Socialist Challenge No. 250, 18 June 1982
The scan: sc-no250.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
NOTOUR VICTORY
The Argentine surrender of the Malvinas-Falklands is no victory for working people here, in Argentina or in the rest of the world.
The taking of Port Stanley is a victory only for our enemies Thatcher, the bosses, onialism and imperialism.
Hundreds of British soldiers have been killed - so many that they won't tell us the real figure. Thousands of our brother Argentine workers in uniform been slaughtered and maimed. The f1m-a-day cost of the war and the now inevitable increase in defence spending, will all have
Socialist
either
been subjected. colcould fail
have Foot
great
the Prime Minister'.
to be borne by working people. Thatcher will take this victory as an endorsement of her government policies as a whole and as a green light to double the punishment to which we have so far
What socialist worth their salt
filled with loathing at the gloating, baying and cheering of Tory MP's?
Yet the despicable Michael
çontinued his whimpering backing for Thatcher. He offered
congratulations' to the British armed forces - 'and also
What interests have working people in the colonial possession of Argentine islands 8000 miles away? The sheep rearing on the islands will still give profits to Coalite, yet the costs of maintaining a heavy garrison will be borne by us.
The potential under the sea will give workers no benefits. North sea oil has gone alongside 4m unemployed. In this case, the oil companies will get richer and the biggest cut in our standard of living since the thirties. We will be with the stepping up of the attacks on our rights and living
Queen Elizabeth 2
standards. retory of our
crease the subjection |
oil reserves Argentina
world.
South Atlantic. continue
home. faced
Genocide
in Lebanon
'The Israelis call it "mopping up". We call it genocide.' This
was how PLO representative Nabil Ramlawi summed up
Israel's barbarous onslaught.
'We intend to destroy the PLO's, nerve centre' said
chief of staff Rafael Eitan.
pacify the spirit of a population fighting for its homeland.
Zionism has turned full circle: it now seeks a 'final solu-
tion' in the virtual destruction of the Palestinians.
We have no interest in the vic-
profit oriented system. Such victories will lead to a further turning of the screw here. They will be used to in-
of exploited and oppressed peoples in
and the rest of the
The war is not over in the
Argentina will to fight for its just claim. The war is not over at
That is why we say:
Troops out of the Malvina: now Down with Thatcher
But only mass murder can
This far worse than demanded by purely military objectives
civilians are now dead and more than half a million homeless. Palesti nian areas in both camps barded indiscriminately.
CLUSIC bombs have rained down on the poor suburbs.
The Palestiniar quarter in Beirut is sur rounded and the Israeli
demanding Surrender of the PLO's top ten leaders.
But the PLO has mad clear it will fight. 'So long as Israeli forces remain on Lebanese territory and directed against the Palestinian and Lebanese people, we assert our right to self-defence,' said Nabil Ramlawi.
The slaughter of Palestinians in Beirut there are a quarter 0I a million of them - is being turned by the Israelis into the most bloody massacre the Middle East has known
Let no one now doubt Zionism's expansionist and racist character. The 'security' ot the Zionist state can be built only on blood and misery without end.
The Israeli aim is to hand complete control to the Maronite Christians the richest section of the population. They see Jordan as is plane the Palestinians
cod rol them. the aie is
control them. aim is thus to drive the Palestinians out of Lebanon and deliberately turn them into
efugee redrawing the
nap of Lebanor
The United States knew perfectly well the invasion was coming vetoed the United Nations resolution calling for withdrawal. The Israeli have US backing even if their barbarism is embar rasing for a while. Israel
imperialism's agent in the region.
Francis Pym's criticism of the invasion is meaningless and hypocritica squeezed from him by Britain's desire to retain tattered relations with the Arab states, and because Тогу aggression in the South Atlantic would have veen ell witnoul a suici of moral cover, had the
publicly backed Ke Bat the gesture commits the Tories to nothing There will be no break-oti in relations with Reagan or
any sum you like there wil be no task forces steaming across the Mediterranean
may have inflicted defeat. But 3.5 million Palestinians wiped out, and they wil cannot
not go away. uncy cannot for the Israeli state has dennived them of their home. The resistance wil continue until the forces of Zionism and imperialism, which have brought this carnage, are swept away
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Labour left: noretreat
PO Box 50, London N1 2XP
Phone 01-359-8189/8180 (editorial and distribution)
Malvinas
Falklands
Britain'sVietnam?
Thatcher's victory in expelling Argentina
once again from the Malvinas-Falklands
is potentially the biggest set-back for the
British working class
came into office.
Fortunately,
to the likely continuation of the Argen-
tine challenge to British possession of
their territory. The
Argentine workers and peasants on the
junta is intense.
the political face of Latin America.
longer can Argentina play the counter-
revolutionary proxy
had in mind for it. Instead of sending its
troops to invade Nicaragua, it now finds
itself in the position of having to send
7000 tons
damaged Nicaraguan economy.
islands into a permanent one it will have
to impose its political and economic will
on the Argentine mainland.
better position to impose
demands than before. British and US im-
perialism are in a worse position to im-
pose their own will in Buenos Aires.
hostility to Britain and the US aroused in
the rest of the continent.
augur badly for Thatcher. As with Israeli
Zionism, every expansion leads to more
problems.
have is for a permanent and strong gar-
rison on the islands.
whole adventure has put Thatcher more
in hock to Reagan.
quid pro quo in terms of more British in-
volvement in Washington's war in Cen-
tral America. This will be especially the
case because of the failure of the proxy
option.
The real prospect now is for the
Malvinas-Falklands to turn into a British
Vietnam, with Britian getting more and
more pulled into
especially true with the Michael Foot
leadership of the Labour movement hav-
ing kow towed to every bellicose twitch
of Thatcher's nose.
Politics will not now revert to what
they were before. It will not 'go around'
this new British involvement in Latin and
Contral America. The
Thatcher and Foot which has develped in
the unions and Labour Party must press
on. It must continue to demand the im-
mediate withdrawal of Britain occupy-
ing force. And it must link this to a fight
against Thatcher's policies here.
In all this we need to remember that
those, like Michael Foot,
give Thatcher victory abroad, will do the
same in the war at home. They have to
be removed.
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Send to: Socialist Challenge, 50. London N1 2XP. 2223 Socialist Challenge. 18 June 1
Editorial
since Thatcher
all the evidence points
pressure of the
Britain's military invasion has altered
No
role Washington
wheat to help flood-
For Britain to make its victory on the
Yet Argentine workers are now in a
their own
This is even more the case given the
So the longer term consequences still
The only real option the Tories now
Moreover, this
He will demand a the mire. This is opposition to that helped PO Box
By Tessa van Gelderen
WHEN Michael Foot won ship of the Labour Party in 1980, he car-
ried the illusions of the left with him.
ment from the base that there should
more Callaghan-Healey governments. tory strengthened this movement which by now had extended deep into the unions.
for deputy leader against Healey - and coming
within a whisker of winning.
Since that time, the left has been in retreat. It goes
this y cal wiln no focus for
fighting the Foot leadership. Indeed, it has so far refused to pose such a task clearly.
Yet everyone now knows the ex.-
perience of the MalvinasHalklands crisis that root is simply a spokesperson for the right wing.
Benn has be known that he is unwilling to challenge Foot at this conference. His concern that a decrease in his vote over last year would show a weakening or lne lelt Is
unfounded. Standing for
endersaD Platill against Foot's role in the wilch-outl and LIC
MAKE
PEACE
HEALTHWORKERS
Lobbying the TUC AnY alth earth services
service. committee on 9 June. Over 200 turned up from afield as Edinburgh and Shef field to demand all out strike
one day surikes nave had their say, all out strike will win our pay,
of those present Bastin a striker from North Manchestel nospilal. COLO socialisi Challenge that 8 people forced their way in because they
representatives WalKEU VUl alle rerused speak DUl eventually despite the efforts
bouncers, Len Murray forced to come and meet us.
The delegates to the lobby
prepared ed for the action, the come to follow the lead of the NUPE
burgh hospitals to escalate the
the leader-
The decision of the Parliamentary Labour Party to go for Foot was a pre-emptive move designed to conciliate the overwhelming senti-
be no His vic-
It reached its peak with Tony Benn's challenge
Malvinas debacle would strengthen the base of the left.
Labour Liaison '82, set up to be the main vehicle to fight inside the party, has had its potential eroded by refusing to organise and act as a campaigning
leadership espe cia v OVe right is now in a stronger position take the itiative against the left as a whole. The refusal of the left to organise branch across the party and in the unions furthe strengthens the right which Is Marshallg Is loices
It is openly demanding
Militant's head, sacrificial victim on whom the responsibility of the electoral collapse of
'All out strike will win our pay'
stion to all token days or prolongea stoppages Will simply divide and demoralise the members We have to
show we're pre bend before
we can continue to expect rea solidarity from other organised workers. what we expect from you is a lead.
As two ancilliary workers
North Manchester hospital put it: "We should all come out together because we
Miallel Wilal une crane. But the TUC's answer to these women and thousands more was to call a one day strike or 23 June.
Mansfield Mundreds or nospital workers were joined by miners and
workers lemonstration through Mansfield, Notts. Mrs Elliott,
worker tenera Halenge I'm the told Socialist Challenge:
Labour Party
Labour has officially devolved. The right has made offer can't lead the
make way for someone who will.
But the right wing's argument that Benn responsible for electoral caster looks more and more fatuous as Labour's
nose dives „ove the Malvinas-Falklands wal The polls now give Michael Foot onty nine per cent of popular support.
On policy, the strength of working class opinion in support of I the left gains of recent vcar unilateralism, opposition to the Common Market and opposition to incomes policy will not alon success for the right on this terrain at Blackpool.
The right is applying the salami tactic. Lop of
: activists layer by layer and cow the rest ILO SUDASSION
inquiry is one example, are the attacks on Pat Wall, Peter Tatchell and Tariq Ali.
The right wing union leaders like Terry Duffy of the engineers and Sid
Weighel of the railworkers are using the bread winner, we can't live on une monev we gel. one aar striker are not enough. Pickets were out in force all day.
Edinburgh The official strike of NUPE workers at Edinburgh Royal illillar y Ove meeune June Iner voted to return to work from
cal or the are are
of 78 to decision
tluenced vy a nunver ol lal tors. NUPE full time officia KOT Curran addressed the strikers but failed to put forward any suggestions on how to develop the strike
aballist the 4 per Cell pay acco answer caus or asout national action
NUPE had failed to work out effective accident cinciscucy Cove it tha
people would have joined the strike. Moreover the strike was also undermined by the
Militant scare to force a left capitulation at the new
'Bishop's Stortford'
meeting at the beginning
of next month.
But there is no reason for such retreat. There has been upsurge
monkers struggles in healt
nicalln
DUltalll sections dustrial workers, have taken on the fight against the government's pay limits: Many militants are deterined the Tories' new employ-
laws through solidarity action.
A new mood has been engendered by the train drivers' victory which has in its turn laid the basis for the rest of the railworkers to go on the offensive. The
are threatening to Illicis take action against closure. Occupations and
breaking The tide Youth
For the left to succeed it has to reach out to these struggles The potential for building mass opposi-
the war in the .... but not in the Labour Party, Tony Benn. Now is the time to fight Enreats the health authorities to take laundry to
prison after emergency provision had occu mauc for launar y
WOLACE given £7.50 an hour to clear the three-week backlog, after threats from the authorities to perilalently Close nospital launary
West Midlands
rally Birmingham JuliC Socialis Clanense SDOKE sont the militants:
(NUPE): 'The 4 per offer us. There' determination
Aware • l fit Tories are using the dole que. ques to try and intimidate us We need support from the res of the labour movement and
Scargill's lead.
HATNAGE were tempting to keep unnecessary "luxury non-medical deliv-
South Atlantic was shown by the 250,000, mainly young people, who turned out nuclear
azallls weapons on June despite the intense jingoism. The left has to build that movement and itself - in the youth.
Today even of Young sience Socialists is under threat. li calliot left to Militant to build the LPYS from the campaigns and struggles against the Tories.
Maintaining a truce in the Labour Party cannot Fighting Thatcher's wars at hand nanC WILl home and abroad. truce, in any case, never existed as far as the right were concerned
Weighell's attack
. on Benn indicates that. But the messers of the 25 strong disassociation NUR executive from Weighell the heat is on these right wills leauels
The right wing leading the Labour Party to catastrophe , An offen-
the left, far from being 'disruptive' the best way to turn the tide of electoral defeat. eries out - like the wine for the senior administration and
medical staffs dining
nichard INUPE shop steware •we are out for a 12 per cent rise
will continue and they will be on more days. were Ine sunnor ITOM other trade
We've had peopl giving up a day's wages to joir us on our picket line.
Northern Ireland Healin workers were in a mill tant mood last Tuesday week the Royal Victory Hospital to
they Lily were ioined by a delegation o 40 De Lorean. workers They had taken time off fron the healer porkers unions re
Reports compiled by
iraham Toppley. Ka
ruickshank and Duncan Smi
Page 3 scan of this page
Reagan plans 'a long march for freedom'
against
Reagan
PLE packed New York's Central Park
and mid-Manhattan area last Saturday in
a ten hour protest against nuclear
weapons. This brought the number of
people in Western Europe and the USA who have demonstrated in the last week
against nuclear weapons to a staggering total of two million.
and the United Nations Second Special Session on Disarmament in New York.
Some 400,000 marched in Bonn, West
Germany against
Reagan last Thursday 300,000 in
kome and 250,000 in London the previous weekend, well as smaller marches
Paris, Dublin, Copenhagen and Antwerp. There was also a march of some 10,000 people against Reagan in Tokyo on 12 June.
The US march was the biggest since the tamous 1963 Civil Rights Freedom March and the largest disarmament gathering in the nation's history. success far surpassed the expectations of the organisers the June 12 Rally Committee an umbrella group of peace campaigns, trade rare glimpse at the evangelical mission of saving the world from 'Marxist evil' that forms the core of Reagan's policies.
He summed up his project which long outlive our own genera-
as onows. and a hope for the long
the dom and democracy which will leave Marxism.
Leninism in the ash-heap of history', and a crusade for freedom that will engage the faith and for. titude of the next genera-
The theme his speech was that the so-called "Communist world' was in growing crisis as peopic strove for western values and freedoms: And he urged the West to stop being shy about these ideals: 'Let us shy longer, let us tell the world that a new age is not only possible but probable.'
Ine crises in Poland, El Salvador and the Falklands were all used to back up Reagan's argument. In fact of course they all prove the opposite.
Contrary to his claims about Ine elections In Salvador proving
Millions
AN ENORMOUS ONE MILLION PEO-
The marches coincided with President Reagan's visit to Europe
unionists, religious and political Coretta Scott King, widow of Martin Luther King, told the protestors: 'We have come here numbers so large that the message must go through the House and Capital Hill.
Weapons The movement against nuclear weapons in the US has grown rapidly into a major political issue, with many establishment politicians nationally and locally now backing a so-called 'freeze' on expansion OI the present nuclear stockpile.
But the movement also LOse see the links between US Duccal strategyaoune wars in Central America and Reagan's budget cuts
READERS may have been forgiven for turning off the telly when President Reagan gave his historic address to the Houses of Parliament last week. But if you did, you missed a treat: a
people's desire for Western freedom' • recen reports have shown thạt inere was gigantic fraud ir the elections, fully endorsthe Reagan Professor Thomas Sheahan TONI Chicago claims that less than half the 1½ million claimed votes were actually cast. Death The elections brought to power the leader of the fascist death sulaus.
Roberto D'Aubuisson, while the left wing parties who control a quarter of country in liberated zones were unable to stand candidates for fear oI immediate death at the hands of the death squads and the army, backed by US firepower in country owned lock stock and barrel by the US imperialists. fine example of democracy to inspire the world.
The Falklands crisis too is an example of im-
in social spending.
At the rally outside the UN building at the start of the march there speaker from the
Salvadorean FDR, and every other speaker throughout the day who mentioned Salvador met rapturous applause.
'Jobs not Bombs So much in common ... so much to talk about perialist power politics.
Both the US and British
backed the Argentinan government s
suppression human rights with huge allis supplies ana cullllig
Stop the missiles
Fund Human Needs' was another popular slogan on the march echoed speakers from the Black movement
to the Among other speakers and performers at the ralv were Isobel Letelier, widow of the
Chilean minister under Allende, back on the number of political refugees from Argentina allowed into their countries.
Ine ralkiana islanders were denied nationality rights in Britain and left at
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
FUND HUMAN NEEDS!
FREEZE THEARMS RACE!
Caldicott from Physicians
for Social Responsibility have exposed Reagan's plans for viding hospital beds for victims of European nuclear war Orson Welles, Bruce Springsteen, Carly Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, the mercy of the Coalite that owns the islands. was no threat to human rights or concern for democracy that led Britain to war with Argen-
Paul and Mary.
Many international delegations to the march and the UN disarmament session faced US ment harassment. A group of Japanese activists were barred from the country altogether, and OLne
and left tina, its former ally. It was defence Britain and WOnd imperialism's interests to rule the world without challenge hi semi-colonial country like Argentina.
wingers such as British CP
vice-chairwoman Pat
Milligan were only allowed
into the US after interna
tional protests against
pontica discrimination.
The American Trot
skyists the Socialist
Workers Party reported
selling some 6000 copies
their newspaper The Mili-
tant, and raised slogans on the march calling for 'Not
man, •not a cent for
Washington's War', 'US
out of Central America,
Israel out of Lebanon'
and 'Stop the War Against
Nicaragua, salvador
Cuba and Grenada'. Impact
The size of the
demonstration left a few
people unmoved most of
lem in te US govern-
ment. Defence Secretary
Caspar Weinberger told
reporters that the demonstrations were
wrong: "The protest will have no impact on government policy
US political commenare not so sure
Keagan's massive increas in the arms budget by $43 billion to over $258 billion
putting enormous
pressure on his overall
budget plans. With unemployment now over 10 million and industrial production in decline by
more than ten percent bet
ween July 1981 and February 1982 the US economy is under severe
The weekend demonstration was a time. ly reminder to Reagan that mongering Central wai
America and his policy of
BOOS NOL JODS OISOCa Services' threaten reduce his popularity to an all time low for a US President
Yanks Against Reagan is a newly formed group of US citizens
the UK and Ireland opposed to Reagan's policies. It is holding meeting on Sunday 20 June at 1pm at / Carlis/€ Street, London W1. For
more info ring Mike on 01-734 8839.
By Davy Jones
And in Poland the massive workers' explosion against their Stalinist rulers was in no way struggle for the return 01 capitalism and imperialist domination Poland Solidarnosc stood for workers' self-manageHICL capitalist exploitation. It was a living example of the possibility of a third way between capitalism and Stalinism: genuine workers' socialit democracy.
War
The biggest threat to the freedom of the peoples of the world is the mighty imperialist war machine of controller none other than Ronald Reagan From Israe to Salvador, from Turkey to Chile and South Africa it supports the most brutal and barbaric dictatorships that slavishly defend imperialist interests.
The new Cold War ideology of Reagan and Thatcher, his most faithful
the West, dangerous and populist poopic in the west abou Leonse of Deodle in the the war mongering policies of their rulers.
Socialist Challenge 18 Jupe 1982 page 3
Page 4 scan of this page
Has Militant broken from
MILITANT HAS produced a pamphlet attempting defend chauvinist position against Argentina. answer' written by spokesperson, Ted Grant, has the merit of bringing to the surface all of Militant's contradictions, confusions and tions, writes Brian Grogan.
Ted Grant ends his pamphlet with a rather preposterous boast: we are the only section of the Labour movement which has a clear understanding, first, of war in general and the war over the Falklands I parucular and, second of how to approach the working. class and other exploited strata and win them to Marxism in the event of war.'
This pamphlet proves the exact opposite of this claim. What is its purpose?
apply 'clear understanding' of how to tight hatcher's war? Not a bit of it. Its nearly 10,000 words acacated showing why the 'demand for the "withdrawal of the fleet" is a meaningless pacifist gesture'. All comTace Grant's arguments are an attempt to justify
supporters fighting those who are attempting to build a move. ment to force a withdrawal of the British fleet.
Absurd
The main argument in the pamphlet marks an ad-
of DULLS ULI Militant's initial position. Up until now Militant has argued that nothing workers can do will make Snatcher fleet. Now the argument is advanced that tor the fleet to be withdrawn 'a general strike would be required and not only general strike, but also an insurrection'. Grant then points
that a general strike leading to an insurrection 1s not Ull at ine present time in Britain. Therefore, he concludes, call for he wore deer
'meaningless' and 'absurd'
This grotesque form of argumentation nas Its famous forebears. The Second International
was. before World War I, committed to an international general strike in the event
war. When war vas declared in these betrayers declared that beause anne agenda
agenda', then they should not oppose the Comrade Grant knows this history as well as the rest of us..
The breakthrough made by Lenin and then the life-work of Leon Trotsky - to whose politics Militant claims to be loyal - was to oppose the erection of such a brick wall between minimum ana maxımum demands: against reducing socialist policies to rhetoric whose only purpose was to cover support for their own TuCEs.
Let's look how this Socialist Challenge 18 June 1982
Marxism?
scandalously social towards Britain's war 'Falklands Crisis: a socialist their most prominent
reactionary assump-
cnildish ultimatism would work out on other issues.
How Call we end
Crisis
A SOCIALIST ANSWER 15р
unemployment? Only through a general strike leading to an insurrection. But, we all agree thing is not presently on the cards. Are we then to assume that it is useless to fight against ment?
It is not uséless to fight for partial demands. A call to withdraw the fleet is not the same as a demand such as 'end all wars' There are Coolous wel soorola general strike leading to
SUCCUODI could force the withdrawal of the fleet.
Population. et, Urban........
" Domestio
Imports....
Exports....
Electricity (kilowatt hrs)...............
Crude steel produced
Autos in use.
Autos manufactured........ Trucks manufactured.... Rail freight (net ton = km) Telepnones........., Beef production (metric tons)........ % S- to 19-year olds in school.....
Infant mortanty (per 1,000 live births)....
Some revealing country - and Argentina
page 4
Comrade Grant inadvertently gives two different sorts of answers to his question 'how could the demand for the fleet to be withdrawn be complished?' lowards the end of his pamphlet he observes, 'without the support of the trade union and Labour leaders would be impossible to go to war'. Quite right. But shouldn't any Marxist
Falklands—
A MILITANT PAMPHLET
tendency worth its salt then be dedicating its efforts to forcing the Labour leaders to break from support to Thatcher's war?
To this task, comrade Grant counterposes the call "for a general election now, as a way of bringing down the Tories and returning the Labour Party to power wiln a socialist pro gramme.'
We are entitled to ask: would the election of
mitted to socialist policies be able to withdraw the
Argentina 27,300,000 72% Product $61.5 billion
56.7 billion $7.8 billion produced
29.05 billion
3.2 million 2.03 million 135,000 45,480 10.37 billion 2.6 million
3.19 million
59%
59.0
comparisons between
a soll-colonial one
Malvinas/Falklands,
fleet? Then we have been comrade Grant, short of a SCCOnU general strike leading to an insurrection for withdrawing the fleet!
But une problem worse for comrade Grant. i camy, want turning the tide against Thatcher's war, the prospect of winning the election Labour government committed to socialist policies. is ruled out. Moreover, if we can't force the Labour leaders to break with Thatcher over war policy, how can we helr to commit them to socialist policies? As comrade Grant himselt DUllILS ouL, wal Is simply politics by other means. Appeal
However, not only does comrade Grant fail to out forward demands to mobilise the class against the war, he actually makes proposals to reverse the steps which left leaders have taken against Thatcher.
The actions of Arthur Scargill and Tony Benn should be opposed
position of the Labour
position of Labour lefts is not opposition to the class which wages the war'
But, does Benn and Scargill's appeal to withdraw the fleet make it easier or more difficult to win militant workers to an understanding of the need for hostility to the class which wages the war"? This is the judgment which has
simply dark mutterings that such an opposition can play into the hands of the imperialists' The gutter press regalling of Benn and Scargill as 'traitors' should give a hint to comrade Grant about the present dynamic of the actions of these lefts.
Actions to demand the withdrawal of the fleet are
present time. It is then the duty of Marxists to ally whatever their motives and with forces overall understanding. It is empty-headed childishness to refuse common action
Canada
23,940,000
75.5%
$245.8 billion
$62.6 billion
S67.5 billion
335.71 billion
16.1 million
9.02 million
1.14 million
610,800
215.35 billion
14,5 million
1.06 milhon
76%
12.4
an imperialist
on the grounds that
everyone agree
with your analysis; that
Denl ano Scargill don't
join Militant.
CUAL:
IN SU JUVERTUD IRA MADI
LA
TRICHER
PEOR
QUE HITLER
Thatcher
whole of Latin America
If this reasoning was applied consistently, then nor wone never ever engage in strike action.
alone more general political and social
Neither nor Militant told workers not to prepare recentiv for action in solidarity with the railway engineers because was Sid Weighell who was threatening to call such action. We nonetheless knew that Weighell's call was mainly attempting regain some lost credibility over his backing for flexible rostering. We applied that understanding at
as anolncl level. HOL strike call. posing the strike call. same method applies to those making a call for the withdrawal of the fleet
In reality, it is none of these arguments which
Militant's policies. nave been simply thought up after the event i jusury a decision laker on other grounds. The real determinant of Militant's policies is summed up by
httle phras 'such demands could get no echo from the mass of workers'. In reality,
Militant's position boils down to a refusal to fight the sentiment that exists
amones Ine mass of
workers. viewed as the aggressor thoughout the
In fact comrade Grant
goes an as to real
such, really jingoistic, sentiment might
very well be progressive. Almost unbelievably he declares. 'If necessary,
workers and ine Marxists will be willing to wage the war against the Argentine junta
Thatcher's war is not against the Junta. It is
the workers. A similar war prosecuted bv a Labour government or even would
Marxist similarly be against the Argentine workers. Comrade Grant falls into this confusion because he Inks lial tnis is a war ike World War II. In order to
sense or such analogy, though, Grant has to argue that Argen. tina is an imperialist power and that 'the junta's claim to the Falklands is purely an imperialist aim'
It is true that Argentina is one of the most developed countries Latin America. But from this fact it by / no means follows that Argentina is imperialist. Urbanisation, capitalist re ons toe countryside and a certain
degree economic develoomen атем • by themselves indices of impertaisin. . The world is no simply divided between capitalist states and workers states, but also between imperialist and dependent countries. It is not enough to examine the Cas within country, but also the relahons belween countries
Control of the Argentine economy is not in the hands of Argentinians, but in the hands of foreign investors. Most of the top companic. foreigr owned. There is net outflow resulting in Argentina hav cavital
ing the second largest na. tional debt in the world at $36bn. It exports primarily food, consumer goods and raw materials and imports capital goods and patents It is a semi-colonial coun
Grant assumes our characterisation to be).
Assumes
To assume that places like Taiwan, South Korea, DIaLI, MEAIo, Algenullo and similar semi-colonia countries had broken from dependency perialism would not only Ull im-
fail to appreciate the deep crises which these countries are now experiencing despite all the confident
pagandists it would also signity that imperialism could still play a progressive role con. signing much of Lenin and Trotsky to the scrap heap.
To make this judgment
such superficial criteria as that Buenos Aires has a stock exchange is totally unserious. Does this make Hong Kong or Singapore imperialist countries?
But here again, this argument is not even taken seriously by the author states, had there one part he states, been a colony of 100,000 Argentinians, a case for colonial
could been made out'. But why?
Argentina perialist then wouldn't change one jot our defeatist position no matter how many people were on ine Islands. The fate of 'little Belgium' or any other imperialist coun try facing German aggres
onu une secone worl War, didn't alter our attitude of defeatism.
But the point works-the other way round. doesn't mater whether there is one single Argentine on the MalvinasFalklands, in so far as the Argentine people experience British occupa-
becomes part of their fight
SCIl determination This we defend unconditionally.
Militant claims to stand on the side of British
readily it is neginhing lo
reality is beginning to
so bo. in is time to cal
both It is time to Militant leaders to order.
Page 5 scan of this page
Stop Labour's support for Thatcher's war,
out. But over 80 delegates and observers from
refugee, Rafael Runco, speak at a Broad Left fringe meeting.
Rafael outlined the historical relationshin of Britain and Argentina clearly In of imperialism; and the feelings of the Argentinian people towards Britain's occupa-
of the Falklands/ Malvinas Islands.
He explained how Galtieri had gone into the islands as a diversion from the internal crisis, thinking that Thatcher, being sympanelic regime would understood why, and wouldn't react too strong. ly. But he had miscalculated, because Thatcher too needed diversion. Galtieri also miscalculated with regard the US
Argentina is America's staunchest ally Latin America and a cornerstone
US policy to defeat Latin American revolutionary movements. meeting between Costa Mendez and the American Ambassador gave the lunta to believe that the US would remain neutral any conflict.
At first the Argentinian people had been confused about the war but after the sinking of the Belgrano they had become clear that Britain was an enemy, and they now support the war to regain the Malvinas while still organising against the junta.
The sentiments of the people are summed up, he said, bv the Mothers of May square — mothers of disappeared people, who demonstrate daily outside Government House. Their placards say: 'The
Malvinas are Argentinian, but so are the disappeared
The war has created a new political situation within Argentina. The junta, trying to mobilise A PUBLIC meeting on Saturday 19 June will
from the South Atlantic.
oppose any permanent
against the war.
The new group is called the Labour Committee for Withdrawal from the South Atlantic, and its sponsors, all in a personal capacity, include Reg Race
Ken Livingstone, Valerie Wise, Peter Tatchell, Chris Mullin and individuals from the editorial boards •of Lon don Labour Briefing, Socialist Challenge and Socialist Organiser.
which wide sponsorship is being sought, reads as tollows:
We, the undersigned, come together to establish the 'Labour Committee for withdrawal from the
of this committee shall be: a) 10 campaign the
Labour Party and af-
tales organisations
for a policy of complete
millary willarawal of
Brian come Stend
detend
those Labour MPs who
voted against the Tory
TRADITIONALLY the last night in Blackpool at union conference is the time for a good night
the post office engineers' (POEU) conference crammed into a hall to hear an Argentinian
popular support had to concede certain freedoms. The union has become more active and is organising meetings in the factories supporting the occupation the Malvinas, but emphasising the CGT opposition to the junta.
Since the war started cat name members of the CGT been touris Europe to meet workers' representatives to explain the case of the Argentinian workers. They visited many countes out waned three weeks for reply
the British TUC IrON before they finally gave up the idea of being able to meet the British labour
Rafael gave clear examples of how the British media as well as the Argentinian distort the news, for example the coverage of a huge Peronist demonstration claimed that the peo
shouting: 'The
tina and Argentina belongs to the Malvinas' but Rafael could hear that iney were realv shouting. 'The Malvinas belong to Argentina and the people belong to Peron.'
Refugee
Rafael then explained his position as a refugee in Britain. He is now working for the Humar Rights Commission on Argentina, organisation
work has been made that much more difficult by the Tory government's decision to end the relucce programme TOI people opposed to the jun-
People at the meeting were very sympatnelic and wanted to Know how to UCO. As Jock Campbell, chairman of the Broad Left, said, it's a pity we
says new committee
launch a new committee to campaign in the labour movement for a policy of withdrawal
The new body will fight for the Labour Party's next conference to
garrison on the Malvinas and will defend those MPs who voted
government's war
policy. we totally op
pose the stand taken by
leadership
Parliamentary Labour
rally. JOCE VER
with the jingoistic line
adopted by the That-
cher government. b) To oppose the station.
ing or maintenance by
Britain of military
garrison the
ralklands and
closer military and
political ties with the
Chilean
regime which such
measure would require. To these ends: 1) We
Snal
above as a statement to
uduc
union press, and cir-
cularise national briet-
ings defending our aims
throughout the move.
ment 2) We shall mobilise sup-
port for resolutions on
the above lines coming
before conference this 3) We shall seek the sup-
war
these other trade unionists only together with when our countries are at war, even though we know they've been in trouble for years.
Pat Ryan, secretary of
port and sponsorshir
of leading individuals
and of
Sul callisalivils
our movement for this
policy 4) We shall work towards
building forums which
debate out the main
lines of socialist
foreign policy for our
Huy cilicill Socialist Challenge asks its readers to support this imborlant new mauduve ov. the Labour Fians up to
Labour Party COn ference in support of its
• Organising to secure sponsors from the Labour Party and trade unions • Organising local labour movement debates and public meetings involving
activists, to campaign policy withdrawal and discuss out the basis of a socialist foreign policy
Please inform Socialist Challenge of motions
Malvinas/Falklands
Broad left in
P.O. opposes
Thatcher's
By lan Willer and Marcella Fitzgerald Fifth infantry brigade landing on Malvinas-Falklands
the London Met South branch, compared the situation CLO that Ireland; that the islands are Argentinan and lal there would only be no mOTe walls every
2888888888 Britain out of the South Atlantic Lunchtime meeting with Ken Livingstone, Valerie Wise, Peter Tatchell County Hall, 1.00 pm Saturday 19 June during 'Running London Our Way' conference organised by London Labour Briefing at County Hall
FALKLANDS
Tony Benn addressing anti-war rally passed and of new spon sors. The address for correspondence of the new
country had the land that was rightfully theirs.
All in all it was a very good meeting and several
utteres in inviting Rafael to speak at their branches
• CEASE-FIRE NEGOTIATE
CE COMMITTEE
23 Lestern C/d, London
Leghorn Rd, London NW10.
for Socialist
Challenge!
By Steve Cannon
the USA
be considered.
Central America.
Socialist Challenge
tionalen in Sweden.
tracks
support of our readers.
four weeks.
ly paper.
ocal
bassy the next day, Women's Right to Work March.
cash.
strong!
paign, PO Box 50, London N1 2XP.
Area West London East London North London South London Brent Birmingham and W.
Midlands Manchester and North West S. Wales South West Oxford Scotland North East Yorks E. Midlands Individuals Total
Socialiat Challange
Socialist Challenge
FUND DRIVE '82
A week's wages
AFTER CELEBRATING the fact that over one and three quarter million took the streets in
and Western Europe last week against the war drive the next steps have to
The massed ranks of the anti-war move. ment can be a mighty force to stop not only the nuclear rearmament of the imperialist powers but also against the bloody wars be. ing fought by those governments and their proxies in the South Atlantic, Lebanon and
This is where the socialist press comes in.
Britain, Rouge France, Was Tun in West Germany. Militant in the USA. Bandiera Rossa in Italy, Interna.
Klassekampen in Den. mark and dozens of our sister papers around the world seek to harness this mighty move. ment to stop the imperialist war drive in its
But like our sister papers and unlike the press of the imperialists we rely totally on the
This support has been critical in the last
We explained last month that mounting debts and the quadrupling of our rent threatened our very existence as a week-
Your response was immediate. In the last month over £7000 has come in response to our 'Week's Wages for Socialist Challenge' ap-
Your support has been shown in other ways too. Like the contingents of Socialist Challenge supporters on the CND demonstra tion on 6 June, at the picket of the US Em
the support for the
But please don't let this support flag. We are a long way from our target of making sure of the stabilisation ot the newsoaper and 01 our editorial offices. We have received many pledges and IOUs in addition to the £7000
Now is the time to redeem them!
Please let us be able to report that we have crossed the tW next week. And let's keer our link in the internationalist press chain
Rush all monies to: Week's Wages Cam-
This week's cumulative total area by area is:
This week Last week 674.00 598.00 533.00 493.00 465.00 415.00 400.00 310.00 1140.00 888.00
637.00 637.00
907.55 837.55 625.00 625.00 217.00 167.00 180.00 105.00 411.30 278.80 205.00 250.00 250.00 270.00 270.00 770.00 770.00 7684.85 6849.00
The war hasn't ended Demonstrate 27 June
Against Britain's occupation of the
Malvinas-Falklands Assemble 2pm Hyde Park march to Trafalgar Square Called by Ad hoc committee against the war
18 June 19%
Page 6 scan of this page
By Paul Hutchinson The whole case amounts to nothing more than a political prosecution. aimed at my political views.' This point was put to the jury by Taria Ali when he summed up in his
defence at the end of the Bradford 12 case last week.
He claimed that when he arrived at the police station the police had carried out a real political interrogation before anything else'.
Paul Kennedy summed up for the prosecution the previous Friday relying largely on voluntary statements defendents had made police . custody:
Deriding the 'self defence'
By Anil Sen South London Revolution supporter ONE YEAR after the youth rebellions, Asian and West Indian youths, as well as representatives
branches
'Third World Crisis', b) a session
ment, employment, education,
Party.
The conference is a big step forward. Prèviously the LP YS has not seriously campaigned struggle wiln black people. Kevolltion Youth supporters attending the conterence will raise a number of quesLUIS Cus ulC tnat the
port to the struggle black people.
The most important question facing youth
day is the war drive. The Tories spending
millions of pounds on the Dosses walt in the south Atlantic and yet they conLue lo make mass ve Culs
social services and refuse to pay the health workers.
Socialist Challenge 18 June 1982
NO CONSPIRACY
POLICE CONSPIRACY
OLICE
Bradford 12 trial nears conclusion
argument ne stated that the jury might conclude that the number of racis! attacks on Asians in Bradford was not disproportionate' to their numbers in the city.
Starting the summing ip for the defence, Mike Mansfield showed how the police investigation from the start had been biased by their view that the petrol bombers must have been intended for •copy cat' riots in Bradford.
For example, the police made no attempt to check Tarlochan Gata-auras' evidence that the 4th Idea bookshop in Bradford received warning of
possible fa from a Daly's
from Daly's bookshop.
Mansfield argued that self-defence agallist suck all allack Was 'fun. damental right' and 'matter of common law
LPYS to hold
black youth
conference
La two national conference in July to discuss the fight against racism. The conference will be split into three main sessions: a) a film and a discussion on the
on fighting discrimination c) workshops on police harass-
the problems of women and the trade unions and the Labour
The Tories say that they al c fighting preserve democratic rights' against a military junta. But the real reason for the fighting is the attempt to maintain the interests of the British bosses
tries But the LPYS, which is led by the Militant tendenly. has not come out against natchers war drive. Revolution Youth are therefore fighting reverse the LPYS's stand on this question. good start would be
withdrawal of the British the South Atlantic, and to page 6
Mansfield repeated defence argument
suD' ported by two explosive experts that petrol bombs were not explosives at all.
He finished with
trom book bi Malcolm taken from
the houses: 'I believe that we should defend ourselves by any. necessary against racist attacks.'
Paddy O'Connor,
for Malik, was told by the judge SLUL making political speeches' after he pointed out how racism derived from Britain's colonial past and that victims of racist violence were expected to rely 'on the very people and state that had pushed them into second class citizenship when they arrived here. ence cade, Helena Kene defence case,
campaign to commit the
labour moment to this demand.
Another important question facing black youth is the fight against discrimination.
Youth fights for end
ment and education, and WC are in solidaritv witn black workers who are struggling to be involved in unions. In practice, positive action means setting for the number of black workers and women employed in particular jobs and fighting black workers are not the
News
NO CONSPIRACY
POUCE CONSPIRACY
nedy said: 'If this was
political trial beforehand it became one when Paul Kennedy asked the jury what kind society they wanted to live in. not guilty verdict would be a declaration of the society you want to live in — a society free from racist violence or fear.
Summing up the case Judge Beaumont brusher such arguments aside. He said it was a 'clear criminal case'. He said that self defence was 'perhaps the central issue in the • case and the law 'required that the means be reasonable and in proportion to the circumstances' jury retired to consider the ver-
dinere Tuesday morning.
There will be a picket Armley jail on Saturday 19 June at 12 noon any of defendents are convicted.
FIGHT BACK
GAINS
FASCISM
HE STATE
first to be made redundant.
poses the line Militant leadership which simply says that DOSTOVE discrimination divides the working
and that the working class Call overcome these problems by overthrowing capitalism'! But the work.
eng class is already divid-
Precisely for this reason to black workers have organise caucuses the trade unions and under their own leadership they will be best able to struggle for their demands.
By Ros Kaplan fight back. But suppose you lost?
So imagine Palestinians felt like when became Darruly cical Lu them that the Zionist Yishuv i community. Palestine, pre-1948, was working towards creating an exclusive Zionist state where there would be place Ior them They fought back against this colonisation and British rule 1n the Palestinian Rebellion and General Strike of 1936-39.
DEFEAT
FORWA
Over 5,000 Palestinians were killed and the resistance brutally smashec ov Ine sausa doeo • Zionist militias
By the end of the second world war thousands of Jewish victims of the Nazi holocaust were making their way to Palestine. The Palestinians had to
pay for the crimes of the
West.
Europe and America, the question of setting up a Jewish state and getting the Arabs to move out to make way for
appeared Gunt "reasonable'! In 1944 the National executive of the British Labour Party declared: 'Let the Arabs be encouraged to move out, as the Jews move in. Million
They certainly were encouraged! During the Israeli-Palestinian war 1948 million Palestinians 'fled' the country and the Zionist state of Israel was founded
ed the West Bank nex
Bank and Egypt grabbed Gaza Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians found them. selves refugees throughout
world but mostly concentrated Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan. Strin Syria and Lebanon
the 1948 borders of Israel, people today still refuges,
al c sometimes living only a
The tragedy of
the Palestinians
Suppose someone came along and asked you to voluntarily leave your home, job and whichever part of Britain you lived in to go to France or Belgium — to become homeless, unemployed and suffer all the misery that goes with be. ing a refugee. Your first reaction would probably be what the hell are they talking about and what a stupid question. On realising they weren't joking, your disbelief would turn to anger, fear and panic and you would probably
few miles away from their old homes, now bulldozed or inhabited by an Israeli family. 19/0 a play was shown on Israeli TV called Khirbet Hiza. It was based on a fictitious village in 1948. It showed vlare bene allacked by the Haganah army and the villagers being loaded onto trucks, later to be thrown across the border The play caused a scandal!
TORATO
Generations of Israelis and we In the West had been told inal tne raiesl nians left of their own "Tree will that the Arat liberation army had evacuation According to Chaim Weizmann, president of Israel, the flight of the was 'miraculous simplificaFew questioned the fact that it takes more than 'suade nearly one million 'encouragement people to give up everything for the squalor of refugee camps.
Why did SO many Palestinians flee? FOI similar reasons to those of the thousands in Lebanor trying to seek refuge in Beirut todav - they were attacked!
The casualties suffered by the Palestinians in the 1936-39 Rebellion was decisive factor in their 1948 defeat. Their strength was greatly weakened and they were up against superior military force The Zionists steadily built up their arms.
Haganah army, the Jewish sentencl several Zionist paramilitary or callio were trained by the British and bi UHIC Brit. ticular, Orde Wingate In November 1947 the United Nations proposed the Partition Plan which divided Jewish state and an Arab Palestine into
The Zionists prepared Plan Dalet which consisted of 13 military operations aimed capturing the land allocated to the Arabs and to empty the Jewish area of its Arab inhabitants
Not all the operations succeeded But the Zionists gained control of 3 major Arab coastal cities (Haifa, Jaffa and Acre and the two main ciles il Eastern Galilee (Safed and Tiberias) thus cutting off supply centres to the coun tryside
Terror was used deliberately mass killings and rape were com mon. In the massacre of Deir Yassin around 300 people were brutally murdered - this was the tactic to persuade male family and honour before heads of families to
PLO
FIGHTERS
RIALISM
CALIST
Wal no harm
children and the wullicil old no longer applied)
Fighters
The majority
villagers were poorly arm ed and lacked leadership The only organised Palestinian military force
the Jaysh al-Jihad with no more than 5,000 fighters.
The other force was the Arab liberation army sent in by the Arab states to de fend the Palestinians. Badly trained and with no intention of arming and organising the villagers (in some cases they actually took arms away from the Palestinians!) their so called defence was a fiasco.
no leadership antiquated arms, attack: and a campaign of terror against them the Palesti
• fled or were dumped in truckloads into the neighbouring Arab states
This what the Palestinians call the 'Disaster' '. This is why they are in Lebanon today. The majority believed they would be able lo go Daci to their homes but they are sulli walling and st suffering from Zionist ag gression the worst assault the Palestinians have faced in recent years
the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
Page 7 scan of this page
INTERVIEW WITH REPRESENTATIVES
troops in Lebanon'
What is the reason for the Israeli attack at this time?
The immediate reason is to try to destroy the Palestinian forces in Lebanon. In the occupied territories the Zionists have discovered that the Palestinians support the PLO as the sole representatives the Palestinian people. They have been trying during the past TeV MONLIS find other representatives, especially West Bank, who would col-
with them lavul alc very small minority.
All the democratically elected mayors on the West Bank who supported the PLO have been dismissed from their posts.
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The Palestinians Jonathan Dimbleby £5.95 pb Quartet
The Arabs in Israel Sabri Jiryis £3.50 pb Monthly Review
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OF THE PLO IN LONDON
*120,000 Israeli
And the revolt of the Palestinians over the past few months has shown the Israelis that they
cannot achieve any of their objectives without destroying the PLO.
They used the disagreements between the Arab states and they thought that they could attack the Palestinians on their own With massive Israeli force.
If the armed Palestinian resistence suffers decisive defeat during
this will have very demoransing effect on the whole Palestinian nation?
Before we answer, we
point out the character of the press coverage of the conflict in Britain. From the beginnIng or ine war lney nave taken the Israeli point view and swallowed theit propaganda.
The actual of Ine fighting very different to the way it portrayed in the press and TV here.
At the moment there are 120,000 Israeli troops in Lebanon, as against onThe dobre o restan day. 20,000 on the first day. the joint forces Sulprised them greatly • the joint forces of the Palesti-
revolution and the Lebanese National Move-
Our information is that hundreds of israell tanks and troops carriers have been destroyed, that they have lost over 1000 soldiers dead.
They have not been able to control any of the major cities in Lebanon. The only decisive military loss for us is their capture
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of Beaufort Castle. The Israelis have tried to enter Sidon, Tyre and even Beirut in the last few days but their attempts have not been completely sul cessful.
The present fighting is
the history of the Middle East, and we are sure that in the next few days the tone in the British media will be changed.
As usual, the Israelis when they attack the Palestinians have in their minds that the fighting will
finished within 24 hours. But today 1s ine seventh day of the fighting which is still going on.
Will the Israeli army be able to occupy 20 or 30 miles north of the present border?
As Chairman Arafar has said, we want to keep the period of the war going as long as possibie. We will not stop this war so long as
single sraell
soldier believe on.
belleve that the days of their Christian ally in the South, Major Haddad are numbered.
What is the attitude of the United States? They
appealed for cease fire.
You must remember that only day before the Isracil attack President Reagan said that the West had to work hard to defeat
International
"terrorism' - which is the name they give to the PLO and all national liberation movements.
They haven't really changed their position. They know exachly Wild the position is in Lebanon. The weapons the Israeli army uses are usually American weapons — including some of their most sophisticated like the F-16 fighter plane.
The Israeli government
claiming that the Şyrian SAM-6 missiles
have about this claim? information
At the moment there is fierce fighting between the Syrians and the Israelis in
It's Dekad vality noticeable that the Syrians have been giving figure: for their own losses and
the Israelis just put forward figures for Syrian losses.
Our information is that there are still Syrian SAM-6 missiles in the area and the fighting is still continuing.
Syrian air raids have managed to cut some of the ines of communica tion and supplies to the Israele army as well as in flicting heavy casualties.
Yesterday Israelis
"tre dropped leaflets on
Syrian soldiers and other fighters get OUL because they were going to take the city. Do you think they seriously intend to fight a major battle to take Beirut?
Nobody can be certain about the ultimate objectives of the Israeli attack. It was certainly decided light from US imperialisen. after they the
CONTICI y esterday cic was a between Begin and his military high command and the latter have declared that they do not wish to take Beirut
This is due their calculation that it will be a very costly operation. But as yet nobody knows how far they are prepared to push their troops.
Another important factor will be how much Tence Syrian troops can show in the Bekaa vallev. because if the Israelis take it, it will be easier for them to enter Beirut.
But balance think that it will be
• OU costly for them to try to capture Beirut.
But do the Syrians intend to put up a fight, or are they just fighting to
their felical without any intention of a serious battle?
We have distinguish between the decision of the
1000 marched to Israeli embassy on saturday
Palestinians to fight the Israelis and that Syrians. Our decision was instant while the decision that Syria makes has to consider many political factors.
They did not decide to enter the war until it was clear that the aims of the Israelis went far beyond the attempt push Palestinians back 40 kilo meters from the border.
But we didn't doubt the sincerity of the Syrian army in wanting to fight une staens
What was the relationship between the Syrian army and the Palestinians and LNM before the Israeli invasion?
Nobody can justify the interference of the Syrian army in Lebanon in 1976. Neither the Lebanese National Movement nor the PLO supported the inter-
of the so-called Arab 'peace keeping force'.
But since then the alliance between the Syrians, the Lebanese National Movement and the Palestinians has come into existence and there was an agreement about
to distribute the forces, what were the duties of each and how each has to control its own al cas.
So although the Syrians entered Lebanon
a hostile force to the Lebanese National Movement and the Palestinians the situation has changed to one of alliance.
The Syrian army is of course a real army, with tanks and MIGs and so forth. Our armies are guerrilla armies so our military thinking is very different.
Socialist Challenge
YES
PALESTINAN
RIGHTS
Our position was always to continual!; engage the Israeli army in a guerrilla war, whereas the Syrians wanted to build up their army and their equip ment choose favourable time for a fron tal clash with Israel.
These different
Gap proaches have raised points of conflict between the two leaderships. But these can be overcome when it is a question of confronting an Israeli in
How do you assess the outcome of the fighting so far?
Our information is that the Israelis have killed and wounded about 10,000 people — but a large majority of these are civilians.
We haven't lost any military position of importance except Beaufort Castle which incidentally was defended • only about 40 guerrillas and not the 2000 that people in Bri tain have talked about The USCU bombs to flush them out.
Our style of war is that of guerrilla warfare, it's not really about defending territory or land. So whatever the military successes of the Israeli invasion the! won't stop our struggle Walt o she Pultimate What No compreensive and lasting peace can be
without the establishment of a democrațic secular Palestine, in which all Palestinians Jews, Christians and Muslims can live together with equal duties and equal rights. This is the
conflict.
18 June 1982 page 7
Page 8 scan of this page
explain their case •organise public meetings to lines • send delegations to picket Party branches through union and Labour • get resolutions of support workplaces • discuss solidarity actions in your workplace • make regular collections in fer practical help health workers to
workers' control is the only way to win. action now with essential services under movement to really swing into action. All out It will also allow the rest of the labour clusion. business and bring a speedy, successful con- government that the health unions mean A total strike in the NHS will show the the NHS and give even longer waiting lists. a long drawn out dispute will further, damage defeat as happened before in 1981. Moreover
HELP HELP US
10
YOU.
workers.
CUTS... OF N.H.S. THE LAST ROUND AGUALTY FIGURES FOR TODRY TO ANNOUNCE REFUSED AGAIN THE DH.S.S.
OROMiSES
ON
join the picket lines and of following ways. health workers support in the READERS are urged to give phone 01-359 8189, Socialist Challenge c/o PO in its ideas please contact Gorton. If you are interested schools was prepared by Toni the claim and will end in demoralisation and useful to build up support, but they won't win The one day stoppages may have been argued their case. ched through local towns and cities, and have walked the picket lines, leafletted, mar- cillary workers, technicians, administrators over two weeks and everywhere nurses, an- firmary workers went on all out action tor Edinburgh the City Hospital and the Royal In- shown a willingness to take on the Tories. In awards, differentiated according to grade. had from arbitration is inadequate percentage must be repelled. All health workers have ever Any efforts to take the claim to arbitration into a united fight for the 12 per cent claim. ficials. The union leaderships must be forced against the weakness and hesitation of the of- committees to organise the rank and file It is essential now to build joint union actions already taken by the miners and other should go into building on the tremendous will be decisive in winning this fight. All effort The solidarity of the big industrial unions impact. has made its struggles partial and lacking in and a quarter million - its fragmented nature Despite the size of the workforce importance to the state in the short term. have been their lack of strategic or economic The chief weaknesses of the NHS unions - over one LIVE CANT you .
work, on picketlines, in This broadsheet for use at cluding the hearth unions. and in many trade unions in porters in the Labour Party Marxist Group and has sup sored by the international SOCIALIST Challenge is spon HEALTH WORKERS all around Britain have strike national All out committee. by the other unions in the TUC Health Service calling for all-out action and this was rejected ships. Only NUPE so far has taken the step of workers in order to win is the union leader- Nurses. The main obstacle to uniting health united, including even the Royal College of NEVER before have health unions been so workers
action. powerful anti-Tory movement united in alised industries, but mostly by building up a and transport, reducing profits in the nation- hurts, disrupting essential services like power the health workers will hit the Tories where it Bringing industrial muscle to the side of came out in sympathy. Liverpool and more miners in Lancashire also London, water workers in Essex, seatarers in Sheffield, council workers and train drivers in
labour movement behind the health workers. ed along with mobilisation of the ranks of the 8 June. This is the sort of support that's need- which came down en bloc to the picket line on
VICTORY
of health port of the NHS and its staff. Steel workers in their coalfields to a virtual standstill in sup- ON 8 June 60,000 Yorkshire miners brought solidarity Labour example of the Transport Union executive MPs and TUC officials should follow the Employment Act by secondary picketing. and other workers who are delying the 1980 They must defend the actions of the miners support of the 12 per cent as soon as possible. now to organise a national demonstration in Party and the TUC. They should be called on and solidarity is the leadership of the Labour VITAL to creating labour movement unity
FOUR STEPS TO
lighting tor. These are our priorities and these are worth
- pay the 12 percent!
lead the way the lUC must Labour and
decent living standards not bombs and war. and pay the health workers. We say no. We say bring the fleet home dirty war. expected to take a wage cut to finance their Elm an hour, poverty line health workers are Malvinas adventure at an estimated rate of pours shiploa.'s of lives and money into the These are Tory priorities. While Thatcher position. country can afford in its present economic We say jobs and is pay a living wage. Back the health workers women and black people- make up for decades of discrimination against govemment should be leading the way to penalties for race or sex. Far from it. The we say give the rate for the job. No Enough is enough. a situation which can't go on any longer. for their jobs, governments have led them into duty and responsibility that these workers teel neea to work, trading on the strong sense of - the least it can do
England this year which is more than the ot the (health) union demands is z/00m in Tory Minister of Health's position: The cost Contrast this with Kenneth Clarke, the the success of the operation.' costs (in the Malvinas). We are concerned with stated that: 'We have made no estimates of JOHN Nott, Secretary of State for Detence afford it can By using racism, underplaying women's comparable jobs in private industry. used this to pay health workers less than in black workers. Successive governments have THE backbone of the NHS is women and black workers Positive action
Page 9 scan of this page
health care accessible to all must be defended. privately and even if we could the principle of We can't afford to buy our health care Working people deserve better than this. through lack of cash. tors are limited to 25 operations a year transplants in one hospital alone because doc- children died waiting for bone marrow ding to a report issued in December, 97 job. tax concessions and it's probably not his only £477,100! On top of this he also gets special year bringing him up to an annual pay of British Oxygen, got a 76 per cent pay rise this in wages! The super fat cat, R Giordano of directors are getting a record total of £6.6m In Tory Britain, the top fifty company most health workers. twice as large as the annual pay packet of
And people are dying needlessly. Accor- waiting for operations. Over half a million people are at this moment geriatric, psychiatric, and chronically ill care. closed hospitals, reduced facilities for charges, national insurance contributions, The Tories have raised prescription Court judges were awarded pay rises over eke out an existence. In May this year High workers have to scratch for every penny to to their people in high places while health Tory priorities give giant handshakes two children. poverty line for a married person with than £82 a week, the government's own WORKERS HOSPITAL VOUR
BUPA and contract supply companies. panies, the private medical schemes like to fill the coffers of the pharmaceutical com- cher and her government bleed the NHS dry While accusing the unions of greed That- the bills. He died. because he hadn't medical insurance to cover who was turned away by 40 US hospitals press told the story of a badly burned man OVER 400,000 NHS workers earn less low paid the Support caused it.
SUPPORT
have to look at the USA. Recently the British for profits and not for people is like we just If we want to see what a health service run them. and sell it off. Working people have to fight tend it. The Tories are trying to run it down and it's the labour movement that must de- It was Labour that brought in the NHS say let the bosses bear the burden class bear the brunt of the economic crisis. We government's attempts to make the working workers could seriously challenge the Tory By winning the full 12 percent the health Into accepung a wage cut. mass unemployment to frighten the workforce private sector as well. The Tories are using public sector and to set the pace for the - they
PAIRSES system and the workers who maintain it. to the long struggle for a decent health care union sums up the attitude of working people South Wales Area Executive of the miners' at Penrhiwceiber pit and a member of the This statement from Dai Davies, a miner wages.' workers in these hospitals who live on slave prepare another round of wage cuts for the Thatcher wants to use the health service to job they do is necessary and important. Why should they? The money is there. The cent in the last two years. will have taken a real cut in wages of 15 per they settle for the same amount this year they per cent, far less than the rate of inflation. If But in 1980 HS staff settled for only six
NURSEST
hospital care. We don't want to be served by technicians are being offered nothing at all! offered six per cent. Some like the junior cent and after pressure some staff are being per cent. The Tories have oftered tour per THE health service unions are asking for 12 cuts • wage
BACK THE HEALTH WORKERS FIVE REASONS TO A Socialist Challenge broadsheet No
Page 10 scan of this page
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page 10
LAST MONTH the Bolivian dictatorship of General Torillo announced an amnesty for all charges with crimes against the state. In two years Bolivia has seen SiX military Guo. But the people - particularly the copper miners have fought back and forc ed the military to retreat.
At the heart of this struggle has been the POR (Revo-
Workers'
Party, Bolivian section of the Fourth International) Hugo Moscoso, one of its leaders, escaped the country recently after having been jailed by the military. Steve Potter spoke to him about his party's history and its cur-
appeal for assistance.
NEWS Trotsky's death a : Stalinist For the first time in Mexican histo as women in an independent part arena.
nevowconar Revolutionary Workers Party), Fourth International is not just the first woman for the presidency of the republic. Her campaign is the firs campaion which openly identities with and supoorts and popularises the activities and demands of the women's iberation movement.
On 14 March , hundreds of women packed the Cine Regis in front of Women's Come the Front of mittees in support of Rosario Ibarra.
Present in the presidium were, among others, representatives of te conone automoble workers; women's campaign support
cities peasant
counliy. representalive. of the Committee of Relatives of Political Prisoners, 'Miss ing Person: and Political Ex-
Bolivia-new
prospects
assassin's hands convinced Moscoso to join the POR in 1940. His party has since been at the centre of working class struggle Bolivia.
The POR was the first Latin American section of the Fourth International, its admission being approved after a delegation visited Trotsky in Mexico in 1938. first step towards becoming workers party was for its militants to seek
ODSn the mines and live in miners' areas. It paid off. The fourth national miners' union conference, held in 1946, was won to the POR's VICWS alla adopted one of the most famous documents Latin American revolutionary Marxism the "Thesis of Pulacoyo'
'The document was an application of the theory
permanent revolution to Bolivia, 'The advanced political thinking of the which was mainly due to the POR's
presence, meant that they played a
role struggle."
The Bolivian working
Mexico - women's committees back
revolutionary Presidential candidate
women are organisin
ticipation in the electora
of the rabajadores
, Mexican section of the
addition, greetings were received from
wonnell. rrenle can Desino neenenolenie (Independent Peasants Front)
an important and peasant organisation; yalivus women's Commullee. SUDOUTI KOsarIO Ibarra; and TrON committees telephone operators in support of the campaign.
Susana Vidales, representing the Provisional Commit
of Women's Front pointed out that:
Rosario
some sor peste ine
O.R.CO EiT
HERE L RAY
The POR's banner at a May Day demonstration in Bolivia. Last May it appeared despite fierce repression. class's political consciousCHICS. has been the onl shield against 30 years of continuous 'Many times, the military dictatorships proclaimed the destruction of the workers' movement and the Trotskyists particular, says Moscoso. 'Our party was among the most repressed. . Ever since the 4S Or Cena militants have been arrested, held in concentration camps and forced into exile.
'We knew the jails and repressive methods of the mining and landlord oligarchy before 1952, and then in the 12 years of the bourgeois nationalist government of the MNR VO CORO our homes were our jails. And finally in the last 18 years of military dictatorship we've been hit very hard Many leaders and militants have died in the struggle but our party continues on its feet.
The POR has continued to produce books
even in clandestinity. The
even in clandestinity. base it enjoys was evident
Republic represents a was
the view tha women should stav at home or in the best of cases stick to "women's beared because of what is
canaranc nusurio, wrue represens
Rosario Ibarr: the final speaker. Companeras and
compareros sale today ine code or ine inree loyalties still exists: obedience to the father, husband obedience the • brother son. life, companeras and com wuneros, nas revorvee aroune ine existence of inree men — i was the daughter of Ibarra later the nand later, I was Piedra, the mount! "disappeared' by Jesus ¡Jesus wes Mexican paramilitaries)
'None of these three af filiations bothers me none or then ensoroces me
companeros did / stari Rosario in
Rosario When I began Dy
Clandestine weekly bulletin produced by the POR, with
financial assistance from revolutionaries throughout
the world
Interview with Bolivian revolutionary
on 1 May this year where, according Moscoso, 'ours was the only left parwin own banners and posters in demonstrahons or 70,000 in La raz and 40,000 in Cochabam-
After two years of terdirected LUI workers' movement, resistance has faced the dictatorship to proclaim an 'opening', to annul the laws dissolving the trade unions and parties, and promise elections. The aim is to head off an explosion discontent. But Moscoso thinks it will stimulate the struggles of the masses even further. 'Thousands and thousands of combative trade union and political cadres will return to the Cony. many used their exile as a revolu tonary school. I think the immediate future will not see a downturn. It will see turn a saracele According to Moscoso great gains are possible in the development of a mass revolutionary Dally. But because of repression, funds for waging the strug gle are difficult to obtain. Rosario Ibarra de Piedra when I began transform myself through the struggle.. ster Started Rosario the woman 'The capitalists' she said later 'the exploiters, ou enemite encourage some in correct miness corpenieni orinem inor women suoero
• want people understand tha
COMBATE
MENTRAS LA PATRIA SE HUNDE
The grinding poverty of the miners among whom they work prevents them meeting all the demands placed on the POR
Relatively insignificant
money, by metropolitan standards, can have dramatic ettects in a country like Bolivia.
An organiser working in the mines costs f7 per week. One issue the newspaper costs AJU. book can be produced for toO; a local headquarters bought for £400.
Recognising the possibilities for building a party in Bolivia the Fourth International has launched an appeal for funds for the POR from its sections and sympathisers
So far £7500 has been raised f500 coming from Britain.
The Fourth International and the POR appeal to their British supporters to contribute towards the fund, at a time when so much can be achieved.
All monies and cheques to: Bolivia Appeal/Socialist Lulleng
London NÍ 2XP
by Fernando Zamora women conunue to be subor dinated and men continue to have their feet on our necks as they
The are interested su vin tha womer seen uneration order everything that men do in an unjust political system 4I C lico terested ins. wanto petiny ake ine me of the capitalist class, like the men of the bourgeoisie of the
want actión. that support equal rights for women. but we don't want to be ecuat to une corruot men or this country or of this world.'
The plan of action cludes women's committees the course of th campalzi. col Terences on the situation working women rallies
public market places in the provinces, a central rally in Mexico City and a wind-up press conterence o. women candidates and women's committees on
Seveloped for fuhe lampaign
Page 11 scan of this page
Britain-still a colonial power?
WE MUST reply to Mark Smith's mis-
(13 coresentaton May) of our views on the Falklands crisis. He denies our contention that UK's post-war policy of 'rapid de-colonisation' has been in the interest of British capital. He says 'Britain has been forced to capitulate In the face of big independence movements. This is • one sided view. e Smith and Socialist Comrade Smith and Challenge still
operate with a pre-war model of
Imperialism's' mode of operation (ie con-
territorial
domination at than
surrozaLe capital), in practice this leads them to the mistaken view that UK capital has material interests at stake
worth going to war about. nence our comrades end up giving support to the
Importantly the new framework of UK foreign policy was moulded by the outcome of World War Il. Mark Smith could do well
read D Irving's 'The War between the Generals' wales conclusively shows that the Us prolonged the war by eight months. Why?
Because General Marshall said to Eisenhower at the time, 'Take your time Ike, the United States leadership of the western world must be consolidated on the basis of the break of the British Empire so that our business boys back home
NO-ONE
OWNS THE
ISLANDS
BEFORE taking sides in any debate, it is necessary to get your facts right.
I am not questioning whether the Argentinians who wrote to the Times believed they were telling the truth. Unfortunately the history taught Argentina more like mythology.
The Falklands/ Malouines/Malvinas were alscoverea oy a Briton (John Davis) in 1592, and Were first called the Falkland Islands about 1745. The first settlement was in 1764, and that was by the French, who named
islands •Isles Malouines, after St Malo, the British taking possession of West Falkland in ine following year. So France has a prior claim to Argentina's, but France backs Britain's claim.
In 1766-70 the Spanish
bought out the French and
forcibly ejected the
British. They renamed the,
Islands *Islas Malvinas.
Was this aggression justified because it hap-
have got something to ex. pand into
The intelligent politicians the 1945
pee ducky apted to
world pecking order. Hence when Britain involved itself Walls against independence movements in Kenva and Rhodesia for example, they were not wars to de. fend the British Empire against independence; the contrary every perceptive politician realised the absurally or such a poncy. but were wars to make sure that the form of the nos colonial state established corresponded to the interests of western capital. Indeed the British were so eager to dump the 'Rhodesian problem they couldn't be bothered even to go this far!
As for the assertion that 'we are in favour of the Force Islands. occupying the nis Is Just nol tue. une main point is this: for both the Argentine and British bourgeoisie there nothing to be gained from either having or not the Falklands The war ha more to do with political climates in eacn county. The Fleet should be withdrawn to base
Finally comrade Smith tells Argentina will only lead oo
strengthening fascist hold over the oobulatioli is this serious? Did a defeat for the Tsar in the first war,
Mussolini strengthen reactionary and fascist domination? Would a military defeat for Franco in 1937 have strengthened Falangism? JIM JOHNSTONE and ARTHUR MOWATT Manchester pened 212 years ago? I really do not understand this kind of argument.
I have never bothered to argue that England really belongs to the Welsh. I have always regarded the
over WhO there first?' rathe childish. We should consider what is best for the inhabitants now, and fascism is not good for anvoody think vou are quite wrong to believe that any good can come of nan. ding over a defenceless population state, the eventual negotiations.
Unlike you, I would not call rebellion against repression 'aggressive.' It
defensive, resistant, even if violent.
I agree with Tony Benn that the Falklands never belonged to us. No coun-
try belongs to the workers, and personally have never owned a square vard of land anywhere.
KATHLEEN JONES
Shrewsbury
Letter:
Get together
As an activist within mv own branch (Tameside) of the SWP, as a supporter of the Reagan Reception Committee, I totally port any possibility fusion between the SWP and the IMG.
I find it sad that fundamental disagreements over our position within the Soviet Union, and our
LONG LIVE
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE
EXOCETS
June.
Letter letterS THREs
differences on the Labour party and entrism, should connie to rosier an al titude of sectarianism.
Frankly, both Socialist Worker and Socialist Challenge are excellent papers, and we agree on SuCI Issues the Malvinas, EI Salvador, CND and opposition to the Tories.
Unity in action at the Socialist Challenge/Socialist Workers football match on Friday 11
Suspension of sectarian hostilities took place team who also lent SC three players. The result was a 3-3 draw.
Letters
There has to be a way to encourage dialogue and debate among ourselves which is not only healthy, but imperative to the future of the left.
The enemy, after all, is Thatcher.
ALEX WARNER Tameside
NEITHER
UPPER STREET NOR: VI
at the invitation of the SW printshop
I AGREE with Mark Smith's reply to Arthur Mowatt (29 April), when he points out that all Britain's colonies had to fight for freedom.
But think Mark misses Arthur's (wrong) point; that by emphasising British territorial claims
plucking out lorilluld from a bygone age.
This deserves a reply because il echoes Tony Benn who, quoting Dean Acneson, says Drilain na. lost its empire and become
Arthur is factually wrong. He says 'Britain's foreign policy since 1945, excepting the Suez abberation, has been one of rapid
rapidity! After thirty five vears it has armed torce patrolling four out of five oceans.
The Dutch, and to a lesser the French, were forced to relinquish SOUSSCOSIUIIS after the war, but Britain was not. was given "sphere of influence. Its armed forces give it world military role, which differentiates it trom al other except the USA. Why eise imperialist
should shrentine aggression and Britain 'reply
not, say, Sweden?
Arthur should not confuse
nomina dependence, creating client state, with loss of territorial control Nor should he confuse transfer of hegemony with 'decolonisation'. wnen a revolution turfed Britain out of 'independent' Iran in 1953, the UK lost terWRITE TO US!
for your comments, criticisms, or
even congratulations. Be brief, to
400 words. Write to: Letters,
socialist Challenge
London N1 2XP. (tel 01-359 8180/9)
No
29 May
who where she and
1974.
ritorial control as surely as the USA gained it when i: installed the Shah.
Arthur hasn': understood that territoria ambitions are forced on imperialist powers although they prefer neocolonial relations the postwar boom, with an overseas investment in the metropolitan countries. and American leadership of imperialism, a period ot formal decolonisation wa possible.
But in general imperialism cannot avoid territorial conflicts because of its monopoly character and because canno! resolve serious terimperialist contlicts, ol head off revolutions and nationalist revolts, by other means.
If territorial involve. mom does Arthur explain does Arthur the 'anachronism' of Viet. nam? Of the Bay of Pigs? Of the buildup to temerica today? tervention Centra
Now, with the collapse of the postwar boom, the rise of colonial revolution a new wave of investmen: the dependent coun. tries and the decline 0: British/American world leadership, we are entering a new period of territoria conflicts, revolutionary wars and in. terventions in spite of im perialism's 'preference for the 'human way' of do Ing unligs Arthur has only to turn on his television discover that it is he, Benn and Dean Acheson whose understanding of the roots of war has been bypassed by history.
ALAN FREEMAN SE London
Think of this page as a noticeboard
leave space for others - maximum
328 Upper St,
comment
From the Irish Press:
Shirley Williams to somebody
wrote to her enquirin and the SDP stoo regarding the PTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act). The letter is dated 8 May.
'Thank you for your recent letter. I'm afraid that you have the advantage of me because !
what the PIA L therefore can't so: whether we oppose it or food it. Perhaps you would be cos enough io erlighier. me
===:: which introduced ine Pia
Socialist Challenge 18 June 1982 page
Page 12 scan of this page
Spanish plotters get lenient
Class struggle on the rise in SriLanka
By Frank McBride
conspirators.
also the 'official' cluding the conservative premier Calvo Sotelo. They understandably
cowering behind their seats all night, either not brought to trial or found not guilty.
But no one is very surprised by the decision, except apparently these politicians, the Socialist, the Communist and ConScivalive UDC parties, who had all previously declared their confidence in military justice.
Even the thirty years for Tejero and Milans del Bosch (the judges asked the government to reduce It to twenty) can be conShey did plan to remove all mild. After democratic rights from 37. million Spaniards for macle ume. and undoubtedly to imprison and caccuLe an unspecified number.
And there's no doubt that in their confinement they will continue to enjoy the fine cuisine and freedom pursue their literary careers that they have up till now. It's a sentence far removed from the summary executions of Republican officers who attempted a coup in 1930 prisoners cue ndtionalist prisoners today who receive up to 70 years.
The trial itself revealed little that was not already known. There was conflict between General Armada and the rest. Armada was
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Socielist Challenge 18 June 1962
sentences
THE ARMED FORCES still rule Spain. Proof, if any was needed, comes in the paltry sentences handed out to most of the recent coup d'état
The court martial's decision has angered not only the vast majority of the population but
rulers, the politicians in-
upset that the Civil Guards who burst into the Parliament, blasting off at the artwork and keeping them
were
the general who was sent unknowingly to negotiate an end to the coup he had helped plan.
But Armada then backed out of the original plan and wanted to form a government headed himselt or civilians. Tejero would have nothing to do will. o makes maters worse, at the trial Armada denied any part in the plot.
He got off with only six vcals vuls corcemneo lo ignominy in anybody's version of history. Orders How many more were involved, who financed it anu now close une coup came to as the lines buzzed al night between the country's military CUllImanders, are all matters that did not and probably Will never come to light.
The long three months of the trial were mostly taken up with the defence lawyers arguing not that their clients did not com mit 'military rebellion' but that it might not have been a Dau laca arler all.
Their clients were only 'obeying orders' or believ-
4917 NOS
IMPERIALISM
GOES TO WAR
Labour's youth, politics of sport 'Missing', reviews and much more!
page 12
ed they were acting in ac-
cur anile win toe King's
wishes. (None of them
remembered that it is i-
legal to obey an un-
constitutional order, nor
ala tney attempt to find
out the King's wishes for
unease ves.. excuse
did not work for Milans
del Bosch or Tejero who spent herest fine ine King, has a thnical tiesor hence the 30 years.
defence. One lawyer who
had spent a morning pro-
testing his clients in-
nocence told a journalist
Well of course my client
was in the coup -
• s0 was
l'.
The standard pro-coup
Drovaranda unev cave oul
was that the situation in
spain was worse than
1936, with tendencies to
seval alisill. councinic
chaos and declining moral
values.
But really outstanding
was Tejero's lawyer who
gave the courtroom
nistory lesson departing
from the undeniable truth
that all established orders
owe their existence
violent movements in the
past. There were many
cases of Spanish Kings
supporting a coup against
they had
sworn to support, he said.
By Upali Cooray
workers and the most oppressed section
mist trade union leaders, 1980 defeat of the Sri Lankan workers,
of a series of developments in recent months that have shattered the carefully built up image of the present Sri Lankan regime as a stable and a reliable ally of the imperialists.
Corruption, scandals involving senior ministers, hyper-inflation, and the continuing resilience of the oppressed workers, peasants, students, and all covic lave rocked the regime of Mr JR Jayawardene.
The much-publicised economic upturn in the last three years, primarily due to the increase in imports and the consequent growth of the service sector, , nas now halt. The government facing a serious financial crisis.
The costs of its prestige construction projects like Lne irrigation scheme have doubled or tripled.
It is no longer able to borrow from the institutions like the International Monetary Fund to bridge
shortfall and is increasingly compelled to borrow at extremely high interest rates from commercial credit institutions.
In order to bridge the ever-increasing budget deficit, the government of Sri Lanka has resorted to printing new money. Not surprisingly these
International.
It's the real thing... 'None of 11S present can accept that Franco was unscrupulous because one day he went against the established темне when She abyss, one dedared. abyss,' he declared And indeed none of the officers judging Tejero THE TWO DAY STRIKE of 600,000 plantation numerically the most important
the Sri Lankan working class - on 13 and 14 May put paid to the myth, often propagated by refor-
that after the July they would take years to recover. This strike is one
measures have pushed up the inflation rates to 50 per cent.
The cost of living has more than doubled in the last four years and the rea wages of all workers and those on fixed incomes have fallen.
The worst affected are the workers who have no other source of income to supplement their very meagre wages, and are still paid on a daily basis.
In order to repay the massive foreign loans they have conu acled the government has begun to case vast lacks diana t multinational companies such Nestlé. Lile Gutherie Corporation, British-American Tobacco etc.
Since this would inevitably involve the evic tion of landless peasangs who have "Illegally' cupied government land the peasants have begun to organise. The attempts to permit the US Navy to set up a rest and recreation centre' in Trincomalee has also provoked wide protests.
The attempts to scrap
would have been there had
It not been for that very
rebellion Franco's
1936
But unfortunately
seems unlikely that Spain's
chief workers' parties, the
socialists and CON-
munists, will draw the corthe long established free education system and replace it with one which would restore privileges of the rich, met with 1 a very
from all of the SOCICLY Students organis ed pickets and strikes, and the government was forced to retreat on this issue.
Meanwhile the repression in the north continues unabated. Using draconian 'Prevention of
Act ICIOTISE Tamils are being arrested, held incommunicado anc tortured.
Victims
At the recent trial of Kuttimani, the barbaric methods of torture used by the Sri Lankan Army and police were vividly describ-
The most recent arres under this law nas been e student leader at Jaffna University has provoked student protests.
The fact that plantation workers of the Jathila
rect lessons from this latest
piece of history.
The absurdity Walcill
of a "democracy' whose
existence depends on the
whim of the King to sup-
port or
not any coup atGoes not seem to
occur to them. And with Sevaka (the UNP union) joined the May strike their thousands shows the depth
overwhelming majority of people wiln Inis regime
A few months earlier 16,000 port WUIKCI. Colombo, of whom over 10,000 were members of the JSS went on strike and smashed the JSS office
Workers everywhere feel the need for rank and file unity and the need to form links and party bar-
One milan worker. of the Ja-ela industrial district who have grasped the importance of this sentiment have organised a workers solidarity movement linking 24 factories in the area
The UNP, faced with increasing unpopularity and rising combativity of the workers is seeking to refurbish its image by purging some of its more notorious members. But here too the options are limited for President Jardwarachc
A purge threatens to
the imprisonment of the
most headstrong fascist in
armed forces they
believe that this demo-
strengthened,
clac
forgetting that should the
established order be really
threatened, the army will
again take to the streets.
wich me camone various factions in his own
The Daily. governmen faces elections next year and its chances are very good
The opposition bourgeois party of Mrs Bandaranaıke • has gained
and the ex-
Trotskyist LSSP is seeking to put together yet anothe
with her.
As yet there is no organisation in the working class movement that could become a credible alternauve to the bourgeois parties
The old reformist left is incapable of constructing such an alternative But the elements of a new revolutionary movement has begun to emerge
The CONDAVE elements of the July 1980 strike have begun coalesce work together with the militan Revolutionary Marxist Party (Sri Lankan section
Fourth International).
Page 13 scan of this page
Labour leaders wrong on war
Diego Garcia: Britain's 'forgotten Falklands'
By Murdo Ritchie
within 3 months.
members of the left-wing
ried.
Line sar nas been in
serious troupe since its
electoral failure in the 1979
general crecuon when TILS
number of MPs fell from
11 to 2. The problem for
the SNP, was correctly
assessed in an editorial of
the Glasgow Herald: 'Too
often in the past the SNP
has chosen to behave as if By Jude Arkwright At a Labour women's conference twice the size of last year's delegates voted to call for the withdrawal Atlantic and to condemn the Labour leadership for not opposing the war.
The conterence meeting at Newcastle's City Hall last weekend, went on to: * vote for British
withdrawal from NATO
support the struggle of the workers in Poland and El Salvador *back overwhelmingly
health workers 'claim * endorse aldjority of the platform, the
Party Young Socialists campaign on youth unemployment.
The size of the Cheques Prises c/o Badges, PO Box 50, London By Tony Southall IN A WEEK when the international news was dominated by events in the Middle East and the Southern Atlantic, the result of a general election in the tiny Indian Ocean island of Mauritius was lost for the media.
Socialists should not be similarly disoriented. The ruling bourgeois coalition of Sir Seewasagur Kangoolam was swept from power by a landslide victory for the Mouvement Militant Mauritien (MMM) which took 60 out of 62 elected seats in a
The MMM calls for a 'zone of peace' in the Indian Ocean. The tiny atoll of Diego Garcia, twelve
ON Saturday 5 June, the Scottish National Party at its annual conference in Ayr voted by 308 votes against 188 to ban all factions and groups within the party. It called on them to disband
The vote divided the SNP: '79 group staged a walk-out, and the traditionalists were moved 'to scenes of glee, gloating and nastiness.' SNP Chairperson Gordon Wilson, who moved the motion, threatened to resign if it was not car-
it was not locatable in a spectrum but on oscilliscope, flickering on one side to the other.
The '79 was formed in response to tne party's decline. It has been Dillars. ex-Labour MP who left to cicalt now defunct Scottish Labour
Labour Women's Conference
of the British fleet in the South
ference, its militancy and is cenao lid women's voice be heard inside the Labour Partv retlected the increasing involvement of
tions, women's councils and in the trade unions. successes were scored against a section of une platorin ual trica lo create witch-hunt mosphere against and in particular the Militant tendency.
The conference contirmed thai women ae m the leadership of the fight Losocials. policies anu campaigning action inside the Labour Party and labour movement. Conterence voted according v to give women a more effective voice in the party. Eject A motion was passed demanding Inau five resolutions should go
women's conference Labour Partv again against the majority VIew of the platform. addition delegates voted for direct election from the women's conference to the NEC of the Labour Party,
As Mauritius election swings left
hundred miles to the north, detached from was Mauritius by ani couldn with the British before independence in 1968. Tre. mains under British sovereignty but was handed over to the US military. is now ine celatral strategic base for US Indian Ocean operations overseeing its interests in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea and Southern Africa.
Meantime twelve
Party, with other SNP
such
Stephen Maxwell and
Margo MacDonald.
The group hoped to party
and steer it leftwards into
LneaDour movement
using such tactics as civil
•so •emence. support for
unilateral nuclear disarma-
Scotland out of
VATO The aim was I01
the SNP to be such as a
credible alternative to the
Labour Party.
All this was a threat to
and haggis brigade' of the
SNP Winnie
Ewing, Gordon Wilson
Robert Macintvre and
Gordon Murray, who and that the women's conference should be allowed to elect its own national committee.
Sharp divisions between constituency delegates and trade union hundred former inhabitants still live in shan Louis, settlements Port
the Mauritian capital, to which they were deported.
socialists should raise the call restore Diego Garcia Mauritius, contrasting the
these islanders with those in the Falklands.
The MMM originated in the early 1970s in period intense class struggle that culminated in the 1973 general strike
Close relationship with the GWF (General Workers Federation) in a
News
- SNP Left in tatters-
Ron Wyllie: albatross
around his neck
formed the Campaign for
Nationalism Scotland
several montns ago The
CNS was formed solely to
counter growing left-wing
influence in the party and
barely disguised its hostili-
ly …LO the labour move-
ment. It was the CNS who Women protesting at last year's Labour Party conference that they make policy not tea delegates on many of the points on the conference agenda revealed the need to step up the campaign for socialist policies in the trade unions.
Hilary Astor, country where the working class is an absolute majori-
The economic crisis was decisive in galvanising its support. The price of susal more than ninety per cent accounting for
exports, dropped from £360 per ton in November 1980 to £147 in 1982. Unemployment is at least 30 per cent.
A l 1979 World Bank loan imposed a wage freeze, cuts in subsidies on rice and flour and the introductior
vices.
The programme of the MMM has however moved
Gordon Wilson: making threats were behind the motion in Ayr.
The ban on organising will severely limit the left but the effect on the SNP right will be minimal. The Igul-willg tionalist Siol Nan delegate from Hillingdon women's section, pointed out that the trade unions were in the fore of fighting for positive action for jobs and that this needed to be reflected . centrally in the considerably to the right since 1973. Its best known leader Paul Berenger now quotes the Mitterrand government as an example, advocating worker participation, a national enterprise board etc.
Where economic wealth is effectively con trolled by the owners of eight vast plantations such measures can never oegl to improve standards fo the working class. . The new
tale by its will gress to
ov its willingness to challenge the decisive controllers the island's economy at home and abroad.
Gaidheal is excluded from the ban as it claims to be only a 'cultural organisation.'
The left has several limited options: they can work 'underground' in the party, they can form Scottish Labour Party Mark II although this is unlikely. Another option wwve lo torm Is own 'cultural' organisations as the right does Some mar take up the offer of the former Chairperson of the Labour Party in Scotland George Galloway, and join the Labour Party.
But the effect on the SNP catastrophic as Ron Wyllie the partv's candidate forthcoming Coatbridge
Labour Party too.
Likewise only if the trade
unions could be won to
support the constitutional
changes proposed by the
conference could they be
won in the Labour Party.
American forces could use bases in Egypt
NAVAL PRESENCE
Mor any action in the Persio
Americon bases Proposed American bases
and Airdrie by-election put it: 'People like Winnie Ewing, Dr Robert MacIntyre and Gordon Murray stand accused of dividing the party. They have put an albatross around my neck
Jim Sillars pin-pointer the main political problems of this decision: 'The trade union members of the SNP who were pois. ed on a strategy of rap. brochements wins licac tive trade union movement have received a verv severe blow. Our shop stewards are profoundly saddened because it is an historica fact : that if they were make any headway they
have left-wing credibility.
was
made by Hazel MacPher-
SUlL. a delegate from the
National Union of
Railwaymen, speaking in a
personal capacity, at
Socialist Challenge fringe
meet 3. An audience of
delegates heard
Hazel say that the fight for
positive discrimination in.
side the Labour Party had
to be part of a strategy for
Not the
wollcil Controversy
But undoubtedly the
most controversial deci-
sion of the conference was
its sharp opposition to the
SUDOUL given by the
Labour leaders to the
Tories' war drive. Valerie
Coultas (Handsworth),
seconding the successful = resolution, tool
arguments of those who F denounced the
ICSO ULIOI
for dividing real treachery, see the
'Ihe she
said, 'is not of those who E Labou oppose the war, but those
leaders like
Michael Foot who have
betrayed the labour move-
in his support for
• British imperialis
terests.'
Increasingly the fight
to make women's voices
heard and effective withir
the labour movement will
involve a fight against the
right wing of the labour
movement and its policies spares for two squadrons of fighter Socialist Challenge 18 June 1982 page 13
Page 14 scan of this page
'We need the support of British miners'
STEFAN PALKA is a 31-year-old electrician at the Manifest-Lipcowy which employs some 9000 miners. At different times he was chair and deputy chair of Solidarnosc in the Silesia region. West since November 1981, as an official guest of the French trade unions. He is currertly touring the pits in regional bodies of the Mineworkers. He was interviewed by ANDY MILLER after the recent miners' gala.
What was the role of the official trade union?
wasn't real trade union. It didn't defend the menoers. TACI ficial trade union defended
interests Stalinist bureaucracy against pressure from the workers. You found very often that the union bureaucrats would sign redundancy slips for people the managers wanted to get rid of. They did this without batting an eyelid. How did the 1980 strike wave start in Silesia?
Manifest-Lipcowy. was elected chairperson of the strike committee and inter-factory committee was formed. There were
many delegations "CLy from the government. vas very difficult to react an agreement. rOI stance workers wanted their demands so that the people in Gdansk would know what they were doing. The authorities wouldn't agree to this for a long time.
the DONILS Jastrzebie agreement was MUCH stronger than those
For instance age miners
instance miners stated very strongly Saturdays should be free for everybody. Other points called for provements economy and the lifting of privileges TOT Lne police, security forces and party bosses.
Could you describe the atmosphere Manifest-Lipcowy?
It was verv tense. We knew from the very beginning •hat we were going to stick it out. At the moment they :ook over the mine. the miners became the true owners or ine mine ana despite many provocations :he workers took great care of the machinery.
After taking over we sang the Internationale' 'the Red Flag', as well as
national Polish congs. We sang the internationale' because at that moment we wanted to take back from the bureaucrats what they had taken from the workers. In this song we were all united.
What was the background of the Solidarnosc activists?
Mostly they were young and new to this kind of activity, Though there were people who had formerly. ocen Involved in struggies. Quite simply young people
Socialist Challenge 18 June 1982
pit Upper Silesia
He has been in the
Britain, and meetin= various
National Union of
Nottinghamshire
are more radical, decisive. They have less to s. They were more don't have JOSC families.
willing to get involved.
Could you say something about union democracy Solidarnosc?
Of course democracy was very strong in Solidarnosc. Democracy was the guarantee that the union did not become bureaucratised. last weekend's Notts Miners' gala period of office was two vears. rections wentron the lowest level up to the
floor and going up to the National Commullet At all times they were secret.
There was a paragraph allowing for recall of officials. There was a satety net against people manipulating the union or selling out the bureaucracy or directors. un each level the union representative could be
by general meeting.
Why was it that the
page 14
resisted with such determination after martial law at Wujek and other mines? Due to the nature of their
decisive and courageous. It's also due to the high level of The Polish nooners of
Polish workers. The workers knew what they were fighting for. They are very conscious of what is going on.
So what are conditions like in the mines now? Since martial law condiLUIS the mine have become oppressive. Most of the large factories and enterprises especially the coal mines have been marised "he directors are HOW military com-
and decide about everything.
What has happened to the those
1905
B
N.U.N 195l 'Stand by the nurses' train drivers' leader Ray Buckton told
who have been killed or internet
Their situation is very bad. Workers' self-help committees have been set up Solidarnosc members in the West are calling for the adoption of internees and their families.
What conditions did Polish miners face before Solidarnosc terms health and safety at work?
In effect health and safety
A lot of accidents were caused by the negleci
of the regulations but also by fatigue among the workers because the
was systeill engineered that the workers could barely af ford to take sick leave. As for the working week the system that operated was the traditional three shift system with six days work and a free Sunday. But
Sundays more lost fred
Sundays were lost miners were. forced to work on them too.
In the West many workers are confused when they see Solidarnosc being praised by people like Reagan and Thatcher.
Indeed, it is strange, this support for Solidarnosc Thev are doing it for then own ends. think they
workers divide theironish
workers Polish workers, because what interest did Reagan have in making his whole show of support for Solidarnose when a tew months earlie he had the air traffic controllers arrested.
Why should British workers back Solidar-
and what LOSE COll British miners do to help?
First, in the name of inter-
ty. Second, the Polish
suppressed and crushed their struggle will be that much weaker. The miners' help is very important. At the moment when there are preparations going ahead for general strike and there is
the direct threat of intervention from the Kremlin sending its tanks, we need them mobilise our support through strikes or protests so that the bosses don't get
lo yom nanas with Stalinism.
The image that was put over the television coverage was Solidarnosc very religious and very nationalist.
Solidarnose Solidarnosc. Its external picture is ene cucuon or lne meala For example the unveiling of the monument in Poz nan to those who were killed in 1956. The celebra By Barry Wilkins
nual gala. Emlyn Williams,
against the Tebbit Bill on 10 June, 'union day'.
amon movement
Guest speaker Arthur Scargill, president of the miners' union, gave a militant speech in which he
pepicted the preten
policies election campaign. Again he committed himself to fighting for a four day week with no loss of pay, opposition to all pit closures except on grounds and for miners to be paid
sane ass. He repeated his argument that
tour dav week would lead to the creation of fifty thousand new jobs in the industry.
But he also proposed a new policy which goes further than his election campaign: 'The union should demand that the National Coal Board must create 30
pits, six : of them in South Wales.? This statement was enthusiastically received and will raise still further expectations of Scargill's leader. ship of their union.
By Andy Miller
members united on
and Michael Foot.
With the possibility of a confrontation over the closure of Snowdon colliery in mind Buckton pledged ASLEF's continu ing support for the miners,
promised his union would 'stand by the
and health workers.'
Michael Foot said tha the lesson to be learned from the war in the South Atlantic was that the UN needed to be 'strengthened'. He also said that the
tions lasted a whole day and were very powerful. A lot of statements were made and there was a big demonstration. The media showed Mass and the bishops go. 10 21 un in the mass media And this shown here too. Of course people in Poland are religious but this is something separate The Church tried to influence discussions within Solidarnosc but the workers did not follow them.
What would you say to the accusations in the ebruar Yorkshire Miner that Solidarnosc was harbouring
South Wales miners
gala — Scargill promises
tough leadership
LAST Saturday in Cardiff several thousand miners and their families celebrated their an-
president of the South Wales miners, opened the rally by congratulating the dockers for taking strike action
the TUC's; "This will be the first of many' he: said, 'Let's take on Tebbit as a united trade
Scargill warned that the government and the NCB still have a hit list of pistol casure lie las point would be Snowdown cofferv in Kent he said, and promised full support to keep it open. He asked miners to be ready for industrial action and said: 'We cannot lose against the Board if our action is immediate and total.
Warm applause greeted Scargill's demand that there should be an immediate ceasetire in the Falklands, with the withdrawal of the Task Force and a negotiated setLenet. 'Britain is trying ve deen on Britishe last British perialism' he argued.
Des Dutfield vice of the South Wales miners appealed to all workers in South Wales to support the health workers. He also linked this struggle to the fight
Foot shocks Notts miners' gala
MINERS, health workers and Labour Party
the Nottinghamshire miners' gala on Saturday 12 June. The rally was addressed by train drivers' leader Ray Buckton,
tragedy of the war was that British soldiers and sailors were being killed by weapons sold to Argentina by British arms makers.
This was met by shouts of 'By a Labour govern. ment when Foot turned ment when Foot turned round and claimed that the last government had stopped the sale of Chile, Argentina and El Salvador Foot also hailed the
elements that had as much to do with socialism as Margaret Thatcher?
I would like to put a question to the journalist who wrote this Would he call the struggle for workers self-government, for
control, for WOrKCIS workers' rights in a coun
where these rights should belong to the workers. return capitalism? It sounds like something from a Polish newspaper.
Could you sum up what Solidarnosc stands for as you see it?
The Polish revolution. against Tebbit: 'We must destroy the Tebbit law through industrial action, and we pledge our full sup port to any other workers who are attacked.
But he warned that the lories are re ving on some trade union leaders being "paper tigers and oppos ing Tebbit only in words:
'Yes, there are some pape tigers leading our move ment. But if the Tories at tack the miners, . or our friends in other unions, we will show them we are not
We'll make wavel the industrial action of 1972 and 1974 look like a Sunday School outing.' support to the struggle of Finally Dutfield Ene workers, and condemned the Tory pretence of support hypocritical.
Stefan Palka, Polish miner and Solidarnosc leader from the Silesian coalfield speaking miners meetings during BRUN LOU Wales coalfields. The South Wales miners' ecutive has decided to meet Palka, and this new level interest of the leadership in the struggle of Polish workers agains military repression shoul be warmly welcomed.
militancy of the miners and defeat of the Tories in February last year: 'All of us in the House of Commons and everywhere elst have much to learn from the miners' victory.
Yes indeed that mass extra-parliamentary acon as une only way le defeat the Tories!
The demonstration was given the sad news of the collapse of the Notts Area General Secretary and national executive member, Joe Whelan Socialist Challenge woul like to wish him a speedy recovery
Page 15 scan of this page
job loss
LONDON Transport workers face a renewed attack on two fronts after the setback of the fares farce. Following the doubling of fares last March the iron logic of Tory policy has resulted in passenger traffic slumping and transport workers being asked to pay the price in job cuts and a pay offer under half the current level of inflation.
The only Union of Railwaymen Transport to join with NUR members in British Rail for an all out strike.
The bosses now say that 240,000 fewer passengers are using the tubes every day, a drop of This is 20,000 more than 12 per Weill. since March. was predicted.
On the original estimate they proposed 500 jobs to go trom train crews alone. Now its certain that LT is planning to shut down seven tube stations with cuts in booking
LIVERPOOL
DH-
raDE
ABLICS
WEST REGION
SIDE & CHESE
Dockers led the way in opposition to the anti-trade union laws of Tebbit when they stopped work in their thousands to join the TUC's 10 June 'Union Day'. Pictured here is the march through Liverpool. Dockers brought work to a standstill in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Ayr, Kings Lynn, Hull and Felixstowe.
LONDON TRANSPORT
NUR workers
unite to fight
answer to this is for National • members in London
In addition they want to: • cut train services from Monday 21 June • cut bus mileage, some sections of bus routes and bus maintenance staff
Bus cuts will put 2,707 bus crew workers on ne dole, take 850 busses off the road and lose over 600 jobs response to this the In response to this transport union, TGWU.
&EXCISE
POOL BRANCH
TARAI
JOHN
By Patrick Siddall, London Transport NUR
is planning lohtning two hour bus strikes probably to lake blace inunc cvellite rush hours. The Nationa Union of Railwaymen mass meeting being. held Ull June to discuss ' wages and economies' is a big step forward. ne union leaders are al last linking the issues.
management is developing
policies line with those of the Tories. These involve: • wrenching LT from the control the democratically elected GLC • using cash limits cripple the service it offers • destroving the LT monopoly by opening the doors to private cowbovs to operate 'express-type' services
None of this is possible without smashing union resistance. To do this the Labour GLC has appointed its very own Michael Edwardes to LT His name Keith Bright and his main claim to fame is stripping over 2000 jobs out of Huntley Palmer Foods. Bonuses
London Transport workers are being asked to make sacrifices to keep LT afloat and keep their jobs "secure LT's Dersonnel manager John Cameron Soclicu i cally. "The clear message at all pay hegullalluis... is that co-operation in reducing costs can secure lobs.
The first step to getting the unions to agree to the restructuring of LT is the offer of possible bonuses on top of this year's five ber cent wanes offer
the bonuses may look like 'something for nothing' but LT will come back for more 'measures to secure jobs' many of which parallel plans for British Rail.
LT propose: •one operated trains and buses throughout the 'combine' Dispense with train crews altogether. For example trains on the Victoria line now are fully automated o and the driver Olly • mains because of union in-
• eradicate all barrier staff by installing automatic barriers throughout the tube system. • eradicate all booking office staff automatic fares collection
Vauxhall station. •reduce station staff to a foreperson, one or two rail workers and get cleaning contracted out to private firms.
News
Both British Rail and London Transport workers face the same offer, the same jobs cuts and the same Tory government. But the reaction of the union leaderships organised 1n LUC LORICOP Transport Joint Trade Union Defence Committee (which groups the TGWU Central Bus Committee and the NUR LT District Council) has not been to organise action and instead to blame each other for 'lack of co-operation'.
This is what's called for now:
the first installment of LT's package: re-
the new timetables, the five per cent with bonuses • take all out strike action from 28 June alongside the BR workers. •NUR Broad Left must organise against a sell out by écretary of the NUR. It Sid Weighell, click e steering committee should be convened immediately. • recall the Joint Delegate Conference • Labour GLC should support the call for all-out action and instruct the LT executive unconditionally withdraw all cuts and pay the 12 per cent increase.
Foster Building Sunderland Polytechnic Chester Road Further Whitley Bay. Tel: Newcastle 814217 (daytime) normanon rom
London Labour
Our Way
cillors in London'
Call which the councles boroug: 2002e
Credentiais from Jim. Ring, S: Sionaró Rú, London N13, Price £1.
A creche is available.
get pay cut
THE post office engineering union at its annual conference last WouN agreed ultimatum from its na. tional executive pay cut for its 20,000 membe
The settlement at half the rate of inflation means that from 1 July workers are to get 6.75 per cent on the basic rate and a productivity payment 1.25 per cent from 1 January.
But for some grades,
Get the facts!
300 sold at POEU national conference BRIAN Stanley, general secretary of the Post Office en iuthed Better think again. This net camplet there's no spells it out. British Telecom's bosses are cooking up new plans for reaundancy dna cuts After the success of breaking the Post Office
monopoly on telecommunications wage cuts on the workforce the next real threat is the second Telecom's Bill the Tories are pushing through this autumn. This Bill will enable them to soll .OTt bl per cent which is worth over £10bn.
Meanwhile the POEU executive plays at being better managers than the real ones, sitting on standards boards, promoting efficiency, downplaying the threat of Project Mercury This pamphlet produced by Socialist Challenge spells out real action to save jobs. posts dustrial action against prioritisation. Get your copy now. Only 5p plus 11½p postage from 11 Hemstall Road, London NW6.
Sorry
mistake crept into the Wales Labour Party report in week's issue: The resolution against the witch-hun Cardiff North came not from the miners or employees union, although both took a stand against the witch-hunt. Northern Trade Union Labour Left
Founding Meeting
Saturday 26 June 10.30am - 4.00pm
Upton, 7 Waterford,
Briefing Conference
Running London
Satúrday 19 June 11am to 5pm
County Hall It is hoped to set up an 'association of Socialist coun
to provide a London-wide means through which the pressures and demands of the activists be brought to dear 0L 000003253Z
...-
Telecom workers
By Dave Ward and Chris Mullin, POEU delegates including apprentices it micals a but old od cent and newly recruited labourers will face a cut of 14 per cent in present pay rates.
The NEC gave delegates an ultimatur not an offs it The
was don't accept this kick in the teeth you'll get the sledge hammer
cent. The NEC followed the George Jefferson, wanderson of British Telecoms who said
and inflicting
of British Telecom's assets 5p
orreeze al 35 hours now leading to 32 hours o inBy Tony Wheeler UNION recognition and sole negotiating rights have been conceded by ment at its Leamington and Warwick plants.
The ten-week strike for
at Kigass by about one hundred women out of the 140 workforce over Friday the strikers voted to accept the agreement put to
negotiating BrOWpanagement withdrew all ineir conditions for a retur
alone. And Central America is a volcanic region.'
VOLCANOES &
HURRICANES
DEFENCE of the
Published by
factual information and troduction to politics in this area 16 pages: 3 colour cover 30p a single cop fi postage. Bulk rates available on reques:. return Missiles
earlier this year it will be extremely difficult to
This is a despite reports
This despite reports that BT expects profits of f500m this year!
What is needed now leadership that will fight manage.
Ment NOT it campaigning leadership that will reflect the mood of Telecoms workers who now al t facing wage and job cuts with little prospect of a fightback.
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE
British
Telecom:
PLAN
TO
CUT
LOBS
Victory at Kigass
to work and agreed to the striker demands These clude recognition AUEW, the granting of sole negotiating rights, and no victimisation of the strikers.
The workforce return with £60 for a 39-hour week -increase of £8 per week one hour less five and and proper canteen facilities. half weeks holiday yea.
The women will return i( work next Tuesday united and confident to face the task o unionising rest of
THE PEOPLE are like volcanoes: no one sets fire to them, they explode
Fidel Castro, July 1980
Reagan-fuse
revolutions in Cuba, Grenada and Nicaragua and support for the revolutions in progress throughout the region are the twin themes of this new pamphlet.
Socialist Challenge sup porters in East London it provides up to date
is an invaluable inJobs not Bombs; 2 I won't die for Thatcher; Stop C-.se
Mako choques payable to: Hackney Book Group
Page 16 scan of this page
23 JUNE!
THE NEXT health workers day of action called for Wednesday 23 June promises to turn into a massive show of against the Tory government.
The just claim of the health workers for a 12 per cent rise in pay has cut right through the cant of Tory deep chord in the hearts of and struck working people.
The miners have again pledged strike aciton support and dockers, gas,
SECC and others are also poised
alliull Ovel 150.000 workers downed tools for the health workers on the 9 June day. of action. 23 June promises to be two or three times as big.
Such action is not only a biow on behalf of the health workers, its a direct challenge to the Tories and their attempts to smash the unions.
1980 Employment Act and Tebbit's new law due to come into effect in the autumn SOLS Oul LU stop precisely the kind of solidarity action we've been seeing.
By tying the unions up
knots, by threatening them with cullious penalties the Tories aim to stop broad labour ment mobilisation in support of individual groups of workers.
Arthur Scargill president National Union of Miners, answers the lory threat this wav: 'The best way to oppose the government's trade union legislation is to sup-
the campaign for higher pay'.
SOCIALIST
CHALLENGE
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Socialist
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SUPPORT THE
HEALTHWORKERS
working class solidarity
The TUC has taken no lead at all in stopping the TIES "Union Day' on 10 June may have seen eignt mimon Icalels distributed describing the Bill but this is not the type of action that's called for. uuu ustlidi acul will stop the Tories some of the more left wing union leaderships such as the miners have recognised.
TUC nervousness about the implications of the growing support for LUC shown by their response to the request bi the health unions to call on all afIllated unions to take industrial action on 23 June.
This was interpretea as a call for a one-day general strike, interpretation which Len Murray hotly disputed.
Bickerstaffe, due to take over from Alan Fisher Nureneral retira of public employees union said that the health strike is, in part. a political one, it aims to overturn Borchillicit Jay bully So join the picket lines, join the demonstrations on June. Health workers are prepared tour workplaces calling for support so why not invite LOCO LO vours?
Thatcher can be forced to relical the health workers pay limit but more importantly her whole policy can be defeated - if ts all out on 23 June.
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RDEA
By R Reid and R Brookes, NUR IN A dramatic confrontation the executive of the railway workers' union voted for all-out national strike on 28 June against the wishes of their general secretary Sid Weighell
Weighell responded by appealing the British Rail Board to up its offer of 3.1 per cent on the basic fale lo prevent ine strike and by saying that the executive decision didn't bar him from cultaule negotiations.
But all the signs point to a ball that isn't going to stop rolling as ASLEF, the train drivers' union, joins the NUR and approaches are made to the
TSSA as well as the steel and miners' unions who along with the NUR make up the Triple Alliance
The executive's decision Was torced by the wide-ranging nature of the attacks being made on the jobs and living standards of railworkers. British
TGWU
temands a
FAIR DEAL
for
HEALTH
SERVICE
WORKE
Weighell gets slapped down
National rail strike called
Rail's offer of five per cent frozen until September actually means a 3.1 per cent over the and amounts to a pay cut with an inflation rate of 10 pe " The 'offer' also included what amounts to a 'no strike' clause. The exCCULYC was aSO prepared to accept the productivity deals attached.
Although BR has made aletasorar retenerle closure of engineering workshops swincon. Horwich and Shildon it is still demanding acceptance of flexible rostering, 'one-
operation o goods and passenger trains, cuts in station staff, a restructuring of grades and other so-called efficiency
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measures all of which would result in thousands of jobs down the spout.
The executive's stand reflects the growing militancy of railworkers as demonstrated at their recent grades conferences which voted 229 votes to 29 against BR's offer.
While a decisive lead has been given which has Lic over wneiming suppor Siderame secto o ne siderable NUR is sceptical about the executive's ability to carry it through. They are wary of a re-run of last year when the strike action was called off the last minute and a pay deal accepted which had produc tivity strings.
Bul twice within
week the executive has slapped Sid Weighell down. Fifteen of its Guardian newspaper con-
demning Weighell for his attack on Tony Benn and the left of the Labour ParLy.
The threat of taking on all three rail unions together plus the miners ana ine power workers may be too much for the
The ball rests with them.
Meanwhile railworkers and their supporters neec to prepare for actinis oF The District Council the NUR are meeting this weekchulo uraw uD sulak
The NUI and ASLEF have agreed meet to co-ordinate ac tion. Joint strike committees involving all grades such as is already underway East London should be set up.
Speakers should be organised to go to local
Photo: PETE GRANT (Socialist Challengel
labour movement bodies including other unions. Constituency Labour Parties and Trades Councils.
The labour movement should brought onto the picket lines, , with mass delegations from the Labour Parties and the trade unions. Labour MP and local councillors should be called on to ofter support and facilities to the rail workers
The month of July promises to be a month of in-
showaowil the Tories and the labour movement should organis to defend all workers at the sharp end of the struggle.
Socialist Challenge will be vital in telling the rall story, up your order now and set up your sales teams at the depots.
← Socialist Challenge No. 249, 11 June 1982Socialist Challenge No. 251, 24 June 1982 →