and whatever useu were available 'It was basically a long
one long mobilise support and turn the tide of opinion. 'Prior to Xmas all the branch meetings I went to were nine or ten people. At the recent ordinary branch London meeting thirty attended 'On the strike up to 100 were involved in the picket 10 line throughout the day. felt People are starting to want to know about the union, how it works. 'It's little nothing to wın ine happening,
sow y occome more ac tive, and more importantly atter 0 March. beginning to say, well what happens now!
Rail pay down 40%
says Weighell
the last seven years according to NUR general secretary Sid Weighell in the latest issue of
depots.
Line London depots opposing flex. steering
in- ible received serialure. since that pearance arew weeks uri will be foolish. take weanwnie ASLE
Bill so hail bossin in o
frustration at the Lord Mccarthy s
improve aroutranion triounal makes that McCarthy will again fina ASLEF'S
Doss our reler rurker to leil,
abide by any such recommen-
over unilaterally
members has
ithholdin any
PUll flexible rostering is rejected
depots have Hill emberships
garage and this
matter you
branch,
leaflets
war that we fought,
argument to day of the workers
things,
revolutionarv
Just people Your Bank..
communice
already thousands its
are
Rail bosses in front o!
industria.
Account No..
It is now widely expectea
Sorting Code..
Know awok
considering imposing the Signed pay award
Part of 10 March picket line at Stamford Hill garage
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE BANKER'S ORDER FORM Name of Account to be debited
Account Number..
Our Bank.........Socialist Challenge
Lord': Bank. 19 LenerS. Lander N ...0179678 ....30-94-57.
Amount to be paid.. Monta»
First Payment due.. ..And on the same date
in the month thereatte.
Socialist Challenge 1 Apri 1982 sage "5
Page 16 scan of this page
By Tessa van Gelderen 'WE HAVE allowed the public to get the impression that sectarian tremists like the Militant tendency are typical of the Labour leadership'
Healey's verdict of the Hillhead by-election.
Every supporter
out for National
Sales Day
and high streets
readers can be found!
on last Sunday's El Salvador demonstration.
socialist Speaker's thousand extra sales were made.
next week. Manchester
cent in the order is the rule.
leading up to Reagan's reception in London.
will nave
months comes in.
daStart the ball rolling this Saturday!
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Socialist
Challenge
HILLHEAD ELECTION
Excuse for a
witch-hunt
revolutionary ex-
This was Denis
THE FIRST National Sales Day in 1982
takes place this Saturday 3 April. Sellers
will be out and around estates, markets
wherever new
The countdown to sales day started well
Sellers of Socialist Challenge and Revolution
for youth) thronged Corner and Trafalgar Square.
Increased orders have also come in for supporters Tave
doubled their order, so have Wolverhampton.
For most other areas an increase of 40 per
That's important because our aim is to
boost the circulation of Socialist Challenge
by that 40 per cent over the next nine weeks
Many pecple who come out to tell Reagan been on
demonstration before. They may have never
read a socialist newspaper. That's where our
sales day this Saturday and in successive
We want them to hear about the anti-
Reagan demonstration through our press. to
put Socialist Challenge at the centre of the
mass movement that is building up day by With each 12 month inland subscription to Socialist Challenge we are offering a free copy
Sandinist Revolution by £2.95) or
Inland: 12 month £14.00; 6 month €7.00; 10 issues
I*Su London NI
Its not a verdici agreed by many activists in the abour movement. he problem has been that it is the Denis Healeys who are *typical of the Labour
and the work. ing class has been through
experience once too Inal often.
Michael Foot tries to patch up the Bishop's Stortford as couch, Hilhead election. aftermath the
Unfortunately for the leader of the Labour Party, Healey and Roy Hattersley and Peter Shore, have gone too
assertions. that The els LO blame for Labour's defeat couldn't he further from the truth The party leadership and
leaders had the campaign and candidate that wanted in Hillhead.
Issues
On a mass David Wiseman, took his onstance ITOI lett
ed Milltant 101C could Healey and Co want? Ye according to Healey, the Labour Party is 'naving for the damage
the last theo easing e
years damage will continue as long people like Pat Wall and. Tarig Ali are
misrepresent our movement.'
Now Foot has been forced to call a halt to these blatant saboteurs. It is Healey, Hattersley and Shore who are misrepresenting move ment. It is Healey, Hattersley and Shore who are prepared to let Labour lose the next general election rather than fight on a manifesto committed scrapping Cruise and Trident, withdrawing Britain from the EEC and massively reducing unemployment without an incomes policy.
And these wrecker. 1s backed up hi the wing of fl! leadership Bad Taste
coalition with this smug-faced toady.
Chapples. John Bordsand Terri Duttis thi world. Chapple has heen trving to hold a gun to thi Labour Party's head by withholdo 19| attalia tion fees at a time when the Party's hand are it! 1 all time lou
He want Willem and Tariq Ali and Pend chell
1 & ; l !
Vow othemator doors.
FACE OF BRITAIN'')
Even Healey and Chapple would think twice about forming a
call disrupters inside the Party.
National Commince honk! * Call off the inquiry in to Militant and endorse Pat Wall's candidature * Endorse the right of constituencies
without interference trom the Partv leader ship there should be
ANY DAY NOW WE
WILL EVER - 50
no further blocking uf Tariq Ali's membership * Endorse the choice of Bermondsey consti tuency to choose une! candidate, Pete:
Tatchell.
This de toss mas he the her date l'i conferene beto.they dection the barly and un has though horns DUCT THAT POLICY GRADUALLY
• SLOWs>
POVERTY, DISEASE, AND CLASS HATRED!
non Themest Bishop's Stantord no. saved The: have he hig of lemme to sap the wildl hum and to mute the pard around police nat pic son a real alicmine Doll the bores nee SDP A Labour Par committed to a wall mallesto is not onl the best wav of winning tha ..its the rais le
JIN THE MEANTIME
TRAD
AND ORDER, LOW WATE AND UNION BASHING!
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