Socialist Challenge No. 249, 11 June 1982
The scan: sc-no249.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.
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Challenge WORKERS TO PAY FOR TORY WAR
No. 249 11 June 1982 25p redeemed on the cheap. There is a
in blood and honour. So spoke Tory caveman John Biffen, leader of the House of Commons.
The blood referred to is more than that of British soldiers. The lives of many of the 8000 Argen-
defending Port against une britisn are also going to be sacrificed on the altar of 'British honour. will not surrender. fighting for what
So Britain will run amok.
Britain has alreay been responsible for major atrocities in its invasion of the Malvinas-Falklands. It has tried to cover this up by its hypocritical cries of horror over Argentine possession of napalm. Yet Britain has been massively using the outlawed anti-personnel 'cluster' bombs which are built to inflict the most wounds. It has also been using phospherous bombs deadly, if anything, than napalm. It is the use of these bombs which explains the disproportionate number of casualties inflicted on the Argenitnes.
But whatever happens in the battle for Port Stanley, Argentina Is unlikely to give up is clanu to the Malvinas. The pressure of its own people is too great. Britain is theretore in tor a prolonaed war. As Labour MP Tom pointed 'there is a prospect of a British Vietnam in the South Atlantic'.
Miners
strike
workers
Unemployed and strikers 10p
Socialist
can rare v be
confined TO a price Falklands and
Ten, British operating from
Stanley Ters
The Argentines area of action.
They are
is rightfully combination
pressure
tine people,
La much more serious foe.
horrifying Mrs Thatcher more turning world
the pariah not Argentina.
war, which
leadership, Dalyell has Michael root, hideous plicit in this.
for health
Britains war is by no means
the surrounding sea. It has already begun operations on the Ardentine mainland. As Jon Snow reported on News at
commandos a base in Chile have blown up 5 super Etenard
at Punta Arenas in soutnern Argentina. Britain is only waiting for the right moment to extend its
expected TENCE of financial, diplomatic and would quickly bring Argentina to its knees. This is not how things are turning out. The determination of the Argen-
the solidarity of the rest or Latin America nas created
World opinion is moving against Britain. As EP Thompson pointed out on Sundays mammoth CND demo, 'in the space of five or six weeks,
has succeeded in opinion right around so that Britain was now
It is British workers that are going to have to pay for this Tory
has already cost £1000m. John Biffen has warned of the Tory plans for a war tax to pay for this mad adventure. fortunately, the right wing Labour
lead by whimpering are totally COTT
Their argument that such support was necessary in order to
maintain electoral credibility received its come-uppance in last Thursday's by-election when this most unpopular of governments took a Labour seat. The magnifi-
In the war on the home front. Britain's half healthworkers gave Thatcher a kick in the teeth with their magnificent response to the second one day strike action on Tuesday 8 June. In some areas, the complete frustra tion they feel led some of the ambulance workers to remove even emergency cover. two-to-one rejection of the measly 6.4 percent offer to nurses by the traditionally conservative Royal College of Nurses reveals the depths of anger that has been reached.
Support for the health workers is overwhelming. In a magnificent display of working class solidarity, miners in Yorkshire and Lancashire and
cent CND demonstration and the unprecedented solidarity with the health workers show that an alternative force exists. A force, which if given a lead, could turn That-
seafarers in Liverpool struck million in solidarity. mines were totally shut down.
of support, ecutive of Britains union, the General Workers Union joined the picket line outside London s Westminster Hospital. The
tion to the miners, and many other workers not directly involved in the fight for the tremendous spirit that will be unleashed when Tebbit tries to force new anti-union laws down the throat of the labour
of the health workers was in
INSIDE
Philip Agee on
CIA in Nicaragua
Miners and Poland Report from Havana
on non-aligned movement and Argentina
Cher out
right
The Yorkshire prohibits In a further demonstration picketing
the entire exbiggest Transport and tional
strike
The spread of solidarity ac
seafarers
12 percent shows a
per cent.
The action taken in support
iron is hot.
p7 p5 of office. The fight against Thatchers war is also a fight to remove Foot and other
wing leaders. Battle must now be joined in earnest.
direct contravention of the 1980 Employment Act which
secondary
The health service unions and the TUC must now respond to the call from the Na
Union Public Employees to go on all-out
with accident and emergency cover only
We say NAME THE DATE NOW! The solidarity already shown will only gather more strength if the healthworkers leadership take the bull by the hors and give their total com mitment to the fight for the 12
The health service unions have never ever be so united. Let's build on tha unity and strike now while du
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All out strike needed
Editorial
PO Box 50, London N1 2XP Phone 01-359-8189/8180 (editorial and distribution)
Foot must go
Why Labour's
conference
should oppose
the war
OVER A hundred resolutions critical of
Labour's front bench's stand on the war
are estimated to have been sent to Party
headquarters.
including the construction union UCATT
and the traindrivers
have also opposed the war.
'This branch expresses our total opposi-
tion to the war with Argentina and calls for
the immediate withdrawal of the British task
West typical of
received.
a war which can onlv strenathen the most
vicious anti-union government seen in Britain
since the 1930s.
Newham went on to call for a 'massive
show of opposition to the warmongers, That-
cher and Reagan,
demonstration on 6 June and the picket of
the American embassy on 7 June, and resolv-
ed to lobby for LP policy to be in line with this
resolution.
our MP votes according to the above policy in
any parlamentary arvision.
with Thatcher's
atrocious behaviour has let her off the hook.
Now she is running into
Reagan recognises that she cannot fight the
whole of Latin America -
position to reap the benefits of a policy of
consistent opposition. Only if Labour com-
mits itself to complete withdrawal and starts
to build a mass movement on the issue, can
this disaster be reversed.
Foot's leadership
and the issue taken to conference. Resolu-
tions to conference should call for
• support to those MPs who voted against
the war
condemnation of the front bench's stand
• complete withdrawal
Atlantic
It is this issue above all others on which
the present leadership of the labour move-
ment should be called to account.
alternative to Thatcher at home because they
won't oppose her class's dirty work abroad:
this is the message we should try to get over.
Across the board,
delegates, in the formulation of policy for the
coming Labour Party conference, in reselec-
tion of MPs and in the NEC elections, the
questio of hissue she led an or foo
This is an issue the lett can win.
obscured the real
from Tony Benn's stand. On what other ques-
tion in recent months has the front bench
the battle would not boil down to a straight
'constituency
disoute: on the contrarv. it should be taken
up throughout the length and breadth of the
labour movement
secure foundation for the Labour left, based
for the first time on socialist principles in
foreign policy.
JOIN THE FIGHT FOR
SOCIALISM If you would like to be put in touch with Socialist Challenge supporters in your area or would like more information fill in the form below Name...
Address.
Age......
Union/CLP (if any)
Send to: Socialist Challenge, PO Box 50. London N1 2XP
Socialis: Challenge 11 June 1982 page 2
Several major unions
union ASLEF
the many we have 'Trade unionists have no interest in
CND nauonal
'We finally demand,' it concludes, 'that
What should be the next step in dealing
warmongering?
trouble even
Labour is not in a
should be challenged
from South
Foot and Healey don't fight for a socialist
gains which have come
and Andrew Faulds voted with Tony
Union opposition to the war shows that
party versus the block vote
bulla a new and
By Pat Hickey WHILE the Tory government spends £3.5bn to wage war in the South Atlantic, it 'can't afford' the f6m needed to pay the health workers the 12 per cent claim. The offer of 4 per cent is in fact a wage cut for 500,000 of the lowest paid workers in Tine country. All OUL strike action is necessary now to win their demands.
More than 400,000 health workers are earning less than f82 per week ine orncla poverty ine lo! a married person with two children. under offer a cleaner would be 79p a week better off after deductions. a porter dp and a staff nurse £2.34. win Inllaton al cent represents substantial wage cut.
Thatcher wants to use the health
SCI VICE prepare another round of wage cuts for ine Dubnc sector and to set the pace
SCCLOT well. Because the health service workers are primarily and black workers she feels she has an easy target'
But the health workers are fighting back. After six years OI incomes policy they have had enough. The support tor the two days of action on 4 and 8 June is a clear warning to cher that the health workers are prepared to fight.
Nurses take
the lead
By Eve Turner, St Bernards Hospital West London MILITANT nurses in the health service union, COHSE, showed the way as they began their 24 hour strike at Ealing Hospital West Lon don on 4 June as part of the national one day ac tion support or une 12% pay claim.
by National Union
line by National
Public members they kept a lively picket going on all day with numbers of up to 100.
At 1pm the organised a demonstration and marched in uniform through the streets shouting slogans like 'we're not angels, we are workers' and 'we demand 12 per cent Albert Spanswick, Sokotory of COHSE joined them.
Tony and Ginny
Bieszley, nurses on the
picket line, explained
that while nurses were new at taking industrial
action this was the beginning: 'we are expecting an even bigger
We're determined
PAY THE HEALTHWORKERS
3000 miners have already taken action suppor of the health workers and the Welsh miners have voted overwhelmingly to do the same along with the water and Liaisoull workers; this could become a maior tes
strength with the Tories.
Not only will they be challenged on the pay front, but their anti-union laws will be tested. Secon-
legal under the '80 law and sympathy action will Soon cutlawcu uluc the latest round of anti-union legislation.
The response of health workers and other sections shows that many workers are prepared to take on the Tories. The main obstacle to this is the trade union leadership. Within the NHS unions only NUPE has declared for all out ac-
COHSE and others LOR are holding back.
It is clear that all out action with essential services under workers' control is the only way to win. A mumor or onc uay sud pages can be useful in building up sunport and preparing for all out strike. But one day stop-
will not win the pages claim, and in the end will waste the energies of the members and lead demoralisation.
When the TUC Health Services Committee meets on 9 June it should set the date for all out action.
Despite the obvious unity of the nurses both days of action have highlighted poor leadership throughout
The succes. of the COHSE nurses' initiative is due to the hard work of two women stewards.
Although NUPE has been better organised amon NUPE ancillary onid, its a bit pathetic member when miners and other workers are supporting
that some our members still go into work'.
However the lead of the nurses is beginning to filter into St Bernards hospital (Ealing's psychiatric wing) where COHSE Ho lie out for the first time for two hours joined by the transport union
Co-ordination throuah ioint union ste wards committees is becoming all the more effective both to deepen the strike throughout the
and to defeat the machinations of the leadership.
OFFICAL
PICKET
The trade union leaders will themselves off the hook by appealing to the Tories to send the dispute to arbitration. This should also be opposed. All health workers ever had from arbitration is inadequate percentage awards. differentiated according to grade.
It is essential now in the service to build the joint union committees to organise the rank and file against the weakness and hesitation of the officials.
Action is essential health workers are to build on the support that other workers have offered. This support understanding that the NHS is a big gain for the working class and must be defended.
By Duncan Smith 5000 HEALTH service workers from all over Scotland marched through the centre of Edinburgh on opposition to the government four per cent pay offer.
Pride of place at the head of the march was reserved for the members of the National Union of Public Employee s Hospitals branch who have been on strike for a fortnight.
A contingent of miners was also present and general secretary of the Scottish miners union explained at the following rally that pit head
keep the hospital workers out. Referring to the South Atlantic the militaristic idiots in ment who can find pounds for death but not for life. Defence of the NHS is a class issue, he said and every unionist should support the health workers So far the Scottish TUC, TUC and union leaderships have done next to nothing in support of the Edinburgh strikers.
STUC general secretary Jim my Milne told the rally that a
Starvation wages in the
health service are driving
vitally needed skills to the
private sector. This suits
the Tories very well - they
have been systematically
destroying the NHS in
order build
Puivald
medicine.
moreover, long
drawn out strike will fur-
ther damage the service
with even longer waiting
lists. Basing themselves on
action, health workers can
take these arguments to
the rest of the working
class and win support.
Militants should be br-
inging the NHS struggle to
the attention of other
workers. In particular,
they should be getting
delegations to the picket
lines, raising cash, and in-
viting speakers to their
branches and work-places.
5000 march in Edinburgh
against government
goirg Secretary Friday 4 May in
8435838
until South ing out until the 10th.
Eric Clarke jected an offer
us. then wa strike.
they'd been let Clarke attacked
parlia 'millions of
trade can win the claim.
Health workers are providing a national focus for the struggle against the Tories. This opportunity build opposition them should not be missed.
The Labour Party also should be giving a lead on this issue, getting speakers party platforms, branch and general Illallascillcill committees organising public events to mobilise support.
The Labour Party NEC should be pressed to call a national demonstration as soon as possible With a lead coming from workers in struggle this would be a big focus for anti-Tory feeling , 1n the working class and an impart of winning the healthworkers demands. delegation of trade union leaders
the Tory of State George Younger but had little else to offer his audience and was frequently interrupted by calls for concrete
On Monday 7 June strikers at the City Hospital voted to stay out
Wednesday June and strikers at the infirmary are stay
The Infirmary workers also re
of 45 en hour to shift the pile of three weeks dirty laundry which has accumulated
'If we do that one striker told
wouldn't be on
Pickets from the Infirmary said
down by the na tionel union officials. They haa been hoping for some construc tive proposals for spreading in dustrial action but had heard none so far. They emphasised that the strike was now at a turning point
The two Edinburgh hospitals could not stay out much longer unless other hospitals around Bri tain followed their example. Their message to the rest of the health service is that all out strike action
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CND MARCH DEALS BLOW TO THATCHER AND REAGAN Quarter of a million say: Stop the war mongers'
Revolution and Socialist Challenge contingent drew applause from the CND crowd as it entered the park chanting: Malvinas, El
By Steve Potter AN ASTOUNDING quarter of a million people took the streets of London last Sunday in massive protest against the
war drive. week of action they joined nearly a million protesters in Europe and the USA, protesting against Reagan's war drive. Sunday's demonstration converged from north, soutn ana west monowing the shape of the CND symbol as it converged on its rallying point in Hyde
The demonstrators predominantly youth, marched through London streets, declared that day a 'nuclear free zone' the Labour-controlled Greater London Council.
Also prominent on the demonstration were contingents ITOI Transport and General Workers Union. the fire Brigades Union, the Yorkshire miners, healthworkers chanted 'Jobs not Bombs!
Pay the NHS!'
Labour Party branches.
SILC the demonstration was an undoubted blow the Thatcher government, which saw the 'Falklands effect' as a way not only of
their electoral popularity, but also of demonstrating the impotence Ine anti-missiles movement to stop
The Tories' South Atlantic War was al the centre of the demonstrator's concerns, as was evident both from the slogans and the speeches of the main speakers.
Tony Benn concentrated his speech on the lessons of Falklands crisis, warning the crowd
Hyde Park that the adventure would be used to justify a massively in-
budget. He also accused the press of
'the mouthpiece of being the military'
Arthur Scargill, the President of the National Union of Mineworkers, also roasted the 'simv sun and the 'dirty Mail' who justified the huge amounts.
embassy on ivonday
Reagan's arrival in Britain.
of police swamping the area
on the march
our banners chanting:
Salvador, Stop the
Committee, backed by over Roberts, MP for Hackney North, 'Reagan, we want you to go home'.
TOGETHER WE CAN STOP THE I CND BOMI In an international
Western Salvador, Stop the Bosses' War spent in prosecuting the Well while carrying out another campaign of proPagallua against the healthworkers. He finished by urging a campaign of civil disobedien thompson repeated his charges that the media was lying on the Wal in the South Atlantic.
The organisers of the aemonstration the paign for Nuclear Disarmament, had been able to momentum of the movement against port to the see on t port to the succession
FIVE thousand people assembled near the American
evening 7 June to protest They were moved hundreds of yards away from the embassy by thousands
The protestors moved off for a march to County Hall, home of Labour's GLC. The largest contingent
was organised by Revolution and Socialist Challenge. Seven hundred marched behind
Hold Reagan, he vio good, Hollywood, 'Malvinas, Bosses' War' and 'Ronald Reagan, he can't win, we remember Ho Chi Minh'.
The protest was called by the Reagan Reception
50 Labour MPs Ernie told the crowd.
REVOLUTION TO LI
THATCHEROU
REAGAN OJI
NG
demonstrations against
the war in the South Atlan-
tic that had preceded Sun-
It was CND which in-
itiated the Ad-Hoc Com-
on the Falklands
which, while alli Tory.
observance of the
proposed Security Council
resolution 502 which based
itself on British sovereigndemanded the nevertre ess also
immediate
withdrawal of the fleet
Thus CND avoided the
possible Cull explained
earlier in the week by EP
Thompson at a Socialist
warchfor the future
BRITAIN OUT
SOUTH ATLAN
SOCIALST CHALLE
Society Teach-in against the War, who explained which did not fight against that peace Hovelicle actual war did not deserve the name.
The strength of the international movement which CND is a part was demonstrated by Lare 300,000 people who gathered in the Piazza del Populo in Rome to demand an ena to the building of a new nuclear missile base in Sicily. The Mose popular MILOS E
'Italv out of NATO, NATO oul of
REVOLUTION YOUTH
Italy'.
Anti-Reagan protests also shook Paris on Saturday where, despite boycott by the Socialist Party and Communist Party leaders demonstration called by Central American solidarity committees, and the two
Trotskyist organisations,
Ligue Communiste Revolutionaire and Lutte VIVIC UICW 20,000 people
Ten thousand marched in Dublin against nuclear weapons, and thousands more in both Copenhagen
NO
U.5 MSSILE
a PROTEST AND SURVIVE
_CND
ELSAL NDO
9M
and Antwerp A demonstration as big as those in London and Rome is expected this Thursday West Germany when Reagan arrives there on Thursday of this week.
In an attempt to
Youth contingent a
highlight of Sunday's
demonstration
cheers broke out from the vast crowd.
their voice heard. Chanting
youth's concerns.
Prominent in
and Labour Party Young 1000-strong contingent of Challenge supporters.
the South Atlantic.
monies as quickly as possible to: SCD, PO Box 50, London N1 2XP
upstage the left, the Chris. tian Democrats in Bonn Munich called demonstrations welcom ing Reagan, but Dres reports pointed out that unes were considerably smaller than the antinucical weapons demonstrations called last and that the largely ycal middle-aged participant applauded with equal vigour statements praising Reagan and good beer campaign called Coalition tor Peace through security demonstrated their weakness by flying slogans on barrage balloons and playing Land of Hope and Glory from a root, seven stories above passing Youth
The overwhelming message throughout Western Europe has been opposition to Reagan and Thatcher's war drive. And this weekend when Reagan arrives back in the United States a major demonstration is planned against his wantonsen audicalac Central American policies We should build on this ment, to build up CND in mainstream sent
LOuS country, particularly amongst youth and labour movement, curl. the eyes of its supporters towards the wars that are being fought now; wars which the possibility of the nuclear war that CND is pledged to prevent.
As the end of the southern leg of Sunday's demonstration entered Hyde Park on Sunday,
The reason? Thousands of youth determined to make
'Ban the Bomb', 'Withdraw the Fleet' and 'Malvinas, El Salvador; Stop the Bosse War!' opposition to imperialist war was at the centre of the
Line youn contingent, which includea many branches of Youth CND, Schools Against the Bomb
Socialst oranches was Revolution and Socialist
Open letters were distributed to LPYS members urging them to bring their leadership to order, since the Militant tendency which leads the LPYS has consistently refused to raise the clear demand of the withdrawal of the fleet from
Over 200 copies of Revolution were sold on the con
as well as 250 copies of Socialist Challenge. Will all Socialist Challenge supporters who took ex tra papers at the weekend's events please return the
Socialist Challenge 11 June 1982 page 3
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EPThompson exposes British atrocities
EP Thompson speaking at last year's CND rally REVOLUTION supporters in the Labour Party Young Socialists have written an open letter to the LPYS. The YS leadership, dominated by Militant, has opposed action which calls for the withdrawal of the fleet from the South Atlantic and in so doing has tried to separate the YS off from youth mobilising against the war. Socialist Challenge reprints some extracts from the June issue of the LPYS paper, Socialist Youth, and from Revolution's open letter.
Socialist Youth
In the months before the invasion, opposition to the junta was growing and coming to a head.
Only days before the
demonstrations against Galtieri organised by the illegal trade unions.
It was to derail this ophome that Galtieri launch-
ine vastor Falklands.
The invasion initially increased the popularity of the euphoric mood of nationalism swept Argentina when 'the Malvinas' were liberated.
REVOIUTION
It would be mad to ac-
people who oppose this war of supporting the weta ie the case mat well case that General Galtieri launched the attack in the Malvinas to divert the struggle of the workers against the Junta.
But this move has not paid
Socialist Challenge 11 June 1982 page 4
Stop Thatcher's war
Bring back the fleet
off.
Why? Because the
Argentinian workers
believe that right v Malvinas belong to them, and that the islands were taken by the British. There was a demonstration of over 200,000 workers
Argentina - their slogans were 'Malvinas Yes. Junta No' and 'Down with Britain, Down with the Junta'. The Argentinian trade unions have also taken this position.
Socialist Youth
The downfall Galtieri floodgates of revolution in Argentina; that is the last
thing the Tories and their big business backers want.
REVOLUTION
The imperialism America would be strengthened by defeat for Britain that's why the
By Phil Hearse
'A GIGANTIC cover-uf vocialiul being organised' declared Edward Thompson at a huge rally organised against the war in the Malvinas last Thursdav. Thompson was one of the key speakers at
organised by the Socialist Society, which brought together speakers diverse Thompson, Peter
SDP), Tam Dalyell MP. Ernie Roberts MP, Mary Kaldor, Hilary Wain-
Robin Blackburn.
Thompson alleged that a gigantic covert military
was being organisea by brusn Torces operating from Chile, which had involved all 'SAS raid into Argentina to blow up SuDer Entarde planes.
He also exposed the way in which the media is using alleged Argentinian
to cover up tne atrocities the British. A big fuss was being made, he said, about
-Open letter to LPYS-
FMLN opposition in El Salvador and the San-
government Nicaragua stand with the Argentinian people in this war. A defeat for Thatcher would be a aereat for Reagan's war-plans, and that's why Reagan is providing arms tor the British Task Force.
Socialist Youth
The demand aneer Whas crow the has also been raised. Leaving asade the facthat amonith many workers drawal' now takes on the meaning of 'giving in to the junta, to the dic-
You have only to ask HOW could the task force be withdrawn to see how meaningless this demand
Appeals to the Tories
withdraw fleet would fall on deaf ears.
SOCIOLINA In tries must have a consistent position. In Britain we demand a general election and the coming to power of a Labour government on a socialist programme as a means of appealing to Argentine workers and soldiers an appeal for class solidarity. REVOLUTION
What has been the response of our so called leaders? Michael Foot, that well known pacifist,
Malvinas/Falklands
TAR
COMMENT
napalm to attack the Argentinians. British media, and successive Tory and Labour governments nam. the fact that the Argentinians had napalm bombs on the island. 3 uhthe peish reus-
the antipersonnel cluster bombs used by the US in Viethas come out in full support of the bloody war. The Militant-dominated endesmo o me cabou Party Young Socialists, while busy criticising other soovement, fear that active socialists labour opposition to the war will cut us off from the working class.
demando ke se
all demands back the fleet' which aim to mobilise youth against ine war. They argue the only answer to the proDiell Is a general erectiot and a 'socialist' Labour
The UIU-
›lem is. however that by supporting Thatcher's wai Foot and Healey are helping the Tories to win back support at the polls.
We don't beg the Tories to stop the war. We demand that the labour movement opposes the war calling for withdrawa the fleet now. Such a campaign is part and parcel of the fight
kick out the Tories. Without this issue, talk of power on a socialist programme' is pie in the sky.
The Tory war in the South Atlantic is the big gest test socialists have had to face in many years the leadership organisation, the Militant, is failing this test.
The Daily Star had the sheer hypocrisy to use this famous picture of a Vietnamese child fleeing from
never condemned its use by the Americans in Viet-
nam, which accounted for the large of serious operations and amputations being carried out on the hospital ships.
Moreover, British forces are using By Hazel MacPherson, Paddington NUR A MEETING of over 60 railworkers attending Broad Left conterenci last Saturday, adopted hard hitting resolution opposing Thatcher's war in the Malvinas/Falklands.
'This conference of the Broad Left Rail workers calls upon the NEC of the NUR to oppose That cher's war in the Malvinas (Falklands). This means campaigning for
1. Immediate recall of the British fleet.
2. Complete withdrawal of all British troops.
3. Re-opening. of negotiations with Argentina
4. Argentine political refugees to be allowed to settle in Britain.
5. The TUC to invite the CGT (Argentinian TUC) to come to Britain and meet them. , in line with the CGT's appeal to British labour movement.
To this end, we demand that the paper of the NUR, Transport Review and the Broad Left Left Lines, publish the appeal of the CGT and open up discussion on the war.
phosphorus_ shells which inflict appalling burns on their victims.
Many speakers denounced the war as being 'out of all proportion' to the defence of what Bernard Crick called 'these
lousy islands'. But Fred from New Left Review answered this by bointing out that the war was not 'out of proportion' to the needs of Thatcher to create a reactionary national consensus, fend British imperialist in terests, and 'blaze a trail
— making it easier for im-
powers like the intervene in the 'third world' especially Central America and the Middle East
Tam Dalyell exposed the Tories claims to the 'sovereignty' of islands, and alleged that foreign sociclary Lord Carrington had resigned OCCausC he had loyally operated the Tory consen sus of giving up sovereign. ty of the islands and had subsequently been 'double crossed'.
Rail Broad Left calls
for withdrawal of fleet
LEFT LINES
JOURNAL OF THE BROAD LEFT FOR RAILWAY WORKERS
.The resolution was only adopted after sharp argument WILD Militant supporters who attempted to delete all the demand for withdrawal of British forces. l nev argued thai our resolution supported the Argentine junta. This has been the refrain of papers like the Daily Star and Sun against war like
of the Benn and Arthur Scargill. Thatcher not fighting the junta, but the Argentine people. Op
Thatchei supporting the junta but the Argentine people, par ticularly the Argentine labour movement as our resolution made clear.
Inaccurate
Militant also put forware atunell that you can't force the Tories
withdraw the fleet only a Labour government can do that. This is not on-
historically inaccurate; such a position gives com TOrI themselves.
forced the Tories to withdraw from suez. the United States had to wilnaraw its troops irom Vietnam because ot botn the resistance of the Viet namese ana the mass
For pointing out these truths and voting agains the war, Dalyell has been sacked as a Labour tron bench spokesperson by self-proclaimed 'peace monger' Michael Foot.
Perhaps the most imporlani and eloquent remarks of . the evening warmly received by the audience, , were those of Edward Thompson on the
peace move ment. A peace movemen which didn't stand up and fight when a war was taking place, said Thompson was worthless. He urgec the meetings' participants demonstration on 6 June a make CND mighty mobilisation against Thatcher's war
Light relief highlight of the evening was the conLOUCO! by Paul •FOO who pointed out to SDP champior Peter Jenkins that although Jenkins had opposed the war from the beginning, precisely nought per cent of the
MPs had voted against the war. Jenkins sadly • nocaca ms agree ment.
10p No. 1.
movement which developed throughout the world , and particularly in America itseit.
Scandalous
Militant's final argument that such tion from the working class s would 'alienate from a scandalous reaction
tendency which Calis Marxist.
Workers have not swallowed
Tuatcher
arguments 'hook, line an‹ sinker' Many alt
propaganda popular press, but virtually none are prepared to
sacrifice Hidkt favour of the war.
The task of socialists is provide the working class with alternative
all which is independent from class collaboration. _We may have to go against the stream, especially as in the presen Saliell the Labour leadership works hand in glove with Thatcher
The majority of the conference did not agree with Militant's social chauvinist approach (socialist in words, but supporting the ruling class in deeds). Militant's attempt amend the resolution was defeated by 18 votes to 24.
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THE MINISTERIAL dinating bureau of the movement of non-
June. worded statement operation in the South Atlantic by powerful
and assisted by the United States.
High level delegations
more heaven centries
countries demanded an end military operations to end all acts and hostility to Argentina'.
also demanded 'an immediate
to us SUDOULL for military assistance' to Britain wille 'renewing their support and solidarity with Argentina's constant struggle to eliminate Lne colonial presence the Malvinas Islands'.
The Argentine previously training
of wheat to flood ravished Nicaragua
The final declaration was adopted ucsoilt all altempt at diplomatic efforts led ov the delegations Jamaica and a number of
former British colonies that are today part of
British Commonwealth.
This constituted significant now Anglo-US campaign win support for British imperialist aggression against Argentina.
Since there is every indication that the confrontation over ine will not end even if the British are successtul militarily taking the islands, the declaration assumes even greater importance a stumbling block in the path of the imperialists.
aligned movement led by Cuba.
The stand taken by the ministerial conference was a victory.
Within! the non-aligned movement led Cuba that are waging a struggle
maximuse alltiimperialist unity of the block whose populations comprise the
of humanity. majonly
As Fidel Castro, president of the movement of non-aligned countries, explained to the 34th session
United General 1979 mbat Da LoDer Lilal what bonds the non-aligned together, what is common to them all is their position as oppressed nations suffering from imperialist domination.
brings this
reality more forcefully than the fate of
Argentina. Ten months ago ILS military
Non Aligned
Argentina
meeting of the
aligned countries came to a close here on 5 Agreement was reached on a strongly
that deplored 'military
military forces of the United Kingdom aided
ment was Daviliz a leilla role in US imperialism's war against the peoples ol Central America and the Caribbean. Today that same millary Junla Is ocing forced to turn to the oppressed and exploited the world over including and Nicaragua LuDa appeal for support and solidarity against a powerful Anglo-Us economic and military aggression.
Argentine military • advisors have been pulled out of Central America and
government which was
counter-revolutionary terrorists in Honduras has now donated 7000 tons
the Argentine government which previously training counter revolunonary terrorists in ronduras has now donated 7000 (LOs of wiedl flood ravished Nicaragua. ine Angio-us war le seize the Malvinas Islands was a ponnical locus or unc entire conference here in point of which was the address of
minister Costa Mendez the representative of Argentine military junta, was forced Argentina's
colonial countries and the the HICIeSI oppressed nations in opposing Imperialism's ban-
The stand taken by the ministerial conference was a victory for the forces within the non-
ditry. This was the only wav that Argentina could successfully appeal to the forces in the non-aligned movement. a fact that must have been made clear to Costa Mendez shortly after his arrival, when he met with the heads of some Asian and African delega-
tion osta Mendez' uncom-
promising speech made it nearly impossible for these delegations which were resisting adoption critical, anti-imperialist stance, lo nae benina lne excuse of the Argentine junta's reacuunary imperialist policies.
After playing tribute to Cuba as 'the pride of the Caribbean' and redalling the close economic political and cultural links between Cuba and Argentina that exists between the two countries,
Malvinas/Falklands
Movement backs
FUE ARGENTINA E
PIRATAS
Mendez stated that Argentina stood before the conference of non-aligned nations 'confronting Чине exceptional circumstances in its life, in order to reaffirm the principles and fundamental aims of this Lovellicit
pride of the Caribbean'
He traced the history of British colonial Dosses. sion of the Malvinas and LuC are coil. against Argentina that proceeded the 2 April occupation of the islands by Argentina. Costa Mendez
appeal to SUDAY the anti-colonialist, anti-imperialist struggles that are the common cause of the peoples of the non-aligned countries: colonialism is an act ot force; it is ongoing aggression; it is ine opposie or wue peace li
tions in OuT movement
often painfully, this The community declared
Haliciall! onlalisin CrIC This movement une movemen! non-aligned countries, has.
its historic purposes
the fight agains!
Civice onlailsill neo-colonialism and all other forms of world domination.
That is why we are here today telling you our trun The struggle against colonia cominanoa conandes lo Untold as a legitimate reactor from the people to the system
perpetuating quo that benetits only the col •nais alli nowers . rorce nas servea l( maintain this status quo.
The great majority of the countries that are er and ther his dependence shroud struggle movement simlar to une one we are cal This is also the way the Arges. or me avinas tine republic tries of the Americas • gained
OW!:
Torough an nero doeralls effort. Nor can I fail to reca
By Mary Alice Waters in Havana, Cuba 600D BYE QUEI
GOD SAVE
that nations such as Algeria
ndia, Cuba, Vietnam and so ilaly others fought
• their liberatior and their full rights to an in Genencent me sinis sug gle as well that the peoples o South Africa are engaged in the sten against the odious apar-
Costa Mendez paid tribute to Cuba as 'the
The Argentine republic has was pee ma sondarily with the principles of the non aligned movement. The Argentine republic has pressed its total objection
termone Argenuna nas recognisea Ine inalienable right ine
people to self determination and the right to form a sovereign state ... The
has been and is supported by Shouldney nee aligned movement
remalt respecttul 10 lega oreer moosed colonialist powers? answers, and answers roundly: no.
Costa Mendez words had the impact intended. They gave a tremenaous lift to the fight for unconditional support to Argentina's fight for sovereignty over the Malvinas and its right to defend sovereignty by any means necessary
This fight was organised by the caucus of Latin American delegations with Cuba and Nicaragua taking the lead. As Fidel com-
the Argentine and Cuban press later in the day following ceremony where agreements between Argentina and Cuba were renewed the 'statement made by Costas Mendez. considerably broadened the support by third world and ПОП aligned countries for
Argentina
extent of the
political changes that have
already been produced by the imperialist war against
Argentina were also noted
by Castro in his remarks to Ine press has given rise to Latin American nationalist and Palave never seen before s
have never seen before, Fide stated All of Latir Americans have felt the Argentine cause to be our own,' Fidel went on, have suffered the dead and the fallen in Argentina as it they WCIC Argentina's victory is our victory. Argentine defeat would be our own defeat. But I am sure that it will not be the Argentines that will be defeated. Even if Ine aggressors acneive par tial succéss they have created a verv serious con flict with disastrous plications. In my opinion Argentine determination is the key that will provide the victory.
Cuba's foreign minister addressed ministerial conference 'the next stage of this process
ISHACHL Latin American nations
extra-hemispheric attack. The Monroe doc-
the inter-American mutual assistance treaty, and the Organisation American states, are dead needing only a funeral ora
laid away CYCL
The Havana conference discussed at length and adopted positions struggles going elsewhere but was this advance of anti-imperialist struggle throughout Laun America inal more than anything dominated delibera• tions of the delegates.
Grenada's foreign minister Unison Whiteman took note this fact on the floor of the conference, saying that the non-aligned movement sorength andi respect: This today gaining is due he asserted, more than anything else to the political course for non-aligned being charted under the chairmanship of the revolutionary government of Cuba.
unions is gathering strength responsibility.
Britis workers dav lor une war and maim them. more and more effective way
workers and the Labour Party
porters who run our hospitals.
'we more urgent.
perspective.
port of the healthworkers front line ners carried by our supporters
revolutionary internationalism
the
offices, has now reached £6849
our existence. meet all our committments
The Edito for
Rush all monies 1o:
on on
all else Wick's Wages
Campaign London
б.
M CA highlar
Yo islands the Coventr
To all our readers THE EVENTS of the weekend have shown that the opposition to Thatcher's war in the South Atlantic and the war against the
The size of Sunday's CND demonstration surprised everyone; giving confidence and inspiration to those who have tought the uphill battle against the war against Argentina from the day it began. Hundreds of thousands of youth have told Thatcher that they reject the hateful jingoism spewing from the pages of the popular press.
At home, the magnificent class solidarity of miners and transport workers behind the health workers has laid the foundations for a united struggle of the whole labour mov ment against the attacks on the unions.
The action by these powerful sections of the working class has again nailed the lies of the yellow press who present industrial workers as self-centred and lacking in social
In fact it is the Tories and their Fleet Street lickspittles who are prepared to sacrifice the National Health Service, educa tion, home-building and other welfare spending to the needs of a bloody military cam paign. Now the Tories are planning to make
Our paper Socialist Challenge can claim to have played a significant role in opposing the war and in supporting workers' struggles at home. For that we reason we have no hestitation in asking you, our readers, to support us financially. Unlike the Tories we use our money to support workers, not kill
From the begining Socialist Challenge has called for the withdrawal of the fleet -and for the defeat of British imperialism's bloody project in the South Atlantic
We've taken the message into CND groups, Reagan Reception Committees and into the labour movement as a whole up and down the country, encouraging the growth of a current against imperialist war.
As a result of this and other campaign's carried out by the left, CND has been able to respond to the war drive of Thatcher in a
We've also called for a strategy of sup. port for the health workers from industrial
Socialist Challenge has explained that the Tories want to isolate the healthworkers from the rest of the working class with usual cant about the 'heartless' nurses, auxiliaries and
The necessity for a battle plan for the British labour movement becomes more and
That's why after this weekend we feel strengthened in our conviction that Socialist Challenge is key to advancing such a
Our paper has built for the events of the weekend for three months. The demonstra tion on Saturday for a women's right to work, turned into a demonstration in sup-
women in the thanks to the placards and ban
Our contingent of 1000 youth on the CND demonstration carried high the banner of
Neither would have been possible without our newspaper which has been maintained over these last weeks solely by the magnificent response to our 'Weeks Wages for Socialist Challenge' campaign. The fund launched as a result of mounting debts and a quadrupling of the rent on our
But we have to do mucn more to secure
By next Thursday we must have reached the f10,000 mark in order to
From our experience of the last month we know that our readers will respond
'Heeks Wages Campaien'. Sociulist Challenge, PO Bor 50, London N/ 2XP
Quarierl! lund-drive
Mansfield 58-0930-8838058
Carditi - Fair Enderly person. with love Standing Orders
Socialist Challenge 11 June 1982 page 5
Page 6 scan of this page
Labours new programme
Labour's manifesto has to convince the working class that the next Labour government won't be like the last Wales Labour Party in conference
LAST WEEK Socialist Challenge published a summary and extracts from the draft programme now being discussed by the Labour Party's National Executive Committee. The programme, which will be submitted to October's annual conference, is likely to be the basis for the next manifesto.
Over the next three months Socialist Challenge will be publishing a series of articles on aspects of the programme. This week ALAN FREEMAN introduces the series and discusses the approach socialists should take in the current policy debates in the Labour Party.
If Labour published this fiogramme, which is severd hundred pages
in accessible form, it would probably be very popular. 'Unlike manifesto our programme must take a longer VICW. we are told. 'We have to ask not just how weathe Tories have tom can back together apart, but what kind of LUtELC do we want tc build?
Brave words: the programme reples to lts own. question with a definition welch could take British socialism a long way: "The broadest definition of our socialist objectives might
be
the freedom from opDI COUL. whether economic, sexual, racial; the oppression of poverty or ill health; the oppres sion of unaccountable power in government industry.'
Most important of all, having the heavy shackles of expediency, the programme does amidst all the ver biage lav down clearcut commitments. 'We are committed to full employment of both men and women. social equality and democratic control OI the CA plains.
And 'The next Labour
will ensure that no one is out of work for more than 12 months without receiving an offer of a job or training place,"
The programme defends a 'woman's right to paid employment' and a 'right to equal pay for work of equal vaiue'; and a right to training or work for school ieavers.
By Helen Slyomovics, Cardiff North THE Wales Labour Party conference last month LOOK place al a lime mounting international and national tension. Central to the debates was the Issue of the avas altu the role of the Labour Party in this colonial war.
The Labour Coordinating Committee ‹Ll) aelegates on tne executive agreed to a resolu-
Calle lllmediate ceasefire, mutual withdrawal with UN intervention, ULUD economic sanctions. The conference referred this back to the executive. The resolution replacing it-called for an immediate ceasefire with UN intervention and wa much weaker with the omission of Britain relinquishing sovereignty.
about Nothing Foot and Healy was said tailending the Tories and it
Socialist Challenge
Such commitments are Hibullaril than vague promises to 'cut dole queues'; they can inspire working people to struggle for their own emancipation. For millions of people under dailv threat of redundan. cy, such a commitment is proot that there is an alter. native, that unemployment is not inevitable and that they are right to fight back.
Definite demands on employers are promised to entorce these rights: fol example, , a statutory duty to provide youth training. From here it is a short but vital - step to demand trade union enforcement of these duties, instead of relying on class-ridden civil service and judiciary.
The much less definite on what
governmen Will it will implement th TUC plan for public spen ding, nationalise one or more clearing banks, and 'take a stake in each major sector of industry, But
of its detailed arguMOST ment is spent, not on spelling these commitments, but on discuss-
special government bodies which will implement them.
abour
was only Joan Maynard bringing greetings from the National Executive who spoke clearly for British withdrawal.
In the dramatic witchhunt debate, organisation around clear cocause ponces neved co bring about a defeat for
light LACI ICEL has been given for the right to attack the left.
Instead of arguing for the transport unions to follow national bolev and support the and
motion
left aghed to the with-
agreed the withdrawal of the resolutions.
When the General and Municipal Workers Onion Tensed to remove resolltion calling for investitalin 'the various groups within the party' the left was caught
11 June 1982 page 6
supporting industrial action against the when it gets into öffice
The idea behind this which is an initiative from
is to try and le down the right wing in future Labour cabinet that it cannot betray as it did before.
But it would create the
for betrayal by drowning clear commitments in a sea of committees. The programme is not specific the right direction. Instead of naming companies and
way. with its politics down. The vulturit Was siderable defeat for the left with the GMWU and the engineers union voting for proscriptions and witch-hunts, and the TGWU abstaining.
The miners union had more success with Tebbit's
Emlyn
1 ObObal
Williams Wales NUM president, forcefully put the miners to the forefront of this fight in the South
'With this bill,' said Williams, "the government intends first to shackle the trade unions and then destroy inem The first attacks will be on the weakest link in the chain; any other trade union Water allacked receive our immediate supDOLL. organised and united, we need not fear this bill.
Labour Party
IT'S CALLED THE
"EMPLOYMENT" ACT M'LUD
BECAUSE IT CREATES
ORE WORK FOR OU AND MEL Labour has to take the lead to organise the fight back against the Tories. It should be initiating and
banks to be nationalised
wolle workers to prepare for nationalisation it lists the new boards it will create. It tries to solve, by constitutiona. fiddling in Whitehall's upper reaches, what ought to be solved by rallying the labour movement for extraparliamentary battle.
Let just take one
US example: planning agree.
The Cardiff North proposal calling upon the Wales LP 'to
SUDOOr extraparliamentary action in addition to parliamentary action as a means of fighting for jobs'
was cluded in composite resolution on unemployment in Wales. This has implications for the struggit against 1 eboll, as Joar Maynard pointed out.
'Extra-parliamentary action will be necessary to get rid of 'the Tebbit bill.
Many of rights have been won by extraparliamentary action; it is complementary and not opposed to parliamentary ac tivity. There are only two sides society and you have to decide which side you are on Sane don't preach class war, they're much Dusy practising it.
Tories anti-union laws — not just promising to repeal them
ments. These never took off under the last Labour government, because the employers would have nothing to do with them. Hardly surpris ing: their need for profit is
direct conflict with social needs. which determine planning priorities.
The answer should be obvious: the government should propose a statutory trade union right of veto Th with
Despite supporting disarmament for a 'campaign for the closure of all British and American nuclear bases In Wales, the blatantly undemocratic nature of the conterence was a real obstacle to debate.
The LCC, total disarray, played by the right's rule book even when all democratic principles were being tampled on. It did not • pOllucal organise itself conterence, as support for a future incomes policy under Labour showed.
The result was a fore gone conclusion. The LCC has hardly any representation on the Wales LP executive and has to rebuild itself with stronger trade union roots.
over employers' investment and production decisions to ensure they comp ly with social needs. This could be enforced by industrial action with government backing, with the threat of nationalisation compensation as a reserve weapon.
This type of measure would both prevent employers' sabotage of Labour's plans and prepare workers to take
can be brought to bear on our councillors, which councilor
ment as required Credentials from Jim Ring, 55 Stonard Rd London N13, Price £1.
A creche is available.
over industry altogether.
Instead the programme proposes somethin absurd: employers will be 're quired to agree. Either they agree, or they don't.
If they don't - and they won't - some mean of enforcement 1S needed.
Labour doesn't face this problem, won't get past day one in office.
Socialist Challenge believes that the most important aspect to concentrate our attention on inside the Labour Party the means by which Labour's positive com memented. The most im- mitments portant means at our disposal are traparliamentary.
What we need from the next conference is not a claborale reorganisation of Whitehall, but proposals as to how the unions and party, at every level, can get : together to fight the bosses.
It is not enough to say, as the Socialist Workers
painy does, hate only
thing that Malici workers in action. A pre requisite tor unitv in ac tion is knowing what goals to aim tor When the Labour Party votes to ban bomb or reaffirms the right to work, it has an im pact on workers' struggles even though the Party: ¡caaersmo coes not nave an action orientation.
On hand debate on policy alone is not the answer. The Milieverything will be solved il the Party agrees to nation. the Party agrees to nationalise 250 monopolies.
Bennite leadership is prone to this too.
Fight them now organising to defeat Tebsupport redundancy Sir uses fight women's rights and the rights of YOPs employees and on; and prepare battle plans to impose a genuine socialist plan against the resistance of empioyers and their Civil Service. when comes to ottice This is the way to win.
London Labour
Briefing Conference
Running London
Our Way
Saturday 19 June 11am to 5pm
County Hall It is hoped to set up an 'association of Socialist coun ciliors in London to provide a London-wide means through which the pressures and demands of the activists
CUTT organise across borough boundaries, and call on the help of the move.
Page 7 scan of this page
Welsh miners condemn Polish
military attack on the Wujek mine in
nosc trade union working group in London. The strike action began on 13 December with a sit-in strike Kudliczak 4/Ill. Solidarity Icauci
arresica. first. onlv two MO (uniform
officers Kudliczak refused to open the
But later fifty ZOMO notorsca They DOlICe) ucers alved. wert drunk and under the influence Den he door ther to open the
oroke. through with axes.
Those who had come to help nunczak were bealen ИП -conscious.
16 December, two STEFAN PALKA, A Solidarnosc miners' leader from Silesia in Poland, He is due to speak to the Nottingham gala this weekend, the Derbyshire meeting, and other WILKINS reports on the discussion among the South Wales
WHEN General Jaruzelski led the military takeover of Poland in December 1981,
tand ef orte shooting ot
tain the shooting resisting muters Silesia coalfield, the Area leadership the South Wales miners took an excellent initiative.
They visited the Polish Embassy in London and demanded that the authorities allow a delegation of South Wales miners visit mining areas in Poland to discover first hand what had happened since martial law.
The request was, of coulse. retused and has till not been granted. The
Wales Area leaderDUULiI ship stated: 'We, the South Wales miners, весите он total opposition to the military takeover in Poland, whilst at the same time recognislg me silualon llal existed there'
Council
une axecuuve report presented to the May
INTERN VIEWPONVI
Ernest Mandel on World Economic Crisis in latest Issac International Viewpoint, fortnightly news review of the Fourth International. Just 65p per copy or subscribe for f16 a vcar. Send cheques etc made out to 'PEC'. to In-
Military attack Wujek mine
Below is an abridged version of a report on the
Silesia last December. The report was provided by the Solidar-
thousand people were in the mine: 1,500 miners from WuICA, aUUll 500 from ome mines, as well as a number of Solidarity leaders The y wete a med tc gasoline bottles. d unicicolls, wylamale aill i Socals striKers announcea tnal iney would blow themselves up if force was used against them.
The day before, a concentranon or troops nad garnered around the Wujek mine. There was armoured assault venicles and armoured per
repression
is in Britain this week.
Area Executive mining areas. BARRY
miners on supporting Solidar-
Annual Conference of the south Wales miners reDorts lnat tne Arca leadersmip told the Polish Ambasador of its 'deep concern at the
That the South Wales miners Icaucısi weic ul lilal sucialisi could achieved maintained at the point of a gun.'
These stateuienls vallade DUll limited. The area leadership still has to give support union aemocratic rights poldarlose recognise Solidarnosc's leading role in the struggles of the Polish people for greater
within the Polish WULACIS siale.
This contrasts with the warm South Wales velcome rank given file alla
Solidarnosc convenor at she
Solidarnosc convenor at Ursus tractor factory in War during his successful
weles bag.
tour of the South laDoul movement MOTH.
THE REAGAN FUTURE
WORLD ECONOMIC CRISIS
by ERNEST MANDEL
tur tchard Veno r, 93108 ternational Viewpoint, Montreuil, France.
Next issue, Polish special, documents and debates of ethe resistance. Order your copy now!
sonnel transport trucks. 10am the entrance to the minutes later, the first attack L UUI ivuk piale. One Lank oroke Inrouen warl and then withdrew. Under the cover of tear-gas, ZOMO launched direct attack, which repulsed.
In the second attack, the ZOMO fired rubber bullets irom macnine guns. During this men. crowd civilians children and sullc miners wio were nol onuc muc s grounas - inrew dolues and stones torcing the oMo to
During dropped bombs with paralys18 gas, alspersing tne crowa. inrormanon Irom nosoilals Mike Griffin, secretary of Penrhiwceiber Lodge
Piotr spoke to miners at Tower. remawce ber Brynlliw, Tymawr and Lewis Merthyr pits, pledges of support. Tyrone
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.indicates that live ammunition was used throughout
The crowd remained against Z'oMo's charge wiel silent. defended Buse H red-hot metal rods which were used ocalc the helmets. metal through them through
killing iwo oi the tackers. Aulncl was Kilec wniel neav objects were thrown from the roof of the building.
The miners and the crowd WCIC Sale or exteme ucspalr. A cocior and nurce
were aten dring, ho ac
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medica start were horrțed al the amount of blood and the
numbeof bulle
Some the arrested miners ZOMO's weic reporlculy lake.
parracks casualtles on were 4 killed and 41 wounded;
the miners' 7 killed and The attack ended the late TCHOSC. wert also used There were some cases of firing on doctors who refused to
Dawa ZOMO • a mlici napocici lo oc m tric ambulance.
The ZOMO officers were under the influence oi drug. ana alea immediately ministred to hemi. This ad alle
confirmed by doctors from several hospitals.
But,
unortumatev. are quest tor tne area leadershir of the South Wales miners t meet Piotr was brushed aside
Piotr appeal direc ey 10 them fo the south". Wales miners'
annual conierence
Penrhiwceiber lodge, Mike Griffin secretary , criticis
their the 'muted approach' al ts readership He calca on mem io oe more positive in their support and to defend Solidarnosc's rieht to exist and function as an in dependent trade union:
Dondanity trauc umon achicy eo some marvetous unings l Morke Trene behalf of Polish workers. was a new feeling that workers were now
free democratic manner
IVIIKC explained that rera wce ver *ozowski nad addressed a meeting of rank and file just before they wen down the pit. Piotr was I recelvec . because ne nac explainea mnal bondar• nose was nol an ae-soc1as
Oor sisaiom urwa fretim
freedom and democracy.
Piotr had told how the official trade union movement in Poland was just an arm of the nosc and Polish workers werc
.for lightng wint couci trade union movement. car plant
By Piers Mostyn
THE workers occupation of the De
Lorean sports car
tionalist West Belfast
entered its third week. The occupa.
tion began after a mass meeting
the 1,500 workers on the 26 May.
Shop stewards report
cent of the (mainly ATGWU) work
force voted in favour. A rota of 20
workers a day was established and
the movement of all parts and spares
has been blacked.
In February this year, 1000 of the
original 2500 workers were made redun-
dant. Since then, most of the rest have
been working a one day week. And the
announcement of the closure could lead
to the loss of another 1000 jobs in Nor-
thern Ireland in suppliers'
further 2000 jobs in Britain.
Already the official unemployment
figures in Northern Ireland have crept up
to 20 per cent (at 112,978) with the loss of
nearly 1100 jobs
before the Lorean
course in the mainly Catholic nationalist
areas, joblessness runs at more than dou-
ble the rate for the whole six counties
The De Lorean project was started in al the
Labour government was heralding its
help Solidarnosc
group for Solidarnosc
Ring 01-373 3492.
Jon Silberman, Oldham, Lancs. Ring 061-620 2885.
December to mark one year of martial law.
Mike explained that his lodge nad aeciaed [Wil wittenowa colerv wnere many miners Cha( been im-
and to adopt some there
• llall) commented thai there had been • sulc Clai
the amone are leadership at Piotr's presence on the platform at the Aber-
By celebra that muncls Have dica ll une surus gle lor an neeDendent traci union', he commented.
Emlyn Williams President the Soutt Wale mit s,er replied that he ha Torm prad spolen to Proti embarrassed anc Ine interorete inenes He repeated the South Wales leadership's
lesire to send a delegation t Poland:
vc walicu ll stalkill awdy see for ourselves, before the cracks
vere papered ov
Villams said that h was very disappointed not to have occil dulc lo co. nic uda coic be doz cev no option but to believe that miners had been killed unles.
could go and check for
'Mike Griffin is right, o we would have been allowed to go out there.' He conclud-
Workers' occupation at De Lorean
'victory"
factory in na- and Roy
has now Minister
of force,
that 80 per
mer's final result,
ly exceeds that
firms and a
TOTOes
Panamanian May. This was closures. Of
time when the
formation
What you can do to
group tot 'soi dardar sp erade nio lork ing
speakers and lists prisoners to adopt. Solidarnosc working group, Philbeach Gardens, Earls Court, London SW5
• Build support for the autumn labour movement conference to support Solidarnosc, organised by the Manchester solidarity committee, c/o
S1 Montrose House, Crete St,
• Campaign in the Labour Party and the unions for a joint Labour Party/TUC demonstration in
Led: "We do deplore the sup took place in Poland, and we treedom WAlCA reservations about EnIS • Our conscience is clea
taken place condemn Poland We will pursue this , because what happened in Poland can star o happen here in Britain wit unc leDo sill
This positive response to the cause of democratic rights in Poland and the work of the logges in support can only o welcomed. but uis sui tali short of the area coming out clearly in suppor Solidarnosc dependent trade nin n in Solidarnosc will continue LO JOOK the South Wale miners for this support, both ie li. The vis it or Miele sand siole dor eas lelis of the Polish Stefan Palka a to British coal ue os LR1S moRtO provides another opportunity for this support to be given.
the Palka, Silesia who coalfield LulIC wner from resisting miners were killed JaST December has alread received invitations • speal join other lodges tono cucilice, all over the nationalist people.
Political status had been withdrawn from people imprisoned as a result of the war, Mason, Northern Ireland was trying hard to claim that the RUC, the local paramilitary police would soon be able to handle 'security'. He was keen to buy a few jobs in order to pull the wool over the eyes of the nationalist working class.
John De Lorean asked for £53m ana promised to create 9000 jobs in all. Six months ago, as a prelude to this sumDe Lorean's board awarded him a $100,000 'performance bonus' for his skill in ripping off f87m from British taxpayers. This figure great. credited to IRA fund. raising through US supporters and bank raids. De Lorean, though, didn't have to suffer torture and incarceration for his
Meanwhile, the US Internal Revenue Service is investigating a Swiss-based conoun, which received £2.8m in British government cash in 1978 as financing for the De Lorean project. Write to People 's Democracy Con. nolly Bookshop, Avoca Park, Ander sonstown, Belfast 11 with messages of support to the De Lorean shop stewards committee and for more in-
Socialist Challenge 11 June 1982 page 7
Page 8 scan of this page
CENTRAL AMERICA
CIA's plans to destabil
MARXIST
ZREVIEW
INTERNATIONAL
MARXIST REVIEW
Still available: Spring 1982 issue Contents include: Ernest Mandel on Poland and the Bureaucracy, French OCI, Claude Gabriel on fluence and Neo-Colonialism in Black Africa, John Ross and Ernest Mandel on the Need for a Revolutionary International.
OUT SOON Summer 1982 issue Contents include: Resolution of the Fourth International on South Africa, Mandel on the Chinese Economic Crisis, John Ross on Inter-imperialist contradictions, Social Democracy in Central America, Adolf Gilly on Workers Doug Jenness. Ernest Mandel and Lean Trots Self-Organisation Latin sky on Theories of the Russian Revolution. Subscriptions (three issues a year) £4.50p (Britain) or inremationur money equivalent to IMR: PO Box 50, London NI (state which orders
issue you wish subscription to start with).
Socialist Challenge 11 June 1982 page 8
INTERNATIONAL MARXIST REVIEW
SPRING 1982 • VOLUME1 NUMBER10 £1.25
Daniel Bensaid on the
Soviet InAmerica,
£4.50 (overseas)
Interview with PHILIP AGEE is a former agent of the CIA who
exposed its Penguin book Inside pressure from the US administration he was expelled from Britain in 1978 by the last Labour government.
The Reagan administration has 599
fund of million dollars for destabilisation
against Nicaragua. For what kind of • pian will this money be used?
The press says that the money will be used for the training Latin American mercenaries sta-
Honduras, prepare for future attacks
in azallist Lalsola Nicaragua, including the Cuban presence in that country. SHES tacks on economic targets and agaisl Cuban advisors.
In August 1979 several weeks after the fall of Somoza wrote an article entitled 'The CIA's plans for Nicaragua', in which I tried to indicate all the sectors in which the CIA were tervene to try to prevent the consoldation of the power of the Sandinistas and the carrying through of their projects. These include propaganda, political action, terrorism and attempts isolate Nicaragua diplomatically.
From 1980 until the present day the propaganda has developed principally through the paper La Prensa, which plays in Nicaragua a comparable
Philip Agee, former
activities in his famous
the Company. After
He now lives in West Germany.
Philip Agee role to that played by the paper Mercurio in Chile and the Daily Gleaner in Jamaica in the 1970s.
It is notoriousv well. known that Mercurio received millions of dollars from the CIA for its destabilisation programme against the Allende government.
There is also no doubt that the Daily Gleaner
agent of the CIA received subsidies for its
the social democratic govern ment of Michael Manley, from his election on March 1972 The parallel between La Prensa and the other two papers is very obvious.
- Another theme of the destabilisation campaign is in relation to the Miskito Indians the Atlantic Coast. After the fall of the Somoza dictatorship on 16 July 1979, the Sandinistas made several serious mistakes which they themselves recognise.
1 ney tried incorporate the Miskitos into tne revolunonary process too quickly, and as a consequence anatel of them and their leaders. That region of the country has never really been fully integrated into the mainstream the economic and political life or tne country
Steadman Fagoth,
agent Somoza before the Sandinista victory, has set up a radio station in Honduras which broadcasts to the Miskitos their
OWI lallcuare.
The aim of these broadcasts is to create
trying get them believe that they will lose their lands and cultural identity by being tegrated into the revolu-
The result is that 5,000 Miskitos out of a total of 130,000 -have crossed …HON -duras and established camps on that side of the border.
When was in
Sergio Rodriquez, Revolucionario
ternational Viewpoint. In Mexico, what is your estimate of the situation In EI Salvador following the March 7 elections?
The situation facing, the Salvadoran people and the other peoples in the region
in many ways more dangerous after the elec. tion. However, we do not think that direct U.S. intervention is as immediate a threat as it was before. The elections and OCCODHCH following them have shown that the U.S. still has cards in the zone that it can play.
A direct intervention is its last card, and it would be an extremely costly one to play, not only because of the impact Latin America but in the U.S itself.
The vote in the elections was higher than ex-
Nicaragua I learned that
the camps organised by
Steadman ar used for
military training and that
any Miskitos who want to
go back to Nicaragua are
transferred to concentra-
kept virtual prisoners
Since November, these
raids have claimed a hun-
dred victims the
Nicaraguan army and
popular militias.
The Nicaraguans have
NEW ST
OF THE
•a leader of the Partido de los Trabajadores (PRT Revolutionary Workers Party, Mexican section of the Fourth International), gave the following interview to Gerry Foley in Paris in mid-May. The text has been translated and edited by In.
pected, in particular in th regions along the borde with Honduras. Tha seems to reflect a certair beginning of demoralisa tion among sections of th population in the face o the violence of the con flict.
Of course, there was high level of intimidation In the cities, for example workers had to show proo that they had voted or lost their jobs.
At the same time, th elections showed both disillusion with the government among sector: that still do not suppor
sharper class polarisation The Christian Democrats were in fact defeated, and. this meant the failure of the whole project Testablis bourgeois rule EI
COSTER - KLISER
Stop US. Military Aid, Call 86
Committee for Non-Intervention
proposed that they constitute con 1101 DalI Ol. alulle frontier to prevent the incursions and to preve - if they exist - the ent of arms in El Salvador.
Steadman Fagot doesn't himself have tr means to finance the rad station and the camps i Honduras. Decemb 1981 he was injured in a accident in an Hondura military vehicle which w
Page 9 scan of this page
AGE
Salvador
the Democrats' especially Réform
chy to some extent now posed.
up the revolutionary war? The rightist
more tightly
example,
activists.
So, base,
the revolutionists. AISO callylg duran
ing relations between
On 15 government
Nicaragua state of emergency
agression
by means reforms. The rightist parties linked to the traditional oligarchy now have a majority in the national assembly, and the reversal
Christian reforms, the Agrarian — which did hurt tne mlerests or lne ongar-
We now have an undisguised civil war regime. What sort of base does the regime for stepping
COLILO'
parties linked to terrorist gangs. These formations are now
intertwined with the government. For
many the military officers who were sent to Miami for training are known to be linked to
ARENA.
That is, they are not simply military men but rightist
the regime has although still a small uilc iul CoHortauol wtt
AIUR
the Honmilitary commander of Puerto Lempira - proof of the close work-
the Honduran military and the
March
declared
respond to the external
against
of
been elections?
There has
areas
is
ment
some tres. tensive,
The are
them. against
carried
The rightist threatens Sovontin
Nicaragua
this
Tween
Usa?
think
the
tain tions
to dinistas.
sure, nOn.r
Aucacal given America's
interventions (1912, 1927)?
that all united
the bosses'
money, certainly of the aid.
There OT
will
REVOLUTION
How has the turn to a more violent civil war
shown
been a brutal offensive by the army against precisely those
where the revoluHOSS Ae SIrOHLeSLSICu Vincete The new go ern- Morazon and
needs quick cesses; it needs to crush
revolutionary This is an all-out ofWAlCE decisive battles in the coming months in El Salvador.
first groups rightists that were sent to the U.S. for military training have iust returned. The government is pinning its
uuDco lu a lalze calciil ul
In the Morazan January, such elite troops
atrocities and massacres
expansion CULC still mlasslye vullares.
What about the situation in the cities? Starting before
se Nicaragua
Nicaragua. This state of emergency was widely
bourgeois opposition in
Isn't there a contradiction
and saying there is a link-up
the USA's tervention and La Pren-
I don't think there's any contradiction in the suponi or mne onvaie sector for the state of emergency.
Robelo himself (leader of
bourgeois MNR - SC) criticised cer-
because they in fact helped
strengthen the
There is also,
the national quesHow can Nicaraguan not oppose an
the history SUDUUIl Somoza and the other US
Whatever disagreements with revol onay of the Sandinistas, I think
Nicaraguans against American intervention
That doesn't mean that federation the cosey from she caa. doesn't
accepts dollars of
is still between 60 and 70 per cent of the economy in the hands of the private sector, and that*.
continue in
since the
very
San
suc-
cen-
medus
offensive
last
large-scale
of the ULIiLo
the elec-
are
between
that betin-
in
Alfonso
opposition
declaraWashington
San-
be
ulc. veluor
of for
this century
their the programme
Many
accept
American
the
tions, the revolutionary started to make a correction with respect to work in the urban areas. decided to mass revolutionary fronts,
with the regain they had lost over sectors of the masses.
more repressive ment is a blow to this process. Almost the same dar
Mejia was presidency, it was decided
to extend the Ine Illllalizalion unions, and they jailed a OnDeI
unionists,
leaders oi a union as im• portant as the electricians.
There will more repression. government is one of the
rigntist murder
That
'counterinsurgency' policy
of the U.S.
Christian only a cover that perialists use for international purposes. foreseeable future, insofar as the Sandinistas always asserted that they
making ICVOllDO
They political opposition Cel lallliy preserve the private sector.
Recently
Salvador undergone developments. military revolutionary tion have USA is many levels, and political, and gava their cent elections. Can you indicate the features of tervention?
The Reagan tion has difficulties Congress and public opinion. The
SuP Salvadohe mas are en
Salvador growing in the past year. The key to American intervention has been demonstrating a pretended
of development and reform.
to tervention the aluncd at public must also Salvadorean revolutionary movement and controlled from outside Nicaraguans, the Cubans, the Soviet Union and even by the Ethiopians and the Vietnamese.
Salvadoran groups
They
relaunch the
reestablish their links unions, to try to ne nuence la
But the turn toward
govern-
put into the
process of the
the trade including
be much The
gangs what the
has led to. The
Democrats
the imhave
La pluralist
have authorised parties and the
press. They
intend
the situation
has dramatic The forces of the
opposi-
grown. The intervening
military
support to the re-
main that in-
administrawith
opposition to
has been
pursuing the
succeed in
democratic
justify incampaign opinion show the
supportec
by the
Fighters of the El Salvador FMLN
Socialist Challenge 11 June 1982 pago 9
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Camden Commu aw Centre 146 Kentish ondon NW1 or ring 01-485 6672 Socialist Challenge Events one 1i.3, national cere •ransport traction: sun z
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Public meeting: "The political situa-
a'. Speaker T U Coora
pm. Polytechnic of North
, N7. Organised by Asiar page 10
By Phil Hearse 'DON'T go down to Santiago' says the US navy officer to Charles Horman. sweep and destroy operations down there just like Vietnam — there are bodies everywhere'.
1973. The US navy American military team in Vina del Mar who helped to plan the coup. 31-year-old American journalist Charles Horman is about to die.
Missing tells the true story of the disappearance
Charles Horman and ths faehee pie yed by Jack the desperate attempt Lemmon) and wife neun played Oscarwinning Sissy Spacek) to no Dull. the film is Costa-Gavras who made Z and State of seige.
Like Costa-Gavras' other films, Missing is a political thriller. It tells its story in a direct and dramatic without recourse to super-political propagan-
On the contrary Costa'Gavras' new film. which is playing to record audiences the United States, will be accessible to tens of thousands who nave never heard Allende or the coup Chile, and who would never attend a left wing
LU discuss the "lessons of Chile'
It is the day after the coup in central Santiago..
Soldiers are on every street corner, stopping and searching everyone raiding houses and burning books in the streets.
The city is gripped by fear. Women are pulled out bus queues by soldiers and their trousers slashed 'from now on women wear dresses.
Night falls and a siren signals the curfew.
Throughout the hours of darkness the city reverberates with the sound of gunfire. The left
being massacred.
Day one of the Chilean coup
missing
'They're running
It's the day after the military coup in Chile in
officer one of the
Thousands are taken for
execution at the national slaulull Inside the Santiago stadium Costa-Gavras creates the atmosphere of fear and panic frighteningly real way. harles Horman goes back to Santiago to find his wife and disappears.
Ed Horman, Charles'
father, is a middle class, middle aged businessman
-Under Review.
and devout Christian Scientist. He staurichly believes in 'the American way of life'. Together with Beth he attempts to use the US embassy officials who naturally nave excellent contacts with the Chilean military — to tind out the fate of his son. But
ONEY Casull non-co-operation and
'most likely he's gone into hiding'.
Ed launches his own investigation which becomes voyage of discovery. He discovers that the : US officials, far from being 'neutral' are deeply involved in the coup and its aftermath.
He aiscovers that his son, in adult life, is so INSERT: Kissinger. Nixon, Ford and Haig - they know Charles Horman's fate
understand but in the course of the investigation begins to understand. And he also discovers the fate
son. Ine CITcumstances of his death and the complicity of Us officials in ordering his ex ecution.
Charles Horman dies because he knev too much. The military personnel he met in Vina ael war assumea Inal be ing an American he was
and spilled the beans to him Horman's copiou notes on conversations with US officers were decisive proof of American com plicity.
The entrance to the na tional stadium Santiago. Every photo you've seen of Chile comes to life 1ne prisonels come In o. truck load. Their recep tion is to run the gauntlet
Troops in the comple
troops. In the complex corridors surrounding the stadium the sound of shots and the screams of the tor tured ring out.
Ed Horman discovers what is being done to de. fend 'the American way of life' he believes in. As he leaves for home he tells the embassy officials "thank too we savem a come try where people like you can be put in jail'
When he returned to the United States he filed a
suit charging sixteen US officials, including the US ambassadol in Chile and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger with complicity and negligence in his son's death
The State Department refused release their documents on the case to the court, because they in
matters of security' The case was dismissed. The junta took seven months return Charles Horman's body.
Missing has caused
an precedented step the State Denartment official denials — but stil refuses to publish the relevant documents. The parallels between US involvement in Chile and their involvement El Salvador are too close for comfort.
Jack Lemmon is best known for his comic
with Walter Mat thau. But Missing reveals him as a great dramatic ac tor. See Missing for his performance And see it because you'll never see a more accurate or moving political thriller.
Missing is being shown ai selected London
• cinema:
Whether will get overal forbase not yet
nomes Hauser's book on which Missing 08S00 published by Penguin at É1.
Page 11 scan of this page
Cuban foreign policy
American aggression against Cuba.
bean.
the leadership's official
other socialist states
In the second
policy might be, and asks
sion — is excluded.
CASTROIST foreign policy has for a long time been marked by a protouna contradic-
tionthe Cuban
revolution ocol lic duvaiccu ouroosts ni the fight against imperialism. In giving birth to the first Latin American workers' state, ninety miles from the US mainland, it became a special target for the USA.
For twenty years it has survived economic blockade, invasion attempts, and repeated aggression by means of an extraordinarv mass mobilsation. bi
people prepared for greatest possible sacritices to defend their victories and gains. It has survived thanks to considerable military economic assistance from the sover union anals aues
These realities have conditioned the Cuban leadership's vision of the world situation. According to unem. inis nas to be analysed by starting from the confrontation between two fundamental camps: perialism and *the socialist
Logically, they conclude that the struggie against perialism cannot be efficiently
WHOU divine oneself, in one way or another with the socialise camp . Collective
Any 'third road', they say, is illusory and dangerous. This is stressed in the internationai theses adopted by the Second Congress of the Cuban Communist Party: 'Unity in action
needed between the three great currents of our epoch: the world socialist system, wore workers movemen. and the movement of national liberation. Any threat to unity of these three great currents, for whatever reason, objectively plays imperialism's Ball
This analysis is reinforced by the conviction that any tective SUCCO perialism cannot avoid, sooner or later. leading to a struggle for socialism. Such a struggle, within the tramework of this analysis, is confused with the struggle for the reinforcement and extension of the 'socialist camp'.
TWO WEEKS AGO we carried the first article in a two-part series on Cuban foreign policy by JEAN-PIERRE BEAUVAIS, who works for the French revolutionary newspaper Rouge. It analysed the internationalist dimension of recent mass mobilisations in Cuba: their deep identification with revolutionary struggles in Central America, and the need to reply to any
The article discussed the fears of Cuban leaders concerning a possible military adventure by the Reagan administration, in the framework of its counter-revolutionary offensive in Central America and the Carib-
It also discussed their worries concerning the many problems of the socialist camp: economic problems, Afghanistan, Poland. It stressed the striving for new emphasis given,
positions, Cuba's need for 'its own, foreign policy to avoid being 'subordinated to the policies of
article, Jean-Pierre discusses the possible content of what such a
whether substantial divergence with the Soviet Union - whose massive aid and military support have been a determining factor in guarantee ing survival in the face of imperialist aggres-
A policy which assimilates the interests of the world proletariat into the interests of the 'socialist camp' is ists, leads inevitably to a suborterests and of these peoples to those of the bureaucracies now in bower in workers' the interests of the bureaucracy. •All the more so because the
the
and im-
1TR -i Cuban communists see the "socialist camp' as geneous entity whose unity cannot be threatened. trary position, here also, only 'objectively perialism's game'
We can now understand the positions which Castro the defended since the last ference the Movement; likewise the official the •ecaratoss on rolau.
But at the same time, above and bevona tactical junctural positions, the Cuban leaders have never ceased to defend the Latin revolution. The victory Nicaraguan revolution in Central America followed rise or revoluton ln America have, in this consulutea tests or tne grcales possible importance:
Cubans have as lal have been able, actively aided the revolutionary process at the
to any COSL ot real serious political risks for the Cuban workers' state. as it now ex- It is considered as a 'sacred'
duty, as is often said in Cuba, a duty towards the
oppressed peoples of Central America and
also towaras me cuban people the themselves essentially to revolutionarv victories in Cen
Soviet tral America are decisive for the reinforcement of our revolution.'
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev: in 1961 Russian military aid helped Cuba defeat the USA's invasion attempts
Since the "Great turn' - the
a homo- term which Castro applies to
the new situation in
Any LUll Auctica. this
main axis wall
play im- pull y The
internationalist underlying it are in contradiction with a subordination to the has interests of conbureaucracy which is expressed Non-angnica in a conception of
coexistence, which does not call into question the status quo in imperialism's strongholds
and con-
More than about 'the
American
of the their policy towards American by the with the decisive Central attributed to it. and the pro sense, blems to lie behind the the leadership's as they foreign policy'
The attempts, according
International
sacrifices and take
struggling
because 'new
"Central has been the of Cuban foreign revolutionary and
conception
the Soviet
peaceful
their worries
accumulation
another confirmation desire to elaborate importance express in which it gives rise initiatives in
Cuban
call for 'Cuba's
beginning However, the Cubans,
from the situation in Cuba, to narrow
maximum advan- manoeuvre is. tage of growing interimperialist contradictions - notably those arising from Reagan's counter Central revolutionary offensive - are, revolutionary process in Central America at the cost of real sacrifices'
of their 'their own policy. As is the interest they
social democracy's Latin Huncha. analysed as a particular expres-
inter-imperialist Cull' tradictions in the continent.
we can see how leaders to put forward a specific policy policy'
The USA is responding to the rising tide of Contral American revolution with renewed military throats against Cuba
the margin for
The force of the rise of the American revolution has made it possible for Cuba of Castro with Grenada's President Maurice Bishop. "Cubans have actively aided the
in the region which, in the pre
sent international conjuncture, would enter into direct contlici
with the politics of the USSR
But the objective weight of
Soviet influence on the Cubar
economy and its / the Cuban limits imposed by the
because of this reality in the full sense of the
— and also the logic of some of their own ideas, such I as the division of the world into two camps still cut down the possibilities for the affirmation
'their independent term.
Important and significan though ine new insistence or this objective may be, it is no: today of such a character as to resolve the old and profound contradiction of Cuban foreign policy in an international environment which remains OWIl
Socialist Challenge 11 June 1982 page 11
Page 12 scan of this page
Refugees from Iraqi aggression in Khuzestan THE RECAPTURE of Blood) - previously Khoramshar -nians marks the Iran's efforts to repulse the 21-month long Iraqi invasion. Iraq continues to occupy some parts of Iran further to the north and is keeping up the shelling of Iranian territory. Nonetheless,
imperialist-inspired attempt to overthrow the
the Iranian revolution.
The Iranian victory is sending Suedes down the backs of reactionary Aldo regimes. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein 10 COLLeC
Reports from Iraqi Kurdistan suggest that a popular uprising is beginning. Mass demonstrations and strikes are reported to have affected major
International
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Socialist Challenge 11 June 1982 page 12
Iran victory hits
imperialism
Khuninshar (City of by the Iradefinitive breakthrough in
this breakthrough signifies the defeat of the
Khomeini regime and turn back the gains of
All indications are that this could spread to other parts Ul llay.
The government has issued a warning other reactionary Arab LICI region break from servility to imperialism or suffer the consequences at the hands of their own people.
IMPERIALISM
GOES TO WAR
'Missing', reviews and much more!
Just 75p, or subscribe for £4.50 a year. +
International,
Province, anticipating return home.
also asking for $150bn in reparation the destruction towns and oil installations by the unprovoked Iraqi attack.
maci regime wal bankrolled in its aggres-
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt Jordan. It had no difficulty ir procuring Tine MOS sophisticated armaments for use against Iran. It was responsible for killing upwards of 70,000 people in the war and displacing one and a half million people from the territory which they occupied.
Meanwhile had to suffer the conse-
of an economic and arms bargo. The problem of the refugees only served to worsen the economic
blockade. Rationing had to be imposed.
Iran's victory was almost exclusively a result
the difference morale. The Iraqi soldiers had no interest in the war and surrendered whenever they got the opportunity.
Iran by contrast saw a major popular mobilisation to expel the Iraqi invaael. Regular troops were joined by tens thousands of VOURICCI
(HKE),
prison in Teheran.
Atai, a member of HKE's Political Bureau. nas Deer held since March 29. He was detained at that time by the Teheran Revolutionary
Three weeks weekly nal cal llau publishea an extensive inter
experience during a previous
imprisonment Evin
After the interview with Atai
Was buousned. authorities stepped up harassment of Kargar and the HKE. On 15 March, Falsafi, responsible for printing the
was arrestea ov ofticials of the Prosecutor's
the newspaper's publication was suspended on order the same office. Other
By Brian Grogan revolutionary guards (the Pasdarans). Auxiliary volunteer organisation followed the troops helping reconstruct roads, bridges destroyed by the Iraqis.
Such popula in Iran gives the lie to thos that had written Iranian revolution; those who spoke of Iran as
'new despotism' and Khomeini as a 'new Shah'
It is true, of course that Khomeini's capitalist regime has attempted to undermine and many of the gains of the revolution. In its response to the Mujahedin bombing and assassination campaign aimed at leading personnel of the regime, , the IRP government took the opportunity , ALLACK democratic rights on broad scale. Moreover, has failed to take decisive measures against the local capitalist class. It has stalled the radical land reform.
Nonetheless, there is a world of difference bet-
what the regime would like and what it can do. The reality is that its attempts to displace the workers councils (shorahs) in the factories by Islamic workers associatiolis nas been unsuccessful. «Free HKE leaders ... Two leaders of Iran's Revolutionary Workers Party Bahram Ali Atai and Mohammad Bagher Falsafi, are still being held without charges in Evin
publications or ine Iranlan workers' have come under attack,
he pro Meso even pear
ine process or apocall: the suspension of the paper on the part of the HKE campaign
republish has reached the stage of dialogue between the Judicial rroseculor solnce and dIAd in all the daily papers. This is the preface to a public trial on the HKE's right to tion and the cases of imprisoned HKE
Efforts by those who sup port the revolution in Iran
occupation by dam's regime can help to tree Atai and Falsati
Khurrar
Without exception they now decline in membership and workers' support. Mean while the shorahs move countrysideenerating ment Is the
the peasants come up against une coveruments aerence of the landlords and its attempts to break their land occupations
Even amongst women, the militancy and combativity built up in their massive participation the battle to overthrow the Shah eds While been quidated. the government's campaign is centred around the compulsory or the veil, more and more
raising their al c own demands. The questions raised range from the need for women ministers in the government, the right to partıcıpal
lilitary action, equal pa equal access to training and equal rights in family law. childcare nicasul e and so on
Iranian workers mobilised for the war because they had still a lot to defend. The victory which they had made possible will create more favourable conditions for them to push forward their demands. While the regime will undoubtedly continue to resist this, new more favourable possibilities now emerge.
Imperialism is now preparing to step up its inthe impact of the iranias tervention weighs revolution and the Iraqi defeat on the class struggle throughout the region. Socialists and other sup porters. of the Iranian revolution have therefore to prepare to step up their activity to forc 'Imperialist Hands Off Iran!'
The HKE public preparing a Tribunal presided over by internationa supporters the Iranian repealis struggles in trantio revolution
the two
*Supporters of the Iranian revolution can help in the campaign to free Ali Atai and Mohammad Bagher Falsafi by sending telegrams such as the following: As a supporter of the Iranian revolution and opponent of the Us government's threats against It, urge vou te release the anti-Shah and anti-imperialist and supporters of the Ira nian revolution, Bahram Ali Atai and Mohammed Bagher Falsafi who are being held without charges at Evin Prison in Teheran'.
ot toilers
region put up
ty. This led the
Khoninshahr,
ON) has the
against the Iranian revolution.
vances in Iran,
nian territory
counter-revolutionary
the Iranian revolution.
What they
and other imperialist
smokescreen of
Iran.
put it this week,
destabilisation
Bank, in
Israel's drive toward war.
tremendous death
tionary war,
villages,
masses responded to revolution by
fight for
the current government
Iranian revolution.
tinue the economic
counterrevolutonor
workers and farmers government.
fend Iran tacks!'
October statement concluded:
nian masses against the
countered by possiole ine demands Iraqi Troops Out Now! Imperialist Hands Off Iran!
Defend the Iranian Revolution!'
Two years later,
shahr.
Defend the Iranian
Revolution!
The International Executive Committee ofthe
Fourth International stands with the millions
among une peoples or iran wno
have mobilised in the streets over the past
several days to hail the defeat of the Iraqi in
vading army and the retaking of the city of
Korramshahr by Iran. At the very outset of
the war, twenty months ago young Iranian
fighters, joined by the Arab population of that
heroic but unsuccessful
resistance to the Iraqi occupation of their ci
people of Iran to rename it 'City of Blood. Although not all
Iraqi forces have yet been expelled from Ira.
nian territory, the victory at Khoninshahr not
tremendous symbolic significance for the Iranian masses but also goes a long way towards breaking the back of
the war by imperialism and the Iraqi regime
In response to these decisive military ad. the spokespersons for imperialism and pro-imperialist regimes such as
those in Egypt and Saudi Arabia are warning Iran of the consequences of any move by Ira. nian forces into Iraqi territory in order to en sure Iran's borders and prevent shelling of Ira
They are strengthening tront 'against
actually fear is the impact
which the revolution and the defeat of the
counter-revolutionary Iraqi aggression will have on the class struggle throughout the region. It is for this reason that Washington
behind a 'neutrality, have stood behind the invasion from the outset; they 'viewed it as a key front in their battle to crush the revolution of the workers and peasants o
As Secretary of State Alexander Haig expressing Washington's worries over the Iraqi retreat, US 'Neutrality in the war was not the same as 'indifference'.
The imperialists fear that further advances
by Iran to expel the Iraqi army and secure it.
borders will set off a crisis for the Saddan regime, and stimulate the mobilisation of the workers and peasants of Iraq. They fear the
reactionary imperialist rulers of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Jordan. They fear the inspiration that will be drawn by the Palestinian people on the West
southern Lebanon and inside the 1948 borders against Zionist repression and
The imperialist-backed Iraqi war brought
and destruction in its wake. Thousands of Iranian fighters were kill ed or maimed and there are nearly 1.5 million Iranian war refugees. In conducting this reac
Saddam regime sent thousands of Iraqi youths to their deaths. Massive destruction was rained on the cities,
oil fields and port facilities of Iran This destruction, combined with the drain of resources to conduct the defensive war, and the imperialist economic boycott of Iran, has seriously exacerbated the living conditions of the Iranian workers and peasants. The Iranian
this attack on their repeatedly • pouring into the streets, supporting the war effort and demanding actions against the hoaders, capitalists and officials who impeded this effort. The workers and peasants have continued the
their own economic social and democratic demands against the policies of
Although the imperialists have been dealt a setback, the defeat of Iraq will cause them to step up attacks on other fronts against the
Including their effort to topple the current government, they will con
boycott of Iran and escalate military aid and cooperation with
forces. ine fight against this counterrevolutionary front and tor their own demands, the Iranian masses through their independent mobilisations will advance along the line of march towards a
When the Iraqi invasion was launched in late 1980, the October meeting of the United Secretariat adopted a statement entitled 'De-
against Iraq and imperialist atAt that time, the Iraqi invasion had already stalled following initial success. The
The initial hopes of both Baghdad and im perialism for a swift victory were thwarted thanks largely to the mobilisation of the Ira
Iraqi attack. designs of imperialism in the region can be
urgently raising as widely as
Full Support for the Efforts of the Iranian Masses to Defeat the Hands of Reaction!
the International Executive Committee reaffirms these demands in hailing the victory over Iraq at Khanin-
Page 13 scan of this page
The right to join a union
Labour Party Women's Festival
EIGHTY WOMEN have now been on strike for nine weeks at Kigass in Leamington and Abex in Warwick. The strike
over union recognition. Socialist Challenge spoke to Ann, one of the pickets, last week.
'We are more determined now than when the surike Decan. ine manage. ment has tried all sorts of tricks to break the strike but we have learnt if we stick together we feel a lot stronger. The first thing management did was give the people who are still working à pay rise of £8 a week
Part of the question of union recognition is to get the low pay here enne loyers enuncenid rates. Some of us only take home f40 a week.
'Most drivers from other firms don't cross the picket lines but the ones rom this place have driven at us, sworn at us and have been really nasty. Two
Photo: J HARRIS
The Labour Party organised a festival for women's rights last Saturday. But it failed to mobilise the tens of thousands of
women who are under attack from this
Tory government: health workers, other women in struggle, black women, women in the home unable to work through lack of jobs and child care facilities and so on.
The platform had very few speakers from women in the front line, although speakers like Anwar Ditta were enthusiastically received.
The Action Committee for a Woman's
Kigass, Leamington
weeks ago, the forklift truck came out to unload the lorry and local Labour councillor, who was chatting to us, stood in the way. The driver edged right up to him and was actually touching him with the forks. manager. Wardman, came out and insisted the councillor moved. It's a public footpath, so they had no right move him. A couple of the girls joined him and the lorry drove off without being unloaded.
'Management don't
want a union. We felt at the beginning of the strike we needed few men because we were a bit nervous about picketing. The support we recelved trom local unionists and shop stewards has really helped. we are learning Inal It 1s up do the negotiating. 'We have had with Wardman and the local engineering WiLl
A. .UE
RECOGNITION
1982 NOT 1912
ACTION COMM EL SA1
WOMANS RIGIE IP WERK.
us. He hardly said a word and meekly asked us what walt cu with management's terms. They WCIC unacceptable, SO we're staying out.
aMwinner us are family
breadwinners: more people realised that women need jobs than ever now because so
families. . We know we will win this strike because workers at other firms are blacking Kigass' work. 'We have all moved a lot since we've been on strike. We've heard comments from people saying if it had been men on strike it would have been over by now. But I don't see how it
us who win the strike. los
us who wins the strike going who'll negotiate with management and it's us who'll get a proper wage and decent conditions.
Send donations and messages f support to Mrs E Stanor 7 St Helens Rd, Leamingto Spa, Warks.
Right to Work organised a 4000 strong demonstration to the festival which the Labour Party tried to ignore. But the people on the march made up the bulk of those at the festival. The Labour Party has a long way to go if it is to win the support and confidence of the mass of women.
Michael Foot's reception, when he was booed, was an indication that, for
nothing to offer them. The poor turn out has to be laid squarely at the door of the Labour Party which is only prepared to pay lip service to women's rights.
Women's Rights
MR BALJINDER worked for Sandhar and Kang,
small wholesalers in the back streets Dn bethay Be was Sack.
14 May he was sacked for supposedly not having the right takings in his till.
The real reason, as he that the all black work- Choollo
decided organise a union to de fend them against the super exploitation of this company. Every
TO CHO
Woman's Right Work/Choose
o0 mr more post Chis el ades po Coro Laner Cardinal Enter
Photo: PETE GRANT
other worker was sacked the following week when they decided to strike his support Now scabs have been taken on at f2 an hour Valerie Coultas spoke to the pickets outside. "The conditions in the factory are really very bad Sometimes there's no water in the tollet toi weeks,' explained Robina Talat. "The toilet and the basins are broken; the toilets only cleaned once a week; there's no toilet paper. I'd only ' use them if I was desperate. 'In the appalling weather there heating whatsoever. If you ask them to put the central heating on they'd put it on for about five minutes we're just asking for better conditions. highest person here, the foreman is paid £1.45 per T'here's only two and they have to
for the warehouse assislallls. 'A couple of years back
SOCIALIST
CHALLENGE
POSITIVE
ACTION
'FOR JOBS,
REVOLUTION
EVOLUTION
Wer fight till we win
Sandhar & Kang, Birmingham
we heard someone was sacked for trying organise a union. Une or the boys said that we work
lala. Wt Calt sometimes up to 62 hours a week — taking home £45!
Mr Baljinder explained how he came to be sacked. 'we joined the union about four months ago secretly. On 14 February our union official J Partridge sent letter management saying that
WUSKer. had joined and that he wanted to discuss conditions and wages Then they started find out who was the trouble maker,
Aller tne eller trom the union the management
money was short in the till. l'a not had a warning 11 three years. The next week
ing. The same day they
same day they
Next day they said, 'don't collect your card enough is enough - we don't want to lose more money.'
'The same day, the union calca a mecung.
Labour councils
launch women's
committees
By Judith Arkwright The Greater London Council has launched a women's committee. It will have the same status as other council committees budget and full time of ficers. Islington, Camden and Southwark borough councils are following suit.
These committees will be empowered to look at all the council's women are not discriminater analist They
The GLC. lor exam pie, will ensure tnal mirms with contracts with the councils have codes of conduct which
: equal pay and equal opportunities
The potential is tremen cons de ca rectas responsible for London
the It has alread
campaler ensure mal black people are taken on as firefighters . This
now be extended The exploitative and Lonuol s a Si come under the control of this
Socialist Chaltenge
'don't strike' but manageme resca o lase luc said if you call them out we will sack them.' Mr Partridge tried again to make them talk refused. "Then evervbody came ou'
day's takings in this place is £80,000. a week's revenue €500,000 They've got one Mercedes each and firms in Coventry
and woina Talaton Thes
Robina Talat: think they can get cheap labour because unemployment and they're taking advantage Cashier. He said her till was One young lady £50 short. She saw tha £10 notes had been put witn to noles and lla was an error with the machine, so they make it seem that people are taking money when they are
noti You can't go to toilet
when you want to. Dinner is only half an hour. I'm a checkout worker; we work over 60 hours a week £1.15 an hour or less. Send meses suprad conations TGWU. 211 Broad St. Birm ingham 15.
This potential should br fully utilised women and
be demanding such commit
insisting ina actively mursciles Dalleica wone. reluges, and positive achon il employment paign will confront the Tor
pareame mareado na
pas and rising asallis unem o ovmen This mean
organising in the local com munity and the labour move menthe
GLC has alreads taken a good initiative in cal
La meeting women organisations and cam-
committee.
in the union local Labour Parties, tenan! ana community organisalon
• women shoulo be organ!
La every level. Labour councils, too, should take ir itiatives and leave everything to the comnice. campale or a women s a a and choose. These initiatives. the women's committer 110 audes
Tre: -si 10 become ar esterta the figh: agains: he
• 93
Page 14 scan of this page
By John Shutt 5000 TRADE unionists and supporters marched through Shildon, Durham to stop the threatened of the local British Rail
Shildon an old style 'company town' with the works accounting for 86 per of male manuracturing jobs in the town with many more employed in servicing and com-
y Martin Eady, vice-president of the Londor
istrict Transport Council and NUi Reprinted from London Labour Briefing WITH the apparent failure of the Jay Bill to restore the legal position between the GLC and London Transport, it is time to draw a balance sheet of our Labour GLC's campaign to improve LT.
An inauspicious start was made in summer '81 with the wrangling over the underground pay deal.
The buses had settled for 6 er cent in April (under the LOnes! a ventaly underground got 11 per cent as a result of the set tlement on British Rail.
The productivity ings were avoided by virtue of the increased patronage Teduction of October a8l. brought fares Still, we almost went on strike against our GLC.
Now, we have pay negotia ions again. LT 's offer of 5 per cent plus a massive productivity package which might bring a little
Socialist Challenge 11 June 1982 page 14
DIS NPRENTICES WANT THOR TRADE
PERENTIC
5000 march in Shildon
against closure
Unlike the steel plant Consett, which was the last major closure in the North East, there has been immediate liaison between the various official unions and local Party. This gives campaign DOLt strength weakness.
enables Shildon to become the centre
larger anti-Tory movement but
the movement becomes hampered by the deadweight of 'official-
London Transport — what next?
more money, has been rejected and once more we
But this time the cheap fares policy out awed and cutbacks in jobs and services are the order of the day.
Now, the policy of the Trade mo senes or
clear. Their campaign against the Law Lords and the cuts is linked to the pay
They do not believe that LT workers will into action on 'political' issue such as the Law Lord's decision which explains their extraordinary delays in starting the campaign.
Also, they adhere to the traditional labourist
BRITISH *AIL WHO NEXT
0942
MORS CINEM
UNIONOR
ORWI
BRITISH RAI
YGINFERING
dom'.
For example, at the first rally on 13 May Weighell, leader, spoke ing the 'triple alliance' along with the miners and steel workers and gave British Rail just two weeks to respond.
But 29 May Weighell wasn't present at all and none of the NUR spokespeople any specific action.
Albert Booth, Labour's spokesperson on
division is hbour politics their "department' is the preserve of the politicians.
believe they are wrong in this, but it is the reality we have to face, so people look to the Labour-
ILL TO lead. Do they get one? No!
The GLC leaders had all their discussions with those same union bureaucrats. When they failed to act (as it was obvious they would) the GLC should nave gone over uneir neads
organise campaign
the shoo stewards and the mass of the workers.
This, and this alone, could have forced the
to line up behind them in a campaign aned Tory
gover meal Westminster.
While it and necessary to sponsor and support the Jay Bill in parliament, we all know
- News,
JOBS NOT transport, concentrated entirely on how profitable
works were and could be if only greater investment was forthcoming
This exactly the line taken the Consett campaign with the result that direct action became submerged in an argument about facts and figures.
Messages and support can be sent to: John Priestly clo BREL shildon.
Shildon Works, Durham.
should know) parliament never does anything for the workers without them forcing it by extra-parliamentary action
in this case, industrial action.
Instead of leading and building GLC built dangerous illusions in parliamentarism by concentrating •VIl MPs and very little else Industrial political ends is difficult
impossible build.
With the Labour GLC leading we would have had a good chance. With them
bureaucrats were our own problem and refusing to
link up with the rank-and. Tile CHIC
ed themseles ad mis.
LECHISC VO credibility to leaders.
What now? The unions are organising and continuing a campaign of leatlets and possibly industrial
By Hazel MacPherson, NUR
profitable sectors.
of further disputes.
The deferment IS nanoueve designed avoid an open confrontation will National Union of Railwaymen at this time. As the Sunday Times said on 6 June: 'If British Rail is to head off a country-wide confrontation it has to find a way placating Weighell so that pressure cal brought directly on ASLEF'
Union representatives from the workshops meet British Rail Fuesdarine management June and while the union officials will be relieved by the postponement they will be asked to co-operate
witch-hunt in rail
THE Broad Left within the NUR strengthened its posi tion by holding its se cond annual conference on 5 June. Despite attempts by NUR leader Sic Weighell to introduce a witch-hunt against activists there was general mood of opgovernment and BR's plans.
Committee, Horwich Loco Works,
action. Cutbacks are being resisted.
Although this campaign is not as effective as
should be, it is better than nothing. The GLC must join us in this fight against the Tory government but this means repudiating the budget which demands cuts jobs and services and a 5 per cent pay rise at maximum.
British Rail
backs off
THE KEY aspect of the Tories' programme for the rail industry is the selling off of its most
of total The deferment engineering workshop closures should be seen in that light and should be set against reports that the cabinet is ready to back British Rail in the total closure of the rail network in the event
by urging voluntary redun. they will also learn that the workshops
results of an inquiry and orders.
The axe has just been lifted a few inches from their heads. *The rail Broad Left which met this weekend discussed the workshop issue and agreed prioritise propaganda campaign around it linking it to pay and produc-
A London rally is planned with speakers from the workshop action committees, the unions in the Tri-
Organising against the
the pro spects for the left inside the union.
Over the last year the Broad Left has pro duced two copies of its paper Left established support all over Britain Members from over 30 branches were confident that by actively campaigning against redundancies
COMBINED NUR
& CONFEDERATED
UNIONS
HORWICH WORKS
BRITISH RAIL
ENCINFERING LTD
10 HORWICH workers ran relay to London on the night of 2/3 June to publicise the campaign to stop British Rail closures of their engineering workshop. They delivered a petition of thousands of signatures, calling for the workshop to be kept open, to No 10 Downing Street. The Horwich Action Committee has produced a pamphlet which explains what is happening to the rail industry, paring British Rail to other European systems and outlining how to fight the
Messages of support, donations and orders of the pamphlet can be sent to: Joint Action
wew node, norwica made out to 'Horwich loco works joint action committee.
If they don't do this we could find ourselves on against poor advertisement indeed Tor socalsul. Whether in power or not, GLC coun cillors ought to be supporting workers in struggle -if they don't they'll have no chance of defeating the right wingers, and we will be entitled to ask what use : having them on the ULl al all remembered that the GLC
ple Alliance of the rail, steel and miners' unions and the Labour Party.
•Privatisation is a ke! political issue tor us said Rose Knight, a guard from London *the future of the workshops should depend not on export orders but upon the restocking of British Rail.
Meanwhile the board's derisory pay offer of five per cent from 6 September linked to productivity lie
the table. railworkers including the workshop employees must campaign through the unions for a decent rise with no strings.
The NUR leadership must be told loud and clear inal nanonal strike acuor is the only way to • win and that through such ad tion the workshops and the communities that de pend on them will ultimately be saved
By David Oliver
and the wholesale rundown of the railway in. dustry, we could win wise support for the policies of the Broac Left. Weighell has already acknowledged the potential of the Broad Left in backhanded manner through an attempt to victimise its leading members.
Cheques should be
was the "platform' from which socialism was to be a vanced
In this sense, the argument about disengagement is a bit of a red herring Disengagement would be nothing more than means of saving face after a disastrous defeat. Has it
there still a chance to turn the fight round and defea the Tory Government?
Page 15 scan of this page
BRADFORD 12
WITH morale lifted by the acquittal of Jayesh Amin and the dropping of the first charge manufacture of explosives against Sabir and Saeed Hussein, the case for the defence of the Bradford 12 has finished and the verdict expected by 11 June.
EvIdence Chief Inspector Holland who was the investigation rounded off the prosecution case.
Attempting to justify his refusal allow Ine defendents to have visitors following their arrest last Photo: J HARRIS July, Holland claimed he feared that 'messages would get out to the com munity and hinder the invesusalon
Defence counsel, Mike Mansfield. drew out the racist bias of the police with a statement from the Royal Commission
Procedure which said, Police ficers must be prejudiced and discriminatory to do their job.. Searching West indian voutns wearing tea cosy hats and loitering in city could detect mugging offences.
'Subordinate officers are expected to discriminating way; that is against these people who by their conduct, mode of life, dress, associates and transport are most likely to be criminals.
Opening the Mansfield Last for Tine cerence. defendents role in making told that petrol bombs is not in dispute. The question whether or not they were
with intent to endanger life or property.
Tarlochan Gate-Aura, one of the detendents, 4422222 Kent miners to strike
over jobs
ON SATURDAY 19 June, Kent miners will go on indefinite strike unless the National Coal Board removes its threat to close down the Snowdon Colliery.
gone out on token 24-hour stoppages holding mass meetings to discuss further action.
is to travel throughout Britain immediately to explain their strike decision and to call on other areas for support.
Defence is part
of everyday life
NO CONSPIRACY POLICE CONSPIRACY
bottom, march through Leeds on first day of trial. described how the deaths from firebomb attacks on black homes, TASC attack on Southall and atlacKs Bradford and other places all contributed slale panic he felt on 11 July neanlig avoul coachiodus NO MANHAS ThE hiM! nSELLANDIHER
Miners at three local pits have already
A special team of 10 miners from the area
Scenes from mobilisations to defend Bradford 12. Top Leeds Crown Court
of skinheads coming to Bradford.
It was in inese cir•
that he met culliolalileo with the oinel defendents and argued that petrol bombs should
strike call
WUN
News
NO CONSPRACY
POLICE CONSPIRA
be used but only as a last resort.
He explained: "The purpose of the devices was to erect a shield of fire to deter any allackers non coming into black areas.
He took complete respon-
South Wales miners
THE South Wales miners' conference in May voted to campaign in the area NUM lodges for a day's strike to support the health workers. Last week the lodges agreed to back this call
DAI DAVIES, a miner at Penrhiwceiber pit and a member of the South Wales Area Ex-
explained their decision to Socialist
propriate - the most like-
support was brought home
forefathers fought for pro-
By Paul Hutchinson
in Leeds sibility for the decision to make the petrol bombs
endanger life or property. cept Ishaq Kasi challenged this so-called voluntary ed the so-called voluntary statements made in ponce custody which said that the petrol bombs were for use against the police or property.
Ishaq's brother made a statement , Denal which simply described his
and social background
Tariq Ali spoke of the influence raKbashing' and his work in
Lane in Hast Lon. don a few years ago where Leere under seige and Southall ast yeal - detence so tal as I am concerned is part of everyday life, our life and breath'
great number defence witnesses spoke of the number and ferocity of racist attacks throughout Britain.
Peter Nicholls, a London fireman told of the Walthamstow fire where a woman and three children died. He had prepared an official report for the Fire Brigades Union which suspected arson attacks in that area with 13 Asian homes attacked and seven killed. Two firemen had died fighting those fires.
The final words this week go to a supporter who wrote to the Bradford 12 campaign: "It was really sick when those two Doncener cor on recency
murdering David Moore in Toxteth ... We can't forget our treatment at the hands of the police, the way our families are divided and our communities attacked. That is why we, my family and friends, support the Bradford 12 . There is no other choice.
hospital care. We don't want to be served by workers in these hospitals who live on slave wages.
The more politically minded miners who'll be out on the day see this as
more than just support for
the health workers. health workers are taking on the same government
who are attacking us too with pit closures
The Kent miners are
pproachin the South
Vales coal field to suppor them if they strike against the closure of the Snowdon pit.
We recognise that such support and solidarity action for the health workers is a challenge to Tebbit's proposals.
Newton Rose
Framed
For Murder
Police Must Not Get
Away With H
nected with the NF.
February his conviction was quashed
N4. Tel 01-272 4889
500 engineers
or four and a half months work.
accept compulsory redundancies askeds member
ment would only accept six ot these and on 2y ADri
SIlU with
victimisation'
dant, and refusing urse
action of the refusemen of
Your Bank..
Name of Account to be debited
Account Number..
Our Bank........ Socialist Challenge....
Co-operative Bank Ltd
Account No..
Sorting Code..
Amount to be paid
First Payment due.
Signed..
Newton Rose, a black youth from North London
was convicted of the murder of a white youth con.
He denied his guilt and in
appeal against the quashing will be heard on 14
June and if the court grants it then Newton wil
tion Committee c/o 76 Stroud Green Road, London
occupy in Scotland
Wallacetown Engineering Co Ltd, a subsidiar
informed the factory's unions that they were going to make 40 workers redundant. Management claimed that they were only reorganising work sections and that there was a 'reduced demand for products and ser vices'. It was clear to the unions, in particular the engineering union the AUEW, this was not true as there were outstanding orders for tom
port for the workers has
and the District CommitTeeN AUEW have made the oc-
treasure
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE BANKER'S ORDER FORM 110_ Leman St,London El SHQ1. 70267802 ...08-03-08 ....Monthly
..And on the same date in the month thereafter.
Socialist Challenge 11 June 1982 page 15
Page 16 scan of this page
HOLOCAUST
Bombs explode in West Beirut
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SEVEN WEEKS ago in Socialist Challenge we wrote: 'The Israeli army is on massive onslaught against Lebanon. The aim of the invasion will be to smash the Palestinian strongholds and deal a decisive blow to the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)'. Our prediction has come true - with a vengeance.
ly 17 miles from Beirut. launching a campaign of slaughter from the air against the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples bombing civilian areas Beirut, hundreds of Israeli tanks have crossed the border into Lebanon.
There can be no doubt about the objective of the Israeli attack — a crushing defeat of the Palestinians and the Le Danese from which they will not be able to recovel
But the Israeli invasion tar trom demonstrating the strength and security of the Zionist state reveals its weakness and crisis.
Founded on the expulsion of the majority of the native Palestinians and the subjugation of those Palestinians who remain, the Zionist state has always acted in the region as the policeman for world imperialism. Its ver ex-
nage and finance of the United States
lne attempt Israel to secure peace with Egypt at the expense of the Palestinians has led to Colloicle failure. The whole peace process initiated by the Camp David accord — signed by Sadat and Begin under chful eye of President Carter - has collapsed as the Palestinians in the territories • occupied by Israe in 1967 have refused play the passive role laid out for them in the Camp David script.
Since middle of March there have been a
the verge of a
At the time of writing the Israeli army is onThe Israeli airforce is
in Tyre, Sidon and
serier of determined demonstrations against Israeli occupation in these territories. Tens thousands of young Palestinians nave Taken part in mobilisation which have been met with vicious repression by the Israeli ar-
fifteen Palestinians have been killed and many HOLS wounded.
Israel has reponded to the failure of Camp David by deciding simultaneous-
to permanently annex the occupied territories and to deal a crushing blow to the Palestinian resistance.
The Golan heights have already been annexed by Israel - an annexation which has been met with a
by the Druze Arabs who live there. The resistance to the annexation policy has also included for the first time number of solidarity strikes by Arab workers in Israel itself.
Only about ten per cent of the Palestinians live in Destruction in the streets of Tyre
IN LEBANON
Lebanon. But it is the centre military resistance to Israel and the headquarters of the PLO
The aim of the Israeli invasion is to take out the military. core nian resistance, demoralising ana demoonising al. the Palestinians who resist srae expansionist policies.
The final aim of the attack will be to push the Israeli border twenty thirty miles northwards to give Israel control of the water from the Litani river and more 'secure' border, preventing military incursions from
By making the choice for vet allotile military adventure to solve its pro blems, the Israeli economy is in chaos, as the world economic recession makes US financial support more difficult. The peoples of the occupied territories are not going to lie down and surrenue
Israel is going to eno up with more hostile op ponents to police, more borders to defend, and a population at home which is less and less willing to accept economic deprivation to support a massive multarv machine
There is no future for the Jewish people in the Middle East without ac cepting and upholding the national rights of the Palestinian people. Marx's saying that 'a people which oppresses another can never itselt be free' has never been more apt.
A socialist solution to the struggle in the Middle East would recognise the
to remain - there can be no question of capitulating to anti-semitic racism and imagining that the Jewish people could expelled from the Middle East
can there be any just solution which brings peace in the regiol without the destruction of the colonial-settler Zionist state.
the West the memory of the Nazi holocaust against the Jewish people creates confusion and sympathy with une const state.
But the real holocaust today is the holocaust be ing vented on the people of Palestine and Lebanon the high explosive bombs smashing into the refugee camps and working class districts in Sidon, Tyre and Beirut. The real holocaust is the wrecked nouse. and smashed bodies which the Israeli airforce dishes out without a second thought.
Here and now every socialist worth the name ww concer nationalist leaders of the Arab who despite their brave words will not
finger to help the Palestinians.
And every socaus worth the name will be ir
with the heror Palestinian and Lebanese leftist fighters.
← Socialist Challenge No. 248, 4 June 1982Socialist Challenge No. 250, 18 June 1982 →