Socialist Challenge No. 259, 4 September 1982
The scan: sc-no259.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive)
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Page 1 scan of this page
Challenge Start the fight-back with a
22 SEPTEMBER
No. 259 4 September 1982 25p GO
T.U.C
BETRAYED
ASLEF
ALWILL BETPA) THE
NHS?
Unemployed and strikers 10p
Socialist
ONE DAY
GENERAL
WHEN THE Trades Union Congress starts, the unemployed figures will have passed million. The Tebbit Bill will be on the statute book. Cruise missiles will be arriving within few months. dispute will still have to be won.
ple are affected. disappearing heat wave. nuclear holocaust gets nearer each day. The right to strike is under the hammer of Tebbit.
The health workers given the thumbs down sign
HOME
N 3.2
ple The NHS ment growing The lives of millions of peo-
Jobs are like snow in a The threat of a
underpaid, overworked, enormous
have been could if
SLIC SETSIDE
ORTH WEST REGION
ASEYSIDE & CHESER
by the government.
A fight back is not just a good idea, it is both possible and practical. Millions of peo-
are against unemployment. The anti-nuclear move-
reaches out to eversections of the population. The health dispute has the support of the overwhelming majority of health workers and the vast majority of other trade unionists
Unemployment, the threat of war, and the defence of the NHS, are causes which have
support. They the TUC and the Labour Party takes them up.
telephone bills are too high? YOU Well, in case you didn't, the TOBACCO
UNION
CUS
& EXCISE
IVERPOOL BRANCH
DH-
lead to the defeat of the Tory
government.
ment of
rallies and strikes on these
issues could turn the tide. This
the way to
return of
ment and the way to defend
the interests of working peo-
ple.
Let the TUC start the fight
back by calling out the entire
trade union movement on 22
September. This would lead to
victory for workers and show to worker that Thatcherism can
be defeated.
Buzzing
Buzby
KNOW
profits',
creases
obscene'.
obscene
arms STRENG This
when he
othe AOL • The a cool half enterprise high slightly and
Giordano.
A mass move-
demonstrations,
fight for the a Labour govern-
the health every
p6
work p9
Daily Mail has been kind enough to remind you
In the light of British Telecommunications' huge
it thundered last Thursday, the planned in.
are 'unjustified', 'unreasonable', and even
The problem, it seems, is that Busby has a monopoly.
It's not just the Mail which is worrying about the high cost of
calls: the Confederation of British Industry is also up in
about these monstrous monopoly profits.
rapid conversion socialist principles may cause a few problems: why, only a few months ago Lord Denning gave us all a lesson on the importance of profit
caught the GLC redhanded in the foul crime of trying to avoid making a profit. Strange to say, the Mail didn't find the cost of a bus journey "obscene'.
But after all, a late convert is still a convert. Can we suggest that the Mail and the CBI take up some ings? What about these cases? excessive monopoly Call
Associated Newspaper group, which prints the Mail and wnose director Patrick Sergeant awarded himself a seventy-eight percent rise last year to becom Britain's third highest paid bos with a salary of a quarter of a million per year.
• That shining example of free competition, British Oxygen Company, which sells 97 percent of al industrial gases and a cool half milion a dare gets
million a year. mastery of the principles of free
clearly make him the highest paid man in Britain.
• The 122 unelected men who run Britain's 20 major nationalised inover 1.5 million embloyees. Their over 1.7 million employees salaries average a miserly £60,000.
Strange to say, however, our solution to the problem of these
and immoral earnings is different from the Mail CBI's. We propose i save
usby an immediate £300,000 b sacking the directors and placing the industry under the control of those who work in it.
British industry wants to Busby off to the likes of Mr Ri
They can't be claiming this will reduce Busby's profits or that nice Mr Denning might have something to say; and so we can only assume your phone bills will be as high
But then, isn't it worth that little extra to know you will be helping private enterprise put the economy back on its feet?
INSIDE
The case against privatisation
Sexual Harassment at
Page 2 scan of this page
Factory closure threatened in Bristol
•Editorial
PO Box 50, London N1 2XP
Phone 359 8180 (Newsdesk), 359 8371 (distribution)
A Shadow
Conspiracy
Socialist Challenge can
secret group of people, with their own inter-
nal discipline, their own international links
wiw snadowy, undemocauc organisatons
are organising to destroy the Labour Party.
Members of this secret organisation con-
stantly attack the policy of the Labour Party
want to hold on to precious links with the IMF
ane ne c-e ane are accountabie to no-one.
This organisation - the 'shadow cabinet'
has a huge apparatus to defend its opera-
tions, which it is now using to drive socialists
out of the Labour Party. Part of this apparatus
the aptly initialed CAC,
rangements Committee) has
ammendments sponsored by the Campaign
for Labour Party Democracy, aimed at delay-
ing the implementation of any register and
the recomendations of the NEC on Militant,
must be ruled off conference agenda.
The National Executive
CAC have determined on war in the Party for
the next year at least. The NEC are convinced
that the new Basnett/ Jenkins alliance block-
ing with Weighall,
isolate the left will get the register through.
is reasonably good. All pointers indicate that
the Militant sponsored
Conference
will be a serious show of strength. As indeed
it must be. Militant are certaily in the van of
the witch hunt. But there is an argument to be
won there.
Another conference,
Hackney North Constituency on 30 October
will help to win that argument. The witch
hunt is an attack on the mass movement. It is
directed against the policies and some of the
best fighters for those policies.
the potential to win Labour a victory in the
next election.
if the leadership of the Labour Party ap-
plied those policies then they would be stan-
ding at the heart of the tremendous trade
union solidarity being
Healthworkers battle
rather than preparing a bloodletting.
Militant are the starters, the main course
is the Bennite left in the Party and the unions.
Failure to understand this basic point can cut
off from your
understood that the witch hunt is an attack
on the mass movement - it follows that you
have to harness the support
movement to defeat it.
Which brings us back to the Hackney Con-
ference.
ty itself, and on a basis which includes non-
implementation of any
on the register, the Hackney conference is an
ideal opportunity to build an alliance which
unites the fight against the witch hunt in the
Party.
bring together from every area represented,
ail those affiliated organisations, fighting for
this policy. This applies most particularly in
the unions.
must face the resistance of the whole of the
local labour movement.
While the Labour Party remains controlled
by the right-wing leaders operating in alliance
with a few trade union
always be witch hunts. Because their power
and authority in the Party was threatened this
leadership will attempt to fight to the last
drop of our blood more virulently than they
ever tought the Tories. Put 11 September and
30 October in your diaries now!
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.
ocialist Challenge 4 Saptamber 1982 page 2 seraTs
reveal that a (Conference Ardecided that
Committee and
Boyd and Chapple
On the other side of the equation the news
'Labour Movement at Wembley on 11 September
called by the
which have
SHOWYA against the Tories,
friends. When it
of the mass
Called by an organisation of the Par-
discipline following
The first thing the Conference should do is
If the NEC moves to expel they
barons, there will
Time to
change
course
PLO leave Beirut
By Martin Ahmet Bristol West LPYS MANAGEMENT'S CARS WERE blocked in, and their offices occupied, after Langston Miachine Company. were told that the works were to close with the axeing of 320 jobs by them downing tools. Langston, part of the Mullings Multinational, Was Thrissell last year when 330 jobs were lost as part of their so-called rationalisation process. A few years 9,20 the plant employed a work force of just over
WOEK convenor, told Chaente We Ve agreed to the redundancies
formally registered our failure to agreement. Our tirst move has been to contact other works the CunDally The plant at Peterborough will boycott any transfer of our work. We're arranging factory visits Willin the : group stage. The unions involv-
the aCLIUl are the AUEW, TASS. APEX and EEPTU Management's offer of transferring 60 of the 380
An obituary for
Robbie Stoddart
Challenge, a committed socialist who work. Robbie was a
Pd closely with all those who supported the
causes he fervently believed in.
defend the health service and the cause of
Irish Liberation were particularly dear to him.
He was a dedicated nurse and shop steward.
WOrKTCLOS PCnOe
People he cared for. We cannot believ nis death and the forthcoming closure of his
workplace -
connected Robbie was a
comrade.
Danny Miles
for Colchester SWP
the 380 work-force ot caston Bristol
Their actions have been followed up
as Masson Scott known
workforce has also been rejected by the joint stewaras comnmutice Langston makes machines for producing types of cardYaLIOUS board. Bristol has a tradition of being a centre for the industry going PapvL back into the last century.
Within the past tew year maSSVe job losse and works closures have been the pattern in this industry as the world recession has bitten deeper. Last ycal over 900 jobs were permanently with closure of -IUSI St. Anne's Broadmills, one of the Robbie took his own life on Monday 19 Ju-
supporter Socialist
The fight t
He was loved and respected equally by his
mentally handicapped that
Essex Hall Hospital - are un-
dear friend and He will be missed by us all.
News
The British labour movement has an offical position on the struggle of the Palestinians.
The TUC supports UN resolution 242 which tries to recognise the right of all mid-east nationalities to peaceful statehood
welcomed the Camp David Асcords.
This position, adopted because of the pressure in part of imperialist interests and in bart trom the much
capital moral nd il
capital JCWISE people's suffering in Hitler's death camps, cannot In all conscience be held for one second longet
Naturally the timidity of Congress House as exhibited in the health dispute allows little confidence that such a change will be made.
But that should not stop every class conscious militant from asking what should be the line of the offical leadership of the British labour movement atter the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
the first place it should be made crystal clear that Zionism and its military machine, headed by butcher Sharon, cannot and Is not capable of 'peaceful co-existance
the dispossesed Palestinian people
It has put ten thousand Palestinian fighters in CalDs the south of Lebanon.
It has maintained a barbarous bombardment largest local employers in the paper industry. If these
OSSCS will be one more step in the destruction of one of the largest combined sources of employment in the area.
Particularly hard hit will be the youth, as more and more job opportunities disappear, taking with them the traditional forms of apprenticeships and job training. If the 320 jobs are lost without Chis will stell fight then the local jobless total of 46,416 that includes over 4,600 youth alone. These figures represent the
ment experien cede by oye
experienced by HILCTIE South West. Redundancies mean long term job losses and youth opportunities, coupled with the break up of working class communities
Some of the workforce were encouraged by the fight of the mainly women
* Ernest Mandel on 'Socialist Democracv' * John Harrison on 'Economic Crisis" * John Ross on 'Break-Up of British Politics'
of Beirut for six weeks •holding back water tood and medical supplies to the shell shocked population.
It has opened the door to direct HSCalls. tervention in the region It has installed a right wing leader of the Christian Falange as Lebanon's President. Wahington has connived in every foot of the astael davance Washington's formula for Middle East peace is to crush the Palestinain resistance. The Zionist war machine is the instrument.
That is why the US stepped up its military supplies to for the months OCIOIC uevasor The mightiest imperialist DOWe the world has made its choice. Hatred
Meanwhile, carefully calculated numbers of Palestinians being welcomed by the reactionary leaders of the Arab world.
Hussein and his
conorts harbour -a bitter hatred of the PLO. Twelve years ago he ordered his army to destroy the Palestinian camps in Jordan. But concessions have to be made as the Palestinian fighters have immense popularity amongst me arao masses Over the course of the bitter battle for Beirut the Arab leaders made their choice LOU. These leaders and the Zionist war machine, with imperialist connivance, have combined to deliver a bitter blow to the Palestinian cause.
Naturally the weakness
of the political line of the PLO leadership has come Langston convenor Pat Keane workforce hamou Names during their several week strike that ended in success, here in Bristol.
Socialist Challenge and Revolution supporters will
Easton, Bristol.
International
'Debating Socialism'
Weekend October 23/24 Central London venue
Bea Campbell & Val Coultas debate'Sweet Freedom" * Ken Livingstone, Frances Morrell & Alan Freeman debate 'The New Labour Left' Mike Davis on 'Exterminism & the Cold War"
* Bernadette MeAliskey & Perry Anderson also invited
Tickets: Just f4 for whole wcekend, £2.50 per day. Creche provided. Write to: International •Debating Socialism'. PO Box 50, London NI 2XP
Mark the date in your diary now - 23/24 October!
under the searchlight in the Lebanese war. After the 1967 war PLO leaders agreed a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries. This reflected the political dependence of the PLO on the Syrians and the Saudi Hidas acuaasO the Palestinian cause.
There has always been a tension between the continuous armed and mass struggle waged by the Palestinian organisations both inside and outside the OCCUDICO LeTaLOSCS and Israel itself, and dependence on the Arab leaderships.
Under some conditions the PLO's pact can create isolation from other sections of the Arab masses
those forces on whose mooHsanon umare VIe tory depends
Nevertheless the struggle of the PLO in Beirut is
inspiration across the Middle East and the world. As Israel pursues its advance it will continue in Northern Lebanon as well asi israel апа ше осcupied territories.
Now is the tume for tha British labour movement to change course. A MIddle East policy must start from the defence of the poor and oppressed across the region on the recognition of the legitimacy of the : Palestinan clalms for tneir own country. This course canJOE CO-CAISI with the existence of the Zionist state and ITS locHals! alliances.
We can start the strug. gle for a leadership with such a policy through a campaign of aid BETO and solidarity with the PLO be preparing a solidarity campaign for the defence of jobs at Langston and elsewhere Bristol/Avon. Letters and messages uf support to: Pat Keane, Langston Machine Company, Stapleton Road,
Page 3 scan of this page
TUC-what
a record!
THE LAST Trades Union Congress decided on a whole series of radical policies to deal with the threats facing the working class from this Tory government and the bosses. Virtually none of these policies was advanced during the year. This is little wonder. Because every time that workers mobilised to defend themselves the TUC or its leading lights stabbed them in the back. The record of the last twelve months proves once again the need for a new leadership of the TUC which is accountable to the rank and file.
Congress 1981 decided: smash the Act. Instead the * On 'the mobilisation of TUC tops allowed the electhe movement to 09DOSG tricians branch to face the vigorously any further courts alone and remained legislation placing restric- silent tions on trade unions' tide of rank and file senti* To support free collec- tavour of a big five pay restrand whose battle. The issue was duck-
Led. *any pay restraint
If the Tories had not would interfere with the rights of unions to deter- backed off, however, the
record on other questions mine ineir own policies gives no would not have that and resolve their own and settlements procedures negonaung thes tively sabotaged the fight not nave ac-
for TUC policy the * To fight for increased ranks. public expenditure This was certainly the substantial micrease story on the pay front. The public ownership and Tories have not imcampaign to defend the Demented a formal inwelfare state and public comes policy, but their services and a massive in-
stana on pay restramt Is jection into public capital tougher than projects * To mobilise against They made it clear that the
unemployment, fight for a limit was 4 per cent anc
that they expected Youth employers to use the efunemployment was to be placed at the centre of the fects of unemployment to
follow that line.
TUC's campaign for full
employment R SN
Rejected
* To unanimously condemn the increase womens unemployment to call for the promotion of British Leyland
positive action and for the SUDICINO Michael Ed-
wardes duly weighed in wider recruitment of with 3.8 per
cent on the women into the unions basic pay. BL workers Laurence Scott's, stabbed in the back. * To overwhelmingly sup- clearly rejected this in port the call for unilateral and went out on nuclear disarmament strike action. This would,
witnour coubt, nave con Mandate signed Thatchers wage cut-
ting the scrap
Dary and Aler Kidson to
These key policy deciget the strike movement
sions gave a mandate to called off - 'for England' the General Council to res-
opined dunderhead Duffy. pond to the major attacks
But this had not cowed real fight for these policies the cass. Within Leyland workers.
the appropriate back on strike attempting weeks, they were would have sent Thatcher into spin They would to block one of the provi-
sions of the deal removing the their right to tea breaks.
0138 conditions for the election mitted go socialist lights of the Tue stepped Once the leading committed socialist in to stab them in the back
poncies alr
It is difficult to say on After this saga was which ISSue the General repeated at Fords over Council's failure was Christmas, little
But there is no that the miners doubt that its record on voted against strike action fighting Tebbit
• given their 9 per cent ofdisgrace. Despite adopting fer and he scabbing in additional powers when of the full extent of Tebbits Gormless. It is now in the attacks on union rights hands of the health was revealed, the best that workers to implement the General Council has TUC policy opposing any been able (LO do wage restraint The fanorganise a leafletting cam- tastic solidarity with the paign! health workers shows that
No-one is asking the the old arguments TUC leaders to mobilise about rank and file apathy action out of the blue. But are total poppycock. The when Sean Gerachty of the
polligh FORCE meet St. electricians was therefore moves onto the indicted by the courts and what they will Attack on GLC's cheap fares under Priors 1980 legisla dO to make sure of unemployment and tion a tremendous oppor massive one day strike on fight for a 35 hour week
Was presented 22 Sentember. has turned into a sick joke only to strike a blow for proposal Already act the time of the
also mobilise against HaSE the valiant
Trade Unions
Betrayed!
Traindrivers stabbed in the back
Laurence Scott
ignored Laurence Scott workers given the TUC tremendous platform fight for its policies A victory here would have
TUC
Sean Gerachty, abandoned.
NO CLOSURE
Fight for the Right
(SEL
SIT IN
STRIKE!
Youth's hopes left high and ary sparked off a wave of occupations for jobs in the engineering industry. The
refused to move.
Duffy and Boyd of the
Betrayed!
IN KE:
Betrayed
GIVEUSA
FUTURE
engineering union calmly and coldly put in the boot!
The fight for jobs is, of
totalv intertwined with the 'productivity' of-
fensive of the bosses
stood traindo ers blail
stood Rail Board, it took the Finance and General Purposes Committee to threaten them with expulsion before the drivers had to throw in the towel. This
making the TUC complicit in the Tory job destruction. Even their one initiative - the youth Jobs express - turned into a simple publicity Subsequently, the 1-in-5 youth on the dole have been lett floundering. Fares
T's fares on Labocy
GC's tare policy presented the TUC with a
implement their policy 'to
public services The blatantly antidemocratic intervention of the law Lords would also have been a useful foil to explain the reality of Thatcher "democracy'. The GLC policy was clearly immensely popular. Yet the
TUC stood aside and let Thatcher and her courts get away with the doubling of fares contributing further to the Tories aim of destroying public services. Malvinas
The TUC's reaction to the Malvinas war was another indictment. Thatchers war against Argentina as part of her support for Reagans intervention into Centra America clearly posed the threat of a nuclear war - as a consequence of ine widening of the conflict. TUC decisions deals the bomb suffered a blow in the face
Thatcher victory.
Moreover this has allowed Thatcher much more latitude to stregthen her alliance with Reagan.
Women
What of the unanimous decision fight for positive action for women? One year on, women still only receive two thirds of men's wages and are being made redundant the rate Make no mistake about it. These attacks on women contribute to a weakening of the strength of the class as a whole. This is not only because women have shown in a series of militant actions - from Lee Jeans through Kigass to
- that they determined and powerful ally. But also because such second class citizens are used by the bosses to drive down the living standards of us all.
The last year has clearlack or willingness to fight there is
Where the big obstacle has arisen is in the actions of the leadership.
In the face of the scourge af unemployment, unity of the working class is vital.
the aromanen what rac Virtually
the government. general staff of the trade union movement does is indispensible to the outcome of any sectoral battle. This lesson needs to be drawn by all militants. We can't around the General Council or ignore it. The battle ha to be joined not only for mili tant policies but also to make it accountable
Socialist Challenge 4 September 1982 page 3
Page 4 scan of this page
LPYS backs Youth March
By Brian Heron OFFICIAL support from the National Committee of the LPYS gave a tremendous boost to the North West youth march for 'Jobs not Bombs'. Ten LPYS branches have already backed the march, offering to sponsor marchers in many cases. But now the march organisers expect a flood of enquiries and offers of support from all over the country.
From the march organisers office (the ofice is moving in the next ew days to Manchester Jniversity Students Union viere tree racines nave seen offered), Jim Coutts
BOOTST Challenge, this political breakthrough. The esponse that Young CND
already narch has in my view quaranteed its success in iny case. But it has been a attle to get real and pracical committment by the _PYS leadership to ine _PYS policy of full supsort to the campaign of (CND.
This decision (by the National COLLILECC neans that every YS branch in the country can se discussing the march. iven where they cannot
marcher, they hould take a report back na send us some monev Sut even more important he YS now has a chance to ive a political lead to the hole labour
HOYCHICHE in how to build a mass acion campaign against
weapons and for
obs the support is there.
Iction is the key. We are iving
ZOCUS 3EOI housands of peoples' feel-
about Britain's uclear arsenal which obiously has priority over ODS 2S a 25 Thatcher is oncerned. The YS should e right in the lead of giv1g practical expression to uch feelings.
gnore
Jim is right about the umount of support the narch has brought ogerner. in a tew short veeks over twenty Labour MP's Tony 3enn and Dennis Skinner ind dozen 11101C Labour Party constituenSocialist Challenge 4 September 1982
bombs
Manchester sept 23 › Blackpool sept 26. cies have sponsored and offered support. If the rade unions reaction ha been even more positive with the North West TUC, the Lancashire Association of Trades Councils, the Stockport, Bolton and Manchester North District Committees of the AUEW and more than a dozen
far signed up. And of COULSC CND support involves virtually every part of the campaign the North West, and at every level.
Mass
The four day march is designed to link up with the lobby of Labour Party Conference called by Labour CND. On its route through the North West marchers have receptions TOT planned British Leyland and at British Rail works at Hor wich. Trades Councils Labour Parties and CND's have rallied round in Bolton and Preston to provide the welcome that will
gratefully recieved at the end of each days march. But, looking the leneth of parts of the route speakers will have to work hard to get a standing ova tion!
The march organisers have COLL OLLCU fair share of problems most of which stem from the short
detail ironed to set evere
detail ironed out. problem is not the amount of support says Jim *it is turning that support into a well organised march ine back-up and rachitie that each marcher will require. are confident that they can manage.
The office is full of discussion and argument. What did they do about
ON TO
page 4
REMEMBLR YOUR HUMANITY this in the Peoples March? What should people wear? Let's ine ILLOLLI COSC. that were used in the Gardiner's occupation Somebody walks in and announces that the bands are more or less nixea up Everybody cheers. (These include Beet root well known and talented was the common view.
Workers
There's a gig every night for the marchers and the local youth. Food being
Viralisci route by reception com mittees CND bran ches. Accomodation mostly courtesy of local E20e unions. The route has been timed and measured. See you on the 23 September' said Jim.
BLACKPOOL!
Stop the missiles
Even if you can't make the march, join the lobby of the Labour Party Conference called by Labour CND
By Alex Warner
'Jobs not Bombs'.
Judging from the Reagan Reception
tion of last June -
Cruise missiles doorsteps in thirteen months time. secrets.
ween NATO and the Soviet bloc.
This case is the first
najor attack on the nev ent. opens peace movement. is logical that COLIC the Netherlands where the movement developed great strength early on.
Oskar van Rijswijk was arrested on 17 June and charged with being the ringleader in the thef military secrets. He is on the leadership of the
soldiers union VVDM responsible for ac-
Why I'll be marching
As an activist within my regional branch of the Thameside Socialist workers Party can I outline why I will be one of the many marchers on the youth march for
experiences of the Committee which helped coordinate the mass CND demonstraits clear that this youth march to Blackpool Labour Party conference has potential to ignite gut reaction against which could be on our
Not only that, this issue is jobs not bombs, at a crucial time when we have a staggering
IN MID JUNE, four Dutch soldiers active in the a vow of secrecy. soldiers union and the peace movement were arrested and charged with stealing military
The so called secrets were already public knowledge. They dealt with the role assigned to the Cannerberg base in a war bet-
LIONS against nuclear weapons.
However, military officers directly involved the operations to which the so called stolen information relates say it does not LOUCI on military SCLICLS Yet the minister van Mierlo himself has intervened the case saying that the lawyers for the DIUSCCUtion and the defence can see the drawings in question but only if they accept
3.3 million unemployed
figures - and I'm one of them. Frankly, its
time to spell out: enough is enough!
back this march regardless of whether they
can participate in the marching
we want action ... and we want money an
Ne want it now. We may never get anothe
chance like this again. That's why I'm mar-
ching.
Get your trade union branch to
Rd. Manchester. Or 48 Swindon Close, Gorton,
Manchester.
Dutch anti-nuke soldiers face jail
It is clear that these are trumped up picking they are trying to strike at the soldiers movement and pa anti-nuclear activities.
anti-nuclear activities.
This is no small question for the Dutch authorities.
It is known that the Netherlands plays a role in NATO with respect to the Rapid Deployment Force.
Last yual Belgium, it came to light that there are laws making it possible to put the COULL Y under military rule in such an emergency. This would obvious v arise if the as sent the 100,000 soldiers of the RDF to the East because the Dutch
official SOVe
Every socialist worth his or her salt must
We don't want words or token gestures,
sponsor the
DudenTs Union
would
almost certainly oppose
this.
The Dutch movement
needs international sup-
port. Its demands include:
Stop the prosecution of Oskar van Rijswijk, Peter van Wijle and Steef
Boot: an independent en-
quiry into the action of the
military authorities; no at-
tack soldiers
union rights; stop the
criminalisation of the anti
nuke soldiers. Demands
along these lines should be
SCIE to: Minister van
Defensie, Plein The HagVDM, HogelkaserB Holland Copies
Goeselaan 3g, 3521
Utrecht, Holland.
Page 5 scan of this page
For a one day general strike
Aberdeen workers vote for general strike
They want nothing less than the 12 percent defence of the Nes and its scottit ago to senda 'This rally telegram to the Prime Minister, for STUC to inform prepared to play its part in a general strike to restore ustice and humanity to Britain
was passed unanimously by hundreds unionists at a rally in the Aberdeen Music Hall in support of the health workers, 28 August.
The rally followed the biggest demonstration Aberdeen has seen for 30 years. Over three thousand marenca in suppor or me health workers. There were ship yard WOrKCES,
dockers, fishworkers, firefighters,
WaLCIworkers,
says Dominic Johnson
workers erupted last Thursday outside the TUC.
the next stages of the pay campaign. from London, Oxford, elsewhere came to lobby the meeting demanding a clear call for emergency cover only Mors and fed up with
with nearly five months of par. tal action. with a nancrul of one-day national strikes
almost as
00-strong lobby reflected Action
The major target of our
Spanswick who chairs the TUC health services com
The Fleet on who asked the OUTCOL unier magniticent promises of solidarity action in mid-
Secretary of State Scotland and the secretaries of the TUC and them that Aberdeen is ready and
traindrivers and local government workers who had all gone on strike to show their solidarity. Rally The rally was addressed by Mr Walter Watt, a plater Hall Russel shipyard and a member of boleraners unlon He said *we shipyard don't want NHS to die, we need the NHS. We alc all going deaf and blind because o
Emergency Service Only
The anger and frustration of rank and file health
. The health service union leaders were meeting to discuss
Delegations Yorkshire and
all-out indefinite strike with
August. When the electri-
ano ware court by the press barons, Spanswick then offered to
panswick refuses to pay
pay!
When we asked Spanswick about an no merely S810 T0aL considered as one of many
o suis. Since NUPE
none of this. converonce votea vor an in caTinite a -our strike back in May, nothing has been done about it. The disgust Spanswick was
our work. I've been a shipbuilder for 39 years and I've seen some horrible accidents. In the old days betore the NHS. we had to put coppers in a box for a
hardship fund for workers who had suffered accidents. We don't want to go back to that'.
Bob Middleton, leader of the Labour group in the Grampian regional council said: Many of us here today remember standing on LIC picket with ASLEF a few weeks ago. That defeat was an indictment of the trade union leadership. l've come
any section workforce is an attack on the whole labour move-
such that the TUC called the police to escort him in. When we then tried to get into congress House to adaress InE
ed the doors. Those who had managed to get in, put TUC calls police - not all makeshift OUL SLAING. Success
the
Later cay. WE neare the proposal was a one-day strike. To
this a the Congress week should call an official one GaV general Sept. If that happens, TUC health services com-
workot our 2 hap
OUL KaBO us out until we win by simply maintaining an emergency service.
Solidarity
NUPE
ment. That is why I feel we have to intensiny ine pre sent action amongst those unions outwith the health service and if necessary call for a general strike.
Those union leaders that are not prepared to defend the living conditions of the workers they represent should go'
Old
A woman speaker said: 'One of the most important aspects of this struggle is that it is mainly women workers that are involved.
This is important because the Tories have launched a specific attack on womens rights. Women still only call two umiras or mens Health workers lobby Albert Spanswick
wages and are being made redundant at twice the rate Cuts in the NHS mean that it is women who will be expected to look after the old the sick and the handicappospital places for ahem. when there are no
Weak
*The government saw health workers as a weak
Ine labour force, because women workers are traditionally supposed to be submissive well behaved and
STOL IL terested in union. You've proved them wrong on al counts. You have asserted that women have the right to work and should be well
ing interest.
is no more money available
Well they were right, the RCN is conservative, and it does not like militancy. But its members turned out to be different than their officials. They are angry and frustrated at being exploited •DI government that puts money before life and health. So by a thumping 2 to I majority they slung rowier's otter out
It is now plain to everyone that all the workers in the NHS, from the nurses in the professional RCN, to the lowest paid cleaners in NUPE, want that full 12 percent That is a message that ever
fainthearted of the TUC Health Committee would have got wher they met a few hours after
announcement of the ballot vote the TiC have called
another healthworkers' day of action and September. They have also organise one-hour stop pages in solidarity on that day Well that is alright as far as it goes, but it should and could go further Fowler is Mrs Thatcher's
paid tor the important work that they do. You've shown that when it comes defending living standards, women workers can lead the whole trade unior movement LOUL SLUEE is an excellent example of the kind of unity need to get rid of Tories.
Afterwards, Mr Jim Kiddie chairperson Grampian Association of health service unions and organiser Ol the told me, "This is the way to win. Solidarity action what we need We built this day of action by going direct to the workplaces and asking them to strike
suppor us. Today's march has exceeded our
The government and the media watched the ballo the Royal College of Nursing, with more than pa Surely they reasoned, a conservati outfit like the RCN won't like all this militancy ar will see reason in the government's claim that 'the
-LO pay the heal
boy and that means he ha
dig his heels in. He policy to whip th unions into line and tha means no giving in to th health workers.
measures are needed make it change its mind That why the TUC should do nationally wha the Scottish shop steward are proposing to do Scotland - - call a one-da general strike
This would show th Tory cabinet that th labour movement business. And the TUC should tell the cabinet tha the one-day strike on September is only fo starters and that unless th health workers get thei claim in full they will call series of one-day genera strikes
We have said thi again. The health disput and we again. can be won. The only peo ple who can lose tha
dispute are the leaders o the TUC the movemen must make sure that the do not do that For the full claim All out on 22 September
By Marie Louise Irvine
wildest expectations. Thi response is a warning t Thatcher that if sh doesn't recognise claim, the whole countr will rise against her.
Day
The leadership of thi struggle has come from th rank and workers What we need leadership from the TUC
September sho stewards al ove Scotland Will meet to pla intensified solidarity LIOHA for health workers on the 2: September. We suppor the call for a general strike on that day.
Pay the
Health
Workers
Pay the Health workers badges available at 25p each
25p single
20p 500 and over
Cheques payable to 'Cardinal Enterprises" and send
to Badges PO Box 50 Lon-
Why not get your
trade union or Labour Part branch to order some?
Socialist Challenge 4 September 1982
page!
Page 6 scan of this page
PRIVATISATION-WHA
How does it
work?
THERE ARE basically four ways in which the state sector will be carved up and cut to ribbons: 1. Direct sale of public assets. Here the profitable side of a nationalised industry is sold off. This was done to 51 per cent of the assets of the British National Oil Corporation, a fate awaiting British Telecom. examples are British (BP); National Enterprise Board holdings in ICL and British Aerospace; Cable Wirless; Amersham tional; British Rail hotels and Hoverspeed. The same treatment
planned for British Board; British Airways; British Steel; National Coal Board open cast mines; National Bus Company; British Leyland. The selling of gas show-rooms was only stopped by threatened strike action. 2. Licensing private petitors.
Here the monopoly status of the nationalised industry is ended and a private firm is given a license to compete for the same customers. Examples where the monopoly has been relaxed are found in British Telecom (licenses given to Project Mercury); Post Office (licenses for express mail); Central Blectricity Board; National Bus Company and British Gas. 3. Contracting Out.
Here, jobs like cleaning, catering and transport of materials given to outside contractors. nas happened in local authority services, too, with contracts given to private refuge, cleaning and building firms. 4. Alternatives for those who can pay.
Here an alternative and improved service is provided by firms for those who can afford it. The most obvious example is private medicine. British Telecom.
AT THE end of July, the Tories an-
nounced that 51 per
Telecom would be sold to
buyers by 1984.
assets this is the biggest share issue
ever offered to the worlds markets
and the biggest denationalisation in
brush mistory.
The telecommunications industry
and the micro-chip revolution com-
pares with the nineteent
railway links in the industrial revolu-
Thev wil transform
cial, economic and social life. Ripe
pickings exist then for the private
speculators and investors hovering in
anticipation of Thatcher's
This privatisation was first hinted
at when the telecommunications sec-
tion of the Post Office was seperated
from postal services, complete with a
new coat of vellow paint.
Then in October 1981, the British
Tele-communications
through Parliament.
British Telecom's
allowed a rival network to compete.
Project Mercury owned by Barclays
Socialist Challenge 4 September 1982 page 6
TUC Congress privatisation industries, Thatcher's
now Other Petroleum Thatcher's
United
Feranti;
and throughout
Interna-
cial and Docks
We Lose.
com- Job Losses.
state steel, coal, and post, services.
Generating investment to
thcoming,
inviting state for
are redundancy This
this means job losses.
Working
tions.
private
practices fought
As we've seen
and British
cent of British
private year license With E5 billion of telecommunications
April 1982.
-CCULULY
commer- prices.
defor domestic users.
Act went
This ended monopoly and
users.
A MAJOR ISSUE at this years
concerns the of nationalised and rightly So.
Government is leading the most devastating and wide-ranging assault on public sector industry and services since the Second World War. Here CELIA PUGH looks at what privatisation means.
Falklands adventure and her backing for
States aggression the world, confirms Britains determination to expand and maintain finan-
industrial interests abroad. But its efforts are continually undermined by British industry's own poor standing
work.
BLOOD-LETTING is an essential part of Thatcher's prescription for a leaner and fitter industry. Thousands of jobs have already been massacred in the major industries and pulic services -
telecommunications rail, hospitals, social Public sector industries have been starved of the necessary
Government funds have been for-
not for job creation but to knock the industry into an
private buyers.
This involves forking out Government funds for asset stripping,
payments and eradicating overlap in production with that of the future buyer. All will
Deteriorating
Condiing, DUSTING down the nationalised industries for privatisation has involved a push for increased productivity and a challenge to the manning agreements and working
for by trade unionists to protect their health, safety and working conditions.
already in rail,
Some examples
Merchant Bank, Cable and Wireless
Petroleum (and newly chaired by British Leyland axeman Sir Michael Edwardes) was given a 25
TO opcraic a private system from
Project Mercury will lay optical fibre cable, more versatile and long lasting than the copper cable in the British Telecom network, and will offer to business subscribers an electronic data transmission service more geared to their needs and at reduced
It will be allowed to use ex- have isting British Rail ducts for its cables to link the major business centres.
60 percent of British Telecom's present income comes from business subscribers. Creaming off will severeIv cut into the resources the nationalised industry has to improve its own technology and subsidise its non- be profit making market. The result will be reduced services and rising prices
We got a taste of this in 1981 when bills for residential users went up by 13.4 per cent, compared to 6.8 per cent for business
Jobs too are on the line. British pany
ina cut-throat competitive world.
Thatcher has set the task of dusting down domestic industry to smarten it up. Under the slogan 'leaner but fitter', British industry is to restructured and rationalised. Less workers are to produce more profits threw prodig tivity deals, working practices, new technology and redundancies. Firms that cannot stay the course are left to go to the wall.
Part of this hard stand is a rejection of the post-war attempts by all other governments to maintain state intervention in industry along with full employment
Who benefits and who loses?
these gains are being thrown out of the window, with disastrous consequences of longer more accidents and more stress at Worse Services. IN MOST of the nationalised industries and services, profits from the lucrative sections go to cover the costs and losses of services which are socially necessary but don't pay their own way. So, in
tele-communications dustry, non-profit making services to domestic users are subsidised by the profits from long distance and international business services.
Privatisation would cream off these profitable sections, leaving no resources for investment or subsidies for services for working people and those at home. Prices
rocket. Unprofitable but socially needed services like rural transport and domestic munication will deteriorate. Sections of heavy industry will be left to flounder, like heavy steelmak-
while the profitable sectors are hived off.
It will become impossible to rationally plan and invest for comprehensive services based on social need by pooling societies resources. Profit will rule the day. Attacks On The Unions
Telecom employs 250,000 people and the industries that supply its materials a further 100,000. These workers are now to be thrown into the jungle of cut-throat competitors, losing their job security on the way. The Post Office Engineering Union (POEU) won Telecome which will certainly disap- job security clause with British pear under hive-off.
Rail A WARNING of what railworkers
in store came from Economist magazine at the end of July. It congratulated the British Rail Board for driving the productivity screws into the drivers and guards. But is also called for something far more radical'.
It argued that British Rail should
divided into four businesses - the London and South East network; provincial inter-city services and freight. Each business would then be given the privatisation treatment.
British Rail London services would be hived off to a seperate com-
ATCECCISCSSSUCE LOCOR
social services. Instead, under Thatcher, state dustry will be transformed, parcelled up and sold off to the highest bidder. In this be unemployment force the Labour movement to submit to the consequences of a 'a leaner and fitter' industry.
These management not only economic considerations. For Thatcher's plan to work, British trade unions will have to be broken. This is how the bosses paper the Economist explained things at the end of July's ASLEF strike: and
SHOP FLOOR organisation and unity are disrupted by new workhours, ing practices. When outside contractors are workforces are split smashing of union strength is a conscious product of Tory plans to end public sector monopoly, When Southend Council replaced their refuse private hire firm, they admitted: *Another important influence on the members (Tory Councillors) in- was the refuge collection strike of 1979 when the Southend manual workers stayed out until the wage settlement was agreed, to the general union approach',
The Economist views of its subscribers When it cuts in coal subsidies and for nuclear and other energy alternatives, not for financial reasons but so that the coal miners could be made less reminds us that 'there are now oncomly three months to reverse that trend (of subsidised coal) before King Arthur's armies the Iron Lady's gates'.
They
Benefit WHO ARE they? They are the flock of vultures hovering over the nationalised industries. • The stock market speculators
petitors. The uneconomic provincial lines would be closed completely and replaced with bus services. A seperate inter-city company established and freight would be leased out. Track maintenance would be con maid ounce ot tong stink and maintenance presently done engineering workshops.
dicated its intention to 'radical' approach.
Transport Act enables British Rail to the turn its subsidiaries into private companies and sell shares in them. Hotels and Hoverspeed have already been sold off and the Victoria to Gatwick Airport service is on the market. Ferries, freight and workshops are being prepared for the same treatment.
British Rail is carrying through ruthless productivity, job and wage attacks on workers in these areas in services; order to prepare a lean and pro fitable' package to sell on the open
The National Union of Seamen has resisted this with the Sealink Ferry strike and a national threatened when
owned thoroughly
scheme, mass
is used to union strongest monopolies Government and
decisions are influenced by
vide'
So, the
and
base
'Britain's unions are cowed, but
introduced, up. This
redundancy repayments.
collectors with They
the plants.
dustries. contrary
echoes the ruling class service. pushes for • The employees
pockets.
menacing' It
gather at Wireless
The producer
gift to million. would be
rolling
in British Rail
The Government has already in-
adopt this The 1981
timetables, cancellations.
have to
sidy. Steel
strike
British Rail
not broken...The manner of the train drivers defeat should also temper any crowing...The train drivers pretty solid. It was left to the TUC in ner cabinet to bring ASLEF to heel But TUC internal politics are always precarious. The TUC is not a reliable ally in the struggle against its own
power...Ine union grip in the public sector The most effective way to reduce public sector union power is to end this state monopoly or near monopoly in the service they pro-
privatisation and de nationalisation are part and parcel of Thatcher's political
economic scheme to strengthen Britain's economic
on the backs of defeated and smashed trade union movement.
who gain from the sale of nationalised assets: • The industrial investors who pick up the 'leaner and fitter' companies below their value and without spending a penny on
payments and These are all taken care of at Government expense.
are also compensated for liquidation of out-moded
• The big banks who rake in billions of pounds in interest on loans to the ailing nationalised in-
• The private consultants who live off the backs of the health
contractors whose work for pittance wages so that they can line their
Sordid examples are endless. We print just two.
year the Government sold 50 percent of Cable and
shares to the City speculators for 168 pence each When these reached the stock exchange, they sold for 203 pence, a profit of 21 percent.
radio-active materials Amersham International was valued at £94 million but the Government received only
eit mili one investors. A Tory
investors of
nounced the axing of 6,000 jobs with the closure of engineering workshops. BR has retreated for the time being on the closure of Shildon and Horwich workshops, but 4,500 jobs will still be lost through a slim-down agreement.
This creaming-off of profitable sections of BR means that passenger transport suffers, fares rocket, , rural services disappear and cancellations are frequent. Replacement programmes for locomotives are constantly postponed. In 1978, there were too few locomotives to cope with planned
resulting in widespread The shortage of replacement rails means speed restric tions and 3,000 miles of track will
close by 1990 for safety reasons. Electrification programmes will be shelved through lack of sub-
The British Steel Corporation has shed 130,000 jobs in the last ten years through plant closures and slim-down of manning and production. Speculation abounds that the present 98,000
will before 1984 by between 17 and 50
Page 7 scan of this page
TITIS AND HOW TO FIGHT IT
People Before Profits.
AT THE heart of privatisation is the drive for profits. Most of the services of the nationalised industries are essential to a better life - like cheap coal for the elderly and to run an efficient and safe electricity network; like steel for more hospitals like cheap and efficient railways; like advanced telecommunications to enhance our lives. But if these socially necessary sions don't make a profit, then, tough - they don't get the Tories blessing.
Instead of balancing society's resources to subsidise some areas with the wealth created in others, the nationalised industries are to be parcelled up and cast into a competitive market overlap, duplication and anarchy prevail in the quest for profit. So,
thousand. The slim-down activities have radically altered working practices in all the plants, with a deterioralion of working conditions and safe-
Many areas of work traditionally under BSC contract have been or are about to be given to private contractors - mobile plant handling, scrap handling, re-lining, catering, security. Craft jobs like electrical maintenance could go this way too. Unity inside the plants is affected as a result of this fragmentation and the conditions of all these workers are no longer protected by BSC LILIOIS.
This is all part of the BSC plan to make the steel corporation lean and fit' in preparation for selling off the most profitable sections, what they call 'Phoenix projects' the BSC and private companies merge their activities into new joint companies. The aim is to get rid of overlap in production of more specialised and profitable steel like engineering steel, wire, rods and tubes.
In this rationalisation exercise the Government foots the bill for scrapping old and excess plant, redundancy
PRIVATE SECT DE
The alternative
decisions about
and the quality
have. are made
profitable,
crumble.
and houses;
recent legislation privatisation
provi-
social need.
needed.
Such a national possible if
where throat allowed
terest charges. taxpayers expence,
below its value.
Private
subsidiary Redpath Dorman wages and
based Trafalgar House
Through more redundancies are teared.
jobs.
new Iron and Steel Bill.
tial.
of
terest. game.
pense what type of technology will invade our homes
and type of transport or energy system we will
with profit in mind, not what best suits us. Un-
but socially needed services are left to deteriorate and
The next Labour Government should pledge itself to overturn all
which allows of the nationalised industries. Plans should be drawn up with the unions for a rational use of resources and the production of goods and services for
Subsidies should be made available where these are not
plan is imprivate firms are able to cream off resources from the have nationalised industries or if cut-
private competitors are Wale resources
handouts, repayment of debts and in- The
Once this is done, at the private company walks off with the newly ra tionalised and profitable concern at
firms like GKN (which paid £15,000 to Tory funds last year) and Duport took fat cheques for the shares bought by BSC in these joint ventures - f40 million for GN and f25 million for Duports. The BSC
Long, which produces structural steel, has assets estimated at £22 million. It is being sold to a private subsidiary of
for a mere £10 million. The workers in Redpath Dorman Long have already lost 65 per cent of their 9,000 workforce and
The Government is sinking £50 million into a merger between BSC River Don and Firth Brown in Sheffield, which will result in a loss of at least 1,100
This is just the tip of an iceberg, In February 1981, the Tories printed a
The Government is no longer obliged by statute to keep a nationalised steel industry.
through duplication and overlap. So full nationalisation is essen-
There should be no draining
resources, either, through compensation to previous private owners of nationalised companies or through interest payments to the big banks and financiers. Last
alone, the National Coal Board paid £340 million in in-
Defend Jobs and Conditions MAKING nationalised industries lean, profitable and inviting to private buyers means speed up, productivity schemes, hours and job loss. drivers went on strike because they weren't prepared to accept managements rules in this profits
Train drivers prepared to veto the introduction of working conditions at their ex-
This approach could be extended so that workers begin to control what goes on in Nours, a 35 hour wesk, no over workplace imposing that suits shem and not the
suits them not the bosses. Combined with national planning for social need and not profit, this would be towards industry controlled by those who work in it.
United Industrial Action Now. Defend Unions Privatisation aimed smashing the collective unity of the trade union movement. The gas workers used this unity to threaten strike action show room sales. NUR members threatened industrial against the Horwich and Shildon workshop closures. The miners used their industrial muscle to stop pit closures. In each case the Government was forced retreat.
Sadly the union leaders have
organised this united dustrial action. Their concern has been to convince the Tories with *the power of argument,
accepted slimdown agreements in the false hope that this will prevent hive-off shut-down. Just one year ago, Bill
then minster Keith Joseph said this bill would ease the transfer of business to the private sector and permit an extensive rundown of the Corporation if that proves necessary.
Coal The Tories intend to try to smash the miners union through closures. Whether the hit list of pit closures is 30 or 50 strong is still to be revealed. Between 1947 and 1980, the number of pits shrank from 958 to 219, with a decline in the workforce from 703,900 to 232,000.
The 1981 miners strike halted the Tories hit list, but 11,000 jobs have still been lost in the last year through the backdoor of closing allegedly unsafe pits and through early retirement, without a recruitment drive or Investment i new bits. The conditions of miners are to be further attacked with Government privatisation plans.
Privately licensed pits will allowed to operate with up to 100
Sirs of the steelworkers union announced in the union journal 'There is one point upon which we and our comrades in the Triple Alliance are agreed, the Government is listening to us. We have noticed a distinct change in attitude' Who Hiding behind a promise to fight back if 'a major plant closes' and a false hope of Tory goodwill, Sirs has sat back and watched thousands of through and small plant Despite the fight put up by the Horwich and Shildon workers, the NUR national officials have now agreed a slimdown deal with longer British Rail. This involves 4,500 ASLEF job losses instead of the original
6,000 and the Shildon total closure. But as British Steel were slimdown shows,
disease and final death isn't far round the corner once you take that road.
The Tory privatisation plans are systematic and devastating in the every public sector industry and shorter service. A union by union,
local response is not enough. The tie closures and de-nationalisations must be turned before it engulfs us. That means fighting every job step loss and slimdown. It's no good
waiting like Bill Sirs for the big closure. Jobs and services are being whittled away all around us. TUC leaders total capitulation to the Tory offensive has to end. Resistance must be organised now through industrial action coordinated and led at at
level. The Triple Alliance should be transformed from talks with the Tories, alliance to oppose redundancies, against
closures and de-nationalisations. action
British Telecom. The POEU has launched Telephones' campaign to oppose the privatisation. to union circular,
employed in British Telecom have been instructed to their opposition in a positive way This will initially take the form of a total one day stoppage of work They by all POEU members in British
Telecom towards the end of October'. and followed by all unions in the na-
tionalised industries.
workers, instead of the 37 under the 1947 Act. already stocks of 24 million tonnes to private investors and there is speculation that it will sell off the open cast mines. The NUM conference the Monopolies Commission Report this year will announce plans to hiveoff valuable NCB assets.
pit Private contractors and investors
already leach off the nationalised mining industry. The Laurence Scott Electromotors workers drew attention to the dispicable Mr Snipe. There are many more like him who supply equipment and materials for the mining industry and reap fat profits from They include private contractors and private coal merchants who hover around the pit heads to pickings off the backs of the miners.
Health
Public sector services too are hit by Thatcher's scheme be speculators, investors and financiers
at our expense. Private medicine has
The tried is he kidding?
the National
jobs disappear employers slimdown agreements
closures. profits.
to this.
Horwich and Jobs
works are saved from took
slimmers failures.
but
July
of redundancies, ment.
time
This national
to a real fighting
A good start has been made in employers'
'Hands Off
In a recent and all
demonstrate to
Kings.
Useful reading:
This is an example to be
don SEI
The National Coal Board plans to hive-oft its huge already
Minister, in July heard that privatisation of
ajar.
Services
make juicy
Labour Party Must Act
last Labour Government to draw up plans with leading industrial firms for job expansion. They did this through
Enterprise Board.
The problem with this approach to planning was its faith that the
would consider plans which, while protecting workers interests would eat into their own
The sad fate of many NEB planning agreements attests
Chrysler was given £115 million in exchange for an agreement which was supposed to give the Labour Government a say in
and investment. Chrysler the money, ignored the agreement and shut the Linwood plant in Scotland. There are many more examples of the NEB's
The Labour Party leadership has drawn few lessons from this,
presents the same weary policies with different labels. In
the TUC Labour Party Liaison Committee unveiled their plans for the next Labour govern-
This included a new Department of Industrial and Economic Planning. This will try again where the NEB failed last
Indeed, with these plans, Len Murray hopes 'the unions would behave responsibly and avoid a repetition of the 1978-79 winter of discontent.
turns reality upside down. A Labour government can only put muscle behind its plans for industry by promoting and supporting industrial action like that in the winter of discontent. Nothing else will convince the
and force them to carry out plans for social need and job expansion
If Labour includes planning
re-nationalisation in its manifesto, as it should, this has to be backed up with a commitment
support the parliamentary actions of trade
against job loss, privatisation and productivity str-
Labour nescaren Debarment Damoale Public or Private: the Case agains: Privatisation, 78 Blackfriars Road, Lon-
leached off the National Health Service for years, adding problems to an
deteriorating service. July 14th this year saw a new twist. Geof-
Finsburg, the Junior Health announced SCICCEIVO ancillary workers jobs. Although total contracting out of cleaning, laundry and catering jobs is not yet planned, the door is now
Within a week of this announcement, another came from the Social
Department Health Minister, Geoffrey Fowler said that he was pleased to announce Government rejection of a proposal that we should pay compulsory private health insurance for our hospital treatment Instead, he explained that a special working party on the financing of the health service proposed to 'cement private provision into the system in such an irreversable way that a future Labour Government would not able to dismantle it'. Big deal! A health service geared to the rich and the consultants and not the poor, the nurses and the ancillary workers.
Socialist Challenge 4 September 1982 page 7
Page 8 scan of this page
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4 September 1982 page 8
In this instalment John Ross explains eighteenth century revolutions showed that the revolutionary role of the bourgeoisie had reached its end. of proletarian - permanent revolution open up. by John Ross NO POLITICAL POSITION is more associated with the name of Trotsky than that of permanent revolution. But while Trotsky developed the theory of permanent revolution in the light of the Russian revolutions of 1905 and 1917 it is important to understand that he originate or invent it. The theory of permanent revolution was first formulated by Marx and Engels out of the experience of the German revolutions of 1848 These class struggles, have shown previous articles, had made clear that the capitalist class YYaS no longer revolutionary force. On most decisive questions it would
mobilise the great mass of the working class and peasantry. the contrary it tried to control and repress the workWithout class movement.
such mobilisations however the counterrevolutionary forces could nor De destroved.
From this political situation flowed the task of the working class. The
nature of the bourgeoisie made it even more urgent that the workins class must organise itself as an independent political party. Any subordination to bourgeois force. totally rejected. . The working class nationally had to integrate its struggle with that ot the internationa working class. Power
Marx and Engels exDancers as torOws e
Germany, ' Although the
Calle
com teaster nor heir
realisation their class interests without passing through
-DIU tracted revolutionary development...they Inemselves must contribute to their final vicLOry by itorming themselves of their own class LCIESES. take a up their independent political position as SOUL
as possible, by not allow-
ing themselves to be misled by the hypocritical phrases of the democratic pettybourgeoise mto dououng for one minute the necessi
neeDencens organised party of the proletariat. Their battle cry must be: the Permanent Revolution.'
But what did this last
phrase *the Permanent
Revolution' mean? It summed the entire perspective
situation where on the CCUSIVE ISSUe. bourgeoisie would support the counter-revolution
The working class must lead the struggle for the demands of the bourgeois democratic revolution CYCL agalist the bourgeoisie The working class
accept capitalist limits to the revolution. Because the
What is Trotskyism?
Permanent
revolution
how the mid-
The era - had begun to did not
working class was leading the revolution it would begin to pass over from capitalist to socialist goals i would begin to extes itself internationally
Marx explained these tasks and needs While the following way, democratic petty-bourgeoisie want to bring the revolution to an end as soon as possible...it is ou interest and out task to make the revolution permanent unti all the more or less propertied classes have beer driven from their ruling position, until the proletariat has
CULL quered state power and until the association of the defeating 'counterrevolutions.
proletarians has progressed sutticientiv tal -1101 only in one country but in all the leading countries of the world - that competition between the proletarians of these countries ceases and at least the decisive forces of production are concentrated in the hands of the workers.
Theory
This process of making the revolution permanent' of course did not mean that all the tasks of the socialist revolution could be accomplished at once. In a country such as
which capitalism was still
developed ana massive feudal forces existed, the revolutionary process would develop in-
tially around capitalist democratic demands. But the revolution would
manent' way into socialist one or it would be defeated. The capitalist class itself could no longer lead a revolution.
As Engels wrote 'Ever since the defeat of June 1848 the question for the civilised part of the European continent has stood Trotsky applied the theory of Permanent Revolution in Russia. A revolutionary poster depicts him
thus; either the rule of the revolutionary proletariat or r the rule of the classes who rule before February (i.e. the feudal forces). A middle road is no longer possible.
The only possible revolution even in Germany was rule by the working class and socialist revolution. There was no 'middle way' of a revolution limiting itself in capitalist framework This was the fundamental basis of the theory of permanent revolution
In one crucial respect of course Marx and Engels were shown to be wrong in their hopes for revolutions. They had aimed for a victory. They pushed forward perspective that the working class would be able to lead a 'permanent revolution to overthrow not only feudalism but also capitalism in Germany. Instead the working class was the revolutions were defeated by the role of the capitalist class.
Defeat
The defeat of the revolutions of 1848 were a tremendous setback the class struggle but they
(L) Marx and Engels: Addres
Communist League March 1850 (3) Engels: The Campaign for the German Imperial Constitu 14) Trotsky: Permanent Revolution
garmen
did not at all refute Marx and Engels ideas. Defeats still happen even when people have the correct political positions. In 1848 the working class was too weak capitalism. But the events confirmed totally theory of permanent revolution - - unfortunate-
however from the experience of a defeat. Basis
Trotsky put it clearly later in explaining and developing the theory of permanent revolution, 'Marx regarded the bourgeois revolution 1848 as the direct prelude
revolu tion. Marx "erred" Yet his error has a factual and not a methodological character. The revolution of 1848 did not turn into a socialist revolution But
not achieve democracy
If 1848 confirmed the analysis of permanent -COLLOT negative way the revolution of 191 in Russia was to confirm it positively. The theory of permanent revolution analysing the relation forward Marx of 1848 was to become the basis of Trotsky's own perspectives for Russia.
Mar and agal Alice Of the Central Commite of the
Золюция та
Page 9 scan of this page
Nor will the concerns unionists be to forefront of Congress. mask 'the true unemployment'.
rate of
Manchester Technology have found this among even 52 percent of those in the survey.
now being discussed
cess. Judith Arkwright
pamphlet.
How common is sexual narussmen as a yorm oj discrimination against women!
AS: Well, the surveys speak for themselves and there will be others. A lot of women don't actually recognise whats happening
in fact we were surprised that with consciousness •EreSSeso low, many women actually did IacIe Teas a common problem. The more its talked about the more the figures will go up as the ISSUC COlCS OuL THo die open.
MB: It is difficult to define and its effects are difficult to measure. For instance in one survey 95 percent of women said they found dirty jokes oftensive — out this wasn't seen as sexual harassment
COUL ulciev dirty jokes are directed against WOILICH.
AS: Sexual blackmail is what some called it. That is obviously serious — if a boss uses his position to make sexual advances and then threatens to sack you if you reruse elc. but unings like pinching your bottom 1s harassment. here have also been cases of rape. Basically it depends how the woman feels about it, how serious it is. MB: Sexism obviously exists in all aspects of our lives but sexual harassment is something different - its more than just discrimination - its when
man does something which positively degrades or puts down a woman rather than just negatively discriminates.
AS: People will say we're against tun, or against
Women and the TUC
ONE THING will be a certainty at this year's TUC: there won't be many women delegates.
of women trade
But the TUC will be debating some key issues. Positive action for women both in the workplace and in the unions themselves are on the agenda with the engineering union opposing. The Banking Insurance and Finance Únion have tabled a motion expressing alarm at the proposals made in the Rayner Report which discriminates against women and will further
level of women's
When women are losing jobs at three times the
these issues are vital ones to MORE than one in ten working women have suffered unwanted sexual advances from men they work with. This was the startling result of a survey conducted by Marplan in June this year. Other surveys conducted by NALGO and
Institute of Science and and
What has for so long been a hidden issue is
openly in the labour movement. A recent pamphlet by the National Council for Civil Liberties on the subject and a conference held in June have helped this pro-
spoke to MELISSA BENN and ANN SEDLEY the authors of the
harmless flirtation - thats not what its about. Sexual harassment has very little to do with fancying someone There was a case TV Eye documentary WeSTOE guilty of unfair dismissal oi a woman who had com. plained about his sexual advances he tried justify himself by saying he didn't "fancy' her.
Its to do with men feeling they have the
comments about WORLICILS clothes bodies. The way we define it in the pamphlet is ant learing, touching, looks or actions which create a bad working environment.
Why do you argue that it should be a trade union issue?
MB: Well, because it is a work issue. As more and HorC wolcuaeccomy active in the trade unions it OCCOlllE BaSSIVC issue. NALGO ACTTS, NUJ are now taking it up.
The TUC women's advisory committee is writing guidelines which are going out for discussion in the umons.
AS: If the boss is harassing you then he can force you oul or emolovment Often a woman will get moved another job rather than the man because he is too IMDOTtant to be moved. There is an example in the pamphiet of a woman who had nervous breakdown Decause she comen Esane the strain - its very much an issue or working conditions, equal opportunities and so on.
What about the recent case of the man who was awarded compensation for sexual harassment?
way society portrays women as,
tims of gratuitous violence'
women to begin to take up these questions.
Sexual harassment
a trade union issue
FUNNGENY FiND
ATTERING
WEDONT
From the new pamphlet on Sexual Harassment MB: That's a complete red herring. It's typical of the
press hey didn t report aff
They didn't report all awards which have been made in the States. The media coverage of our book has been incredible
they aSCes make up we wore. There were headlines about how we were advising 'girls to grab back'. They wanted to trivialise the issue.
What do you think the remedies are?
AS: The main thing is that women should talk to each other about it. Sometimes unis will oe enougn - as a lot of men simply don't realise they're being offensive — if you talk to other women and then go and tell the man concerned that can work. If not you should go to the shop steward or the manager. MB: There is also the law - its not a solution on its own but it can help. We don't know how effective the law in this country pecause us never actually been tested — its not clear whether sexual harassment
sex discrimination TULI some cases nave successfully gone to the tribunal unfair dismissal but that is all.
There should be established procedures through the unions and a grievance procedure with managment. That makes it easier for the woman. We CLC seweeataee union official did actually
sacking another trade union
Women's Rights
put before the whole labour movement. So too is the
in the National Union of Journalists motion 'sex objects or the vic-
Women bear the brunt of Tory attacks, in the workplace and in the home. Lack of nurseries, poor housing and health facilities and so on all affect
more than men. Even when women surmount all the obstacles and do find a job it is usually low paid. And if that wasn't enough women have to contend with sexual harassment at work and male workers don't think they have the right to work.
On this page we look at two aspects of the problems women face: the implications of the Rayner Report and sexual harassment. Whatever the outcome of the TUC this year the issues women face will not go away. The TÚC and the trade unions have
DEGRADING TENING
BORiNG STUPID
LOMETHING
RE
3.09
member because the harassment was so bad.
What about explusion from the union - - which is proposed by NALGO?
AS: No, 1 don't think so.
The point we're arguing is that it can be dealt with efore it gets to that kinc of stage. That is the poin having procedures - obviously the trade union should decide what to do and what to recommend.
We hope that the issue will get talked about - - SC against teas mos here against this OCHaVOUs want unions to take bulk orders of the pamphlet and get the issues discussed and we're going to be organising seminars for trade unionists.
MB: Sexual harassment has been an invisible issue.
Obviously there are other TOTIIS of harassment racial or harassment for politics but sexual harassment is perhaps LIULC difficult fight.
Sometimes its difficult to explain. Maybe you don't want to be to someone who thinks they're aying you a complemen s difficult to explain wh it offends.
But it does affect your Wor. — womier.nave been going off sick or leaving their jobs when it gets real ly bad. We feel that women can get tocemeI and recognise it as a common problem not an dividual thing then thats 1111the beginning
Woman docker in Sweden By Judith Arkwright
believe,
Tories step up their attacks.
In October the little known proposals the Rayner Report will be
HIDIC CHICe Under these proposals unemployed people will be compelled answer questions Enet availability work when signing on Pilot schemes have already been in operation in different areas
thẹ country and claimants have been threatened with loss of benefit.
The questions the form discriminate UB 671 openly arası women first question asks the claimant is 'able
anl mie jobo akany
Many women are in a position where they can only work part time. The next question asks if a job can be started immediately Yet many Worter with children will not be able to make adequate child care ar rangements until they know they have a job, and that takes time
Question 14 on the form is quite blatant:
New attacks on a
woman's right to work
THE RIGHT of women to a job is by no means a universal demand in the labour movement. Some male trade unionists still
especially in times of unemploy. ment that a woman's place is in the home. Yet never has it been more urgent to de fend the right of women to work as the
*Do you have any children or anyone else who needs your care during working hours?' followec asking what to rangements have been made Ior their care for during working hours.
At a time when the Tories have slashed state childcare in half it is unlikely that the arrangements women will be able to make vill be deemed accer table.
Other questions on which will directly af fect women ask for a willingness to do shift and night work, trave distances to a job and even to move another area. All these proposals is a flagrant attempt to discourage Mose with dareidans women from claiming benefit and to deny women the right to work All trade unionists led by the TUC, have to organise now to op pose these new attack on the unemployed anc to fight for the right of all women to a Those unions which
Socialist Challenge
AVAILABLE FOR WORK?
ar
BEW VALE AND
The Rayner raport
organise members in unemployment benefit offices have a • play. ticular role to They should refuse to implement the use of EneCE forms and the labour movement as a wiloie nas to organise a oToe Hove district
Luc nove to one pilot
schemes, did this and• the scheme became unworkable when 41 perCrised to nemin tee refused to fill the COSITS TUC is very good at passing resolutions. Now it ha: to take to action.
As one women who was subjected to this process said, "workin
my decision and don't want someon‹ else saying we don't feel you can work e 4 September 1982 page 9
Page 10 scan of this page
MAJOR ARTICLES by Roz Kaplan and Phil Hearse on the current situation in Lebanon, in issue 257, took up the tactical debate within
evacuation from Beirut
Accompanying position taken on these disputes by comrades of the Revolutionary Communist League (the Lebanese section of the Fourth International) who took part in the armed defence of West Beirut.
unity of the Lebanese national liberation movement and the Palestinian resistance around a three point programme which included 'the rejection of all capitulationist solutions, especially the withdrawal of the Palestinain resistance from Beirut. The articles by Phil Hearse and Roz Kaplan supported this position.
tion is not that expressed in the two signed articles and we refer readers to our editorial statement on page 2.
and in subsequent weeks the authors of the original articles will have the right of reply.
'Romantic'
soy responsale in 'Socialist Challen
and Hearse's articles on Beirut.
By arguing that the PLO would be better to Hearse down with a fight
CADrESSOS poisonous, a-political and totally romanticised view of the class struggle. Are we involv-
revolution become heroes change the martyred heroes,
of the PLO fight Zionism and desire to announce the 'defeat of the PLO and the SOSEROn liberation movement? Didn't
remese several tactical retreats before finally defeating the US government and
Plans and arms
The letters from GL Youldon and Lewis Emery, (SC 253) on CND
Labour movecorrectly out that plans drawn up for alternatives to arms production can be an mportant aspect of the overall anti-missiles campaign. Socialist onanenge in te past has been an ardent ad-
of such native plans, COnCIOLO BACHIDIOS workers control in industry with the future potential of wider planning in socialist economy.
The arguments they both put forward for supporting such projects, 1owever, completely miss the point Farguing the what halleng within CND
The leadership of CND is currently at an impasse Their multi-class, гаnonans approacn lo unc campaign, counterposing a morality of opposition of nuclear weapons to the ac tual political needs of the ruling class of this coun-
getting them nowhere.
The only guarantee of VICtOrY CND to organise a political opposi-
Socialist Challenge 4 September 1982
Lebanon debate
Palestinian and Left resistance on the
material highlighted the
The LCR issued a statement calling for the Socialist Challenge editorial board's posi-
Below we publish the views of our readers driving out US troops? Can't Hearse tell the difference between a set
Kaplan urges that The PLO fighters should not abandon Beirut. Not bad advice from someone who isn't there. Her notion
sondant with Palestinian and
people is to criticise the PLO for not
itself wiped out. Hearse and Kaplan are doing imperialism's pantinga cornered PLO work
Israeli onslaught.
With 'Socialist Challenge' as a friend, who needs enemies? D KELLY JO' BRIEN East London
tion to the government, which means mobilising ine wnole or me brusn labour movement from the
the Labour Party. The failure to make such an approach central to their
SUALCEY
port Benn, calling upon the TUC to put their inilateralist positions Tro coneress mate deees on the streets opens the
to those bushing to ake the campaign down the dead end of direct action/civil disobedience confrontations.
The Communist Party emphasis on alternatives 10 20sr0000 25 a line for labour movement can omy moolisca section of the working class. those actually volved in such production. It is not a line for the movement as a whole, and is no alternative to the advocates non-violent direct action which are the polucs or aespall.
The fight against the missiles and for unilateral nuclear disarmament will be won by the working class of Manchester, Birmingham, Tyneside and other urban centres, not just by the armament workers of West Londor
which is what the CP effectively is saying. P Waterhouse
page 10
I COULD hardly believe my eves when reading your coverage of the war Lebanon (Socialist Challenge, 19 August).
It is leftist nonsense suggest that is wrong, unprincipled, and shamefui capitulation for the PLO
withdraw Beirut In the face overwhelming odds.
he last few have shown beyond doubt that prepared to make an all-out bloody assault on West Beirut if necessary
writer Ros Kaplan CORATS) Arab states and the Soviet bureaucrats, for all their thetoric, have demonstrated that they
any real the Palestinian fighters which could stop this happening. peace movement in Israel is
AN EVENT unique for
the Labour Party and
this newspaper took
place on Thursday August when 150 journalists crammed into a County Hall, London
committee room for a
conference given by Tony Benn and
Socialist Challenge
journalist Alan Freeman.
BEne Confere reeman Wild!
aunched Alan
new book The Benn
paperback edition ony Benn's Democracy, showed wide in miramens yu
terest in these two books
The daily papers reported th publicatior y Mairominently Freeman' the Dai on its front page and
most others as a second pag
cau — ane seakers acee an
array of questions on topics
from the health strike to the
role of the monarchy. Start
Tony Benn explained that Freeman's book could start a HELICTE MCCaca CIsCuSsIon Det anen the avocates trionary revolutionars socialism. which he called ar
*honourable raditio
one he profoundly disagreed WILH rreeman arreca nat ni discussion should open: the
Should PLO have stayed in
Beirut? 'Nonsense'
still a small if vocal minority.
Of course the PLO leadership shares responsibility UNIS situation, having tended to preach reliance on the leadership the Arab states rather than
linking up with and couraging the mobilisa. tions oppressed masses within them.
But to insist that the Palestinian fighters pay with their lives and remaining strength criminal response to this situation.
Orderly retreats are
sometimes necessary when the
ORES stacked against Take the example of the recent ASLEF strike. Was it necessarily wrong to call off the ac-
when the alterwas destruction of the union by a British Rail-Tory.
common ground, he said, was
12 coch oue moorLand democracy ano tre need t 26 contront unaccountable
power such as Whitehall, the
multinationals and the bank
was
that SUPDOSCOL
democratic country. a current
opinion which wanted
more democracy should be
met with hysteria and denun-
ciation.
Target
In The Benn Heresy he
con the hysterie esa ree
the hysteria was
rights whom a voice in parliament;
and that the country was no
democranc because real
power lay in the hands of a
problem to which
socialists had address
this power willingly be yielded
if the attempt was made to
itself, resting as it did on an
unaemocraue Cas.
CaDaD e o challenging this
unaccountable power?
Tony Benn hurbaayn 2
Alan Freeman on Thursda
September at .30 at the ICA
; and both will be tak-
Ing 1n organised by New Socialist at meenne
the Labour Party conference.
TUC alliance?
That doesn't mean that you remain silent
the leadership failings which contributed to such a situa tion (e.g. ASLEF's previous instruction to their members to cross NUR picket lines). On
tial to draw out the full
for tuture political strategy and leadership. A retreat is only justified as means of preparing a new offensive
Today that is what is the Middle SOSOE East. The choice of whether or 101
from West Beirut IS essentially tactical one. Those who imply otherwise do no service to the future of the revolution.
MARTIN METEYARD Glasgow
New book on Benn launched
Letter etterst tes
Outrageous
statement
articles on the Lebanon are wrong.
that the
staying in Beirut to the bitter end. This,
would be their 'real victory
and imperialism' in agreeing to withdraw.
First, does Socialist
Challenge really believe
that military victory of the
Palestinians was possible?
We are told that the guer-
Tillas will give a good ac-
count of themselves in
hand-to-hand lighting but
they have given a good ac-
count of themseives tor
weeks and this was not suf-
ficient
possible. For the past 1
weeks the PLO followed
Ros Kaplan's belated ad
vice and tried to bog the
Israeli's down in 'endless
indiscriminate and brutal
attacks to expose it before
the world, but despite this
and the growing anti-wa!
sentiment in Israel, the im-
perialist alliances backing
silence etnte strab
silence Arab
regimes) have not cracked
to the point of making a
better deal possible. Do we
really think that Israel
would have baulked at furBeirut, or that the USA
Beirut, or that the
would have withdrawn
support because of it? The
Palestinians, the people of
the Middle East and of
Africa know better, hav.
ing seen the Israelis active-
most reactionary regimes.
Did Socialist Challenge
think that the martyrdom
Labour leader faces TUC conference
snub and a challenge from Benn
UNIONS CUT
OUT FOOT!
Benn under fire from the Left
Letters
The emphasis of both Ros Kaplan and Phil Hearse's
Phil Hearse re-iterates at length that the Palestinians have carried out a heroic resistance against the invasion, but then makes the outrageous statement
PLO should have continued the struggle by
as against what Ros Kaplan describes as the PLO's 'capitulation to Israe
of the PLO and the people West Beirut needed? Hearse argued that the lesson of all defeats is that it is bet ter to go down with a fight'
fight. Yet the PLO did heroically for 11 weeks. Unless military vic was possible for the LUL PLO, what further advantage could have been gained by fighting to the bitter end that has not already been squeezed out of this bloody defeat?
The statement of the RCG of the Lebanon is very brave, although if it
attempt WAlL soon section of the Fourth International. Phil Hearse's pontifications behind a ILOH aCSK
do with bravery, thia his
do with bravery, time would be better spent attacking the counterrevolution and the USA than attacking the PLO ISI tion'.
Bisi Williams and Rich Palser When Benn could be
leader..
Page 11 scan of this page
'Troublesome Business' P
Why the Militant's plan for working class unity won't work —
book.
new book is an arsenal. It is a must for every socialist who wants to know what lies behind sixty years of labour's failure to advance the socialist cause.
Early in the book Geoff TCCOUTES Labour MP James O'Grady's visit to soviet Russia. to Dersuade the new
SOCHICHE support the allies in the Yal. *When I was in Russia
putting the case for the allies the best possible way I could,' he told the Commons on 23 October 1917. *I frequently declared that Great Britain in
Chichne the war had nothing to gain, that she did not want regrandisement pe or any aggrandisement pointed out HERAL at the
eginning the war 4,000,000 British citizen volunteered because they thought we were fighting a war of liberation.
The Kussians confronted O'Grady with one fact - which the Labour Party had ignored for its first twenty years. *You
ay you are fighting a wa
f liberation they said, 'but what about Ireland?' Britain enslaved a nation which had fought for freedom for seven hundred years; this counted Tor more man a ninetee grand declarations.
deals SCOTS 300K with such facts. It is researched in detail and Contals much material which will be new to most socialists.
Apart from its many other virtues it arranges its material with
with which Bell HEIROUE
By Aileen O'Callaghan
belongs to
vitation only
perialism. Its main
political, social and
prop it up. but we also sav
become master of the Irish house.
Besides insisting on the
withdrawal of British
troops, the Labour Move-
ment has a duty to give
the
development in Ireland of
a workers bartv which has
a programme that can br-
for the Irish
Revolution. A debate on
exactly how to do this has
been going On In the
British trade unions and
Labour Party TOlE some
while now which has been
proposed by the Militant Tendency.
Militant sees the for-
mation of a mass party of
labour' within the Six
Counties as the answer formation of
Liaison Committee with
the Irish Labour Party in
the Republic as the way to
unite the Irish WOrKerS.
This solution could only
guarantee the continuing
divisions in Ireland.
LABOUR'S IRISH POLICY
Facts are socialist weapons: Geoff Bell's
aficionados will no doubt be familiar. It punctures two of the most persistent myths of Labourism: the myths of Labour's pracand the 'British compromise
tions of pretentious and pompous Labour leaders under these two banners, have made themselves toys of Britain's establishment.
Motor
From its early days, Geoff explains, Labour louna ine insa issue a "troublesome" one. It was TOL OISCUSSCEEEADOUES first ten conferences, taksecona place to such burning. issues as *cab trade legislation, DOSL men's hours, vaccination, shop ment of juries and laws registration, Day.
governing motor traffic.
Bell also shows how Labour searched for "middle way', so that bi the early twenties, with War raging the demand for Irish separation, and with the ruling class preparing partition, it was blithely proposing a solution involving neither separation nor partition. The only problem was that no-one either listened to not this wonderfully 'practical' compromise.
Principles were involved which the Labour Party
The Marxist programme for the Irish Revolution starts from the premise that the house of Ireland the Irish. They have the right to say that whoever else wants to come in must be at their in-
ne chiet enemy of the Irish people is British Im.
instrument for keeping up
Irish is the partitionist border and the troops who
that Ireland's liberation depends upon the ability of the Irish working class to religion which divid divides the Belfast protestant workers from the catholic workers in Dublin. Loyalism is a reactionary political ideology which ties a key section of the Irish work ing class to the coat-tails of British finance capital.
The anti-imperialist sentiments rEne TesE Or the workers movement are Chamelee through
parties (SDLP, in the North, Fianna Fail in the South) because there is no mass working ight for y prepared to fight Ireland. capitalist parties play on political divisions in side the working class so as to be in a better position to betray the political, social and interests which Irish workers have in common.
have a single common link: its refusal challenge the unaccountable power of the state.
SURe first was self-determination. Labour
economic struggle took priority, for
political SOCIaLISLS. OYCL struggle: crime that Marxists are often accused of.
But the border, annoying ane irksome regularity, would keep intruding on the class struggle. These stupid Irish would keep rabbiting on about freedom when the Labour Party was must 1t. ching to give them socialist gas and water
The problem was very simple: in order to make socialism you have to have a democratic state. If you
people their CONCHOW national rights, you can't have a democratic state So you can't have socialism.
Moreover the Labour Party never understood that self-determination is about one's right to form an independent state, and not about one's right to be part of another country. It could never distinguish between the practical Irish demand which was to form their own state, and the utterly false and impractical demand Northern Irish protestants. which was to be a sarora manor they did not live in. A "right to be British' is no more socialist than a right to be hung.
This confusion meant that the party spent most of its history falling into a неа HELe trap which British imperialism the
not
consistent class
policy in the Six Counties
needs So CarTE with the
southern workers.
*labour which hopes partition has
hope becoming
anything more
plebeian unionist front
it would be another
rerun of the various past
Ireland
communities of colonists,
YaHOUS parts of the world, and using their 'right to be British' as ar excuse to wage wars of foreign aggression.
Bell neatly illustrates
the im-
cover-up coverage of the debate or the constitution of Northern Ireland during the 1945-51 government.
Southern Ireland renounced its links with the crown and the Commonwealth. Since parti tion was supposed to be a temporary allangelicat
South and North would get together within the Commonwealth' (i.e. within the CHIDIC this was a problem. Labour changed the constitution - but why? Secret
The cabinet began from a Civil Service paper prepared by its secretary, plained Brat Nobic which ex-
plained that that Eire will shortly cease to owe any allegiance to the crown, In nas decome a matter of first class strategic importance this country that the North should to form part His Majesty's dominions...Indeed, seems unlikely that Great
Britain would even be able
to agree to this (Northern Ireland leaving the U.K.) even if the people of Northern Ireland desired it. (our italics)
So much for the 'needs of the Northern Irish people'! This real, but secret reason, made public Right: Unionist leader Carson, Left, British troops. only when partition ends will Protestant and Catholic workers be able to unite.
Unionist Labour associa-
tions, none of which have
survived a major test.
could hold no prospects
for the Republican-
minded in the
Sport let ali any pro
spect unity with
southern workers.
When a unified trade
union movement for all
release of Cabinet papers,
translated by BERG Labour Party into an which declared, 1949, that 'in no event will Northern Ireland or any part thereof cease to be a part of His Majesty's Domi.
and of the United Kingdom without the consent of the Parliament of Northern Ireland.'
Inus a despotic and degenerate clique was to be given custody of British military, and strategic interests in return for the British turning a blind eye to its domestic practices: publicly Labour was •defending self-determination: in reality handing veto powers an unrepresentative and corrupt rump parliament in Belfast.
L200U also understood that although
ment many social reforms
by renouncing extraparlia mentary methods, it did so in return for its support to British imperialism which had to include its Irish policy In consequence it failed the historic democratic tasks of socialist party. It failed to attack any of the gigantic constitutional obstacles to radical change in Britain which the Bennite left are now, after a sixty year lapse, forced to confront anew: the unaccountable power of the state.
When 1913 the Liberal prevented from ent was
trom enacung
Home Rule legislation b
rebellion in the North of Ireland, Tory leader Bonar Law openly backed this, declaring that the issue
Ireland was under discus-
sion in the sixties it was the
reactionary Unionist Party
which vetoed the
unification proposals save
the federal solution
UICI
which is now being raised
by the Militant as the way
create all-Ireland
Party of Labour,
The Unionists
BUSINESS
was above parliamentary majorities.
Refusal to implement go arment instructions
army othe fories encouraged by stymied the reform. But Labour drew no conclusions.
It did not that because the state had been used by the Tories to override parliament, the only recourse available to the Irish people was that of armed insurrection: least of all did it understand that the British working Class must cventuany lac the same problem.
completely bewildered when the old constitutionalist Irish Na. tionalists were swept aside by Sinn Feinners al ine polls, nor comprehend the broad sympathy which cune Easter
Rising of 1916 aroused in the fris pete or armed people vote armed revolution? They must be deluded, SO let's ignore them, they said. understood that in the autonomous Northern Ireland Committee of the ICTU (Irish Congress of Trade Unions) there would be an in-built majority for Loyalists who would have a veto against all proposals which could lead to the unity of all Irish workers.
Despite its social strength, despite the growing militancy in economic struggles North and South the inability of the ICTU to take all-Ireland action is a crucial weakness. This weakness flows from the
think if 1. en
LROUBLESOME
Most importantly
Labour did not see why the
Tory Party, reduced to
almost a bourgeois sect in
the elections of 1905, was
able to rebuild itself as a
coalition of all bourgeois
forces around the defence
of the Empire the
defence of the British im-
perial state, with all its
trappings.
From this stronghold
the Tories devastated the
Labour Party in 1931: and
this same stronghold,
together with all the
obscure teuda remnants
of our constitution against
which Tony Benn now so
forcefully argues, fester, was
allowed
reconstruct, and emerg
almost unscathed from
sixty years of Labourism
as the monstrosity which
must destroy
before British socialism
can progress a singie mci
further: the British im-
chal Slate
inability of its leadership to take on Loyalism and champion the anti-imperialist interests of the
Labour Movement Yet Militant still raises the federal solution and offers
against genuine unity in the shape of
La coal alt Labour Party for the Six Counties.
Militant
porters must learn from history. A genuine working class party in Ireland HIUSL all-Ireland organisation and all-Ireland In James Connolly was right when he wrote in Labour
Irish History ..the pressure of common ex-
CalE шаке enthusiastic rebels protestant working class earnest champions of civil and religious liberty out o catholics, and out of bott
social democraHowever
taught that this would first
mean breaking Loyalist shackles which chain the protestant
ly capital. War most be
ly capital. War must waged on Loyalism, concessions made to it.
Let's go with Connolly - not Militant!
Socialist Challenge 4 September 1982 page 11
Page 12 scan of this page
trade unions.
port for Solidarnosc.
and told to clamp
demonstrations.
As a result vicious repressive measures were
announced. First
police made clear that any
demonstrations would be
forcibly Second, the organisers of demonstrations were threatened with 15 years in jail. And third anyone taking part in a demonstration was threatened with five years inside.
At the same time that these measures were announced, Jaruzelski depuRakowski, Prime Minister
in television broadcasts made last Sunday night, implied that if demonstrations did not OCCUL some form legislation of free trade
might be made possible again.
But leaders of Solidarnosc in the underground made the op-
BEN
ERES
legistered as a newspaper with the Post Office.
ed by Cardinal Enterprises, PO Box 50 rinted By East End Offset (TU) Ltd. London E2.
Socialist
Challenge
Free Lech
Walesa.
AS WE go to press tension is building up in Poland on the second anniversary of the Gdansk agreement, which recognised the right of the Polish workers to their own independent
Recognising that the anniversary is a crucial test, Poland's bureaucratic rulers have taken draconian measures in order to try to prevent any effective demonstration of the mass sup-
Party boss Jaruzelski was hastily summoned to the Soviet Union prior to the anniversary
down on the 31 August
posite assessment - inat repression of Solidarnose would become worse if mass mobilisations were stopped.
In addition to crude threats and cynical lying promises, te oureaucrats once again were doubtless pleased to see the Church one rusting its aid once Archbishop Glemp . to the authorities release Solidarnose leader Lech Walesa - while the same time urging the workers not to attend the Solidarity demonstrations! The Church leaders are trying to balance between the bureaucracy and the working class in order maintain their own position and keep their own following.
Despite these measures to crush Solidarnose and
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streets to show that the bureaucracy could not intimdate the working class. The leaders of Solidarnosc had been proved right, the mass molisatons snowed that the fight for free and independent trade unions was still going on.
For months the Polish authorities have been promising that Lech Walesa will be released 'soon' effect Walesa is being held hostage. The fact that he has not been released is testimony to the fact that Jaruzelski and his friends in the Soviet Union know that capitulated, and could not Walesa has 310 T
be used as a compliant compromiser with
FUND
DRIVE '82
bureaucratic rule.
The release of Lech Walesa and the other imprisoned leaders of Solidarnose central objective of should be the IHUYCLIECIEL solidarity Solidarnose in the West. Len Murray has ap pealed to the authorities allow
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Walesa to attend this year's TUC.
This excellent proposal will not course granted by the Polish ureaucrats. But it can be taken up throughout the labour movement.
Jaruselski has had nine months to show what his
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version of 'normalisation' amounts to. It means in
union tivists, harsh discipline in FREE LECH WALESA AND ALL THE SOLIDARITY LEADERS!
POLISH WORKERS!
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