REVENGE GUERNICA Anti-Fascist Guerillas in The Basque Bay of Biscay LABOURD - Guernica San Biarritz of The most telling argument Britain appears to be extremely powerful. It is to this that press and politicians hypocritically refer when they want to discredit the FRANCE student movement.
So why not confine ourselves to the traditional methods? The short answer is that Britain can BASSE no longer be considered, in any meaningful sense, to be a demoNAVARRE cracy. The old methods are consequently futile.
To prove my point, let me SOULE examine the Government's educational policy. In 1964, Labour was returned with a modest programme of reforms. Surely now, after almost four years in power, REDEES it is reasonable to expect that the Government will be fulfilling its promises. So let me detail these election pledges, as conNAVARRA tained in the Transport House pamphlet, "Education", published in February 1964:SPAIN 1. More of the nation's resources devoted to education a broken promise. 2. A reduction in the size of primary and secondary classes to a maximum of 30 a broken promise. 3. The raising school leaving age to 16 a broken Madrid promise. SPAIN 4. The reorganisation of family allowances so that they rise with age, and particularly for children staying on at school after the school leaving age-a broken promise.
this is the force which Franco and his backers in the State Department fear the most!
ETA knows all this and their poliRay Challinor used against student demonstra- Short, and his predecessors at the Department of Education and Science, have gained no marks out of ten. None of the ten points have been carried out in their entirety. The Minister's aducational progress is lamentable- -indeed, non-existent. Yet. 5. Adequate teachers' pay and this programme was essential, an expansion of teachers as the Transport House pamtraining colleges.- -Training phlet says (p.18), "to build a colleges expanded, but just society, free of class teachers" pay still inade- divisions. (and) tap the vast quate. Last award equiva- reserves of talent that now lie lent to the cost of half a unused."
Polaris submarine.
The frustration at present felt 6. An end to the 11-plus, and a reorganisation of State in universities, colleges and secondary schools on com- schools is a direct consequence of the Labour Government. In prehensive lines Vast 1964, it painted a picture of a majority of schemes not rosy future: it has produced a truly comprehensive since most dismal present. We are leave areas of privilege unexperiencing the feeling of going seathed. 7. A greatly expanded pro- backwards educationally: expenditure is cut, building provision of technical education and sufficient university grammes reduced, unemployment among teachers is likely places to ensure that no qualified person is refused this winter. a place.—Technical educa- All this, of course, must have tion expanded to meet the repercussions on the general. needs of capitalist industry, attitude of people most vitally but the inadequacy of uni- affected by the erosion of versity provisions greater educational standards. How, for instance, can students have faith than ever. 8. Free university education in traditional methods of bourgeois democracy? How could for all those accepted by a university. A broken they ever hope to demonstrate pledge. their feelings more powerfully 9. The abolition of the college than the electorate has already entrance system at Oxford done, to no avail-voting for and Cambridge.—A broken Labour's programme of modest promise. reforms at two general elections, examination, Edward on the second occasion returning On Wilson with a large 97-seat This is what has happened to majority? the Most of them But the matter goes deeper started with minor misgivings than this. It is not simply that over parts of the educational the Labour government has system which they directly exviolated its election mandate perienced. But an analysis of and countless annual conference the sickness of the classroom resolutions. By its conduct, the led them to discover what Labour Government has shown sham bourgeois democracy was that whenever democracy con- and then, a stage further, to see flicts with the needs of how utterly corrupt and decapitalism, it is the former that praved is oapitalism. is sacrificed, not the latter. To The student movement is, at represent large numbers of a fundamental level, repound notes is more important, affirmation democratic under the existing set-up, than principle. First, because it is a to represent large numbers of protest against the manipulation of the people in the interests of Basic human needs go un- the few. Second, because satisfied because the Govern- believes the people should determent must always place the mine their own destiny, making interests of big business first. their own decisions on matters Families are allowed to live in that vitally concern them. And, poverty, young and old can third, because, among many suffer from malnutrition since it other things, it wants the introis important for money to go on duction of the reforms imthe form of higher profits and provements to education, health capital gains rather than higher and the social services for welfare benefits. Similarly, the which Labour in 1964 gained a hospital service is being allowed mandate and has failed to to deteriorate and, alarmingly, implement. the death rate is rising for the The government's failure to first time this century. Yet, the carry out the wishes of the finance for a much improved unpopularity with the electorate health service could easily be and with the students. Really it found - if the Government is two voices with the same would seriously tackle the prob- majority is the cause for its lem of taxing the rich. grievance. Together they have The point to stress is the helped to give Harold Wilson universality of the current crisis the distinction of being the most of capitalism: to criticise a par- hated and disreputable prime ticular aspect naturally leads to minister of the century. It is we a more thorough-going critique. who are the democrats, not him.
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tions is that they should limit themselves to making protests through the proper constitutional channels. The parliamentary tradition in