Leyland guilty: Barton jailed!

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workers

Political fight

The struggle against fascism is therefore a political fight in which the workers movement as a whole must be shown the necessity of constructing a revolutionary leadership on a socialist programme in order to resolve its problems. salvation.

It would be wrong to dismiss the loyalty which Islam can still command, especially from the peasantry and urban petty bourgeoisie.

But, as in Pakistan, this factor has merely coincided temporarily with far deeper and stronger forces.

A workers' inquiry into bribery and corruption inside British Leyland must be demanded following the conclusion of the trial of Graham Barton.

Barton has been jailed for two years for forging letters about bribery inside Leyland. But the question of whether some of the letters Barton sold to the Daily Mail were forged or not is irrelevant.

The trial lifted a tiny corner of the truth on what went on in Leyland while Barton was a £7,000 a year executive with the firm. For all anyone knows it goes on still.

Doubts about Ryder Even the judge in the case, Judge Alan KingHamilton, told the jury that they would probably have doubts about the evidence given by Lord Ryderformer head of the National Enterprise Board.

Ryder had changed his story dramatically in the witness box. At first he had flatly denied that any corruption had gone on at Leyland. Then under later cross examination and when some of the facts had begun to emerge, he said there had been some cases of "trivial" corruption.

But he accepted that the brother in •law of the national guard commander in Saudi Arabia had been paid £700,000 to ensure that nothing stopped a deal going through.

Normal. commissions overseas are between five and 7.5% of a contract. barton s inquiries snower that those paid by Leyland were up to 35% in the There are other scandals that a workers' inquiry would uncover. In particular what role did the governgigantic proportions, secret police fol (SAVAK) that is one of t largest and most efficient the world, a structure corporatist unions.

Torture

Thousands of political prisoners, widespread torture, police • stations ment's Defence Sales Organisation play in the company? Evidence was given at the trial that. it sola truçks ana parts Iol Leyland in the Middle East.

The Barton papers also showed an undisclosed sum being paid to an account of Sir Shapoor Reporter, described in Who's Who as "consultant for major British interests in Iran"

Two Leyland executives took out High Court protection against having to give evidence in the trial-certainly not the action of executives who know that there has been no corruption at Leyland.

And after the case was over Leyland itself in a statement seemed to admit the corruption even in the act of denying it.

Ryder 'No evidence has been found of any contravention of English law our emphasis) nor of a 'worldwide bribery web' . To equate commission payments to bribery is nonsense."

There is no doubt that the lid will now be siammed firmly back on the Leyland scandal. While workers are denigrated and exploited and laid off, the casual confefti like handing out of money by Leyland to capitalists will not be challenged. Only a workers? inquiry can reveal the truth.