Workers Socialist League

Socialist Press, Trotskyism Today, Woman Worker, Class Fighter and the Trotskyist International Liaison Committee, 1975–1984

Ban the bullets, remove the troops!

Class Fighter no. 10, April 1983 · scan pp. 6–7 · about 1,352 words

Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 6 →

Read from the scan by machine and not corrected: expect misread words, and now and then a caption or a line from a neighbouring story. For anything you quote, read the scan.

Scan page 6

dren. the whole population. population. unemployment This time YOUT we should campaign for the TRADE GORTIN the march to be under the SMASH Irish youth are in the forefront of the fight against British imperialism Youth need houses too.

THE movement the capitalists couldn't kill met in London at the 100 Club on March 15: Discharge were playing and the unemployed punks were out in force. Some say punk is, dead, but that's not true, it just isn't profitable any more.

Big business pushed it while there was money in it, then moved on. The ideal from which punk began was warped by the desire for profit, and the spirit was soon lost in the glossy packaging and 'Nationwide' appearances. Even the Clash sold out in the end, signing to CBS after years in the forefront of But when the businesses moved on, punk didn't die. The people drifted away, but the hard core remained devoted to the cult which came from pubs and clubs, not fancy studios.

These, are the Discharge fans: the unemployed, those oppressed by appalling education and housing conditions, by police harassment and the constant threat of war. And this is what they sing about, in short sharp blasts of savage 'Never Again' , 'Possibilities of Mass Destruction' , "Fight Back' and finally their anthem, 'Decontrol'. The exhausted audience called for more, delighted by the performance, and despite the savagery of the music, the evening was not once disrupted by violence. So don't believe the Tory press wiien they slander and abuse punk land | include the music weeklies in that) for it is a real expression of grass roots feeling, the voice of a trodden-on generation saying with one THE People's March starts in Glasgow on April 23 and arrives in London on June 3 followed by three days of activities in the capital.

All unemployed readers of Class Fighter should contact their local unemployed centre or trade unions for information and try to come on the march.

The last one - which I went on -- was a real exper ience. walked from Sheffield to London. Young people who are active in their YS or trade union should make sure that their organisation supports the One problem last time was that the marchers were Dear Class Fighter, I was pleased to see the York amendment in for YS conference. It's about housing and it suggests the sort of measures we should argue for.

The main resolutions call for the nationalisation of the building industry (all well and good) and for one million homes a year to be built (again a good not allowed to elect their own stewards who were appointed by the trade union bureaucrats who don't 1_- itstewards to be elected and control of the unemployed What to do...

1) Write to the Regional TUC asking them for an application form to go on the march or get your own trade union to do this for you. Get sponsored by a trade union branch if you can.

2) Get involved in the town march committees. or etters idea). But they don't go any further than asking a Labour government to do this.

What is special about the York amendment is that it links up the housing problems of youth, gays lesbians and battered women with what we should demand of Labour Councils and what can unite different people with different start one up in your town and argue for the march to be under the control of the marchers.

3) Fully support the march but remember to argue that the march alone isn't enough The unemploy ed need to be organised locally and nationally in the unemployed workers' move ment and trade union unemployed branches.

4) Argue that this march. unlike the last one should link up with workers in jobs. especially those factories which are fighting threat ened redundancies. problems to fight for.

By specifically talking about the need for young couples and shared singles schemes and the need for battered women to be given a home immediately, we have a policy to campaign around, which can be achieved now.

Imagine this situation in your town. A woman has been beaten up and finally summons up the THE Plastic Bullets Conference held at the end of February was a big step forward in the fight against the use of plastic bullets:

Plastic bullets have killed 14 people in Northern Ireland, including'seven chilcourage to move out. The council insists she goes on the waiting list and sits it out at home or finds private accommodation. If we only pass general policy - which YS doesn't have anything practical to say to help We Dear Class Fighter, Why do the left keep going on about stopping closures of factories making stupid things like rayon pantie-girdles and motor cars.

When I was last unemployed, I thought nobody wanted me to work for them because I was no good.

Every time I turn on the television, somebody's going on about how terrible the unemployment is and people in unions keep saying we don't want to join the scrapheap:

| don't think these people help at all because they make you feel even worse when vou're unemployed.

lot of the time they are used against youth, especially Republican youth who have had enough of being pushed around by the British Army. Often they are fired at innocent bystanders as a form of intimidation of NEVR this woman. the York amendment is passed then we have a definite policy. Yes we want a massive programme of building, but we also want this woman to be immediately - given house as a priority.

June Ashworth, Islington YS Surely the left should be saying that the unemployed should be proud of themselves for keeping going in this society. And they should be paid a decent wage and get all the education we need if there are no jobs.

As for the people working in the sort of factories that are bound to close nowadays - surely they should be getting their unions to make things that are worth making, so people really want to keep the factories open and the solidarity will build up to force the bosses' hands.

Yours in solidarity, JIM CRAWSHAW Peebles For too long the labour movement has shut their eyes to what is going on in Ireland. But the Plastic Bullets conference was an important change, drawing attention to the deaths and injuries which the British Army is inflicting on the the movement.

power and energy.

There were 200 delegates at the conference coming from Labour Party and trade union branches: Unfortunately there were very few delegates from YS branches. This was a pity because the fight of Trish youth is the fight of all youth, no matter what their nationality.

The highlight of the conference was the speech from Owen Carron, Sinn Fein MP. for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. He gave support to the conference and stressed the need to build a mass movement to support the struggle against British imperialism. He got a standing ovation from the delegates, showing that in the war between the Irish people and the British Army, we support the Irish people.

The last Labour Party conference passed policy calling for the banning of plastic bullets. We must fight to get this policy implemented by the next. Labour government. However; the banning of plastic bullets alone, will not solve the Irish question. Banning plastic bullets will remove a vicious, and often deadly, weapon from the British Army: But this is not enough. A solution will only be possible when the British Army is pulled out of Ireland where they are not wanted and have no right to be.

TONY DALE MICHAEL-ESLEA, Orpington LPYS

Scan page 7

Class Fighter women meet 156 10 LOVE MY LUVE Page

----- pull-quotes -----

know the hirst Iring about ORT themselves. PHOTO: ANDREW WIARD, REPOR

MAY 8I WERPOO-LON ON

says we want one million homes a year, then the

the done, oye

YOUTH SAY STORY THE BLANKE MEN

voice, unite, unite and fight! PHOTO: IAN S

← Contents of Class Fighter no. 10

Something wrong on this page? Tell us →