'It's looking good, Pehaps they are talking about the half a million jobs, one third of all manuacture toos m condon. lost in the last 15 years, with unemployment runnine ar over ten per cent 1n many London boroughs, a total of 170,000 out of work.
Or maybe they mean the number of homeless, doubled to 100,000 in ten years; the 200,000 in sub-standard conditions awaiting rehousing; the 100,000 houses standing empty while 30,000 homeless are forced to squat.
Or could it Transport fares, doubled in the past year while 2,500 bus jobs are vacant? Or the classes of over 30 in a third of London's schools? Or the threatened with closure?
The verdict of the International Marxist Group's manifesto for the GLC elections seems mark: "Its looking bad".
London IMG is standing four Labour's candidates in the elections, all of them militants with a long record of opposition to ine rory policies ol both Conservative and Labour Governments. In slington North. Mick Sullivan, a housing aid worker and member of the TGWU. will centre his campaign on the housing record of the Labour GLO police harassment of young black people in the constituency.
In Ealing Southall Gerry Hedley will be taking up the struggle against racism in the area where the racist London murder of ablack youth took place last summer. kept Piers Corbyn, a paigner for decent housing for all, will be standing in Lambeth Central, perhaps ine area witn ine mos appalling housing record, even for In Bethnal Green and Bow, local government worker Claire Weingar ten will be standing for an end to cuuralion cuis dealist micE London manif- Education Authority leader Ashley Bramall. In this constituency, as in much of London workers make up a large proportion of the population. For them the link between unemployment and the loss of essential services caused cuts is a very real one Claire Weingarten's campaign will a so take up saDours housing and the role of the short life nousing companies Road, featured in the recent televis711101103 311 11 CLAP3100 BOL ency.
Brick Lane, the home of a large Bengali community been the object of a large racist and fascist campaign. Like all the other IMG candidates Claire Weingarten will be fighting against the fascist long-time cam- threat, against racist discrimination in jobs and housing and against Immigration laws.
The fight against racism is just one example of how it is impossible to separale 10ca national record of Dovermen racism and fascism has to take up Labour's dismal record of support public sector GLC Elections, May 5th by the recora on LOnLICIOW has recently such as Irish people.
ITOl CLIC the Labour on 5 May not OnE.
IMG repeated the we are nICI London. SOCIALIST ING Are ana Standing the end of the year.
GLC VOTE SOCIALIST (IMG] restrictions and contempt for the democratic rights or otner secuons or tne populaton, cive to complai So it is with all the problems which Londoners face when they go to vote source of the Unemployment, lessness, rocketing prices and falling •HOL confined to Weingarten. Tariq Ali and Brian Heron ENEM All good friends - Gaullist Jacques Chirac and Communist Party leader Henri Fiszbin.
The record of the Social Contract is appalling. The leaders of the trade union movement agreed to keep down wages in exchange for the maintaining unemployment and passing certain legi sianon. onemplovment nas rockered to 1½ millions registered unemploy- partly excude people, such as women and blacks, who see no point in registering. Nov Employment Minister Albert Booth promises us 2 million out of work by the idea budget expenditure for 1977-78 is going to be cut by another -Douneases 16 million. Illtyd Harrington introduced the revenue budget by proudly announcing the GLC's contribution to une overnments constraints oi public expenditure to put the coun try on the road to economic growth. And the Labour manifesto has the That is JOYCE nment instructions to the GLC to cut Campaign subsidies to London transport - the saving Harrington boasted of in the first place!
The much heralded Equal Pay and Sex Discrimination legislation Speakers at the IMG meeting on the French elections. Left to right: Piers Corbyn, Mick Sullivan, Claire made little contribution to improving women's rights. experience has shown that women have to fight for factory in West london centre-piece of the Government's legislation - the Docks and Shipbuilding Bill - has already been shelved. Many Londoners know to their cost that the dockland of East London is one of the most depressed areas of a depressed city. Now Ility Harrington has dropped and replaced it with the scheme of a free port in London, outside the customs The IMG said from the start that the Social Contract was a con-trick The failure of Labour to deliver even those small promises it made Cal only confirm that view. And still the trade union leaders give their undy ing support to the Government.
the IMG's GLC does not pretend that solutions to London's problems can be found in London alone. It is seen as part of the national struggle : to policies of the Labour Government.