EDITORIAL NOTE: We have noted with cancern Tor some time now the growing sectarianim of the International Socialist group, On a political level we have seen their refusal to participate in the recent joint meeting in support of the Shrewbury 24 held in London and thair withdrawal from the defence of the Coventry 7, A number of perallel organisational moves have been made biy wetions of 18. In Stockport IMG comrades were informed that they were banned' from attending IS public matings, and similar steps ware taken in Manchester. However, the incident in Liverpool reported beiow is by far the most serious of these. One of the healthiest features of the British working class movement has been a traditional unwillingness to tolerate the substitution of thuggery for political aaogue, we wou remand the comrades of the International Socialists of this tradition and suggest that they taice better heed of it in future. On Today, 3 July, a public meeting was hald in Liverpool Diganised by the Merseyside International Socialists, at which Paul Foot spoke on the subject Winy the System Stinks:
After he had led off, the meeting was thrown open to the floor for questions and discussion, during which three supparters of 15 and four members of the Labour Party Young Socialists spake. During the contributions of the LPYS comrades, there was constant he oiling, and eventually all four were shouted down at the and of their remarks.
After the meeting, an IMG comrade attempted to sell Red Heely. He was prevented from setting, and threatened with violanen it he continued. The same happened to a comrade attempting to sall Workers Fight. Neither of these comrades had spoken in the meeting. A member of the Merseyside IRSF Rank & File group Imade up of a numbar of Inland Revenue workers, most of whom are uncammitted to any political party or organisation| artempted to sell their paper Con-Card and was told that it was an IMG paper" and was aiso threatened with violeno. In the face of this intimidation, the LPYS comrades began to sell The Militant, which together with Con-Card had been sold unhindered at the beginning. The comrades were then attacked by a numbur of IS members. Two 15 members attempted to take a comrade outside and beat him up; a famale comrade was man-handled out of the room by two other 1S members, another comrade la echoolstudent) had memaer of me Clerpool Trades Council, was punched and puined our a pie of chairs. We thon left the meeting to be met with further thrasts of violence Outside.
This refusal to sliow us to seil our papers or make rooms ou ne position or Is must surgey mast doubt on ine claim or the is 10 be a seous revolutiorary organisation, and is completely autside the traditions of the British Labour and Trade Union Movement.
Alan Lenton (IRSF Rank & File, INGI Les King URSF Rank & Filel Eddie Serage Tony Aitman INALGO, LPYSI Julie Aitman (IRSF Rank & Filel Phil Holt (POEU, LPYSI Jeremy Cope (NUSS, LYSI (NA LGO, IMGH Ann Monaghan (IRSF Rank & File)
Red Weekly 13 July 1973 Page 2 In the last fortnight two of the Coventry 7 have been given bail: Pat Burke for £250, and Gerry Rush for £750, Two of the others, Tony McCormick and Frank Kelly, have been let out of solitary confinement.
This news is a big boost to the Prisoners Defence Committee and to all supporters of the 7, It shows that the work that has been done is already having an effect. The regular pickets outside the court and the Defence Committee bulletin have put continuous pressure on the police. The granting of ball makes the Defence Committee all the more determined to continue its fight for unconditional release of all 7. A number of activities are being organised in preparation for the opening of the trial (probably at the beginning of October). Chief of these will be a rally in Coventry called by the Defence Committee for 12 August. This is planned to coincide with the anniversary of internment. The brutal policies of the British Army in the North will undoubtedly be stepped up in an attempt to disguise the failure of the White Paper and the Assembly through defeating the Provisional IRA, The rally is intended The shop stewards" banner from Gardner's ento draw together the continting repossion in the North with the repression of Irish militants in this country.
We call on all organisations in the Midlands to support this rally, in order to make it another step on the road to freeing the Coventry 7, A huge rally in Coventry will show that the Defence Committee can maintain its support and will not give up the struggle. It will also show the British government that there is a time bomb ticking away in this country, which cotild at any time explode into a mass movement for the complete withdrawal of British troops from Ireland 'FREE THE COVENTRY 7' Pamphlet by Coventry /MG. Available shortly.
•The pamphlet examines the backoround ro thr raids and arrests, and how these tie into the British strategy in Ireland. From this it looks at various conceptions of how to defend the seven. Price 5p (10% off orders over 20 with cash in advance) from W. Thompson, 27. Paynes Lane, Hillfields, Below: Clenched fist frow. Torry McCormick In fact there is no world-wide shortage of crude oil The known published reserves of oil conbaue to rise even relative to the growth of consumption. And vast areas remain unexplored, especially the offshore areas of which only the North See has so far been systematically surveyed.
The problem comes in fact from a combination of the structure of the world oll trade, special problems in the US, the structure of the indus try and the critical world economic situation. For years there have been two significant oil importing areas — Western Europe and Japan; and over 80 percent of their imports have come from the Middle Fast and North Africa (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Libya being the largest producers) and a few other areas. The Soviet Union and China are self-sufficient. The recent change in this pattern is that in the last two yeurs the US has ceased to be sell-sufficient snd has become a net importer as important as Дарип.
RESERVES The reason for this change is that US continental oil reserves are running out fust. And in the last two years internal demand has risen faster than predicted, because of the boom and because the new car exhaust regulations have led to an enormous increase in petrol consumpBion. Crude imports are expensive since the small-scale owners of America's oil reserves have high protection. Alaskan oil has not become anilable due to resistance by Congressional environmentalists to the construction of a pipeline through an carthquake zone. The US imports some refined oll from Venes uela and the Caribbean, but has been foroed into increasing dependence on crude imports from the Middle East. But the refining capacity and bandling facilities in the US are insufficient; hence the present shortages.
The situation is presented as an energy crisis because the State Department wants to end de pendence on the Middle East and so get Congressional support for the building of the Alaska pipeline and for gigantic subsidies to finanee the production of oil from shale. The oil companies are hungry for these subsidies, as well as for support for increases in the price of petrol.
The world oil industry is dominated by a cartel of eight "major" compunies (five are American). Hundreds of smaller "independents buy most of their crude from the majors. The market price of crude, which mainly pertains to sales to the