Socialist Action No. 177, 22 January 1988
The scan: 177-jan-22-1988-SA-UK.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive)
Uncorrected machine reading of the whole issue. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from the scan and has not been corrected or cut into articles. Each page gives the headlines first, then the columns in order, so one article runs on into the next. Expect misread words. Use it to find things; quote from the scan.
Page 1 scan of this page
No. 177
SoCAlist
ACTION
BUILDING AN ALLIANCE FOR SOCIALISM
WOMEN'S right to decide whether or not to continue with a pregnancy, whether or not to take responsibility for bringing up a child, is an issue of principle. Without this right women can never enter fully and equally into society, instead remaining at the mercy of the biological fact that they are capable of conceiving a child.
Therefore defending the — inadequate - provisions of the 1967 Abortion Act is a matter of principle. It is therefore helpful that only a small minority of the population supports David Alton's proposal to introduce a time limit of 18 weeks for legal abortion.
This is shown in a Marplan opinion poll published in the Guardian on 18 January. It found that 77 per cent of all polled, and 80 per cent of women agreed with late abortion where the woman's health is at risk.
In the case of foetal abnormality 67 per cent of those polled and 68 per cent of women were in favour. After a rape, 71 per cent of those polled, and 73 per cent of women were in favour, and in the case of an under age girl, 58 per cent and 57 per cent of women were in favour.
This gives the lie to Alton and his backers in SPUC and Life, who have claimed that their proposal has majority support. In fact the anti-abortion lobby is probably the best organised extremist minority in the country.
It is also one of the best funded. In the first weeks of January anti-abortionists ran double page, full colour advertisements in the Times and the Independent, at a cost of approaching £100,000. The accompanying signatures indicated a marked absence of support from the medical profession, from disability organisations, from women's organisations or from the labour movement.
Unfortunately this lack of popular support has little impact on the Tory and male majority in the House of Commons. Nor on that handful of Labour MPs who consider that their religious views place them above women's lives and party policy and give them a right to decide to force several thousand women a year to continue with an unwanted pregnancy.
There are two reasons for this insistance on stopping legal abortion - for illegal abortion can never be stopped, it is just that many women will die. Straightforward reactionary religious bigotry is the basis of much of Alton's support. Secondly the greater control that women have over their fertility, the greater control they have over their lives, and they begin to demand more. This creates a very subversive force in society from the point of view of the ruling class, and therefore it has to be reversed if possible.
Since the passing of the 1967 Abortion Act, women and their supporters, have had to fight off no less than 13 separate attacks on its provisions. On each occasion these attempts have been defeated by massive mobilisations of women, and of the labour movement.
The Fight Alton's Bill campaign, together with the TUC, is calling for that kind of mobilisation again, on a national demonstration to be held in London on 19 March. Every trade union and Labour Party branch, women's section, student unions, and women's organisation must be alerted to the threat to abortion rights and brought out onto the streets on 19 March.
Alton's proposal does not have the support of the majority of women, nor of the majority of the population. It can and must be defeated. NATIONAL DEMONSTRATION 19 March 1988
Assemble: 11.30am
Embankment
22 Jan 1988 40p
Inside • Palestine explodes p8 & 9 1968 — twenty years on p6 & 7 • Students p4 • Local government in crisis p10 Don't implement the poll tax p5 • Lesbian and gays fight the government p5
Defend abortion rights
NO to
Alton
SCOTLAND SAYS
STUC HON CONGRESS
way tight Alton's bill
FAR CENTRAL STRA
YES to
choice
Page 2 scan of this page
The MPs who will vote to support Alton's bill
Scotland opposes Alton
2 Socialist Action 22 Jan 1988
ACTiON I SociAlist
Alliance blunders
NO ONE should be surprised by the events which have surrounded the launching of the new Alliance party — nor taken in by the tactical retreats which followed its mislaunch by Steel and Maclennan.
It was a piece of tactical idiocy for Steel and Maclennan to write down such policies as a commitment to Trident, nuclear power, and VAT on food and children's clothes.
Labour Party the Alliance had to repudiate the
anti-Labour Party declaration to put VAT on children's clothes was
But this does not mean that Steel and Maclennan have rejected these policies. Former Liberal president Des Wilson claimed on the Monday after the Maclennan/Steel debacle that their document was: Dead, finished, torn up, in the dustbin, gone
Liberal activists that the position of the previous document was 'a secret manifesto' he replied that:
about it at all! Steel declared of the document after it was withdrawn: We tried to go further on issues we will have to address in years ahead!
Nor should it be believed that the new document is simply anodyne. On the contrary on the
The document unequivocally commits Britain
tion, our minimum nuclear deterrent.""
The new document also makes clear it is committed to targeting' social security payments which is merely a way of saying it is in favour of a
There is no commitment whatever to eliminate nuclear power. There is no commitment to restore the rights of trade unions.
A good index of the document is that among the supporters of Owen there is a shrewd assessment both of the character of the new document and of the proposed new party.
Peter Jenkins, a strong supporter of the right of the SDP, writing in the Independent declared: 'On the key matter of nuclear defence, its position is essentially the one which Dr Owen endorsed at the Trident has been dropped. The firm commitment
while limiting its firepower to a capacity no greater than Polaris. That may be the sort of heavy handed
disagreements, but it ought to do; by no stretch of
He concluded: "The new Social and Liberal Democratic Party, if it happens, will in any case be a broad and somewhat motley alliance,
distinct improvement over the old Liberal Party. and an avid Thatcher supporter, arrived at exactly
comes into existence it will be the Liberal Party. Last summer, many short sighted Liberals saw the new party as a Liberal takeover of the SDP. No such thing is going to happen...The Liberals would given up their name, their tradition, their personality, and would have to accept a (Ovenie Se windered policies and a stren leader, would fight for the centre ground against a merged party with ill-defined policies and a leader yet to be elected. In terms of popular appeal, Dr David Owen's SDP would be at least a match for its rival from the start. We would be back to a two-party centre, but with the Liberal Party killed?
Actually Owen has no popular support at all, but what Rees-Mogg meant, accurately, any by-election the press will give all out backing to Owen's SDP. Meanwhile the new centralised con-
Liberals will be marginalised.
The new party does what it has always intended to do it presents a take racicansm to lake voles from Labour while maintaining a tight grip for capital on its central policies. Steel and Maclennan made a stupid tactical error but their backers, needless to say, have gained their way easily.
nuclear 'radical' elements do exist among the
Catalogue of shame
AS THE abortion bill approaches number of Labour MPs are once again record opposed to the interests and rights of women. As the Observer put it on 17 January, 'Labour's rebels Observer again said,
Campaign Group member.
By Anne Kane, FAB
Two things at least are Moreover they are entirely
consistently refers to
unoposals The campains
upporters list ranging fron
LICICS
Its day of action on 16 ported the STUC and
cluding delegations from
USDAW, FBU and the
represented -- many young woreen are involved in the
aiso
By Ann Henderson
The rally in the City Hall heard Maria Fyfe MP
second reading of David Alton's anti- Friday 22 January - a
going on
vive its second reading.
opinions and 'consciences'
voting — more than on vir-
Liberal is trying to restrict
SHOVNON,
By mounting huge cam-
tive gaist the C
have been detated. have supported such restric-
Labour MiPs tor women
" conscience clauses or free
right to decide whether or However a phrase sneaked
tion. Jo Richardson MP attacked the Alton Bill as the thin end wedge highlighting the breadth of medical and political opposition to it. As she said
Islington's mayoress signs the FAB petition
with party policy on
for party policy and for
some other reduction in the
tor. a
Donald Dewer (who sup Duffy (Sheffield Attercliffe)
Lamond (Oldham Central 'to criminalise abortion as
two of the previous attacks James White and John Corrie. In 1979 only seven
osed John Corri
0 out of the 50 Labou
ton), George Robertson (Hamilton) and John Reid (Motherwell North).
Among those who have
reded on of between 22
and 26 weeks include Frank Cook (Stockton North), -Stan Crowther (Rotherham), Frank Field
(Worse John Maris
(Worsley), Marek (Wrexham), Peter Pike (Burnley), Jack Straw
Blackburn), Alan McKa (Barnsley West) and Anr Taylor (Dewsbury). And then there are those like Jovce Quinn (Gateshead) and John Cunningham (Whitehaven) who have graciously replied to women constituents that they will 'probably' vote against Alton.
A number of MPs, including George Galloway, have simply not bothered to reply to questions from their constituents. Sharp
While some, like frontbench spokesperson Gerald Kaufman, ( are reportedly going to cast a principled abstention!
These MPs need to be sharply reminded that the debate has been had and MPs in Scotland have stated their opposition to Alton so far.
This is a reflection of the work that has been done in building the campaign and winning the arguments
Not course, selecting different MPS
Prior to 22 January seven Scottish MPs openly state support for Alton, and the others have not uectarcu unen posilion.. - waiting to hear the argument as been a commol response.
Labour MPs do not need to wait any longer there is no doubt that public opinion in Scotland against the Alton Bill, and the 1987 STUC women's conterence and Scottish
womer s ferences unanimously showed their opposition.
Politics Today
won in the party and the labour movement.
Support for the right of an individual women decide whether or not to bear children is a fundamental socialist principle, and the only 'conscience' involved is that of the women concerned, and not that of, mostly male, MPs.
These anti-women Labour MPs should be brought under pressure by women and the labour movement to change their position.
CLPs should make it clear that they consider this matter to be one of great weight when it comes to reselection - which starts again at the end of this year. Trade unions shoulc dicate to sponsored MP. that this will be taken into account when considering future support.
And all should be reminded of TUC and Labour Party policy - opposition to Alton and support for the FAB campaign.
The so-called 'cons cience clause which allows MPs to have a free vote on abortion must be ended and Labour THUS SIs use the whips impose policy on the PLP.
Scottish Labour Party conference in Perth on 11-13 March has a number of resolutions before it on abortion - not simply opposing Alton but also caling tor an extensior of facilities on the NHS and tor sater and earlier provisions for abortion, and for better family planning provisions with more education.
Anti-abortion organisa tions such as SPUC and Life traditionally found a lot of support in Scotland, especially in the west of Scotland. But the Fight Alton's Bill campaign has shown that to be minority view and the Scottish Labour MPs who tie themselves to the posi tions of SPUC will also find: themselves in a minority in
Scottish labour movement.
Page 3 scan of this page
Why a 24 week limit is not acceptable
News
WHILE David Alton's bill to limit legal abortion to 18 weeks is meeting considerable opposition, there is a strong lobby urging support tor an amended version of the bill introducing a 24 week limit.
individuals and organisations themselves 'pro-choice. They suggest that a reduction to 24 weeks is in line with advances in medical technology, inevitable, and will make virtually no difference to the present real, as opposed to technical, availability of legal abortion.
in the time limit will make a real impact on women's present rights to fertility control, and should be opposed.
MANY of those who will support a 24 week limit will
so for purely tactical reasons, that is those people who are actually opposed to all and will support any measure to imit its availability.
However, it' cannot be denied that a substantial proportion supporting the 24 : week proposal do in fact consider themselves to be pro-choice.
They have been convinced to support the 24 week time limit by number of factors. Among these overwhelmingly the most important has been the view of the medical profession. Choice
Both the British Medical and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have indicated their support for a 24 week time limit.
BMA and the RCOG have supported the
ABOTDOI Act, while they maintain their final arbiters of whether a woman should have abortion or not rather than supporting a woman's right o choose, neither of these Coll be held to be anti abortion organisations.
These doctors present a number of arguments support of this position.
The most common is that by around 26 weeks the
lungs have developed, it is theoretically capable of breathing air and therefore of living independently of the womb, and should therefore be considered a human being in its own right.
The development of the lungs is in fact just
TENS of thousands of women demonstrated their opposition to David Alton's attempt to further restrict abortion rights in events up and down the country as part of the Fight Alton's Bill Campaign's day action on 16 January.
MANCHESTER 2000 marched from the Polvtechnic student union to a rally in the City Hall addressed by Audrey Wise and speakers from the North West TUC, FAB and LCLER.
BIRMINGHAM 1000 people marched through the city centre to a
Those supporting a 24 week limit include many
which consider
JUDE WOODWARD argues that any reduction
arbitrary a point at which to DaVi that foetus has separate rights as any other sign of physical development. In fact it is ludicrous to discuss the matter in these terms. potential independent human life everely exists trom tne moment of conception.
This is not the issue, the real issue it whether or not a woman has to accept that this should develop inside CHUC
develop inside her boay, and then be forced to take on all the emotional and physical responsibility for bringing a new human being into the world.
It doesn't matter at what point in the pregnancy
occurs, 11 a woman decides that she no longer wishes a foetus to inhabit her body then the decision to end the pregnancy should be hers and no one else's.
Advances
Doctors also argue that since advances 1r medical technology have allowed the survival of a proportion of 26 week premature births, it places unreasonable strain upon nursing and medical staff to be involved both In Ine struggle maintain a life at 26 weeks, ane co week termnauons
The conscience clause for the medical profession means that no nurse doctor has to be involved in
bortion at any point if th object to it. However thi
ches noblem, but greater
the problem, greater funding for the NHS to allow clinics dealing with abortion to be completely separated out from other functions would deal with this completely.
Many women who have rally addressed by Christine
Dave Nellist MP. Sid Platt. West Midlands TUC and Charlotte Kane, Liberals for Choice and speakers from FAB and local trade
GLASGOW 3000 participated demonstration organised by the STUC and the Scottish
Speakers included Richardson MP, Maria Fyte MP and Yvonne Strachan for one DIUL women's committee.
SHEFFIELD 800 demonstrated, including local MPs, and
had even have ton
NHS found themselves in wards shared with woman desperately seeking a cure infertility, or cases of early miscarriage. This distressing for all the WOlICE concerned and must be for the nursing staff as well, but argument against abortion rights.
Finally, once we allow the argument for a lowering of upper abortion on the basis of technological progress, then evidently each step forward
would lead to further limits
until all abortion were illegal?
Thousands oppose Alton
attended a rally addressed
local doctor and speakers from the regional
rUC and the NUM
BRISTOL Over 600 demonstrated and attended a rally in the city organised by FAB with support from a number of trade unions, including the TGWU ov beaker need Dawn Primarolo MP.
LEICESTER 300 people representing local FAB groups, the Labour party allu trade unions marched through the city centre to a rally addressed by FAB, Doctors for a Woman's Choice on Abortion, and Atkin.
The argument that a
reduction in time limits to 24 weeks is inevitable and correct has also gained ground because of the
results of two opinion polls which showed proportion of women
tavour of a reduction in the time TOT legal abortion.
Two issues have to be taken into account when assessing the results of these opinion polls.
Firstly similar polls which have asked women whether they support the 1967 Abortion Act have received an incredibly high proportion of 'yes'
Equally polls which have asked whether CARDIFF 400 demonstrated and attended a rally addressed by Ann Clwyd MP, Heler McCarthy a midwife and NUPE steward and otners
LEEDS 1500 demonstrated bringing banners from a wide range of women's campaigns, trade unions and colleges.
LIVERPOOL 300 women demonstrated and sent a smaller group to present their case to Alton's surgery.
LONDON At least 12 different ac-
women are dissatisfied with the terms of the law have received a very high 'no response.
Secondly, while there is
certain emotional response Walca can be
men by the pictures culated by SPUC and Life of a much magnified week Joelus, which the responses in opinion polls reflect, when women are asked about specific cases of late abortion their responses tend to be that each abortion should be allowed.
There is also xtrem hostility to the of criminalising either women or doctors for abortion at
tions were held during the
including a march of 400 in Hackney and a rally addressed Brian Sedgemore MP and
from NALGO,
FAB and the CHC
600 in Brixton, organised bs Lambeth Against Alton, , marched to
rally addressed
Against Pit Closures and FĂB. A rally in Islington was addressed by DOLI local MPs, Chris Smith and Jeremy Corbyn.
OTHER AREAS Actions also took place in Nottingham, Cambridge, Oxford, Reading and many towns and villages up and down the country
virtually any point. When the French courts tried to prosecute a 14 year old girl, who had been raped. tor a very late abortion • well beyond the present British legal limit - she was acquitted amid public outcry against prosecution.
The final argument for a reduction in the time limit to 24 weeks has been that it will make no real ditterence In 1986, it is pointed out, on v 2/ women nad abor tions carried out after the 24th week, and in virtually every one of these cases the operation could go ahead even under a coaced raw. due to the exceptions for oena aonormally.
But this is not the whole SLOV reduction in the time limit for legal abortion to 24 weeks. especially Ir the form of an amendment to the 1967 Abortion Act rather than to the Infant Life Preservation Act, wolle anec vituall abortions performed after
WEEKS. anc Illali those performed after 20 WCCKS
In the 20 years since the passing of the Abortion Act there have been a series of
anti-abortionists to prosecute doctor for carrying abortion outside the framework of the 1967 Act. All these attempted
have failed secutivis however doctors pertorming abortion are keenly aware of a powertul anti-abortion lobby, well-organised in the medical profession at all levels, and quite willing to spy on doctors and exploit any opening to use the courts to stop abortions.
Threat
Under the terms of the present Intant Lite Preser vation Act abortion effectively becomes illegal when
is considered that the foetus is capable of sustaining independent lite, unless the life of the mother
However in the case of a doctor al. abortion later than the 28th week - for example if an error had been made as to the date of conception the onus would be on the
that criminal abortion had taken place. ABORTION
CAMPAGN
MEDICAL
L PRACTIOR
Socialist Action 22 Jan 1988 3
David Alton's amendment, because it would introduce a time limit into the Abortion Act itself, would make all abortion carried out after the legal time limit automatically a criminal offènce unless the doctor -and woman herself could prove otherwise
In order to be safe from
have to one corre
take even more precautions than they now to ensure they did no accidentally place themselves in breach of the
Evencode the present
doctors generally carry out abortion
the estimated 26th alici week of pregnancy. With a 24 week limit written into the Abortion Act itself doc LUIS would protect themselves by imposing ar actual limit of 20 to 22 weeks. Help
Rather than 27 women this would affect 2/3000 women who presently have legal abortions each year Of these a high proportion will be women in areas where the local consultants are anti-abortion, therefore forcing women to eventually seek help in other parts of the country. Other r women most affected will be young women who do not know i 01 admit they are pregnant older women who mistake the signs of pregnancy for the
and women from Ireland who are forced to travel to Britain because abortion is still illegal north and south.
have a late abortion. No wallall wants While the anti-abortionists' cant about post-abortion trauma in tne mst lour months Is se much rubbish, abortion aren to weeks is all unpica sant and distressing opera • LOU Women have late abor-
tions because they are real need, because it is the only reasonable choice the! can make, and they have the right to make that choice Any reaucuon lil the bre sent legal time limit for abortion will seriously affect many thousands of women's lives over the com-
ing years eat res
there call complacency.
SEEN SCOTLAND SAE
GLASON NCU
Page 4 scan of this page
New left alliance in the
4 • Socialist Action
LINK
CIROBANK TARGETED FOR
FIGHT THE ALTON BILL
the Abortion Act
NCU joins the fight
against the Alton bill
ABORTION is once more a burning issue within the National Communications Union.
In June 1986 the main conference of the union voted to attilate to the Na-
By Marion Brain, NCU (C) member
tional Abortion Campaign.
When David Alton launched his vicious assault on women's right to abortion the women's support group, with other members of the union, sounded the alarm started to build support for the FAB campaign.
The clerical section newspaper Link threw its whole weight behind the
the tront Der/ December issue it has Novem -
the leaflet reroauced the national lobby of parlia-
January 1988 and highlighted the tional demonstration on 19 March 1988.
Inside the same issue there are four articles on the
two pages. An editorial is entitled 'Fight the Alton Bill defend a woman's right to choose.
A major article by member of the clerical
executive explains why she will be on the 21 January lobby. A short article also explains some of the things that individuals can do. and a further article explains what the National Abortion Campaign is, why
RUNNING OUT
OF TIME
LATE ABORTIONS & TIME LIMITS
a notlonal abortlon campaign pamphlet
Pamphlet available from the National Abortion Campaign, Wesley Hse, 4 Wild Court, London WC2, 75p plus 25p p&p
22 Jan 1988 CFLL-OFF
- Defend a woman's right to choose
Linda Tookey discusses the FAB campaign it was founded and what it stands for.
An article in the Journal, the paper of the NCU as a whole, explains why abortion is a trade union issue.
A letter has been issued to branches on the paign, which explains that, consistent with the decision of the 1986 main conterence of the union, the NCU will
CALOR S campaign. A donation of £200. will tionally and branches can
£50 from branch funds.
Apart from this financial support branches and individuals urged tc write to their MPs opposing 'the Alton bill UIL the grounds that it restricts women's choice, is a risk to their health and opens the door to further attacks on the 1967 Abortion Act.
The NCU Broad Left has issued a broadsheet outlining why members of the union should oppose the Alton bill, and calls for support for the 21 January rally and the national demonstration on 19 March.
This type of campaigning, if followed through in unions, can build the largest demonstration seen on tnis issue to defeat this blatant attack on women.
The call must go out that every trade union and trade unionis must support the lobby and rally on 21 January and the 19 March demonstration.
75p
Third edition
BAKER'S 'Great Education Reform Bill', or Gerbill, is the fiercest attack in recent history on the provision of education and students' rights. In the last issue, we reported the decision of NUS national conference in December to launch a mass campaign against the bill, movement.
PARTICULARLY important was the call for a national demonstration, for which there had not been By Polly Vittorini SOAS student union
on the NOLS-controlled NUS executive.
Since then, some sterling work has been done by Pat Younge NUS vice-
education, and Labour Party Black Sec-
the executive last Easter. In the face of continuing oppositon to a la
demonstration on NUS even after the conference decision, he has organised for a national demonstration
take place February, being supported by the TUC
On 1 March, for the first time ever, an education lobby against the Gerbill will be called jointly by the TUC and NUS. A national day of college shutdowns has been called for 11 February, which will be the lynchpin of mobilisation of students for the national demonstration, and is intended to be the focus for a wave of occupations.
Other events include an 'Art Attack' day of action on 18 Febraary, an NUT rally for education in the Albert Hall on 26 buir in London colleges, which is being built in and a 'Forum for Education' conference at the Friends Meeting House on
a webe ray, supor torces
a wide forces from the student and labour movement.
timetable is guaranteed to produce hight entusiastic response from student unions around the coun-
These iniciatives particular da of mimi active suppor par. ticipation oi the TC. are
IN RESPONSE to the Palestinian uprisings and the terrible brutalty of the Israeli military regime in the occupied
By Polly Vittorini
territories, the International Union of Students and the General Union of Palestine Students have organised a European speaker tour with Palestinian students, visiting colleges in Britain, Ireland, France, Belgium, Finland and Sweden.
In Britain the tour is being hosted by NUS and sponsored by Students tor
Palestine. It will run for ten days, visiting students
unions all over the country
schedules are available from NUS and Students
student movement
in conjunction with the labour
out of officially,
of to1 fighting the
Such an alliance in
Lace union
.ab-
students political A vital
win
Calcaol system privatisa
and access, central government of teaching. Left
National
undertaken to win support.
the Initiatives above
himself,
executive
The
wing of Party, organised
against national
and SSiN's
campalen tion cuts does not
portance an alliance
student
Support
Clearly
*hich consistent whowbeariedtr and
Students for Palestine
for Palestin
Wiest January stadeets all over the world wil striking
position to Is
in the dac
tion to ritories organised. posed from European stadent
which hoped to participate
The latest news is that all three intended speakers have been arrested before
being able to leave Please
NUS for use in securing their release
urgency of the siteio in
occupied territories, and the fact that NUS conference failed to adopt any policy on Palestine when it
diseussed
JuCS
MIX
fend the interests of students in Britain effectively, must WOTK alliance with all forces in struggle against the Tories and their international allies.
This means in the first instance a commitment to active solidarity with oppressed peoples confronting imperialism worldwide, working alliance with British labour movement, and the consistent defence of the interests of women black peonte and lestians and
These:
December, that Palestine will be discussed again at Easter conference
GUPS have issued model motion calling for
end to the killings, detention deportations, and for self-
for Palestinians.
Copies of this motion,
tice are in the self-interest of students, and are the only route TO all! successful opposition the Tories.
At NUS conference in Easter of this
yval students will be presented with the choice for the first
platform that is committed to these Campaign Student will be participating in this platform, alongside members of student solidarity organisaTORS
Altbough the ares er the platform are and other motions, are available from GUPS c/o 4 Clareville Grove, London SW7 SAR and from Students for Palestine, c/o World University Service, 20 Compton Terrace, London N1 2UN.
Students are urged to
demonstration in support
News
exclusively Labour students, they will not be Stalaing elections against official Labour candidates and will be calling tor a vote for them (il NUS NOLS do not stan for every national executive position) NOLS
In NOLS itself, detence of the policy
political and military British withdrawal from Ireland, and NOLS' affiliation to the Labour Committee on Ireland, an urgent priority.
This policy lapses at NOLS conference Marca anos е aooor is threatened by the recent rejection of this policy by the Labour Co-ordinating Committee conference
La concerteu cam paign by SSiN to use the period of reaction in the aftermath of the Enniskillen bombing to argue against British withdrawal. Ireland The loss of this policy 1n NOLS could have seriously damaging effect on the ICI's fight in the Labour Party for a policy of British withdrawal : IN the lifetime of one parliament more is at stake than simo'v a debate lhe
practical non-existence O
NUS' *Students Against Repression In Ireland'
(SÁRI) campaign also contributes to endangering this policy, which can only be sateguarded in reality in sturactical coms. practical campaigning
A total of eight motions in favour of British withdrawal and exposing British repression in Treland have been submitted for discussion at NOLS This makes it very likely that the issue will be debated.
Labour students
urged to mobilise support for the LCI in the run-up to this conference, and to participate in the tion of active SARI groups with a view to transforming this policy into actual solidarty.
of Palestinian self determination, supporti by the PLO and GUPS, Saturday 23 January march leaves Hyde Park corner at 12.30pm).
Students for Palestine conference takes place on 30 January 1988 in University of London Union, Malet St, London WC1. Speakers will include the
PLO, GUPS, Israeli anti-Zionists, and liberation movements, and there will be workshops on various aspects of Israeli society,
initiatives. Please register in advance to Students for Palestine.
Campaign Student pamphlet, Solidarity with
Palestinians: For Democratic, Secular Palestine will soon be available, price 50p.
Campaign Student, c/o SOAS Students Union, Malet Street, London
WC1E 7HP.
Page 5 scan of this page
Black section - the way forward
News
OVER the last eight years parliament has adopted a number of anti-working class laws, and there is more to come — on housing, education, immigration, poll tax, local government finance, contract compliance, privatisation to name just a few.
The inner cities have been targeted for special treatment. The black communities are under pressure like at no other time since World War II.
Black unemo ovment has more than doubled over the last eight years Thatcherism has massively eroded the manufacturing base of the economy, removing any chance of long term job kennot o see muser cues The proposed poll tax will lead to further harassment of the black communities.
The attempt to prevent local authorities enforcing contract compliance, would
By Kingsley Abrams Secretary Labour Party Black Section
result in further discrimination against the black communities employ-. ment. Local authorities will also be unable to monitor will be in the hands of which will be of Drivale companies Kenneth Baker's 'radi-
cal' education reforms' has completely ignored. antiracism, including the different community
This assault on anti-racist eduction is clearly linked to the government's repressive measures of looking after' the inner cities.
This parliament also saw the passing of another immigration act. mean further suffering and separation 01 black families.
Defeat clause 28
TEN thousand angry supporters of lesbian and gay rights took to the streets of London on 9 January in a massive protest against clause 29 of the Local Government bill, which is now going
through parliament.
The stated goal of the
lory right wingers who
added the clause is to pre-
Peter Purton,
vent Labour councils from
'promoting homosexuality'
in any way.
Leaving aside the fact
that no counci anvwhere
promotes any • sexuality,
he lories aim to negate th
progressive les-
bian and gay rights policies
of councils like Haringey
Ealing, Brent, Lambeth and
Manchester.
The Tory right has for a
long time seethed with rage
at the efforts of lesbian and
gav rights campaigners and
their supporters the
labour movement to bring
about genuine equal oppor-
tunities in council employ-
ment and services.
But the final straw has
been the ettorts of a hand-
ful of councils to combat
antı-gay prejudice
schools by daring to reveal homosexuality schoolchildren
does exist
and that there isn't anything
wrong will beng Isolal Or
gay.
The effects of the
legislation will go much,
All of these laws affect the black communities.
The task ahead for Labour Party Black Sections is an enormous one.
AGM to be held in Manchester on 26-27 March will be discussing major policy DaucIs on education. immigration, and the inner cities. Once adopted these, and orner policies, presented Labour's ONCY CVICH
The Black Sections organisation has led the way in bringing the antiracist socialist campaign to the heart of Britain's political life. This work has
Bill Menis now isnt a
Morris (who isn't black section supporter),
the Towelera Secretary or
In a Tribune article of 8 January he had this to say: 'After all, the debate black representation in the
give us four black MPs, and
• ad 'nation's consciousness of racism and discrimination. The debate on Black sections nas been described as "establishment shaking" which course has a value.
In his proposal to end the trench warfare between black sections and the Labour leadership Bill has called for the setting up of a 'black socialist society', , affiliated to the Labour Party
'A queerbashers's charter'
POSITIVE
MACES
DEFENC LESBIANS DEFEND
much further than banning
local counci tunding of les-
bian and gay organisations,
serious although that will
The bill bigor's
charter, giving ine grect
light to every queerbasher
to wage a war against ICS-
bians and gay men. Тогу
Mrs in partlament iciuse lo
condemn the firebombing
• ol01 doc! Capital
Gay, so we know whai to
actually
COCL
legislated 132ł! anything
'promoting homosexuality
is both immoral and illegal.
like the Fabian Society. This society would then have to fight with the SEA, Labour
socialist lawyers, NOLS etc for one seat on Labour's NEC hardly giving a guaranteed voice to black people at all levels of the party.
Our response has been to welcome Bill's contribution to such an important "debate that we started five years ago. Our conference in March will discuss Bill's proposal in detail. The im portant issue is who would such an organisation answerable to - the black grassroots. or the leadership?
We should remember that Eric Hefter first suggested the 'affiliation op-
of a new division on the NEC sanite
HARINGEY
LESBIANS + CAYS
The response among
lesbians and gays has been
dramatic. A powertul unity
has been forged across the
spectrum in opposition to
the measure and cam-
Halt
spontaneously across the
coulilly.
Unhappily, the response
of the labour movement has
been less admirable. The in-
itial response of the Labour
front bench was to
the proposal, and only after
a massive wave of protest.
much of it pointing out the
clear pro-lesbian and gay
women and youth Afro- He argued that Caribbean, Asian and African peoples domiciled in Britain and eligible for membership of the Labour Party, should form propriate groups, parties or organisations and affiliate to the Labour Party at all levels similar to Paole Zion. the Jewish Labour Party. Such groups, parties: or organisation should then have a separate division and one or more scals Oll the NEC regional councils, district Labour Parties and GMCs according to agreed affiliated numbers. He pro posed the NEC should draft
appropriate constitutional amendment for party conference.
proposal was defeated at the NEC by 16 , votes to 8 on 13 June 1985.
nat The
rights policy adopted by the
conference did the:
oppose it in pariamen..
But their response:
argely to iry to amera.
or ihai phrase or we-d -
figh:
whole vicious package
Public defence 5s
parliamentary party of the
Dall s WOUL and
Labour councils which
to carry through the pai
have WeeT notreas
lacking.
Lesbians and gay LICE
have no choice but to fight
Who is to say that the NEC will even look at Bill Morroundproposa IS S time
The Black Section is still fully committed to black self-organisation within the labour movement. We con-
seek a change Labour's constitution which would guarantee black representation at all levels of the party. We will continue to campaign for anti-racist socialist policies that are in tune with the black communities.
We see our immediate task as one of building on
1987 AGM which set the black political agenda
adopting policy positions on many key issues including policing, jobs, • education immi gration.
this measure every step ot
20E TREME TUS TE
IDATE ITE vigorousit deier estran and gay men.
Don't implement
the poll tax
SCOTTISH Labour Party
on strategy for opposing
1989.
DESPITE much talk of organising opposition this unpopular tax, the regional councils Scotland (mainly Labour controlled) have begun ar ranging for the collection
By Ann Henderson
of the poll tax. Strathclyde
the largest local authority in Britain since the demise of the GLC will be employing 550 temporary staff and has begun compiling the register tor tax collection.
Lothian region and Edinburgh district council have refused to distribute the official Scottish office publicity on the poll tax.
A number of Labour controlled district councils have refused to cooperate with compiling the register or the collection of the tax from district council tenants. but already Glasgow district council for instance has backtracked from that position and has agreed to work out all the rebate information for the regional council.
Implementing the pol COLACE albeit whilst highlighting its injustice,
Party England and Wales, is no what many Scottish
The special Scottish Labour Party conference held in Edinburgh November last year endorsed the Scottish Labour Party's cautious approach, but there was considerable discontent.
Stop it
Donala Dewar behalf the Scottish parliamentary Labour
'the fee-
ble fifty by the SNP and others) have gone to some lengths explain thai breaking the law was never
option, and there really no alternative but to implement the poll whilst protesting about it.
However the Scottish
executive of the Labour
Party ha: issued Labour Groups guidelines for with structing SCL
the poll tax. The official
Socialist Action 22 Jan 1988 5
conference this year, Perth 11-13 March, will be dominated by the debate
the poll tax which is scheduled for implementation in Scotland in April
Scottish Labour Party campaign 'Stop it' was launched in October
The strategy now being advanced by the LCC, which will be debated at Scottish conference that of preparilig for a massiv campaign of non-payment Resort. National nint a last Students (Scotland) have already backed this policy.
But this tactic is totally insufficient. There will, of course, widespread non-payment, and Thousanes will refuse even register. But this tac tic passes the responsibili ty from the Labour con
local authorities each individual - ana 1l will be Labour controlled authorities which then try to recover the debt from that individual.
LCC
On the one hand, the LCC have argued against tactics involving illegality but ther individual illegal action
The position consistent and, in a sense
1S dishonest, because supporters the within the regional counci Lavour uroups went aiol; with proposals to imple ment the poll tax legisla tion in September 1987.
The introduction of the poll tax was always in tended to further weaken local government whichever form of opposi tion local authority services will be
Du le DOsi tion would be clearer, with better prospects tor trade union and popular unity, if the regional councils simp-
refused to implement the poll tax
Non-compliance local authority level, and
hrough the trade union
VOLI have widespread
public support
Scotland. It would provid a lead and a focus around which every other form of
I tax could be broughi together. It would also la
a much better basis for ef
fective labour movemen opposition in England and i wales
Page 6 scan of this page
Socialist Action
SOME years are so associated with specific events that merely naming them conjures up a definite conlent. 1929 is the year of the great crash. 1939 the outbreak of World War II. 1914 the commencement of World War I. 1933 the year Hitler came to power.
associated with revolution and struggle. 1968 is Every serious paper, even the most right wing, started this year with a summary of 1968 - • most, of course, to attack its events. Why is 1968 such a crucial year in modern history?
One aspect is simply the sheer scale of the individua events. The let oftensive in Vietnam in January largest general SITIKE France in May 1968, and the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in August 1968 were all, individually, events on an historic scale. To have all three of them in the same year was extraordinary. But most significant of all, and certainly the feature which has left the deepest imprint, was the way 1968 brought them together in a way that gave a new shape to world politics.
By John Ross
To understand that necessary to go back to the world as it developed from World War II to 1968 - and then see the lasting imprint that year left in creating a new structure of world politics.
The first feature which existed in 1968 was the capitalist economic boom. From 1940 in the United States, and from 1947 in Europe, capitalism underwent one of the greatest periods of expansion in its history. Almost uninterrupted economic growth took place in • Western Europe and the US. In Asia a new capitalist power, Japan, developed with a rate of growth never seen before in any capitalst stale. capitalsin aiso penetrated mOIC deeply efore into a series of semi-colonial countries preparing a capitalist development in the 1970s in the Pacific rim of Asia and, to a lesser degree, in Latin America.
Boom
In 1968 the major problems which confronted capitalism all appeared to be 'on its periphery. Capitalism failed to destroy the USSR in World War II. In 1942-45 it lost the main states in Eastern Europe to the Soviet army 'and, in Yugoslavia, to popular revolution. Capitalism was North Korea at the end of World War li. In 1943-49 capitalism thrown in China. In 1945-54 French imperialism was defeated in North Viet-
SUET 1959 the Cuban overthrew Batista. colonial empires were largely abandoned, or the ruling powers driven out, in the 1950s and 1960s. Permanent instability marked the colonial throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
In contrast, inside the imperialist COLLECT themselves, economic boom 'bought off' the working class and secured social peace. The number of unemployed in Britain at the end of 1967 stood at under 600,000and that was considered a high figure. The main discussions which took place In le Laboli Party prosperity and the the working class. Anthony the main right wing social democratic theorist of the 1950s and 1960s, stated openly that capitalism had solved its problems of crisis, of unemployment, and of generating wealth and that the job of socialists was simply to secure a more just distribution of the wealth capitalism produced. The most popular
revolutionary theory in that time was that of 'the countryside of the world surrounding the cities' of Mao Tse-tung and Lin Piao - the idea that revolution would proceed in the third world while the bearlands
Eviatism emained datieh
SCE
Westera Europe iza James E DE peasant farming population had been
22 Jan 1988 36 DCI 1968.
cent in 1946 to 7 per cent in 1971.
Second millions
indissolubly
1968; the
history change it is
than ever
spectacular the 1970s.
Third capitalism penetrate out
undergo had proletarianisation.
lar labour
overturned
was OveL
tries in revolution The old European
politics. The
world the black struggle and movement United States,
the huge rise of the colonial revolution. Vietnam
1960s seemed to
assumed endless 'disappearance of
Crosland, colonial world in turmoil.
the world at
first time since scored real successes in this.
Nation forces, of stable
TATE
sucked into industry and wage labour. In France the proportion of the population employed in agriculture fell from
cent in 1940 to lo per cent l In Italy the fall was from 42 per cent in 1951 to 16 per cent in 1971. In West Germany the fall was from 27 per
of women had moved from doing only unpaid work in the home into waged capitalist work. In Britain, for example, the proportion of women in the workforce increased from 31 per cent in 1951 to 35 per cent in 1968.
- and rose to 40 per cent by the end of
had begun of its traditional industria. base into the service sector of the economy - the huge expansion of the public sector was the most striking expression of this but large parts of the private service sector also began to
process of
Fourth, accompanying this, a pro cess of proletarianisation of white col-
began. Today's LISC militancy among teachers, civil servants and other layers had its origins in the social changes of the 1950s and 1960s.
From every social point of view the working class in the imperialist coun-
1900 was strollger lilan before in history. Yet this huge working class seemed totally passive and its huge weight scarcely played an active role in
advanced social struggle in the imperialist countries in
1950s and 1960s, the rise of the in the two was itself linked to the
Imperialism in the 1950s and early be confronting gradual collapse from the periphery
with peace and tranquility reigning in the imperialist centres and with the
Confronted with this situation US imperialism, concerned by the rising instability in the colonial world, decided on a massive and conscious counter revolution. It launched from the earls
1960s, under first Kennedy and then
Johnson, a tremendous military build
and determined counter-ottensive
against the colonial revolution. For the
World War II the US
In 1960 the intervention of United backed by the United
States, ensured the overthrow of the left
wing government of Lumumba in what
Zare In 196t the United States
Ta z
Groan in Ghana in Februars 1966. Is
Algeria the governmen of bes Bela
which had succeeded French rule, was overthrown by a right wing coup. In the 'six day war' of 1967 Israel attacked and defeated the wing nationalist governments of Syria and Egypt. The same year the US, backed Bolivia killed Che Guevara. It was the greatest period of success imperialism had enjoyed against the colonial revolution since World War II.
But in one country, Vietnam, imperialism's DOSILIOL continued deteriorate. By the beginning of 1964 it was clear that the Vietnamese National Liberation Front (NLF) was on the verge of overthrowing the American backed government of the South. United States, flushed with its other victories, decided to intervene to prevent an NLF victory and to teach a lesson to every progressive force in the world. The scene was set for an event that changed world history - the Vietnam war.
The military power which the United States deployed in Vietnam was awesome - it was the greatest US military effort in history apart from the
world wars. At the peak of the Korean war the United States deploye 407,000 troops. At its peak United States forces in Vietnam were 600,000. By 1966 the United States was already dropping bombs at three times the rate of the Korean war. By more bombs had been dropped on Vietnam than in all previous wars in history put together. The United States resorted to chemical warfare on a scale which has still left large parts of the country devastated.
Throughout 1967 the United States claimed to be winning the war. General Westmoreland, the US commander in Vietnam, submitted an end of year
eport on 1 January 1968 stating th
var gains in 1967 would be 'increase manyfold in 1968' some evidence for this. The US cleaned There
the 'kill ratio' had increased to 10 to 1 in their favour. It claimed it was capturing NLF equipment at twice the rate it was being replaced. In the second half of 1967 NLF attacks in Vietnam declined and US confidence increased
And then in one devastating blow, on 30 January 1968, the entire world semation changed. Radio inashout the world turned on that
unite bar beay fighting taking Da= I TeLS entasy in Saigon. An
ost Veram
DECE STA
forces in The
was the scene of heavy lighting. the largest city in the north of South Vietnam, fell to the NLF.
situation in Vietnam changed. As Beverly Deepe, the Chris. tian Science Monitor's correspondent in Saigon, wrote the NLF had inflicted: 1971 sha political-psychological setback
unprecedented American supported South Vietnames regime. political damage is of such an order of magnitude that it has changed the complexion and character of...the war in the South!
NLF's military decisive. It was the political situation in Vietnam. Th New York Time, about the war have finally been made unmistakably clear to everyone in the United States, from President Johnson on down. Swept away in last week's hurricane of fire were the rising piles of glowing reports of progress in pacific retraining 0 namese army, and destruction of the enemy's political and military forces New York Times listeners James Reston noted in the same paper
•Something has happened here in the last few days logic and event
19
- a year that c
In the space of 24 hours the entire and the world
of magnitude for the had
The initial assessment of the ficial
It was not simply the scale of the operation that was what it revealed about
probably the South Viet-
associate editor
some conflict berweer
namese, who were supposed to be ge ting weaker, like the Vietcong, gather • force large enough to challenge the U marines at the demilitarised zone??
Capitalist politicians rapidly bega to read the tea leaves. Robert Kenned who until Tet had pledged support t
war, and president Johnson in th
presidential election, , announce February that the Tet offensi 'finally shattered the mask of o with which obscured our true circumstances.. part or person of South Vietnam is sa from their (the NLF's) attacks: neith district capitals nor American bas neither the peasant in his paddy fie nor the commanding general of or own great forces..
'We must, first of all, rid ourselv of the illusion that the events of the f two weeks represent some sort of vi tory (as claimed 1 by Johnson). That not be able to hold the Vies. Tha not be able to hold the cities.
true But demonstrated despite all our reports progress, of government strength enemy weakness, that half a mill American soldiers with 700,000 Vic namese allies, with total command
Page 7 scan of this page
logic of the battlefield. It stated: We think the American people should be getting ready to accept, already, the prospect that the whole Vietnam effort may be doomed; it may be falling apart beneath our feet. actual military situation may be making academic the arguments for intervention in the first place..
*Should such be the upshot, that the US abandons the effort not because it "should" bul because its burposes have become irrelevant in the light of events on the battlefield and of Vietnamese politics, let no one blink at the fact that it will be a disaster. It will be a stunning blow to the US and the West!
In March a relatively scHalul, George McGovern, against US Johnson, on a demagogic anti-Vietnam war position, in the New Hampshire Democratic primary almost defeated Johnson 1964 had won one of the largest landslides in US history. On 31 March 1968 Johnson the end to the bombing of North Vietnam and his withdrawal from the 1968 presidential lave By knew the US had lost the war in Vietnam. That summer the United States was rent by the greatest wave of black uprisings in its history.
Tet was a turning point in world history - with ramifications which affected every part of the world.
68
anged history
if they haven't continued
The tugese colonies
philosophical
dependence,
came to power in South Africa.
The
the most hardline Stalinist obscure Eastern Europe,
It was the spring. and who in
the USSR today. announced Gorbachev now the world Union. In
of the economy panied
nicasule was
political expression.
But bElt
led, within the third world it commenced a period of rise of the colonial revolution
for point. decade. In the years that followed Tet US imperialism was defeated in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, the Por-
Mozambique, Angola and Guinea-Bissau achieved in.
Hailie Selassie was overthrown in Ethiopia, the Shah's regime was destroyed in Iran, the racist regime of Smith fell in 'Rhodesia', the FSLN
Nicaragua, and a huge new upsurge of struggle started in
second great crisis of 1968 post started within Eastern Europe at almost the same time as Tet. In January 1968 the
ruler In Novotnv Czechoslovakia, was replaced by a new
general secretary Dubcek. ¡after beginning of the Prague
Dubcek's reforms were essentially an antecedent of those of Gorbachev in
In an interview January this year, his first since 1968, Dubcek wholeheartedly welcomed the
the Soviet Czechoslovakia a market 'the was accomwith a political liberalisation which did not question the centres of bureaucrauc power. Ine most radical
lifting censorship and certain real freedom of
at this time the changes. in
Czechoslovakia were too much for a USSR near the height of its immobility under Brezhnev. In August 1968 the
Warsaw
Dacl aruc Czechoslovakia and snuffed out the dream of 'self-reform' of Stalinism.
But once more, as with Tet, things did not 'return to normal' after the Prague spring. The Hungarian revolution of 1956 had been a vast outburst which had been followed by a return to immobility in Eastern Europe. But the Prague spring' was followed not by a return to normal but by increasing in stability in Eastern Europe
In Czechoslovakia itself currents of opposition continued to exist - most notably in the rise of the Charter 77 movement. Onlv two vears later mas demonstrations against price rises Poland began the political process that
La decade later, to the rise Solidarnosc. Twenty years later many of
same political LUCOSCO augurated by Dubcek Czechoslovakia, now renamed Glasnost and Perestroika, are being followed in the USSR under bachev. In Eastern Europe, as much as the third world, 1968 was a turning
The third great event of 1968 was linked to Vietnam by a multitude of ties. This was the general strike of May-June 1968 in France.
The process collapse capitalism 'from the edges' had by the early 1960s begun to make inroads into the imperialist themse ves Since the rise of the civil rights move.
the United States In mid-1950s the black population of the US had been the most advanced out-
of the struggle inside the imperialist countries. A strengthening of
position of women within workforce had already taken place although the real explosion of the
liberation movement 1968. From the mid-1960s, widespread dissent been among students.
Vietnam helped bring developments together both directly and indirectly. Politically Vietnam produced a huge crisis which particularly affected student youth. The ideological cement of the Cold War had been that
West' was defending democracy
nd freedom against th 'totalitarian'
cook da vend doe wer self-evidently waging a brutal rapacious war. Demonstrations, and student actions, against the Vietnam war swept the United States and Western Europe.
But Vietnam was also an enormous
capitalism. economic CISIS
United States was unable to finance the war by taxing its own population. On the contrary Johnson, in order to maininvaded tain support for the war, had to carry
through a series of reforms under the title of the 'Greai Society.
Unable to finance the war entirely at the expense of its own working class, US capitalism began to look for others to take the burden. It sought to transfer a large part of the burden of the war to its West European allies.
The mechanism Throughout the United States balance deteriorated. The US paid for imports it could not export goods to cover bi pumping out billions of dollars for imports from Japan and Western Europe In Western Europe the net result was
of growing economic instability. Demand
for exports to the United States led to rapid growth in the At the endless flow of dollars into Westerr Europe produced inflation.
Gor- European
facing full employment and rapid expansion of production but at the same time with its real wages under pressure from inflation. combination.
Period It came first in France. France, under de Gaulle, had been taken through a forced march of withdrawal from its colonial empire. In order to maintain a political consensus for this de Gaulle had adopted a theme of demagogic Autocratic political structures imposed the by the Fifth Republic, rapid industrial
growth and rapid expansion working class, a rapidly expanding and Canne under financed education sector, came
together with generalised opposition to rising the Vietnam war.
Student actions which had started these around Vietnam had
1968, turned into a serious crisis of the entire French education system. Student riots, which great 'night of the barricades' of 10 May 1969 in Paris, ignited a general strike and factory almost a month France was paralysed was in the largest general strike in history.
The long working class in the imperialist coun tries had been decisively broken.
Once more, as in the third world and Eastern Europe, there was no 'return to The normal' in Western Europe after 1968.
Socialist Action . the offensive
major domestic
then,
simple. war
Vietnam war the
of payments
were relative.
1970s, movement West European same time the
The West most working class found itself
This was an explosive turning point.
There generated
was also logical the explosion
industrialisation and
had
anti-Americanism Kampuchea overthrown
facts:
sequences
in France, by
culminated in the
occupations. For
the unleashed. period of stability of the
nghtly
22 Jan 1988 For seven years the working class in Western Europe was uninterruptedly on
- the May-June French general strike was followed by a massive strike wave in Italy in the autumn of 1969, the bringing down of the Heath government by the miners in Britain in 1974; a rising wave of struggle against Franco's dictatorship in Spain and
dramatically of all, the downfall of the Portugese dictatorship and the revolutionary wave of struggles which swept that country in 1974-75.
It is true that, after 1975, the West European working class was forced on to the defensive. Successive defeats and setbacks were suffered in Britain, Portugal, Italy, Spain and France. But these
In no country was socia peace restored in the way that it had existed in the 1950s and 1960s. In the late
starting with the anti-missiles and then the crisis, a decisive new factor developed
the movement into political action of the West German working class, the
powerful Western Europe which alone had not really moved in the immediate post-1968 events. 1968 in Western Europe, as in the third world and Eastern Europe was an irreversible
doubt that 1968 may misunderstandings.
Many Marxists mistook what was the beginning of the break up of stability in the main centres of imperialism with the imminent onset of revolution. The crisis of Stalinism turned out to be far longer and more tortuous than many
imagined terrible suffering on Indochina before it withdrew and the murderous aberration of the Pol Pot regime : developed in
before too
But these, finally are the byways of history. 1968 inaugurated three decisive
crushing defeat of US perialism in the third world whose con-
Conne to the present, a crisis of Stalinism which has not been halted since 1968, and the definitive break up of prosperity and social peai n the imperialist centres. Even if d developments which followed it had a different timescale, and took a more winding course than anyone had fore seen, history since 1968 only confirmed
fundamental trend which
Both the bourgeoisie and the working class have every right to celera 1968. It is truly the founding year modern political history:
symbol throughout the world
Page 8 scan of this page
PALESTINE
The roots of the Zionist State
Socialist Action . 22 Jan 1988 nian resistance.
CRITICS of the Israeli state and its policies are often. RDECI cmites Zionists.
sented being
aonymous with Judaism and that,
ry left Zionists claim, it is nothing
at of the jewish people.
Zionism represented a historic accommodation to anti-semitism, one that could only grow to the extent that socialist, working within the jewish communities were defeated. Its offspring, the state, today CCLNCO tionary origins of Zionism in its racist Laws, its oppression mians, its cosy relationships with every reactionary current in the world from the South African regime to the contras and its symbiotic with imperialism.
Modern political Zionism is less than 150 years old. It began in the late nineteenth century as a reaction of the jewish petit-bourgeoisie to economic crisis. The jewish population Eastern Europe at that time predominantly concentrated in the middle layers of society — merchants and money lenders existing between the aristocracy and the peasants. With the late development of capitalism in Eastern Europe this economic was increasingly squeezed and jews found themselves, LC WOLeS Abram Leon*, 'wedged between the anvil of decaying feudalism and hammer of rotting capitalism'.
However Zionism amongst many responses to this crisis and the accompanying persecution. At the same time those down into the ranks of the working class were organising themselves into the Bund — a socialist and nationalist party spanning Russia, Poland and Lithuania. JuIC Bund soldarlly with non-jewish against ine TenCOZY Eastern Europe and was anti-Zionist.
Zionism based itself on the dominant ideas of the time, incorporating the theories of social Darwinism and eugenics to explain the 'fundamental differences' between races. Assimila-
was impossible, Herzl the father of modern Zionism, because jews were a race and antisemitism was a natural phenomenon CH OLESL H01 CWs.
struggle azallisi semitism was therefore futile. Zionism tore anti-semitism out of its social and economic context and posed it as an eternal, ahistorical mystification.
FOR nearly two months the area referred to in Britain as Gaza and the West Bank has been swept by a Palestinian aprising against Zionist occupation. Less reported by the press, but equally significant, that uprising has spread into the territory of the Israeli state itself. The result has been the gravest crisis for Zionism since its invasion of Lebanon in 1982 — and one with deeper implications even than the crisis of that time. The Palestinian uprising has produced political crisis in Israel, solidarity in the Arab world, and the necessity of Britain and the United States seeking to :cover over their unstinting support for the Zionist state. The international prestige of Zionism probably stands at an all time low and more people in Britain are beginning to question its true nature. To understand the events appearing daily on our television screens, RASHID ASHRAF and PAM COLES look at the roots of the Zionist state of Israel. CHRIS JAMES looks at the new wave of Palesti-
Zionism. was as ant- comodation
virtually
In fact
towaras assimuation mcrcascu
Tono «uu-sctlsu currents
Zionist the reac- avv-ue coromsauon ol lalu
the Palesti- various times as the
not nola state power.
relationship
non witn imperaust anui-scnules.
Wing to rid their lands return for support was UiUCL Audience
role dience for their
League, "rejoiced'
. was iust one •.. lave always asserted.
racial jews driven oucouls.
lousIlt for open WUIKCIS regimes violently
Ben Gurion warned, the existence of Zionism.
Leading
according to migration
spokesperson
Zionists argued: tention anti- uou laws alld behalf OI B'nai
man refugees' benefit.
nerete on acto anti-semitism. Both Zionists and anti-semites agreed that jews constituted a race and that racial assimiation was impossible. In lact. as Leon noted, jews were a 'people-class' and their separate identity survived as long as their economic role persistea. As this disappeared so the tendency
Zionists argued that the only solu-
Was IO1 CWO LU have a separate homeland and, again ConVHe MC TCN ortuC Huluue crassci of the time, this could be achieved on-
, Argentina and Uganda were considered at
possible targets.
The problem was that, as Zionism did
an imperialist power would have to be found to sponsor the colonisation. The theoretical accomodation to anti-semitism theretore led to attempts at practical collabora-
Herzl approached anti-semites from Count Von Phelve, organiser of the pogroms barism'. in Russia, to the Ottoman Sultan ofter-
of the jews in for the Zionist tially
With the rise of Nazism in the 1930s Zionists found a new anti-semitic au-
ideas. The Nazis recognised the coincidence of interest that existed with the Zionists. Heinrich Class, President of the Pan German
at the growth of Zionism and noted that "the Zionists confirm what the enemies of the jews
Along with their agreement on the
found alullISl themselves arguing, like the Nazis, for jews to leave Germany. However, unlike the socialist organisations, such as the sections of the Trotskyist Fourth International which launched campaigns to
the borders of Europe and the USA to the fleeing refugees, Zionists were compromised by the fear that if iews around the world had to choose between helping the refugees or supporting Zionist colonisation, then, a.
. we are risking
Zionist organisations in the USA, for example, adopted a policy LIUl of collaboration with the criminal im-
policies of the US government. Rabbi Wise, the leading Zionist
told congressional hearing in 1939 that there was 'no in-
of opposing the US immigraMax Kohler testified, on B'rith ana the American Jewish Committee, that he opposed special legislation for Ger- lilalls
Zionism, by counterposing
fight against Nazism to the colonisation of Palestine, sabotaged the united front that was needed to deteat Nazism. The rise of Zionism to become the dominant ideological current within the jewish diaspora was rooted in the ollaical liquidation workers' organisations — and particularly those of the jewish working class, It gained its strength from the despair following the boigration of re gees to Palesinel holocaust from forcible
Within Palestine, Zionists had, at best, ignored the existing Arab inhabitants. A popular Zionist siogan reterred Palestine without a people looking for a people without a land'. At worst the Zionist vlcallsalivis reproduced the racist attitudes of the imperialists. In fact, Herzl, in attempting to sell the idea of Israel to the imperialist powers, explained that the state would be 'an outpost: of civilisation against bar-
The imperialists understood the importance of 'a little loyal jewish Ulster' in a sea of poten-
hostile Alabislll as Storrs, Jerusalem's first British civilian governor, put it. Between 1922 and 1943 the jewish population had risen from 11 to 31.5 per cent of the total population of Palestine.
Under the British mandate after World War I, jewish immigration to Palestine was encouraged to act as a counterweight to the Arab population's desire for independence. return the Zionists supported British colonial rule.
Majority
However, it had always recognised by the Zionist leaders that to create a safe jewish majority the Arabs would have to be forced out. Joseph Weitz, head of the Jewish Agency's Colonisation Department, had already concluded in 1940 that there would be no alternative but to 'transfer the Arabs from here to the neighbouring countries not village, not one tribe should be left.
This is how the state of Israel was created in 1948. Through a combina-
of terror, threats and murder 750,000 Palestinians were driven out of their homeland, creating an instant jewish majority, and the dream became a reality.
Far from Israel being democracy its apologists like to paint it as, the Israeli state's foundations are racist to the core. It is based on the permanent exclusion of the
from their homeland bestowing the automatic right
the citizenship on any jew from anywhere
in the world. Although Palestinians have to pay taxes, their entitlement to welfare benefits is dependent upon military service, from which the vast majority of Palestinians are excluded. Workers from the occupied territories are allowed into the Israeli state to work, but they do not have the right to stay, even overnight. Their situation is in 'essence identical to that of black workers from the bantustans in South Africa. Within the ritories the Zionist state exercises its 'right' continually Palestinian land, in contravention of "land
international law.
Internationally, the Zionist state helps to arm and sustain some of the most bloodthirsty world. It is a close collaborator with South Africa. ,had the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua
when even the USA was unwilling to do so. too, Reality Those on the British left, such as Socialist Organiser, who strive to find a progressive content within Zionism, have to do so by ignoring the reality even of internal Israeli politics. Zionism ues ine israel working class Ilo al. alliance with the jewish bosses to defend the 'national interest' against a mythical 'Arab threat'. From the beginning the development of class politics was distorted by Zionism.
The General Federation of Hebrew workers, the Histadrut, campaigned for jewish, not workers, control over land, labour and the means of production. It organised boycotts of Arab labour and been physically attacked Arab producers in
public markets. Small Golda Meir called it 'a great çolonising agency:
Similarly, the Kibbutzim, presented as an oasis of socialism in the Middle East, specifically exclude Arabs, and in fact, are often large industrial enterprises, built on expropriated Arab land, one which exploit cheap
provide comfortable lifestyles for their jewish inhabitants.
Any unity workers can only be based on winning the jewish working class to break with Zionism Zionist black and white unity can only be bas-
Led on opposition to apartheid. the From its birth the new Israeli state
was faced with problems which determined its international policy. A tiny enclave cut off economically trom the Palesti- rest of the Middle East, it was not a whilst viable entity. From its inception it had
of to rely on imperialist support in return
budget.
The
Howeve
occupied ter-
expropriate
regimes the
It continued to support were living
only jewish
MP,
Sals.
Israeli state -
wonder that
from the
Arab labour to people.
of jewish and Arab
just as in South Africa
Along
Zionism.
International
for its services in policing the Middle East. By 1982 it was receiving a stagger ing $6 million per day in military and economic aid from the USA .-a sud sidy of one third of the Israeli national
drive create a viable economic entity, and; to secure its military position, gives the Zionist state its continual expansionist :dynamic
each expansionist thrust creates its own contradictions. The 1967 war against Egypt, Syria and Jordan resulted in the Israeli state seizing control of the Golan Heights, the West Bank and Gaza and the Sinai Peninsula, with the new markets thus opened
creating mini DOOTE economy. But it also incorporated more Palestinians into the Israeli sphere.
By 1982, two million Palestinians
in sraell occupiea territories and there is now a net jewish emigration from the Israeli state. It is
La matter of time before the population once again becomes a minority within the territory it controls. The fascist Israeli
Kahane, simply expresses the deadly logic of Zionism when he calls for the expulsion of more Palesti-
Such even if it were possible, would simply repeat Israel's problems on a more gigantic scale.
Indeed these contradictions now touch Israel itself. . The invasion of Lebanon brought 400,000 people onto the streets in protest the largest demonstration in the history of the
• and led to the growth of organisations such as Peace Now. Such military adventures risk loosening the stranglehold of Zionism over the Israeli population and are in any case more and more difficult. Palestinian uprising in the West Bank
Gaza has further complicated Israel's contradiction.
There is an unbroken continuity
earliest Zionist writings, through Zionism's criminal response to the threat of Nazism, to its present day pol Seed of iss teligioenad
Shed ,religious ideological mystifications the Israeli state stands out more clearly than ever before for what it is — a settler col onial state, a heavily armed outpost of imperialism in the Middle East - an anachronism in the late 20th century...
with its international twin, South Africa, it is one of the states in the world that today face the greatest internal contradictions. *Leon, a Belgian Trotskyist, was the first to develop a systematic Marxist critique of
news murce erDymie lvuza during World War II.
Page 9 scan of this page
ERUPTS
International
Four Palestinians were killed.
The Palestinian camps exploded.
die East today.
MORE than 36 Palesti-
nians have officially' been
killed to date, yet the true
number of martyrs, as the
Palestinians refer the
victims of the Zionists, is
probably much higher as
the occupying forces are
reported to be following a
policy of seizing control of
the dead in order to bury
them secretly night,
Keepin atticallya do
artificially low.
Among , those killed are 13
and year old boys.
well as people as old as 70.
By Chris James
According the
Observer of 10 January,
'there increasing
evidence that the army had
dum bullets rioters. As hospital spokesperson as saying, •Sometimes we find one bullet with 10 pieces of shrapnel, and I can assure you these are not rubber bullets.
Jabaliya camp, which has become the centre of the uprising, and has now been renamed 'Revolution' camp by the exiled PLO leadership, (and the 'PLO' camp by the Zionist regime!), has also become
i testing ground for the us of gas. The same Observe article notes that the most unpleasant comes in green
barrels that soldiers roll off the backs of jeeps before blowing off the cover The mot remote control Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which looks after the
the does not know what this gas leaves victims with intense headaches.
Curfews
The Zionists have placed curfews on 15 PalestiNALLICELYCC COLOS ICCCILly in a futile attempt to quell the 'disturbances'. In addition they ve banned newspapers; increased the hoop presence and size ol patrols; used light aircraft and helicopters to drop tear gas on demonstrators. taken hostages trom among the wounded hospitals in the occupied territories; have arrested at
1200 people and ordered the deportation of nine to date, of which four have already been
southern Lebanon. Torture and abuse of palsoncis,
I ALL began on Tuesday, 8 December 1987, when, in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli lorry plowed into a line of Arab taxis that were carrying day labourers to jobs within the pre-1967 borders of the Zionist state.
The 'accident' was widely considered to be an act of revenge for the fatal knifing of a Zionist businessman a few days before.
There is nothing surprising about the Palestinian uprising. Since the 1967 annexation not a year has gone by without the residents of occupied Palestine demonstrating their refusal to submit to the oceupying forces. But the depth of Palestinian unity and militancy, combined with the crumbling both of the
Zionism's own ranks in face of this onslaught and of the monolithic imperialist international support for Zionism's claims in the area, has begun to alter the whole balance of forces in the Midseen to be a linen ca. Telephone reported. service and any form of contact with the callps llas been disrupted. Even a United Nations coresen tative was initially denied access to the camps!
And all of these attempts at repression have been in vain.
The occupying forces have been confronted constantly by the Palestinian Their weapons, which have seemed so effective in the Slave proven insufficient in dealwith the current wave struggle. bottles, rocks, slogans and posters Including sliced watermelon, since it conlans mic talestinians national colours of red, green and black nave continued to be used to good effect. Some areas of the camps have even become virtual 'no go troops according to accounts in the press. Solidarity In the second week of the uprising, Palestinians in Israel called a general solidarity with their sisters and brothers in the occupied territories.
This event sent shock waves through the Zionist world, long accustomed to seeing the Arab 'minority" complacent and relatively content with the status quo. Named 'Peace Day' by those who called it brought out 170,000 Palestinians within Israel alone, nearly crippling the Israeli economy for that day.
The one day action was accompanied COnfrontations, barricade building, stone throwing and demonstrations within the Zionist state, Pre transter wed Palesti"transfer' of Palestinians, as well as a return of the military law which was lifted in 1966.
It has also resulted in a number of arrests and people being held without trial, Hanna Siniora of the East Jerusalem Arab daily AlFajr, prominent nationalist figure.
The Palestinians have displayed a renewed unity
text. The different factions, including the Popular Front for the Localiot Palestine (PFLP), the pro-Moscow
Democratic Front for the
Liberation OI Palestine
(DFLP) and the
manusucau
of Yasser
Arafat,
reflected in working leaflets as wai and
the PLO rather by the in-
increasingly
fact Islamic
strike that
occupied (this
of Peace And in-
Islamic
altu VISIO
have been
towards nationalist Unity This increased unity in two lucial areas, in the liberation movement and
the we nan people in the whole of
Palestine,
The three important breakthroughs in the period. The other two deal with the breakdown of the Consensis within the Zionist state, and the virtual collapse of the proZionist front internationally, including in the United States, long Zionism's staunchest and
most unquestioning supporter. Zionists acrions in the oce ferocity
cupied territories seems to have forced through something of a tion in world public opinion concerning the
Palestinian cause. The UN has passed three resolutions since the uprisings began, the first condemning Zionist policies in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip the second and third deploring the planned deportations, and their actual carrying out, as being illegal under the Geneva Convention. (The Zionist regime, ironically enough, justify their actions under laws passed during the British Mandate).
Weakness
In the past the US has attempted vetoing, such resolutions of condemnation in the Security Coun-
Significantly, at this pull tael representative has abstained from casting a vule alu tic coveraner has condemned Israeli action, both the deportations
policies or tin
policies regime the highest levels. The British delegate mas even gone so lar as Ic urge the use of stronger language UN resolutions!
The unrest Zionism's collaborators is tal bodies over ne tal bodies.
Independent of 6 Januar reports tha sections
Israel's longtime
chest ally, the American
Jewish population,
beginning to have second
LOUDES about
policies of the
state!
This is reflected in the
diehard pro-Zionist New
Republic which is reported
as being extremely critical
of Shamir's excessive use
of terrorist labels
dealing with the Palesti.
nian situation. 'A Palesti-
youth crossing
own street to throw a rock
or even a Molotov cocktail
at a soldier is not a ter-
rorist. And neither,
matter the
who exhorts the boy from
une neared
Provisions
Clearly the US is not
about to cut off all arms
provisions to Israel; nor is
the American Jewish com-
munity going to stop rais-
ing funds and providing
•DacKIng
the Zionist state. But the
signs ot dissent interna
tionally over Zionist policy
in the occupied territorie:
the first crack
eaiiice that has Ollell, ll
the past, seemed all
impervious to any sort ol
pressure whatsoever.
As for the Zionist state itself. the are much
more evident. More
11010
government are calling for
'dialogue' with the states for a solution to the problem, • and ever
fundamentally, for a com
plete Zionist withdrawal
from the occupied
ritories excluding East Jerusalem - themselves. Problem 1 ne Observer of 17 January cites an amazing development in this area
- Shlomo Lahat, a 'senior member of the right-wing Likud party', has called for Zionism to detach from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 'Holding on to the occupied territories is a burden for Israel, from the human aspect and the na-
Heis
quoted as saying that th
ime has come for 'drasti measures, including Zionist withdrawal negotiation with neighboring Arab states.
This is unheard of in a settler-colonialist that not only insists on its right to exist, but on its right to expand - seemingly without any barriers
at the expense of its neighbours
What does the mediate future hold for the Palestinians and their struggle for national self-determination? There has among other things, been a call for a protracted campaign of non-cooperation with the Zionist regime. recent weeks are any indication, we can expect Dressure Zionism mount, with an escalation of the rifts both internally and internationally, and the all-too-frail facade of democracy crumbling even
And the struggle, the Palestinian Intifada, uprising, will continue.
Socialist Action staun- Argentina
are
the "Jewish
the prosecutions of military torturers.
when
simply came back for more.
for cleric
thorough purge of the armed forces.
army which favour limited reform.
for
Haiti in an
toc
and
the vote in some areas.
more
teritself
candidate.
and
the
tion of the candidate of its choice.
NATO strategy
im-
French nuclear weapons.
to
build up of high technology conventional tional weapons spending in Europe.
danavia.
22 Jan 1988
World
in action
Aldo Rico's coup attempt in Argentina is simply the latest in a series of attempts by im-
portant right-wing sections of the armed forces to
assert their control in the country, and to oppose
Aldo Rico was also at the centre of the coup
attempt last year which was resolved by a com-
promise from president Alfonsin which ended the
prosecutions of all junior officers for human
rights abuses, torture and so on. As might be ex-
pected, as the regime compromised, the officers
The deepening military opposition confron-
ting the Alfonsin regime is trouble of its own mak.
ing. It failed to take advantage of the opportunity
it had after the overthrow of the junta, following
the defeat in the Malvinas war, to carry through a
At each sign of opposition it backed off, and
has satisfied itself with purely token actions. The armed forces maintain an effective veto over the actions of the government. The government has
even talled to back more liberal forces within the
Rico's coup has been defeated, but far more powerful forces are poised to carry on as soon as an opportunity presents itself. There is mass popular support for decisive action against the thugs in the Argentinian army, but Alfonsin is more terrified of that than of the military.
There are often fraudulent elections, but there are rarely such openly fraudulent elections as those conducted in Haiti on 17 January. The poll was reportedly less than 20 per cent, due to an effective opposition boycott, and despite reports of attempts by the army to force people to
Attempts by the regime to present the poll as a legitimate election were undermined by the wave of pre-election arrests carried out by the army, focussing on those involved in the boycott cam-
In a number of areas of the country the polling stations did not open, and it is reported that in some areas there were no ballot boxes anyway. And it was hardly a secret ballot! Each candidate had to produce their own ballot papers, the voter surrendered a ballot paper for the candidate of their choice for inspection by a scrutineer, who then placed in in the ballot box appropriate to the
Given the withdrawal of the four most popular candidates in the previous elections, violently disrupted by the military until they had to be abandoned, it is not surprising that this time the army did not have to use force to ensure the elec-
•A clear insight into NATO policy after the INF treaty has come with the publication of a report by the US Federal Commission on Long Term Strategy chaired by Fred Ikle, US Under Secretary of Defence. Also on the Commission were the National Security Advisers to Nixon and Carter, Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski
The report notes that economic problems in the US make it less able to bear the full 'burden' of 'defending' Western Europe. It therefore calls for greater emphasis to be given to British and
Alongside this the Commission emphasises the
weapons. This would require a build up of conven-
The report refers to a growing movement of 'military appeasers' in West Germany and Scan-
Page 10 scan of this page
The withdrawal movement
10 THE Enniskillen bombing evidently weakened the fight to get Britain out of Ireland. But two months later it is now clear that the government's cynical efforts to exploit Enniskillen, to discredit the growing view that Britain has no progressive role to play in Ireland have failed.
IT was an attempt reverse me entire political process which began in 1981, Ireland with the sie incurious he
Fein during hunger strikes, and in Britain with the election of Ken Livingstone as leader of the GLC. The goals of
•British governmenl ever have been to isolate and destroy Sinn Fein, in Ireland, and reverse the growth of the withdrawal current in
The Enniskillen bombing provided pretext for Britain's propaganda machine swung into action for these enas. In southern Ireland this was effective: extradi-
WaN massive security operation
"search for arms, volving 7,000 police and
was launched and the cross border security co-ope longer ste the sup co-operation stepped mission Dublin British demands with no reforms at all in Northern ireland will create major political problems for the Fianna Fail government.
But, as leader John Hume's meeting with Gerry Adams in January RIGHT across London Labour controlled councils are pushing through major cuts which will have a massive impact on jobs and the provision of services. Whereas before the general election major cuts were avoided by creative accounting and other devices, the cuts now being prepared are real and will be deeply unpopular.
In Camden, for example, the Labour group have agreed cuts of between 20 and 40 per cent across al
More than are to be lost over the next year and there will be compulsory redeployment of staff.
By Pat Murphy
In Haringey, £46 million cuts are proposed. £26 million have already been agreed and the Labour group is trying to get a further £20 million
and services
are also The through councils.
of council
protesters.
ington Margaret
Socialist Action 22 Jan 1988
after Enniskillen
showed, attempt
all with ouLlaw Sinn The Irish main
"The two • private talks
ween Hume and
alic be welcomed. respec-
Sinn Fein, the
can come hopefully SUCT changes
will LICE
the munity Northern Ireland Sinn
of the large
settlement and in the shaping of events which population of counties Sinn
them.
Fight the cuts
Hodge, council leaders have adopted the approach
making burden fall on the white collar unions not affiliated to the Labour Party
the NUT and NALGO. This divide and rule tactic has had some success. But given the scale of the cuts it will be im-
possible to avoid eventual-
ly also confronting the affiliated manual unions.
Repatriation
In addition to attacking the Labour
ullulls groups pursuing these policies are also trying to silence tel opponents In the party. There is now a
to remove the whip from 11 councillors who have voted against Labour group policy cuts and
repatriation in Camden. In
Manchester,
Stringer has written
Tribune calling sup-
porters of Militant, alleged
to have shouted at him at a party hat to be expelled.
not beings
organised is any campaign
mobilise the trade
unions, Labour Party and
communities against the
deeply unpopular policies
In Britain the post Enniskillen witch hunt focus-
Ker Livingstone simply
public MOSL the view Britain
This is
1974.
SUNC the judicial frame-ups
une Guildford and Maguire cases.
ment was completely
wals 0O E until the strikes
electoral
• WILi DOoDy elec-
After the situation dif-
Gulle ferent. COI being isolated • VYCEN
minority MPs
• Grour
. with-
1 KING TO
IMPROVE
SERVES
of the government like the poll tax. This is because the course of passing really massive cuts onto TIne working class necessarily 1s orcing councus to stead focus their energies
their OWI trade unions and the left.
The result
Labour councils pursuing
policies which break up
Labour's bastions of sup-
port in the inner cities.
The cuts in jobs and
services have to be fought
through channel. Councillors who even possible
stand out against the cuts
Labour Party (PLP) was forced to hold its first full discussion on Ireland for many years. At the PLP discussion it was the left which was on the offensive and which effectively highlighted the key flaw in Labour's policy its ac-
Is now rooted minority the labour
been to the
contradicted by accep-
strip searching, bullets, the PTA
of trade recently the
for The Na-
policy British policies on Ireland and
revived in
the Irish
Birmhave to be defended. Trade union action jobs and services has to be
support by local
Labour Parties
A campaign has to be
launched reverse the
disastrous course of doing
the government's work
it. Instead Labour and the
trade unions should na-
tionally launch cam-
including national
industrial
demonstrations against
the poll tax and the other
government attacks on
local government.
ingham Six and Guildford Four.
Notwithstanding Neil Kinnock's •ridiculous statements setting himsel
on Irish
as all cl history and explaining that the population of Northern Ireland is British. the Labour Party is no longer
unionist position. On the contrary it now nangs it position on the 'unity by consent' line of the Dublin government and Ine SDLP
the sectarian
minimal elimination of the
catholics employment
The
by the succeed in derailing the
employment the
have been LWO delegations led by US
Ireland this senatos
adds to the
trade movement.
conterence administration.
HOW can a so-called left wing council end _up in such a mess? The Stringer administration took power in 1984 with the promise to improve jobs and services Until the June 1987 generai elecuon many nev council jobs were created.
about the same amount that now will disappear because of the cuts.
By Finn Jensen
Because the Tory government has stolen over £500 million in grant from Manchester since 1979 the council paid for the improved services through creative accountancy. This can of course only go on for a certain period Rut the counci pinned its hope on the for-
Labour government. After the general election the Str-
inger administration saw no alternative but to make massive cuts.
Graham Stringer was
chester City Labour Party
ANNIVERSARY OF BLOODY
defeated by the votes of unions which organise in Northern Ireland and cover discrimination.
This is not a tenable position as the situation in the north of Ireland are got the open The first meeting of the Labour Committee on 1988 IlaN set itself the goals of winning a maiority against employ ment discrimination at this party conference and is planning a year of action culminating in a national march and festival for British withdrawal from
Manchester council
gets rid of 3,750 jobs
MANCHESTER city council's December meeting decided to make £110 million cuts, which is about 25 per cent of the budget! 3,750 council jobs will go and the council services will decline drastically. On top of that the right wing of the Labour group along with the Tories voted down some of the progressive equal opportunities policies of the Graham Stringer
and in most of the council unions.
A general feeling of being trapped emerged allone Labour Party members. At the one hand the chances of winning a head-on confrontaton wiln ine governmen look bleak. On the other Party supporters will blame the for the cuts Catch 22 situation! And new cuts wil have to b implemented in the com-
On top of that the Stringer leadership is not even willing to organise any major campaigns against the Tory education
prie efacios, of ll te cec.
the cuts make it more difficult to mobilise even in the next local May election. Jobs A resistance to the cuts began to develop when it became clear to what extent the services would be damaged. In education for example over 1,000 teaching jobs, 500
News
DEMONSTRATE FOR
TISH HITHDRA
FROM
IRELANT
SATURDAY TOE LANCARY RALLY AT ISLINGTON TOWN HALL
1989 on the twentieth anniversary of British troops being sent to the six counwili register a qualitative believes that this expansion withdrawal movement •Britain.
Backfired
Overall, whilst, of course the bombing at Enniskillen damaged the
Cent irelandel Britain out it didn't derail it and the Thatcher government's attempts to UDE discredit the withdrawal position, seem even to have backfired.
and
Cheste was • organised.
of Manchester
support all
Support
In order Manchester achieve these Fightback will have to present a political alternative to the policies of the Stringer administration. has to be explained that it is possible to mobilise the working class Manchester for more money from the governmen
And if the labour mov men vance astone the lead that will be an inspiration and an
for other inner cities which all have similar financial problems
If such a campaign is raised the abour. move
ment will also be in a much
better position to fight the
poll laces to the
attacks
government. There is,
course, no guarantee that
the labour movincil wil
win in the end- - althougl
it is far from impossi
But not to take the fight
will guarantee a defeat.
Page 11 scan of this page
Right plan new offensive after NUM election
Crucial TGWU elections
In the Unions
AS we go to press polling is taking place in the NUM presidential election. But every indication is that Arthur Scargill is going to win. This will be a victory for every miner, a setback for British Coal, and a setback for the right wing in the NUM. But it will only be the beginning of the fight against British Coal and the government's plans.
IT'S clear that it is the government's smash the NUM and that it is prepared sacrifice the livelihood of everyone
tne country This is showing up most vividly in the plans for the privatisation of the electricity industry.
Those interested tendering to run a privațedustry have made it clear that nuclear power is completely uneconomic On VOTING for a new general executive council of the TGWU (in both trade groups and territorial divisions) closes on 5 February. The result of these elections will have enormous significance for the future of Britain's largest union.
THE union's massive vote in both the Labour Party and TUC, at regional and national level, means the ballot result will have a knock effect throughout the labour movement. If the right successful we will see further steps to bring together the 'centre and right in the
movemell, 111dustrial and political questions
By a TGWU member
If the left wins then the attempts by the EETPU to get its "new realist' policies accepted by the TUC and Labour Party, will be set back, with renewed possibilities for the left to INTERNA
MARXIS
Latest issue of IMR £2.S0 plus 50r
economic grounds the nuclear power
proglamlie would be halted.
But the government is insisting that nuclear power go ahead and that it will subsidise it. So much for the claim by the government pit closure programme because it wa with 'economic forms of
production. The government concerned
develop nuclear power solely because that is a way dustrial strategy and a series of policy questions
The outcome of the Labour policy review, whether unilateral nuclear firmly defended, what
portunities policies,
wage and so on, will be greatly
influenced by the outcome of these elections.
The media and the tacTens inne
have undoubtedly targeted
the IGWU. A head on in-
dustrial show down — as
with the NUM isn't
sorable give me unship.
spread membership.
But the 'new realist' ele-
ment in the GWU plays up to the trend for a more
'subtle attack. REVIEW Moter 198)
The significance of Gorbachov
Ernest Mandel
to weaken the miners.
In calling the presidential election when he did Arthur Scargill outwitted the government, the NUM right. But that has
not stee rid the and Kin-
right and nockite left in the NUM had planned to participate
presidential election called under the government's new trade union act
stand a Kinnockite candidate who would have split the left's vote.
That is what they had tried to do, unsuccessfully, with HENC Clarke in the vice-presidential election.
of Scargill's timing in calling the elec tion the Kinnockites were unable to come up with a candidate leaving the
There have been numerous knife edge deci-
political questions, such as changes
the structure the Labour Party
internal questions,
witn tae expulsion anc subsequent of region o representative Alan Quinn, on what were
trumped up charges. New realism
Candidates acceptable' to the new realist wing have been successtully imposed on the union's
organisations, most recently in the South-west and now London/South-
Alongside this there Cast have been retreats, such as the record of the Welsh
regional leadership in encouraging EETPU type no strike deals with various
employers
TGWU members must get the message new
realism the union
will stand back and allow
employers to impose worse
working of employ and
employment.
1 nat is wny It's vilal lie.
do not get the upper hand
present. round
elections. Link-Up
The Link-Up, cam-
paign involves a pledge to
put power and resources in
the hands the union
membership,
revamping our organisa-
tion, reaching OUt
organise the 'new' workers
WRO particularly ex-
ploited part-timers.
short term contracts, YTS
etc.
Ki the near alite wini
Link-Up's real value
be reduced to
bureaucratic
bolstering falling member-
snip. wnle the leadershir
concedes argument after
argument to une louies • U1.
industrial and political
We have already had a
taste of that in the South-
only runner in the field against Scargill right winger John Walsh. The
Out' manoeuvered. But that
mean that they does not have abandoned their policy of aiming towards cooperation with Coa
British Coal has made its own plans more and more explicit. The South Wales coalfield has seen 15 out of 28 pits closed since the strike and 11,000 jobs
been Yet the Have Cut Polish and the South Wales advocated leadership would participating in further massive job loss.
Walsh has made it clear during the election that he is prepared to discuss with
OM
inst. le press that orien
the union
chair and out-going ter-
ritorial rep for the London
area, Brian Nicholson, has
already helped the media
brand the socialist
London and the South-
east as 'loony,
The so-called London
effect' that Nicholson and
the Labour right talk
British Coal about flexible working as the South Wales leadershio was over Margam. As Arthur Scargill has pointed
VUL this would lead to the closure of 20 per cent of pits and the loss of a further 40,000 jobs This makes British Coal's pro mise' 830 jobs at Margam appear small beer. Far more jobs will be lost as a result of texible working than would be gained evel British Coal's promises.
This is why a policy of cooperation with British Coal is literally suicidal. "here is no acal on oric. from British Coal by being reasonabic. Incy wallt to slim down the industry and prepare
SiOn
NO!
A PINT 5901
about is the steps that have
been taken to try to defend
the interests of the inner cidepends working class which
upon local government services,
black people,
detena
women, and lesbians anc
The 'problem'
creating 'London ef-
fect' includes bus workers
fight wage wall
privatisation. A victory for Walsh, and for flexible working, would have been the encouragement for further round of job • losses. shitual danger could be faced in the vote for general secretary wher Peter Heathfield retires.
The South Wales leadership disciplinary already unicalle
against Tyrone
'Sullivan from Tower, Phil Cullen from Cynheidre, and Terry Dvies secretary of Marine
organisers of the Scargill campaign in South Wales
The defeat in South Wales, by 69 per cent to 31 per cent, of the ballot for strengthening the overtime ban is undoubtedly a setTRANSPORT 8 FEE nurses who want to
cuts,
detend the NHS.
For all these reasons
every TGWU
should scrutinise the can-
didates wno are Stalling
for election/re-election. Ig
nore ine nes or the meala
and the union right wing.
Vote candidates wnd
will defend us against the
Tories and the bosses.
Socialist Action 22 Jan 1988 back. But a victory for Ar thur Scargill in the presidential poll will be :
for the vital specia /VUI NUM delegate conterence on 2 February. That must be the starting point for a fight against the area leaderships, such as South Wales, which opposed Scargill and orientate collaboration with British Coa Du Field and co will not be Needless Des presenting themselves reelection.
Senior
Colman
12 month
on strike
THE first anniver of the strike of eering factory in Sal Senior Colman Manchester, was mark ed by a rally on Satur day 16 January attend ed by 250-300 people.
Important themes
cluded the need to fig against new realism whic was highlighted by Denni Skinner, Senior Colma convenor, Graham Why att and Betty Heathfield
By Jan Whitehead
Betty Heathfield vehement on the need i involve women pointing!
the miners' strike. She als
spoke out against
Alton Bill — as did Denn Skinner.
Sacked miner Denn
Pennington poke of l
experiences MS Dee along with Betty Head
field, highlighted the lin
which had been built wil
the mining communities
Stan Orme
Labour Party / front benc
gave his backing to the u
strike action,
pointed to the nurses as a
example of what can
achieved.
The was one of drai most
theme dere
mination and defian
There has already be
one victory in that one
the original victimis
workers has
reinstated by an Industr
The fight goes or
reinstate the 30 who
still on strike -
supporting victimies:
leagues.
• Messages
sent to:
Colman
Committee
c/o 43 The Crescer:.
Salford
M5 4PL
Cheques payable
'Senior Colman Sira
Page 12 scan of this page
Defend the National Health Service
Support nurses and health workers
Dennis Skinner calls
for demonstration in
defence of NHS
To the TUC 31 December 1987
Dear Norman,
I think it is very important that the labour and trade union movement mark the 40th anniversary of the National Health Service by organising a massive demonstration early in 1988.
You may have read in today's newspapers that patients in a Wolverhampton hospital ward threatened with closure tied themselves to their beds with their bandages to stop the management closing the ward.
One of the union officials involved got it just right when he said, otherwise the NHS will not survive'
This kind of spirit and resistance must become a feature of the whole labour and trade union movement and I urge the general council of the TUC at its next meeting to formulate plans for a massive national demonstration in defence of the NHS. people in every community who are yearning for action to be taken.
I look forward to a positive reply.
Yours sincerely,
Dennis Skinner MP THE year has begun with two successful actions by health service workers which have forced the Tory government to back down on cuts in the pay of nurses and of blood transtusion service workers.
THE anger now felt by health service workers is best demonstrated in the strike by 37 all NUPE members, at North Manchester General Hospital. While this not first ume nurses have taken strike action some nurses went on strike in Britain in 1982, and there have been nurses strikes in Ireland, Israel, Africa and the USA in the recent past
7 January was the first time nurses in Britain have
Name
Address
I enclose cheque/PO payable to Socialist
Action for £
Revistered os g newsooner with the Posi OTTIC!
Published by Cardinal Enterprises, PU Box 30, London NI
Printed by East End Offset Ltd. (TU); London E2.
SociAlist
ACTIoN
BUILDING AN ALLIANCE FOR SOCIALISM
'Someone has to have the bottle to act,
I am absolutely confident that there are thousands of
taken strike action independently of other health service workers.
By Geoff Ryan NUPE Central Manchester Health Authority
The North Manchester strike was called against the government's threat to cut special duty payments for night duties, weekends and Bank holidays, replac-
SUBSCRIBE
Inland 24 issues £10 Send 10: Socialist Action Subs, PO Box 50, London NI 2XP.
ing them with a flat rate payment of £1.20 per hour. This would have meant wage cuts for many nursing staff
Following the Manchester strike health minister Tony Newton has been forced to say these proposals will be reterred to the nurses' pay review body While the proposals have not yet been totally dropped it is unlikely in the present climate that the pay review body will support them.
Alongside this, blood transfusion service managemen cance cumstances' allowed them
allowances previous levels, following
RATES
Overseas
(48 issues only)
Europe £24 Airmail £34
(Double these rates
for multi-reader
institutions)
nationwide strikes and work oute
The government retreat
by the was vloudit aboul threat of further strikes by
NUPE, the possibility thạt the Confederation of Health Service Employees would join further action and the massive public support for the Manchester strike. In fact, apart from the government the only opposition to the strike has come from the Royal College of Nurses and the journal Nursing Times. And whatever the views of the RCN leadership there was support for the . strike from RCN
at North Manchester hospital.
Scotland
If the immediate cause of the strike at Manchester was special duty payments the root of this and other actions is the massive crisis of the NHS as a whole.
Before Christmas consultants (including former Tory supporter Nigel Har-
St Mary's Hospital London) presented a petition signed by 1000 medical staff demanding extra funding for the NHS.
Since the North Manchester strike health workers have demonstrated against threatened cuts in
Bunley ananaly health
Jallual, health workers, including nurses
called a 24 hour strike in Lothian region of Scotland
Israel out of the Occupied Territories
23 January
National demonstration
Assemble: 12 noon Hyde Park Corner
Called by PLO and solidarity organisations against government attempts to impose privatisation. There is a possibility that if the government continues its plans to privatise services health workers in Scotland will escalate strike action up to an indefinite strike.
In Hill End psychiatri hospital St Alban: 30 workers, including 15 nurses are striking over the suspension of two COHSE branch officials.
Cuts
Despite the extra £100 million the government was
Will following the consultants' protest and opposition to government policy from the Royal College Physi cians, Royal _ College of surgeolls and the kova.
College of cologets ans and Gynaecologists financial crisis of the NHS continues to escalate.
Just the latest casualties of government cuts in one
SNOILI-WON| demonstrate the scale of the problems
The casualty unit at Manchester Royal Infirmary was forced to turn away all cases requiring hospitalisation as no beds were available, and now has announced it is bankrupt and jobs are under threat. nODe not Pendlebury Salford Roya and Children's hospital, all in Salford, are threatened with ward closures. Altrincham General
surgical unit and the entire hospital is under threat.
Manchester General has been forced to cut 55 beds and privatise services to prevent the loss of £487,000 of promised government . money. Royal Victoria Hospital in Morecambe has closed its casualty department.
the HICS enthusiastic Thatcherite health authorities, which have made every cut the! can, privatised all possible services, face massive budget deficit at the end of the financial year.
Charges
Despite Thatcher's claims that the NHS is safe in her hands, it is clear that the entire National Health Service is under threat. While a frontal attack is not possible due to the enormous popular support for the health service, the Tories have eroded the standard of care, introduced charges bit by bit, allowed waiting hists to get longer and longer for serious as well as routine surgery and privatised substanțial components of the service.
Labour
Quite aside from the impact on health service users, with shocking figures avoidable death being released virtually every day, this is causing large scale demoralisation among staff
who feel they can no longer provide the level of care they feel they should.
Individual Tories, Nicholas Winterton, may make some protest, but the government is clearly set on a course ot further cutting back funds to the NHS and imposing • charges
They are now considerin
and 'hotel' charges when admitted to hospital.
Labour's front bench has outlined a five point plan for the health service which includes full funding ot the new pay structure 1o1 nurses, restoration of maintenance for hospital buildings and equipment and a reduction in waiting lists. But we cannot afford to simply wait for a Labour government to implement this plan. Strike
In the past engineering workers, dockers, miners and other workers • have taken action in support of health workers and against
Health clearly prepared to take ac tion to defend the NHS
The nurses of North Manchester and Edinburgh have shown a tremendous example - - now the Labour Party and shoulc organise campaigr throughout the movement including strik action in detence of the National Health Service and against further erosion of pay, jobs and services.
← Socialist Action No. 176, 11 December 1987Socialist Action No. 178, March 1988 →