Socialist Challenge No. 80, 25 January 1979
The scan: sc-n80-jan-25-1979.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
No 80 25 January 1979 19g
Socialist Challenge
What do we want? £60! How do we get it?
ALL OUT STRIKE!
ADING HO
Photo: BOB MURPHY (Socialist Challena Photo: BOB MURPHY (Socialist Challencel
HOW THE LEFT VIEWS THE CRISIS: Eric Heffer, Chris Myant, Chris Harman and Brian Grogan - P 8&9 Interview with Wolf Biermann - p13
Page 2 scan of this page
Lest we forget
OUR POLICIES 2E
EDITORIAL
Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper Street, London N1. Editorial 01-359 8180/9. 01-359 8371.
General election tasks
government are being challenged on an unprecedented scale as the workers movement demonstrates its tremendous fighting capacity.
At the same time, the "left' Labour MPs — with a nervous
contract once the storm subsides dominated by all issues that have produced the present turbulent crisis in society. People who have been radicalised by experiences of these movements and class battles will be looking for an alternative, and it is our task to make sure that the needs of the class struggle are not buried under the debris of reformism.
how we can make the strongest intervention to ensure that the banner of the socialist alternative is raised during the election. Make sure that your area is represented at this conference.
Solidarity in Iran JUST AS spectacular as the internal consequences of the Shah's fall has been its impact on world politics. Sadat of Egypt, for example, is a little unwise to play host to the exiled tyrant for he is widely reckoned to be next in line for the anger of the masses.
from Iran (quite a feat from their point of view) but no doubt the Iranian upsurge will remind the Egyptian people of their own anti-government rising in January 1977 Iran's traditional rival, Iraq, decided to throw its lot in with the Shah in return for his help in crushing the Kurdish rebellion a few years ago. It proved a wrong choice. The rulers in Baghdad may yet live to regret their decision to expel the exiled Ayatollah Khomeini. He is not one to forget a sleight.
have shed tears over his departure. oil-based economy is just as vulnerable to working class upsurge. The internal threat at the moment may be minimal but the Saudi ner are wonnca abour terarge numoer or arab workers in iran, as well as the Palestinians in Saudi Arabia. Both would be effective carriers of the revolutionary virus.
Iran's oppressed nations -threaten to carry the lessons of Iran into unstable) Turkey and Pakistan.
Eastern casualty: under pressure from the masses the Bakhtiar government has cut off oil supplies.
apartheid regime may be far away but the political impact will be felt there. as one black former student leader told Trotskyist Journalist Ernest Harsch: "We do not know much about Iran, just what is printed in the papers. But it reminds me very much of our own struggle here, when we demonstrated in 1976. If the Shah falls that will help us. It will show that unjust systems can be brought down.'
fortunate in the almost total paralysis of the policymakers in Washington. Britain seemed to have shot its bolt early with Owen's misinformed iomeini, and now stands to gain control of the tranian oil imperialism, in contrast, has played a clever consortium.
With the Shah's fall, the most dangerous phase of the Tranian revolution is opening confidence only in the power organisation.
government has not halted arms sales to the Tehran regime and it has accelerated more covert forms of intervention by British imperialism. Solidarity now becomes all the more necessary.
If you agree with these principles and want to be involved in activities by Socialist Challenge supporters in your area, fill in the form below and send it to us.
* I am interested in more information about activities in my area. * I would like additional literature and enclose 50p to cover costs. [Delete if not applicable] NAME
ADRESS
Send to Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper St, London N1.
Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 page 2
Distribution/Advertising
ENORMOUS grass roots opposition is sweeping the 5 per cent norm into oblivion. The anti-working class politics of the Labour
cast on thei parliamentary seats- make noises about lye collective bargaining but fail to take any organised steps to build support for the millions of people fighting wage restraint. Their refusal to build a nationally organised opposition fighting for a socialist alternative leaves the door open for Callaghan and the trade union bureaucracy to cobble together a new "social
Marxists have a special responsibility in this period of growing class struggle to fight for working class unity around policies that can build a socialist alternative right across the labour movement. The forces that are coming into action have the strength not only to break wage freeze but to start a fight that can replace the right-wing leaders inside the trade unions and the Labour Party.
We must also recognise that the coming general election will be
the
The Socialist Unity conference on 3 February will be discussing
The Egyptian press has carefully selected only the 'good news'
Other regimes in the area have equal reason to feel unhappy.
Even the Pahlavi dynasty's old foes, the Royal House of Saud,
They recognise that their
Kurds, Afghanis, Baluchis -neighbouring (and Israel will be anther Middle
South Africa too will no longer be getting Iranian oil. The
Imperialism stands to lose in Iran. The masses have been
and dogmatic defence of the Shah. French
But none of this means that imperialism has run out of tricks.
one in which the masses can place of their own independent
But we have a duty to help in that process. The change in
Ireland
bombers.
sobriety of Callaghan, Foot et al. by Geoff Bell
The bombs themselves did not produce the statutory howis of rage from the ruling class. Its obsession with union bashing has pushed all other matters aside
Nevertheless, here we are, Ene cigntn anniversary Derry's "Bloody Sunday', and still Ireland will not got away.
Indeed it is a fair guess that if Thatcher comes to power then the present offensive of the IRA in this country will develop into blitz proportions.
For that, as with most other things associated with the Iron Maiden's support, the Labour Government bears most responsibility.
Last week a member of the Government could stomach it no longer; assistant chief whip Jock Stallard resigned over the decision to increase the number ol Ivorinern irelana seats a Westminster.
And for all the common assumptions about the inability of the Irish question to oerco ae me consco sior the British labour movement, it is now of more than passing interest that three, albeit rather junior Government personnel have quit over this piece of legislation
ALIENATE
The decision to increase
CHICCE. will be the Loyalists* ( representation at Westminster was taken purely out of parliamentary considerations and Labour's desire to buy Unionist votes
That is one more reflection orine tovernnenes amulec te Ireland.
For all Ene collective blunders, sins, and sell-outs of the Wilson and now Callaghan regimes, it is arguable that their ECaLEL CHnC aLa ISL SoMals!! has been their Irish policy.
In particular, the "achievements of Roy Mason breathtaking. He has managed to alienate every conceivable form of opinion in nonLoyalist ireland.
The Irish Government, the Catholic hierarchy, the Social Democratic and Labour Party, even the rump of the 'Peace
revolutionary socialists are:
• To build broad-based class struggle tendencies in
Such an organisation should be based on the understanding that:
1
the bosses with that of other oppressed layers of society
cessary means the power of the capitalist state.
THE FIRST WORD
WITH the Labour Government pathetically slithering into its twilight hours, it desperately needs the type of audacity shown by last week's gas and fuel depot
Alas, such imagination is beyond the collective
People' have all publicly condemned Mason's repressive policies: his obsession with
murdering security, his SAS, USC and of the his unwillingness to come up with a single constructive idea.
Mason has even turned down Bombs over London last week
Capitalism is in crisis. The leaders of the Labour Party and the trades unions
offer solutions that are in the interests, not of the workers, but of the capitalist
Socialist. Challenge believes that the two vital tasks confronting
opposition to
class-collaborationism in the labour movement. These should be non-exclusive
in character grouping together militants holding a wide range of political views.
* To begin to fight for the creation of a unified and democratic revolutionary
socialist organisation which can, through an application of united front tactics,
begin to be seen as an allernative by trousands or workers engageu in struggies
The struggle for socialism seeks to unite the fight of the workers against black people, gays - struggling for their liberation. This socialism can only be achieved by creating new organs of power and defeating with all
pleas from the NCCL and Amnesty International investigations into various aspects of his policy.
He sums it up by his H-block policy. Mason not only defends the spectacle of 350 political
SUPPORT IRISH POWS
BLOODY
SUNDAY
MARCH
JANUARY 28
ASSEMBLE 2.30
SPEAKERS CORNER
MARBLE ARCH
DEMONSTRATION CALLED BY SINN FEIN
prisoners living in filth and wearing only a blanket, he seems to gloat about it.
It is probably fair to say that Roy Mason has achieved, in the face of great competition, the reputation of being the most 1 hated politician in nationalist in the eyes of the millions of workers throughout the world. We are opposed to them and will offer fulf support to all thove lighting tor socialist democracs.
3
imperialist regimes in the West and the brutal dictatorships thes sustain in L atin America, Africa and Asia.
In Britain it implies demanding the immediate withdraw al of Britsh-aroopfrom Ireland and etting the Irish people determine their own future.
are more favourable than over the preceding three decades. But such parties can only be built by rejecting sectarianism and seing internal democraes not ird LUXUS DUSAR VHR BOCHS-TE WERNS ER IU DELEN CaCS 2
Ireland since the foundation of the Northern state Such is the legacy of this tottering Labour Government to the people of reland.
Yet the majority of the labour movement remains unmoved. One might note the following, for example.
Barnsicy Is Ilason s con stituency. He is sponsored by STin er National Union of Mineworkers.
BARNSLEY Arthur cargill, one of the most left of the NUM's leaders, 1s the uncrowned king of Barnsley labour. But cargill's statements on Ireland have been very few and very far between.
Yet it is seless to denonce or criticise without offering a means of channelling indig.
HaLS Es The possibilities are there.
Although the International Tribunal on Britain's Presence in Ireland has suffered number of delays and set-backs, it remains a useful walv rocussing greatet attention on Ireland in the labour movement.
Tribunals by themselves are insufficient. It is the United Troops Out Movement which, by offering a variety of activites and organising non-sectarian and democratic manner, is the most populated of the presen solidarity movements.
And so it deserves to be.
Those who wish to take seriously Callaghan's remarks about not being 'too parochial' should contact the United Troops Out Movement at 2a St Pauls Road, London N1.
Our socialism will be infinitels_more democratic than what esist- in
'socialism" in the USSR and Fastern Europe hase discredited socialism
The interests of workers and capitalists are irreconcilable on a world scale. Capitalism has not onls crealed a world markel. it has created world politics, Thus we fight for working class units on an international scale. This unity will in the long run be decisive in defeating both the
The Communist Parties in Europe are in crisis. venner tn Euro-communist" nor the pro-Moscow wings hase ans meaningful strategs for the overthrow of the capitalist state, Sew revalutionars
Page 3 scan of this page
KEN JONES (TGWU, Thanet ambulance station) attacks union leaders at Monday's rally. Inset: NUPE leader Alan Fisher.
HOME NEWS
The
day
the
low-
paid
rose
up
ending low pay.
On By Jude Woodward
They all came to show the media just how strongly they came to warn inatener not to interfere with their right to strike.
And they came 80,000 strong.
Compare that number with the 600 MPs who have criticised them, the dozen or so national newspaper editors who have attacked them, and the 40 or so members of the TUC General Council who have sabotaged the struggle against low pay by their silence.
Compare that lot with the 80,000, and then ask: Who represents the working people of this country?
John Suddaby, NUPE Camden General branch secretary, who led a contingent of
to join the demonstration, summed up the general feeling when he said: ILS really fantastic. we've got a chance to really show Callaghan and Labour Government what we feel about low pay.
We're not going to stick it any more. If we're as vital as the press has been saying we are Tor the past week, then it's about time they started paying
FOR WEEKS the Government has been attacking low-paid workers - offering hand-outs instead of
The media has screamed 'murderers' because
ambulance drivers and other health workers are not prepared to go on doing vital, heavy, and often unpleasant work for a pittance. Monday 80,000 public sector workers
ambulance drivers, nurses, hospital ancillaries, school
keepers, water workers, sewage workers and many,
many more — came to London to tell Callaghan what
they thought of his offer and his solutions.
us what we're worth.
This demonstration is our first chance to show strongly we feel about this; to show how insulted we are by the offer we've got so far. •We want £60 a week, and even that's only two-thirds of the national average wage. And we want a 35-hour week. •In Camden, North London, we've had very all-out NUPE strike today. All the depots have been closed. *The most important thing now is to make sure that those boroughs that go on indefinite strike from today Southwark - are not isolated. *There has to be a massive campaign for the unions to call everyone out in solidarity. To move on to an all-out strike for the full claim across country. *The union leadership main sitting tight and leaving it up to individual branches what they decide to do. This isn't good Now enough — it's a recipe for defeat. this *The leadership of the union has to be forced to give a real lead to the members. members all want to win - the turn out today shows that. *Now we have to face the real fight.
Bob Elliott, shop steward for
Camden told assembled Camden strikhow ers that he was angry with the
negotiators:
They agreed to voluntary staffing of ambulances for emergencies. Thirty five ambulance offices rejected this and are out on strike. 'But in many places this effective worked as
Email, and they've kept some people in. scabbing on the driving amou ance and they ve got the St John's like
enoulance was a real backdown under unfair pressure. *Ambulance drivers are fed up with being paid a basic wage of f46 a week. the decent living wage. We have to
go back to our branches and go is for an all-out strike for the full
claim. *Callaghan is already on the run. If we committees action then we can win our claim."
Branch secretary Linsay of The University College
NUPE came with her members and spoke for many ancillary workers when she said: *We are here today in this freezing cold weather because
-ambulance drivers,
backed down and
emotional black-
anyway
We
if we work a 40 hour week
build strike
and councils of
have been
Hospital stope want people dying.
shorter hours.'
Some
PUBLIC SERUÇES
PAY
END LOR our basic wage is E38 a week - among
'Some of my members have to work seven days a week earn enough for their families. hours
•We are nearly all here today 'We only from UCH, but many people paid holiday.
1 blackmailed to stay in the hospitals. They are told that they are urgently needed to keep the hospitals open and to bonus
support in our fight against low pay and for
about lad
of her members,
1: GENERAL & MUNICIPA
WANDSWORTH FIGHTRA/U LONDON YE : them Mira Mickovic and Lily Sajnebevger, added to her words. 'Quite simply we want more money and less
You navero wor really long hours. If you take even one day off sick you don't get paid and you lose your
It's too much work and not enough money. And we've just
enough. We don't work for fun. It's not even a particularly rewarding job
READING NOS
(LOW PAY NO A WAY!"
hoto: BOB MURPH
E
*If they want to keep working they'll have to realise that our basic pay is just not enough.
David, aged 13, from Acland Burghley school should have the last word. "My school was closed down because of the strike', he said. "I think I'm the only one from my school who decided come on the demonstration
'But I came as I support the strike and think they should ge more money.
Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 page 3
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Brother Fisher do now?
HOME NEWS
Where
the
sector
action
FOLLOWING the huge demonstration on Monday, many puonc secior manuar workers are taking action for their pay claim.
Union leaders have not called for an all-out strike, despite strong reeling in Tavour of Enis among the membership, but many branches are striking
Across the country disruption of services continues, and public SCCLOT WOrKCIS showing their determination to Ignt it out wHn uneir masters the Government.
Here is a checklist of some of the action.
Schoolkeepers in Sunderland, Newcastle upon Tyne, Hillingdon in Middlesex, and the London borough Haringey are on macame strike.
In Gwent in Wales schoolkeepers are likely to stay out. They are angry because Gwent wasone of three Welsh areas not to close its schools on Monday.
Six hundred water workers walked out on unofficial strike in the North-west on Monday night only colleagues in another division had voted to accept the 14 per cent offer
Several other large branches of the water workers have voted to come out and reject the offer, including South Wales
In Birmingham, laundry workers in central hospitals will stay out all week.
Southwark and Barking branches of NUPE are all-out indefinite strike action.
The ambulance service across London is on emergency cover only. This situation applies in many areas of the country.
On Merseyside, the ambulance officer threatened to lock out drivers taking limited industrial action, and there's virtually no service there at all.
NUPE members were sittingin on Tuesday at Queen Mary College in London because
workers had been brought in during Monday's day of action.
In various parts of Britain a number of hospitalsand schools
drastically reduced services.
Everywhere public sector manual workers are striking, working CALO rule, handling CHICTECICICS only, working *without enthusiasm' banning overtime.
In addition to these public sector manual workers, Manchester Airport faces closure again because of a 20 per cent pay Transport Union members.
Power workers leader Mick Barwick has warned that they will not accept 5 per cent.
Train drivers are due to strike again today for more money. And we ve yet to hear from the miners and others...
Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 page 4
Low paid
since 1926'
The subsequent Westminster ended in uproar when the audience drowned out the speeches leaders with chants of 'all out strike'
But the leaders involved -Fisher of NUPE, Basnett of GMWU, Spanswick pay COHSE. and Evans
TGWU - will need a lot more pushing before they agree to such a tactic.
According to last Sunday's Observer, the union leaders 'hope to keep a firm grip on the activities of their local action
of committees which wil run the disruption campaign, but they
are worried that militants will escalate the action'.
This IS why committees are beine recom mended to look at a variety of tactics for pursuing the claim, all of which stop at an all-out strike by all the unions and all the workers involved. circular from suggests "total strikes selected groups, overtime bans, on
chief
now and
pubic So what will
THE "Daily Telegraph" described Monday's Day of | opportunity. Action by public sector workers as 'the biggest strike
For many of those on strike the limited nature of the action did not go nearly far enough.
rally in | lightning work to rule. unwillingness The leadership to make strike action effective as illustrated by their attitude to the strikes by school caretakers.
Both Alan of assistant Bernard of the informed pickets that it is not their function to close down the SCHOOIS. but "persuade' teachers not to do work normally done by the strikers.
Accordingly, on Monday the National Union of Teachers reversed their previous decision and sent out instructions their members to picket lines the action which was approved by the NUPE leadership.
Similar attempts to limit the action are evident ambulance service, where the unions have told their members o diswer cuerrercy services.
NUPE despite the by provocation of sending in the army to strike break at the first
Hand in
now. strikes by others, Thus
COHSE's of the Times: possible
Government Fisher and his
Dix have productivity haps attendance bonus,
merely to
into basic rates.'
appeared
to on 'the cross the - an instruction
in the the region followed by a
Government's Their suggestion
standable,
hand with such contain action, some of the union leaders have already made pubac teir aestre to drop the demand for £60
minimum Terry Mallinson, Ancillary Council negotiator, told the Financial *The basic increase might not
important were ready case for payments, perthe form an -country and for evident consolidation of supplements rally.
Similarly, when Alan Fisher
on the Tonight programme on Monday night, he made it obvious he would recommend a settlement based Despite
going rate, that is around 15 per cent, or less than half what the pay claim actually
quite apart from the demand for a 35-hour week
The union leaders are most enthusiastic for a settlement in increasingly
of 14 per cent the possibility governmental emergence inquiry into public sector pay.
is underand pathetic. The spectacle of moving one and a
SOCIALIST CHALLENGETRADE UNION DAYSCHOOL
on Rebuilding the Left in the Unions
Saturday 17 February 1979
Open to all supporters of Socialist Challenge in the unions. Venue: Starcross School, Risinghill Street, London N1. Entrance 50p. half million workers into action to gain an inquiry might amuse the partisans of pay policy
It would also deny the lon paid their one sure means of hoisting themselves to a f60
militant action now for the full claim
So, on the one side there are the union leaderships, striving to limit the action and publicly staling tem aesure to compro mise on the claim, while on the other side there is the militancy evident in many sections of the rank and file up and down the
vocally at the Westminster
The outcome of the tensions between Fisher et al and the rank and file will be decided in how and who controls the strike
having lost the initiative in many areas around the country. the public sector union leaders still have ultimate control at a national level.
But at a time when their collaborationist schemes are
being challenged, exists for the or rank bodies to control the struggle.
Elected strike committees, joint shop stewards committees, and the organisation of
flying pickets can be fought for and won — and the leaderships obliged to recognise such bodies.
Such a fight needs organising. The E60 and 35 Hours Low Pay Campaign Committees can do this job. The Campaign for Action in NUPE can wage the struggle in that union.
But they will only be effective if the small number of initial supporters can channel thei efforts in a united fashion and in the right direction
In London, for example, 11 meetings have been called using ine tou-so hours name but under the title 'Rank and File Action Campaign', and these have called for workers to unite through Rank and File groups.
Such groups and Low Pay Action Committees cannot be the organisers of the strike They are too small and do not pose any serious alternative to bodies based on the structures of the unions.
Their role should be to get their supporters to fight inside the union for their line as to how the claim can best be won.
Dh. BOR MURPHY Socals Challende
Page 5 scan of this page
HOME NEWS
offer of f60 for 40 hours.
BOB
There are 40,000 laid off in the North-west. The docks are botfled up and no containers are moving. Ninety per cent of all transport goes by road.
You'd think we could get this strike finished quickly, but we are divided.
Among the Road Haulage Association drivers the strike 1s virtually a hundred percent. But the Freight Transport
drivers haven't transport and General Worke been called out ers Union.
The RHA is the employers' association which negotiates for firms operating a hire and reward system. The negotiates for firms which have their own transport ROBERT WATSON (right) and the lorry which killed him (above)
ANTI-STRIKERS
heckled by counter-demonstrators. By Tommy Healey
SOME 70 women and men braved the snow and fog in their suede leather and fur coats at Liverpool's Pierhead 1 last sunday.
Calling themselves Women Against Strikes and House. wives United, the group's organisers included local Tory DATHICS and the National Association for Freedom.
They were opposed by 120 counter-demonstrators, the Women's Action Group, Women's Voice, the Workers Group, and other SecHOns of the women's movement, together striking lorry drivers, low paid workers, and other BHORISIS.
Both groups gathered with their placards. A man sat on a raincoat praying, a Bible in his hand.
The banners of the anti-trade unionists, declaring 'Down with Strikes', were waved in
THE ROAD Haulage Association has so far met the
lorry drivers' claim of £65 for a 35-hour week with an
In local settlements, the union leaders have dropped
the demand for a reduction in hours and at the same time done their best to appease the Government with a picketing code that amounts to a scabs' charter.
member at Carborundum on the Trafford Park
industrial estate, Manchester, told Martin Collins how
the strike is biting in spite of weak leadership.
delivering their own goods.
The union's decision sets up a division among drivers that wasn't really apparent before the strike.
FTA drivers are about 20 per cent paid, would probably have joined the present action. Before rGWU made the official, it was drivers from both the associations who were taking unofficial action. the At our place dum, on Trafford Park — we had to vote on whether to come out on sympathy strike, strike pay, or secondary pickets closed the FTA place down and get lay off pay.
With that sort of choice the drivers voted against and mainly women - took to the streets in Liverpool, Bury, and Oldham last weekend,
With a combination of strikes and freezing weather conditions making a sharp impact on industrial and social life in the area, the Tories, the far right, and the press have been attempting to rally the most vulnerable.
Danger as the supporters of the lorry drivers grew finally outnumbering them.
The an- race made their worst mistake when they mount podium which had been erected to celebrate one hundred years of Liverpool Trades Council.
This was like a red rag to a bull to the pro-strikers. was a group of anti-trade unionists using the 10 from campaign. ney were met with a barrage Ford of abuse and Shocked by this, they decided to abandon the podium and with gather elsewhere.
But trade then haranguing. debating, arguing - coupled with chants of "Tories' and 'scabs'.
This made the anti-strikers react by singing 'Land of Hope and Glory' and We're Proud to be Tory', which was their undoing. Some people among
action.
Before the TGWU came out, the United Road Union had accepted the 13 per cent offer. Being an all-drivers union, with but most members, they
they'd be finished the worked through the strike. strike I think it's the first they've made they're carrying secondary picketing.
Carborun- Secondary picketing is the
only way we're going to win.
The FTA drivers with ourer anvers picket unes, wait until the three or four pickets can close
down a really big place.
At our place three pickets have stopped 28 vehicles. At strike Colgate Palmolive down the By Geoffrey Sheridan
DEATH came to a striking lorry driver last Thursday, under the wheels scab-driven truck.
It happened on the picket line at the Shell UK Exploration
Production depot A pereen.
An eight-ton lorry refused to stop when it went into the depot. As it left, Robert Watson and another picket went up to speak to the driver.
He sped on, leaving Watson
WOMEN
UNITE AND
SUPPORT
THE
STRIKE
larger,
UNIONISES
the
Here
workers'
their
snowballs.
counter-demon- them clearly followed, themselves
and began to leave.
The with the supporters of the lorry drivers clearly the victors, with police in large numbers drafted wancared.
The antis, bruised by
Transport
Many some 20,000 don't need a picket.
recognised if they Gateways strike example, they official, and
on full they continued secondary pickets.
won't cross kind of nonsense
sO Alex Kitson,
has some theory 2DOU
after the other.
Scab kills picket
crushed under his wheels.
The hysteria machine
cranked up by Parliament
and the 'popular' press has yet
to find a single death -
or animal — caused by strikers'
action.
Yet their message when
lorry driver is killed fighting for
a decent wage is quite simple:
Stop your bullying and get back
to work.
* Pickets can look forward to
imprisonment under
National Front government.
That was the message from
PUBLIC
LORRY DRIVERS
SOCIAL WORKERS WORKER, IN DRIVERS. Y'RE STRIKING S OF US!
COUNTER-demonstrators supporting the strikers hit back in Liverpool did not
Tories, and
indoors. demonstration ended
shocked and
vociferous
road TGWU members in the The warehouse there won't touch
wagons, so they very divisive.
A lot depends on what the union officials are up to.
near Bristol, for threatened to tear up drivers' union cards if
to mount code
In Manchester at the moment up for him? there is just no chance of this
the national committee, official in charge of the strike,
kind of domino regional negotiating bodies settling one
John Tyndall at the annual conference last week-
Tyndall declared: When we human take over government, as one day shall, the moment mobsters try by intimidation to prevent British workers doing their jobs, those mobsters will find themselves in police cells quickly won't know what hit them.
Many do know, though. It's called fascism.
FLORRY DRIVER
EARN 253 a WEEK
IRANSPORT TRADING
PROFIT: £437 MILL
NOT THE WORKERS) opposition they had received, planned to meet again, this time
Their demonstration was a defeat for the press and local But they radio stations, which for a week had pumped out abuse against the lorry drivers and publicised isolated. the anti-trade union demo.
Sadly, what was lacking was persuade
Lorry drivers' strike
The truck
stops here
union leadership looking for deals and ways out, and the local settlements are
There is a dilemma - if you bring down Labour the Tories would take away the right to win. strike altogether. So what do you do when Moss Evans signs for of picketing that Callaghan had probably drawn Bill Astbury, the chairper son of the Manchester strike said that if the drivers can't afford to eat no In one will. Of course, holding up hospital supplies and anıma feedstuffs will not strengthen NF's
reins we that physical
they BLAME THE BOSSES SEWIVES
ND SKERS the wives of the lorry drivers; though one cannot fault the effective picketing of the lorry drivers themselves. must learn the lesson of involving their wives, that they not left
The media can more easily women that, as
the strike.
Bill is very blunt, and that was a bit rash. But what it reflects is our attitude to the strike. The bigger it is, the more solid it remains, the quicker we
A crucial part of the claim is
the 35-hour week. The whole industry and pay structure is geared around working 20 hours overtime a week.
The basic rate for drivers is something like £1.33 an hour
1981, when the EEC regulations come in limiting the working week, drivers' wages will be slashed.
Photo: TONY MEEHAN
"housewives', they are the victim of strikes, when the workers movement itself helps to reinforce the same division burnes
Women's groups in Liverpool are preparing to organise further marches and meetings to counter the anti-strike.
Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 page 5
Page 6 scan of this page
School students
Social workers confront union ruse
Victimisation threat to journalists
WHAT'S
LEFT
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Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 page 6
of the most disciplinarian
headmaster (illustrated here).
This hysterical reaction
is fairly typical.
Pete: 'We want a union at Highbury Grove to stop the cane, the petty rules and school uniforms.
Tim (3rd year): 'At our school you can get caned for almost anything. can make up the rules as they go along.
'For example, people beaten for fighting, swearing, (even when vou re over 16). and even things like eating in class or answering a teacher back or forgetting their homework.
Frank (4th year): twice they've caned a whole class. Like one first year class got caned 'cos ther mucking about with a fifth year. The teacher came in and just caned the lot of them.
*The NUSS told us there are rules about the cane. They said By Pete Cresswell Secretary, ( Liverpool strike committee
*AFTER six months members are still strong, but is NALGO?'
The question is asked by the local government union's own standing conference of strike committees, in a leaflet sent to all delegates who will be attending government group meeting on
26 January.
The meeting will discuss the social workers' strike for pay regrading and local By Kathy Lowe NUJ North London branch
THE ENDING of seven-week strike of provincial journalists, with the decision to ACCEDE 4.) per increase, has brought a mixed response from members of the National Union of Journalists who affected.
Certainly, this level of pay rise would never have achieved without the fought industrial action first nationa strike union's history.
HOME NEWS
NUSS under attack in London
organise
TWO WEEKS AGO parents of school students at one
schools in Highbury Grove School, received a letter from the
to attempts by students to organise, and even more so to the new National Union of School Students' magazine Blot,
RAY BROWN and SUE HUTCHINS talked to some of the students at Highbury Grove to find out why they wanted a union at their school.
teachers have to do it in private with a teacher as a witness and with a proper cane. 'In fact kids often get it in front of the whole class and not always with a cane.
The teachers *I'd estimate they cane about eight times a week at Highbury Grove. That makes it I've known by far the worst school round lateness, here. smoking Other problems at the school include incredibly petty uniform rules - to the extent that students have to get passes if, for example, they don't have *Once or the proper regulation shoes If they don't get a pass from their housemaster they're likely to get suspended.
Some students racism was a problem too.
Steve (4th teachers seem to pick on the coloured kids more than the
tions, NALUU branches.
The NALGO leaders hope to persuade accept offer our virtually the same as the one overwhelmingly rejected last November. workers' Their latest report, issued last Friday, fairly insignificant changes in the employers' offer; but the local leadership appears to be hoping that they will what they seem to be suggesting is a victory over the 5 per cent pay policy. negotia- But until the last few weeks
But the settlement falls fai below the £20 claim, and for juniors - those with less than the means under f5.
The employers have once again succeeded in maintaining 8,500 the differentials which provincial journalists have long been were concerned to narrow.
The worst settlement, however, is that the union leadership recommended been the deal without ensuring that hard. there would be
in the - Ine SaUO At the Nottingham Evening Post, where the unions were
demand right to
London, and white fighting, I've
one and not the other.? school
former
cation system.
change things in the school.
use the are getting organised.
school gales They *subverted They came
thought the clothes they choose. year): 'Some
like not which now involves 19
social worKers to
which is cent limit couldn't apply.
settlement on the
includes a few
sides suddenly
I win support on ment ruling
doesn't apply after all.
experience before-tax rise of
Kent, and elsewhere.
tion. aspect of the strike until
meeting no tatives
majority.
| others. Like if a coloured kid
kid get caught seen icacners punisa me colourcu
In fact Highbury Grove is already a test-tube for many of the Stone Age ideas that its
Rhodes Boyson, now Tory education spokesperson, would like to see applied throughout the edu-
The keynote is discipline, and a senior staff smart enough to use their privileged access to parents to whip them up against any attempt by their students to
In spite of this the students
Forty came to a meeting after NUSS had leafleted the school and responded to the head's letter by distributing Blot free at the
didn't come to be corrupted" and because they thought a union could help them to win basic rights that those of us not at school take for granted: to join a union; against physical violence from teachers; for the right to wear
legal code
Their next step will be to try to win mass support for tactics
wearing uniform, altogether. the pay policy has not even been an issue in the dispute. It had been assumed that, as the claim was for regrading, the 5 per
Then, about six weeks ago, the employers started to say
policy Wal involved, and that it prevented this demand.
regrading 15S Now, at the last minute, both
dispute have 'revealed' a govern- are that the policy national deal
So what seemed apparent at the beginning of the dispute 1s now portrayed as a 'victory' by Other
smashed after a strike in 1973, 28 journalists now stand to lose their jobs. Threats of dismissa have also been made against
probationers in Sittingbourne, the
NUJ chapels were asked to damaged vote on the pay offer before we Above had the information about the revealed the failure to secure no-victimisa-
A proposal to continue the
CYCLYUHE the reinstated, put to a national
chapel represenon 17 January, was defeated by a three to two
unless there
Since the chapels themselves settlement.
Highbury Grove senoo Hishbury New Park London N.2
L.J. Norcross, B.A Telephone: a heroe tot parents are bet he in the drand tat at 7 p. on thursday: Loch danuary be of one it in out inportant that
relationship conse percen
In view of the demanding that at least the
on cane is enforced, and trying to get ride of corporal punishment the union leadership!
Meanwhile, no headway at all has been made on the central question of local negotiations, and the suspicion is that the issue of pay policy was raised and then unraised as a way of camouflaging the dropping of
As an alternative to what would, in reality, be a defeat for the social workers, striking branches and their supporters
calling for immediate withdrawal from talks on a
- a strategy which would re-emphasise the claim for local negotiations.
suggested tactics
had already voted to return, this result wasn't surprising.
Unless there is a united effort now to win total reinstatement,
prospects HEUTE industrial action will be gravely the
all, the strike has of sier elecuing a stnne leauersinp
Our action lacked national leadership, and when it came to
crunch the full-time officials suffered a bad failure of nerve. This persuaded them - without any real evidence -that the strike would collapse
was a quick
9th January, 1979.
Yours sincerely
L.J. NORCROSS.
They deserve the support of socialists and more especially socialist teachers, whose union leaders universally attack and condemn the NUSS include giving strikers more control through representation on the official strike operations committee, the escalation of strike action, and a levy of the membership to finance the strike. **Lobby NALGO meeting at Central Hall, Westminster, Friday 26 January, 8.30am onwards.
BOC
victory
By John Ross WORKERS at the British
Oxygen Corporation's Hack-
depot have won their struggle against the suspension
and General Workers Union convenor John wash anative omer workers
The six were suspended after
Hackney workers had refused to work on iced-up lorries on safety grounds. Now,
week strike.
management has caved in and lifted the suspensions.
The six are to be reinstated and those who walked out with them are to be paid for the time of the suspensions. Work has been resumed on the basis of negotiations in 28 days on payment of all wages lost in the SUFIKE
Page 7 scan of this page
HOME NEWS
Political
International
in our issue available).
We hope to
MULHERN, a member
Socialist Challenge Group.
The IMG-ISA Resolution on Revolutionary Unity' seeks to consolidate the political understandings reached to date by the forces gathered around Socialist Challenge
into a programme of joint action capable of giving these understandings practical effect and attracting wider support among socialists for the project of revolutionary regroupment.
As such it should welcomed all interested in building cHecuverevo luonary socialist organisation in this country.
the same token, resolution 1S limited document, representing modest organisational base and confining itself to somewhat generic statements and proposals.
It is not an analysis contemporary Britain, or of the tasks and possibilities lying before the British left today, and should not be evaluated as though it were.
However, having signed the document, I would like indicate or differences of emphasis, three concerning particular formulations and a fourth concerning the general tenor of the text
1. The CP is lumped in with the Labour Party as part of 'the
Left' This erroneous, in my view
The new *British Road' certainly represents rengthening the Im pulse towards reformism, but the Party remains centrist organisation whose political destiny is still uncertain.
It is hardly conceivable, at least not in the reasonably near
ESPE SENE CP could finally degenerate into reformism without
SCYCEC involving the departure of large numbers of its militants forces who should be seen as potential members of a united revolutionary organisation, and who should therefore be approached with greater & political delicacy phrase gives evidence of.
2. The section on racist and anti-fascist SOCONS of 'destroying' National Front et al. Nothing else here actually bears out this suggestion, so it may be that the word slipped inadvertently.
At any rate, was regrettable lapse, which will not help to rid the far left of its i residual weakness for antifascist heroics.
As the rest of the section rightly indicates. TACOSS fascist, state-organised, simply the everyday popular variety can only combatted by mass political
CONSIDERABLE interest has been aroused by the appeal for revolutionary unity and joint work drawn up by the
Socialists Alliance International Marxist Group and published
of 4 January (copies still
print one or more contributions to this debate every week. This week's contribution is by FRANCIS
of the paper's National Policy Committee and of Camden
mobilisation.
The whole purpose democratising the ANL is to equip it with the analysis and demands that this necessitates ANL obviously lacks.
3. Section 5 calls, among other things, for fighting WILT imperialism' in Ireland. Put so be abstractly, those unexceptionable; and it seems an clear that British withdrawal is precondition of political advance in the island. the Yet is remains a fact that, after ten years of continuous CriSIS, none of these imperialist forces has been able to weaken the resistance of 1 million Ulster their political projects, of explain that resistance in any cogent way.
My own view is that these political projects, form, are compatible with the consistent exercise of the right of national self-determination in Ireland the resolution demands.
resolution's phasis on joint-action - which in another form has been a recurrent theme in debates over Socialist Challenge inception - is unsatisractory. is There is at times a tendency within uphold action as a dependable st- solvent of political differences and to relegate political debate to optional status.
This tendency resisted.
No likely
crisis this
antiwork the ABOUT a thousand or
be arrived.
debate is vital Why we'll
and
and 14 February
Indian Workers of
support for Dave.
objective and which the You have
initiative in campaign committee for multiracial education
"solidarity hampton. What do you think
British of the racist remarks about this from Nick Budgen, demand Powell's successor as Conser-
vative MP for Wolverhampton South? further Budgen's remarks surprise me at all. He calls for stricter immigration antieducation will apartheid Protestants to Given his past history this is
For to not surprising. Three or four ycars ago he accused parents of daughters to the highest bidder.
We challenged him to appear their on the same platform as us to prove this false allegation. course he pie. He had no proof. also The general multi-racial delicate area. local authority is controlled by emso-called socialists, the Asian
since its *action' will
whole range of action that will sooner or later, over a period of
Unity to decades.
cohesive and versatile revolutionary organisation.
This range is available only in the entire should be socialist movement,
present, and of grasped as a whole in political mourners for Michael by white racists in Hackney, East London, raised their fists in angry defiance last Saturday as they passed Stoke Newington policestation, where Michael had to wait for 45 minutes before an ambulance
IWA President on
be defending
Dave Stevens
THE TRIAL of Dave Stevens, the Wolverhampton anti-racist committee treasurer who was arrested on a demonstration last March, is due to start between 7
The defence campaign for Dave has had a big impact locally. N.S. NOOR, National President of the
Association (GB), Roseblade how racism affects the Asian community in Wolverhampton and why they are campaigning for
recently taken the forming - the
in Wolverthe country.
Enoch
don't
controls secret. multi-racial lead
of ethnic minorities.
Asian Has it been effective? selling their
Drift developing Of Labour had to eat humble
question of education. education is Although this
encompass the discussion.
required of International
purges later, to the
of the "action' past and kind BOT can only be Ferreira, the black
told Chris
Of course. community has suffered more
hands of the Labour council in Wolverhampton than anywhere else in
We have had dozens of complaints from Asian parents whose children deserved grammar school places but were never allowed any. When we asked for the selection criteria they were never revealed, but were always kept as a state
That is why we set up our committee, to campaign for for months. provision for the special needs
Definitely. The issue is now in the public eye. There is a clear
WIthin the Party, with some people in favour of complete implementation of multi-racial Undoubtedly.
People are now prepared to fight back against all sorts of discrimination - not just in education, but in social security with
There is of course another, less exacting road to unity, the
Socialist road which has led, many splits and
Socialist Workers Party. The course o
which produced that "unity" better discussed today than repeated
struggles
youth murdered
Holborn
provision, for example.
This is a major grievance among the community, isn't it?
They don't know their rights. The tribunals are a pack of racist parasites.
Often they don't even bother to cross-examine the claimant.
They simply say Wait outside', because in reality they've made up their minds already.
am often present as an interpreter. The medical officer will say that this man is fit for work even though his own doctor says that he isn't.
They try all sorts of tricks to stop paying benefit, or again they can simply delay the claims
It is these practical questions — education and social security
which really affect the
racists have to take up.
But despite everything, balance-sheet of our work in the last year is positive?
To certain extent we have already exposed racists in the administration, that the police and the judiciary.
Our acquittal rate of people
charges trumped up
THE
ELECTIONS
LEFT
National conference, Saturday 3 February
Speakers include:
Blanco, leader of mass peasant London N1 2XP
in Peru and deputy for FOCEP united left slate: ALSO BENEFIT afterwards Harry MeShane, active in the with Belt and Braces rock band, CPGB's election work in the Latin American music, 1920s; Pat Arrowsmith, campaigner against nuclear wea- at pons, for gay rights, for troops Hall, Brixton (opp. out of Ireland, and Indepen- Town Hall)
Socialist candidate for Cardiff South-East.
Conference begins
Assembly Rooms, (50p wageless).
ANDREW WIARD (Recor
against them is • staggeringly
high — about 90 per cent. This
now makes the police think twice before they arrest
"potential criminals"
It is not accidental that Dave
Stevens has got a lot of support
in the campaign that we have
organised to drop the charges
against him. Support from
MPs, councillors, trade union-
ists - this reflects the work that
we have done.
His trial will probably be in
early February, and as of now we are leafleting and preparing
for it.
We have called a community
rally for the India Republic Day
celebrations on 28 January.
About 2,000 people will be
there, and Dave Stevens will
address the meeting togethe
with MP Bob Edwards
We are convinced that Bob
Edwards will help to mobilise
support for the first day of
Dave's trial and to present our
petition to the DPP.
The Indian community
knows what Dave Stevens has
done for them in the past. We
will now be asking them to
help him in return, and I'm sure
the community will
respond wholeheartedly and
help build a huge picket for the
first day of his trial.
TAND
socialist
unity
London WC1. Registration fee f1. Credentials from Bob Hugo Pennington, SU, PO Box 50
supper, refreshments. 7.30pm
Matthews Community Lambeth 5 mins from Brixton tube (Victoria line), buses 35, 2, 3, 196, 159, 95, 37 1lam, or BR from Victoria. Adm £1
Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 page 7
Page 8 scan of this page
and incomes policy
not accept any further wage restraint.
By ERIC HEFFER
It was therefore somewhat unrealistic tor the government to insis nati was in favour of a 5 per cent maximum increase for future wage rises. Once the about rary conterence nao relecice the 5 per cent the government should
bowed to the realities of the HayC SILURTON.
Instead most ministers acted like OstrIChes. mouline ole Drases aDOu how the 5 per cent line had to be held and how the country simply could not arora to Day any more merely exacerbated the situation.
= was clear that the would be forced to retreat. That thei are now doing, and each dispute will be settled as it arises. The incomes policy is 250Cal 540000.
The demands for legislation control the unions which are being put
have, unfortunately, found an echo in right-wing Labour politicians.
The Manifesto Group is once again
of Strife' . These are not likely to receive widespread support, but they do have
The reality of the situation is that the workers, organised in their unions, have seriously frichtened the employersand the Tory stabian. demonstrated the extent of their power.
It is they who produce and move the roods. Without them capital is useless t is this power that the establishment is determinee to crust
The demand for legislation to outlaw the closed shop, to stop "secondary
bring powers under a State of Emergency, are all designed to crush the rising power and mulancy or lne workers.
For the establishment the unions, instead of being the spearhead of the workers struggle areto pe ountea and used as the policemen to discipline the workers!
However, despite these demands, history will not at the moment lend itself to such developments. ments along the lines of the workers' demands will have to be reached.
That is why the government belatedly recognising the facts and is rerusing to be stampeded into accepling a State of Emergency
Contrary to what the Tory press is
hoto: BOB MURPHY
Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 page 8
Tribune
THE PRESENT industrial crisis was not unpredictable. The government and everyone else was given plenty of notice. The Trade Union Congress had gone on record against wage restraint
It was perfectly clear that the rank and file of the unions would
saving, we are not in ne inroes or a pre-revolutionary situation resemonne It What we economic conflict which will blow itself our will unc workers makle financial gains at the expense of the employers. could and differently headed by Mrs
government
to
FAS
trade
have RKERS
nite.
La decent
control. For then her right-wing view: would create com rontanon The British labour movement is unique. The Labour Party was created by the unions and it cannot exist without them.
William Rodgers, the Minister for Train or his cents.
Settle- the party and unionised workers. It is between the UnIOnS.
This is because it is the Labour government which is out of step. It has accepted too many Tory arguments.
There is just enough time to put things right, but only just.
RETURN UNTI
WE'VE
FORDERES FIGHT FoR
EVERYONE
revolutionary anything remotely
are seeing is a purel
SOTC
would develop
Tory government Thatcher were in
CENERAL & MUNICIPAL
E CAS WORKERS
SAY PLAY FAIR ON
PAY
situation
Tererred TO a
but not between
SOLIC
Socialist
scale that which brought down Edward Heath in 1974.
capitalism.
mounting their biggest ever protests against low pay. By CHRIS HARMAN
Even if the government clears these two nurdles. incE taco unc acmands of the miners, the power workers, the civil servants, the teachers. And other
per cent are likely to be pushing in interim claims very quickly.
WANTED
REASONABLE WAGE
All the props are being pulled out from the elaborate structure built up Lover our years to noist Dront Fates al the expense of wages.
Thatcher's ranting about 'strike committees SInC elected government' is not just demagogy: it expresses the very real fear of the ruling class inat tney are losing contror over events.
The scale of the struggle against the wage controls is greater, it anyining than in 1973-4: more workers directly involved than in the miners' strike which displaced Heath.
And the lorry drivers pickets show that in wide sections of industry the attempts by management to porate convenors and senior stewards have failed to emasculate shop steward organisation.
However, there is one big difference between the struggle now and that in 1973-4. the level of political generalisation is lower.
In 1973-4 all the struggles began to focus on a single, achievable goal -removal of the Heath government. The Labour opposition seemed to provide
alternative controls and the inree day week
Now there is no credible national
political alternative to ine Labour, capadie or giving a sense or unified purpose to the many groups of workers in struggle
'Left' union leaders ike Kitson and "left' MPs like Heffer have been falling over themselves not to distinguish inemse ves trom Moss evans Mutay or even Callaghan.
INC widespread feeling by group of workers that it should not b
wage controls is not yet of Colous co struggle as a class-wide this which has allowed defeats like that
of the bakers occur -atTer Vic ones like Cords
Although the class is advancing, it is doing so in a fragmented manner,
WHICH arall employers to retake the initiative. This places a special responsibility on the revolutionarv lett
Suddenly, we are in a situation where
what we have been saying for years
learning through their own experience
of struggle.
But there are too few of us where it matters, on the factory and office
floor, for that many of them to take us
Seno sv
Worker
THE LABOUR government is now facing a crisis approaching in
The immediate cause of panic in high places has been the lorry drivers pickets' success in bottling up the profitable heart of British
This has taken place just as the public sector manual workers are
seriously, many struggles are going to be lost, needlessly, strike.
That makes a correct response by the revolutionary left more necessary than CYCL The revolutionary left can begin to make an impact on wider sections of workers than ever before. providing it recognises that its politics has. to be rooted in the workplace.
SUDSL LULE -TOE Unal activities, like building the ANL, may contribute to that task.
intervention now lies in a two-pronged strategy.
Firstly, we are seeking to build our papers, Socialist Worker and Women' /oice, as real worker -WOrKers can WHite dOoUL neIT StruELICs analyse the political lessons of these struggles in their own words, and see
struggles and the overall struggle for workers' power.
We believe these papers can act as a bridge to revolutionary politics for many thousands of workers.
Secondly, industry and union are trying to bund of rank and file rooted in the workplace and with a perspective develoos struggle of their fellow workers rathe than the old broad left perspective o
trade union bureaucracy We believe that such rank and file groupings which revolutionaries non-revolutionary trade unionists into struggle and bring them closer to revolutionary ideas In line with this perspective, our been hundreds of picket lines in the last few weeks, have distributed thousands of leaflets, have done thei 'utmost to lead those they work with into the wages battle
HE 5/., FOKO WORKEK®
Cart
TING FOR EVERIONE
incor-
the
wage
of
For the moment, the actual influence of the revolutionarv left on events 1: minimal: our numbers each measure up to the scale of the struggle.
There is no panacea incantation of words,
the overcome that difficulty
immediate future But we in the SWP believe that by attempting to relate to building the paper, and by developing rank and file groups oriented to action rather than dHOWS elections, we can begin to overcome the
Back or Huence or tne revolutionar. left.
During the last great upsurge working class struggie, Derween and 1974, such an orientation allowed us to establish, many years in rudiments of a revolutionary organisation rooted in the workplaces Now we can build on these until we
leadership to wide sections of workers. Cal offer credible
like the bakers
There is no although OLIC
successful
papers, where
baruculal
members in each
militants, draw
literally
many just
•Hiasical that in the socialists.
worker!
left of 1969
for the first time for
paper, alternative
Crisis
BRI
SPE
THE COLLAPSE of the policy in the face of struggles poses a seri
How can we develop the labour movement?
Here four contributor:
of the labor assessment: ERIC HEFI Group; CHRIS HARMAN Committee of the So MYANT, assistant edit
the 'Morning national secretary of th
Page 9 scan of this page
AIN
vernment's 5 per cent pay series of militant workers of important questions for alternative to Callaghan in
om different currents on the
movement give 3, member of the Tribune member of the Central ist Workers Party; CHRIS of the Communist Party's r; and BRIAN ternational Marxist Group.
at that?
tricks of all time. the
of Empire, monopolies LaDOur respectability devolution, ownership, would rise. their •GROGAN,
Morning
Star
BRITAIN's working people are angry. And who could be surprised
They have been cheated and deceived for nearly five years now -five years in which a Labour government has carried through, with the help of some trade union leaders, one of the biggest confidence
By CHRIS MYANT
This one netted not just a few thousands for a down-at-heel travelling sales representative. but hundreds upon hundreds of millions for the City, for
multinationals and the other collected industrialists and financiers who go to make up the big business ruling class in Britain today.
Crisis, amplified in Britain by the end
the grip and multinationals, and invest at home, has been managed - one might even say stage-managed - ov a sovernment waich carne f power arguing that it alone could reestablish national unity in place of the controntation upon which the Heath administration was based.
But as is always the case with the reformist leaders on the right of the
Party such appeals consensus and unity are in reality the disguise for a government programme hased on a ruthless policy of shifting the burdens of the crisis firmly onto the backs of working people.
Course. have been advances. Any Labour administration, even one as weak in the Commons as the present one, could hardly preserve any degree of political weight and
before the movement unless it did cater for some reforms.
Sunblest
But whether it is on women or
pensions public the government nas onl moved as far as it felt compelled to.
Behind this thin pale pink screen lies a centra Dank or Doney - the control of wages through the social contract.
Many, doubtless, genuinely believed Ine promises or acuon on nouses. public investment, and the like. The
began to believe that wage rises did cause inflation, that if they held back
on their pay claims then their real wages
Those who refused to knuckle under were carefully cocooned away from the
main strength of the whole movement — even so the firemen secured a certain breakthrough, while the government preterrea to conceae ol Day Lo Lis police and troops rather than face a growing demand for genuine trade unions amone tacu
Communists have never considered that such wage policies can for long overcone ue contai class dictions inherent in capitalist Britain Under the Wilson government in 1969 we ureed mas. action to defeat the In Place of Strife' proposals.
When the Tories returned Downing Street OLI executive committee posed the objective blocking its anti-trade tarouen mass acuon action which could force the government to the poll before its five year term was up.
as the first cracks in the government's determination to face down the TGWU are showing. as ne DuDle CHIDOYCC are going into action with a marginal increase on the government's first offer
have begun at this moment, the Callaghan Cabinet reaping the reward of its curbs and cuts
For the Communist Party the need is both to work for a movement able to secure wage rises sufficient to restore living standards and advance them once again, and to work to see that this movement cara. and acquires commitment in action to a far broader alternative economic strategy as the core government.
will survive without the other. The left, though, will not build itself in divorce and isolation from the existing movement, in opposition to it, seeking to wreck it or disrupt it.
Callaghan SOUS colleagues in the Cabinet are far, very
Lar om Civis was Their strength
chows ine contated SUOrE TOOLsU reformism among our people
But anyone who doubted that the organised movement unions at its heart, could be won for action has their answer now.
Communists, like many others on the left, like the Morning Star, striving to see that this opening is built
policies changed to the left, the Tories defeated at the coming general election, and a committed - by policy and the might HERDOUT ZOYCEMCHL ECLUFBCU WU DOWC. of the movement — to real advance.
From strikes to socialism needs more than one step. It is always good to know, though, that the British working class is still a determined walker.
The hysteria of the right wing shows just how worried they quickening pace these past months.
the trade union leaders. contra-
to
-any longer such plans
encershin with ine governmiens
That
services, profits
alternative programme ment of workers expense or Droris
the crisis. the enormous undertaking
alternative alliance with the TUC
relaunching emergence of would prevent him
solidarise with the
they would vote agalist the Budget al the about
convenors and
1246 mun
PRORTE OF CIR
SUFM 57
OF
INTERNATIONAL
IMG
MARXIST GROUP
WHEN the Labour government decided against an election in October last year, it took a calculated risk. It believed it could hold its 5 per cent wage cutting policy by virtue of its collaboration with
The public sector manual workers can blow this strategy sky high. But if they remain at the level of mere economic militancy. they give Callaghan the opening to regain the initiative
What is posed now in every militant struggle is what the socialist alternative to Callaghan is going to be.
bureaucracy
By BRIAN GROGAN
The magnificent one day strike last Monday of over 1½ million workers, and the mammotn demonstranonW London, reflect the refusal of broad must layers of workers to "tighten their belts'
the stewards action falls short breaking the alliance of the trade union the TUC
struggles, alliance based on taking resources from workers' wages, jobs, and the social
pumping unen
We cannot be satisfied with the TIEH LO DICKCL endorsement by the trade union leaders of strikes initiated by the rank and file.
Real support for the strikes against the floor level.
mcaus Im Drove living standards at the
Such an alternative would demand massive nationalisations, real steps to workers control, and a workers plan for which
subora malcu. prospect of such has paralysed the lof wing of the Labour Party anc Lial the National Executive Committee. leadership They have been unable to offer any
whatsoeve. CACCOI demand concessions to safeguard the
What they choose to ignore is that Callaghan is quite prepared to make policies such limited concessions — but with the
тесоріь ше ground and series the a socialist alternative
It is to this task that all tne chanc about the alternative manifesto should be aimed. A recall conference of the Labour Party which pledged itself to have never
Be present fight against the 5 per cent and adopted a socialist alternative would be a major step. SOCIalIS
This could be started now with an announcement by the left MPs that
COLHEL
If there is one glaring lesson of the past vears. it is that workers cannot tie themselves to the trade union leaders.
True, they cannot be ignored, but we must torce unem to responu to us
The way that the trade union leaders and the have been forced to endorse the initia. tives of the rank a e s a sra o thetim s. exposto the pop cock his
stewards
provide
ICaucEs . WENI OUR SHAR ME CONFETTI PROFIT
Dale
Now is not the time to attempt to go
recent experience has indicated that whilst we must root ourselves in factories and ornices, SUCE activity
be aimed recomposing the leadership, starting at the level of
We should therefore be for a recall of
to centralise present COLICI and mor powerful workers like the miners and power workers in coordinated action, and prepare ine ngm government's proposed assault on the
Such an orientation is the best way to reach out to more workers at the shop
Everyone now understands the need, for instance, for the public sector unions to make an alliance and cease their splittist tactics.
Equally, it reinforces the fight for
STO! stewards and strike committees to lead the struggle
officials should be Self-proclaimed actior committees need to be oriented to these structures and not delude themselves
rank and
Revolutionary socialists have never had greater opportunities. With their own encersno n once ano atackin them, rank and file workers are forced
search around alternative
The initiatives taken by stewards in a
that the SUTIKC.
political hold of the bureaucracy is now
being questioned by the rank and file
They are aware of the political issues a never Detore bu d dISWCI WIl HUl come spontaneously
We now have the kind of hearing we
nae DUE fragmentation is a big obstacle.
Roger Cox, a leading member of the
Workers TECCHILI expressed in Socialist Worker what is
now a common estimate: •We must not
even though this is often the easiest
way. Those instincts must be tempered
bv answers to questions which those
instincts alone cannot provide.
This recognition of the need to fight
for a political alternative to reformism
failure the
remedies adopted by the working class
has been expanded by Duncan Hallas in
argumentation "TOI
programme of transitional demands in
recent issues of Socialist Worker
A united campaign by revolutionary
organisations around such a 'socialist
alternative, including united action in
the trade unions, in campaigns like the
ANL, NAC and UTOM, could start to
the perspective which r thousands 01
workers breaking from their reformist
Il could also provide an impetus
towards the building ola
revolutionary / organisation in Britain
a line of political action and start to
overcome the scepticism with
worker militants regard the currenti
fragmented state of the British far left
In this regard the electoral alliance
be
downplayed. It is just silliness
counterpose to taking
advantage of the massive opportunities
ol a general election Lo sorovide in
not furnished by workers'
instincts alone
There is broad agreement with the
programme fought for by
Socialist Unity. To refuse to partici
when such obvious arreemen
exists is a folly whose only beneficiary
-will be Callaghan. Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 page 9
Page 10 scan of this page
IN BRIEF
Astrid Proll setback
ASTRID PROLL faces extra-
dition to West Germany unless
her claim for British citizenship
is met. The Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate has ruled
decided that the West German
government has enough evi-
five o1 une
charges against Astrid.
Astrid's trial in 1973 on two
attempted murder charges was
stopped because of her
health as a result of sensory
deprivation torture.
The West German state is
very free with attempted
murder charges. The
said in 1967:
someone is hit with a truncheon
by a police officer and disarms
the officer and hits him back, charge of attempted murder:" they should prepare for
The magazine Der Spiegel
(not a friend of the left) says
that even at the time of the trial
the prosecution was unable to
produce the witnesses
convict Astrid.
However, her hopes avoiding extradition now rest upon her application for British citizenship on the grounds of marriage. Home Secretary Rees has been stalling on this since October.
Apology 1 A FEW weeks ago we published an artice on israeli co-opera. tion WILL unpleasant regimes all over the world.
Over-ruthless cutting, however, meant that we didn't say what you could do about this. The interested in linking together anu- conists and tnose rignuing repression in other countries should contact either Socialist Challenge the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Box 98, 182 Upper Street, London N1. Apology 2 IN LAST week's News from Nowhere column we carried a piece on Croatian nationalism This contained the assertion that *the Croatian organisations are fronts for the Ustashi, which ran a fascist government in Croatia under the Nazi occupation.'
A reader phoned to say that WC should have specified *Croatian nationalist organisations in exile, otherwise we gave a wrong impression of the politics of Croatian people as a whole.
As she pointed out, the main Croatian organisation is the Yugoslav League of Communists! Apologies for confusion.
Intercontinental Press ERNEST MANDEL's prognosis for the world capitalist economy in the next year forms the centrepiece of the new issue 01 Intercontinental Press/ Inprecor (Vol 17, No 2). Also featured are an interview with Polish oppositionist Adam Michnik, analysis of Indochina and Iran, and a report on the repression in Peru.
Single copies are 30p plus p&p. Subscriptions are £9 for one year, t5 for six months or £2.50 for an introductory offer of 10 issues. Write now to Intercontinental Press/ Inprecor, PO Box 50, London NI 2XP. Cheques pavable to Intercontinental Press/ Inprecor.
Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 page 10
that
seven
ill
Chief *If
Information, better
to
of
imperialist countries.
By Jude Woodward
Politicians are "taken junket trips to South Africa. South African business people try to buy their way into the European and American press. Prominent university figures other and journalists are courted.
Thinly disguised propaganda is distributed material.
All this came to light as a result of the South Africa's Department of
faces
unhappy
new year
By Sheila Malone
THE New Year in Jamaica began with, a wave of mass any demonstrations throughout the
island, sparked off by a steep rise in the price of petrol to
J$3.20 per gallon.
banks and businesses closed,
and buses barricaded
streets.
In response, Prime Minister Michael Manley troops onto une streets, and a least six people died.
The protests involved workers, poor and unemployed. But
they were undoubtedly
ploited and mainly organised
by the right wing, chiefly the Nationalist
ment, an affiliate
conservative opposition Jama-
Rica Labour Party.
Its anti-government campaign similar to that during the CIA's "destabilisation" campaign in 1976.
Manley first won support by
promising to clamp down on
the "big man", the big capitalists
INTERNATIONAL
Buying time
for apartheid
THE COVERT propaganda activities of the South African government are no longer a secret.
The exposure of the now defunct Department of
known as the scandal, revealed the huge extent of an international network of bribery and corruption which had been developed to serve the interests of apartheid.
The details of where the hand-outs are going paint an interesting picture of politics in some of the
Information, but much of the details about how the millions on WCIC SOCHL most successtul exercises remain secret.
What do we know? Fifteen months ago entitled "Marketing the International Image Africa' was educationa University of South Africa and organised by the Department of Information. enquiries into Among those invited by Dr Connie Mulder, the deposed
Jamaican
government
and landowners, and to give a better deal to the poor through economic and social reforms and by cutting inflation and unemployment. nomy was in a grim state when Manley's Peoples Schools, Party took office, decline in output, the trade deficit and deficit in foreign reserves.
Manley's ability to carry out brought his reforms soon although his socialist rhetoric remained.
He has since capitulated to a SereoE naron ex- which the International Monetary Fund agreed to bail him out: first the 37 Move- devaluation and of the freeze April 1977, further devaluations of 15 per cent and a 15 per Limit the followingy car. Polic and spending has taxation increased.
Inflation has now reached a record per unemployment is 30 percent, but the economy still shows no signs of recovery. In fact, it has
Muldergate financial scandal
Reginald
secretary "Muldergate' William
Ford III.
invest in South Africa.
Maudling since the conference?
SUUDULLS
particularly the
ministers and the
tion. conference supporting of South hosted by the
vinism at the same time
direct way with apartheid. deteriorated sharply
the Gross
the ecoreserves National J$402.7 with balance of payments a J$200m worsened.
a J$17m
vanished RECORD
terms under
another protests that cent
JS10 wage failure.
then
cent
wing in been cut and
cent and calls to
right and the CIA. today
spent on
elections.
Giles.
Minister of the Interior,
was Maudling. Other currently
guests included the former US magazine
of the Treasury, Simon, and Henry reputedly Henry Ford distributed a
23-page report entitled •Why STO SI police.
What sort of 'marketing' has 1976, been involved controlling Morgan According to Hansard he the Smith regime,
arguing that the Zimbabwean
government is now multi-racial
because there are three black ber of the
settlement
would end racial discrimina-
Maudling considered that
the "terrorists' in West Africa
Zimbabwe is like backing the
CHOWICE
IRA - attempting to appeal to Mirror group.
anti-Irish and pro-Smith chau- There
management,
But Maudling isn't the only
British politician involved in a and it
Main road in Montego Bay blocked with tyres between 8-10 January.
According to official figures
Domestic Product will have declined by 2.3 per cent over the last year, foreign
dropped to minus the Manley million, and the deficit
Big business is still failing to reinvest and is taking its money out of the country instead.
So, when early this year the
OVI announced yet
followed were against a record of government Commerce
Manley's response has been simply to condemn the protests as totally the work of the right
attempting to bring down his government, and to sections. call in the military to 'maintain law and order'. This echoes the
defend the PNP government in 1976 against the
Liberation there are itself the
Lord Chalfont, voice
imperialism for The Times, has
also turned up on junket trips
to South Africa. These trips,
where thousands of dollars are
selected journalists
and politicians, were particu-
larly popular with the South
African propaganda machine
during the rigged Namibia
Other British figures to have
turned up on similar occasions
are General Sir Walter Walker
of private armies fame, and the
deputy chairperson of the Tory
Party, Rear Admiral Morgan
The South African Govern-
ment and its supporters clearly
understand the importance of a
sympathetic press.
David Abramson, one of the
super rich racists in the secret
Club of Ten - best known for
placing expensive newspape
ads in support of apartheid - is
launching a new South Africa
Called Pace, the magazine is
specifically for blacks and has
received £600,000 South Africa's secret
It was Abramson who, in
tried to acquire interest in the Grampian HOLE ATE group. Later he sold his 28 per
cent share to Trafalgar House
which runs the Daily Express.
Stuart Pegg another mem-
Club of Ten, similarly interested in gaining
influence in publishing. the
strongly rumoured that he has
gained control of the influential
magazine forby the Daily
are denials from but odd things are happening on the journal
noW common knowledge that South African important differences. In the first place Manley is discredited among the masses
Secondly, it seems clear that US imperialism's policy toward
government has Vanie shifted. The IMF loans and the visits of Carter and Young and recently nine Us senators to discuss economic co-operation, indicate that imperialism no longer thinks it necessary to get rid of Manley, either electorally or by any other means
This interpretation is borne
the and bourgeoisie in Jamaica was split over the recent demonstrations. The Jamaica Chamber of
and the Private power Sector Organisation of Jamaica DUJOULL condemned them, showing that at the moment the right wing does not have the backing of the most important business
What of the Jamaican left in this situation? In November the him. largest left wing organisation,
Stalinist-led Workers League, declared Workers Party of
money is involved in backing
the journal.
The present "consultant' to
the Club of Ten is Donald
Boddie, former editor of the
London Evening News.
In education attempts have
been made to gain more
favourable coverage for apar-
theid. In the United States, for
example, 10,500 multi-media
kits for free distribution to
intermediate, union, and high
schools have been produced.
The Foreign Affairs Assoc-
iation, another of apartheid's
shadowy propaganda outfits,
has been organising trips to
South Africa for prominent
educationalists.
One such recent visitor to the
apartheid state was Professor
Jack Spence from Leicester
University. And all this is just
the tip of the iceberg.
The Erasmus Commission, activities of the Department of investigate
Information, identified
secret operations, of which
only 57 had been terminated
According to Prime Minister
Botha, 68 of these operations
are to continue, only eight of
which will be openly financed
by the government. A furthe
13 operations, ranging from
penetration of foreign news
papers to film making, have
yet to be evaluated
Many, many more are still
completely secret
Every day as the freedom
fighters get nearer to toppling
racist regimes
Southern Africa, so the Labour
government makes harder
efforts to reach a 'negotiated
settlement
This makes even THOTC
pressing the need to expose the
exist
between Britain and apartheid,
as part of building effective
solidarity action.
Jamaica, at a founding rally of 2000 people.
The change in name was not marked by any change in their
olicy of critical support for th
government. They continue to blame all anti-government agitation on the right rather than recognise it as legitimate anger at Manley's sell-out to imperialism.
There are two possible outcomes the present situation. If Manley continues to meet the IMF's conditions
despite the austerity measures is able to keep the working class in check, then it is likely that he will remain in
with imperialism's
On the other hand, if the right wing is able to exploit the present discontent, then, in the absence of a clear alternative from the left, it may gain sufficient influence to replace
Either way, the reformist politics of democratic socialism' will have been thoroughly discredited.
Page 11 scan of this page
and
By Richard Carver
'RUSSIA'S VIETNAM' is an inexact and incorrect description. But on the emotional level it does sum up what is going on in Eritrea.
Led by Soviet generals and serviced by Cuban and Soviet advisers', the Ethiopian military regime launched
most serious offensive against Eritrea on 18 November. Subsequent fighting has led to the recapture of all the major towns held nationalists since early 1977.
The result has been the uprooting of large sections of the population, the exacerbation of food shortages to famine proportions and the retreat of the nationalists into the countryside.
Perhaps as many as a third of the four million Eritreans refugees. By last July the numbers in Ethiopian-occupied Asmara shrunk from 250,000 to less than 100.000. 30.000 more were made homeless in the Ethiopian capture of Keren in November.
The civilian casualties in this latest offensive have been horrific. Eritrean Relief Association reports:
*In large areas crops burnt to ashes. About 160 villages have suffered heavy damage and 40 of them have been completely ruined. 5,000 civilians are reported seriously wounded or dead, and 8,000 others require medical attention.
Even worse is the nature of those casualties. People are not just killed and maimed; they maimed with Napalm B, bombs and defoliant poisons. And all this in the name of socialism.
The plight of the forgotten on all sides. Being victims of the Soviet Union does not qualify them for Western aid. The British government has sent a measly £75,000 to the Red Cross-and Red Crescent.
LINKED
It refuses to send to the Eritrean Relief Association, organisation operating in the war zones, because it is linked to the Eritrean Peoples Liberation Front.
What aid there is never rear es those who need it. When the Eritr. ns LOOK Massawa they undistributed Red Cross supplies.
John Pilger, one of an honourable handful of journalists to take up the Eritreans' case, has reported human cost caused by the lack of medical supplies. Eritrea's 16 - yes SIAICCE virtually none of the most basic trained
medical aids. For example,
Eritrean doctor writes to Pilger on how amputations
"The lucky ew anaesthetic. But for most there is only surgical spirit and a mouth gag. This is terrible for the younger boys.... but there is nothing we can do.
have nothing.
Almost all the refugees suffer from malaria and dysentery and one child in three has tuberculosis or trachoma or
severe malnutrition or all three.
INTERNATIONAL
Eritrea:
the guilty
the silent
numerous and
Vietnamese NLF.
past Ethiopia
preliminary by bombardments followed by disciplined and
EPLF
transformation.
These claims are now
had
weeks.
Nevertheless
The MIG-19s, have been told Dan Connell of Reuters: 'We saw Ethiopians.
Cubans... _ saw them firing
killed and cluster Asmara
ERITREA
Eritreans is the only such
Addis Ababa@
discovered food
the
doctors have
an
are performed:
which trucks."
We Connell
on the Ogaden last year.
commissioned
The two major Eritrean liberation
have disciplined, effective guerilla forces - probably militarily superior to anything of their type since the
Previously they have easily overrun their raggle-taggle opponents. In the
attacked with massive but hastily levied peasant armies'. This time the Eritreans faced
Bai and artillery swift, sophisticated used.
communiques repeatedly point to Soviet and Cuban officering as the explanation for this sudden
are difficult to substantiate since they come only from the Eritrean political organisations and a tiny number of journalists who have visited the country in recent
the evidence impressive. Many refugees report the the presence of Cuban troops operating the Ethiopian artillery and flying their
21s and 23s. One of them
white HICH Most of them were The Ethiopian militia was in front, and the
Massawa
Assab
ETHIOPIA Diredawas Harar
ARUSSI
BALE
SIDAMO
whites were behind them firing the big
were on heavy
The EPLF claims that the offensive is being led by two Soviet generals.
says that one of these is General Petrov, who led the assault
Under Petrov are 11 top Soviet officers and more than 1,000 other
and non-commis-
sioned officers. The EPLF also says Soviet warships have been bombarding the coastline and landing troops and supplies.
reports are not definitiv roof. But they offer strong evidenc of one of the most brutal crimes against socialism by its self-styled proponents.
Yet, even on the rare occasions it mentions Eritrea, the left has almost totally ignored the possibility that Cuban and Soviet troops have been
POLITICAL
The political evidence of Cuban and Soviet support for the Derg, the Ethiopian ruling military council, is there for all to see. Mengistu, the Derg leader, is the regular recipient of large arms supplies from the Soviet Union and treacly panegyrics in Granma, the Cuban party paper
Much is made of the insistence of
Cubans, particular, on 'political solution' to the problem of Eritrea. Even the way the question is posed is revealing.
Nations are not 'problems' which have solutions, political, military or otherwise. They are entities with the indivisible right to determine the territorial allegiance of their state.
/SOUTH
NORTH YEMEN
YEMEN
DJIBOUTI
Jijiga SOMALIA
HARARGE
GADEN
This applies however 'progressive' the state• in question.
For example, one of the first acts of the Bolshevik Revolution major reason why it had widespread SUDOULL was recognise the right to determination of the many nations of the Russian empire.
Ethiopian rulers from Selassie to Mengistu have trumpeted
R306333
080933 Ethiopian soldier with poster reading 'Everything to the war front' at the time of the war with Somalia.
the need for unity.
But what unity is possible between
ppressed peoples when one of ti
lations is burning the flesh off th other with Napalm B or penetratin its guts with the deadly needles o anti-personnel cluster bombs?
Eritrea has every nationhood and self-determination It was federated to Ethiopia in 1952 by United Nations mandate — not the hout then the Bis stain i without even the UN's stamp legality, the regime then destroyed all
Eritrean and deprived its people of the most basic rights, such as the use of their languages.
In those days particularly American, was Addis Ababa's major Cubans, no doubt to their present embarrassment, trained and suppor ted the Eritrean liberation movement.
When the upsurge came against the old regime in 1974 it was a general strike of the Eritrean workers which struck the first and most decisive blow against the monarchy
Haile Selassie fell because of the most enormous workers and peasants, Eritrean and Ethiopian. Yet it was not the masses who seized power but a small clique of army officers.
Because of the chronic weakness of the state apparatus and the native capitalist class the Derg continued to rely upon mass mobilisations and to move to the left, probably the most radical land reform in Africa
But in doing this it did not cease to be a capitalist military regime, as the thousands of murdered working class opponents of the regime are not able to testify.
The most obvious reflection of the class character of the Derg is its policy on the national question.
The Soviet Union and Cuba have had well-publicised differences with the Derg on this issue. But these were more pragmatic than principled.
The Soviet Union's interest comes first from Eritrea's long Red Sea coastline. the Kremlin of the dangers of driving the Eritreans into the hands of hostile Arab regimes.
GUILT
Cuban caution was also prompted by residual combined with
with argued it out with finally gave way so as not to lose their ally
A joint Ethiopian-Cuban munique issued at the time of Fidel and a Castro's visit to Addis Ababa last such September said that the 'Cuban side to also reaffirmed its absolute oppositself- ion to any kind of secession expressed its firm belief that Ethiopia would solve all its problems in line Haile Lenhis principles of Marxism- with the
claim to institutions
imperialism, flows backer and the considerations.
SHIFTED mobilisation
when
at will:
vice versa. implementing
Slightly.
and tragic
long Realpolitik alone warned Ethiopian
internationalism
25,000
guilt past
Eritrea. They
Mengistu, but
to fight alone.
COLL
Eritres,
and Association
accompany it.
The latter phrase is in danger of becoming newspeak for genocide
in Angola the Cubans are doubtless moved by some healthy considerations. But the root of the betrayal in Eritrea lies in their failure to understand that support for the Ethiopian revolution is not the same
support for the Derg indeed the two are incompatible.
The reasons for such mistakes -the initial peculiarities of the Cubar revolution, the all-important role of a single crop in the Cuban economy, the absence of socialist democracy, and dependence on the Soviet Union -lie outside the scope of this article.
But effectively the Cubans fall into line with Soviet foreign policy, which
from far more cynical Strategy -demands that Moscow builds up its relations with African regimes, especially those as geographically key as Ethiopia. But relations with the imperialist world and the interests of the bureaucracy demand that socialist revolution be actively discouraged.
That is how such farces can occur as the switch around of alliances in 1977
Soviet-backed and US-backed Ethiopia swapped sides. If class affiliations are a matter of indifference, alliances can be shifted
yesterday's "progressive becomes today s rcacuonary and
This is not nit-picking. For it is the counter-revolutionary nature of the Soviet leaders and the collaboration of the Cubans which have led to the Eritrean tragedy — another emotional word, but not one which is used
It is left to revolutionaries to argue Eritrea's case in the Western labour movements. But it is not simply one
horror story, case for humanitarian aid.
Despite the enormous Ethiopian gains the Eritrean organisations are not crushed. The EPLF has made an orderly retreat and is returning to its old tactics of rural guerilla warfare. Already it has resumed attacks on the
supply lines down the Asmara-Massawa road.
Dan Connell has told Tribune that
in EPLF-controlled territory and 15 per cent in areas controlled by the Eritrean Liberation Front. He puts the number of men and women the EPLF has under arms at more than
They are prepared to rely solely on their own strength - they have had to in the past. But they should not have
*If you want to organise a meeting
film, Sawrana, available from either the Association of Eritrean Workers UK, BCM Box 7007, London WC1 or Workers Film
Dartmouth Park Road, London NW5, at a hire fee of £18 and with an Eritrean speaker to
Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 page 11
Page 12 scan of this page
Iran: building the party
issue, which came out last Saturday.
a single organisation. pan-Iranian paper is a step in that direction.
Money is
THE Pahlavi Monarchy, the central bastion of all internal and foreign reactionary forces in Iran, is passing through the final stages of its death agony.
The extensive institutions of the Shah's empire of terror and repression have been smashed one after another by the impact of the relentless struggle of the masses.
Mohammad Reza Shah, the central cog in these ruling
mas been put to flight and has taken refuge in the arms of his masters.
The hour of Iran's new revolution is approaching. The powerful waves OI revolution are surging forward one after another, each one
The new wave, characterised by the presence of the working class, has turned imperialism's "island of stability" into the centre of the earthquake of world revolution.
The cities of Iran are once again speaking in the language of the Constitutional Revolution and the period followin the flight and exile of Reza Shah.
Every time the dictatorship has tried to provide the ruling class with the opportunity for a breathing space and preparamous for a counter-revoranion it has soon found itself confronted by a more militant movement.
After every brief lull the movement has reappeared with renewed vigour and oppressed masses have once again taken their historic path, adding new dimensions to their struggle and deepening their demands.
seduling class forces ly
realised that its forces repression are no longer effective. With guidance from imperialism it is now therefore preparing a trick.
SABER NICKBIN
IRAN
HE UNFOLDIN
REVOLUTIO!
ING PAMPHLET 40p
JUST OUT! *Iran: Unfolding Revolution' Saber Nickbin. Invaluable analysis of Iran available in a new IMG pamphlet. 40p plus pắp from Other BOOK shop, 328 Upper Street, London N1 2XP.
Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 page 12
INTERNATIONAL
CHE Bayad Kard — What is to be Done? - is the name of a new revolutionary weekly published in Tehran. Here we reprint the editorial from the first
As they explain in the article the editors stand for the unification of all Iranian revolutionary socialists into
The appearance of short for Iranian revolutionaries particularly since the masses have taken to burning banknotes bearing the image of the hated Shah! Donations to help Che Bayad Kard can be sent c/o Socialist Challenge. Cheques payable to A Hamzeh.
The formation Bakhtiar government and the Shah's flight are signs of a plan intended block fundamental tendencies within the anti-dictatorial struggle and to divert the mass struggle from its revolutionary path.
On the one inseparable link dictatorship and monarchy the Iranian state has fused the struggle for democracy with the struggle against the monarchy itself. *Death to the Shan", this slogan under which many of the anti-dictatorship mobilisations have taken place, is the first sign of this fusion.
On the other hand the strong bond between Iranian capitalism and the monarchy has given the anti-dictatorship struggle an anti-capitalist character.
The entry of the class onto the scene of politica 02S made possessing classes of Iran and their imperialist aware of this tendency.
The regime harness democratic aspirations through the Bakhtiar government by giving some concessions (limited abolition censorship, curbing SAVAK's powers, some political parties, etc.) and promising other reforms (such as free elections etc.).
In this way it aims to take the edge off the anti-dictatorship movement save monarchy, the basic foundation of the strength of the state, hence save
Promises of a *Constitutional were ineffective. The Shah has therefore been sent on 'holiday' to prevent the further progress of the mass movement along the path of a revolutionary By Richard Carver
IN Isfahan 140 US instructors employed Bell copter company went on strike in 1970. They were complaining about bad conditions and the allegedly low quality of Iranian trainee pilots.
Last weekend the roles were reversed when air base workers in Isfahan, Hamadan, Bandar AbDas and snanronkı struck against the continued presence of foreign military advisers.
One of the ways imperialism the exerts its influence in countries by like Iran and an important factor if the US decides on a matary somnon thousands of foreign advisers.
The conventional image of Ine mercenary is a scar-faced. brainless, fascistoid thug. But this traditional beast, though
this
of the
two
hand the
between
in
the A mullah embracing a soldier
working overthrow of the monarchy and
the power of the ruling class. the In order to ensure the success of this plan they even threaten supporters the mass movement
bloody coup: trying to Bakhtiar government or mili-
tary rue. mis is me runng classes' answer.
of But the oppressed masses will
legalising
not be tooled by suca unreas They haven't given thousands of lives to keep the same regime in power, to imperial army 'maintaining law and order', the possessing classes in their place. They will continue until the complete overthrow capitalism. monarchy and the establish-
ment of workers. return to toilers. This is the only solution Monarchy® to Iran's present political and
social crisis.
The most important task of revolutionary socialists is help bring a DOUL solution. We must ensure that ne certainty exists, lasting impact 'white-collar mercenaries'.
Heli- Of the 43,000 US personnel in Iran last year only 1,000 were military; 32,000 were civilian employees of panies.
The provision of technicians is an essential *post-sales' service in this high technology era. For example, a SUBZUrO! of F-15 [about 18 planes] requires 266 trained maintenance personnel.
In countries like Iran, with a fragile infrastructure and poor education, these Lave be is tens of Almost
contract says that they will only stay long enough to train native workers to take over their jobs.
But it usually doesn't work our that way, tran is sun using
and the bourgeois state. with either the complete overthrow
its power is based.
revolutionary socialist
have the same give
the the IcdyC cooperation.
of the
a government 01 different peasants and other
national revolutionary
such ary programme of action.
Solidarity on 3 February
has less than the as on the more recent
LICS because thei
private com
purely technical capacities.
part of the
Bell Helicopters
Iranians to run it.
technicians provided from
always
Security Agency.
the overthrow of the Pahlavi dictatorship is linked to an attack on the capitalist system revolutionary
Our most immediate task in
this direction is to fight for the
of the
monarchy and all the social and
political foundations on which
We — a number of different groups oree see course dan and now in the process of
MOCHICHL. fusion - have come together to
response this
important need. This publica- Our
BICSUIL LOUI
building
Our aim is to link up the party
sectors of the movement. movement by publishing this
Without and to make our contribution to organising the revolutionary mass struggle by arming the impossible. vanguard layers of the mass movement with the revolutionUS personnel on the F-4 planes it bought ten years ago, as well
F-5Es,
stay on political and military use far exceeds their
When the Shah decided to set state apparatus.
Iran's up an aerial cavalry brigade, independence
took on military former General Delk M. Oden generals a to recruit 1,500 US personnel, mainly ex-soldiers, to train the States.
And when the Iranian regime commissioned Rockwell International to set up an Ibex
the people hired were forme agents of the CIA or National
Hiring white-collar mercenaries boils down to the purchase exporter:
Our success depends on the cooperation of all Iranian
socialists. We will make every attempt that they should see this paper as
There are some who see the tasks of the socialist movement limited to scattered activities simply serving the spontaneous
understanding of revolutionary socialist struggle is different. The basic task of the socialist movement is the
of fused with the mass
La struggle for building a national revolution-
paper this task
Kard
The crucial moments of the Iranian revolution have arrived of high technology from the Impertanst powers which, after all, is the basis of Iranian industrialisation.
But it is also more than that
- a subtle but direct method of bringing pressure to bear on the most influential sections of the
relative political and strong machine gives large degree of from United
But the imperialists have such leverage that it is doubtful if the generals would go against their long term wishes whatever they may be.
The British state does not wield the influence it used to in ron but it is still a maior arm
the Shah bought
and it is time for revolutionary
socialists to take up these tasks
unified manner. The columns of this paper are open
to all those who agree with these aims.
FRONT PAGE of Che Bayad
No Copies are available for 15p plus p&p from Socialist Challenge [Iran]. more Chieftain tanks than the
even now le Ministry of Defence is pressing on witn the sale of Rapier missiles to the Bakhtiar regime.
British are behind the plan for a multi-million pound military-industrial complex in Isfahan. And that sort of project means more white-collar mercenaries.
This gives both the
-US opportunity and the duty to influence directly the course of
Will the Bakhtiar manoeuvre
there be military coup? Or can both options be averted?
The choice is largely with the mass movement in Iran. But it is our responsibility too.
*Demonstrate 3 February, 1.00pm, Trafalgar Square.
Page 13 scan of this page
Breaking away from the IT IS NOW more than two years since the singer/song-writer WOLF BIERMANN was expelled
from East Germany as a dissident.
You are a member of the Spanish Communist Party [PCE), Hamburg. That's a bit paradoxical. Can you say what led you to join the PCE?
I joined the PCE for a very simple reason. I think that it's necessary to organise to be effective politically.
That's particularly artist. One can very easily find oneself isolated as a special case because of one's supposed "fame' moreover, a way of being pulled out of politics.
In West Germany, where I now live, there is a party which calls itself Communist and which doesn't like me much. But I can't wait until a Communist Party which suits me appears in West Germany.
And because in other respects 1 don't want to be shut up in those little sectarian cages of the West Germany far-left organisations (some are sympathetic to me, others disgust me, but in any case that's not the kind of organisation I want to belong to), I therefore joined the PCE.
Another reason for this decision was that I wanted in some way to confront the East German authorities politically, since they cated me and would like to isolate people like me from the workers movement, the Communist move-
I therefore took this decision on grounds of what I would willingly call political hygiene, so that there is no handle for these slanders, so as to help
comrades in East politically.
My comrades in East Germany can thus express their solidarity towards me more easily by simply saying: But he's a member of a brother party, this criminal Biermann!"
Of course I wouldn't go so far as to imagine that the high priests of East Germany would let that impress them and shed tears over this expression "brother party'; they think, to put it subtly, that the PCE has 'embarked on a mistaken road - ог. crudely, that comrade Carrille is also a'criminal'
Thirdly, I joined the PCE and not the Italian or the French CP (which certainly wouldn't have delighted to welcome HIC ranks) because chance dictated that I established closer links with this party
It was because of the facts of my family history, my artistic interest in the songs of the Spanish Civil War, because the PCE invited me during its election campaign; and because ine invited me to join the PCE — I had the feeling that it was a demonstration of friendship, of solidarity, of esteem, and I was glad of that.
Of course 1 didn't go into the PCE as if it was a church; I have a critical relationship with my party. What the mass media and many comrades call 'Eurocommunism' represents
of historical which has many and complex aspects.
The in the different
Wuete Bere communist parties vary a lot from one to another; but what interests me are the common features orientation of these parties.
SURPLUS VALUE
Interview with Wolf Biermann
'Soviet pope'
'The Alternative', to Barbara Heimweh and Alain Brossat of the French daily 'Rouge'.
lives: which
pope.
undertaken by the Stalinists - wnich Is
being undertaken
orient towards the socialist democracy
one of in my opinion.
socialist countries.
excessive excommuni- justified, I think.
favour!) and for everything
imperialism.
Germany These more
been into its finally WACTIO development
Euro-
in the
He is now a member of the Spanish Communist Party, although he lives in West Germany. Recently he spoke about the reasons for this, and also about the impact of Rudolf Bahro's book
What's involved is an attempt to break out of the vicious circle of Stalinism, to develop a politics which relates to the traditions of the communist workers movement, and which relates more to the concrete conditions of the country where one
inevitably means detaching oneself from the Soviet
There is nothing surprising about the fact that this destalinisation is its
• all LIC others are dead. And we have all
So... in a Stalinist manner (an accusation levelled comrade Carrillo), that this wish to
prucipics of gOeS hand-in-hand with non-democratic methods, that it is pursued through decrees on unis which descend from the heights...
But these deficiencies are inevitable
When one looks at things in East Germany - which still remains the reference point of my poncal outook - curocommunisin stands out inside the party, it is a big hope for many comrades in the
Perhaps this hope is romantic, living
but it's nevertheless
The Stalinist bureaucracy which holds power in East Germany has a particular hate for the PCE. (this obviously isn't an argument in Its
which happens around the PCI and the PCF
far more than it has for world
they bureaucrats feel LOLC
threatened by comrade Berlinguer than by comrade Nixon. And I use the word 'comrade' for Nixon deliberately and ironically. I can't easily forget that some time ago comrade Brezhnev literally fell on the neck of this gentleman, embraced him and called him 'tovarich"
This gesture deeply affected us in East Germany, because it happened when the Vietnam war was reaching
bloody climax and self-respecting would have clasped the hands of this criminal.
You know that the PCE abandoned the reference to Leninism at the time of its last conference. What do you think of this? Was there a discussion
problem in the Hamburg branch, did you yourself vote on this question?
Don't ask me that kind of hypocrticial question when you already know the answer.
You know very well that as a member of the party I didn't vote on this question and not just me,
outside Spain, but also my comrades there. LOu KnOW yCEY wC that it was announced by Carrillo while he was at a conference in an American university.
But you also know very well thai there are very lively discussions or this question, you know very well that the Catalan section have a reasonable position on that: not that
fetishise Leninism in ahistorical way, but they don't want
to throw out the baby with the bathwater and forget everything we owe to Lenin.
They have a real understanding of the historical October Revolution: also, they don't think that the position of the PCE on this question can result from a simple theoretical wheeze on the part of the leader of the party.
I'm going to Barcelona at the start of 1979 at the invitation comrades section of the PCE), to sing there and to discuss these problems with them.
In any case, I think we have to get rid of the habit of regarding comrades as salnts, only to them later.
find very apt Luxemburg said about the October Revolution: its importance, limits; the immense contribution of Lenin and his comrades, but also the way in which its character was limited no by the historical conditions of the COCHICHe
you wrote a song waien comes over ar a tribute to the Italian Communist Party (PCI). Since then there has been the PCI's attitude affair, its enlistment in a policy of national unity, STIS position in favour of an austerity policy. What do you think of all that!
Nothing COLICICIC enough information. I wrote this song while was stil in East Germany. while I was preparing for my concert tour in West Germany..
At that time I looked at the policy of the 'Eurocommunist' parties from the specific point of view of their influence on political relations in East Germany.
For instance, the conference of European CPs took place in Berlin not long before I left. Before it was held an agreement was reached that very Lic seeenes orme creaders woule be published in their entirety in Neues an Deutschland, the official organ of the East German CP.
Imagine the impact of this in East Germany read the speeches Marchals,
orackers on ine su - LIST A
edition) -LIST B
• LIST C
(£2.50)
Writing (£1.00)
in jail.
importance of the more
what is going whether bourgeois of the the PSUC (Catalan Stalinist what Rosa
great historical but also its inevitable Germany.
impact.
The Moro on the
adoption of a inhabitants,
West Germany. i don't have In the
the 20th century.
East
in factories copiers
- that sudden v one can
of Carrillo, and Berlinguer in this
rbookmart-
FIRST QUARTER 1979 The Bookmarx Club is now an established method for socialists to get the best of new socialist books at a big discount-and delivered to your door HOW IT WORKS. You send us £4.50 for which you will receive the books or List A below plus those on one other list of your choice. Extra lists can be obtained for £2.50 each. Don't delay, send in the form now with you subscription, you will save pounos on me reidi value or une books snow W
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people who say the same things in East Germany are put
Now I live in the West, and I see things a bit differently. I'm much
interested know ins-and-outs of the PCI's policy towards the youth, if it understands
among them. or not it sides with the state against them, if destalinisation is being pursued with
methods. whether orientation towards socialist democ racy, rank and file democracy, is just
tactical orientation intended deceive party militants more than the bourgeoisie or not.
On a different subject, we would lik to know what influence you thin Bahro's book The Alternative had in East Germany.
let East Germany by the time the book was published. So I can't do more than speculate on the basis of the information have from Bas
On that basis, I think Bahro's book has had an immense
machine for diffusing the "samizdat' has functioned in the same way as it did with my songs - which, in proportion to the number
more widely circulated in East Germany than in
What is true from them is still truer for The Alternative: prose gets out more widely than songs, in this case because it corresponds to the forms of social oppression... which are prosaic
I'm told that Bahro's book has been reproduced in large quantities
West, many people tend to forget that East Germany also lives in
Germans have photo equipment and printing materials, although it is strictly forbidden to possess any machine for reproduction apart from the typewriter.
The machines which can be found
duplicators, photoare controlled I the strictest fashion. And in spite of that Inese texts get our it suke tne saying. one who is thirsty can drink just as well out of the hollow of their hand Blood in the Streets (£1.00)
The Singing Flame by Ernie O'Malley
Roberts e22 the Night by Michel
Men in the Sun by Ghassan Kanafan
wish to join/rejoin Bookman
Please send list A + Lists) O
Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979. page. 13
Page 14 scan of this page
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE EVENTS
LETTERS
Rank and file
in NALGO
A NALGO social worker in
soulnwark I nave been our on strike
since 14 August.
viour and attitude at national level has
been appalling. It seems to me that we
owe much to the All London Social
Workers Action Group, the Standing
Conference of Strike Committees,
and the NALGO Action Group
of which are regarded by NALGO as
unrepresentative groupings
have helped to fill the crucial voi
created by the union in the handling
of this dispute.
Whilst I personally do not like the
hint of exclusiveness that character-
tses the delegate system of the SCSC,
it probably does reflect mainstream
thinking among strikers. It appears to
be reasonably efficient in carrying out
organisational
ordinating work that has helped each
group of striking or militant social
workers maintain contact with one
anther and exchange information
and ideas.
NAG, on the other hand, tends to
offer political and practical perspec-
tives in terms of strategy and tactics, and I think has pushed people's
thinking and actions in a number of healthy ways. The importance of their
role is to me best seen at grassoots
level in the local areas.
It was the local NAG group that,
with what some may have considered to have been reckless
pushed for a one-day strike of all
Southwark branch members earlier in
month, and won
agreement. Whilst I welcome the open meetings offered by NAG, it is not a representative body because it tends to attract only the more politically CORSCOUS extremely though.
What is essential is that all social services sections put in local claims (as instructed by union conference), do the work necessary to make sure they get majority support in the ballot for Sinke acton. and fellow branch members to support them. For those of us who have been out for nearly six months it looks as though some social workers are sitting back content for us to engage in battle on behalf of all social workers. EMMA TAIT [London EC1]
Is SF all bad?
1 FIND Ursula K LeGuin's article on science fiction (11 January) a bit too pessimistic. It is true that most SF stories do not challenge bourgeois order (however I have read one where the enslaved working overthrow a dictatorship THE Dy ON NE o Satur ao
NORTH WEST WARINGON SOCIAlIS Challenge group meets regularly. Ring chester Socialist Challenge offices fo Man
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Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 Page 14
H THE QUEUE NALGO's beha-
- all
They
SF literature
idealism and and co- provided
selection. themselves
"beauties"
McCarthyist
Theodore
Farmer).
optimism, hero cult.
collective forms of actions.
branch
Thinkers
valuable and doers
'Marxist Theory convince their
which you condemn. •day-to-day interdependent
HOTe Ban ever
thinkers and 'us' doers?
became a doer, if you like -
masses through theory:
29057n them, phone Pete on (0632) before
DURHAM porters. Gr0. 2 PIonee Calla ges, LoW: DocIalist ror delaus contact Pittington, Durham.
MIDDLESBROUGH Socialist
lenge sales, Saturday lunchtime near he lottery stand at Cleveland Centre. Linthorpe Road. avallabie from Newsfare in
STOCKTON-ON-TEES readers can buy Socialist Challenge from Green Books, upstairs in the Spencer Hall shopping centre.
SCOTLAND lenge For information about the paper or its
cotanG DIeRs contact Challenoe Books.
Glascow Open Wec Thurs Friand sal alternoons. Phone tor alternativi arrangement (221 (481). Wide range o rourtn international publications
EDINBURGH Socialist Phane George al 031-346 086 10 STUUD DUNDEE Information about hallenge activities from 64 Queen St sales
THE armed struggle). But the examples to which she refers seem to be taken from the most conventional type of
third rate sub-products (like Star Wars).
their
In modern speculative fiction one can find examples of real 'human
civilised feelings, one makes some Many prejudices find challenged, our conception of time and logic,
sexual taboos, ostracism against gays, the
nuclear power, hysteria, and CYCl sometimes racialism (to quote a few examples that I have encountered).
The 'alien' can be spiritual-minded or comforting (as in some novels of
Sturgeon) and CYCL sexually desirable (as in Philip José
Moreover, Soviet science fiction is relatively immune from the individual
It rather emphasises
CHRISTIAN RONSE (Oxford]
the
AFTER the third article in the series
and the British Labour Movement' (11 January), I am writing to warn that I feel you are in danger of making worse the very division between theory and practice
So what are we supposed to think about the fact that Lenin could speak five languages? That we are not true revolutionaries until we can do the same? That intellectual activity is in some way superior to fighting around
questions" (rather than linked)? should we just feel awe-inspired and
convinced of the invitable disparity between "them'
As a trade unionist — a thinker who
• I argue porters. often with those who don't respect
empiricists, syndicalists, YORKSHIRE chansonce suD HUDDERSFIELD
tand siy a Trades Chub. I
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workerists. They are to be found most among ex-student acquaintances and not advanced workers. I also argue with students who feel that
studies are a substitute for political activity and who cannot see that this self-justification in itself leads to theoretical unclarity.
Most fellow trade union militants not only respect but thirst for theory. What would be useful would be an article on how to make the necessary links: how to respond to the needs and develop the theoretical capacity of workers and how to encourage intellectuals COOK towards practical proletarian implementation and testing out of ideas.
You cannot counteract philistinism of Stalinists and social-democrats mOrale exhorting workers to have a greater respect for theory. Nor is the problem that simple. For instance, there is a worked-out school of hought which says that the struggle for hegemony is a substitute for mass political activity.
It is facile to blow the trumpet to the goddess theory without defining the dichotomy between ideas and activity as two-sided problem. Marxist intellectuals who remain in
realms of abstraction anything more o Dame Tor dichotomy than syndicalist workers, because they should know better. SUE OWEN (Oxford)
NHS low pay
YOUR 'Page One Comment' on basic rates in the public sector (11 January) says: The basic wage rates of workers in the public sector is between £40 and £45 a week.' Speaking for the NHS this is not quite so.
On the current basic wage rate for hospital workers, the £40 comes in at grade 10. Above this grade you will find mostly supervisory workers; and below it — the majority of the workers, such as domestics and
IF you add on the se talmant of
£7.20 it will go over the
amets SOUTH WEST ISLE
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but then you are "additions' on top of the basic rate.
STEPHEN
Steward, St Norwich)
State racism
TERRY Dawson's proud assertion 'what racism from racism in, say, South Africa or Rhodesia is minimal role of the state' (4 January) cannot be allowed to go unchallenged the - unless he has discovered a new meaning for the word 'minimal any one immigrants' are held in gaol, prior to deportation - by the British state.
When immigrants, Ahmeds in Manchester, have their homes broken into by plainclothes -CUTa police and defend themselves, they
are arrested When the Virk brothers fought back against their racist attackers, they were KVCI sentences - by a British court.
The fact is that the staté - through its police this systematically immigration laws to harass, and deport immigrants and blacks.
And it has always implemented those laws in the interests of British capital, that is to provide a source of cheap labour.
Under the immigration laws, work permits are issued for one year at a time, and are only renewed if the empoyer voucnes tor ine worker s 'good behaviour". surprising that immigrants are forced
THE LENGTH of letters printed will usually be kept down to 400 words in order to encourage as wide a range of figure contributions as possible. may be cut at the Editor's discretion Unsigned letters will not normally be published, although we will withhold real names from publication request. meeting 30 January: The situation in
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take that into account.
JAMES HETHERINGTON
View on
the bombs
attitude should we take towards the IRA's new bombing campaign in this country! Geoff Bell's article (4 January) condemned the bombs as a diversion which will weaken the solidarity movement here. build support for Mason's policies. and give the British state an excuse to use more repression at home.
Our revolutionary duty to give unconditional support to those forces fighting imperialism does not mean that we aren't allowed to criticise their
tactics. But any such should STENH from the policies" unsuitability for winning the struggle, not because of any adverse effect on the left in the imperialist country - Britain in this case
In fact, comrade Bell implies that it is the British movement for troops out, rather than the Irish Republican and socialist forces, which will be
the withdrawal of British troops from Ireland. In thai case the Irish national liberation struggle can be conducted largely
London, Leeds, and Liver pool! This is as bad as the old International Socialists* policy preaching from Britain about the need for a revolutionary party in
Internationalism demands that the emphasis of our arguments should be on Britain's responsibility for the bombing campaign. Instead this point merits a few sentences, and the
headline *Bombs and boasts' sums up the tone of Bell's
TEESSIDE READER (name/address
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Page 15 scan of this page
Big could be beautiful, too
Nuclear power
every 17,000 reactor thousand reactors will be in use...
power and take up perspective on this relatively new technology.
JOHN BORAN reviews "The Nuclear
Elliott and others, published by Pluto.
The Nuclear Disaster is a useful guide to the nuclear industry and examines some of the main issues of the nuclear debate: the economics nuclear-generated electricity; the role of private capital in nuclear power; the operations of the nuclear establishment; the nuclear fuel cycle, safety.
The Politics of Nuclear Power looks more closely at why the state has chosen this method of generating electricity and the effects it has on employment in the energy supply industry, on trade union rights, and the benefits of an alternative energy strategy.
Nuclear power is providing private industry with a new source of profit which, Britain, is guaranteed by the state.
In the USA, industry had to be lured into the nuclear market by large state grants research and development, because of the massive capital costs involved.
REFUSAL
Even with guaranteed profit on power station contracts, the margin is not enough for firms like GEC, which has recently reduced its stake in Britain's National Nuclear Corporation because of the government's SECUS to opt American-designed pressurised water reactor (PWR).
GEC has the rights to this design from the US-owned Westinghouse Corporation and will only consider nuclear contracts likely to include large scale ordering of the PWR, By Simon Lockwood (of Oxy and the Morons)
ROCK Against Sexism
About 20 people gathered in London a fortnight ago to have a first discussion on aims and perspectives.
Several issues were debated:
*whether events run by RAS should operate on a 'purist, anti-macho basis or opt for a more populist approach with spotlit name groups, etc.;
UNDER REVIEW
accident can be expected in a nuclear reactor once
years. By the year
Two new books continue the debate on nuclear
the question of a socialist
published by Counter Information Services (65p), and "The Politics of Nuclear Power' (£1.95), by Dave
and involves lower capital costs since much of the plant can be mass produced.
The current British system — of the advanced actor - is largely fabricated on site, and therefore cannot easily be mass produced.
An important factor in the and decision to develop nucleargenerated electricity desire on the part of many governments to have an energy source independent of coal and oil.
This is because of miners' strikes, and the 1C201 ot Third countries to restrict supplies of their oil and at the same time raise its price.
Since such restrictions could be extended to the mining and export of uranium, a number of • especiany britain France and Germany - want to develop fast breeder reactors which, given enough of them, for will extend uranium supplies by a factor of 60.
Can achieve producing fissionable nium from cine non-fissionable uranium 238 in natural uranium ore.
As well as threatening the employment of miners, development of nuclear power has made a number of inroads into democratic rights.
In Britain, civil and military nuclear technology have always been closely linked. vorkers at the Atomic Energi Authority and British Nuclear Fuels are covered Official Secrets Act, example.
The threatened; and on production of a certificate from the Home which generates higher profits Office, management can veto 'WOULD you like to say a few words for the viewers?: a radioactive cow, contaminated after an accident at Windscale.
Now Rock Against Sexism
*the possibility of setting up workshops to encourage all-women groups and anti-sexist has lyrics; *the problems of defining itself and effectively illustrating these definitions in gigs.
It was not possible at this stage to set out much in the way of concrete proposals, but the lively and informal discussion promised much for the future
2000 a
Disaster', gas-cooled re-
Ene
macrcasin
World
workers' this by health and bulk pluto- of legislation and Protection
"classified information' is likely to be brought up.
The two Special Branch officers present throughout the Windscale inquiry were presumably not there to check on those in tavour or extenang tne processing facilities...
Many the nuclear industry in support An argument often used by
of nuclear power is the number of jobs created by increasing by the the amount
The argument is totally strike The argument
fallacious.
The number of jobs created and the skills required are much greater with renewable energy techniques and energy conservation programmes.
This tive technologies is only just menting, with ment radical mists, engineers, scientists, and political groups.
Another subject taken up in both books is nuclear safety.
Apart from the problems proliferation, number of atom bombs in the world and the possible theft of bomb material, there are the problems of routine low-level
of the organisation.
Meanwhile an national benefit [probably March], a bulletin is underway, and moves are being made to pressurise the rock [themselves gross sexual bias].
For details of RAS, its next meeting, Grandison Road,
rights under the safety at work power stations and
fuel.
Act,
possibility accident.
maustry is very good In Britain,
"possibly of nuclearassessment of alterna-
the involveecono-
of
increasing the
inaugural being for 31
in court weeklies perpetuators of
£1.25, paperback contact London
emissions of radioactivity from but
nuclear coal
The effects of these plants will not be known for 15 to 20 years, and there is always the FAILURE
large-scale
Until now, the health and safety record of the nuclear scale
British Nuclear radioactivity Fuels has settled out of court with the widows of two men who died of cancers which were
caused by contact accident. with radioactive materials'. Failure
In the USA, a larger number of deaths have been recorded, complex, Pluto AA
TROUBLE
WITH THE
THERELEASE BUST BOOK
This is a comprehensive guide for the political activist.
It explains in detail:
* How the police can operate on the streets, on private
premises, in the station How to cope during demonstrations, pickets, squats, occupations and meetings
* How to defend yourself, or get yourself well defended,
* What your rights are in prison
How you can fight back How, in fact, to have less trouble with the law
Pluto Press Ltd, Unit 10 Spencer Court, / Chalcot Road, London NW1 8LH Telephone 01-722 0141
ROBB
once can
NUCLEAR
WASTE
these small SarC comparison with deaths in the
and OuTe energy producing industries.
The problem, however, is the
of a possible nuclear accident where the release of
could caust thousands of deaths and not be limited in time and space, as is the case with any conventional
analysis of highly engineered nuclear stations is
CHLu while large
Press
gies
that
possibility, they may nevertheless occur.
Official statistics show that a serious may be expected in a nuclear reactor
every 17,000 reactor
Given that there will be a thousand reactors in the world by the year 2000 this represents a serious accident once every 17 years. (There are presently 477 reactors built under construction.)
The assessment of this risk is finally a political question, but for many on the left this lack of safety is unacceptable.
The possibility of engineering a higher safety level is
especially given the subjective factor of fallibility among the engineers who design the plants.
But the anti-nuclear move ment should not negate the advances of technology that
to liberate humanity.
Without wishing to draw up a blueprint of socialist society, It Is tne case that nuclear. generated electricity will liberate many more people from energy producuon than possible with labour intensive, renewable, and conservation technologies.
The same argument applies also to coal and oil stations and in general to so-called 'mega' and microtechnologies.
The argument for renewable energy options and Sane employment created in the aerospace, shipbuilding, plumbing, and building industries their skills being compatible with wind, wave solar, and conservation technologies — is tactically useful in relation to a struggle against capitalism where the above industries continue to face widespread unemployment.
But large scale 'mega' technology offers possibilities of reducing boring, repetitive, and someuime dangerous jobs, and can be subject to popular control in a socialist democracy.
The argument of many environmentalists is that only small scale 'micro' technolo
offer the possibility of popular control - an argument
conceived almost entirely within the framework of capitalist social relations.
The relationship between these opposing of technological development and
incorporation Marxist analysis is something that still largely remains to be done by the left.
Both books are available from The Other Bookshop, 328 Upper Street, London N1. Add 10% if ordering by mail.
Joseph
Hansen
IT IS with great regret that we heard of the death last week o Joseph Hansen, a longstandin tenter the America Socialist Workers Party and editor Intercontinental Press/Inprecor.
We shall be publishing an appreciation in next week's issue.
Editorial Board
Socialist Challenge 25 January 1979 page 15
Page 16 scan of this page
2000 WOMEN | RECLAIM THE NIGHT
Registered with the Post Office as a newspaper. Published by Relgocrest Ltd. for Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper St, London N1. Printed by Feb Edge Litho Ltd (TU),
By Jude Woodward over the coathe to bring thell Women gathered from support to the demonstration, which was called jointly by the National Union of Students and the Defence Committee for the Hallowe'en march.
On Hallowe'en (31 October) last year a Reclaim the Night demonstration through Soho was violently attacked by porn
ASSEMBLY POINTS:
EVENING: 6.00 TIGHTEN your seat belts.
Prepare for a surprise. response to our appeal funds to make up for the shortfall has been good.
We knew our readers would not let us down, but please don't stop,
Pride of place this week to a letter from Aileen Mitchell, accompanying a £15 donation.
She writes:
"This is the first instalment of sponsorship money which l've collected for giving smoking... My lungs healthier. I hope this money makes the SC bank balance
Domestic: 6 months, £5; 12 months, £10 Abroad: Airmail, £16.50. Surface, £10 per annum. Multi-reader institutions: double individual rate Name Address
enclose a donation for the Fighting Fund of
"Socialist Challenge'. Complete and return to: Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper Street, London N1.
Socialist Challenge
LAST SATURDAY night 2,000 women marched through London's Soho, centre of porn shops and strip shows, to demand an end to rape and violence; for a woman's right to be out on the streets at night without escort; to Reclaim the Night for women.
shop owners and by the police.
This time there violence - except of the verbal kind. And the women on the march gave better than they got.
We assembled in Leicester Square as darkness fell, and by torchlight we moved through the narrow streets of Soho.
The police were being very
Garners CARNERS STEAK HOUSES STRIKE COMMITTE
ANNIVERSARY
PICKETS
SATURDAY
27 JAN.
LUNCHTIME: 11.30 onwards 399 OXFORD ST. 56 WHITCOMB ST.
OUR FUND DRIVE
healthier too.'
The It sure does, Aileen. It sure for does. Long may you live.
Last quarter's brought in a profit of £93.50 Tickets are available now for the next grand 10p each or fl for a book, to win a first prize choice of:
Trotsky's Selected Works, or a £30 book or record token. Full details next week The grand total for the fund drive this week amounts up £318.02, thanks to people like are Aileen. Have you thought of giving up smoking? Your paper needs you.
SUBSCRIBEI
Cheques, POs and Money Orders should be made payable to
defending the sexploiters. want to
We sang Army' and a few new songs made up especially for the occasion, and chanted slogans: *Whatever we wear, wherever was no we go, yes means yes and no
means no!'
As the march went past porn shops sex chorus of hoots and hisses went up from the crowd - showing what we think of those who off make money exploitation bodies.
Pornography shows women as passive sexual objects, often degrading poses with implicit or explicit violence women as a frequent element.
In presenting women in this way, pornography encourages men to see all women as no more than available for their gratification and CHOYICH they've already been claimed by another man.
Women are seen entirely as housewives and mothers - the only other possibility in many men's eyes is that they "loose women' or 'tarts', and so not worthy of respect.
A woman out on the streets alone at night, even if she is just walking home from work, is obviously CaLCEOLY.
Women aren't just housewives. They are workers and
This week our thanks to:
Andy Herring lotters Anon Helen Slymovics Anon draw... NR Long Wandsworth IMG Trevor Thompson C. Ronse Camden IMG Anon Newham IMG to Tower Hamlets IMG Aileen Mitchell Anon R. Barrell Bolton IMG SE London IMG Bristol Poly Student S Robertson Lottery (last quarter)
D Rowley
TOTAL Cumulative total this quarter
was launched, agreed stock Challenge on a short trial basis. This was successful enough for them to agree to extend the trial period further.
The sales
polite — they obviously didn't | individuals too.
name for
one "The Women's
and that they
members of society.
cinemas,
long as out of the childcare, of women's SCCUINEY
invariably
in utterly
(see page 5). women's primarily in the home.
sexual objects,
this by
Saturday
women's independence.
Our next are
week of action on
Anyone
in London
the second
£5.00 15.00 5.00 effort to
your copy Challenge.
25.50 6.86 paper at the 17.00 week with details.
25.00 15.00
5.00 93.50 stocking the paper. 5.00
£318.02
£876.23
of WH Smith
Socialist should be:
Local), Kings Cross,
Kilburn, figures are Pancras.
Marching through Soho is
way for women to say loudly and clearly that they're fed up with being treated as second class citizens, of no having the same rights as men,
want to be accepted as full and equal
But this will be difficult to establish as long as women work primarily in the home; as
domestic labour, and emotional are seen as entirely women's responsibilities.
Women themselves can their own worst enemies _ like the Housewives Against Strikes in the North West last weekend
This reinforces role as being
We can begin to overcome
women organising together as they did in Soho on
bringing other women to question their role in the family and to demand that men support the struggle for
opportunity continue this fight will be the
Violence Against Women from 3 March.
wanting to get involved in organising for this
should contact:
Week of Action Grour 374
Grays Inn Rd, London WC1 currently under review and they don't appear to be very good! So we're asking all our supporters to make a special
use the outlets provided by WH Smith to get
of Socialist
More importantly, we want to know why the sales figures have slumped. If you have had any difficulty in obtaining the
outlets listed below, then please ring us this
After all, if the problems lie at the door of these outlets, this will obviously be a factor in WH Smith's final decision on
Remember too that not only is the paper stocked regularly at the following London shops, plus the Oxford and Cambridge outlets, but you can also ask for a special customer's order for the paper at any other branch
The present London outlets
Victoria (Main, Cross, Brent
Terminal, Loop), Crouch End, Waterloo (South, etc),
Cross.
Liverpool St, St
No.. means
NO!
TEX SHOP
WORKERS OF THE
WORLD UNITE!
HEAR HUGO BLANCO
MIKE FARRELL, IRANIAN TROTSKYIST, TARIO ALI
7.30pm FRIDAY 2 FEBRUARY
CAMDEN TOWN HALL, EUSTON ROAD, LONDON NW1
5.30pm FILMS, MUSIC, DISPLAYS/ADMISSION £1
HUGO BLANCO IN GLASGOW: Thursday 1 February Labour Movement Lunch: 12.30pm, at Glasgow district NALGO office (admission by invitation only)
Seminar: Latin American Institute, Glasgow University Rally organised by Socialist Unity (inc. Iranian speaker, stalls,
7.30pm,
Phone 041-221 7481 for further details.
Badges 25p inc p&p. Discount negotiable on orders over 10 i casim advance. From Pat Masters, c/o Socialist Challenge, Box 50, London N1.
FOR THE SOCIALIST REVOLUTION Highlands Institute, Berkeley Street, Charing
3-4 The Oval, London E2.
← Socialist Challenge No. 79, 18 January 1979Socialist Challenge No. 81, 1 February 1979 →