[Prime finister Callaghan last week chose the fitting…]
Socialist Press1978 1978-11-08Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 5 →
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Prime finister Callaghan last week chose the fitting occasion of the debate on the Queen's Speech to deplore the practice of trade union solidarity.
Further embarassing the demoralised crew • ot s0called left' MPs that continue to provide him with slavish support, he agreed with Tory leader Thatcher that the power of the unions is now greater than ever.
He appealed-somewhat belatedly-for trade unionists to avoid making this a winter of strikes and confrontation.
But he went on to lament the fact that workers refusing to cross picket lines had become an expression of solidarity he had not known in his younger days!
Carried to extremes, he complained, this could mean that life could seize up!
Wilder voices
Deploring any such exercise of working class power, Callaghan went on to moan that there are "a few wilder voices seeking to thrust vital workers into the forefront" in the belief that the government could not defeat them.
But these provocative comments, in the midst of a staunch and unrepentant On two occasions in the last few weeks Callaghan has challenged his supposed opponents to fight to remove him from the Labour leadership-secure in the knowledge that they would not do so.
It is on the basis of this spineless capitulation by the 'lefts' that his government will proceed to confront public sector workers in an all-out bid to uphold its 5% pay limit even after it has failed so abysmally with Fords and other private employers.
Splutter
For Eric Heffer to splutter that 5% is ridiculously low for "some workers" while sitting back with arms folded while Callaghan is left to rule the Labour Party roost is sheer hypocrisy.
But this level of opportunism and bankruptcy is matched with ease by Labour's tame cat "Marxists" of the 'Militant' group. The lead article of their latest paper proclaims straightfaced:
«The Labour government must restore the cuts now and implement socialist policies to provide the resources for a dramatic improvement of health and welfare services."
Which Labour government? Callaghan's government?
HUMIDS for would-be strikebreakers.
la Does the Militant itorial team live on this anet or simply read about in Labour Weekly?
Further proof
There is no prospect. of this government introducing any socialist policies of any description. The Queen's Speech has added further proof of this for those dull enough to need it.
To change the reactionary pro-capitalist policies of this government, it is necessary to follow up Callaghan's challenge and launch a fight throughout the labour movement to oust him from the Labour Youth leaders The 'Militant' group, jealously guarding their cosy position as Callaghan's licensed youth leaders like the Tribune troupe of pet 'left-wing' demagogues, have no intention of leading such a fight.
In demanding of all the self-styled 'lefts' within the Labour Party that they take up the fight to remove Callaghan, workers can quickly learn the real nature and limitations of these "leaders". , and the necessity of constructing a principled, revolutionary leadership to lead the struggle for socialism.
FIRDWESSAY!
OTO: Chris Davies, Re 01: THEY CAR MIL AFFORD IT PHOTO: John Sturrock, Report danger The fact that the actions carried out by journalists Duncan Campbell and Crispin Aubrey in meeting and discussing with former soldier John Berry are common journalistic practice is no defence against charges under the Official Secrets Act, according to Mr Justice Mars-Jones in the ABC trial.
The trial, which has witnessed the spectacular collapse of the prosecution "case" on four charges under Section One of the Act, is now proceeding to hear remaining charges under Section Two.
This provides for penalties up to two years imprisonment for receiving unauthorised official information of any sort.
Duncan Campbell pointed out in evidence that if this part of the Act-which Labour leaders have talked of rewriting -was enforced literally, then every newspaper published in Britain would be in breach of it.
He referred to the statement made in 1976 by Home Secretary Rees; expressing the view that mere receipt of official information should no longer be an offence.
And he stressed that while John Berry had spoken in their conversation about the government's Signals Intelligence agency SIGINT, almost all of the information he revealed was already known to Campbell from published sources and elsewhere.
The Judge, who the previous week followed his dismissal of the "spying" charges by attacking those organisations and individuals agitating in favour of Aubrey Berry and Campbelll, has shown during this week that these three men could still face Jail sentences.
It is clear from evidence from magazine and newspaper editors that the actions for which they are being charged are by no means unusual.
What is remarkable about all three is that they were prominent supporters of the campaign to prevent the deportation of former CIA agent Phillip Agee-and as such identified by the state "security" forces as 'subversives' In continuing the labour movement campaign for the dropping of these charges, the removal of Merlyn Rees and the repeal of the Official Secrets Act, trade unionists are involved in the fight for the most basic , democratic rights, now scandalously under attack from a Labour government.
We will be taking up in a later issue the implications of the WRP libel case against the Observer and the further evidence it presents of the deeply opportunistic practice of that leadership.
But what the case has also publicly revealed is the nature of political black listing operated against the WRP in the entertainment industry.
Irene Gorst, the actress giving evidence against the WRP told the court that John Gale, an anti-communist theatre impresario who was trying to prevent her attending the WRP school said:
"People in the WRP don't work very much because people don't want to employ them. They are a lot of trouble."
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WRP TRIAL REVEALS BLACKLIST