Press Gang

Scan page 4

What is it that Margaret Thatcher acclaimed as a sent good wishes for?

What is it that is "left of centre" and wants to "nag Ford workers back to work"?

What is it that has been launched with the lowest manning levels ever and is running a competition to "smash Jim Callaghan's 5% pay policy ... without feeling guilty"

It's the new Daily Star; that's what, and in less than a week it is already threatening to find a place in the gutter all its own.

The Star is launched by Express • Newspapers to 'compete' with the Sun and hails itself as "Britain's first completely new national newspaper for 75 years"

It is designed to ensure the eventual collapse of one of the national gutter press and to set the pace for record low levels of staff. Som of S The first issue competition blurb ran:

"The Star cares for people. We know the average wage is £78.10 a week. We know a lot earn less-and we know a lot earn more, but still feel the pinch.

'We're told for Mr Healey tells us so) that prices are being held-but does that help you at the end of the week when you are counting the pennies to see if you can take the wife out for a break...

And so on in nauseating style. The lucky winner will win £100 a week for a year.

But not the car workers. The only coverage of the Ford strike in the paper starts:

"Housewife Sue Charlton hit out at the striking car men yesterday . .. ' You're crazy. Use your common sense." "

And a little lower down:

"Now 31-year old Sue, who organised an anti-strike wives meeting outside the company's Southampton plant, wants a "nag-em back to work' campaign' And so on. On the day following the Ford strikers decision to stay out the vote received three lines coverage.

This squalid, "sexist anti-working class paper is the latest weapon in the capitalists' arsenal.

It must rank akin in the capitalist class' intended assaults on workers' consciousness to the pro-government newspaper The Citizen launched in South Africa with state funds.

The puny number of jobs 'created' by the launching of this paper will be massively offset by the number of jobs massacred if its manning standards are spread to other papers, and its philosophy applied to other sectors of The launch of the Star (said by the Communist Party to be aimed at confusing workers who: want to buy the Morning Star!) is in itself an eloquent demonstration of the need for workers control of the press in the interests of the working class.

Scan page 5

Dam TnI FORD WORKERS ON OUR 5% IS A Prud 'ST PRESS, Wednesday 8 Novemt SUB Pag

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

"triumph for press free- dom" and James Callaghan