Tories slam into living standards

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careerist and Morning Star hero rank and file Thatcher must press ahead ruthlessly with cuts in public spending -and on no account allow threshold payments to workers to protect wages against inflation: that is the conclusion of a forecast by the London Business School last week.

It warns of the danger of allowing workers' purchasing power to grow while restricting the money supply to industry.

And it blames Heath's policy of threshold payments in 1973-4 for the economic chaos that ensued in the wake of the oil crisis.

But while the well-heeled academics of the London Business School attempt to strengthen the Tories' resolve to foist the whole weight of the crisis onto the working class, it is only a policy of fighting for cost-of-living clauses that can protect real wages against the coming tidal wave of price inflation. Tory Chancellor Howe With even leading stockbrokers already forecasting that inflation will reach 14% by the end of the year, and oil prices still rising, living standards are obviously under pressure on all sides.

Next week's Budget seems certain to bring thumping increases in VAT on a range of basic goods and services purchased by workers, in order to finance tax handouts to top paid managers and employers.

careerist and Morning Star hero But, on top of this, the passing of the EEC elections will herald final moves for the delayed Tory devaluation of the Common Market "Green Pound" which will soon send food prices soaring to new heights.

And further price increases are on the way. Steel prices-affecting the price of a whole range of goods-will go up lor between 5-15% in July.

Coal to power stations is also to go up.

And London Transport Tube fares are also going up -affecting hundreds of thousands of workers.

rank and file versus the leader.