Joseph calls in the asset-strippers

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Basnett: and out, too went strippers, groomed for office by chairman Sir Leslie Murphy, Joseph, and longing for a chance From Socialist Press, 31 Dartmouth Park Hill Two more relics of the Labour government's efforts at systematised class collaboration bit the dust last week.

BL chairman Michael Edwardes embarked on a set-piece confrontation designed to sack and victimise Derek Robinson, the foremost defender of the discredited Ryder "workers participation" set-up, and to impose instead rule by decree over a broken shop stewards movement.

Resignation

And, in the same week, Industry Secretary Sir Keith Joseph pressed home the moves designed to force the resignation of the old National Enterprise Board. Out went the 'trade unionists'-Lord "Broadleft" Scanlon, Power Engineers' leader John Lyons, and GMWU chief David British Oxygen chairman raw Wiard. Report Basnett Leslie Smith, Rio Tinto Zinc executive Alistair Frame, John Gardiner, chiet executive of the Laird Group, and Sir Jack Wellings of the 600 Group.

Asset-strippers

And in came the assetPHOTO: Laurence Sparham, IFL Scanlon to carve up the body set up by Labour in the illusory hopes.of "planning" and stimulating a crisis-ridden British capitalism: Knight, a former chairman of *The new chairman, Arthur Courtaulds, has spelt out his opposition to a state role in industry in his book Private Enterprise and Public Inter. vention. *Deputy chairman Sir John King of Babcock International is on record as calling for Rolls Royce, BL and Alfred Herbertthe NEB's only really large 'holdings'-to be taken out of NEB control.

In a recent letter to the Daily Telegraph King declared that "The question of whether and how the NEB itself survives cannot have a high priority"

*Robert Clayton is technical director of GEC *shi arainst the NEB setting up Es matochip producer Inmos- darly can only prosper I 2D GEC profits IF AM DC * Knight after the enforced sale of £100 million assets as part of Chancellor Howe's spending cuts.

Socialist Press has, from its very first issue, consistently fought to expose -the class collaborationist role of the NEB which, as Basnett pointed out to the Financial Times:

"was a place where industry working together to improve industrial perform- was ance"

The NEB as such represented an alliance between union leaders and leading. capitalists, an illusion of directing British capitalism in a progressive direction through the machinery of the capitalist state. Though fronted by Tony Benn it was a set-up endorsed and launched by Harold Wilson and his entire right wing Cabinet. But there can be no doubt that Joseph's decision to drive out the old board and wheel in the asset strippers is an atianad indication of fresh cats oa workers in the Jetemmazon 10 allow the weakest sections of capitalistsfinancial SOCIALIST PRESS 1980 CALENDAR Price £1.00 plus 20p p&p Price £1.00 plus 20p p&p jocialist Press, 31 Dartmouth London NW5 1HR

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IALI 'ESS, Wedness lay

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'Fishall's Year