Socialists Demand Ourtes Fight Lab U Cuts Against the Ci

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›ndon have shown the way; To the growing number of 2. The council must assure we will start an enormous e people of the borough that process of public works, giving ere will be NO MORE CUTS, full training and trade union ther in services or jobs. pay, and at the same time workeither should cuts be intro- ins to solve the borough's iced in the form of increases problems. . rents, rates or mortgage 5. To the ethnic minorities payments. we must offer the resources of 3. If the Council will not the council and the Labour ve these promises, the Party movement in their fight against ust go over their heads and fascist and racist violence. e next council and then select this is impossible, we must reply ndidates who are willing to that it is absolutely necessary jht. In that way the Party can and that no other socialist ıild a socialist fight back answer exists. In order to 4) To take the fight forward work with other socialists and e need demands that make the trade unionists throughout the ep from the present crisis to borough and the country to e socialist solution. To the turn our local struggles into an ›uncil's employees we must unstoppable movement against y that we fill all the vacancies. the Tories. opposition to the cuts but have also not even attempted to do SO.

Anti-cuts lobbyers have been ignored and sometimes insulted by the councillors who are supposed to represent them. It is within this framework that Kensington branch feels the conference must draw up a 'strategy for Newham' and a "socialist fight back' Cuts made The Local Government Bill is not the only threat to Newham. Massive cuts have already been made without the Bill, and more will be made without it.

The sale of council houses will be imposed upon the Council by the Housing Act, which also force vicious rent increases on council tenants. Added to this are the other Tory policies of economic collapse, unemployment and price inflation.

To cope with the inevitable opposition to all this, the Tories are attempting to destroy the rights of trade unions and are building up the numbers of the army and the police.

Why then do the Labour Group and the Local Government Committee wish only to consider the Local Government Bill? The reason is that the Bill, when it becomes law, will take away from the Council most of its room for political manoeuvre:

They will not be permitted to wriggle out of the cuts by increasing the rates and they will be told in some detail what to spend and on what to spend it.

No hiding This leaves them with no political hiding place. They will have to either oppose the Tories (that is break the law), or obey orders (that is make more cuts and sack employees).

Why should this cause concern? Surely a solid Labour council would welcome the chance to take part in the massive opposition to Thatcher? After all has not the Labour movement always been forced to fight in the open at every stage from Tolpuddle to the Saltley Gates?

The real problem is twofold. Firstly, a number of the leading councillors, although standing for election on the Labour ticket, are not socialists of any description.

Their main concern is to maintain their own prestigious positions by being able to allocate the Council's resources. In order to continue in this way they need political stability and a passive working class.

This type of person has always tried to creep into the Party, particularly since the War. We remember their support of Prentice.

Secondly, there are a number of counciliors, good active trade unionists and community representatives, who are afraid of trying to lead a campaign against the Tories.

They are afraid because they think that there will be no response. They think there will be no response because the people of Newham will not trust the Councillors to lead them. And they think this because of their own failure to give such a lead.

These are the problems we, in Kensington branch, begin with in drawing up a strategy. The Labour Party must find a strategy and an approath that does not limit the Labour movement to actions the Council wishes to take but will force the Council into taking positive socialist actions.

What this means is drawing up and fighting for a programme of demands that corresponds to the present political situation, to the real threats which the Tories represent.

While recognising that Newham on its own couid not overthrow the present government, Newham should be part of the growing forces opposing the Tories.

The programme can be nothing less than the replacement of the Thatcher government by a socialist government, formed on the basis of solving the workers' problems and not those of the capitalists.

To achieve this aim we suggest the following:

1. Industrial action to be taken and encouraged on the widest scale. Labour councils can make important contributions if they gain support of the workers. To gain this support the Council must use all of its resources of publicity and propaganda to launch its rejection of the cuts. Other boroughs in Lambeth march against the cuts Lc let t Newham follow. unemployed we must say that th in Te ve such a promise on behalf of 6. To those who will say that 'spite the Council. achieve this programme we will step

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The Bolivian POR have issued £1 bonds money for the struggle they are waging to n the masses against the military junta.

If you would like to buy some of these political bhai vote. Sending troops SEM send your donation to WSL, BM Box Loadon CIV 6XX We will forward your Copies of the last five issues of Masas, the paper of the Partido Obrero Revolucionario (POR) led by Guillermo Lora have been smuggled out of Bolivia and sent to Socialist Press.

The POR have clearly learnt from their apparent reluctance to call for the arming of the oppressed masses in the period prior to General Banzer's coup of 1971-for which the POR were much criticised.

It should also be said to those who now criticise them from on high for intervening in CONADE (Committee for the Defence of Democracy-a body set up by the COB trade union federation and various centrist parties before the 1980 coup) that they did so in order to argue for proletarian revolution -and that they refused to sign the agreement when they lost this position.

The POR was alone in understanding that bourgeois democracy cannot function in a country as poor and backward as Bolivia, and in the months before the election warned that even if the election actually took place the results would not be allowed to stand.

By May they were calling for preparation for an indefinite general strike, road blockades and the worker peasant alliance:

"The POR has information that the Coupists are on the march. If the coup takes place we call on the exploited to organise and come out on the streets to crush it. The mistakes of November 1 (the Natusch coup) must not be repeated. All unorganised resistance could lead to a useless massacre.

Every neighbourhood, area or block must organise defence committees responsible for directing the tacties of resistance. Remember that your enemy is not a united monolith and that our efficient resistance can increase its fissures.

If we want victory our mission must be to win soldiers and officers to our positions. All our resistance tactics must have as their reference point the concretisation of the indefinite general strike, road blockades and armed pickets as laid down by the COB.

The character of the projected coup will be to swiftly occupy the centres of resistance in order to later drown in blood all political and trade union leaders. Our slogan is to paralyse the enemy and destroy its links.

We call on the left to immed¡ately form a political command to direct the struggle nationwide.

Only armed insurrection can install the workers' and peasants' government. Unity of the exploited under workers' leadership: anti-imperialist revolution front (FRA).

In the face of the failures and inability of bourgeois democracy: proletarian revolution and dictatorship!"

In the election, the POR's cretinism' which a rhey entare repudiation of were convinced was widespread, led them to wage a campaign for a FAM DIRE CE4 22. stated:

"POR:

*Against the fascist coup. Prepare for general strike and road blockades.

*Against misery.

Wage rises and sliding scale across the board.

*Against bourgeois and pro-bourgeois fronts.

Unity of the exploited under workers' leadership (FRA).

Only armed insurrection can install the workers' and peasants' government.

Proletarian dictatorship".

Socialist Press has also received three copies of Masas printed after the coup of 17 July which testifies at the least to the high level of organisation and bravery of these comrades given the brutal character of the coup.

The first-printed on July 24 -calls for 'Death to Fascism' armed struggle and "unity of the left with a proletarian strategy ... around clear revolutionary ideas in the FRA".

POR comrades are directed to work within trade union and popular organisations, organising clandestine unions and committees.

"This resistance cannot be limited to the general strike and road blockades, vital as these are, but where appropriate must take the form of work-torules, partial strikes, hostility to bosses and government, sabotage and also acts of terror.

The rule must be: each house, each street, each work place must be a trench of struggle and resistance against the fascist coup.

We must explain exhaustively that we are not talking of individual acts of terror but rather of a form of mass action and struggle".

The paper gives a moving account of heroic struggles, particularly in the mining localities by miners, the housewives committees and peasants.

The various miners' radio stations were focal points, able to transmit freely for several days, denouncing the coup and informing the resistance of troop movements.

These stations were primarily defended by human barricades of women and children who also organised the distribution of food to the mining communities and the thousands of peasants who thronged to these districts to don blockades and civil resis- and people in general to abanjoin in the fighting side by side Stance." with the workers.

Roads leading to the Siglo retreating in disarray, soldiers XX and Catavi mines were were defecting and refusing to successfully controlled by fire. en thousand peasants armed pickets although the Huanuni mine and radio station surrounded the Challapata finally fell early on Sunday 20 barracks and another huge July, leaving a trail of blood and mobilisation advanced on the mourning.

In Santa Ana mining women Uncia barracks provoking valiantly fought against a whole another spurt of deserțions and regiment while the traitor the consequent arrest of the commanding officer. bureaucrat Lechin who had been arrested sent out com- is all the more remarkable given muniques and pleaded on tele- the long tradition of the milivision cheek by jowl with the butcher Arze. ry-peasant pact in. Bolivia "We can talk over our vhich their official leaders wer still loyal stooges. problems and ambitions some other day but now let us avoid useless bloodletting. I repeat: 1 Siglo XX and Catavi miners who exhort all workers and peasants unanimously rejected a plea to stop broadcasting and return to work with the statement:

massacring workers, we will not estas fight this military thuggery" military had succeeded in breaking the back of the resistance.

Lechin's exhortations broke the strike in the cities, and the miners were finally forced to lay down their arms when the Coloviri mine was bombed from the air and the other districts proving to be a risky bet and th money Junta was prepared to go to an Bolivian miners usurped power to fall immediately to a popular rising. The most important sectors of the masses (workers and peasants) have had to retreat for the moment and concentrate around their own organisations such as the unions... "Our struggle against military thuggery • is directed towards proletarian revolution and not the capitalist regime sought by the democratising bourgeoise and imperialism".

Masas argues for taking up democratic demands but not the slogan of Siles' so-called clandestine government: "We must strengthen, unite and spread those pockets of resistance to the military however small they are ... to make this possible we need an adequate clandestine leadership.

Junta chief Garcia For these reasons the constitution of the FRA is a need which can no longer be postponed".

Entire regiments were The activity of the peasants Resolution for union branches. "This (trade union branch) deplores the recent The military called for a sseu meeting with military coup in Bolivia and expresses its solidarity with the struggle of the miners, peasants and other workers Caut of Bolivia against the new Junta.

It calls on the union to give maximum material By the issue of August 8 the support to this struggle in:

1) Blacking of all trade with the Junta and calling on the TUC to organise a full-scale blacking campaign. 2) Participating in building a national campaign of solidarity. 3) Using all necessary means to ensure that recognition and aid are withheld from the Junta by the i Do bagEr COrTECT tO Britist goverament.

The heroic resistance of the miners did not go unrewarded, since they remain free from the constraints of the national curfew and overt military interference.

When Stalinists and MIR (radical petty bourgeois nationalists) signed an agreement which contravened the mandate of the Siglo XX workers calling for freedom for all workers they were forced to another mass meeting where they were verbally and physically abused for their pains.

However, even the precarious freedom enjoyed by the miners will be snatched away unless organised resistance to the 'cocaine coup' strengthens (and even this " freedom' is accompanied by starvation).

We urge readers again to put the model resolution (see below) to their unions and to send donations to the Bolivia Solidarity . Campaign, 1 Cambridge • Terrace, London WWS.

They will be forwarded to exiled miners in Peru who can smuggle it in.

In case anyone still needs convincing of the value of their support we finish with a final quote:

«We salute with true feeling the solidarity of peoples all over the world with the struggle against military thuggery which we Bolivians are waging.

We salute the solidarity we have received from the proletariat and the masses in general. This support strengthens us and pushes forward the cause of world revolution.

We will have nothing to do with, nor do we ask for the support of puppet governments in this continent nor that of the imperialists. This support has only one destination: that of the democratising bourgeoisie and those political sectors which serve capital and the Yankies" Resolution for Parties.

"This (Labour Party) deplores the recent military coup in Bolivia and calls on the NEC to support all trade union action in Britain in solidarity with the miners, peasants and other workers of Bolivia in their struggle to overthrow the new Junta. It calls on the NEC to ensure that all necessary means are used to prevent British government recognition of or aid to the Bolivian Junta, and further calls on the NEC to give active support to a national campaign of solidarity in Britain with the Bolivian working class."

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ROSSERIAL NEWIS Nuneaton Trades Council was last week the scene of a bizarre witch-hunt against left-wingers-led by a Communist Party member.

Nuneaton Committee Against Racism and Fascism (NCARF) had just confirmed its plans for an anti-racist demonstration in the town on 28 September.

The demonstration will be held just four days before the trial of seven anti-fascists who were arrested on August 17when the National Front marched in Nuneaton:

However, the campaign for the march received a minor unexpected setback at the Nuneaton Trades Council when Mary Collyer-one of the leading members of the local CPlaunched a vicious attack on the march and opposed Trades Council support.

Having resigned from NCARF one hour before the the Trades Council meeting, Collyer attacked the march as "bringing in lefties from all over the Midlands and through this witch-hunting succeeded in swaying à majority of the delegates to oppose it.

The CP locally and nationally must make its position clear. Does it support Collyer or does it support the call for an anti-racist demonstration on 28 September?

The demonstration assembles at 11 a.m. at Pingles Sports Cehtre Car Park. Donations for the Defence Fund can be sent to Nuneaton Committee Against Racism and Fascism, 111 Bulkington Lane, Bedworth Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

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THE CUTS

bonds, threatened with the same late 5277,