It was appropriate that Neil willamson s article Government blocks real power for the Scottish Assembly' (Red Weekly, August), should appear on the week of Jim Callaghan's visit to tie up Assembly deal in discussions Scottish Council of the Labour Party and the STUC General Council. These negotiations took place behind the backs of the working class with scant regard for their views or conference decisions. In fact the Assembly package is a result of discussions and disputes leadership of the labour movement.
Williamson's article failed to relate the question of the assembly to me probions facing Scottish workers. No mention is made of how unemployment and the cuts are to be combatted. Callaghan was unable to venture out on to the streets during his visit not because of demonstrations for an Assembly with whatever powers, cause of enraged Scottish workers demonstrating, despite the STUC or the Labour Party, 30ainsi mass destruction of the welfare demonstrations which reached mass prop ortions as local While admitting that Scotland is a nation, we have to be very careful in analysing its problems. For two centuries scotland was an equal partner with England in the creation of British imperialism.
Word War Is Industries have undergone a decline which left Clydeside This is not a problem, however, confined to Scotland. or a problem domination. It is problem for British imperialism: first of all, the drain of industry towards geographical settings closer to Britain's major markets Europe; secondly, a preference by now capital to invest overseas dustrial development.
Unlike an underdeveloped nation, ScotTand has had no shortage of capital; its problem is that this capital was invested elsewhere. Scotland's problems are not of English domination perialism, which Scotland is part of despite differences between sections of capital based in England and Scotland (broadly representing industrial and terests).
Failing to identify the roots of Scotland's problems, Williamson fails to give Scottish Tracy.
La VISIT Government's with the In a week when the STUC cringed in front • of Callaghan's refusal even to countenance DOWEL their meek criticisms, and when we have seen every Labour MP, no matter how left they declaim themselves, accept the cuts, the task of revolutionaries is to organise Scottish workers to defend their interests - not ending up, as comrade Williamson does, by ignoring the problems of leadership of the working class and how the real problems can be solved, calling for real (sic) capitalist Revolutionaries MUS be clear assembly no ROUTIO Scottish workers. Growing support for the SNP is not a product of English imperialism but of the cynical Labour Party and trade union leaderships. - CHRIS URE (Edinburgh)