Ore Gang

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The thieves have begun to fall out in earnest.

Divisions within the ranks of the Conservative Party had to find their echo amongst the camp followers in the press. The result has been to turn the front pages of Fleet Street into a battleground where editors strive to prove their allegiance to true Tory philosophy., It is a battle without real division--the kind of debate that could have taken place around Stalin. "Is Comrade Stalin being let down by his friends... or is he so great that he can rise above them?"

Only in this case, instead of Stalin it is Thatcher.

The Daily Mail and the Sun began it-the Mail as usual with more punch.

MAGGIE MUST DO A U-TURN was its astounding lead headline for November 26. To its readers it must have sounded like the beginning of the end. Had the editor lost his marbles? Had the printers taken over? Is the Daily Mail a red plot in disguise? The first paragraph supported such dramatic possibilities.

*The Daily Mail never believed it would have to say it. But now it must, Mrs 1natcner -----A 11- T-dhau must make a U-turn and make it immediately."

But the U-turn 'turns' out to be (surprise, surprise) more butchery, not less. The Mail wants more cuts, more unemployment, more attacks on the unions!

In the opinion of the Daily Mail: "Through lack of support as well as the cowardice and incompetence of the people around her, Mrs Thatcher has begun to drift. So the U-turn she must make is essential to

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against women AUTUMN WINTER GLAMOURWEAR CATALOGUE Events in Leeds within one week this month have sent shockwaves through the country and have forced many to look at the question of violence against women.

On the Friday in : Leeds Crown Court a man who killed his wife by smashing her skull with a hammer was given a two year suspended sentence.

Mr Douglas Coles pleaded guilty to manslaughter-as he was provoked by Mrs Ethel Coles who was neurotic and nagging.

He was not found guilty of murder.

On the Monday, Annette and Charlene Maw, convicted of manslaughter were sentenced in the same court to three years imprisonment for stabbing their violent father who had beaten and terrorised both them and their mother for most of their lives.

Not isolated And on the Thursday it was discovered that Leeds student Jacqueline Hill had become the thirteenth victim of the so-called Yorkshire Ripper.

Three horrific incidents of violence against women coincidentally came to light in just one week.

They are, however, not isolated. one off, sensationally rare occurances. They are part of a whole pattern of violent abuse to which women are subject because of the fact they are women.

Over 25% of all violent crime takes the form of sexual or domestic attack upon women in the home.

This is apart from the violence endured by women who are weaned on dreams of romance, marriage and children, the ideal home, full of love and trust, discovering these dreams are illusions, as they wind up trapped within the home, isolated, enduring the seeming futility of pressures of raising and servicing families.

They have no possible way out; getting a job is impossible, or perhaps they've got elderly dependants who can't get into a home or just children who have no nursery place.

The only way for many women to cope with this oppression is with "mother's little helpers"

Seven million anti-depressants are taken every day. 70% of users are women and when they fail a complete breakdown occurs or suicide is attempted.

And this leaves out of account the women in Britain and internationally who die or suffer agonics each year after being forced into seeking illegal This is the kind of violence that women endure in addition to all the other violence and exploitation suffered by the whole of the working class through the capitalist system.

Trotskyists regard it as a major responsibility to understand the specific oppression of women and to find means of independent working class action to defend them day to day from violent attack-whatever form it takes within capitalism.

But that is not easy and it is not enough: we must also have a revolutionary perspective that makes the fight to halt violence against women part of the struggle to overthrow capitalism and to take steps to ensure that such violence can not exist in a socialist society.

It is our responsibility as on all other issues to declare how we propose tackling the fight against sexist attacks.

We have to present a strategy and a proposal of tactics to counteract the violence that daily deforms the lives of women.

In doing so, it is inevitable that we understand that defensive measures alone-though vital-will never rid women of the threat of sexual attack, the acute depression frona a marginal, unfulfilled existence, from the constant discrimination and degredation that women experience daily under capitalism.

Only the removal of capitalism itself will do that.

Nor can we simply state naively that socialist revolution will automatically penetrate the concealed pockets of the psyche that have been nurtured by bourgeois ideology.

The Morning Star in an editorial on Jacqueline Hill's murder called for:

"concerted social action FOR HIM against male violence and for the relationships between the sexes to be put on a proper footing."

Women, it said, should have the right to work and the right to walk the streets.

Just as it is incapable of putting forward the necessary action to defend women's jobs, and fight for full employment, so the Morning Star is incapable of posing anything other than rhetoric on the fight against sexual attack.

The Leeds chief constable after the murder advised women to "stay at home" for their own protection.

The media have mercilessly played on the fear of women after this horrendous attack.

While the Tories are economically forcing women back into the home with mass redundancies and cut social services the media are helping psychologically to bind women in, and deprive them of any independence as they are terrorised out of even venturing out alone.

Patrols

Fortunately the students of Leeds University have examined methods by which-through their own actions-they can defend women from attack without relying on the police.

They have organised an escort system from bus stops, accompanying women to halls of residence, cinemas and friends' houses.

They are also organising patrols of the university grounds.

PASSION FASHION CATALOGUE Socialists throughout the labour movement should be examining, more extensive means of workers" self-defence against sexual attack as well as against racist and fascist attack.

One tactic could be adopted from groups of feminists.

Where a number of assaults have taken place in any one area, they organise a system of patrols which have effectively reduced the threat of attack.

Where attacks occur we should raise this proposal on trades councils and organise groups of workers in such defence squads on a full rota basis.

Self defence

Another point that has emerged from the Leeds campus is the demand for classes in self defence for women.

We should be insisting through the teaching unions-in particular the NUT-that a complete training in self-defence be taught in school to all girls.

There is no denying that women are in most cases physically weaker than men-this can be overcome through basic training which will help bring physical equality.

We should also be demanding that a full system of cheap state transport be provided after dark.

That implies a state taxi door to door service as part of a programme of necessary public works, including clearance of all waste grounds, adequate street lighting, even as is possible, a portable alarm system.

There is no doubt that the danger is growing.

In the USA it is estimated that about half a million women every year are raped. 85% of these rapes are attacks involving physical violence and force. resday herest side marriage are likely to har agreed to sex with any man and therefore cannot have bee raped. Only women over 61 girls under 16 and proven fait. ful wives are safe from suc presumptions.

The police invariably interr gate the rape victim to dete mine whether any grounds exi to claim that they "led the ma on"

And while most poli‹ 'experts' publicly advise wome not to resist a potential violent rapist, rape victims wi obey such advice and appe

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