1 know that the miners themselves are democrats, said Heath. It is therefore especially disappointing that the politically motivated arguments of some of their leaders should have prevailed."
Heath was referring, of course, to one of the central targets of his election campaign -the reds under Gormley's bed. And, It seems, under the bed of every other bureaucrat in the labour movement.
*The great majority of you are fed up to the teeth with them and the disruption they cause," Heath generously informed us. "The election aves you a chance to make it clear to these people bow you feel.
SUBVERSION Even our poor old moderate Harold Wilson couldn't escape the storm. Attacking the motion "A party which passes such a motion-a party whuch sets itself up in defiance of Parliamentis a party which is subverting the high standards of British public life.
The attack reached the most alsurd lengths. 'Throughout the last Parliament, they supported WAGE FREEZE every inflationary wage claim... They have backed the law-breakers, and undermined the moderates on every important occasion.' Not even Heath can seriously belleve all this. It will certainiy come as a surprise to trade unionists and to the Clay Cross councillers betrayed by the Labour leadership.
The Tories election tactic is very simple. They aim to take advantage of the widespread faith in Parliament and the law among workers to browbeat the miners and the railmen into calling off their strugales, and to obscure from the working class the real magnitude of the attack they are preparing.
In the name of electoralism and respect for Parliament, ASLEF has been persuaded to bring its struggle to a halt, The miners have been pressured into running a very defensive pickering campaign, even though this opens up picket Lines to attacks by police and scabs. Some Red Weekly 22 February 1874 Page 4 such as students, who have offered to join the picket limes. The miners" leaders have also been browbeaten into accepting the principle of the relativites report and the Pay Board, and therefore Phase 3, for other workem.
CLASS COMBATIVITY The pretence that the Communist Party members in the trade unions are using industrial struggle to overthrow the Government and the election process serves a very useful purpose. It helps the Tories to conceal the fact that it is the combativity of the working class as a whole which really concerns them.
The measures which a new Tory Government would introduce to attack the trade unions as a whole would be extremely severe, Yet the only proposals they have made at all precise are those for elecling union leaders by postal ballot. The point here is to try to isolate those militants (many of whom believe in Parliament) who play a leadership role among rank and file workers.
The other proposal-for cutting benefits to strikers-is less precise, but the Tories can make out that it is only aimed at the wildcats" and "trouble-makers" who stir up unofficial strikes sinco linions will be more careful about which strikes they make official, Some backbench Tories have also made noises about curbing frec speech for communists. will be used to attack workers in the coming montles. 'UNITED STRUGGLE The Tories are our to cripple the organisations of the working class and shift the cost of capitalism's problems on to workers" backs in the most determined way. No amount of demagogy about Parliament should be allowed to conceal the need to get rid of the Tories and step up a united struggle to defend living standards, The divisions between different groups of workers about the best means of doing thisin line will Parliamentary law or against itwill be decided by a political struggle within the workers" movement.
NO ACES TO perfectly well that enforcing Phase 3 and beating the miners is the unly way to avoid a new wages offensive by the working class. They know that even in the immediate term, the decision by the engineers whetber to take serious action for their claim depends on what happens to the miners" struggle Thoy know the miners must be amashed because the real issue at stake is not Heath's personality but the combetivity of the working cies, for which the miners are a symbol NO VIABLE POLICY They also know that Wisen has no viable policy for controlling the wages offensive. A voluntary incomes policy, in which the trade union hureaucracy replace the Industrial Relations Act and the pay laws as policemen, will break down under the pent-up deluge of working class demands Wilson is making a desperate effort to con vince the captralists otherwise, and Len Murray has openly and cynically talked aboul a volun tary deal with the CBI and u future Labour But even Wilson's useful services in getting ASLEF's exccutive to call off industrial action and go to arbitration, were dismissed by Heath as nothing but an election gimmick. It didn't prove that Labour could deliver the long-term Boods.
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of support for the Clay Cross councillors passed duced, retail prices have already risen by 3% at the last Labour Party conference, Heath said; per cent. The Tories cannot allow even these