Tory War on Nationalised Industries

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Published by Folrose Ltd for the Workers socialist League, 31, Dartmouth Park HIll, London Printed by Anvil Printers, London, Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office "Ungracious and mean-spirited" • That. was the response trom • Labour's Shadow Cabinet to the Post Office monopoly on mail delivery.

John Silkin's "attack" on Sir Keith Joseph shows the abysmal inability of the Labour leadership to offer any resistance to the Tory plans for dealing with the public sector and the nationalised industries.

There is nothing "ill-consid ered" about these threats. The Tories' have consistently argued that they would end the Post Office monopoly on tele-communications by hiving off the most profitable sections of the industry to private capital.

Logic

By considering such plans for the postal sector, they are simply extending the logic of their economic and political arguments.

For the Tories-more openly than for Labour governmentsthe public sector exists to serve the needs of wrivate capital and the profit-system.

Through its ownership and control, the state provides the bourgeoisie with the communications and infrastructure that it needs but can barely operate at a profit.

And, since the second imperialist world war but especially in the current crisis, the state has also moved in to rescue from collapse sectors such as coal-mining, the steel industry and shipbuilding-sectors most severely hit by the crisis and essential to the national strength of the imperialist bourgeoisie.

But as the crisis continues to deepen, the Tories see the necessity of revising the situation.

Divert investment

Intent on boosting the profits and profitability of private capital, they are determined to divert investment and resources from the public sector.

This plan operates on several levels. Thatcher and her pack of profit-thirsty wolves want to reduce state spending and increase productivity in the public sector. • Cuts in the social services are one obvious method-combined with appalling low pay they aim to reduce employment drastically.

The drive on "efficiency" extends to every area-the threatened closures in mining and steel are the obvious examples.

Threats to end the postal monopoly are designed to pro-

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government's "ill-considered threats" of breaking the

PHOTO: Laurence Sparham, IFL Labour 'left' Kinnock