Paper or the KiG, available price 17p (inc p&p) from Red Books, 97 Caledonian Road, London N.1. incarceration in Long Kesh. Whether shot in cold blood, murdered by deliberate medical neglect,or driven to suicide by the inhuman conditions of their imprisonment — the responsibility for their deaths lies with the British capitalist class and the Labour Government which shields it. arily resolved its leadership crisis by electing staunch rignt-winger maicomm rraser as ineir leader and quickiy Datched up the cracks that were beginning to form in the coalition. The rest is the story of scandals to discredit the ALP and constitutional manoeuvres leading up to the ousting of the Labour Government on 11 November.
What has the ALP's position been in this crisis?
I think the ALP has a lot to answer for.
party, as the party at witt detend tel ernment, 19/s, the ALr to a certain extent lived up to these expectations. It introduced significant social reforms by taking advantage of the favourable economic conditions prevailing during that vear. to hit Australia, so Labour's policies became more and more openly pro-capitalist.
consisted of the consolidation of a solid pro-capitalst and clearly anti-working class ouncle or policies. culminating in Two hundred pickets were bodily thrown out of Manchester Polytechnic Art Centre by police last Thursday. degree on neg rrentice. ne picket nad been called by local statt and student union: but as the protesters shouted 'No Tory Cuts from a Labour Government' the police were ordered to move in.
Before hurling out the pickets, the police cleared the hall of journalists and com pulsorily exposed the film of one cameraman who remained behind. In response angry pickets shouted Where were you on Sunday - a reference to the absence o the police when National Front thugs launched a vicious attack on a conference called to discuss the Prevention of Terrorism Act a few days earlier. Militants in Man chester are determined to continue their activity against both the education cuts and the Prevention of Terrorism Act - regardless of police or fascist harassment.
the Hayden Budget. This was the very same budget that was stopped for polluca reasons in me senate ane inat brought about the dismissal of the Whitlam Government. But the economic policies contained in the budget have the support of the LIB-NCP coalition, and it will be used by them - if they win the elections - as the basis for a more savage altack on working class living stan The trade union bureaucrats have aided the ALP's pro-capitalist plans by. consistently demodusing working class struggles, such as that against wage indexation. in ine metal rades union which could have spearheaded a nationany coorainated attack on une wact freeze, the bureaucrats 'engineered' a narrow vote in favour of an uncoordinated struggle at shop-floor level.
This continual betrayal of rank-andtile militancy by the bureaucrats serious ly exhausted an organisationally strong our porricany misted working class, anc undoubtediy served to increase the op timism or the bourgeois parties that a decisive defeat would be possible if they could only get into office. In other - ana you seem to nave une same situation in ontain now - Lab our s rign-wing policies more or les ensured that it would be defeated when The most tragic betrayal of the interests of the working class by the ALP has taken place in the last few weeks. Never was the necessity for extra-parliamentary dcuon in detence or me workers inter ests so clearly realised by masses of workers as during the recent political crisis.
The spontaneous upsurge against the parliamentary offensive of the bosses parties provided Australia's ruling class with the clearest expression yet of the strength and unity of the class tney are But the ALP lost no time in taking hold of the upsurge and directing it towaros is carlamentary nant. ine trade union bureaucrats hurriedly got together to work out now to restrain Ine rank-and They were protesting against the bestowing of an honorary file from taking strike action. Bob Haw ke, in his capacity as president of both the ALP and the Australian Congress of Trade Unions, spearheaded the call for Even the Communist Party of Aus tralia, which has significant influence in the trade union bureaucracy, ended up tail-ending the ALP. It made some token concessions to the need for extra-parlia mentary working class action by calling Tor a national stoopace in its oress. Dut it made no serious attempts to organise for such action.
What will be the consequences of a LIB-NCP victory at the coming elections?
A LIB-NCP victory, which is now very likely, will represent a serious setback for the Australian workers. In Govern ment, the bosses' parties are in a position to wield very significant power against any mutant struceles - and wnat is cru cial is that this Government will.
It will have been elected with an open hand to increase the profitability of the private sector and it will do so by cutting back on wages and public expenditure It will also have the support of the majority or states in its rignt to control the trade unions.
The combination of this power and the demoralisation of militant workers as a result of their recent experience will at first weaken the likely response of workers to these attacks. But it will not prevent an eventudi outoursT The key problem likely to be discuss co amonest workers in he next ew weeks will be the question of an alter native leadersnip capable or organising extra-parliamentary struggles. It is probable that militant workers will receive a more favourable response to the creation of strong intermediate organisations such as rank-and-file action committees than they have in the past. I would venture to say tat tne union bureaucrat are in for a rough time in the coming