Socialist Challenge No. 98, 31 May 1979
The scan: sc-n98-may-31-1979.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive)
Uncorrected machine reading of the whole issue. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from the scan and has not been corrected or cut into articles. Each page gives the headlines first, then the columns in order, so one article runs on into the next. Expect misread words. Use it to find things; quote from the scan.
Page 1 scan of this page
Socialist Challenge
No to the Common Market - Rally 1 June
workers as
THE Tories are out l create a new second class citizens.
Their targets are the hundreds of thousands of
work in the
Already 20,000 to go in the civil
It will not be bowler buresucrats or the high expense account LodaH posts normally filled by SHED ENCE HOWAR ing class women.
Freeze
A freeze on recruitment is also to be placed on local government jobs.
Barrel two is aimed at the pay of public sector
The
Defend
BIlI
Geddes
HOSPITAL worker Bill
Geddes was dead right
when he said the health
unions must put a stop to
"rich bastards" who are
milking the NHS.
But if his aim isto be
achieved, all of our
active support is needed.
It's also needed to defend
Bill Geddes, now that
he's been sacked.
Bosses to treat
public sector
SECOND
CLASS L
CITIZENS
organisation, the Confederation of British Industry. sayS public sector workers have an easy life and that they should be paid less than those in the private sector.
What Is 'easy' about • hospital Laundry, cleaning bedpans, teaching in overcrowded schooks! Just who are the CBI to talk of *fringe when tax-free cars and expense accounts come with direcforships?
Thatcher claims they яте culling unnettosar! wasles. For her and her friends in the CBE public transport is 'unnecessary for they travel
For her and her friends in the СВІ, NHS expenditure is 'annecessary' for they have private hospital beds
For Thatcher and scroungers who inhabit the executive suites comprehensive education 'unnecessary" because their chikdren are seat to
• Emest Mundel, Tariq All. Detalis page 10. /
to: MICHAEL ANN MULLEN
private schook.
But for ordinary working people things are not necessary, they are essentals.
The job of the Labour Icaders and of the trade anion leaders is to spell out these simple truths, to cut through the Tory propaganda about wasteful schools, hospitals social benefits. in Action
But instead some of these leaders are urging cooperation with Tories. Most notable b James Callaghan pleads that the Tories must be given a chance and that trade unionists must not fake action to 'thwart" the Tories' plans to slice the social wage.
But action is the only
thing which will stop the Tories. It was setion which these won the gains just welfare stale in the first
place.
And wishes to cust his back, it was mass action and not parliamentary which Labour to power when Heath was overthrown in and
1974.
The defence needs to be mounted is not just a case of workers solidarity with the threatened with
ployment. It is in all our who Interests to maintain the
welfare state.
And no-one, especially Thatcher, and especially Callaghan, should allowed to stand in our way.
Housing
Abortion
Education
thesecondury modera... pages Ireland
use of the PTA... page 12
Zimbabwe Patriotic Front leader Nkomo calls Lord Carrington just u racist, Read why... page 13
OUR RESPONSE Organising
necessury...page 2
Unions
23 Jane can take this fight forward.. pagesfand9 Labour Party
the
Wecontinue our debate on how le fight the Callaghan Tories in an exteaded mind interview with
Ernie Roberts MP *.. pageso and 7 brought
FEATURES
which women and migrant
workers... pages 10 and 11
those
AsThoughts Cascade - ashort story byJerry Lockspeiser ••page 15
No 98 31 May 1979 15p
THIS WEEK
TORIES ATTACK...
The Tory polley of council house sales is already being carried out by the GL.C. Welook at what this means for tensats in Hackney... puge3
A leading Tory anti-abortionist hastopped the baliol for Private Members Bills... page4
The age of the grammarschool salso the ageof
The Tories arealready outdoing Labour in their Werevlew the peblic sector union conferences and argue why anew Minority Movement is still
Defending our unions was the theme of last Saturday's Socialist Challenge trade union conference. The Rank and File conference on The role of the EEC — and how it affects
What wesaw in the Six Counties — a report by two British trade unionists... page 12 Bed Moreung Darlin
Page 2 scan of this page
Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper Street, London N1 2XQ. Editorial: 01-359 8180/9, Distribution/Advertising: 01-359 8371.
Organising the minority again
OUR POLICIES Capitalism is in crisis. The leaders of the Labour Party and the trade unions offer solutions that are in the interests not of the worker but of the capitalist class.
Socialist Challenge believes thut the two vital tasks confronting revolutionary socialists are:
• To build broad-frased class strugale tendencies in opposition to class-collaborationism in the labour movement. These should grouping together militants holding a wide runge of political views.
call begin to Thefer the creation unified and democralic revolutionary socialist organisation which can, through an application of united front
alternative thousands workers engaged in strugeles.
Such un organisation should be based on the understanding that:
seeks to unite the fight
Tworkers against the bosses with that of other oppressed layers of society - women, black people.
struggling for their iberation. This socialism can only be achieved by creating new organs of power and defeating with all necessary means the power of the capitalist state.
infinitely more democratie today, with fall rights Tor ult political parties and currents tha do not take up arms against the socialist state. The Stalinist models of socialism in the ESSR and Fastern Europe have discredited socialism in the eyes of millions of workers throughout the world We are opposed to them and wit offer full support to all those fighting for socialist democracy.
The interests of workers and
on a world scale. Capitalism has not only created a world murket, it has created world politics. Thus we fight for working class unity on an international scale. This unity will in the long run he decisive in defeating both The imperiulist regimes in the West and the brutal dictatorships they sustain in Latin America, Africu and Asla,
immediate withdrawal British troops from Ireland and letting the Irish people determine their own future.
The Communist parties in Europe are in crisis. Neither the "Eurocommunist nor shearing man bar an meaningful strategy overthrow of the capitalist state. New revolutionary soctalist parnes аге пноге necessary than ever more favourable than over the preceding three decades. Hut such parties can only be built by rejecting sectarianism and seeing internul democrucy not as a lusury. but as a vital neeessity. This means the right to organise factions and GILLICIS
If you agree with these principles SINE involved in activities by Socialist Challenge supporters in your arca, fill in the form below and send it to us.
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Socialist Challenge 31 May 1979 page 2
EDITORIALI AFTER LESS than a month in office the reactionary spots of the Tory government are plain for all lo see, For the labour movement the Issue is what to do about them.
"Nothing', says one wing. The talest example was the weekend speech of Bill Sin, general secretary Confederation. Unions must resist any tendency to allow their disappointment to turn into petulance, he said. Trade unionists have to 'accept the will of the electorate", he demanded. -I DErE EUST DO SODIE DaNIC UNOCEADGERL OCEYCED the new government and the TUC as to where progress can be made over the nest five years", he Implored.
These words follow similar Callaghan, electricians" leader Frank Chappie, and Charles Donnel of the General and Municipal Workers, Having carried out policies during the Lubour government which opened the Downing Street door for Thaicher they now ask trade unionists to lie down in front of her, with their hands tied und their eyes closed.
FIRST WORD By Rich Palser WHEN Labour was in office Socialist Challenge argued thai necessary to build a new Minority Movement or organised left wing
the working organisations, to fight collaborating capitalist policies. Is this still relevant under the Tories?
The TUC has decided to taik with
Tories about ref'orni. They say the Tories will be "ill-advised" to assume that the TUC would on legal changes picketing and other union rights. Len Murray told Employment Secretary Jim. Prior that voluntary guidelines were a better way to proceed"
Logic
Frank Chappie of the electricians" union has gone further. He gave a personal pledge to stop strikes taking place before agreements run out or whouta secret callet to accent that "conscientious objectors" have the right to break a ciosed shop, and not to use strikes for political purposes.
But he is only following the logic of miners' leader Joe Gormley, who said that the unions should get the best deal possible from the Tories. convince Margaret Thatcher that legal changes are not necessary the union leaderships implement her 'reforms" for her,
So far they have failed. The TUC "guidelines' on pickeling were largely ignored during the struggles of last winter - in the public soctor dispute and lorry drivers" strike in particular - as the rank and file realised they would render their action inetfective. Haggling
So the right wing are nor content with just talking to the Tories want to prove they can deliver the goods. Their offensive has already begun at the union conferences.
At the T&GWU conference the experience of the lorry drivers' strike will be at the centre of debate. Three branches have submitted expressing concern at the apparent Inability of the elected leadership of the union to control and influence the actions of some members involved int industrial disputes.' They call for the execurive not to make strikes official unless wiion directives are being observed.
The say-nothings
and the do-nothings
of the Iron and Steel Trades
Bees from
action. was
class those Callaghan's TUC 108 are prepared to - they
But more imponantly the line of the right wing will be tested in action.
With Thatcher already attacking jobs and wages in the public sector, and motions not ruling our a wage freeze in the future, we will see more union leaders openly attacking workers in struegle as Chapple did workers" dispute last winter.
the idea that union necessary and opposing the talks. As
Chers are not so open about advocating suicide. For instance Alan Fisher of the National Union of Public Employees talked at his union's conference shout his unyielding opposition to pay beda and his determination to fight low pay. But then after these fiery words came the decision of NUPE's executive to oppose the resolution calling for industrial action from 1 January on pay heds and pay incresses.
This explains why often it is best not to pay much attention to words. A more appropriate test is a commitment to mass action. What were the significant victories of the last ten years? They were bones soch as the defeat of Labour's In Place of Strife" in 1969, the defeat of the Tories Industrial Relations Act, the big movement for women's liberation, the bringing down of the Heath government, the activity of the Anti Nazi League and the successes last winter of the Ford workers and lorry drivers. Each was based on miss
But no action can be built without orgunisation. For example when the Liaison Committee for the Defence of Trade Unions took some valuable steps
MARCHING HINERS
SOON TOLARE SORT
500B
-185%
EXC 8243 )
and chain'
defeats of Left-wing
during the health
Vicar of being
reform'
local Liaison Commillees. organisation which ure needed.
These two principles orgunisation week.
attacks.
Turies.
block Ken Gill, the white collar engineers' leader, says: "We are not in business to haggle about the weight of the ball
But we have to learn from the
the last five years. members of the Tuc General Council refused to mount any opposition to the Concordat, for
accused of ruming Callaghan's election stralegs: That attitude has left the way opea for the current right-wing offensive.
in 1970 und 1971, including calling two successful one day strikes aguinst the Industrial Relations Act, It organised not only a highly successful 200-strong national conference but also dozens of
successful campaign of the Antl Nazi Lague against the National Front could likewise never have been carried out without the creation of hundreds of local committees Involving thousands of activists.
In the fight against Thatcher something more substantial than either the old ICOTU or the ANI
Jocally and nationally on the official labour movement, Committees of trude unionists fighting the cuts and defending the public sector. Widespread trade anion support for the fight to defend ahortion rights. These are the types of
- mass action and of the rank and file are Fundamental if any effective fight buck is to be waged. Any force claiming to build a left wing can he judeed by how furit measures up to them
The right wing will be echoing Callaghan's theme thar the unions should not take political decisions to thware the Tory government's plans - it does after all have a mandate from the clectorate. Those Like Alan Fisher of the public employees union who believe the unions have to live with the Tory government offer no
Reversals The recent public sector union conferences show that the righr-win ascendancy can be reversed. NUPI conference mandated Fisher to oppose talks with the Tories, the left regained the CPSA Icadership, and evch in coeretary David Basnet was defeated the GEMWL
when the conference voted for action for a E65 minimum wage and 35 hour
The viciousness of the Tories attacks on the public sector brought these unions up with a jol. They reahsed how trade union reform would hamper their resistance to these
Political But more than this, the left in these unions was organised to fight for socialist policies wbich provide an alterpative to collaboration with the In the CPSA the left campaigned for individual work place voting as un alternative to the present branch vote system, and soundly defeated the right's attempt to win postal ballot elections.
They were organised to fight for a strike strategy as opposed to the right-wing line of limited sclective 'designed nor to hurt the public, in pursuit of the pay claim The left also won a censure of the execurive. The leff candidates for the executive who were most associated with these policies won some of the hichest votes:
If over the last five years it wa essential to build an organised left wing in the unions — a new Minority Movement — to fight the right-wing collaborators with Callaghan, today that left wing is just us vital. What the public sector conferences showed was that the fight to unite the labour movenient in action against the Tories roquites a political fight against the night wing.
Page 3 scan of this page
TORY BRITA By Tom Marlowe
ANYBODY who wants to know *the Tory government's plans for selling off council housing
mean should visit Homerton In the East London borough Hackney and look over two housing estates.
Tuate One is called Kingsmead. It'srun down, pre-war, occupied mainly by low income families.
Estate Two Is nearby Sherry's Wharf. It rests on the banks of the River Lea and of 143 maisonettes with gardens. It has just been completed and lies empty.
Both estates are owned by the Greater London Council. AL the last election, two years ago, the GLC went Tory
When Labour was in office at County Hall the council had discussions with Kingsmead tenants. They were promised that they would have priority when the new flats became available for renting because many of them had long ago requested transJer to more habitable
With 2,500 tenants at Kingsmead chasing 143 maisonettes. at Sherry's
only il minority would have been able to move. But at LESS TOD former Labour GLC had offered some of them a chance of living in decent conditions. ries have however, the Taries announced their plans — to sell off the flats at Sherry's Wharf. The minimum asking price ol £30,000 is way out of the reach of most of the tenants in Kingsmead.
Kingsmcad tenants secretary Ken Hanson told Socialist Challenge:
"The Labour council told us the flats would be rented. Some would be offered to senior citizens, but the priocity would be given to tenants on our COLLIE.
*As far as we are concerned the Flats should never be up for sale. It's disgusting,
The Tory Gl.C, headed by millionaire: Horace
Tories' Sale of the Century
Kingsmend (below) can't afford them. Cutler, has already sold off around 7,000 council properties since it came to power. And council tenants haven't always been the buyers.
Take the ecample of the Brentford Dock estate near Londen's Kew Gardens. When those properties were put up for sale few GLC ELEINELS afford the £60,000 price
Only the rich need apply
Flats at Sherry's Wharf (top) are now on sale. Tenants on
tag.
Eventually the Tories
put the estate on the open market, and the houses and flats which supposedly been built for sold to anyone who could afford them.
Ken Livingstone, GLC
member for Hackney Nosth and the Labour opposition
spokesperson, fears the same could happen Sherry's Wharf.
*The incomes of Hackney tenants are lower than average', be told Socialist Challenge. "No way will the majority of tenants be able to afford them.
•Whoever eventually gets the new flats will do so on the basis of buying their way in."
The worst fears
involved don's housing are now being realised.
The reduction in the number of council houses for rent means a growing waiting List, while tenants who put in for transfers to new houses or Mats now find there is little prospect of being offered a move.
People coming into our advice centres are at their wits' end', Livingstone. The requests for transfers keep flooding in but there are less and Jess areas transfer."
If the Tory government gets away with its plans, what is happening London and other Tory-controlled councils today will be happening nationally tomorrow,
In the process the To insuit to the thee of of insult to the type injury they have Kingsmead. As Ken Hanson explains:
*The final cheek when the GLC said they were about to start work rebuilding our courtyard. We bave been waiting months for this work to start.. but it was obvious that the GLC only wanted to avoid offending the eyes of their new purchasers for Sherry's Whart.
Kingsmead tenants re fused to allow work on th 'oftending' courtyard begin unless work was done first on the courtyard areas Sherry Wharf purchasers could not see
That was one small act of defiance, but greater bad ones are needed if thi
plans are to be thwarted nationally.
For a start, that would mean Labour-controlled councils Eving a point blank refusal to operate the Tories" sale of the century.
News
Scotching
rumours Scotlish hooligan CHAUVINIST recoiling from the visit of thousands of Scols football fans weekend. The papers were full of the drunken misdeeds of our subhuman cousins from north of the border. Scandalised: by behaviour News from at investigation of the 'tartan troublemakers',
Needless to say, the real picture is rather different. sccordine to the press "bolted onto" the
Green. happened was that a packed train about 200 people in short of Dollis Hill of For a long time the passengers were not told what was happening. Those who were stuck on the train tell of how they were packed tight in the wirless carriage. They tried to wedge the doors open with beercans to get fresh air, but railway staff told them that if the doors were open the train would never go.
Our informants, CPSA members, tell us that one old man collapsed and an eight-year-old girl was near fainting. In desperation the passengers broke the windows SayS (yes, that's the truth about the broken SHOCKINGONS
Eventually, only minutes before the match started, telling them to get out and walk along the line. Apparently Jocal people were very sympathetic to the Scots and many gave them lifts from there to in Wembley.
But the ordeal of our twe CPSA merbers was not Saturday evening they were drinking at a pub near Haymarket called the Captain's Cabin. They bad been there every evening since Thursday and had seen no trouble there. But at about 8.30 the police arrived and ordered a reluctant publican to call time Protesting customers were escorted was from the pub by police. The verdict of two of them: "The way the fuzz treat us here is racialism.
Considering all the hue and cry NEN has decided to award a biennial Scottish Hooligan Award. This year's winner is Sir Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
Save
the Wales
lo WHEN is a country not a country? Answer: when it's Wales, Or rather that is the attitude of the European Commissioners, following in the best traditions rating ale Was only four scats ta the European Parliament compared with the South of Ireland which has a similar population and 15 seats
Plaid Сутги, Nationalist party, made this point when they launched their Europear manifesto last week and demanded 15 seats for Wales. They pointed out that Wales even did badly in comparison lo Luxembourg: six seats with a
•nowhere
This is discrimination International
TY BICE
against competition.
London is still
LYLE the
this shocking category, Nowhere Its OWI
For example, 2000 fans tube line near In fact what
each of 10 -stopped about 300 yards
spy West armament, two Scottish West Germany? police arrived
missile was terruin yet over. On
the contract,
something intentions SAOYCTLMELLE
transatlantic David MeNce, the
tions, ordered Whitehall boundary
the Welsh
from
population the size of Gwent.'
Our Sports Correspondent adds
об а picce with practised by Cricket Conference whose trophy competition begun last week as part of the run-up to the better-known Prudential World Cup
compeles in the ICC Trophy but, not being an ICC member, is not allowed to score points for victories. Points scored
Wales count in the
No lift off
IS NOT every day that we can report a successfel conclusion lo a News from Nowhere campaiga. But the decision of the Zaire government to throw out the West German rockel compuny OTRAG must fall into that
As we have explained before, the Mobute regime leased a 10,000 square mile ares of Shaba province (formerly Katanga] to OTRAG for rocket lesting. The agreement allowed the company unprecedented rights over the region and its inhabitants.
This alome aroused the anger of much African and left-wing opinion. But there were also strong Indications that the business of selling rockets to third world countries for lunching
was cover for something even more sinister.
OTRAG seemed to be part of the nuclear collaboration between West Germany and South Africa, This is aimed at circumvenling international opposition to South African anclear development as well as the 1954 ban
German nuclear re-
OTRAG and Zaire both denled the charges, but they fuiled to answer a number of questions convincingly:
*Why was the first OTRAG test lauach preceded by tests at the West German national aerospace authority
*Why does OTRAG, a private company, enjoy full tax exemption in
*Why did a photographic blow-sp Ola cruise rulintle HAUSERTE on the OTRAG stand at the 1977 Le Bourget air show? Us specialists reckoned the
flying over African
Obvlously the questions were beginning to come a bit thick and fast since, ut the end of last month, the Zaire government unilaterally ended Faux pas DOES the French post office know
don't about the of the new Canadian its latest Paris telephone directory the post office, not normally given to commenting on
politics, lists diplomatic delegation from Quebec as the "Embassy of Quebec'.
In a past age that sort of taux po might wel have been the occasion For a war, or at the very least the breaking offol diplomatic relations. This time there was nothing more than a few red faces at the postes et télécommenico-
where an inquiry bas been
Over at the Canadian Embassy they have gone tbrough the whole affair with great sang froid, Still.
Apology
THE pictures of the campaign to defend Pat Arrowsmith in Cardiff which have appeared in Socialist Challenge over the last three weeks are by Chris Gregory, Our apologies for not crediting ber before. Socialist Chillenge 31 May 1979 page 3
Page 4 scan of this page
Threat to abortion rights grows
WHAT'S LEFT
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POSTERS showing arrest of Hade Blanco by the
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Socilst Chalener 31 May 1979 pege 4
TORY BRITAIN
the British
By Judy Watson
THE lears of the
Fund Bute, John Corrie,
private members" Hills.
ni Ricard, Nont
20t
(Pieme mal
opposition.
to grow
'propaganda 8pm. unti-abortionists
Chile to the election. 129 Seven
the parlamentary
Grind
10 R.D. By Rich Paber
violence has occurrence. constant brutality.
passport raids.
humiliated country,
Asian
June.
Derails
proviced: -Fridus I J
AN appeal for worldwide demonstrations on 3 June for international cooperation against atomic energy hax heen launched by the International tion Conference of the anti-muclear movement.
The appeal says: "The stremele against the usage of seciear energy is the most vidble expression of a worldwide movement ta preserve our bealth and our eurironment."
NAC's timely conference
pro-ahortion movement seemed realised lus week when the Tory MP For Ayrshire North place in the ballot at Westminster for
Corrie immediately annoanced he would introduce a Bill to further timit a woman's right to choose whether or not to have a child. His proposal was to cut the limit on ahortions from the 28th week ol pregnancy to either the l6th or the
Within boars of Corrie announeIng his intention he began le have second thoughts. By last weekend he suid i was "coesiderahly lens likely" that he would choose abortion as the suhject for his Bill. Appurently he had been told he would face "100 per cent"
Whatever Corrie Finally decides the threat to abortion rights continues
• First because of the successful
conducted by in the form of abortion horror stories' in the run-up
•Second because of the size of the
• Third because of the length of
-SESIDE months - which means any private
Angry and black
"Police and immigration officers"
become an everyday Our youth are lacing
'Our families are terrorised by
Our homes are battered by the police. Our men and women are harassed and sexually
when they cater the Risley
This is the reality of life for black
organisations will demonstrating about it this Sunday. 3
No nukes anywhere !
conditions & part of the struggle against the less of social and Coordina- rights, against unemployment, starvation, anderdevelopment and stresses that these aspects "are inseparable":
The puts a big emplasis on winning support inside the organisations working class Ic recog
member's Bill will have a better than asual chance of passing through the necessary legislative stages.
Whether or not Corrie sponsors an anti-abortion Bill it seems certain that such a Bill will be drafted ano that iis main sim will be lo cut down the abortion time limit A l6-week limit would rule out the possibility of screening for foetal abnormalities. such as spisa bifida und mongolinm. for usually this can only be performed
Just two examples are enough to prove their point. One is the case of Abdul Azad, who faces possible deportation for being an "ilegal
Abdul's mother was brutalls murdered. It was obvious that Abdu wus not responsible, but the police held him for 10 days of questioning -and forced him to sign a statement that he was an illegal immigrant.
After twelve and a half weeks in
remand centre the defence campaign finally won his release -but now the threat of deportation la Jooming again.
Means bile police visited 1,300 homes in connection with the murder But Detective Superintendent BouIt expleims that to light thesc inhuman
democratle that jobs which
and war. workers" interests.
Thie appeal therefore preater investment
the energy. Socistists
after the li-week period.
Less thon 4 per cent of abortions are performed after the loth week. less than 1 per cent after 20 weeks und Jess than 0,1 per ceat after 24 weeks.
Bot this does not mean that the time limit would be of linte consequence.
Instend The figures sugeest that because fev performed after 16 weeks there are ofien special circumstances.
ARDOT AZAD
stead complained that many of the immigrant community bave got the nises that fears about ioss of jobs have beld back many animas in opposing whu nacicar desclepment, and stresses the need to explain of profit and war
drastically endanger health und environnent" are against their lands
Blake organisers urge and other messures to exploit
of planned economis SPOTLES would pelet out ibat this is mot a the working class.
lute abortion.
the
decided. for
movement.
persunded lum
parliament-
abortions are
These 01-278 0153, surprising, Ham.
'Black Brutulity"
(0B)
The matter of persuading the employers and their states,
develop nuclear power for ressoas
Weshould put formard the need to lake out of Turiber
the right to such decisions, ex- The plaining thet the way end the nuclear threat les through a fight for a
under the democrafic control of
can include the health of the woman, • deformed foelus, or delays in getting the operation performed. Women do not lighly decide to have s
In the shadow of these new threats
National Abortion Campaign bolds its annual conference on 9-10 June in Nottingham. It Is there that the plans for a massive defener af abortion rights will be discusied ant
The obvious first step is building a
NAC has aready called apon the TLC and Women's TEC to honour their nun conference resolutions calling such n protest in The event of any nes ahartion restrictions. The NAC conferener will abso hear proposais
conterence positive legislation directed at the irbour
The present encertainty over John Corrie's intentions need mot contese the pro-choice movement. So far the strength of that movement has
have secund thoughts but the anti-abortion lobby intencial e te and highty
in the new Tors
The first step to countering that lobby is the NAC conference, Furtler detalls of it trom 374 Gry's Ten
London WCI. Or phone
impression we were more interested in looking for illegal immigrants than we were in looking for the munderer".
Since they requested to sec passports in many cases, this is hardly
The second example is that of the Virk brothers from Newham, When they defended themselves against an assault by racist white youth they were arrested and sent to prison
Their appeal is being beard on 7 tune at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, London. The Steering Committer of Asian Organisations is organising a demonstration outside at
These are just two instances of the police harassitient which has led to the
June demonstration, called by
People Against State a coalition of the Asian Women's Movement (AWAZ), the Brixton Black Women's Collective and the Indian Workers Association
They came together cacher to protest against the virginity test carried out by immigration offlicals, but they regard this as just a part of the broader state brutality towards bluck people. They are asking all anti-racists to join the demonstration with their bunners, but no placards.
• The demonstratios assembles Ipin, Speakers Corner (Hyde Park).
Picket Brum club
POLLYANNA'S ls a club in
the city centre of Birmingham
Commission for Raciai
Equality recently found that its
owners and manager operated
an ilegal colour bar quatu.
Bui since this disciosure the
management have publicly
and complaints
continning coloar bar flood in.
Birmingham Action
Committee Against Racisen in
Clubs is holding a picket of
Pollyanna's on Saturday 16
Jane. The picket assembles at
9pm al Chamberain Square.
Page 5 scan of this page
Welfare state in Tories' gunsights
Schools: whose freedom, whose choice?
TORY BRITAIN By Bob Pennington
CUTS in public spending totalling at least one billion pounds can be expected during 1979-80.
Industry, Employment, Environment, Trade, and Education will all come under the axe. Double figure inflation, expected to top 15 per cent by the autumn, will mean even further reductions in services.
Environment Secrelary Heseltine has been telling local authority associations and unis that EMINTE must be immediate 'voluntary" recruitment, and that this will be followed in three months' time by cuts in staff.
Catastrophic
Prime targets for education, other social services, and direct labour departments to more than one million people on the housing waiting lists and u bonus for the private builders.
Bus services are also on the target list. Local authorities have been told to take 'a hard look at subsidies*. Bas users — workers, school students and older people - will have to pay higher fares for even worse services.
The cuts planned for the health SEVILL would have
The NHS 15 underequipped and understaffed and the workforce drastically underpuid.
The propised cuts are not simply 'economies. They well thought out move by the Tories to rescue a crisis-ridden private sector by making more funds available to
Timid
Sir Geoffrey Howe, the Chanceller of the Exchequer, was quite explicit shout this when he complained about the Labour government's €3,000 millions" to delay the collapse of so-called dying jobs.
The Tories have got the welfare state in their introduction of the welfare sale aller the election of the Government in 1945 stopped on the borders of timid reforms. However it did encourage working people do
By Betty Hunter, NUT
BEFORE the general election the
asked the Department of Education to suggest ways of axing E400m from the education budget.
So it's cuts, and what cise?
The Queen's Speech stated that legislation would allow those councils which have not gone comprehensive to relain their grammat schools, while money will be provided to cover leet at independent sincois for seiccied DuDus.
The fact that nothing is inteoded for the extension of nursery education, nothing for developing further and higher education, emphasises Thaicher's so-called freedom is for that deprived sector of society, the
pay for their educational privileges through local authority finances.
sector and the expected the salaries hill, coupled with the cuts in expenditure, will simply mean run down of cducation majority of students of all ages.
To make all chis palatable, the idea of parental choice and the pursuit of excellence are bandied about.
What this means is indicated by che plans unveiled by Secretary Mark Carlisle before the clection,
here will be more tests for schoo
tudents, and results will be measure against a national yardstick. Working for exams will be the prospect facing students of all ages.
Metbods of teaching associated with progressivism, such as mixed ability teaching, will be actively discouraged
think that child-care,
preceding Labour government.
Sacrifices
Michael
trade
treeze an
preached that
all.
capitalise on that.
SETTERAL of Municipal
contempt for union views have
catastrophic
already CITINE ways expenditure!
represent Threats
For the
issue. They
*ase of
inside the
The
1.ліниг sepport
pickets to all-our strike action. be introduced to
that
for the private increases in
for the
Education For the majority:
industry.
health, education, and housing were not privileges, but the rights of everyone.
In order to cut the welfure state now the Tories have to weaken that belief. In this they have been helped by the
which introduced the fist serious
unemployment among teachers for decades closed mosperais. a00 cu back on nurseries. Labour Ministers
Britain's nutional Interests demanded sacrifices from
Now the Tories are trying to
Profitability is being put above all else; social need takes a poor second place. If people want education they must pay for i. If they want health care they must take out a private insurance scheme.
A surprised David Basnell, general
the General and Workers Union complained to his union conference last week that Ministers had displayed •
which never experienced before." Perhaps he would have liked aunion-cabinet consultation at Downing Street to work out the most
slush public
millions of people threatened with unemployment and massive reductions in essential social services, the fact that Ministers have not had a chat with them is not the
are faced with probiem of how to defend what they
tave got and how to go on the attack so that they can meet their social
The task now is to organise action
workplaces and the community to fight these cuts, Labour councils who refuse to accept cats and who violate the Tories' cash limits must get the
of the workers movement, from demonstrations and
comprehcasive schools will do, provided they have an inbuilt serening process to cream oft a selected few to fill the needs of
To keep the schools on their toes the inspectorate is to be increased exam
published and -parents charter will give them more choice over secondary schools,
By John Ross If you thought Labour's 12 million unemployed was bad just wait until Tory policy gets going.
First it was the three month ban on civil service and
local government hiring.
already a 5 per cent cut —a loss of 22,000 jobs in the civil
service alone,
Next for cutting are almost certainly the [460 million
in regional development grants. For Scotland, the North
West, Wales and many other areas this means the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. This is in a situation where unemployment, even on official figures, is already over 7 per cent in Scotland, 7%a per cent in Wales, and & per cent
in the North and North East:
Next in line for attack are the job creation schemes. Over 170,000 workers are directly dependent on these. Tens of thousands more are kept off ihe dole queue
producing the goods bought by workers on the joh
chemes. These will all be under arrack Parental choice for tbe Tories is simply another pressure on schools maintain traditional curriculum and values. No doubt corporal punishment will encouraged as a way to improve standards.
In the contest of cuts and fallink rolls, when school finance is allocated on the number of students, these
Job creation-Tory style
Given job turnover that is
policies can only lead to false and the pernicious competition schools, rather than united demands for improvement. be It is the old divide and rule strategy.
But instead of campaigning working discussing educational policy and the needs of students, the National Union of Teachers has rejected the Taylor proposals on parental representation.
Also coming arc attacks on the natinnalised industries. For exumple, the last Labour goverument put E85 million into the intervention scheme for shipbuilding. This will how be for the chop
All this is over and above the massive unemployme
bill into the monetarist economic policies of Josep Howe, Thatcher and the other Tory Icaders
The Tory alternative is supposed to be job creation ir the private sector. What private industry chinks about unemployment was shown very clearly in the last three months. Investment in machines and capital goods fell by 4 per cent and construction investment by 7 percent, The private sector will cut back jobs in the years to come, nor create them.
Labour's state handouts to private industry and their cuts in public spending were no solation to the crisis Only a massive programme of pubhe spending and nationalisation could restore the right to work. But under the Tories workers will be deliberately pushed onto the dole queue. That lesson has to be rammed home
-between
for that they involvement
fighting for the Improvement of conditions in schools as falling rolls made that possible, the NUT shuts its eyes to school closures.
Instead of resourcing all schools so
Could provide curriculum, the Labour Party allowed parents to be diverted into making choices based on school reputation.
1 hose ate policies we have to reverse in the battle against the Tones. Socialist Challenge 31 May 1979 page 5
Page 6 scan of this page
Talk to the Tories? 'It is stupid for anyone to make arrangements with their jailers'
FIGHTING BACK How do you regard the Tory victory? In my opinion the balance of power in Batain had been swinging in the direction of the organised working class lhe lones saw oute cleart that there had to be a fightback in otucr to мсаксп in powcr, 10 do this they realised they had to win a peneral clection → which of course ‹25 made easy for them beranse of
policies pursued by the last
Ar a result of these policies, some mparant sections of the working peopic cither abstained from voting ot turnedto the Tory Party, This gave so the Tories the chance they needed to reverse the increasing power of the morina ciass ano to move to rcassere in an undisputed way the power of the establishment, capital, and the Stock
What do YOu argument that Labour failed because it had lost 'the middle ground'?
Elections are never won or lost in the
election. People vote on the basis of the experience of the government's action and record in the previous
We must never forget, those of ts in
trade and labour movenent, that the majority Britain'& neople are working people If the interests of those peopie were
adequately reptesented properly looked after by a Labour povernment then there need never be
having
The probiem is not that perhaps we ost the marginal votes of people who ie in effect middle class the middle of the road voters. The problem is not
out a million and hall or million votes of this type that didn't
me to us but went to the Tories.
The struggle is to hold working class support. IE we win the working class vote we win the majority of the British people.
How should the fightback aguinst the Tory goversment be carried out?
For example, in a statement atler the election you suid: *My joh is to Eink up with the Tribune group and the trade union group in Parlisment, but also to promote extra-Parlamentary struggle"
Which do you think is more Important the struggle Parliament or the struggle outside it?
I think struggle in botn places will be important. There has to be a struggle outside in order that support can be got in Parlament for the action outside
People should not just elect their MP and then leave them alone, but demand to know what their position is on what's taking place outside. struggle has to take place in both places and they must be linked. What ubout the argument that action outside parlament to oppose the CUTEIBESCUL and its laws is not acceptable? I ask this beceuse, for example. NUPE has said it will rid the health service of pay beds und this has been attacked by Torles as violating the law.
Abo, the picketing during the 1972 and 1974 miners' strikes, the actions taken to free the Pentonville Five, and against the Industrial Relations Act would be illegai under the Tories new proposals.
What do you think of the argument used a5, "Callagien, others by Shirley Williams, and Prentice when he was in the Labour Party that people have the right fo agitate to change the law, but while the law exists you must carry it out?
The working class throughour it history has had to struggle against existing legislation. And that has meant opposing Acts of Parlament and compelling changes. situation is no different now.
If there are Acts of Parlament or acts commitled by government which don't meet with the support of the majority of the working class then that class will have to fight citber to stop legislation or to oppose it.
I don't acree with the Postion that was pur by Nye Revan. He said in hi book In P'lace of Fear that he dida'! Sociaise Challen 31 Max 197%, PHE 6
of
and
Tory in
agree with industrial action So political ends.
It is important char industria clon should be taken for coonomic ends, for political ends, whatever ends the wishes to achieve. That's the strength, in fact the only real strength of che working class movement -the power to withold its labour and insist upon justice.
My LWUI ILNHOT emphatically rejected wbich was on the statute book Industrial Relations Act. o us it was an Act of Parlament herefore you have to acoept it anc wait until a Labour governent and then try and chanse it.
But, of course, that is not logical. If an Act of Parlament is so onerous il is Reg taking the berties
people, in this case of trade unionists, Bount trade Dos0oesтs Jave tae rIETO fight against such a denial of liberty, which is what we did.
confiscating union still refused to accept that The legislation and was on the point of
calling a general strike of engineers on the issue. This was only stopped, as you may remember, апопутоиз wealthy individual paid the fines and got the government off the hook.
As a result of that struggle by workine people the Act was remorod BY IDO HEAL LaDOEE gUsErHB!. there hadn't been that struggle there is
In the week when Callaghan told the unions they must not take political action against the Tories, John Ross asked ERNIE ROBERTS -the newly-elected Labour MP for Hackney North and a leading left winger — about the reasons for Labour's defeat, his views on action
for guarantce
Act from the statute book
for working class action taken against pay beds?
that it has
trade union movement or the AUEW legislation justified. - the The People said
brough, into operation. of the What do sou think about urgument that by
placing these Parlament and threaiening demogratie righis?
This is the Tuny
Parlament, inception, has because some according the
For the capitalists.
law. that the Labour povernment would have removed the
So you wonld support industrial
think that any kind of Industrial action by workers which is in line with the decisions taken by the organised
by the LHBNUESCAHESSAHHECOLLCTEERI
conference and the trade BOSCHELE unions have discussed pay bods and have taken decisions to end them. If the workers fecl that these docisions are being contravened or stopped or made inapplicable then they have the right to compell these decisions to be
The calling for the Implementation of Labour Party or within TUC conference decisions you are
orgunisations above the law and PLP. *Who niles, the trade unions or the law?' argument.
almost SincE its had to change Tony Benn has forces outside Parlament-whether it has been the struggle against the powers of the annunl conference monarchy, the Lords, the landlords,
that he
Of course there have been struggle leader. outside Parlament in order to make changes. And these struggles hase
outside Parlament to bring down Thatcher's
government, and whether we should obey the
On the issue of the Labour Party leadership,
Roberts savs that Benn should
Callaghan now.
TION
heen reflected in the statute book by various laws being passed, bocause they have been demanded by chose forces outside Parlament.
So there is nothing new or strange in forces outside Parlament bringing forces to beur to make Parlament change the law and even change the very character of Parlament itself.
In a statement following the election you called for 'a compicte change of Gendership and direction" in the labour
But no one challeaged Callaghun us leader of the Labour Party. Esn't that a contradiction? Doesa't it hold hack the fight in the constituencies and trade unions because he can claim no one is challenging him?
Wbile there is a need tor a complete change in direction that doesn t mean all it will get the support that is needed
Parlamentary Labour Party (PL.P). This, of course, refiects the fact that there has been very little change in the composition of the want:
There sbould be a challenge to the leadership of Jim Callaghan. I wonld like to see that challenge come from active Tony Benn, for the following reason.
guste considerable support and following; the highest they vote in the constituency section at the
That indicates there is the feeling in the Labour Party
would make a better
I rould like 10 see him come Torward now as an alternative leader,
challenge and for the socialist section of the Labour Party, including the PLP, to give all the support necessaty to see that Bean and those that support him become the new leadership inside the Labour Parry and the PLP.
My view is that the leader of the Labour Parly should be elected by the annual conference in the same way that the treasurer is. But it isn'1 just a problem ol personalities, and I don't see the fight against the Tories as just being expressed through the leader of the Labour Party.
We must always remember to keep absolute loyalty lo the principles of socialism, but always only qualified loyalty to whoever is elected as leader.
lere imust be another Labour goveroment, which must be a socialist goverumens, so there has to be a struggle within the Labour Party, and
the constituencies which are responsible for cheir owo MPs — to make certain that their political representatives - are in lae representing the types of policies they
Ir is the responsibilicy of every single member of the Labour Parly and affiliated members to play an
part finding where their MP stands on the issues and struggles of the day and make cerlain
are playing their part in the TECUHDHL
You have talked abour the struggle in the constituency Lalour Parties, bui what alout the trade unions?
These are the most powerfl
Page 7 scan of this page
organisations of the labour move-
Failore to organise in the unions in the past hus been one of the main reasons for the defeat of the left. Hevan, for example, was defeated by the right-wing union leaders of the 1950s.
Do you think It's necessary to organise in the unions to struggle against those who won't fight the Taries!
Yes. The left must come together in all trade unions. The aim of the trade union movement is to bring about a fundamental change in the society in which we live, and that can only be done through the struggie socialism.
So we have to carry on that tight inside the unions, and where leaders refuse to carry out the policies for struggle have to fight where necessary for an alternative leadership As you poinied out, under the Heath government the TUC refused to allow unions to register under the Industrial Relations Act, and unions took action against the Act.
Do you believe the TUC shoul now be talking with the Tories abou union laws?
I think it is stupid for any person to make arrangements with their jailors, with those who would handcuff and chain them, and restrict their liberties.
The thing to do is that if there is any attempt to restrict the liberties of the trade unions, which have been fought for over 150 years, those liberties mast be maintained.
Weshould refuse, the TUC should refuse, to have any connection at all with those who want to introduce legislation to restrict the liberties of working people. whether picketing, a hundred per cent trade unionism, or any other question of
What are the most important policies which have to be Fought for at the present time?
Wages, course, are naramount. Without decent wages workers can't have a reasonable standard of living. Therefore we must suppart the engineers" present claim, and the wage claims of all the ober
Secondly, the shorter working week. We also have to fight on the conditions under which people are working and on the question of genuine industrial democracy.
The issue of racism is also a serious problem inside the working class movement. Many workers have had their minds bent and distorted by the media and have swallowed lies.
My election manifesto, put out to all the clectors of Hackney North, called for abortion on demand, for troops out of Ireland, and for further seconalisations of banks and big business.
The issue of denationalisation is one we faced on a previous occasion after the 1945 Labour government. We should make it clear that on the return of a Labour government we will nationalise without compensation any industries that have been de-nationalised.
Quite clearly, there has to be the
greatest possible amount of unity we can obtain in the trade union Seld against these attacks from the Tory government. This means that all those on the left should be united in helping to conduct the struggle against any anti-trade union legislacion.
This last point obvlously brings up the question of united action against the Tories in general, and the question of left unity. What are your views on this?
Fought to be possible on all the issues I've talked about to get unity of al working class political and trade union organisations. Certainly, on the problem of fascism National Front, successfully by the Anti Nuri League
Those who don't support unity are only acting as disrupters, because the problems I've mentioned. problem of a wages struggle in a trade TRICEL cannot permit differences. If we conducted trade union battles on wages in that way we'd be defeated on all occasions
1e's only because workers sink their sectarian differences about wages and working conditions that they are ever successful.
The press is saying that thatcher his a
for Tive yeurs. But th previous Tory government essentially brought down by action outside parliament.
Should the working class accept Thateber being in office until 1984, or should it fight to do to this Tory government what was done to the last one?
When the workers are problems in life, whether it's their johs, their homes, or whatever, they don't ask themselves the question about what sort of government we've problems. And there wilt be a Tighe They put up to overcome the problems that
have been forced on them by the Thatcher Tory government.
It has been well said, and I believe
it, that the will of the people is the
highest law"
If the nation's peopie want to make
changes and a Parliament, govern-
ment, or any other body which has
ceased to be representative of their
interests stands in their
people have the right to take action
which will bring the results that they want.
IF this calls into question the
continuation of a Tory government,
then they have the right to do that too
A government, even though elected, is
Bot continue
government in spite of the will of the
people.
The likelihood is that If th
Thatcher government goes ahead wit
the sort of policies that it has alread
put forward and those that
follow, then the people will be faced
with having to tuke some action to
defend their real democratic rights
against undemocratic
astocratic government.
If the struggles are so sharp that it
brings into question che continuation always of the government, then the labour
trade unionists
politicians will be faced with the
question of whether they support the
workers in their continued ruggles
to change the conditions of life.
whether they say to the workers, No.
you must capitulate and not challenge
the government too much, not push
the issue to
governitient itsell
question, a was the case with the
miDers in 1974.
The vital question is whether the
interests of the mass of the people
and the majority of people in Britain
are working people
properly represented by the govere-
ment of the day, or whether attacks
are being made which will have
disastrous
majority of people.
We must maintain the principle or
Abraham Lincoln
for the people, by the people, and of
the people
As has often heen said in history,
and practiced by the
people have the right, the inviolable
right, to bring down that government
and pur another government in its place.
London. general election victory.
andi thic this has been domi
like the
decaving areas.
sectarian
in struggles
was Wrong
faced with dwellings.
Westminster London E2.100,000.
those stranglehold over
Interest
(sic) E772.80.
year's budget projects
way, the Interest
capital and government
Controlling
will
and and public works projects.
and illness and misery.
already paying.
the paint where the Tories
called into
are being
consequences for the
Government
people. the and marginal expansion.
WITH local council spending high on the Tories' agenda for the axe, the 16 June conference on the crisis of local government — called by supporters of the Socialis Campaign for a Lahour Victory — is well timed.
The following appeal for the conference, initiadly called by the Haringey Labour group of counciliors, Is now supported by nearly 40 Labour councillers In
The appeal was written before the Tories
expenditure and the system of cash limits. We have argued for a massive injection of central government funds for the inner city areas to cater for the employment, housing, social and special needs of these
We believe that only a furidamental reorganisation of finance to local authorities and a break in the debt stranglehold can solve these problems.
The Labour government's much-lauded Inner City Partnership scheme has been little more than a cosmeti exercise. In Lambeth, for example, most of the E5m annual injection has had to be used to offset cuts in other sources of central government fanding like the area health authority bodget and locally determined needs allocation. Moreover, councils themselves have to find 25 per cent of the partnership money.
The whole system of local government financing is wrong Hackney, for example the London borough hishest on the needs league, is 22nd on the cash receipt! per head of population league. A Ipirate yieids one of the lowest amounts in Inner London, E340,000.
In Carden, rich in commercial and industria. properly, a lp rate yields Elm. Seventy-five per cent of any rate increase in Camden falls on these commercial
Even more astounding vields E2.880.000, and in the
It is not only entral government that exercises a
local authorities. The banks and money-lenders take their pound of flesh, Hackney bas an estimated debt for 1978-9 of E215m (C200m in 1977-8) 23.107,540 (estimated For this year tears almost al debt are a third of Hackney's Esom plus budget. Put another way the debt is E1,065.45 per person, two ycars ago it was only i belington the total de reach sam. teeit
reaching payments increased from E10m in 1973-4 to E36m for 1978-9. Rate income for the same periods by comparison was E20m in 1973-4 and E40m this year
This means that all the money council tenants pay in rent and much of the rates in these boroughs - and they are typical — is consumed by the money-lenders, Financ
are literally authorities to ransoms. And the problem gets worse every year. At present interest takes a third of all expenditure
Labour groups Hackney, Lambeth, Haringey, Isington and Camden were elected on radical reform manifestos pledging expansion of chid-care and nursery provision, day-care centres for the elderly, house-building and improvement
eliminate private proliteering, and a range of community
This is the minimums necessary to avert Inner-city decay with its attendant blight of beightenet racial prejudice, vandalism, violence, unemployment,
Weare also committed to freezing rents while wage are restrained and paying local authority employees a Ebl minimum wage for a 35-hour week. We oppose the renl Increases in Islington and Hackney which pur an extre penalty on council tenants over that which they are
We haveno time forthe Tories hypocritical carping about spendthrift councils'. They have no time for the unemployed, those in housing need, the sick and the victinis of their market system wlich throws the weakes to the wall. Their policy of savage curs in spending wil only exacerbate inner-city decay.
But short of ahandoning our manifestos we see only two ways of implementing our programmes for inner city rejuvenation. One is enormous rute increases or a form of delicit financing. For exampic in Huckney it is estimated that a 233 per cent rate rise would be necessary to begin impiementing our main prenges.
Clearly this is not on. It is not on because it still hits at working people's pockets. It is also an illusory solution while the present system of finance exists. Rate rises can only be a stop-gap measure to maintain jobs and service
Hence we are fighting for a massive increase in central government finance and rate support. We want to see public ownership of banking and finance and a
So what should Labour councils
do about the rates and cuts?
rate City of
La socialist reconstruction of society.
The Labour colossal
council or bankrupting the people.
continue expansion programmes.
Interest
week to the council manual workers.
authorities we are forced to use
holding local Community
boroughs like
adequate
to rescue the inner cities
continuin
you SOLISOL come as delegates or visitors.
Patrick Kodikars, council);
Powlowski, Jane
Neal Fletcher, Durine (Camden
Bob Lewis (Hillingdon council).
Hill, London NW3 (Belsize Park tube).
Include: the lessons of Clay Cross
and background papers available. Further
centralised scheme of finance protected from inflation
Enormous resources and labour exist in the inner cities to renovate production and services. The financial tubricant is necessary to set them in motion. Private enterprise is daily failing to employ these resources and meet social needs. That is why we believe production should be geared to socially useful products and requires
government refused to take responsibility for the inner city areas. Hence councillors are faced with the Hobson's choice of bankrupting the
In Lambeth the rale has been increased by 39.8 per cent — 28 per cent is merely to stand still, the rest is to
Camden's rate is up 17,7 per cent, but because of the high rateable values thi can also finance the local settlement of £60 and a 35-hour
As socialist counciliors we are committed to the provision of jobs and services. Until we successfully force the government to restructure finance to loca
the least anti-working class means of raising finance. We aim to co-ordinate activities in as many boroughs as possible to achieve this fundamental overhauling of local authority financing.
Small initiatives are already being made in this direction by Lambeth, Islington and Hackney, but these are behind closed doors and inadequate to achieve the necessary changes. We need to turn the local councils out into the community involving the Labour Parries, Tenants and the entire organised labour movement.
Only with the full involvement of the working class community can we build a strong and united movement
Mindful of these problems we call on all Labour
groups, CLPs, trade unions and labour movemen
sodies to support the call for a conference on the crisis o local government finance and services. We ask
conference
SIGNED: Ted Kaight, Sylvin lagerson, Bryn Davies, Mike Jerram, Bill Bowring, Kevin Moore, Paul Moore. Mathew Warburton (Lumbeth council; John Sweeney, Ron Heisler, Dinsh Morley, Keith Lichman, Peter Kahn,
George (Hackney Jenny Morris, Val Veness, Alex Farrell, Cathy Streather, Jan Wilson (slingion council); Ken Livingstone, Anna Bowman, Pat Driscoll,
Mick Morrissey, Phil Turner. Tom council): Jeremy Corbyn. Ron Blanchard, Colla Sherrif, June Chapman, Bernie Grant (Haringey council); Enda Doanelly (Hounsion council);
• The conference la to be held on Saturday. 16 June, 10wm-5.70pm at Humpstead Town Hali, Haverstock
Workshops and Poplar: rates finances and where the money goes: democracy. Labour groups and the working class; and direct labour.
Admission £1 for delegates and visitors. Resolutions can be submitted. Creche - Local coveranco! conference, c/o 5 Stamford Hill, London N16.
Socialist Challenge 31 May 1979 page
Page 8 scan of this page
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Page 9 scan of this page
got to fight the Tories' attacks
organise local conferences which can
establish labour movement-based
"defend the unions' committees in the
localities.
2. To campaign for the defence of
the welfare state against the Tory
cutbacks. The first step in this is to
establish an alliance between all
public sector workers to
industrial action which can win the
solidarity of private sector workers.
Labour movement-based action
committees spanning all unions need
to be built at a local level.
3. To campaign in defence of the
right to work and for a 35-hour week
without loss of pay. In particular,
johs for youth must be defended
the lobby of the Trade Union Congres
the lobby of the
Congress for action against youth
unemployment needs massive trade
union backing.
4. Women's rights are
attack. The unions must be forced to
carry out their paper commitment to a
woman's right to choose whether to
have an abortion. omething new. a united lobby of campain in the workplaces. oived members of Action will decide. of the Communist Deliend VP members. We united action in Century Hall,
CLEESE the June. • Speke factory. Transport lobby of the TUC. Garsion; 8.45am and we can't rely Pierhead:
We
END
NIONS
called by Campaign anti-abortion legislation.
Around these
build and mobilise for mass action.
What policies?
asked John Parkinson.
Trade Union under the impact
under the fight against unemployment.
ank and file workers
Kirkby, Tickets £1.50.
tom.
5915).
9um.
Office, 6.30am;
Unions Conference,
alternative to fight back, an ongoing
Our Unions Conference will be held at the New Manchester on 23
From: Liverpool Barten best Coast Deand Mann 9:00am. Black Bull.
Walton Vale: 9.15am. Golden Eagle,
over.
We must win support for actions
the National Abortion against any restrictive
issues, the conference pledged itself to fight for the broadest unity in action. This includes a fight to force the trade union and Labour leaders to support
*Benn might be visiting picket lines now, but where has he been for the last five years? Is he prepared to put his weight behind workers in struggle to spread the fightback?
The conference set aside an entire session to look at what socialist policies are needed to detend jobs,
of the new CPSA. technology. The debate took up the Lucas Aerospace workers' corporate plan as one important contribution to
Next week we will be reporting on the contributions made in this session.
Edinburgh: 6am Waverley Sta-
London/South East: Special rain from Euston, 7.35am. Watford stop at 8.00am. S7 return. (Tel. 01-254
Birmingham: Hall of Memory, South Wales: Pontypridd Past Cardiff: General Station, 7am. (Tel. Pontypridd 3499).
For Delegates credentials please fill in the slip below and send to Delend Our 265a Seven Sisters Road, London Ni (Cheques to Defend Cur Unions Conference):
Name of Trade Union Organisation .
Secretary's Name and Address
Address to which credentials should be sent (if different from above).
No of delegates credentials required
Enclosed E...... (El per delegate)
CANDY EDWIN, Save the EGA Comprign. Fightback THE Tories announced last week that the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson hospital would be "saved but that was only half the truth. The Tory proposals will pur as right on the road hoa two-tiered health service and the health service provided for women at the EGA i far from
The Tories want the FGA wo he bolstered through churity, und even if the thousands of pounds mecessary are raised, their plans wall insalve enormous cats in the EGA Ticilities.
considered is because of the present weakness of the anti-cuts movement. We seera to have two choices: to accept the Tory pluns or to agree to closure.
Wehaveto win hroad support for our cumpuign, but it mast be based on winning an understanding throughout the working chess as Io why the cuts are continuing. This can he done hest if we ruise ideas about whit a socialist health service would entail.
There are cleur steps that every one can fake
24-hear picket. We are asking all organisations to take on a half-day rota. The pleket is demunding that the EGA remains opes, and is opposing charity funding.
Second, invite a speuker from our campaign to your union hranch.
Finally, win support for our demands that the EGA should he saved by integruling it in the NHS, and for the defence of the health service In this country.
SUEOWEN, Cirl and Public Services Assocation
THE media might have is own image of the (mule) Whitehall bureaucrat in pin-stripe suit and bowler hal, but for the vast majority of
-dull, low-grade clerical jobs are the really.
The three-month recruitment freeze Imposed by the Tories on civil service jobs will hit us hard.
The Tory action conld hring to a halt ull
month, That's how high the staff turnaver is, And because the civil seryants are the first group of workers to feel Tory policies directly, their response will be decisive for the working class as a whole.
cArefusaltocoonarate with cuts or to cover for the lost jobs will meus suspensions, without any doubt. But the will to resist does exist in the
That much was shown when our unien's recent conference elected a Broad Left NEC
censured forsigning A Better Mar', 1be pro-incomes policy document which weat one hundred per cent against conference mandate.
Furthermore, the Civil Service Women's Rights Group has kept the pressere on the leadership to defend the special interests-of rhe majority of the membership. The creche cumpuign's fight for workplace murseries Financed by the government got massive suppurt at conference.
DENNY FITZPATRICK, Westminster NUT
THE Tories have seized on the crisis in edication to attack the comprehensive school syslem, It's not surprising. After all, aslong as
future judees, urmy officers and diplomats, why shrill the Torles worry abnorthe 80 per cent who go to comprehensives.
Thousunds of parents und teachers are concerned, homever. Andthey are besy organising a genmine alternutive to the chisures
during the lust five yeurs.
Top of the list is plaus for smaller classes and schouls, hased in the community and well-eqnippod. A firm policy of no Job losses Is equally importunt. These kinds of plansen first sicps in the fight to control education.
L noon leaders haven Theiped these struggles. Too often they have worked hund in glove with the government anes, That's why
Socialist Teachers" Alliance are commitied to fighting to replace the union leudership.
the left for its policies concerning unity. It has stood on a platform that promotes every step lowurds the broadest possible snity for policies
But the fight for left unity within the unions mwans lihile if we cunned holld unity amongst socialists. That's why the STA has campaigned for democratically organised united work with the Rank and File Teuchers group, led by the Socialls Workers" Parts.
Socialist Challenge 31 May 1979 page 9
Page 10 scan of this page
Out of the bosses Market -
EEC throws women on the dole
EUROPE
National
barriers
raised
against
Mandel
THEY'RE called the Euro-
pean" elections. They're sup-
posed to be all about breaking down national hurriers and so
an. In theory.
In practice it's a different Mory. as Ernest Mandel,
Trotskyist candidate in cections in Belgium, found out last week when he was refused entry into France. He has been
banned from the country since
1972 because of his political activities".
Proof once more that the FEC is just a bosses Market where working cliss politics aren't wanted,
• Mandel will be among the speakers at the Rally Against the EEC organised by the IMG this Friday at Porchester Hall.
By Simone Hamelin THE EBC Commission Includes an office on the employment of women. Statistics it has recently published, along with a commentary, provide i sharp contrast with the policy of the EEC particularly in relation
"proportion' of part-time jobs held by women.
About 40 million women go out to work in the nine EEC countries
ser cent of all women aged from 14 to 59. The rate has increased in countries, despite the economic crisis and uppeals to stay in or return to the homie.
Jobless
But the document underlines that "The tale of unemployment of women has risen still more rapidly!. The total number unemployed is 2,611,000 or one in 13 A OBELT
(the figure is 1 in 20 for men).
the situation, because, as is poisted out. the importance countries of part-time working, which
be form шеперіо сат treatent nation against women in payment of unemployment benefit (according to family situation, non-recognition of part-time work); the lintited number of job opportunities really open to WEARIA spite of opportunities Jegislation) courage them from registering. Gains
Despite this the official ligure for women unemplosed basn'i falleo below 6.2 per cent (for men it is 5.7 per cent). Between August 1937 and August 1978 it rose by 5 per cent (as against less than 1.3 per cent for niem).
However, women are clinging onto their gains: They no longer leave the
between 25 and 35.
24,7 per cent of all women between 14 and 19 go out to work. cent between 20 and 24, 50.9 per cent beiween 25 and 29, over 45 per cent between 30 and 39 cent between 40 and 49.
"These higher cares in turn mean a greater need for social provision, nolahly in the area or pre-scooor nurseries as well as in the organisation of play activities for children outside the school term.
Socialist Challenge 31 May 1979 page 10
the THERE was a big Part-time
declared are 40.9 and 2,2 per cent).
countries,
the No choice *It's not deliberate part-lime work is a solution
what the document says!
Women's
down follows: the
registered the agricultural
Industrial underestimate
in certain
hidden Concentrated
governments
equal certain sectors:
all dis- footwear, electrical
affected by the
shift systeins."
*concentrated in notably tracte
majority,
61.4 per subordinate positions."
'three directives
and over 46 per
in case of discrimination); treatment of men and women
WILL FIGHT
FOR YOU IN
EUROPE
hoo-ha last Callaghan/Benn "split' over Labour's manifesto for the EEC elections. Callaghan doesn't like the manifesto's suggestion that Britain's membership of the Common Market might have to he reconsidered if certain changes aren't made. But it was all papered over in the end, because Benn and the Labour lefts don't actually propose to do anything about the EEC now.
working, however, remains a "female' phenomenon. 23.6 per cent of women as compared with which 1.9 per cent of men work less than 40 because bours a week (the figures for the UN
always a matter of To consider for women to reconcile their professiona and family commitments is only to
social provision and failure of men to share Tamily responsibilities. That's
employment breaks different number employed in agriculture is 2,366,000 (7.J per cent of all women employed, 31.2 per cent
workforce); 9,472,000 in industry (25.1 per cent of all women employed, 22.7 percent of
workforce):
STIL 21,441,000 in the services sector (64.8 per cent of all women employed, and 14.6 per cent of the work force here).
Here again the comments which follow the figures largely confirm
never industry, "women are concentrated in
textiles, clothing: goods, light engineering (which) are the most
economic crisis and competition.. They occupy the least skilled positions and form half of al those who work on a production line.
Furthermore: Legistation which is? supposed to be protective is a bar lo
In the services sector they are also
certain services, and distribution, bealth, education, office-work. Even in these areas, where they form a
women generally occupy
In the light of this rinding the
adopted by the Council of Europe appear pathetic: they concern equal pay tor men and women (with the possibility of appeal
equal
access lo johs, training, promotion and working conditions; and finally a gradual move to equality in the field
week about the of social security.
It's a bandage on a wooden leg
even then doesn't stick. according FEC Commission report: The principle of
pay has been achieved compleiely is none of the EEC countries, for the good reason that it implies the 'same work' or "work of the same value", and women aren't in general in the same jobs as men, while the value of their work is determined by the bosses.
The solution cannot therefore be found in the Commission's recom- wages.
RALLY AGAINST THE EEC FRIDAY IJUNE Speakers;
For a United Socialist States of Europel
In the 1975 referendumn they did at least come out for immediate withdrawal, even if the red-white-and-blue arguments they used simply harked back to the 'go it alone days of the Empire, reinforcing all the instinets which bind British workers to their own ruling class, Today even this break with the Labour leadership is too much for them to contemplate.
mendation of individual recourse to a tribunal — which in most cases simply leads to the sacking of the plantil
It lies in the struggle for all jobs to be open to worten and men, the ending of night work and duties which aren'T socially necessary (in some places women are paid less than men for the simple reason that the lanter are 'capable of working at night, and the removal with a 35-nour week of the enormous anny of unempluyed which acts as a pressure to lower Ernest Mandel (Fl candidate in Belgium) Down with the bosses' Market! Latte Ouvrière representative (from joint
revolutionary slate in France)
Tariq All (ING candidate, 7.30pm, Porchester Hall, Porchester Road, Paddington
TARIO
Marsist
EEC:
peoples.
1970.
world markets,
essential.
Squeezed
the deep percepene
overseas murket capital
Alliances FEC
alliances
• ГЕР НИИН
to he destroyed.
British
Mandel's
workers'
Box 50, West London)
linental Press.
now!
By Martin Meleyard
ALI. the Internationa!
Group candidate for the
European Parliament" clections in
West London, is virtually the only
labour movement candidate demand
ing immediate withdrawal from the
The IMG says that the Common
Market is simply an arrangement by
the European capitalista to coordinate
and reinforce their exploitation of the
working class and Third World
And we're not the only ones who
say it's a hosses Market. Capituliet
spokespersons also admit it In their
less guarded moments. This is how a
CBI pamphiet, Britain into Europe,
argued for British estry in the carly
"Muny large firms have.rewched
the point at which further national
restructuring is impossible because of
the present scale of the enterprise in
relation to the market... If Western
Europe is to compete effectively in
sufficient and European hasis is
These arguments were repeated in a speech last week by Edward Heuth,
the Tory architect of Britain's entry:
"Much of Europe's industry being progressively squeezed between
penetration by the countries of traditional markets — at home and
- and increasing American und Jupanese domination of world's rapidly expanding high technology markets..
"To emulate American achierements, we will have to make more use of... the opportunities which such a
(the EEC provides of achieving the economies which will enuble us to compete more successfully worldwide.
The aim of the EEC is not merely to strengiben imperialism as a whole bul, by encouraging the free flow of
and Nexibility of cheap labour, simuifaneously to strengthen the capitalist class of each member counity in relation to its own working
The Treaty of Rome, by which the EEC was founded, ailows for the ase of the armies of the member states against the working class in any one country; it serves as a cover for the concentration of power in the hands of the cupitalist cluss behind the bucks of the West European working class
Above all, alongside NATO, the
constitutes THAL component in a system of globa
which the imperialist powers allempt lo protect themselves
-spread world
As such the EEC can t be transformed into its opposite. It has
withdrawal. combined with a fight for workers' unity in struggle throughout Farope (East an well as West), would be an Important step in that direction.
THE latest Intercontinental
Press/Inprecor (Vol 17, No 20)
Includes the fall test of Ernes
the response 10 the
European austerity offensive.
Individuul copies of cach
issue are 30p plus postage.
Subscriptions are 19 for
year, t5 for six months or £2.50
for an introductory offer of 10
Issues. Write now do Intercon-
tinentul Press/leprecor, PO
London NI 2XP.
Cheques payable to Intercon-
Page 11 scan of this page
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JaND sassed peui read Kiaxa
Jo pua-peap sqof 10 os jog sacamosas pun cauou agi ast •
Page 12 scan of this page
12 August in terror swoop
Five days in another country
IRELAND
Major Irish
demo
PLANS have been announced for a major demonstration in London on 12 AURUS 10 mark the aniversary of the sending of British troops onto the streets of the North of
organisers of the demonsration have already assembled an impressive list of sponsors. include five MPs: Cyril Smith, Joan Maynard, Stan Torne.
The National League of Young Liberals, the Campaign for Democracy in Lister, and the Belfast-based Association for Legal Justice
The theme of the demonstration is
commit itself to policy
trom Ireland".
backing the protest but is organising a
parate "troops out now contingent.
demonstration
ential to be the largest so fir on the ish issue. Support for it should be
ied now in labour, student and
men's movement bodies.
Further detais from: Steven Dawe,
Officer, National Liberal Whitehall Place, London
NEWCASTLE Trades Council
recently sent a delegation to the North
of Ireland.
Two of the delegates, GEOFF
RYAN and PETESHORT, write here:
about their experiences:
IMAGINE T! Walking into the city
centre late on a Thursday afternoon.
A bite to eat, and then a drink.
But
through a turnstile, WBDO4OB 0I
coat, armas stretched sideways, a quick
pat. The British Army has satisfied
iself that you are not about to blow half of central Belfast to kingdom
The English accent helps, course. A familiar voice amongst all the hostslity.
Wesaw and were sold what is being
done to the North of Ireland by the
British povernment:
*The steward from Harland and Wolff'sshipyard whodoesnotwantto dwell overmuch on what will happen to 8,000 jobs when the present orders
run out in 18 months time
• Three voung lads in carly morning Derry theowing bottles and stones at
an semy landrover.
*On the Creggan overlooking the Republican Creggan estate a targe army barracks occupies the land marked on the Derry town plan being Tor industrial development.
*People with no hope of a job
what is left of it afier the Payments for Debt Acr has allowed the gas and electricity boards to recoup their
outstanding bills.
Status
Nearly everyone we speak to agrees on one thing: nothing will be resolved
Northern Ireland's tutional status' is resolved. Whether it
a SOCIESE tepublic. a utited Treland, independence, a return to the old Stormont, or integration with Britain the national question is at the heart of most people's thoughts,
back wards to aroid taking any position on the national question. To G0 S0. they would split the movernente Yet some unions are affiliated to the TUC, others to the Irish Congress of Trades Unions.
Derry was tbe last walled city to be
Socialist Challenge 31 May 1979 page 12
Hy Geoff Bell
PETER GRIMES left the British Army In 1969. tenth He bought himself out for 1250. He dida't upprove
of what the Army was up to in the North of Ireland.
Those who do approve have never forgiven Peter for his opposition. On Tuesday 22 May he
These latest terror
Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Ernie It was the fourth time Peter has been arrested.
This time his fatmate, Borothy Mercedy, was what happened: "They came of six in the morning. Tweive of them with two labrador dogs. They suid they had a warrunt for Dorothy's arrest. When I tried to phone a solicitor they said they were arresting me as well, under the PTA.* Others held The
Grimes and Mercedy were arrested three weeks after Grimes alone had been pulled in, and three days after Margaret Crowley was arrested. And the while Peter was being arrested yer again, Iris Lyle
was being taken from her flat in North London, although the police sugeested they were reallly looking for her flatmate.
When her flatimate's solicitor later contacted the police, however, they said she wasn't required for Iris was held for six hours, Margaret Crowley Tor about 100 hours, and Grimes and Mereedy for
it's Heights
PRISONERS" relatives on their way to Long Kesh built in Europe. It has a further, more dubious distinction. Ir is the last place in Europe where the walls are still ased for their original purpose.
Off Bishop Street is yer another аглу pst. This one nestles in the comer of the city walls overlooking the Bogside.
TCOOSH- A large notice prohibits the taking
of photographs in the army, of coursel Which is why our delegation was photographed. and one extra reason why the army at the border post obviously knew who we were and why we were there.
Over
Five days is not a long time to find out about a place. But it takes only live nunulei lo know you are in ar occupied country.
Only the colour of the uniform distinguishes the army from the police. And the few police you do see
IRSP are target
swoop in London ander the
Face in armoured Jandrovers. their fingers on the trigger of a self-loading
that the weapons arercal.
prison a police patrol stops und flags down a passing car for a spot check.
Herween the North and West Belfast the army sirs out not it you are socure in its barracks, watching what
passos for normal life go by.
Black Taxis
the Falls Road, so the Black Taxis' of the Falls Taxi Association step in.
Mysteriously; wait for the destination is, Iv it imagination, Cityhus Teally send Is vebicles throurh the gbettes!
36 hoers. Jimmy Scanlon, who was also a victim of the dawn swoop on 22 May, was still being held as Socialist Challenge went to press.
Grimes too might still have been in custody had it not been for a dramatic court bid to free him ou 23 May. For after a day of releatless 'interrogation', Peter says he was "very weak'. Habeas Corpus
Finally his solicitor was allowed to see him. She Immediately contacted a doctor, who confirated that Peter was in no fit state to answer further questicins. STUTENEN opportunity to apply for a writ of habeas corpus demanding Peter's release. One hour helore the case was heard, Peter and Dorothy were relensed.
The urrests were supposed to be in connection with the assassination of Airey Neave. This has been claimed by the Irish National Liberation Army, the military wing of the Irish Republican Socialist Party.
Grimes used to be un organiser of the IRSP, but he is no longer a member of the organisation. Iris Lyle has no connection with the IRSP. All others arrested are members.
From Peter's account the police were most interested in members of the IRSP in Dublin. They abso wanted to know 'who in the IRSP was gay und who was sleeping with whem'.
In this context the alm of the arrests is clear:
enerally to harass and intimidate members of t
KSP. an open and legal organisation; and t
ollect what 'counter-Insurgency' expert Brigadie
Litson has called "low intelligence information' Somchow you cannet believe
of a terrace As we walk past the Chunlin Road been knocked down.
of the H-blocks of Long Kesh.
Buses are few and fur between up
people know where to
La bat their
nationalist Saracen.
provided the
PETER GREMES
During both Interrogations be
the LE DELLERI myself", is bow Peter describes it.
wader the Torles.
Stop press
Stop press:
In the Boeside, it's a different world. You are now entering Free Derry, says the slogan on the end wall
The terrace inself bas
Much of the Bogside made famous by the TV camera crews of 1969 has
usappeared. But chere are many tron
on the blankel in the ourselves, Ireland.
More can be found on the hillside between the Creggan and the Bogade where the cemelery is. Volunteers for Oglaigh na h'Eircann, the Provisional
Those mundered by British paratroopers on Bloody Sunday seven ycars ago are buried here.
The memory of that day does not fade, Thar is where Johnnie Johnson fell, the first to be shor that day Another day..a wall against which a soung man was crushed to death by a
periods of Peler's recent threatened with -and offered bribes. "They tried to zel me to impiicate others, and to implicate
The ITA sus ased with great regularity under the Labour government. The sigas are that trish setivists in Britain are in for an even tougher time
Jimmy Scanlon served with deportation order, late Monday night.
How different it all is from Short's aircraft faciory in Hellast. " There'sno sectarianism here. Bul not olany Catholies? "That's bocause they have to come through East Helfast to ger
Most on ibe delegacion, inchuding are keen to po back to We want to follow up the contacts we made. We want to prove to ourselves that the nightmare which
And the message? Get ihe trades councils and trade unions to fight the repressive legislation. Tell people the truth abou what is happening in
intend todo, The writers of this articie are willing to speak at union, public or other meedings on whot they saw. Thes can he contacted c/o Socialist Challenge.
Page 13 scan of this page
Shah's men up against the wall
Carrington "just a racist'
By Steve Potter
MEHDE BAZARGAN, the Irunion Prime
criminals of the Shah's regime.
The anbouncement last week come after more than 200 people had been executed he revolutionary tribunals since the Eebruary insurrection.
suspected SAVAK agents, offieers in the Shah's army and other functionaries at the old renime responsible for crimes against the Iranian people.
By Kichard Carver
THE Tory government & drifting towards recognition of the Rhodesian TELEC. The decision to send permanent envoy to Salisbury is the most open gesture of friendship since lan Smith's government made its Unilateral Declaration of pendence in 1965.
Anti-racists in East London at least will nole Lord Carringion's appropriate choice for the Salisbury post: Derek Day, namesake of the notorious Hoxian racist.
Minerals
Joshua Nkomo, jount leader of the Patriotic Front, underlined the point:
he's talking racism. Carrington Bithe chairman of Rio Tinto mining group In Southern Rhodesia. One understandy because he will be in control to
out country.*
The report of the Tory leam of observers covering the April "internal sellement election has beea accepted without question. Lord Hoyd and his colleagues make light of the fact that the black majority of the population has never had the chance to endorse the "internal settlement':
"The great jubilation among blacks and whites when the high poll was announced, before the count had even started, must lead to the conclusion that the ciection was not merely about which party would win, but contained
would hurtin perhaps
protound. ELIESOME atisfied that the clection did, in fact, constitute a kind of referendum on the constitution.
Con-trick
This jubilation' is not to be seen in the Chinis report, Lord Chitnis and a
colate or the no 2m re
Parlia mentary Human Rights Group Chitis, who is of Indian origin, bad 10 endure TACISE remarks
the House of Lords" • His report has hardiy been mentioned in the British
At a visit to Chipinga Social Club we calked with a white tarmer from the area.
the Islamle Revolutionary Coonci similar hodies in other cities known as
some of those arrested were released or bought their freedom. But under the pressure of the masses the most well known of these figures were gives secret trials by Islame couns and executed. these actions which have created That bur unders in the world
top ress, haisied hy the call of Ayatollul
idegh Khalkhali for the killing of the Shah.
Now Razargan has ased the excuse that his govermment is hecoming 'He owned a tea plantation with about 250 workers, When we met him he was still in his security Forces uniform, was slightly drunk and was brandishing a Mauser and dropping live ammunition into the ashtray. "He told us that as soon finished patrol in the morning he was Inde- going to return to his farm and see
which of his "Kaffins"" had not voled. *In CUUE opinion of more are
absolutely no way that any of this man's employees would reluse to go trum to the polling station.
Chitnis concludes that the election "was porting more than a masanto confidence trick... A high percentage poll was ail thai was deemed necessary hoodwink the community and secure recognition.
willing be hoodwinked,
the couris and is unable to deal with
He is desperately Erging to put back together the picces of the old Shah regime to carry out a repressive pro capitalist drive ugainst the worker and the oppressed nalionalitieswhich surrounds the islamie coer He was in fusser of the
SAVAK files to publie view
between those accused In the courts and other elements of the old regime as he Pairiotic Front.
there
joint initiative,
content of the
international Zimbabwe itself.
obscure the Tact
uber more pressing prohlems to call
Hazargun's reul modice is different
the blamic whether it will be able to recognise the regime as presently constituted is still an open question. Lord Carringion's talks with US Secretary of State Cyrus Vance left undecided the option of a settlement involving a section of the of Bishop Mazorewa.
Hidden
The Tory press has chosen to ignore this aspect of government policy. The significance of the Vance-Carrington talks was that the British and US
government to ge
Front commands
working is the solidarity
Interests
can eniy Labour
in the interests
of tbe organisers stration. own best interests.
governments continue to pursue a
resisting pressure Tonner from the exireme right wing in the House of Commons and Senate. The
Anglo-American initiative may have changed, but only in response to changing events in of the Labour
Carrington has deliberately tried to
that пен appointee us cavoy to meet the black
being exposed - particularly as many
were enlaborators with the niel.
umic curts also tried people
ral charpes secuting some homosexualley and fogging others for 'crimes" like adultery or drinking cohol While these cases are th
septien ruther than the rale the have been burt of an allempt te Intimidate those who are opposed tr
religion bent pose
The Trotskylte of the Sorialist Workers Party in Iran have urgued
Thut upen und demucratic trials In the
African govenuments, Lord Harlech,
will also be a special representative in
Salisbury and will have responsibility for trying to get the Patriotic Front
leaders into tulks with the government
This aspect remains hidden because
in the past the Tories have always denounced the efforts of the Labour
talks with the
terrorists. But even Carringion and
Thatcher recognise that the Patriotic
mass: support, making it the key to #SEEDIE
sertlement and therefore indispensible to any imperiabst strategy-
The prospoet of such a strateg
rather dim, not least
because the plan for splitong the Patriotic Front, which the Americans order. and British have long seen as
essential, now looks further from success than ever. Yet it is important to understand the complexity of Tory policy to provide a pride to the sort o
solidarity action we must build.
The demonstration on 30 June is of paramount importance in building
movement, bustits
central slogan is crucially deficient.
'No Tory Sell-out in Zimbabwe
Simply that the previous soverument policy
pro-imperialist settlement involving a
section of the Patriotic Front
of the peaple of
Zimbebwe. That is the view of many
of the demon-
Unfortunately for them, despite the
drift to recognition, the Tories have
not yet made any fundamental break
with the policy of their predecessors leader.
They have not sold out; on the
contrary they continue to serve their
The fundamental principle for a
solidarity movement in Brilain, the from
colonial power, is that no
imperialist regime has any right to interfere with the right of the people
of Zimbabwe to determine their own political future. Although supporters
government's policy CLUTCULE
slogan "Hands off Zimbabwe' applies
equally whatever party is in power in
mple would be & hdred te one effective in expsing the meeth of racin that bached pa
rials eunducted in this way wan
so shew clearis the demucratic gai That bad heen Fehcuury insurrection.
Likewise thes oppose Bazargan's amiests call denuading that the criminuh who wided, The shah, particularly those who mi ure attempting lo rehabilitale themselves. MEL HERE LIE USES
Gonzalez
calls left's
bluff
By Richard Carver
FELIPE Gonzalez, general secretary
of Spain's Socialist Party, called the
ett wing's bluff when he resigned s
the party's recent congress. He hai
led the move to drop all relerences to
Marxism from the party's statetes
When his challenge fell be resigned.
leaving his opponents in dissrray.
Under Goazalez's leadershin thi
Socialist Party (PSDE) has estab
lished itself as the leading opposition
party, but only throngh a policy of
collaboration and support for the
right-wing poverament on crucial
questions of westerity and luw and
Nevertheless, the party has ahrass
formally maintained the adherence to
Marxism bequeathed it by Its
Tounder, Pahlo Iglesias, at the end of
last century. The motion moved hy
delegates from the mining region of
Asturias, declaring the PSDE to be a
class party based on Murism. came
as no break with tradition.
Gonzalez'sresignation was nol, as
some commentators have suggested, s
maller of honor, hat a long term
move to consolidate his leadership
By withdrawing be has neatly exposed
the political weakness of his "Marxist"
opponents.
Happi enough to induige
theoreticat chest beating, the left
was corpicieis taken ahack when the
leadership of ine party was offered it.
A temporry steering committee has
takee over the direction of the perly
pending an extruontinary coaference
within six months to elect a new
Having had a few days to recover
the executive members who supported
to assemble a new leadership team
the party's centre, But
Gonzalez's retur may well be sooner
rather than later.
Most ominously Enrique Tierne
Galvan, the PSOE's president, has
referred to the fact that the Socialist
International will folerale
alternative to Gonzalez. The lesson
should not be lost on those left-wing
supporters of 'national sovereignty
in the British Labour Party.
Socialist Challenge 31 May 1979 page 13
Page 14 scan of this page
Tapes reveal network of bribery by Pretoria
LETTERS
Fisher's hypocrisy
AS a delegate to conference, I found it incredible to hear Alan Fisher defend the miserable pittance handed out to public sector
workers as a positive gain and proof of his and
egotiating, and then go on to say that
available
nembership had shown its unwilling-
sess to fighit
The hypocrisy of the man was such that on the one hand he lashed out at His critics for wanting to do the Tory
sedia a good turn by "washing our duty linen in public, and then went on to please the same media by a divisive attack on other public sector
So he . won the conierence One renson novanced As to why he shouldn't go was that there was no-ode to renlace him! But that one's easy. There are a number of Oghting socialists who could do the
and for an average worker's wage!
The way forward in NUPE now is a amited fight by all left militants in the
-500 vigorously for the just demands of our members, to fight to change the uructure of the union to a fully democratic organisation with election and total recall of all officials
Then we can get rid of the Fishers & co. and elect a leadership capable of
cading the struggles that are looming ahead.
ERIC TOMLINSON (Nottingham)
Not all rich bastards AT a time when unit
orkers of all kinds is likely to be more critical than ever, I must express extreme disappointment leading NHS militant, has played right into the hands of Fieet: Street and the tractionary "public opinion' which it
implicitly classifying occupants of private beds in NHS.
ospitals as "rich bastards".
"Rich bastards" hardly constitutes a
considering various occupants of private beds in our hospitals. These range from wealthy through comfortably off to those of ordinary means, bewildered and frightened by accounts of NHS standards of care, ho part with some portion of their
avings or even seriously cut thei
Ewing standard decent weatment.
hope will decent
Private beds in the NHS must be
pose uncompromisingly.
"humanitarian'
cannot be sidestepped by such falsification of the issue,
The working class wrested from the principle of a high standard of
calth-care for all, independent their means,
NORTH WEST NORTH EAST MIDDLESBROUGH Socialist Challenge sales. aturday lunchlime near che lottery sland Ceveland Centre, Also arallable from Newsfare in Linthorpe Road.
Droup. Moe Seal at Dare Siras toup. For dera
eer Conagin, Low Pictington, Durhin STOCKTON-ON-TEEN readers Socialist Challe encer Fall shopping centre rom Green Books, upecair:
May, pm. ALEW Ball, Both ad SCOTLAND For information about "thrash orland
Socialist Challenge 31 May 1979 page 14
the NUPE
RIATE
Icadership in
the capitalist system.
support of
private sector interests
basis only
Fancy/book-keeping
service. the need to fight
in personal capacity) yard's article
April!
of NHS ment for decades.
that themselves bu Scades,
misguided,
have done. all
COOLICIE the build
the
Labour Party.
Socialist welcomed the
turning the
the working class.
but SCEV
movement bourgeoisie the
of British SOCIALIST CHALLENGE EVENTS
Internarional publications
For MIDLANDS
SECU
can NOTTINCHAM Eatinge regularly a Mishes
meets every cher Sunday. Co
YORKSHIRE
In Saturday mornina i
That hard-won right must be defended against both outright theft by the state on behalf of
and petty pilfering by private practitioners.
On this principled class struggle
must oppose existence of private beds in NHS hospitals and refute petty account-
arguments EntE private practice subsidises the health ANDY HERRING (ASTMS grosp secretary. Hammersmith hospital— Turning the Labour Party outwards HOW to relate to the Labor Party — which is what is at issue in the letters (17 May) attacking Martin Mete-
the Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory (24
has bedevilled the revolutionary move-
Some groups, such as the SWP or WRP, straightforwardly counterpose
Party:
Others, Feeling impotent in the face of the stranglehold of reformism, simply
that bury themselves in it - as Militant
So it was a relief last July when the CIV was formed with the aim o steering between the two problems Its founding conference unanimously passed a resolution committing it to
campaigas such as the ANL, NAC, UTOM, etc, by getting CLPsto actively support initiatives from these campaigns as well as taking up the issues through the structures of the
Challen SCEV because hi supporters
appeared to have an orientation of string
outwards to participate actively in the struggles of TOILE
But that resolution has since been the sCootten the marity or
leadership. actively build for Carnival 2 (the ANL could do that as they had larger forcest), it didn't mobilise for the NAC trade union conference, its support for the day of action on international abortion rights was a short article in Socialist Organiser.
arrangement (221 T481)- Wide range of Fourth
HAMILTON supporters sell Socialist Challengr erery saturday in the Hamliton shopping centr:
hn Ford, 553 Eliot Crescent, Hemille contact home!
crater train 54 Cuben S1, Casan outside Bools icorner of Reforn
Npm.
Soul-Wes
Even the SCL.V's programme can be amended at will. The founding conference accepted the policy of no rate or rent increases, but supporters of the Socialist Charter have been supporting and arguing for massive rate increases in London.
This example helps to explain the ULTEOUS moves SWAy from SCLV'S programme orientation. To have come out against cate increases would have jeopardised the SCLV's relationship with certain Labour lefts such as Ted Knight and Ken Livingstone, This relationship, rather than the job of turning the Labour Party outwards, is what the SCLV has come to be all about
Thus the fight to get Knight and Livingstone elected became Important issue in the Canvassing in Islington North, for instance, was left to the right wing despite the previous successes in the fight for democracy in this party
In other constituencies supporters left their local campaigns completely to canvass for Knight and Livingstone. This played straight into the hands of the right wing. could simply argue that the left went oll because if couldn't win its politics in their party. So much for credibility.
The two letters you printed contain many inaccuracies, such as the claim
UTOM "shares the reluctance to take its campaigo into the labour movement' (why then does the IMG support the International Tribunal?):
We are also told that Socialist Challenge supporters "have done nothing to build the SCLY apart from distribute a few copies of its paper Strange, then, that it is Socialist Challenge supporters on their own
In fact we are presented with a
accusations (particularly from the Workers Action EB) which
to be more of a cover for avoiding political debate over orientation of the SCIV than any serious contribution to it.
Socialist Challenge supporters will be arguing at the forthcoming SCLV
onference for an orientation tha uins the Labour Party outwards t the living struggles of the working class, and against the SCLV's present propagandist orientation reliance on certain Labour lefts. We
Westminster Bank, 12.30-2.00pm 0n: 30-730y at Coney Seren College.
OR INFORMATION an atti 6 Dox Doc. c/a Fulimari HO Cheltenham Hd. Bristol f ILITHAMPTON Sorist
iround. Hasmatee
0208 fer Prher deal
hope that the debate there will be serious rather 'insinuation and distortion"
SCLY
JON DUVEEN (SC sapporter on SCLY stering committee)
the Gay book appeal and
WE are two of the authors of The Law and Sexuality recently published by Grass Roots Books, and we have been approached by a major publishing company to write a book about lesbians and gay men.
We feel that a general, positively book the is sorely needed on the mass market, election. so we have agreed to write it, We aim
to cover: realising that we are lesbian lifestyles gayi coming society's altitudes to all women and SCLY men, purticularly lesbians and gay
men, with a view to how we can and are changing things.
To do this we want to draw on as They wide a variety of people's experience
as possible, and we are asking people interested in helping us to answer a fairly comprebensive list of questions about themselves and their sexuality, their expericnoes and their views. IMO'S Some of the replies along with some
interviews will be used directly as quotes in the book, and all will be used to create a wider picture than our own experience could offer.
If you would like to help us in this way please write to us at: 109 Oxford Road, Manchester answers will be treated as confidential but we will credit you if you want us
JANET SLADE, GREEN (Munchester)
Pomp on a Nazi the I WAS "Schoolkids for Stanton (12 April) disappointed to
made the ComtIon identifving the music of Edward Elga with the politics of the National ront. It was not the compose dded the appalling 'Land of Ho and Glory'
Pomp and Circumstance No. Indeed, Elgar himself was a pacifist. Setting the record straight on Elgar MITH EAST
22232
TONDON MEETS Sociate ChalleOn eels every fertnient (pho
* Killu HEMEI HEMPSTEAD
GOME OUT
relying on Elgar a Nazi).
THOUGH
scandal, about being gay
very big.
out: lesbian/gay as well as looking into
reputations,
London.
COLLUL
they do this.
Surely
MI TDU. AlL
STEPHANIE
THE
that
ISLAN letters
who nermally words to his March of
request. outside Sainstury': sapporlen
is one reason why we plan to set up
Lovers Against the Nazis (ELAN) with its own badge (Pomp on
Perhaps this is also the
Baroque Againsı Racism concert. Anyone interested in performing or helping should contact A. Hall, c/o Socialist Challenge.
HAROLD HILL (Essex)
Muldergate
most readers (myself included) will not have followed the intricacies of the great Muldergate
I'm sure you will have noticed a few things about it: 1) It's
2) It's about covert state funding of pro-apartbeid propaganda inside and outside South Africa. 3) It has reduced central figures in the regime to lacerating each other's
About two months ago it came to
Two tight-lipped heavies were seen on TV, arriving here to
the investimation David Owen declared that in future they should tell the UK government when
Britain's links with South Africa are stronger than those of any other Imperialist country in the world.
the Muldergate money acrually wear to anyone, a lot of it must have come here. Yet it seems that the government is happy to leave it to South Africa to sovesugate Muldergate corcuption in Britain, and that the press here B looking the other way, regarding it as a foreign scandal.
The left press should start to look into this, and should call for a public inquiry without delay.
DAVID EDMOND (London El)
LENGTH of letters
down to 400 words in order to
encourage as wide a range of
contributions us possible. All
may be cut the
Editor's discretion.
Lesigned letters will not published
although we wil withhold real
names from publication on TOWER HAMLETS Socialist
Page 15 scan of this page
SHORT STORY
ATHY put down her Tesco': carrier bag and picked up the same copy of the Ohserver magazine that she had pretended to read on her first visit. There were only two other patients in the surgery, sitting side by side and flicking well thumbed copies of Woman's Own and Mustrated London News. Unconsciously, but with deliberation, Cathy cemented their nervous communication of a desire for non-communication by sitting apart from them. Glancing up from the Observer magazine, she realised that she was sitting in exactly the same place as on her first visit three months previously.
The waiting room held an atmosphere of timelessness. Unaltered but all-knowing, the mirror still hung listlessly to one side and the anti-smoking poster continued to gradually free itself from the wall. Even the magazines, those instruments of privatisation, remained unchanged. Returning her eyes to the Observer, Cathy wondered how many others had hidden their anxieties or temporarily anaesthetised their fears in those hope creating articles and you-too-can-be-like-this advertisements. What other, unwritten, stories could the magazines have told!
Cathy was two months overdue before she went for her pregnancy test, Feeling pregnant in a way, she found difficult to articulate accurately, the positive result came as no rea surprise. What did surprise her was the pervading sense of fear that engulfed her when it was confirmed — a fear of the abortion to come, itself overshadowed by a deep and lurking questioning of why she had let herself become pregnant at all.
Abortion
Always cautious, her unthinking and unspoken decision to stop taking the pill frightened her. What kind of inadequacy if inadequacy it was) could make a person refute ail rationality by such an act? Disturbed by thoughts of a bizarre and desperate need to draw attention to herself, Peter's understanding provided some consolation.
He reacted as she knew he would, distancing himself just enough for her to know that it was her body and her decision but still remaining close cnough to be as supportive and caring as any man could be. When they talked through the causes of her fears, Peter listened; holding her when she cried, comforting her when she woke in the night. Solid story book stuff she knew, but it helped nonetheless - not to remove the spectres of her dreams or the doubts that substituted for thoughts, but in giving her strength to live with them. She was glad of the amelioration Peter gave to her apprehension: his support gave her confidence to confront the doctor with her desire for an abortion. Visiting the surgery was not as she had anticipated. At first tripping over words as she tried to explain her situation, the doctor's warmth and gentleness quickly put her at ease. Fees romangely exciting reactions and
probing questions accusations of carelessness she had expected. and undersandinfom her
Friendly doctor demanded no justification but concentrated on making the whole procedure as painless as possible. Cathy learnt that she would have to be referred to a consultant and that she might have to spend three or four days in hospital if the operation was performed on the NHS. She thought that rather a long time for a simple operation. The doctor agreed it might be: there was much to be said for day-care centres, but at the same time it was as well to be able to check against possible complications.
Confidence
Cathy frowned at the thought: the doctor reassured her. And so they continued, with other. The conversation turned to other things. to Peter, to Cathy's job, the new cinenia, Jonathan Miller's The Body in Question, the social workers" strike (Cathy was in support, the doctor was ambivalent).
The more they talked the more Cathy lost any
ense of how long she'd been there, or of the fact that it was her doctor she was enjoyine being with. When it was finally pointed out that
Were bibeI patients waiting, Cathy impubively asked if she could return for a general check-up after the operation. Smiling, perhaps at the faint hint of pleading in Cathy" reguest, the doctor readily consented.
Returning home, Cathy felt more assured and confident than at any time since the pregnancy test. In the days leading up to the abortion he thoughts were no longer filled with the over-riding weight of the operation but more and more with the prospect of returning to the doctor's surgery. Her unexpected affinity with the doctor excited but confused ber. As affinity
Peter's continued support - so important before — became increasingly superfluous.
Cathy's feelings of guilt at her isratitude
AS THOUGHTS
CASCADE
My conference
Is over....
I'll be back
Tomorrow,
A short story by Jerry Lockspeiser
towards him was compounded by the sense of exhilaration that surrounded her thoughts of the doctor. For the second time in a matter of weeks she was thrown back into introspection and self-doubt. How cold she be drawn Lo someone else after such a short meeting! After ail the support Peter had given ber? Especially when she was s000 to abort their child.
Especially when it was ber doctor.
operation itself was almost brutally
LIC clinical and efficient and she was glad when days he was even more considerate than usual, taking ber her favourile pubs and accommodating her most capricious whims. He even drove her to the second meeting with the doctor. She had tried, genuinely tried, not to positively look forward to this time, but without sucoese. The doctor appeared glad to see her again and carried out the routine check-up she had requested. As before, their meeting was relaxed and informal and Cathy felt, or thought she feit, the empathy growing between them. They talked of how Cathy had felt at the time of the operation; of how she felt now that it was over; of whether she had encountered any problems getting time off
Medical matters dealt with, they talked again of other things. But nor
Good Morning
Darling!
Pic: Graveyard Graphics
Cathy at least — of Peter. Once more uplifted, it was not until she was on the bus home that Cathy realised she had no arrangement and no excuse to see the doctor again.
For the next two weeks Cathy Filled her days with work, her evenings with friends and books, and her nights with unwanted dreams. Peter puzzled over her behaviour, attributing her oscillation between bouts of heavy drinking and hours spent in front of the fire with a novel to the after-effects of having an abortion. Cathy knew he accepted chis explanation, and because it was wrong she was happy that he did She was happier still that he couldn't see into the life she lived asleep, full of doctors but devoid of Peters,
It was a kind of coping, but not much of a success at conquering Perhaps she should change her choice of novels: G contained too many truths, The Magus was too disorienting, Sometimes A Great Notion was amazingly powerful but made her life scem even more unsatisfactory, And The Diceman — well, The Diceman was all of those and more. Cathy wondered if she too might let the die decide. It did. Waiting alone for a friend in the lounge bar of'a smail Irish pub on the far side of town. the elaborate structures of her coping collapsed in on themselves as soon as the doctor walked in. At first unnoticed, Cathy seized the gift that
chance had granted—-and another drink- -and sauntered as casually as her excitement allowed to where the doctor was sitting. Surprisingly. the doctor took her sudden appearance almost as a matter of course, as though it had somehow been anticipated. Both evidently found this meeting il anything more pleasurable than those of the past and both were disappounted when Cathy's friend arrived after only minutes, so ending for the time being the стиле внай caancc nad des lneI
But Cathy had discovered where the doct ICEL drinking. and her changed accordingly The more Cathy travelled cross town to meet the doctor the their relationship developed, despite (or perhaps because of) its secrecy. Peter seemed to accept Cathy's various explanations for the increasing amount of time she spent away from him as stoically as he accepted everything, never showing a hint of disbeliel:
Pledge
She knew why he was so confident: she never lied to him. They'd agreed that at the beginning
no lies. And they'd always carried it through, hiding things perhaps, but never actually lying, How naive and idealistic they bad been! It was easy to have truth as an ideal when theis relatonship itself represent the epitome of all ideals. So long as the apparent harmony remained, so too did the freedom from any desire to lie. Hence the ideal of truthfulness bad neither need not occasion to he tested. It had seemed to Cathy at that time that the pledge to truth had hardly been pledge at ull, more of an aspect of something greater, beyond pledges, contracts and guarantees. No longer. Now that the ideal had ceased to exist so had the neaning of the pledge.
Cathy needed to talk to someone, preferably another woman. She tried to explain to a friend at work, but the disparging response she met sent her scurrying to the canteen. She almosi spoke to a friend of Peter's, but drew back at the last moment.
Perhaps it didn't marter, she would have to tell Peter 5000 anyway, Practical and emotional pressures forbade any alternative. Knowing the suffering it would cause him, and the awesome possibility that he for oncE wouldn't, perhaps couldn't, understand, sh determined to teil him. But how to explain, hos to cushion the blow? As gently as she knes how, she told him that it wasn't bis fault, that she didn't dislike him, didn't regret their time together, didn't even know if she wanted them to live apart. And then, uncasily, to try and convey that this other was somehow different. qualitatively different, with different feelings. different understandings, ditterent levels
But she could see it didn't really work. Peter was visibly hurt. He was even more visibly batfled. A week later he moved out. Card
Altbough the abruptness of Peler's departure shocked her, Cathy bad anticipated his leaving. As a last concession and show of friendship she bad decided to discontinue her journeys across town until be had grown to accept the new situation. It was her way of casing him an acceptarice of the consequences of what she had cold him. It had not heen an easy time for either of them, but it seemed the least she could do. On the day of his departure Cathy spent the hours before sleep contemplating the week just passed, being sad for Peter in his sadness bur happy at having simplified her own life.
The first morning she woke alone in the flat brought a card from the doctor. Would she attend the surgery at 2.30pm that afternoon? Initially unperturbed, the peculiarity of this gradually ie-awakened the tears of past months. Why was she being so urgently summoned?
She checked ber diary but knew she hadn't made an appointment. Was there a medical explanation? Was she ill" No, she'd passed the check-up after the operation with ease. It was too formal a way of reconnencing contact after a week apart, and she had already explained how she would have to stay away while Peter got used to the news. What else what other possibility unless... She'd thought
before BEFORE the problems of doctor-patient relationships, the Hippocratic Dath and medical ethics, But surely? Cathy went to ber appointment that afternoon with greater trepidation than on her first visit
The impregnation of Cathy's thoughts Into the pages of the Observer magazine was abruptly terminated by the brash call of the receptionist. "Miss Morgan? Cathy Morgan? "Yes?
Dr Judith will see you now."
Thank you
As she rose and walked hesitantly towards the consulting room Cathy remembered hom comforting Judith's insistence on being callec
"Dr Judith" had seetied three mobths before Much more than Dr Hart" or even 'Dr Judith Hart'. And now?
Socialist Challenge 31 May 1979 page 15
Page 16 scan of this page
Socialist Challenge ZIMBABWE 10 good reasons for marching on 30 June
Relgocrest Lid. for Socialist Chailenge, 328/9 Upper St, London NI. Pristed by Feb Edge Litho Led (TED),
OUR FUND
DRIVE
Dear Comrades,
Now I realise that many of you are
thholding your pounds
ocialist Challenge in anticipation of
cking up shares in the industries to
denationalised.
1 don't blame you. I too have
loed my stockbroker with orders to
and by for the coming free-for-all.
le are a quiver with anticipation.
Who'd ever have thought the Tories were dumb-dumb enough to
ate their intentions so openly? Well
Yes us the upper hand, doesn'tit? 1 they're ideologically commitelling off chunks of the state so if we decide not to offer the gentlemanly price, luch they can do about it. act, I've got an even better et'stell the Tories that we shall further lower the shares represen the risk of onalised by Labour. m their present state of euphoria 1 t think the Tories would notice laws in my argument; one, that our doesn't nationalise protitable tries; two, that if however our itions should prove unprofitALLAR CLAUDES WERE SILE ument to follow tradition by generously for a shareholding that caded stock exchange wouldn't
fund-raising. I must
cecd in raising monies because
dalist Challenge has promised me
ordinary shares for every E50 and
ou preferential shares (ol the 1976 C rights issue) for every £100 raised
Handing orders.
1 believe that if you can help the
reach its target of E500, I'm ALL OBOTOREY CCIDE And honestly comrades, my children ind i do need the money. Schooling is so damned expensive.
I've been told that only t230 a conth is given in standing orders by readers of this paper, circulation of 8,500. This level of
apport a humiliatine
switched the Christian Challenge and touted the evangelical community, you can bet your sweet bippy that we'd reach the target outflanked by mystics; this is doubly humiliating-
So lam going to ask you to make a Big Sacrifice: those pounds that were carmarked for that denationalisation
topping spree, give them to u
everyone please, or add El to your current order. It will immeasurably boost the paper and educate my children.
Pately enseless i otter
nately emphasised disappointing week's total. thanks to:
T Boushier (USA)
C Calcott Preston IMG AHN Vegetarians against Nazis J Hammond
Ademuni-Odeke MB Anan EM Tomlinson (NUPE conf) Carditi SC Forum A Blundell Week's Total Cumulative Total
Registered with the Post Office
from there's
our
the which has a
name to
Materialists Paul Russell
another Our
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Published by
1 into reengition of tan Smis The Tory government is drifting
Rhodesian government. Under ressure from the right wing in the United States, Vance has said that he will go. along with this for the time being. 2 Eat be is les meat Rhodesian
I its head. But that Is as signifi Minister is a woman. The apparatus of discrimination remnins vinually untouched. Even where It has been slightly altered — in land parchase for example — blacks are so poor that they cunnot hope to redress the racial Imbalance. Land expropriation outlawed under the settlement'. 3 Tre bed Tale, tick people In the internal settlement",
free and fair', bluck people had a vote that was only worth ome seventh of a white vote: The black majority has never even been asked whether It supports constitution.
The idea that black people were keen to vote is a lie. The British Parliamentary Human Rights Group sent & team of observers to watch the clection. Their report has not been as widely publicised as the Tory Boyd report. This is one of the examples it gives of "democratic" participation in the clection: In the Sipolilo area security forces came to our informant's villuge and wanted people to go to a meeting to tench people how to vote
*The kreal head refused and said that his people were not Interested in the elections. reported headquarters, returned. Some 15 people were shot and killed including our informant's daughter, aged 14, his nine-year-old son and his nephew, an Infant aged two years.
Parties opposed to the 'interns Hench settlement'
voters prevented from boycotting. which was their only form of protest: *Mobile polling stations serviced largr
To
detalls given.
A/C to be debiled
First Payment Due.
Amount.
Secretary of Stal vole.'
govern- than that was
Vol Group)
'internul
and stop racist trade.
the new trying movement.
mind.
Whatever
Zimbahwel
The security forces then
Patriotic Front Invited
were banned, yet Emergency WeTt ters should
STANDING ORDER AUTHORITY
......(Branch)
Dear Sirs, Please make puyment to the debit of the account specified as pes
Payee: 0179678 (Our account number) at Lloyds Bank, Islington Branch, 1 Upper Street, London N1 OPJ. Our sorting code number: 30.94.57
This order cancels all previous onders to the same pasee and will contiene unti written notice to the contrary is received by you.
numbers of mines and factories. When the station arrived, mines and factories shet down operations and ordered their employees to go and
"Tor recent clection in
• Rhodesla was nothing more
• Kigantic confidence trick.. A high percentage poll was all
deemed necessary to hoodwink the international commun Ity and secure recognition. (Report
Parliamentary Human Rights 7 sanction on Rhodes. Hea Multinational companies al-
sanctions on Rhodesia. Recog nition woold allow arms und aid to Nood Into the country legally. A massive labour movement campaign will be seeded to impose sanctions
splli liberation Their special emissary Lord Harlech has instructions to meet the Patriotic Front leaders with that in 9 moment the triat hat one tactle the Tory
movement in Britain has one responsibility: to say that no outside government has the right to dictate to the people of Zimbabwe. Hunds Off
Solidarity becomes ever urgent as the posibility loomsof British troops being seat in to impose a pro-imperialist settlement. Against that we argue for self-determination for the people of Zimbabwe.
• 30 June, 2.30pm. Assembl Smithfield Market. London. Rober Mugahe and Joshua Nkomo of the
• 6 June, meeting of Zimbabwe
Campaign Committee Central Hall, Westminster, Suppor
try get their organisations to send delegates
• Now turn to page 13
. Name of your bank ... (Address)
. (Your пяте) (Your secount mumber)
,.And continue until forther notice.
.. Your signature
3-4 The Oral, London E2,
← Socialist Challenge No. 97, 24 May 1979Socialist Challenge No. 100, 14 June 1979 →