Workers Socialist League

Socialist Press, Trotskyism Today and the Trotskyist International Liaison Committee, 1975–1984

Fight TUC line on

Socialist Press no. 206, 9 July 1980 · scan p. 5 · about 642 words

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lished a record as a class fighter clash with on Ireland and one who must be TUC and unconditionally defended in his imperialism. Ann ie Sweeney les The CDLM conference saw a savage attack on the pro-imperialism of the Communist Party from the SecSubjectively they are the same as us, but objectively they are on the side of the state. When the question of the state is raised they are as quick to react as the National Front"

Hallsworth had taken his attack on the CP and the role they played in helping to witch hunt and disaffiliate Tameside into the Stalinist-dominated Liverpool Trades Councilwhere he caused an uproar.

When one CP member defended his Party with a reference to the work-in at Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Hallsworth had silenced him by rejoining:

"At Upper Clyde the CP got the working class to work for nothing and then mobilised the rest of the working class to pay the wages"

"We must challenge the credentials of the CP within the working class, in the factories where what they do all the time is dampen down struggles"

Hallsworth's struggle

Ireland is that of a class fighter.

Socialist Press and the CDLM both have major differences with him on the role of the Provisional IRA and particularly their bombing of civilian targets, but in his fight against petty bourgeois timidity and pacifism he is to be wholeheartedly supported.

"We fight on the basis of the right of the working class to armed struggle! The right of us to take up guns and explosives and use them against the exploiters".

He said that when a Merseyside Peace Council had been proposed he counterposed a Merseyside War Council-for class war!

The struggle for reaffiliation of Tameside by the TUC is one which must be taken up in every union and in every Trades Hallsworth sees the battle as lost in advance-an analysis which leaves out of account the effect on the bureaucracy of a struggle on the issue.

His experience has however given him insight into the workings of the British SWP. Despite the presence of three SWP members on Tameside Trades Council, just one short paragraph on the recall conference was all that was published in Socialist Worker.

Articles submitted by SWP members to the paper were never published, and a leaflet drawn up by one of the Manchester branches of the SWP was barred from being distributed by the SWP leadership.

This criminal refusal by the SWP to defend Tameside should be exposed. The SWP should explain why they have suppressed the struggle that has taken place and the line up of forces, and why they have abandoned even their own comrades in that struggle.

We do not believe that identifying the IRA Provisionals with the Irish working class is either accurate or likely to develop a serious wide-spread struggle within the working class in Britain.

It abandons the Protestant working class to an eternal role as pro-imperialist and capitulates to petty bourgeois nationalism.

But if Hallsworth is seriously wrong on this question he has chaum that he hae himcalf petah. Dave Hallsworth the traitors of the their line up with Two speakers from long-running strikes were given a warm welcome by the Conference.

Pat Brennan from GEC Traction in Birmingham told of the 9-week unofficial struggle by 140 EETPU members against speed-up and against victimisation carried through with the collaboration of their area official.

And Jean Dukes from Adwest related their 9-week fight for official TGWU support after the victimisation of the TGWU convenor, stewards and 58 other workers at the plant.

"We need mass pickets-both to stop production and to embarrass our officials into giving us support", , she stressed.

A collection at the conference raised £50 for each dispute.

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retary of Tameside Trades Council, Dave Hallsworth.

for IK(

← Contents of Socialist Press no. 206, 9 July 1980