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•Called jointly by the Campaign for Democracy alled jointly by the Campaign for Democrac in the Labour Movement and Socialist Organiser the Labour Movement and Socialist Organi:

Islington Central Library, Holloway Details and credentials from: SO/CDLM Cuts Conference, c/o 66 Brokesley Street, As struggles erupt against rent and rate increases and cuts in local government services, and in the after. math of the raid which broke up the three-month occupation at Longworth Hospital, a discussion on direct action to fight the cuts is particularly appropriate.

The conference launched for March 21 jointly by the Campaign for Democracy in the Labour Movement and Socialist Organiser is designed to offer a forum for discussion on precisely the political and practical questions to be tackled in mounting all-out action, to halt the cuts.

Labour councillors engaged in anti-cuts struggles in London, the Midlands and the North, Saturday March 21 10.30 a.m. -5.00 p.m.

London N7 London E3 tenants leaders, direct works shop stewards, NUT militants, nursery campaigners and a speaker from the Longworth occupation will be among the platform speakers in the conference, which will seek to draw the political lessons out of recent and current struggles.

In this way it is hoped to provide the basis for a strengthened campaign for action to build on the gains of the cuts conferences convened by Lambeth Labour Group in November and January.

The tickets are £1.50 for delegates and employed workers and 75p for the unwaged. Transport is available from all areas. A creche will be provided at the conference.

We urge readers to attend, and to fight for delegations from their trade unions and Labour Parties.

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Wịth their national Wednesday February 4s, I AL. is clear that a heavy majority of Britain's 32,000 manual workers in the water Ansells workers fighting the proposed closure of their brewery have won the support of TGWU-organised pub managers representing 50% of Ansells West Midlands landlords.

The managers have agreed to black supplies of beer other than that produced by Allied Breweries-the combine that owns Ansells.

This gives the TGWU the opportunity to force the pace in the dispute, which is the outcome of Allied Breweries' attempt to rationalise production at the expense of 1,000 jobs in Birmingham.

Pickets are already outside "rogue" pubs which have sought outside supplies of beer in order to keep going.

But despite this clear manworrving siens that officials of the CMWU, NUPE and TGWU may stall on an all out stoppage.

They have issued anguished pleas to the employers to improve the offer prior to Wednesday's meeting.

And there is speculation A MASS meeting of 1,000 angry tenants in Paisiey • last week voted to launch a rent strike from March 28. The Labour-controlled council has announced rent increases of 50%—way above even the amount demanded by Heseltine and the Tory government.

Elsewhere in Scotland there are moves to rent strikes in Dunbarton and Irvine, while in Dundee the Labour Council is standing firm on its refusal to sell council houses-despite growing threats of legal action.

GREENOCK

OCCUPATION THE occupation by 240 women machinists at the Vanity Fair (Lee Jeans) textile plant in Greenock is now in its third week.

The women, members of the Tailor and Garment Workers Union are fighting the closure of the plant. They have received some financial backing from Lower Clyde shipbuilding workers-but still need practical and cash support, which should be sent to Ellen Monaghan, 55 Cambridge Road, Greenock. that they might try to diffuse and split the militancy of the membership by : calling only regional action.

In the aftermath of the miners, the water workers are best placed of all to carry through the next defeat of the Tory government. Only their own leaders can stand in the way of such an outcome.

Whe In the aftermath of last week's whirlwind struggle by the miners a number of questions are still being asked.

Many miners plainly felt that the struggle should. have been pressed home until a written agreement was forthcoming:

conduct of Yorkshire President Arthur Scargill.

Socialist Press spoke to Steve Shuckla from Markham Main NUM, who clearly refleeted the mixed feelings within the coalfields:

"The only reason the Tories backed off is in the face of the threat of a General Strike, because all sections ilke steel, railways, and so on, were behind uS.

It might have been a spark which brought the government down. But they want to beat other sections first-then take on the miners.

Only two • weeks ago the government said it was between the NUM and the NCB-but now they've come in.

It demonstrates the strength of the miners: and the unimportance of large stocks of coal if we've got other sections of workers behind us."

SP: What role has Scargill played?

"None! He had an 86% mandate for a strike; yet he kept quiet while the Welsh miners LEAGUE/ SOCIALIST ORGANISER Joint Public Meeting AFTER WEMBLEY The fight for democracy in the Labour Party Speakers John Bloxham, organiser of Rank and File Mobilising Committee and * Alan Thornett, WSL Friday 6 March at 7.30 pm Waltham Club, Norfolk St off Beverley Road, Hull Scargill were all out-making us into scabs. And we shouldn't have gone back until we had written, binding agreements."

SP: Are you saying Scargill should have defied the 15-8 vote on the Executive and instructed Yorkshire miners to come out?

"Yes I am. We voted with our feet, as did other areas. We came out after the government climbdown because we wanted to make sure there was no return to work without cast iron agreements.

Scargill sold us out. If he was any sort of socialist he wouldn't have let our Weish brothers stand alone.

This is the way I see it. Other people from other areas may see it differently."

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industry have voted for rejection of the employers' second, 10% pay offer. bitter jobs fight

Paisl ent strike

and in Yorkshire and elsewhere many others queried : the