Socialist Challenge No. 88, 22 March 1979

Socialist Challenge · 22 March 1979 · 16 pages, 25,014 words read by machine

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Socialist Challenge No. 88 22 March 1979 15p RUC TORTURERS

GUILT

"LABOUR GOVERNMENT

GUILTY

BRITAIN OUT OF IRELAND NOW

Page 2 scan of this page

OUR POLICIES 2 E

EDITORIAL

Editorial 01-359 8180/9. 91-359 8371.

But for

SiX

counties?

Wales, Richard, for Wales?'

Unionists, offering all sorts of deals

offered no evidence Unionist, supported 'strong arm methods.

individual case histories.

01016 wife, is just the latest (although disgusting) piece of black propaganda. then it is a price which is too high.

in Castlereagh,

scapegoat for the Bennett and Irwin revelations.

presence would go. That remains the only will not repeat this mistake.

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.

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Send to Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper St. London N1.

Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979 page 2

Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper Street, London N1.

Distribution/ Advertising THERE is a point in Robert Bolt's play A Man For All Seasons at which Thomas More turns on his former friend Richard Rich. Rich had just given false evidence against More and was rewarded by Henry VIII with the lord lieutenancy of Wales. Says More: 'It may profit a man to sell his soul and gain the whole world - but for

The Labour government is presently negotiating with the Ulster

for their support in Parliament. An indication of the type of diseased mentality these Loyalists have is displayed in their response to the Bennett report. An official statement from the Unionist Party said that Bennett

of ill-treatment; Harold McCusker, said that it did - but that he

It could be argued that the response of the Labour government, particularly that of Northern Ireland Secretary Mason, is not all that different. Bennett makes the point in his report that he was specifically restricted under Mason's brief from looking at the wider application of law in the North of Ireland, as well as that in

From the start of the latest round of evidence of ill-treatment' by the security forces in the North of Ireland, the Labour SOCCES One eNois. tense ana diversions. attempted smear on Dr Robert Irwin, drawing attention to the rape

probably the most

It is also worth remembering that it is not the Loyalist bigots who are responsible for the administration of law in the North of Ireland, or for H Block, or even for the continued denial of the rights of the Irish people, It is the Labour government.

Nevertheless, despite their apparent agreement on repression in the North of Ireland, there is something particularly nauseating about the current spectacle of Callaghan and friends bargaining with the Loyalist bigots. Even the Daily Mirror commented that if this is the price to pay for the survival of a Labour government,

It is too much to expect that at this late hour the Labour government will attempt some liberalising measures in the North of Ireland. It appears that apart from the gimmicks of TV screens

the onlv consequence of the Bennett report is the departure of RUC Chief Constable Sir Kenneth Newman. The Northern Ireland Office insist that Newman was due to return to England anyway, but it is obvious that he is being offered as the

If there was a socialist government in Westminster much more would leave the North of Ireland than Newman. The troops would leave, the torturers would be booted out, and the entire British

demand socialists should place on whatever government sits at Westminster.

But in the light of the Bennett report, and in the light of the attempted deals with the Loyalists, something else can be said. The one way the Labour government can now gain one grain of self-respect for its North of Ireland policy is to say loudly and unequivocally that the present situation in the North of Ireland, torture and all, is because British governments have made deals with the bigoted minority in Ireland on too many occasions in the past, and that this time, whatever its fate, the Labour government

Otherwise, let us rewrite Robert Bolt and say that it may indeed profit the Labour government to sell out the millions of voters it has if it gains five more years in power — but for six counties?

By Jonathan Silberman

I WONDER why it is that every time the TUC and the

Lab some een agreement, i

with some new agreement,

starts with the letters Do you think they're trying to tell us something!

With these Ward, secretary of Horsham branch of the Engineering Union, agreed to individual sponsor the Anti-Concordat.

Dave and Chris Horsham POEU vice-chairper-

list of sponsors Anti-Concordat document.

It brilliantly exposes many of the half-truths and fabrications contained in the governmentTUC text.

Facts and figures are used to unmask the real meaning of the The new 'con', the starting point of which is fundamental clash of interests between workers and bosses

The Anti-Concordat shows that the proposal for an annual tripartite arrangement between unions, bosses and the government is in reality nothing more than new designed, like all the others, to carve into standards.

*The very talk of dividing "the cake" sumption, public expenditure" pamphlet explains, rests upon the assumption that the present wealth and privileges employing class are in no way going to be challenged.

It continues: What is most revealing about all the talk of "tripartite meetings" is that no one says it should decide the allocation of resources between profit, dividend interest, rent and managerial salaries and perks on the one hand, and wages and social services on the

*No, that would let slip the secret that we live in a class divided society.? The effects of the Social previous "con', were declining living standards, massive cuts in social services and growing dole queues.

The Concordat is a response to the rank and file rebellion which opposed

realunonar socialists are

THE FIRST WORD

Signatures

been

"con" Roland Stirling Trades

words Dave cil; Post Office

Mullins, steve Grittith. tary Bird, district for the

on department olewar

CFSA:

there Julian natonal council.

Charlie wages policy oneonero

workers' living Janet Maguire, London

between "coninvestment and the

of the the Contract at

which ultimately led

six months.

To weaken

the Social

Capitalism is in cris. The leaders of the Labour Party and the trades unions

To build broad-based class struggle tendencies in 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 revolutionar socialist organisation which can, through an application of united front tactics begin to be seen as an alternative by thousands of workers engaged in struggles.

Such an organisation should be based on the understanding that:

The struggle for socialism seeks to unite the fight of the workers against the bosses with that of other oppressed layers of society black people. gays — strugeling for their liberation. This socialism car only be achieved by creating new organs of power and defeating with all

cessary means the power of the capitalist state.

Anti-Concordat gathers momentum

On the way to 2000

IN ADDITION to the one Bernard hundred signatories listed in the pamphlet, Socialist Challenge informed rulerton following additions: worn NUt Sheret, secretary Westminster Council; John Preston Denn Trades Council; Neil Duffield, secretary boron rades coun Lacey, CrOR COU secuon cxecutive, rat nicke chairperson, Senior Steward T&( WUVU Mover solnul: Kaonio ansan sec, T&G steward Rover Solihull: branch secre Rover Solihull; Cheffield AUEW Percy committee:

Camder US DAW s Mar NUPE; Hacket! Northern convenior, shop stew ards committee. Bury educat.

McLennan chall

person, Glasgow Norin Dass - Mike Anderson.Ren frew EIS association execut neen, roc Horsham Pour Chear Jeremy Horsham POEU Ternent,

metropolitan district Jeff Lever, NALGO metropolitan district NATFHE,

suddard, Stafford NUPE branch secretary; Pam oroanisel Harindev and slindion DHS JONE secretary SE ASTMS -LeedS ASIMS one union conference after another, and

SCS to the massive strike wave of the last picketing,

the means closed shop workers have at their disposal to defend and advance their

confronting women,

Regan secretary East London NUT: Ken Jones secretary, barking Nui. Islay

president. wands.

Carole ILTA council NUT Fitzpatrick ILTA council NUT; Kamlesh Gandhi UPW Cricklewood; Mai- Archie colm Bass, branch committee.

Howitt, nationa executive committee member

Larkham BLOS branch Rees SPCS; R. Banks convenor; D

Manganese, GMWU; Daener Electro Dynamic AUEW; Colin

Metal box. NGA Weinstein shop steward wandsworn branci NALGO: Norah Carin secre TAry MICeY POV NAT-HEK

, President Newcastle Coates SEnIOl rep Impertai Metals the TUC

interests, the Concordat oppo-

LUSH unofficial strikes, pul. forward proposals for a code of

and a so-called 'flexible' interpretation of the

It has already been used to

"socialism' in the USSR and Eastern Europe have discredited socialism

them and will offer full support to all those fighting for socialist democracy.

The interests of workers and capitalists are irreconcilable on a world scale. Capitalism has not only created a world market, it has created

scale. This unity will in the long run be decisive in defeating both the imperialist regimes in the West and the brutal dictatorships they sustain in Latin

In Britain it implies demanding the immediate withdrawal of British troops from Ireland and letting the Irish people determine their own future.

The Communist Parties in Europe "Euro-communist nor the pro-Moscow wings have any meaningfu I strategy for the overthrow of the capitalist state. New revolutionary socialist parties are more necessary than ever before. Conditions today are more avouraore man over the preccame tree oceanes DuESuCh Dares Cal only be built by rejecting sectarianism and seeing internal democracs not as a luxury but as a vital necessity. This means the right to organise factions and

try to prevent workers from taking action - as in the civil servants' dispute but its DOWCI lies ability persuade, in ATES ideologica

This has led some political commentators to argue that the Concordat is little more than a piece of paper and, after all, the refuse workers have shown us where bits of paper can be stuffed!

But this would be to oversimplify matters. Certainly the Concordat has not had the dramatic enect one early days of the Social Contract, and the Labour government has said that it does not intend

legislate the Concordat.

But the Tories certainly have legislation in mind, and they will ask: Why will you accep these policies from Callaghar when you won't accept them from us?' This is what makes it all the more important to fight for an alternative to the policie: of the trade union and Labou leaders here and now.

The Anti-Concordat does not contain such a thorough going political alternative. job is to generate the maximum resistance to the TUC-government pact and to foster the maximum unity in that task.

The document indicates the need for such an alternative. It calls for real efforts...to unite

left around fighting demands that can mobilise rank and file trade unionists to fight

working class interests against those of the employers and class collaborators' - not least because the new bac stands against the policies adopted by almost every labour movement conference.

That's why the campaign to throw out the Concordat needs to be coupled with the demand for the immediate recall of the

and Labour Party Conference to remove the right-wing leaders who over

the policies these conferences have voted for, and adopt new policies for the fightback.

Order your copies of the Anti-Concordat from Socialist Challenge (25p pấp). Join the campaign for 2,000 signatures.

are in crisis. Neither the

Page 3 scan of this page

We didn't make a revolution

Women in Iran

this medieval line into practice.

several rallies and demonstrations.

themselves.

Three weeks before International Women's Day on 8 March, an ad hoc committee for organising a celebranon was set up.

250 women representing wide spectrum nurses, teachers, office workers, students and some women - • were present. There was a lot of enthusiasm for the 8 March celebration.

Other women's groups had been organised by Communist Party and Maoists. The ad hoc committee contacted them to organise a united march and rally.

The CP accepted, but no reply was received from the Maoists. Though even the CP withdrew three hours before the rally.

We also contacted inter-

AZAR TABARI, who is in London for a few days, will be speaking on the situation of women in Iran at the Socialist Feminist Conference on Saturday 24 March, 6pm Starcross School, Risinghill Street, (off Penton Street), London NI

national speakers such as Kate Millett from the United States, feminists in France and Italy,

Bernadette Devlin Ireland.

On 1 March the Ministry of Health reaffirmed the ban on abortions. Birth control pills

INTERNATIONAL

*Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the other', says the Koran. But large numbers of women in Iran have mounted a challenge to the Ayatollah Khomeini's attempts to put

AZER TABARI is a militant of the Iranian Socialist Workers Party. She also played an active part in the recent women's demonstrations in Iran and spoke at

A leading member of the Women's Rights Defence Groups which are being formed in many localities in Tehran, she describes here how the women organised

began to be removed from chemists shops. On 3 March the pills were put back on the shelves after injunction.

At the same time two letters appeared in the press -from a judge and addressed to veiled Khomeini • asking for advice on the Family Protection Act.

According to this Act both men and women have to obtain divorce permits from a Family the Court, and the Court has to grant permission before a man the can marry for the second time. restricted the rights of Islam.

Khomeini's reply was published the next day. He said that the Act should suspended because against the laws of Islam.

This created resentment and anger. reambiguan went unambiguous: make a revolation to get a worse situation.

On 7 March, Khomeini dropped a new bombshell. He declared that the compulsory. Women work, but they had to wear the veil.

That this statement came on the Women's appeared to us as a deliberate provocation.

On the morning of 8 March there eruption of anger. took place in several girls high schools. They were angry. They voted to go on strike and join

to get a worse situation'

the rally at Tehran university.

At the University there were nearly 15,000 women. It was a heartening sight.

The Maoist League for the Awakening of Ministry Women') marched off separ-

Lately. The rest of us, numbering about 12,000, marched to the one HQ of the Imam Committee. The ad hoc committee put out a leaflet inviting everyone to a rally at the Sports Stadium at 5pm to discuss what to do next. It was agreed that there would be an occupation of the Ministry of March.

At the rally in the stadium polygamy Millett as well as French and there were greetings from Kate

Italian women. woman drew massive applause as she greeted the women of be it was fra spoke as well and argued

lot of thạt radical social change was

The necessary and that we should not sit passively and take all

didn't VERISE

We muse work a not

take word COVCHHCHE appointed governmen The rally launched Women's all Was could Rights Defence

urged the formation of local groups. The groups are fighting for equal pay, child care, equal rights social,

Day economic and judicial spheres.

On March thousand women gathered at 9am outside the Ministry spontaneous Justice. At the same time other Meetings women activists went to high

schools, hospitals, and offices to bring back contingents to the Ministry.

COMMITTEE AGAINST REPRESSION IN IRAN

CONFERENCE

Saturday 31 March, 11am, University College, Gower Street, London WC1

Delegates' credentials E2, observers' El, from CARI, Box 4, 182 Upper Street, London N1.

on the way back they molested and

group ('The 'Prostitutes'

dolls'.

Ministry the first over, for it was

sit-in.

between

Justice on 10

militants.

militants disagreed.

An Arab . Then TEne

statement

position.

ourselves build the defence groups least of all an

Freedom Square.

Groups

were 15,000 of us.

political, but no attacks.

several serious of situation.

SUDDOT from

HOW difficult days ahead.

reached us

since by's iron-fisted

Johns

accused

Johns

Sheffield mentioned

American joined these contingents, but Several thousand womer penetrated by

were agoats, elc. physically attacked by hoodlums chanting,

and *Pahlavi

By the time they got to the

sit-in was regime. 3pm. They immediately started a new

Nazi films

A rally was planned for 11 March, but a split opened up

women from the Lawyers Association (reputedly sympathetic to the CP) and the

The former wanted no rally if the government retreated on Devonshire the question of the veil. The campus.

women lawyers an unilaterally put out a press Hitler youth;

that there would be no rally. But despite this sabotage the rally went ahead with 6,000 women. Russia

I spoke and reiterated our viewpoint",

Our fight had to continue. We had to organise

independently and

After the rally we marched to knuckles.

More and more women joined the march, and by the time it ended there

There was a lot of hostility

The Fedayeen provided armed defence guards and their presence prevented a

deterioration in the broader

We want solidarity and

allover the world. For the euphoria has The

and there are change

News

nowhere

Ayatollahs of Clapham High St

DISTURBING have

from within the

sect, the Workers Revolutionary Party. The WRP, still led

by the ageing Ayatollah Gerry

Healy, had till last weekend

been in continuous conference

26 February. It scheduled to reconvene in three

months time.

The reason for the latest

crisis? Party chairperson Roy Battersby and Newsline journalist Stephen Johns had raised

some moderate criticisms of the isolation of the WRP from the British class struggle. Batters-

cheekiness received an reply: he was

suspended for three months. For good measure his wife was suspended as well

was attacked for

regarding the outcome of the

Ford strike as a victory despite the productivity deals. He was

of confusing 'the

particular' with 'the general'

was disgusted and the walked out. He was thereupon summarily expelled.

Johns had been accused of being a Kantian rather than a Marxist. The WRP's erstwhile

organiser admitted his own Kantian philosophical deviations, but claimed that the WRP as a whole was Kantian. For this he was expelled - and good Kantian that he is, he voted for his own expulsion.

The Ayatollah Healy and be two others were given authority to root out anti-party elements from the WRP. It should be and

that the main campaign of the WRP for a peried was to accuse the

SWP of being this, KGB and FBI

Its present campaigns are to denounce Iranian women being pawns of the CIA and to justify the execution of Iraqi LEEDS student union recently gave fascism the biggest boost it has had on the campus for many decades by authorising the showing of three famous Nazi propaganda films in the

Hall the

The films? Labour Camps,

exhortation to join the Ein Volk. Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer; and Nazi lavasion of Russia, described on the poster as 'the invasion of

from German

The showing of these films in a totally uncritical context is a disgrace, and the union should be rapped sharply on the

Broaderleft

AT A MEETING in London on 11 March the student Broad Left finally voted to wind itself up. It will be replaced by a still

alliance which will the participation Liberals and others.

Broad Left had not originally intended to make the

public until PURE

I from

National Union of Students

conference next month. This

would followed

inaugural conference of the

new Hance the summer

term.

But, possibly prompted by

rather accurate predic-

SUBIC

tions in this the

Communist Party announced

the new development

Morning article on 16

March, breezily headlined It's

all change for broad left'.

The author of the article,

Steve Palmer, argued that the

Drones ame broad left

(which has mysteriously drop-

ped its capital letters) is that,

being a coalition of parties

rather than individuals,

excluded liberals (also with a

small l).

There were no such old. fashioned sentiments of party loyalty at the "summit which

decided on the change. The Communist Party itself

evidently divided on the issue The National Organisation of

delegates

voted for the proposal, despite

opposition of their

executive.

As the voting was close and confused it was decided not to

make the decision binding on regional Broad Lefts, with the result that there is likely to be a

patchwork of different Broad

Left and 'democratic alliance structures throughout the regions.

CP and NOLS leaders must

hoping that the present arrangement will carry them through until NUS conference

the outstanding problems will resolve them. selves later.

While they are

, they might still conside sending a polite retraction of their earlier harsh denials that they would ever abandon the Broad Left. This could be accompanied by a contribution to the fund drive of the first paper accurately to predict what they were up to. Pin down Scargill

ARTHUR SCARGILL. York

shire miners' leader, will debate

the issue of pin-ups in the pres with Anna Coote of the NU. Equality Working Party. The Trade Union Journalists sec. tion of the NUJ set up the debate: Scarill replied to a leter trom The debate began

Petrie Sheffield published in Socialist Chal lenge which attacked his sexist ideas and the existence of

pin-ups on page 3 of the

Yorkshire Miner

The Sen took up the stery and the Morning Star published a long letter from Scargill or the subject

Samples of what he said:

The only gain is that of the girls (and their families) who delight at appearing in paper."

*Pin-ups are a bar of modern day living; they are part of life in some Socialist countries as indeed are beauty competitions.

"The Pirelli calendars featur ing nude and semi-nude women have now been classed as objets d'art by some collectors.

The motion at the debate is that pin-ups should not be used in the press. It will take place al 7pm on 11 April, NUFTO Hall Jockeys Fields, London WC1.

Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979 page 3

Page 4 scan of this page

Wanted - solidarity with health

HOME NEWS

workers

the press,

official silence.

By Geoffrey Sheridan

If, as seems most likely, this supposed new pay offer is an exercise in kite flying, it is a kite well-fashioned to the requirements of the architects of the Concordat.

With the Royal College of Nursing's declaration that it will carry -OUT TO action, the government would Inke to reward the nurses for the RCN's devotion to low pay.

No-strike guarantees in the public sector are foreshadowed in the government-TUC pact, and the press's enthusiasm for the 'angels' in the hospital wards coincides with its assault

the "criminall ancillary

NATIONAL TRADE

UNION CONFERENCE

* UNDER WORKERS CONTROL Workers'

Plans and

Workers'

Control

28 April, 11a.m.

Digbeth Civic Hall,

BIRMINGHAM By Jude Woodward

IN 1974 the nurses won a pay award of 30 SUCH cent that smashed right through the new Labour government's for pay limits. How did the

tremendous

The first major factor was the mintancy tion to win that the nurses

Demonstratons many cities attracted thousands

many called for all-out strike action.

When the action began in April 74, it was in the period of the Labour government's boneymoon with HOUSE working class. Five years later Labour's right-wing policies have sapped the fighting spirit of all sections of the labour moscient.

After the Heath government's attacks on working class living standards, there high hopes for what Labour could do.

With Benn in charge industry, and Castle in charge of health, it was expected that

Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979 page 4

SOMEONE in the Department of Health, or maybe has a macabre sense of humour. The weekend reports that nurses have been made an additional pay offer of £1 - bringing the total to £2 on account plus 9 per cent - have been met with an

The unions say they know nothing about it.

workers and ambulance staff wno are darns to take acaon for their £60 - 35 hour claim. But the kite has run into a storm. After LYU militant action, the ancillaries and staff furious that their remains at El plus 9 per cent.

This week sees an escalation their determination improve that offer. Some five hundred hospitals Britain have been reduced to emergency cover.

A decision last week at a shop stewards rally held by NUPE's London divisional council for a one-day strike at all London's hospitals on expected to bring many out on to the picket lines as we went to press.

The failure of the public SCCLOT union leaders the struggles in this sector has boosted the confidence in declaring all-out war on those who have refused to accept the pay offer After the Prime Minister declared his willingness to cross picket lines, Health Minister David Ennals has appealed for 'volunteers' to replace striking ancillary workers The NUPE branch at Bolton General Hospital has made it clear to the health authority what it will do if government-sponsored breaking is carried out at the hospital. The branch will bring our te mamtenance workers to join the picket line, forcing a rapid shutdown.

How the nurses won in '74

this would be a really left government, menting its manifesto.

This militancy unions involved to act. plans even me Ken, waich in Ene

present dispute has against any industrial action by the suggested resignations from the National Health Service. NOT & constructive suggestion but it WES better than nothing at all.

The COHSE leaders were unwilling to be the first to wreck the conceived Social Contract, yet they supported claim.

The second major factor was the involvement of the industrial unions. *How much is your worth?', the nurses asked the labour movement, was a strong response.

Yorkshire miners set the hal WCHC rolling when a

decided on strike action in support of the nurses.

of Nurses approached the most

their localities and frequently

months

pay offer

across March was

to unity of the There is another ploy that the

health authorities are attemptgovernment's ing.

ambulance workers in South Glamorgan and shire lockouts.

SOUT the ambulance staff through their unofficial national committee has forged a militant response. Five thousand ambulance staft are now on strike against the lockouts support of their pay claim such Unity of the health struggle strike through action committees is urgenny accaca, and unal Is something the union leaders have done nothing to encour-

In Newcastle, for example, succeeded in winning workers imple- to take solidarity action with their claim. forced the Engineering

miners, hospital ancillary and semi-medical workers all took argued action in support of the nurses' claim.

The nurses themselves took strike action in the form of half very day or two hour strikes.

suggesting Perhaps the most important

tactic that the nurses themselves employed was to refuse and NUPE to service private patients in

NHS hospitals. newly- This not only helped forward the nurses own claim but took the nurses' up the question of cuts in the

health service Party policy private beds.

life Castle was forced to deal with a major campaign against pay

and there beds as a result of this action.

The The nurses clearly saw their OWE ballot vote parcel

National Health Service. Again the working class still expected the Labour government to be doing just that.

Finally, the

Ancillaries on strike at Whiston hospital vote to continue action

NUPE stewards

overlie ov

Gloucestercountered by the ancillaries.

unity among

involved, stewards student nurse.

and in own business.

the action after the 22 January ACTOR. different policies from

workers, other joint action

many areas.

unions involved

prepared to take action went a long

and Labour

abolishing

Barbara that to expect the HOCHICH

fool's paradise.

pay claim as part and of moves to a better

without its

problem of forced.

representing nurses at St Nicholas Hospital argued from the start of the public sector dispute that the nurses should be involved with

•We said that this was a low pay campaign, so that we were

NUPE decision. steward Elsa Conway, who is a psychiatric

*The full-time official told us in effect that understaffing ancillaries were nothing to do with us, so we should mind our

*We had to win the support says Elsa, of the branch to have nurses and ancillaries represented on

COHHHECC day of them to bed.

That action committee has

the unions involved began to be overcome through setting up

committees

With representatives from all

and seeking to involve other unions

solidarity these towards overcoming the divisions sown

the unions nationally.

1974 showed that the nurses can win wei wage demand: and they can do so again. The lessons of how it was done in 1974 can be usefully brought to bear in the present dispute.

The added problem now is that no one believes any longer mal Labour will improve the health service. Everyone knows

Labour implement socialist policies is to live in a

The militancy of 1974 will be found again in this dispute if we can argue that the hopes of 1974 were not irrelevant. What was groundless was to expect the Labour government to do it

hand being

voted in principle for all-out strike action with emergency Elsa

as the only effective means by which the claim could be won, and to counter the argument that heath workers couldn't strike.

For nurses that is not an easy

Nicholas that hospital and for many of its elderly patients

ensures that 'emergency cover' is the only treatment they ever receive.

*My normal working day,'

'consists of getting the patients up, feeding them, toileting them, feeding them, toileting them, feeding them, toileting them, and then putting

*Their only outing is a trip|

ICOHSE

COHSE nurses picket pay talks

CAMPAIGN FOR ACTION IN NUPE

* No to Comparability - Unite all sections of the union

for the National Minimum Settlement Date

* Sack Fisher

negotiators and full time officials

* No to the Concordat

* Organise for the Annual Conference

SATURDAY 7 APRIL CONWAY HALL, RED LION SQ. WC 1.30-5.00 (Nearest Tube: Holborn)

to the bathroom once a week,

adds. •With DIUDC staffing, we could at least teach the patients to feed and toilet themselves, which would boost inel moraie.

Elsa Conway's job could be described as something less

angelic The _01 Britain's hospitals could be said to be approaching a scandal of underfunding and staffing, thanks to the cuts that this government has speeded up.

The defence of the health service and hall decent pay for those who struggle to maintain it are sound reasons for the strong sections of the working class to take solidarity action with those now confronting the government.

Wage and a Common

- for full democratic control over our

Page 5 scan of this page

Newcastle local authority workers have to collapse?

HOME NEWS

among the most effective in the country.

Could these strikes collapsing?

By Geoff Ryan and Davidson, stewards, Newcastle authority branch

The action taken by local authority workers in Newcastle during the public sector dispute was strictly in line with the policy advocated by the union leaders.

It was, in short, local and selective, and it made a sharp impact on services in the city.

NUPE school caretakers and refuse incinerator workers went on strike from 22 January and continued their action early March, shutting schools and refuse collections.

Yet only two days after a mass meeting of over 800 loca authority workers overwhel-

pay offer on 28 February, the caretakers followed the incinerator workers in voting to return to work.

There were problems trom the start. The GMWU refused to call its caretakers on strike, and NUPE instructed members in schools GMWU caretakers to

WOrK normally.

So although over half the city's 160 schools were shut, only some 90 NUPE members were actually on strike. Many members simply sat at home.

Various attempts were made to overcome these problems. A strike committee, open to all interested members, was set up in the first week of the strike.

strike bulletin produced every week

virtually entire membership. It contained both local and national reports, as well as general political articles on the dispute.

Many members were every week to collect their levies for the strike fund, and those on strike had weekly meetings. Most of these decisions came from resolutions from supporters of the Campaign Action in NUPE.

in the Labour Party. Newcastle North constituency party passed resolutions demanding that the council meet the £60-35 hour claim.

At short notice, a 150-strong.

Did the strike

LOCAL AUTHORITY strikes in Newcastle were | dices are disastrous.

The majority of schools were closed from the day of action on 22 January until shortly before the unions accepted the national pay offer earlier this month, and refuse collections were halted for the same period.

have been prevented from

Paul lobby was organised when Callaghan visited the city.

but they weren't up to the task of winning the dispute.

The weekly meetings and strike bulletins were still within the framework local action were taken to form a united strike committee with health workers, again on the initiative of CAN supporters.

The crunch in the schools

the 28 February vote to reject the national offer. The Labour until council met with headteachers, down who agreed to schools with the full backing of the leadership of the National Union of Teachers.

Pressure for this had come from the Newcastle Teachers Association, is largely based on middle-class areas in the city. A PTA demo scheduled for ahead as a 'victory' celebration.

The GWU had already its accepted an offer with council to pay worker £100 for five weeks to clear the huge backlog garbage.

School caretakers in North Tyneside proposed to return to work on 12 March after the council agreed LU demands SUCI as allowances.

Faced with all pressures, the Newcastle caretakers backed down. was almost no experience and industrial action, there was no the way they could win in isolation.

NUPE's strike fund was no doubt better off with school meals staff and cleaners laid off on full pay, but it also meant seen they played a passive role in the dispute.

Virtually everyone believed that the large majority of these school workers would refuse to strike, because they for women.

And even when almost all the women voted to reject the pay The offer, only 11 caretakers were in favour of calling a branch meeung discuss action.

In a union like NUPE, with two-thirds women such reactionary male preju-

GARNERS DAY OF ACTION Saturday, 24 March

Support the catering workers' strike that won't go away, and join the battle against the Concordat -

Garners strikers are fighting for effective picketing!

AssembleSpm at Speakers' Corner, Hyde Park,

London W2

In the Newcastle hospitals, women were — and continue to be - in the forefront of most of the action, but because of the section by section tactics of the leaders, possible to generalise experience.

The only way to have won, as CAN supporters consistently

selective, although steps re-open the

Parent WATCE

3 March went

from the each refuse

consider

security

these

With of were

all-out

members,

complete

the dispute all-out nationally. it wasn't this seeking

who are fighting on.

STRIKING in Newcastle: above, mass meeting of local authority workers; below, ambulance staff on the picket line.

NUPE

members

working

held at Week.

pointed out, was to have had because

confidence In the members and involved them in

by fighting for and

These are lessons we are today

to raise with the hospital ancillaries and nurses action

evening.

NUPE Hospital

vitriolic

STUCROIS Rover,

Many

"All

and continue

that NUPE steward week strike has all-out action.

programme counci

council

Rubbish,

The

CARDIFF

By Alex Webber

steward, University

Hospital of Wales

THE AREA health authority in

South Glamorgan faced NUPE

with an ultimatum.

We had to return to normal

by midnight last Thursday, 'or else'. This latter phrase meant a lock-out

Workers at three hospitals replied to this threat on Friday

with a one-day all-out strike. Mass meetings are due to be

OLICI hospitals this Ambulance staff are continuing all-out action, and

they have been locked-out, ambulance crews in several parts of the country are also taking all-out action.

Nurses at the UHW, which is a large teaching hospital, meet

to discuss their pay claim, and we hope to set up an

committee. The Campaign for Action in NUPE is holding a public meeting this

BIRMINGHAM

By Kathy Ambrose

steward, Selly Oak

THE NUPE branch's plan t

Birmingham General Hospital with an all-out strike was called off last week after

aLLaCKS Birmingham Evening Mail and

headquarters for its members to cross the picket line.

In the run up to the mass picket, pledges of supporting strike action came from othe hospital workers, while industrial unions such as those at

Solihull, promised to send delegations.

COHSE members were disgusted at the instruc

NUPE branch secretary Dick Hackett says:

membership agreements with COHSE are now torn up,

Many approaches membership of NUPE through the Bridlington agreement will be seen favourably.

The need to build strong line, joint shop stewards committees is an obvious step towards unity in the pay campaign.

The NUPE divisional office did precious little to build support for the planned action. Overtime bans and work to rule

in Birmingham's hospitals, but there is no doubt

closure of the General would have greatly increased the chance of a better offer.

TOWER HAMLETS

By Stewart Madewell

THE LABOUR council in Tower Hamlets, East London, has some advanced ideas about democracy, it has refused to have a public debate with its manual workers, whose seven-

escalated to

It has denied the Tonight TV

access to property. week the mayor called in the police to eject strikers from a

meeting when they demanded a local settlement.

which heaped across the borough, has become a major battle ground.

council has called cowboy firms to try to shift the heaps; 24-hour pickets have so far prevented this.

The council's supposed

reason for its intransigence is a

desire to keep the rates down. A

rate of 9 per cent has been fixed

in order to attract commercis

property to the borough.

Never mind that what the

borough needs is homes, not

offices; that having low-paid

council workers is only in the

bosses" interests, and that the

council could cut th rates by

refusing to pay the bankers

interest charges.

Support and donations to the

Strike Committee TGWU

Offices, West India

Road, London E14.

NOTTINGHAM

By Eric Laverick

NUPE steward

THE FIGHTto end low pay will

be taken into Nottingham's city

centrethis Saturday, witha rally

called by the trades council, and

Page 6 scan of this page

HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE ANL? National Front's campaign in support of Robert Relf have together with a contribution from the IMG's anti-racist renewed the debate amongst anti-fascist activists over the organiser, Rich Palser. Further contributions are welcome.

HOME NEWS

1. Crisis of

leadership

A FEVERISH search through the pages of Socialist Challenge (8 March) for information on

NF's demonstration in support of Relf produced one small caption tucked neatly

on the back page. informing us all where to meet and at what time.

It would seem that Socialist Challenge regards antifascist mobilisations as being so routine that a mere mention of an assembly point and time to meet will produce Socialist Challenge supporters in their hundreds. Unfortunately these hundreds apparently failed to materialise.

Large mobilisations by the NF in the coming months will be a major part of their build-up to the next election. Therefore it is necessary for anti-fascist forces to build the largest POSSIbIc counter-mobilisations, both to counter racist propaganda and,

defend where strategic areas (e.g- Brick Lane).

This is obvious. However, no rallying call appeared in the paper. importance building the counter-demonstration was not stressed.

While the IMG consistently opposed state bans and a reliance on the state machine to destroy fascism, its failure to recognise the national importance Winchester seriously weakened our ability

rectify the confused approach of the ANL, brought question ine credibility of the IMG in theeyes of many anti-fascist militants.

In failing to play a leading role, the IMG missed important opportunity to point out a way forward for the anti-fascist movement, including the need for a national ANL conference to CISCUSS strategy against the NF in the coming elections.

If similar mistakes are to be avoided in future, Socialist Challenge and the

leadership must pump greater

the fight to counter the NF, both to help InTO resolve the crisis of leadership in the ANL and also to recover

Militant entertainment tour MARCH

Thur 22 Sheffield Poly:

Barry Forde band. Leviton buzzards

Piranas and locar Dano

Poiv: barry rorge. Levion buzzards

Piranas and Sheeny and the Goys

Ser 21 Muzzlerbal Tered Poly

and local band. Sun 25 Lancaster Uni:

Levion buzzaras barry roree

Only Ones and Interference.

Edinburgh Clouds: Stiff Little Fingers

Mekons 15.16.17 and Carol

Wed 28 Stirling

Grimes. Thur 29 Aberdeen Music Hall: ringers, Mekons

Stiff Little Fingers, Mekons, 15.16.1.

and Carol Grimes, Fri 30 Bradfor

Stiff Little Fingers, Mekons,

hb 1 an0 0c8 08n

APRIL

Mon 2 Liverpool Uni: Angelic Upstarts.

The Only Ones 3 Manchester Poly AnGelic

Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979 page 6

THE anti-fascist mobilisations in Winchester to counter the

effectiveness of the Anti Nazi Leauge.

someof the IMG's credibility as force within SCrIOUs anti-fascist movement.

DAVID SMALES, STEVE FERRIS (Southampton)

2. ANL has

has

failed to

mobilise

and

WE write this letter in response to the Anti Nazi handling of the Robert Relf demo in Winchester on March. As a result of our experiences on that day we feel that there is an urgent need for a re-assessment of the support given to the ANL by both ourselves and the Workers Party and Interna tionai Marxist Group.

Winchester has surely served IMG to underline the tact that the

ANL has not only failed to mobilise effective opposition to NF marches but has also served to obstruct those who seek to confront racists and not march

Uostarts. Aswad. Tne oniy ones Exodus. Wed 4 Birmingham Regal Cinema: angenc vostars Crisis and Icanda.

Upstarts.

Tue 27

- tickets £1.95 on the door or £1.70 in advance Trade (Notting Hill).

Records (Kentish Town), Ace Record Small Wonder Records

'United action requires a political fight with left reformist leaders'

off in the opposite direction to the the NF.

This has illustrated by the NF May Day march last year, Brick Lane in September, and chester.

Collaboration with the law has become the prime concern of ANL organisers, whilst the opinions of those effective action are not merely ignored but derided as being 'ultra-leftist', ACTOIES tive, although they are clearly none of these.

Nowhere was illustrated than at Winchester, when those marchers seeking to confront the fascists rather than wander aimlessly around the League's

deserted residential town were denounced by ANL stewards, not Holborow, and denied access to the PA system and use of the megaphones.

Marchers were encouraged to ignore the sizeable number of Socialist dissenters and it was clear that

those attempting stand against both fascists and police were to be isolated and abandoned at all costs.

It is our opinion that this attitude is unacceptable as a realistic policy against racism and fascism. In addition, we feel that the problems of accountability and general criticisms of the leadership can no longer be swept under the carpet in the hope that they will eventually Fri 6 Nottingham sort themselves out

By Mike Tucker

THE NATIONAL Front held an overnight vigil on Saturday night outside the jail where Robert Relf is on hunger strike. This was followed by a LeMOISTAOE counter only from: Rough was organised by the ANL and Honky Tonk supported by

Brighton, Southampton ANLs.

It was also supported by

Consequently,

clearly give our

now Win-

delegate from OU!

ANL.

who seek

active, "class-struggle against racism or generally disrup-

matter of urgency.

this

areas of tion will

least Paul

Wornen

to make a

Socialist earliest opportunity DAVE ROBERTS,

COLIN CLEWS,

PETE COPLEY [for Leicester Student Racism and Fascism]

Winchester this week

Lymington

council.

break

demonstrators.

demonstration

La half

Portsmouth, Winchester and

allowed to Winchester.

we have decided that we can no longer

support for those activities dominated by ANL and have cancelled our plans to affiliate to them and withdrawn

Leicester

However, whilst none of our members are members of either swr orimu, we reel tat mose who would support ANL as an

campaigning body and fascism, namely SWP and IMG, must re-consider that support as a

By Rich Palser

We call upon both groups to take effective action to remedy the existing situation if, indeed, chester? it is possible at this late stage.

We hope that that considera-

begin of

Against DiaCk Nazis

publication of this letter, in full, in both Socialist Worker and

Challenge the -OTHESHECE

STUART CASHMORE,

MICHELE DEWHURST, as the

Polytechnic Campaign Against here was -

anti-fascist com- fascists. mittee and Southampton trades

would

At one stage the NF tried to

through the police cordon to get at the counter

After a rally lasting one and

hours police

dispersed the ANL by sending

in 300 cops. The NF were then

march through

Below we print two letters taking up some of these issues,

LaCLICs. mass

3. More to

first

it than

labelling

the NF

it.

WHAT was the purpose of the counter-demonstration at Win-

At Lewisham the message was clear to tens of thousands

people. The NF were marching to drive the muggers (by which they meant black people) off the streets

They were in tact encourag ing white racists to terrorise the

people of Lewisham, through their show of force

Our reply was that it was

for the labour movement to act with black people in self-defence and where necessary to do this bing ourselves, to drive the fascists

Was this the point we needed to make in Winchester? On this occasion the NF were parading

"defenders TECt speech, the defenders of Relf who merely speaks the truth.

The point we needed to make

don't be conned, remember the racist murders, and remember that the labour movement has to defend its democratic rights against the

Confronting the fascists

only COnTUSe the political point we wanted to make, by giving the impression that we were the ones out to deny people's rights

We may know that in the last

analysire the fascists ry

fascists in -SUBDICSS. order to defend the democratic rights of the Labour movement and the oppressed.

But the knowledge of historic

tasks of the working class cannot define immediate

particularly when the of workers dIC not Marxists.

In this regard the Leicester comrades do have an ultra-left position — this can be said while recognising that many of us have made similar mistakes in LIC HOSL

So if the tactics of the ANL a Winchester were basical correct, does this mean that all is well with the ANL? No.

These is more to anti-fascist activity than labelling the NF as Nazis and making that label stick. First, there is the need to begin to challenge the racist,

and sexist ideas dominant the labour movement by showing how the Nazis are the biggest champions of these ideas.

The ANL must turn itself towards anti-racist activity rather than just responding to the NF

Another reason for prioritising activity against the fascists is to draw out the threat they represent to democratic rights

means Di which democratic rights must be defended in general.

A campaign against the use of bans on demonstrations, is the

task here. Equally the ANL should be participating in actions against the arbitrary search and arrest under the "sus' laws, against the denial of democranic rights under the immigration laws.

SSUl UNIC biggest problem facing the AN is that united action being serious i hampered by the lack of democratic debate and decis ion-making nationally within

The failure debate seriously seinesester with those opposed issues

to the national ANL's tactics threatened the united action on

Another more serious warning should be the absence of any national initiatives around which all ANL groups can

Indeed the ANL has no plan of action for countering the NE very panese for which it was in the general election onginally set ul

This is particularly distur

when the lack democratic decision-making is justified by leading SWE members in the ANL

At the ANL trade union conference усат Paul Holborow argued that reso lutions would not taken since the ANL was for 'united action'.

The turn to united action involvin the brides. forces possible welcone winning united action requires a political fight with those lett reformist leaders who wish to limit the demands and objectives of that united action.

Without democratic debate and decision-making it is not possible to push that united

action forward to its limits

That is why the comrades

from Southampton are correct to say that now is the time to

fight for an ANL conference -

and why the comrades from

turn their backs on the ANI

Page 7 scan of this page

The Bennett Report

International Tribunal backers

Bennett Report into

Constabulary.

British presence in Ireland.

for immediate

published.

By Geoff Bell

The RUC chief constable, Sir

Kenneth Newman, somewhat

cynically put his finger

Bennett's failures when he was

asked at a press conference

whether the report's recom-

mendations would ensure that

brutality would not

again.

Replied Newman: 'I find it

impossible to give

guarantee."

And this is not because

Bennett attempts some sophisti-

cated whitewash. He admits or at least heavily hints at - all sorts of "ill-treatment'.

In paragraphs 180-181 of the report, Bennett lists a series of

which should

banned.

Clearly report would not compile such a list unless it was pretty sure that what it was recommending to be banned was already taking place. Such practices as:

*'requiring a prisoner to strip or expose himself or herself';

*requiring a prisoner adopt maintain unnatural or humiliating position';

*requiring prisoner carry out unnecessarily physically exhausting or manding action';

the use of obscenities, insults or insulting language*;

*'the use of threats of physical force;

**the use of threats of sexual assault or misbehaviour'.

How, then, does the Bennett report suggest that a code of conduct methods should be enforced? The most headline-capturing suggestion was the use of television cameras in interrogation rooms

It was suggested to the inquiry

that "relatives solicitors should have access to DESPITE driving snow, members of Glasgow UTOM took part in a blanket protest and open air meeting Glasgow city Saturday, St Patrick's Day.

Altogether 2,000 leaflets were handed out, and every copy of Troops Out Republican

News/An Phoblacht was sold.

The blanket protest, the first to be held in Scotland, followed a series of pickets held on the main army recruitment centre in Glasgow Saturday morning. These succeeded in

Not quite a cop-out

Procedures in Northern Ireland' is not really about the latest acknowledged brutalities of the Royal Ulster

Judge Bennett and the other two members of the inquiry may think it is, but on a careful reading it is a clear indictment of everything concerned with the

Interpreted correctly, it is one of the best arguments British withdrawal to have

the screens', but rejected because arrangement could not happily co-exist with the system have in mind'

Accordingly the only people permitted to actually these screens will be members of the RUC occur *Divisional Commander sub-Divisional Commander... senior uniformed officer...up that to the level of chief superintendent...assistant chief stables...officers relieving the chief superintendent or superintendent'.

Thus the assumption is that the more senior members of the RUC can be relied upon to protect prisoners from abuse.

The same assumption present in another of Bennett's team recommendations, the right of access by solicitors 10 prisoners after 48 hours. the accessmendon, cutting the access period from hours, remains contrary to the Judges Rules as applied in this country.

But the point about the Bennett recommendation is, to once again, who will ensure it any will be followed? *The officer

If all this sounds like the old tired formula of the policing the police, that is not and quite the case; or, rather, the denot only amount to the RUC policing the RUC.

For instance, in the case of the investigation of complaints against the RUC, there is a recommendation that, 'in the case of every such complaint which has caused disquiet, or where there is an allegation of serious assault and medical evidence consistent with the complaint, where the Chief Constable has any other grounds for special disquiet... he should request the chief officer of another police force in the United Kingdom to make available a senior officer to investigate the complaint"

That recommendation is, in and effect, quite indictment of the

Glasgow protest

40 dissuading number unemployed youth from joining the British army. in An open letter is now being last circulated amongst prominent trade unionists demanding that the Labour-controlled Strathclyde regional council stop the and army from visiting schools in search of new cannon fodder.

On 21 April Glasgow UTOM is holding a demonstration in support of political status and troops out now. It will be the first march since 1971 to go into the city centre, and is being jointly organised with Fein.

RUC.

This is hardly surprising, as Bennett notes single member of the RUC has been convicted of any criminal ottence complaints procedure.

But who exactly is responsible for the existing complaints procedure? On been Bennett says that it is senior

officers' of the RUC.

Ultimately, this was that complaints "such an RUC

attention of the Senior Deputy

we Chief Constable'

So the fact that no criminal prosecutions have been sucwatch cessful against the RUC is, by

Bennett's own evidence, - that is, the responsibility of senior, some-

or times very senior, officers of

These are officers whom Bennett •con- where recommends should be

entrusted with watching screens interrogations to nothing untoward happens.

A further example of such inconsistency Director of Public tions, who is largely responsible for deciding whether members of the RUC will be sent for InvolvIng

trial.

Bennett recommends 'all allegations conduct.. should continue to be sent to the Director'

Yet once more, in his very own report, heavy criticism of the same Director, saying occasion that he 'should give fuller explanations' of why he hasn't prosecuted RUC members. police Bennett's contradictions are

summed up in one aspect of his report. He notes public

By Steve Potter

TOM Litterick MP, speaking at a press conference following the publication of the Bennett report, called for the resignation of Northern Ireland Secretary Roy Mason.

Litterick made his call at a conference significant complaints Britain's Presence in Ireland.

The Tribunal organisers have just published pamphlet case for the prosecution'.

This the Tribunal's

of hearings on 27/28 January in

Paris, at which the guished judges found "that the Tribunal has sufficient case for a thorough investigation of presence in consider it essential that a full hearing..take place.

At the press conference Tom Litterick was heavily critical of the manner in which Mason had handled both the Bennett report and the attempted smear campaign against Dr Robert Irwin.

Sinn Irwin is the police doctor

who recently claimed to have

that not one

result of the

UNIC level

•We understand

against the brought the

the

the self-same

else-

the recording ensure that

concerns the

Prosecu

that of criminal

Bennett implies

on one superiors.

officers eaten

experienced officer." further hide

slam Mason

seen 100-150 prisoners in the Ireland.

because ane organised by been brought to trial.

Tribunal

Litterick

summarising *the

new pamphlet follows

preliminary implications.

distin-

made out

Britain's

Ireland and

the Tribunal democratic

sponsoring Tuesday

Economics Union).

Fincho

Castlereagh interrogation centre, Belfast

that usually detective sergeants particularly try to hide or constables are involved in the interrogation methods he of complains of, and the general unnoticed theme of his recommendation authority is closer supervision by their Rules,

But where do these junior

SEneIr trade? *From their colleagues...a more

The Bennett report

Cannol indeed doesn't 'maltreated'

North of

The authorities sought to discredit his evidence by leaking a story that Irwin's wife had been raped by members of the SAS, and that the doctor was 'bitter

culprits hadn't

also complained that Mason had not released the Bennett report until after his statement in Parliament on it, and that this meant that MPs had little chance to react to the report or to quiz Mason on its

The Tribunal organisers also announced more details of their plans at the press conference.

Open hearings will take place on 7/8 July in London and the evidence will be placed before a panel of international judges.

The Planning Committee for

an open, body comprising delegates and observers from

organisations. meets regularly on every second

of the month at 7.30pm at the London School

(Student

Report of

The Committee of Inquiry

Police Interroga ion Procedures into

In Norther 1 Ireland

- the fact that the abuses complained

cannot have passed by those

For at least normal practices such as officer being present when the suspect is female, have been broken with abandon

The most senior officers have seen and ignored the volume of complaints; the state's own TOM LITTERICK, MP

representative - the DPP -has failed to act.

Accordingly, what is indicted in the Bennett report is the entire legal and judicial system operated by Britain in the North of Ireland.

Bennett cannot draw that conclusion. His recommendations will do nothing to change this situation. But the evidence is there all the same Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979 page

Page 8 scan of this page

BY THE USUAL

But in the Edge Hill by-election the bookies Liberal David Alton to overturn the current Labour majority of 6,171. The Liberals already have control of Liverpool council, including wards in the Edge Hill constituency.

The rise of the Liberals in Liverpool has been explained by sociologists, political commentators

"investigative" journalists. "community politics', the "whizz kid" image and une cmpnasis onlocal issues provide the usual explanations.

Liberal candidate Alton maintains this approach: "Think small' is one of his slogans.

But the Liberals Merseyside is as much to do Labour's failures as it is to do with their own image.

The final report of the Liverpool Inner Area Study, Change or Decay, published 18 months ago, tells part of the story: *In total Employment Exchange Areas lost more EGan 50,000 Jobs in the 1961-1971... there was a net loss of 31,000 manufacturing jobs in the city during the decade...

*Between 1966 and 1971 the number of unskilled manual jobs dropped by 25 per cent, of semi-skilled by 24 per and of personal service jobs by 41 per cent.*

The decline continues. A total of 14,300 people lost their Merseyside last year. employs 3,200, has recently announced a total closure. Plesseys in Edge Hill is rumoured to be going the same way and has already announced 800 redundancies. And on 15 March, Akzo Chemie on Kirkby industrial announced closure with the loss of 115 JOUS

The result unemployment rate of over 12 percent and an inner city unemployment rate — which includes Edge Hill - of between 25 and 30 per cent.

So it is not surprising that Liverpool voters are not too keen on the Labour Party, particularly when DoncIes or tne which are directly responsible for many

Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979 page 8

"Fighting the system

that is running it

standards of political behaviour the Edge Hill constituency of Liverpool should be a rock solid Labour seat.

An overwhelmingly working class area, a classic example of inner city decay, a safe Labour constituency for years.

of the recent closures. candidate

DOSS VIenael through mass

Condess Just a couple The

Labour defended the sackings.

Coupled

conditions.

success in with general housing constituency:

the Liverpool

decade Decayed terraces

space, narow cobbled back alleys.

cent,

have been

jobs in Dunlops, which

estate

Liverpool It the COVICHL

and the government

For instance. the government has backed and encouraged British Leyland

rewardes in forcing redundancies. For Liverpool Edwardes' cuts have brought the loss of 3,250 jobs at Leyland's closed Speke plant, and a further 400 redundancies at Leyland's No. 1 plant.

of words from the government in Michael Edwardes ear would have saved these jobs. Instead

with the high unemployment rate are the wretched housing

There are more outside toilets in Edge Hill than anywhere else in the country, and a recent report in Liverpool's Daily Post summed up the

conditions in the

*The first thing which strikes you about the area is just how much of it is

there. All the constituency, there are enormous bald patches... Most of the houses are old

of pitted brick alternate with great tracts of CIlL

and the area is riddled with

But the Liberal Party finds it difficult to argue that Edge Hill's housing is all the fault of national government.

The cuts in public spending, which

particularly heavy in Yet Liverpool's Liberal council was not Hindu centre was recently firebombed and daubed with racist slogans

satisifed with the national cuts and implemented some of its own.

A total of £3 million has been cut from the housing budget in the past two years by the Liberals. Consequently there are 50,000 outstanding repairs and 9,000 Liverpool building workers on the dole.

For the Edge Hill voters, the other aspect of the Liberal council's policy - the selling off of council homes - is at best a sick joke. Only 19 per cent of Edge Hill's housing is council owned, compared with 40 per cent in Liverpool as a whole; so even if Edge Hill residents had the money to buy a council home, which most of them don't, they would be hard pressed to buy one in their own area.

All things considered it is, to say the least, rather insensitive of the Liberals to put up David Alton as their Edge Hill candidate. Alton happens to be the chairperson of the council's housing committee.

The social and economic conditions of Liverpool and or cage particular say a lot about the policies of Labour and the Liberals.

One further statistic locates the root f the problem: 18p of every £ Liverpool tenants pay in council rent i spent on repair and maintenance; 65p of every El goes on interest payments.

other WOTUS. unemployed might get longer in Edge Hill, the housing conditions deteriorate, but the banks thrive. Or to put it another way, the banks thrive because of the unemploved and the wretched housing.

Capitalism has long since served its time in Edge Hill.

ALAN WALKER is the Socialist Unity candidate in the Edge Hill by-election. He lives in the area and works for Housing Aid.

He active chairperson department stewards committee, trades council delegate, and a former member Hill of the Labour Party. He has been active in the campaign against the sale of council housing.

candidate, who presides over some of Britain's worst housing.

Unity's spells out the policies of the socialist alternative. might

fight against

those in the public sector. We are for an end to low pay and call for a national minimum wage of f60 per week.

SOCIALI

IN EDO

STORY: GEOFF BELL

SUs alternati

trade - unionist, NALGO housing

living goes up.

His boss is David Alton, the Liberal prices,

election address

*We

Socialist Unity supports the the Labour's incomes policy by workers like

The scrapped not.

abortion on

inequality.

also be paid unemployed, pensioners, single pr ents, the disabled and the sick. So ma people in this area depend on soc security benefits which every year a whittled away by inflation.

Wages, benefits and social spendi should be defended against inflation automatic rises every time the cost

Wage restraint doesn't stop risi

it only cuts workers' livi standards and boosts profit. We call an immediate freeze on rents and rat and prices of all essential goods.

are against racism and discrimination. Hitler supporters li

National Front should not allowed to spread their racist poise We support the right of black

people to defend themsel against racists and police harassme

immigration laws must

*We support women's liberation, l independent organisation of wom and all women fighting for equal p equal job opportunities and the right choose whether they have children

This means free contraception a

demand, free nurseries and positive discrimination favour of women to overcome years

There must be an end to violer against women, in or out of the hon We support the setting up of batter women's centres and rape crisis centr

*Men and women must be free

Page 9 scan of this page

v Liverpool on the edge

letermine their own sexuality. We call or an ena to une discrimination agamnsi ays.

*Britain's policy of repression and orture in Ireland stands condemned

e world over. Socialist Unity believes here can be no peace in Ireland until he troops are withdrawn and the Irish eople as a whole have the right to elf-determination.

*Britain must break all imperialist inks abroad. The Labour nent's support of the Shah of Iran, the nass murderer, was outrageous but ypical. In Africa we say that Callaghan ind Carter should keep their hands off, ind we support the Patriotic guerrillas a neir armed struggie against regime in 77

lan Smith imbabwe.

PLESSEY

Offices & Car Park 115 yards →

"lessey has already announced 800 redundancies.

E HILL

TURES: GEOFF CARROLL

govern-

ALAN WALKER

holding Torturers'

The

protest.

timely Hill.

Callballl

of a hill

on Tuesday.

in power. something he did not wish to speak about.

There were about 20 people on the demonstration, wearing DanCersane

placards. Kick - Out 'Free the Prisoners', and Troops Out Now' were the slogans.

blankets symbolised prisoners in H Block, Long Britain's policy in Ireland was the subject Benn wanted to evade; Socialist Unity campaigners had organised the

In the wake of the new evidence of torture by the British administration in the North of Ireland, the protest was

But it was also appropriate because both the Labour government and its "left' representatives like Benn want -at all costs to avoid the issue of Ireland at Edge Hill, or for that matter in any other election.

And that is one reason why Socialist Unity greeted Benn as they did, and one reason why they are standing in Edge

Ireland is not the only issue around, and it is by no means the only issue Socialist Unity candidate Alan Walker is campaigning on.

Within the first few days of the

Socialist Unity's quarters at 217 Wavertree Road had printed and dispatched leaflets on why they were standing, on unemployment, on pensioners and on women's rights

Alan Walker visited a mass meeting of social workers, a conference on youth unemployment, a picket line of

A PECULIAR sight met the Right Honourable Tony Benn as he approached Newsham Junior School in Boaler Street, Liverpool,

The cabinet minister had arrived to speak on behalf of Labour candidate Bob Wareing in the Edge Hill by-election campaign. He had come to tell of Labour's 'achievements' after five years But the sight that met Benn was concerned

striking ambulance workers.

The necessity for such activity and

the the importance of

standing in Edge Hill was underlined by two separate occurrences last Friday.

the One concerned the publication of a Kesh; regional showed 14,300 jobs had been lost in redundancy

Merseyside the previous year; the other was a statement issued by Labour's Bob Wareing.

Wareing proclaimed: Despite the tough going of the past five years, the Labour government has stood by its pledges to families, sick, the disabled difficulty."

Such brazen attempts to defend the indefensible record of Labour might suggest that Wareing is just another run of mill government's right wing policies. But that is not quite the case Wareing is trying to put a left face on his ciccuoneering attacked the Common Market, saying *I am not for a Europe of the bankers and the companies.

Ane ne as ave as we as sen head- other 'left' Labourites to speak at his

election meetings. These include Eric Heffer and the most pathetic left' of them all, Michael Foot Socialist Unity's Alan Walker sweeps aside the left credentials by-election campaign in Edge Hill is trying to claim. *On those few areas where they do claim to have left wing positions Walker, 'they are only paper policies By contrast we go out and work for striking ambulance workers, for public SCLLO WOEKCES *We will do all we can to support all those struggling against the sordid policies of this Labour Our Labour opponent publicly defends the government and he invites on to his platform the very people whom the low paid in this country against.?

There is much more to such remarks than just by-election speech Socialist Unity's campaign in Edge Hill is involved with the central argument of how to fight for socialist policies For candidate Bob Wareing was chosen a

has turned out to be

with "socialist' policies.

Whenever,

Socialist Unity

trom London Wareing up. which

poodle.'

campaigns such

the League, and others in Against

advocate of the

The gets.

make any multi-national companies'. racism.

controls

why.

Labour's line.

says week

about the

LUVCEHICHL

Socialist Unity much fun is meeting.

are fighting

by-election

when Labour and truly joined

wild rumour swept the Liverpool left that his election address was going to be written by the lent inchned genera management committee of Edge Hill's constituency party. A rumour is all it

The election address is a Transport House production from London and contains none of Wareing's alleged

at Wareing's press conferences, the candidate begins to suggest that perhaps the government has not delivered utopia to the working class, a smoothie Labour press agent

intervenes shut

As Alan Walker puts it: 'He hasn't even been elected yet, but already he's performing like a typical Callaghan

For Socialist Unity, fighting for left-wing policies means supporting

Merseyside Alliance Against Racism, the Anti-Nazi

the Merseyside Campaign Youth Unemployment, the United Troops Out Movement and a local campaign on day-care abortion.

If the by-election campaign helps to promote these causes, Alan Walker will be satisfied, no matter how many votes

That is not Wareing's approach Despite the evidence of a considerable racist presence in the constituency - ol maybe because of it Wareing has yet

public statement on

*We are for an end to all immigration

says Walker. •We are for black self-defence, and a recent attack on a Hindu centre in the area explains

'But we don't know where Wareing stands on immigration controls and self-defence. It's silence, all along the

Silence is not what's expected when as part of Labour's campaign, Albert Booth visits Edge Hill on Friday of this

sene unt Unemployment' to Liverpool is just

most courageous thing Labour will do in this by-election.

But for Merseyside's unemployed it is also the most insulting. 'We won't take that insult lying down', said one

election worker, and expected at Booth's

Yet fun is not what the Edge Hill

is about. Socialist Unity's election address puts it, they are for 'the fight against the present system and the government that is running it

Alan Walker's campaign in Edge Hil will ensure that this fight will be well

- up to and beyond polling day on 29 March.

Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979 page 9

Page 10 scan of this page

International Campaign on Abortion Rights End the age limit on having

Socialist Feminist national conference

successfully prosecuted for murder.

themselves, who have tried to self-abort.

contraceptive Planning Association students.

By Barbara, South London Revolution Group and Sarah Koelofts, National Abortion Campaign

Representatives from Revolation groups all around the country met in Birmingham on

10 March

ascussed the youth contingent

in the International Campaign

Rights demon-

@ration on 31 March.

The meeting decided

upport the demonstration and to carry a banner WIED.

*Free abortion and contraception for youth. Abolish the age of consent.

Why did we decide to raise this slogan?

It is clear that nowhere in the world do women have the right to fully control their fertility or their sexuality.

Repressive laws make contraception and abortion diffiFIFTEEN hundred women are expected Socialist Feminist national conference this weekend. These numbers illustrate the strength of the current within the women's liberation movement, which drew three thousand to the national conference last April in Birmingham.

But has the socialist feminist current made a big impact on the activities of the WLM?

Over the last few years the movement has been less active than in the early seventies when women's groups were involved in supporting a whole series of struggles - the nightcleaners,

and National Interest.

ICAR, Spain,

Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979. page 10

a choice

A WEST Indian school student, last term, kept her pregnancy secret from everyone. She eventually gave birth at home, alone, while her father was at work. The baby did not survive. She was found out and

*Ten years after the 1967 Abortion Act, young women at school can still talk of friends,

knitting needles and things — it's not that unusual.'

*Five years after being instructed to provide free

advice and appliances, is rarely used by *A lot of school students feel that family planning clinics aren't really for them. It's only those with "liberal" parents who know about these things.'

cult to obtain. Even our own "liberal' law depends upon the goodwill of doctors who decide it's against conscience allow abortion.

The problems are bad for all women - but for the youth and they are ten times worse:

The youth are denied sex education Or receive ver inadequate contraceptive adbecause encourage 'promiscuity'. the The contraceptive facilities are not geared to our needs -they off-putting And doctors insist on parental consent or knowledge, because women do not reach the age of consent' until they are 16.

The discussion led us to one overwhelming Abortion and contraception righis were meaningless for the the miners, the nurses, Trico| and Grunwick.

Or when they joined together with other women in nursery campaigns in different localities.

Ur course we nave been out on the streets, declaring our intention to reclaim the night for women. to protest againsi harassment and degradation.

But the initiative for these

•INe revolutionary Current.

Within the movement we have often been forced to respond to theories put forward by other currents movement PALACE

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION ON ABORTION RIGHTS

Demonstration: London, 31 March, 1.30pm, Hyde Park

March to Trafalgar Square with music from Soulyard

Rally with speakers from the labour movement, NAC,

NUSS, women,

if not They use

the Family school

can

their

an youth without the abolition of the idea of an 'age of consent'. We think that it is young people themselves who must decide about their sexuality and not the law or the state.

Until young people have the final word on

might want a sexual relationship or

Many rights contraception and abortion will not be equally applied to them. and We can imagine the gasps of

often horror from some people.

were a little nervous ourselves to start with.

But how many of those gasps of horror come from people who don't think the youth can conclusion decide

sexuality, polities, education, the lot. veloping our own.

This has even been the case in OWI journal, Women, where the editorial have impossible to gather enough material regularly.

However, more positively, discussions going on in socialist feminist groups are very important. The contributions sent in for the feminist conference show

range of activity and discussion that individual women have been involved in.

While we haven't been active within the collectively as

de- nists, we are involved in our

women's groups, re-activated women's rights and have built mixed campaigns on certain questions, partcuratty abornon attendance at the NAC trade union conference last autumn showed.

We have also been active in the anti-racist and anti-fascist movement.

We have taken part in a whole numper or acuivines and discussions around etc.

We've discussed

And before

"protecting'

whether they from

protecting regarding trom

like men, from adults We from each other.

the 'age of consent' anyone.

anything place then

prosecuted under the governing sexual assault. struggles In

found it ca and elsewhere.

produce it

and debates

conference

the wide

draw out

activity and strategy. we have socialist femi-

We've set up

committees

as the imperia-

how

women - puberty.

they are 21.

ship. they say,

used. you start thinking about protection remember that most repressive legislation has a rationale that it

something.

Protecting society from extremists, protecting government

'normal' people 'perverts'. protecting women from having to work

protecting youth - or in this case,

You see, we don't think that

protects

It doesn't protect women from rape. If a rape has taken

ERe man laws affects women, and have taken part in solidarity activity with

Ireland, India, Southern Africa, Latin Ameri-

But the difficulty we have faced is not that no-one wants to do anything but that no-one movement Is is sure what socialist feminists

particular should be doing.

This is the problem that this

will tackle. build Through assessing and discuss- International ing our activities we will try to

some general and principles for socialist feminist and BIBe

to discuss our waged £3, unwaged f2. unwaged f1.

Under the 'age of consent'

laws the man has a defence if he

can claim he thought the young

woman was over 16. And most

judges are lenient with men

who have sexual relations with

who have reached

They are not so lenient with just

male gays, who cannot consent

to sexual relationships until

These laws are used when

there is a consenting relation-

That's almost the

rationale for their existence.

If the young women won't

get up in court and say she was

raped, if she refuses to give any

evidence other than that she

wanted the relationship, then

'but she's under 16

and couldn't consent'

Actually, the law is rarely

Recently, Anderton,

Manchester's chief constable,

famous for his moral clean-up

campaign, has used the law.

Against the youth.

A young woman of 14

became pregnant, and had an

illegal abortion. She was caught

and done for murder. Her

lover, a year or two older, was

done for "statutory' rape.

That's what it's called. Why?

Because it's not really rape film

- both male and female wanted

the relationship.

If it was rape then it would be a rape case — not a statutor

rape' case, whatever the age of the people involved.

Of course we think the youth

should have much better sex education as well - from the

moment that we go to school.

So that the youth can make

informed choice about whether we want to have a sexual relationship or not.

But we won't get that as long as we are told that we can't decide about our sexuality at failure to respond to the recent public sector struggles, where possibly the largest number of when evernave been we vee

We missed a real opportunity to show that the

WUHICH to interests of working class women. unity?

We need to discuss how to

on tne basis of the Campaign LUS Abortion Rights, the Women

Imperialism workshops taking up international solidarity work to forge a real internationalist

SOCIALIST FEMINIST CONFERENCE

24-25 March

At Starcross School, Rising Hill Street, Penton St, London NI. Registration Friday night at 374 Gray's Inn Road London WC1. London and Home Counties:

Elsewhere:

Social - 24 March, 8pm — with Spoilsports. At Colombo St Community Centre, Colombo St, off Blackfriars Rd. Waterloo tube.

Note change of venue

Lowering the *age

consent' is no solution either.

We could all argue for hours. about what age precisely to lower it to, and even those who say lower it to puberty can't decide when that is.

And lowering it to puberty

emphasises that's when

sexuality 'starts. This helps THOSE people who want to maintain women

especially - that we can only have sex or sexual feelings once we have started producing eggs ahe cal save babes.

It's just the old stuff of tying women's sexuality to reproduction.

So we say that we'll decide about our sexuality and abolish the age of consent.

The demonstration on the 31 March, has been called to demand the right of women all over the world to control their own fertility. Other demon strations will be taking place on the same day in other parts of the world.

Revolution will be supporting the demonstration with its own banner. Revolution has also organised a tour of the National Abortion Campaign

Whose Choice? with speakers from NAC and ICAR

ICAR has produced a youth leaflet distribution SCHOOS and youth clubs. (especially youth ohly buses is Transport demo also being organised.

Revolution hopes that the youth contingent will have a big impact on the demonstration with music, banners, placards and streamers

For details of the film tour contact: Jude on 01-228 2223 For posters, leaflets, badges contact: NAC, 374 Gray's Inn Rd, London. 01-278 0153. consciousness within the WLM.

And particularly we should work out our role within the women's liberation movement as a whole. How can we ensure that we continue the discussion

different strategies for women's liberation without hampering our ability to act in

We hope that women from many different areas of activity will come to the conference from the trades unions, the student movement. different left groups • so that we can have fruitful discussion on our future activity. waged f2,

disco and

Page 11 scan of this page

The politics of Islam

Iran, nationalists.

masses and their struggles. By Majida Salman

Islam differs from most religions in that it has fulfilled an essentially political function from its very origin. Most of the Koran consists of prescriptions for legal and social behaviour — it is much more a body of law than a body of theology.

In the years immediately following the death of Muhammed in 632 the Koran served as the codification of the legal system of a state power established first in the peninsula and later over a territory ranging from Spain to India.

From the outset, then, Islam has never played a purely 'religious' role. Its theology has always identified, in the minds of believers, with the state power itself.

As Hisham Sharabi observed in his Nationalism and Revolution in the Arab World, 'it is important to note that the Koran and Muhammed's teachings emphasise external behaviour, the performance of social duty. rather than intention or inner life. Recognising no distinction between the secular and spiritual, transferred to political and social organisation the basically externalistic character of Muslim dogma."

now can we explam une aunoney and attraction of "Islamic values' for the Muslim masses today? Because of its political character, well-placed to thrust forward the mobilisation of the anti-colonial struggles.

In the Middle East, the desire for an independent state, hallmark of the maturing of newly national formations, was permeated by this yearning for a state that would be the property of the Islamic people" (ummah).

Canes of the movement was to contribute further to the tendency of the masses to view the national struggle as Islamic.

"It must be noted', the Marxist scholar Maxime Rodinson wrote in the 6 December 1978 issue of the Paris daily Le Monde, *that the masses reinterpreted these ideas in their own Wal.

so happened that foreign domination was the domination infidels or of compatriots in the pay of infidels. This fact did not unnoticed by broad social layers amongst which fidelity to Islam had never been shaken.

'Experienced and perspicacious leaders could not resist adding this singularly effective element to the national and social factors mobilisation.

By its nature, however, mobilising capacity of Islam can act only within the narrow confines nationalism, at best. Once nationalist leaderships come to mobilisation of the Islamic masses against the foreign transformed by the new ruling groups into the mobilisation of these same masses against their infidel compatriots, the misguided co-nationals who have fallen under the domination of other VETSIONS of foreign non-Islamic) heresy.

In most cases this has meant the workers movement - identified with 'communism' and therefore ism", a foreign, anti-national ideology

deplorable as Ine dominant form of foreign heresy, imperialism.

This has happened in case after case. In Egypt and Syria the working

INTERNATIONAL

take forward a struggle for emancipation? The question must sound strange to any revolutionary socialist. It would not even arise were it not for the resurgence, as a result of the upheaval in

of a dubious identification long upheld

The international left has generally interpreted Islam's ability to mobilise masses as positive in and of itself. In doing so it has disregarded the reactionary dangers of Islamic ideology for the

other Arabian

been Islam Islam was

developing

workers go

proto-fascist Islamic of Arabia and

infidel

forces.

(1.e.

dienne government:

*athede ence one previously

In Lebanon,

by Arab class has come under physical attack from the Muslim Brotherhood,

based obscurantism and funded largely by the governments of Saudi

Libya. Nasser's anti-communist purges were sold to the masses in the name of Islam

The Algerian guerillas of the Fifties and Sixties raised the crv of allaht akbar (god is most great) in their attacks on the French occupation

But the same cry later served as the ideological basis for the counter-revo lutionary measures of the Boume- takes

…ine sweeping purge of the left, the dismantling of the self-management committees, the

'Algerian family' (code word for the most extreme forms of the oppression of women).

the mobilisation against the Phalangists, a political tormation, degenerated - in part

leaders of the so-called left - into an Islamic mobilisation against Christians as 'enemies of the Arab nation', frequently and increasingly founded with Islamic nation'.

This Islamic element has been one of the most effective ideological weapons of the ruling class in its efforts to efface class contradictions in favour of a mythical unity of all Muslims against the 'enemy' people and/or state.

If Islam has been an instrument of

countries ever since decolonisation, that same risk has arisen all the more rapidly in Iran, for Islam has been the COSClILC and goal preached Khomeini

It does not speak well for the analytical clarity of the left that there was - and in some cases still is -great reluctance to recognise this fact.

moTe one occasion Khomeini has declared that conception of the Islamic republic

its model none of the so-called Islamic states in the world today, but the original Islamic state under the rule of the first four caliphs, whose reigns lasted from 632 to 661

Government, he wrote in his work Islamic Government (published in Iraq in 1970 during his exile there), is properly the business of the mullahs (religious leaders), since

gious institutions and state institutions is itself contrary to Islam. Hence his opposition to the placing con- his hatchecord Islamic it belie

watchword Islamic since democracy — in the literal sense by the people 'European' concept thoroughly alien to Islam.

He has removal of all 'European criteria from the judicial system. Among such criteria are the laying of specific charges against the accused, the right Arab to a defence, and the right of appeal.

*Every hearing must end in a final, absolute decision in a single phase. It is women, of course, by been most immediately affected by

Khomeini's attempts to assert the rule of Islam, just as it is women who have suffered most directly and swiftly from the Islamic national struggles.

How manv times have women in his the Islamic

liberation been Westernised prostitutes with the image of the European woman!

Any woman

has heard more than once se

heard more following line 'progressive' male nationalists: Our women do not want to become like these Western women, whores lacking

republic,

likewise called for the

state religion. the man, boys).

protectors values. to death of adultery,

caliphs. ideologies, sanctity

and doing so.

who have

dimension of mind.

countries speaking of

denounced infatuated

who has been And

than once of argument from

class

in all modesty; our women know that their liberation has been defined in the Koran and the struggle against the Western oppressor; it is this that guarantees their happiness.

In fact, it is in regard to practices concerning women that the Muslim states have been strictest in applying the shari'a, source of Islamic law. In all Arab states except Lebanon, Islam is inscribed in the constitution as the

And in most cases, in accordance with Islamic law, it is explicitly stated that every woman, regardless of age social status, or other factors, subject to a male 'tutor" — be it hel father, husband, brother, or some other relative - who controls all decisions concerning her tate

Ultimately, this means control over life and death itself. In most states in the Middle East, the • "crime honour' — the execution by a male family member of an unmarried woman suspected of not being a virgin - is officially considered a case of legitimate self-defence on the part of

whose honour has been attacked by the behaviour of the

Any man can divorce at will, but the grounds for divorce at the request of women are so stringent as to be virtually unrealisable. Any man has the absolute right to take his children from their mother once they reach the age of seven (for girls) or nine (for

*Our women are the guarantors and

our Arab-Muslim • Our socialism rests on the five pillars of Islam and not on the emancipation of women, with their make-up, etc. Thus the columns of Moujahid, official newspaper of the Algerian government.

Here as elsewhere, the measures demanded by Khomeini - universal re-institution of the veil, abolition of _co-caucanana mastudors. stoning

women convicted of aponton or a lyr law restricting polygamy - conform with both the letter of the Koran and the practice of the state of the first four

And the women mobilising against the implementation of those measures were denounced by the ayatollah's supporters in the usual terms: whores, American agents, Pahlavi dolls.

Unity of all classes of Muslims against the infidels and their foreign

whatever variety; private property; opposition to democracy in the sense

popular control over the fundamental decisions of political life; institutionalised male supremacy

the consequent extreme oppression of women - such are the

basic elements programme advocated by Khomeini,

programme which IS indeed consistent with both the letter and the historical practice of Islam.

One thing should be clear, The fact that Khomeini and his supporters uphold this programme and intend to impose it on Iranian society does not mean that they will be successful in

That depends on many factors, among which mobilisations like those of the thousands of women who have demonstrated in Tehran in the past few days will be decisive.

But let there be no illusion that the ayatollah and his backers have the establishment of some other regime in

It is by no means certain that the Islamic obscurantists will win victory. But to stop them requires that they be recognised for what they are advocates of counter-revolution and combatted as such.

that, In turn, requires recognition that their ideology return to Islamic values - is an effective weapon against the working

and the aspirations emancipation of the oppressed layers

Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979 page 11

Page 12 scan of this page

New jewel in the Caribbean

Argentina-solidarity still needed

WHAT'S

LEFT

Spch Deadlie: 3pm Saturday Before

weacine. som saturday before

Proucaton. rayment in advance.

PICKET CARMERC. every day. noon to 3pm and 5.3 tet. Main

om at 399 Oxforr

Selfridges): 243 Oxford

Oxford Circus): 40-41 Haymarket: 5

whitcombe st (Leicester Sq.). Mas

Saturday at noon

Oxford St. Donations urgently needed

as strike pay is only £6. All donations

to Garners Strike Fund, c/o TGWU:

am or. 1e-1s nennetta st.

TVE. U1-29U 1000.

FRANK KELLY Defence Fund: Word Is

gay women and men. Spm, Sat 24

Hemingford London N1. (Cale-

FLEEI IKe branch or ine ant Molours: Print Workers Agains three

lazis/ The NF is Bad News. 20p plus

each. Bulk orders - 20 for E3. i duvance too lanowiz, 110

Fortune Green Rd, London NW6.

WO IMG members desperately need

ccommodation in Central London

ADri. TWo rooms in share:

ouse: Anvinino considered. Pieasi

Sue, Oxford 722371 ex245 (work)

FRENCH comrade (LCR) looking for

Jouble room for 3 months in Londo area from the beginning of Contact Dave 01-229 1750.

CARI desperately needs funds. Please

Wing you can afford to CARI

/o Steve Potter, PO Box 50, London

SAIATON KAR CIUD founding

meeting in Brixton at the Right to Work one ci mayal no on sun 2o March

INTERNATIONAL Tribunal on Britain's Presence in Ireland -

Bracee and Newtown plus bar and disco. North Kentish Town Site. e of Wales Rd, London NW5. Fri 6Dm. AGm.

HOuse topitin Norea agreement.

yE70 agreement, extensior a week

exible). Phone 01-985 6942

leming

ers. Details: Tel: 01-965 2590/580

cure. London, 2 March: SpaCentee

eamington Spa, 26 March. 1-387 6293 (London), Coventry 7075.

BRITISH Argentina Campaign: meeting to mark three years since vicious

ht-wing military coup, . Monday 20

Friends Meeting House smal nal, custon Moad cusion so

tuDe). LaDour Mr trade unionist, and Argentinian speakers.

premiere new

MAY DAY GREETINGS: would you

council. shoD stewards committee or trade union branch put its May Day greetines in socials Challenge? If so. just send us the name and address of the secretary and we will seno delairs so unar can De raised at the April 0 or 90 London 24P weppler, (tel. 01-359 8371).

CHARTSI = incorporatino Chartist international) new bi-montnly maga zine. First issue contains articles or the Labour Lem socialist teminism mimicration Controls. bolsnevism

government. rrice sop Four issues for £1.50. Also: Roots of the Middle East Conflict a collection of auces expioning ine ongins or ta Arab-ISraeli cont Publications Op påp

vailable trom Chartist SC, 60 Loughborough Road, London premiere of the film The Dead Are Not ISABEL Letelier

Chile So i to Can As a yar

Sisters Rd, London N7.

Sheffield Share Edinburga are Fim ni

Leeos to Maren

DESIGNER

required to work for

Socialist Challenge/ Fl Litho.

Apply in writing

to Fi Litho, 328/9 Upper St, London N1

Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979 page 12

THE only people to mourn the

passing of the Gairy regime in

Grenada will be the interna-

tional capitalists.

Sir Eric Gairy may have been

presented as a rather comic

figure he is best

internationally for his cham-

pionship of UFOs

peopic or grenada ne was no

joke. 158 His Grenada United Labour

Party only held power in the

1976 general election because

of widespread intimidation and

electoral malpractice.

state-controlled media were put

at the government's disposal

and the opposition excluded. By Dave Kellaway British Argentina Campaign Steering Committee

24 March is the anniversary of the COLE Argentina. November 1975 leader General Videla promised: 'We shall kill as many as necessary to restore order.'

He has been true to his word: a whole generation of trade union and revolutionary mili tants has been wiped out. In three years at least 8,000 have been killed, between 8,000 and 10,000 remain in prison and a staggering 25,000 have 'disappeared kidnapped

either dead or held in secret government camps.

This is not just the work of a few demented generals but has had the backing of imperialism. Night life in Buenos Aires Ford took out full page adverts actively welcoming the order stability that Videla brought.

Argentina was part strategy begun with the Brazil coup in 1964 and carried on relentlessly in Bolivia, Uruguay and Chile.

There isn't much to choose between these regimes for sheer brutality, but uncomfortable fact that whereas solidarity with Chile is an

Intercontinental Pres:

THE latest issue of Intercontinental Press/Inprecor (Vol 17, No 10) includes an 'Appeal to Society' by oppositionists of the Committee for Social Self-Defence/ Committee to Defend Workers (KSS/KOR).

Single copies are Subscriptions are E9 for one year, £5 for six months or £2.50 for an introductory offer of 10 issues. Write now to Inter-

Press/Inprecor.

PO Box 50. London Ni 2XP. Cheques payable continental Press/Inprecor

INTERNATIONAL

The movement against the regime, which culminated in a virtual general strike in January 1974, was repressed by Gairy's Mongoose Gang, para-police force similar to the known Ton Tons Macoutes in Haiti.

In recent weeks the Gair! - but for the regime actively

management of Barclay's Bank in an attempt to defeat struggle for union recognition and improved conditions. democratic New Jewel Move-

The ment used its parliamentary

status to workers. The tensions caused by this strike may well have integral part

with Argentina remains at a much lower level.

third The Argentinian military took power against a corrupt

In Peronist ROYCEHICH future coup was already

working class and massacring revolutionaries working class already exhausted Idly revolutionaries turned away from the working class movement "popular armies'.

When the coup came some trade union supported it. The Communist

by Party too supported Videla in and now order to stop an Argentinian

"Pinochet".

These peculiarities that the world movement didn't automatically respond. encouraged Soviet Union, which has con-

had tinually traded

granted tinancial aid to the of Videla regime.

In Britain the interest in sondarily provoked World Cup has been sustained by the efforts of the British

an BAC held its first conference

last December, where it agreed to give general support to the

REPRESENTATIVES southern African trade unions and liberation movements will speaking at factory

phe or We Tud by

Polish the North

Lancashire Trades Councils over the next

the three weeks.

The tour is an example of 30p. fruitful co-operation between

trade UNORISES aestheid activists in the North The speakers represent the South African Trade Unions, to Inter- African

Zimbabwe People's Union and

ST.MAARTE ST. KITTS, private NEVIS MONTSERRAT GARIBBEAN helped the SEA

wages and

The social-

campaign for the of the world movement, solidarity

military

which growth of BAC not be built repressing the

The rise

struggle had

itself and affiliating had campaign.

build

movemenl leaders actually fairly regular

student unions.

meant darity workers'

YCar

was from

MPs Norman Buchan

IrOn and Confederation, ional Union of Students.

pushing for prisoners

been signed by

the TUC general council. by the On 26

with and

Not a new tim on

ARE the Armed Forces. by the

Cinema, Campaign. The Street, London WC2

NW1.

South African tour

and Africa.

TUC and Association of follows: 2 menester 31 Mara Manchester.

AP-X Traction Preston Tamese Trades tini. anSAccrington

Congress of

Zimbabwe Union,

ANGUILLA BARBUD •ANTIGUA A GUADELOUPI 9 DOMINICA → MARTINIQUE ST. LUCIA g BARBADOS ST. VINCENT

effective TOBAGO resistance in Argentina, fight for the isolation of the regime in every field and prioritise the defence of democratic rights.

The conference also recog nised that the campaign would

the simple COlLECES but by local Latin American and Chile committees and other local labour movement bodies

to the national

Support is growing. We now

have about 165 adoptions o political prisoners by labour

organisations and invitations to speak at trades councils and

We feel that there is enough potential for a large labour movement soli-

CONCICIC later CHERIS

On 22 March a delegation

the campaign will be visiting the Argentinian embassy. It will be composed of

Joan Maynard, and Tom

member of the executive of the

Steel Trades and the Nat-

They will present a petition on democratic rights and will be

our adopted to be released.

Among others the petition has

the general secretaries of all the unions on

March at Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, London, there will be a public meeting featuring the premiere

COTESSORI Argentina called The Triple A

The film can be hired for local meetings from The Other

Little Newport docks

BAC can be contacted at 1 Cambridge Terrace, London Solidarity

London Saturday.

The

campaign'S South West African People's Organisation. There will also be trade union speakers from NUM, companies dealing with South

The dates for the tour are as

. Basement Theatre, Blackpool for April GEC and Trafford Park Apri Trades Council, 7 Apri The

council, reston Poly 1 2a April, LPS cos rende tries,

been an immediate cause of the

NJM's seizure of power.

The unpopularity and repres

sive record of the Gairy regime

explains the ease with which the

NJM has been able to establish

Is rule. but i would be wel

advised to organise new and

democratic elections immedi-

ately and not to revert to it

former alliance with right-wing

anti-Gairy forces.

This will be most

way of organising

popular support against imper-

ialism. Gairy is in New York trying to organise

mercenaries to put him back in

power. He is allied with the

Argentinian generals Menendez and Bussi during an operation

Chile conferences

STEWARDS from Merseyside

and Rolls Royce Scotland will be addressing over 100 delegates to the Chile

Campaign Trade Union conference at the NUR's

headquarters this

delegates, many of whomwi.stavon.cor.th

Annual General Meeting the following day, wil also hear representatives of th

NATSOPA, CPSA, NALGO and the Chilean CUT

Prominent on the agenda of both meetines will be discus. sions on trade union boycotts, on direct links with Chilean trade unionists and with the resistance in general, and on the Labour government's record and policy on Chile.

AGM will discuss resolutions on extending the work of campaign activists to junta. other Latin American coun-

including those like Argentina where there is very severe repression and a pressing column

most reactionary regimes in

South America, including the

Chilean.

British military expeditions

to Anguilla and Belize show

that imperialism still thinks

that the Caribbean is its back

yard and that it is free to

re-establish its control as

pleases. Solidarity with the

people of Grenada may yet

become a priority for

British labour movement.

*Caribbean Labour Soli-

darity is holding a meeting on

Grenada on Sunday 1 April,

Ham, Abeng Centre, Brixton. need for energetic defence to win prisoner releases.

It will also discuss resolutions, including one from the International Marxist Group dealing with the educational and information role of the campaign, arguing for it to ensure that the labour movement is kept in touch with developments in Chile, and informed of the full range of opinions and activities now developing in the Chilean resistance - many of which are highly critical of the Popular Unity government's record and

WRITES revolutionary alternative.

During the following week there is to be a tour by Isabel Letelier, widow of Allende's Defence Minister Letelier, assassinated in the USA by agents of the Chilean

Details of the AGM, Trade Union Conference, and tour appear in the 'What's Left

Page 13 scan of this page

Einstein the Revolutionary

of energy and matter; helped to establish quantum mechanics; made a decisive contribution to solid-state

HE DISSOLUTION of Newtonian

around the middle of the 19th century and accelerated towards its end, had left physics stranded in a series of disconnected and apparently contractoy incones of une nature of the physical world 1102018

Einstein was the great innovator and synthesiser who, anybody else, helped the process of the integration of these theories into a new science that today stretches from the elementary particles of matter to the birth and construction of the UNCISC He thus did for modern science what Galileo and Newton had done for the whole preceding period.

Moreover, this was not simply a 'theoretical' achievement: Einstein's discoveries opened the door to an avalanche of new ideas which already transforming the productive forces at our disposal.

Genetic engineering and computers, laser technology and superconductivity, nuclear power and solar cells, television and plastics technology - all these in one way or another trace their Einstein's scientific work.

It is no wonder, therefore, that the whole world has been joining in the celebration of the centenary of his birth. The Americans have launched a satellite named after him, to monitor and record X-ray radiation from outer space. Proud of his US citizenship, they are erecting statues and printing commemorative stamps.

Will they mention his horror on hearing the news of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Guilt for the role he played in the production of the American A-bomb haunted Einstein for the rest of his life.

The Chinese are now publishing a two-volume collection of his work Like the Russians, they have no doubt conveniently forgotten that Einstein's theories were not so long ago being proclaimed a product of bourgeois decadence.

The West German authorities are issuing their own stamps, and tidying up the streets and houses in Ulm in preparation for the pilgrims who will be visiting the new shrine. mention that the Nazis called the theory of relativity a Jewish science designed to corrupt the Aryan mind?

Hardly. All is forgotten in the current atmosphere of festivity.

But there is a powerful additional reason why Einstein is being given this very special hero treatment today. His magnum opus, the General Theory of Relativity, which for the first half century of its existence occupied a kind of intellectual limbo, is now staging a magnificent comeback.

Its difficult mathematics, coupled with even greater difficulties in testing its premises, formerly made it the province of only a handful scientists, so that until even a few years ago the General commanded only a dozen or scientific papers a year. This number has now risen to some six or seven hundred!

Helped by powerful and sophisticated technology such as radio antennae, orbiting satellites, atomic clocks, inter-solar navigation and, last but not least, computers -experimental confirmation further corroboration 1S through thick and fast, such as the discovery of quasars and interstellar radiation, holes. It is really only today that the world is becoming aware of the full THE DOTE Einstein's heritage.

When Einstein was a Newtonian physics was fragments. Out of these a new, awesome and above all contradictory picture of the physical world emerging.

SURPLUS VALUE

worldstarted

which we

more than

are lineage to

century.

Will they

light

proclaimed phenomenon. known as quantum mechanics). of this raised

Theory

giant origin obeyed

from its source.

and experiments OT coming by Fitzgerald

and black

black

motion,

scientific slowed down.

student that

lying in system, undat discoveries was foundation

physics — and much else besides.

Matter was decidedly atomic and obeyed Newton's laws; yet electro- of magnetic radiation - which includes

followed quite different mechanical laws, those of Maxwell,

All a wave

Atoms themselves turned out to Physik. have been mis-named: rather than being the smallest particles of matter, they were found to have a complex internal structure, which obeyed yet another set of mechanical laws (later

Atomic fission was discovered, and

again the idea of transmutation of matter. In addition the work of Max Planck indicated that light was emitted in discrete packets (quanta) and not continuously as demanded bv Maxwel's wave theory; this implied that light at its

quite different rules from the same light some distance

The decisive blow came from the

Michelson and Morley, and the theoretical follow-up gravity.

and Lorenz; these showed that light travelled at a constant speed in space, that moving bodies contracted in the direction of

and that moving clocks

Since the laws which govern motion

the relationship of between matter, space and time - are at the very centre of any physical effect);

destroyed Newtonian light, mechanics, and thereby of Newtonian

By Branka Magas

Albert Einstein, who was born 100 years ago last week in Ulm, in what is now West Germany, revolutionised our notion of space and time within just a decade and a half at the beginning of this

He founded a novel and astonishing theory of the universe and its formation; proclaimed the identity

physics as well. Such then, at the turn

the century, was Einstein's conjuncture.

In 1905 — the year of the Soviets in Petrograd — the 26-year-old Einstein published three papers in the German scientific journal Der Annalen der

These three together announced the beginning of a new synthesis of physics, a synthesis on which Einstein continued to work until his death in 1955

Thus the grand design of a new physics came from an obscure young scientist working at the Swiss Patent Office in Bern. Like Copernicus 350 years before, Einstein began the re-arrangement of the universe from the very fringes of established science.

And just as in 1666, in rural Lancashire, the equally Newton laid the foundation of classical science with his theories of Halt and era later is i mad a so two and a construct the new science precisely by re-thinking the nature of light and

In his first paper, Einstein tackled Brownian motion - the apparently random motion of liquid molecules -in a way that reconciled two key areas of classical physics: thermodynamics and the molecular theory of heat. His second paper dealt with the emission

electrons from illuminated metallic surfaces (the photo-electric

reviving the thoroughly discredited corpuscular theory

Einstein explained phenomenon in terms of light

particles knocking electrons from the surtace of the metal.

This theory won Einstein his Nobel prize nine years later, since it was in fact a vital step towards the theory of particle/wave duality of matter which

cornerstone mechanics.

As it happened, Einstein never received a Nobel prize for his greatest single contribution, relativity, which was inaugurated in the third paper he published that year.

The Special Theory of Relativity -as it was subsequently called

by dismissing postulated but undetected carrier electromagnetic radiation) from the universe. It went on to proclaim the young constancy of the speed of light in free space, irrespective of the speed of its course.

The speed of light became the ultimate barrier which no body can go beyond, since the faster a body moves the heavier it becomes. In this way, time and space were tied into an indissoluble unity, whose behaviour is conditional upon the trame of reference

A new mechanics was thus born. The famous equation E= mc2 also made its first apperance in this paper: when fully articulated two years later it proclaimed the matter and energy. With the clue to the energy of the universe discovered. of the atomic age had truly begun. the In 1916 Einstein incorporated the Special Theory into the General

continuum

was

nian geometry.

coe.

accidental empty particular Matter

But the

matter

gravitational ycars ago, expanding CCHO

events universe.

Science has of quantum

his theory

ether (a

of observer's

are centres

their small

mechanics.

progress,

Theory of Relativity, which replaced the cold and harmonious Newtonian universe with an unstable space-time

commated by matter.

Euclidean three-dimensional space four-dimensional space of Rieman- replaced by the -CULYCI

Only in the small regions of this universe, small enough to appear flat,

Newtonian mechanics still apply. Far from matter being an

creation in otherwise and time -Einstein showed that it was matter which created time and space. As he used to put it himself, God had no choice about how to construct the universe.

While in the Special Theory it is the behaviour of light which links space and time, in General Relativity it is the

behaviour matter curves the surrounding space-time by means of gravitational force, and when agitated causes this warped continuum to ripple with gravitational waves.

gravitational force is relatively weak, so that only very violent disturbance of a large quantity

can waves sufficiently strong to be detected by

By a happy coincidence, it was this year that the

waves postulated by Einstein in 1916 were detected for the first time - even if only indirectly

The General Theory of Relativity is the theory of how the universe is; it therefore also indicates how it came to be. It supports the view that the universe came into existence with a big explosion of some primaeval "atom' of matter about twenty billion

AROUNKIE 5n25 been ever since. Indeed, the •Ine original bang can perhaps still be heard in the weak but universally present background radiation that arrives from outer space.

With the help of atomic physics, the theory can lay out the likely sequence

which led construction of the universe of today. However, it must then also explain the historic and actual relationship of the basic forces unar noid tne world together, since these must have been created from a common original force in the process of evolution of the

made considerable ground in this direction, reducing all natural forces to four fundamenta ones: the weak force, which govern the interplay of elementary particles; the strong or nuclear force, which bindsthenucleiofatomstogetherandis responsible for the release of energy from the sun; the electromagnetic force, which creates the atoms and molecules of which the familiar world is made; and the gravitational force which holds the universe together.

It was Einstein's lifelong ambition to integrate the laws governing the behaviour of these four forces into a single 'unified field' theory. This he failed to accomplish.

Nevertheless. there is a striking similarity between Maxwell's equations for the electromagnetic force and Einstein's gravitational field equations (though the latter are far more complicated). It also now appears that the weak and electromagnetic forces can be united in an experimentally demonstrable fashion.

There is still a long way to go before the quantum physics of the subatomic level can be fused with the continuous equations of Einsteinian space-time

Here the study of black holes may provide the necessary break, since these greedy monsters of outer space

of extremely strong gravitational force which, because of

size, must also be commanded by the laws of quantum

At the present rate of scientific

Einstein's dreamed-of unification is not all that

Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979 page 13

Page 14 scan of this page

SOCIALIST CHALLENGE EVENTS

LETTERS

Camden -a special case?

CHRIS Adamson (8 March) talks of

*fairly left-wing full-time recruited from universities colleges' without saying whether he is of that category, presumably because it is a useless description of his wOrKerS

As a Communist full-time official of NUPE who was not recruited from a university or college, I reject his statement that a tair people who belong to urgamisanon and work tor a union may be good industrial militants, but

are not particularly useful political cadres". I believe that generalising too much from his own experiences and method of operating.

However, I would like to deal with

question of the settlement and join with the other criticisms of your reporting. socialist newspapers may feel the need to propagandise rather than educate, it becomes very dangerous if facts are hidden in order to justify a certain political position.

I believe the Camden settlement is a very important and useful propaganda weapon in the public services wage negotiations. It is, however, harmful and incorrect to draw the conclusion that all we needed to do in other local authorities or nationally was to adopt the same strategy as NUPE members in Camden to secure victory.

Tower Hamlets local authority manual workers have been, and are

on all-out strike action from the beginning of the dispute, before Camden, and have not yet secured a local settlement. The same is true of Hackney council manual workers, who have been on strike since 22 January.

What pearls of wisdom do we have from you about their inability so far so secure a local settlement? Does it not suggest that the Camden settle-

was not basco On trength, but political and historical circumstances?

The London Borough of Camden has been an unusual employer for

my fors. it implemented full equal

women manual workers

satrary to a national agreement

hách provided for a five year phasing. In 1974 it implemented a 374-hour week for manual workers

contradiction agreement of a 40-hour week, and greed in principle at that time to a 35-hour week

Its political example has been very helpful in getting some local authority manual workers to take industrial action of a stronger nature or longer

HE DEADLINE for this column is publication. une saturday before NORTH WEST WARRINGTON Socialist Challeng

mas 0-26 alone olice for

GREATER MANCHESTER Socialist

ochool students to paper ano word like to ge

ranchester SC Centre, 14 Piccaditly. write

with a view to forming a Salford SC

OLDHAM Second fourt

Centre, Saturday paper at Mose side MOSS SIDE Socialist

supporters sell the pat Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979 page 14

officials

and

meaningless previous fellow-

number or a left-wing

Chris all-out strike

JIM CORNELIUS (in

Camden capacity) (London SE4)

Whilst

"Gang of Four view

China today,

Tariq

Lose or us conclusion Vietnamese. chea?',

Vietnamese 'intervention'.

Tariq tells us,

industrial Vietnamese help.?

Very

self-determination fears.

to the national

Front for

Hese una the Kampuchea for themselves?

Tariq castigated NORTH EAST NEWCASTLE local supporters are active: if you want 2005in them, phone Pete on (0632) DURHAM Socialist: Challenge orters Group Pioneer Cottages, Low Jave Brow Pittincton . Durham who

Socialist •The role of trades

2 March, 8pm. AUEW Hall om local trades council. Thi

TOCKTON-ON-TEES readers can bi ocialist Challenge from Green Book upstairs in the Spencer Hall shopping Centre.

SCOTLAND ror intormation about the paper or its activities ocotlana please contact socialisi unanenge bOOKs. b4 queen oldscow, woen yved. nurs. triang rhone tor alternative a tangement ccol). wide rande o Fourth international publications EDINBURGH Phon details.

DuNDEE intormation about Socialist Chanence activities trom 64 Queen st

ARE • YOU TOTA COPY duration. But it doesn't prove that

action would have achieved a satisfactory settlement in one or all other local authorities.

Fi personal Laos

WHILE being an old-time 'Gang of Four' Maoist with no sympathy for the current political leadership in

I feel compelled to defend the Chinese against some of Tariq Ali's more outrageous remarks (11 January and 22 February) on the political/military struggles concerning China, Vietnam, and Kampuchea.

argues that the Chinese invasion of Vietnam is a crime against socialism. On the other hand,

who jump to the 'What about the Invasion KampuTariq covers his tracks by saying that there is no comparison between the Chinese invasion and

*It would have been much better,

if the Kampuchean people themselves had been able to remove Pol Pot and his cohorts. In the event they could not do so without

significant help indeed approximately 100,000 troops. Nevertheless this "intervention' was progressive according to Tariq, so my qualms about Kampuchea's right to

are groundless

Tariq calls on the Vietnamese to withdraw now that their job of work is done. Well, why don't they? Could it be that the Kampuchean United

National Salvation wouldn't last five minutes without Vietnamese guns to back it up? Could

Vietnamese want happen? the Chinese (11January) for not extending their

Challence Saturday 11am-2pm COrner

ELSE

"ABERDEEN Socialist Chal-

Union Street)

Chai- YORKSHIRE

Northumberland St. 1 March: speaker

Saturday Westgate Bank, 12.30-2.00pm No To Com Chally Boon throughou Walmgate 012. 30-1045)

Jniversity lays (11.30-3.30) at Coney Stree LEEDS Socialist Challenge sales every When Leeds Uld are playing at home!

MIDLANDS COVENTRY Socialist Challenge group

THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LONG AWAITED REPORT HOW THE R.U.C IKEN DODUDYECT solidarity to the Khmer Rouge beyond

'brave words'. Now they have done so, Tariq gets all hot under the collar.

However, the hardest thing for me to understand is how. when the Vietnamese have 40,000 troops in

coupled • with 100,000 Kampuchea, Tariq can completely ignore the growth of Vietnamese expansionism in Indochina. It seems that Tariq is blind to Vietnamese intentions and only sees red when the Chinese decide to give the Vietnamese a kick up the arse for their un-socialist expansionism RON SKINNER (London NW6)

Art crisis

ITHOUGHT Peter Fuller's article on fine art (1 March) was misleading in its implication that there is a recent crisis in 'modernism'. it seems to ignore important points about art and its practice which have been debated within Marxist aesthetics for years.

Of course any 'crisis" must be related to the appropriation of art as commodity within capitalism, but I don't think it helps to discuss 19th century realism, or 'philistinism'; and to dismiss statements and currents within the fine arts as "madness' displays nothing the outrage of the bourgeois critic.

Manzoni sold shit LO

"art", Yves managed to extract money from financiers for his 'concepts' statements are threatening to the bourgeois definition of art, but can easily be accommodated and defused within the capitalist art world.

For revolutionary socialists (and Carl André of the Tate bricks is a confessed Marxist!) the important question in terms of praxis seems to be not whether 'modernism has become indefensible' (when/how was it defensible? - when did this

avant garde modernist gestures have always been

OVer of Scores i ide sales outside

NOTTINGHAM ocialist LEAMINGTON Contact 311772 COVENTRY or and g SLE OF WIGHT reader Dove bar. rost ince, barcat

mercial Road Precinci regent Si (Bruner Centre)

Vanbrugh College; Satur

The Douln-vvest Bristol 6.

Precinct in the Ground, Haymarket SOUTH EAST

OTHER WHITE WASH JOB? how does one contradict a ruling ideology within the terms it imposes?

Is there an autonomous working class culture? Does it reflect the demands of the working class within capitalism? What is important is the in redundancy of statements of rebellion against a culture and ideology from within its own limits; the realisation that the isolated gesturing of the avant garde — statements from a 'socially inactive sector' — impact as long as it is not articulated within the demands of the exploited class for socialism KEVIN HALLIWELL (Herne Bay)

Kick out the right!

I AM writing to express concern about the timidity Challenge's central political thrust throughout this extraordinary winter of wage struggles. summed up as calls for the recall of the TUC and conferences.

Recalled

their place, but only as part of a more urgent and audacious counter-offensive. As it is, circumstances, such moral would only reiterate past policy and the government would ignore them as the blithely as it has in the past.

Klein Socialist Challenge has supportec all workers who -these higher wages • incomes These workers political affiliations, though in their majority they (a) belong to trade unions, (b) would vote, for Labour most activity they have been fighting this Labour government and those in the trade unions who support its policies.

Objectively, a divide has opened up within the labour movement. Our job and is to do everything to deepen this divide, to isolate the government and condemned by the popular press), but its supporters. For the working class | PAUL WILSON (Bristol RCG)

in the Wedge cafe/ bookshop, High St. market)

Susalom Cooks, Heath otest. Todders

Socialist Challenge uesdays every other Sunday COLCHESTER Socialist Challenge Elastic inn, Cox Strpet, Wed 28 March Tehran' • WITT LONDON SOUTH WEST BATH Socialist Challenge sales ever

SOUTHAMPTON Socialist Challeng ales every Saturday from 10am-1p 14 Union St, Rydee from the Oz Shop buy

Socialist 30pm-1 pm

Challeng lenge Gre Socialist 1am-1 pm Saturdays Rd, London NW6 FOR INTUMMA ION on activities I

write to Box 002 cro rurmarks, Hu chetennam oac Ist unalence

onio uLsocialist cnalence sale avery oaturday, am-om in tne hol

in meeting room

NORWICH Socialist Challenge sales BRENT every Saturday in Davey Place (opp.

- can have no real Police ban

of Socialist

This can be

Labour Party

conferences may have

in the best of conferences

have struck fo workers

than those offered

weldifferent

have

grudgingly,

But in their recent

Amount

letter. markersity of Past Angl Thursdays a

Hoad

BRIGHTON SC forums fortnightly o

Contact Micky on 605052 Shone sieve on wileno a geare Socialist

Balham TOWER HAMLETS Socialist Chai

Street, phone 247 2717 for details fortnigh

PADDINGTON/N. Kensington Social-

crouD meeting ne struccle tor women s Speaker

tavernacie Talbot Rd. (Powis Sq.), W11

Socialist Challenge y month

IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE PEOPLE WHO FIND THEMSELVES IN THE HANDS OF OUR BELOVED POLICE?

I DOUBT

the fight has to be to throw the right

wing out of the Labour Party and to

demote all officials in the unions who

have gone along with the government

in the present wages round.

Such a fight now, starting from the

real needs of the working class, basing itself on its recent and present

willingness to struggle for some of those needs, would most uncomfortably limit the room for manoeuvre of

the lefts'. For, as they uneasily look over their shoulders, they will see the

Kakis of movement he they

compromise with the right.

JOHN WEAL (London N6)

Hands Off Ireland!, the quarterly anti-imperialist bulletin which is sold to British workers, has been banned by the police in four towns in South-west England and South Wales. Over the

past few weeks the police in Bristol Bath, Newport and Cardiff have tolc sellers of Hands Off Ireland! that they must stop or be arrested. Only Hands Off Ireland! has been singled out for thistreatment — other left-wing paper sellers have been left untouched

Hands Off Ireland! has always taken the side of the Irish people against the British state. It has always exposed the torture of the British state It has always tried to tell British

the truth about British imperialism's rule in Ireland

The banning of Hands Off Ireland! is yet another blatant case of the forces of the British state trying to cover up their oppression of the Six Counties. No socialist can allow the British state to get away with this. We intend to

campaign against this harassment. We are sure your readers will support us in this campaign to restore our right to sell Hands Off Ireland! in these four towas and any others, and we ask you to print this

NW2, 7.30pm. Everyone

BRENT Socialist Challenge oper orums are heid on the first Tuesday o ery month at York Roon Anson NW2, 7.30pm April: Clive Turnbulli on the situation i: Next meetina.,

HARINGEY ark and Seven Siste evening: Muswell Hill and Crouch End

Middle Lane Bookmarks, Finsbury Park

fortnigh Britannia pub. inter-

-29 March:

Halonal campain for abortion ronts' with speakers invited from Campaign

to ooD une use or Deod Prover

So La niger son y only,

WALTHAMSTOW redoers can buy Sheridan's Newsagents, 86 Hoe St Honge legularly HARROW Socialist Challenge supporters meet reoviar details from pox ou London N1 2X

Page 15 scan of this page

Working

Class pens

at work

Writings Federation of Writers and Community Publishers, El.

ANYONE who has been intimidated by a blank sheet of paper knows how difficult it is to cover it with words that someone else might find worth reading. All too often the blankness of the paper comes to reflect the blankness in the mind. At least this is what I am finding more and more.

Mass education has done very little

genuinely encourage the great majority of people to express their experiences and ideas (although there are still those hacks who will put pen to paper at the slightest tickle between their ears).

The needs of capitalism condemn the majority of working class people to be semi-articulate. The creativity of the working class is still

with a few exceptions, preserve of the ruling class and those who work happily under its shadow.

It is the aim of the recently formed Federation of Writers and Commun-

Publishers -LO OTOmOLC encourage working class Enei mrs venture is an antnology ol writings (modestly called Writings) from many of their

The collection mainly of poems, short extracts from novels and autobiographical fragments.

There is much to read with benefit

WOMEN'S LIBERATION

By Pat Arrowsmith

She is somebody

tunnelled with desires,

longings.

There was nothing I could do

to embody these,

give them shape

whereby her needs,

destres.

could be fulfilled.

The channels of her body

gave birth only

to flesh turned strange;

not the child

she had wanted all her life,

carefully designed,

but a cluster

of redundant cells

gone wild.

The surgeon's scalpe

cut away this deadly turmoil

stopped its stranglehold

UNDER REVIEW

Joyces, book

been denied

bourgeois

sophistication of such writers.

- those of the statement - to cultivate The aim of the enable working

all kinds of writing.

are either

Sonne munion with Good writing is,

"lives'

perhaps bourgeois culture hands.

To overthrow

and master

in writing

one. would

undertaking, it is wrong.

struggle.

Class honestly and articulate the experiences

and achievements and" the writing. ments

constituent COISISS stories,

this book are not them.

'writers" workshop'

She lay prone, imprisoned in the tiny world, her ward, shackled kept in place by catheter, nose-tuDe. drip-feed needle.

So are many women flattened out, fastened down, our bodies, heads, encumbered with distorting tumours, stunting growth, araming viany, hindering activity.

But then they took away the tubes. She left the bed and went about her business freed from pain and feebleness.

Perhaps we all need surgery to get up on our teet and set to work.

Perhaps the surgeon's skill can heal us all.

and interest. There are no budding

Audens or Austens in this pure sentimental dreaming to expect those who have

the opportunity to

experience and study the best of

culture and imaginative writing to achieve the techniques and

In any case there are other virtues

clear forthright

publishers is to class people to acquire the skills and experience for

This is an excellent counter to ideas that writers

just born, the result of unhappy childhoods in large houses

unmentionable com- something called a Hoare

"muse" (or is it expensive booze?).

of course. the achievement of hard work; it's no acident that most so-called popular

of artists focus on their "time off' rather than the work.

However, in this anthology (and in the Afterword by Ken Worpole) there is an ambiguity about the general aims and what "working class writing' is. It

inevitable that the encouragement of working people to write leads to a certain overestimation of the writings themselves, or at least a shyness to criticise among sections

title

In a way this can token a healthy response to the pretensions of much

traditional and Britain avant-garde, full of existential crises. But particularly in cultural matters, it stress is not so simple as 'if it's working class, great; if bourgeois, forget it". One might as well say that a whelk is better than an oyster because it is eaten by someone with dirt on their

nature capitalism the working class has to digest, counter

the politics of the bourgeoisie; to build socialism the working class will have to digest and go beyond the cultural products of bourgeois rule to build not a 'working class culture but a socialist (classless)

To attempt to build now a 'working class culture' is not only an immense

What 1 understand by •working class writing in the present context is writing that is on the side of the working class and the oppressed in the they

A literature that powerfully can _ the disappointand the revolutionary aspirations of the working class.

These writers will come from all classes, perhaps not largely from the working class. We need the Brechts. Serges and Reissners for today's and tomorrow's movement. The writers in meant

but this movement can volume many

the

help to produce them.

After all the literary life of the left

and particularly that of the far left, is not exactly luxuriant, as this article

SHOWS. Can one live by internal

documents and cheap thrillers alone?

COLIN SMITH

Gramsci

without gaps

Antonio Gramsci: Selections from the Political Writings 1921-6 Translated and edited by Quintin Lawrence and Wishart, £3.50

THE IMPORTANCE of this book for a study of Gramsci's ideas can be seen from the way in which the writings of Gramsci which previously available in English have biased an understanding of politics.

The first articles of Gramsci's to become widely circulated in Britain were those of the Turin period in the

early post-First World War years. In September 1968 New eft Revien published a series of articles under the

"Soviets in Italy, which can perhaps be said to mark the real beginning of the Gramsci 'boom' in

It is these Turin writings, with their

on soviess and councils, which continue to attract libertarian currents to Gramsci.

The reasons are clear. By his own admission, Gramsci in 1919-20 had not grasped the significance of the

and role of the Communist Pary. The isolation and defeat of the Turin workers was In part consequence of this, and Gramsci corrected his CTO! from experience of that defeat.

The most influential of Gramsci's writings to be made available in English were the Prison Notebooks, the first compreensive selections of which were published in 1971.

In one sense the stress on the Prison Notebooks is quite correct. They are beyond compare the most important and brilliant writings by any West European Marxist this century. But

were written under circum. stances which greatly affected their form and interpretation.

Gramsci was subject to a fascist censor, which meant that a range of

others merely hinted Moreover, his inability to be involved in determining the CP's concrete tactical and organisational positions, through lack of day to day contact,

that Gramsci could not adequately draw the consequences of the practical application of his ideas.

Relying on the Prison Notebooks to interpret Gramsci's ideas leaves an enormous potential ambiguity, evidenced by the fact that the Gramsci of the Prison Notebooks has been claimed by virtually every current from economism through leftism to reformism.

The publication of this new volume of Political Writings allows Englishspeakers for the first time to gain a systematic view of Gramsci's ideas. It is impossible on the basis of this

to present a libertarian "councillist' view of Gramsci.

The thrust of its articles shows their author's own critique of his earlier weaknesses on the question of the

involvement Paty, and der sractical

involvement leadership building the PCI.

This volume also greatly clarified the background and interpretation of

sections of the Notebooks. Many of the basic ideas in

later writings are already developed here, and because the ideas are tied to practical directives for the Communist Party without interference from a censor - their significance is clearly spelt out

To take Gramsci's most decisive political statements,

TOSC period of the 'Lyons Theses", it is evident that the alliances he urges are not with the bourgeoisie in Popular Fronts or "historic compromises, but are directed against the capitalist

class

All forms of 'stages' theory o

revolution in Italy are rejected, and

far from seeking a strategic unity with

bourgeois forces to fight Mussolini,

Gramsci held that the

"democratic' fractions of the ruling

class were totalv

unwilling to fight fascism.

the creation of soviets and workers

councils, that is organs of dual power,

and rather than the struggle against

fascism being confined to bourgeois

democratic demands, Gramsci saw it

as totally interconnected with

struggle against capitalism itself.

Gramsci's "intermediate demands'

- which were later to coincide with

those of Trotsky on such issues as the

importance in

slogan of the Constituent Assembly

— are therefore posed not as limits on

the struggle within capitalism but, as

with Trotsky's sense of transitional were slogans',

mobilisation of the masses against his capitalism.

This volume places Gramsci on the

same revolutionary terrain as the

tradition of

Communist International, yet it does

much more than merely promote this

His concentration on the analysis

the specific

revolution in Western Europe, which

was Gramsci's greatest contribution

to Marxism, is already systematised workers' here to a point which develops beyond

the particular statements of genius of

Lenin.

The only comparable analyses are

those of Trotsky on Germany, France

and Spain.

Edited with the usual thorough-

ness of the volumes in this series,

book Is incispensable reacing

anyone who the Gramsci or the major problems of

revolutionary

Europe.

JOHN ROSS ROUND ABOUT

A POUND

A WEEK

MAUD PEMBER REEVES as

ultra-

The mystery

of the empty

rooms

Round About A Pound A Week Maud Pember Reeves Virago, £1.95

IN 1909, women didn't often try to understand Prison working class life; they were more likely to try to convert working class people to supérior middle class habits. But the Fabian Women's Group had a sociological rather approach.

They regularly visited the homes of the genteel poor, families of bus conductors, street the sweepers, fish fryers and plumber's mates, between observed and recorded, and found out that the choices made by poor people were not irrational.

To a well-fed and well-educated

so-called

incapable and nutritious; the in the long run.

health fascist Italy of the increased

demands for the

Lenin and the

the LOYCHICHL.

conditions mothers.

This

for wants to understand

Western

ted.

stone

wares Secondly,

for childrearing.

The Fabian

about through

SUE ASPINALL

from

ONES By Hugo Dewar

well-meaning middle class

than a moral And become zero

observing the

1909-1912 They

onlooker, it was the stupidity of the workers which made families choose to live in one room rather than two, eat carbohydrate instead of fresh milk, fish and vegetables, and waste one shilling out of a weekly income of 20 shillings on burial insurance.

Instead of preaching, the Fabian women found out that one well-lit and ventilated room was healthier than two damp ones; that when you can afford to eat very little, you choose what is filling and tasty to stop you from feeling hungry, not what is mos!

and that with frequent infant deaths, burial insurance was a necessity and probably saved money

This middle class concern about the

of the working class had after the Boer War had revealed that young army recruits were not puysicaly up to scratch. Perhaps this was why the war was lost, why the Empire was crumbling? It must be the fault of working class mothers, who couldn't manage their money and didn't look after their children properly

The Fabian Women's Group was formed partly under the stimulus of

feminism of the suffragette but their decision investigate working class motherhood was influenced by the fervid new mood of blame against working class

As the Fabian Women's Group was not convinced by this particular

approached their subject with an open mind, and discovered that the problem was not 'mismanagement' but lack of money.

conclusion has never been popular with the ruling class.

Even today, social workers spend time trying to teach people how to "manage', and social security offices arbitrarily deduct amounts for fuel bills and rent arrears so that the claimants can't "fritter' their money

The Fabian women's proposals for reform have still not been implemen-

We still have no nationa minimum wage, social security rates are abysmally low, and above all, women are still not economically independent. This was the corner-

of the Fabian Women's Group's proposals. Instead of the obsolete 'family wage', they wanted to see women and men earning equal

they wanted the 'endowment of motherhood' state pension for mothers. Seventy years later, we're not much further on. The idea of the family wage still persists in women's low earnings at work and the lack of any income at all

Women's Group understood the one thing that unifies all women, regardless of class - their lack ofeconomic independence. Unfortunately, their reliance on the benevolent "socialist" state to bring

women's independence gradual reforms was misplacca and misguiaed

The books reviewed here are available

The Other Bookshop 328 Upper Street, London N1. Add 10% if ordering by mail.

ineore calv. one couaison Yet all ones form a pyramid And the one at the top is a myster Having far greater value than any one Ano ine ones immediateiv belou The top one are also mysterious ones Having greater value than one

Descending the pyramid howeve The value of one approaches Ever closer to the value of one Till all the ones of the great base Of the pyramid sink below the value of one

From above, the varying values of on Look down upon those at the great bas

they are nothing.

But the base ones are also a mysten For they are able to add themselve:

- One for all and all for on value of all these 'nothing

Socialist Challenge 22 March 1979 page 15

Page 16 scan of this page

Socialist Challenge STOP THIS RACIST HARASSMENT!

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),

Occupations

against

quotas

STUDENTS have occupied the

main building at the Barking

precinct of North East London

Polytechnic in opposition to

quotas intended to reduce the number of overseas students.

The question of how extend the campaign in absence of any lead from the

Broad Left on the national esecutive of the National Union of Students will discussed at meeting Friday called by University students union, who

also occupying against quotas.

The items put forward for

discussion include local reports,

the strategy put forward by the

national executive, and what

policy the forthcoming

conference should adopt.

*Overseas students

qootas national activists meet-

ing. Friday 23 March, 1.45pm,

University

London Union, Malet Street, A SLIM, wraith-like figure edged his way into the Socialist Challenge office. After a few polite hellos the clatter typewriters started again. all assumed he had come to see someone else.

But no, our emaciated visitor was clutching £278. It was nationally-recognised teachers* Regan, once leader, now a shadow of his former self.

The money - SIX times as much as the other contributions this week put together - IS the proceeds ol Bernard's sponsored diet for Socialist Challenge.

Despite all the drawbacks severe personality disorders, friends looking straight through you, loss of weight in the NUT) Bernard is a far happier person. And the loss from his waist-line has been our gain.

Slimming is only one of the masochistic activities you can engage in for the fund drive. Giving up smoking is another popular and profitable way of raising money. Even nonpolitical friends will be staggered at your moral fortitude that they will prepared to hand over a few 000.

Domestic: 6 months, £5; 12 months, £10 Abroad: Airmail, £16.50. Surface, £10 per annum. Multi-reader institutions: double individual rate

Name:

Address

I enclose a donation for the Fighting Fund of i

"Socialist Challenge'. Complete and return to: Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper Street, London N1.

to the

be Sussex NUS

By Pete Clifford

and Abdul,

Oldham youth, was detained late on Wednesday 7 October 1978.

Two policemen came to his wOrKOlace AISH Oldham. They told him that his

OUR FUND DRIVE

Roy Winn from brough is collecting sponsors for the 40-mile Lyke Walk across the We Yorkshire moors at Easter. Our

supporters, being a sedentary lot, don't seem to be rushing to emulate him, but we are sure you can think of other, less strenuous Ways

And if you don't feel up to engaging in some noble activity yourself you can always be a sponsor. Bernard Regan's £278 need not be a final total and Roy Winn is still looking for sponsors.

We only have another week to reach this quarter's £2,500 target. With your money we can do it!

Our thanks again to Bernard and the following:

Anon NUJ member Oldham supporters P. Hunt Camden SC party Rover workers, Solihull Bernard Regan, sponsored diet be WEEKLY TOTAL

CUMULATIVE TOTAL

SUBSCRIBE I

Cheques, POs and Money Orders should be made payable to

Police torture Oldham youth

'I WANT my son, I want you to fight for him.' That was the plea last Saturday from the father of Abdul Azad to 80 picketers at Risley Remand Centre in Cheshire, where Abdul is being held.

mother had been murdered and that they had to ask him some 17-year-old questions at the police station.

first He was held all Thursday with nothing to eat "black bastard', and searched over and over again. That night Mill

The was recasce. morning the police came round for him again.

This time they alleged that his father and mother were not his real parents. As Abdul later

Middles- put it in a signed statement: "They

Wake bastard lies".

North pushed me around, and then threw me in the cell. *On Saturday night for the first time they brought me some chips. I had no water or tea to of raising drink. They

handfuls of hair.

I was very scared. I wept. I

By Joe Abrahams Chairperson, Hackney and Tower Hamlets Defence Committee

ON Saturday Hackney and Tower Hamlets Defence Committee is calling on all anti-racists in London to 5.00 Lane unction with demonstrate at the top of Brick 5.00 2.25 Green Road) at 10.30am.

5.00 Since the 20.00 summer- the murder of Altab 5.00 Ali, Ishaque Ali, Singh and

278.00 attacks which led to the mass

demonstrations

£320.25 August and September

Lane has been out of the news. £2171.55 This does not mean that the

problem of racist police harassment National Front has gone away.

On the contrary, December, was brutally stabbed to death on the streets of Hackney by two racist thugs.

Since his murder his family and their supporters have been continually harassed by the police, Four friends now face trumped up charges, thugs have received

The National Front continue to sell their fascist propaganda in Brick Lane. Over weeks they have grown

asked them: hitting me?" They

Spain."

Finally confession out of him:

called a said "Kill him' much, men but next paper.

ferred Centre. And eventually,

said | was a black "you're telling tion They pulled my hair, MP.

that -

again. tore my hair, Abdul was

Defend Brick Lane

On two occasions young thugs have been preparing to attack, and

anti-racists 25 March, the police to disperse them.

Bethnal increase events of last

Kenneth consituency. numerous racist

of July, • Brick against racist violence, harassment, violence, the the working class.

on Ferreira Lane but the police

recent in

"Why are you himself made no answer, just kept hitting me. I felt sick, my stomach hurt with

March. they forced a under

*At about 1 o'clock in the Meacher night three of them came. One

looked like a police boss. He

evidence. '. I was hit so But they took upstairs and made me sign the

Association,

After ten days he was trans-

Risley Remand more than three months later, he was released under pressure from the local Bangladeshi Associa-

and Michael Meacher, COHHUTHLY.

Everyone thought that was

Abdul would be allowed to stay in the country. But on 9 March the police pulled him in

Nazi League told that the Home Office forensic blood been sow tests on his mother, father, and union, the

recently, seen only the swift intervention of loca

has forced the

The battle against racism and racial violence is not over. As the election approaches we can expect the National Front to

their activity since Martin Webster is standin the Bethnal Green and Bov

The 25 March action is the first of a series of mobilisations designed to show that the fight

police the NF remains a paramount task for

on 25 March, 10.30am at the top of Brick

PURLIC MEETING

Fridas 23 March. 7,30pm

Mouletiore Cenire.

Deal Street. Et

Speaker: B.K. Chatterjee

DEMONSTRATION

Sunday 25 March, 10.30am

Assemble junction of Brick Lane and Bethnal Green Road

showed that he couldn't be their son. On this basis Merlyn Rees signed an order for his deportation on 16

This has now been deferred

pressure. Michael calling for

an independent testing of the

Abdul Mannan, secre tary of the Oldham Bangladeshi

DOLLIES these are not the real issues. A detence campaign SHUS start from the fact that Abdul Azad

victim the racist immigration laws, which are being used to harass the Asian

On this basis the Bangladeshi Association has launched an open defence committee with the support of the Council for Racial Equality and the Anti

The labour movement has

to react. Abdul's Allied Textile

Workers, and Oldham Trades Council have both said that they'll send letters of protest -but little more.

However, the textile mills and engineering factories in Oldham are now being leafletted to win support for a march through Oldham this Saturday, to be followed by a picket of Risley Remand Centre.

It is hoped to win support for this mobilisation from all over the North-West.

Free Abdul Azad! Release all immigrants held under these racist laws! Abolish the Immigration Acts!

* March assembles 10.30am, Saturday 24 March, Elevenways Car Park, Featherstall Road North, Chadderton, Oldham, to march to rally in Union Street. Coaches leave at noon for Risley. * Picket Risley Remand Centre, near Warrington, 1pm. 3-4 The Oval, London E2

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