Socialist Press no. 26

AS JONES PREPARES MORE WAGE CUTS

STEEL JOBS FIGHT

SOCIALIST

PRESS

BETRAYED

The deal signed last week by steel union leaders with BSC is nothing more than an employers' charter - opening the door to a further wholesale onslaught on jobs, wages, manning levels and shop floor agreements. Every management attack now carries the seal of approval of the trade union bureaucracy, who will use every ounce of energy trying to ensure no section of workers defeats the plan. They do this in clear defiance of the militant determination of shop floor workers in the industry to defend existing conditions - as shown by strikes in South Wales and calls from mass meetings in many other areas for national confront and action defeat BSC. they bow the to management who are determined to foist the whole burden of the £8.4m per week losses (caused by the recession profits crisis of British capitalism) directly onto the backs of steel

WORKON.

CHOICES

Jones legislation and TUC collaboration Just like the union officials has already put a stop to free of the who forced acceptance bargaining. No longer collective 8,500 Chrysler redundancies, the do wage claims take into account steel union bureaucrats saw that they had two choices. Either they increases factors effort, rising prices, the could defend the conditions of legitimate aspirations of workers the their members opposung to improve living standards.

treacherous policies of the Wilson government and its support for

INSTRUCTED

the employers; or knuckle under and help the employers impose "Negotiations" simply now their solutions. on the f6 figure, with all centre And because these officials see officials instructed to the mobilisation of the working keep settlements within their own class as a TOTeaTO figure. bureaucratic positions, they chose Jones' latest speech then shows the secona course that just the steel They now play a key role in 40,000 implementing assist management in sacking their redundancies. As BSC chief Bob members and to own described their cynically Scholey "viable" steel industry

TOI

the shop floor: joint attack on capitalism, so Jones sees his job as agreement will strengthen blocking and defeating the hand of local officials and his justified wage demands management." members, whose living standards the In other words, union fall each day as a direct result of leaders are now seen by Wilson's Tory policies. employers as simply an extension of with better management

HOSTILITY

position to prevent expensive and dangerous confrontation between organised workers and But as these historic betrayals crisis-ridden capitalist class.

prepared leadership, the class hostility

PAY LAWS

within the union rank and file to Wilson the policies of the Meanwhile the reactionary speech by Jack Jones, calling for government are just beginning to find the another vicious year of wage

SUIC

Labour and trade cutting to follow on the £6 laws, with flat pay rate bureaucacy. Most difficult for these leaders lower the than teases increase in the cost of living, has TO SKaTe TOnG IS Or Couse Le huge 1½ million unemployment been publicised by a coordinated figure just announced - the real press campaign. of Wilson of present combination of

11 LILS

government. All kinds of pious statements made about this are now being time figure wale al mie both Clive Jenkins of ASTMS and Gormley of the NUM have stated opposition to Jones' new pay cuts proposal. and Such statements bureaucratic misgivings are the first rumblings of course only a split in the united front OI employers and reformist leaders which has predominated over the They not, year. themselves, threaten the government. The call must be for these people to stop talking and start acting to defeat Wilson and Jones.

VERBALLY

For months, the 'left' MPs have opposed Wilson - verbally even attacking ex-'left' Michael Foot Employment Secretary. But the not once have they been prepared to launch a campaign through the and trade union Labour movement to remove Wilson the wing from office or even right their policies in vote against Parliament. In this sense, tomorrow's debate on government economic level of policy Foot is a test for the unemployment 'left. Any serious opposition to Wilson within the Labour Part must begin with a vote against hi policies at the end of that debate As for those union leaders who claim to disagree with the Jones plan them has

BIOL

advocated the necessary alternative demand for class living of working cerence standards against inflatior a sliding scale of wages

CHOLLE

And while all sorts, from Jones to scamon to bassuelt nave callec for "selective reflation" and cont'd on back page, col 5.

SPECIAL 12-PAGE ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

FORTNIGHTLY PAPER OF THE

WORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE

NO 26*28th January 1976* 10p

SPAIN'S FASCIST

The mounting offensive of the Spanish working class has become an immediate threat not only to the life of the 'new look' fascist regime but class collaborationist to the Stalinist and plans of the reformist leaders. During the EWe weeks about half a million workers in Spain have been either on strike, locked out, threatening imminent strike action. The strike wave which began in December 1n the motor industry (Chrysler) and electrical engineering (Standard Electric and Siemens) has spread to nearly all sectors. Most of the engineering sector is (the involved plus transport and the Madrid metro Workers railway workers), the national Madrid banks, the Asturian coal- mines which are at a complete standstill, the construction indus- try and many others.

WIDER

of strikes Many these demands, but relate to wage wider have taken on aims. In Barcelona the death of a worker who was run over by police vehicle during a demonstra- tion, led to a wildfire we shad of strikes about protest nine-tenths of the city's industry came to a halt. A separate strike of electrical workers in Barcelona 24 hour produced a complete power blackout. of strikes in the A number private sector (in the construction for industry, d instance) 30276 to wage already settlements which break the rigid wage con- trols which form the backbone of the regime's current economi policy. The settlements also con travene Spain's labour laws which ban organisations with which neg- otiations have been held.

climate the

SUCT

regime has found its new sheep's clothing much too uncomfortable and has responded with wholesale repression. All strike threats in the public sector have been met with the lin the of workers into the of court- threat army martials. In this way it has temp- the orarily stopped the postal and railway workers. Meetings of other strikers (many of them in churches) have been broken up with police violence.

BRUTALITY

has been The same brutality used against public demonstra- tions reaching a peak the on evening of January 20 in Madrid the largest display of state Whet since the civil repression war

PAY LAWS BROKEN

attempted to stop a mass demon stration called jointly Democratic Junt CP-dominated and the Socialist Party dominate platform of Democratic Converg en the regime claimed event as a success. But althoug the whole demonstration unable assemble as plann governm outside the main of thousands buildings, LeIS workers joined the demonstratio and virtually the whole of centra Madrid and all its working cla suburbs were scenes of milita resistance to police attacks wit batons, smoke and tear-gas bomt and water cannons. CP Secretary Carillo The regime has also resorted t On Januar wholesale arrests. 12th 23 trade unionists (claime to be members of the CP) we whom arrested, some released several days later.

On th 16th 120 Catholic trade unionis of Workers Fraternity for Catholi Action were arrested and accust of organising a general strike, 19th labor were lawyers.

APOLOGY

The latter arrests duced such strong protests fro other lawyers that released the 55 with an apolog These events illustrate how regime is hitinate genetal seek political general But the same spectre also tel of the orises the leaders working class parties Both Junta and the Platform have tri in published statements to min mise the political increasingly which character the strike movement and emph ise that they are exclusively ab the question of wages. restricting Equally, in demands of demonstrations to tł cont'd on back page col. 5

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

CIA DEMANDS CLOAK BACK

eroded least eleven organisations, contained jour- buld information for sing heavy ase Colby also moves Congress which request - made operations publish

SUCI

hich that they to the CIA. tection of Senate and House out of the publishing those the officials in US names mufacturers. that they endangering the At present eight different Con- have been sional committees king evidence on the CIA's secret "Wverv one oine new ojects that were subjected to this has leaked into the public Colby, tain', complained and on to request that new laws ld be passed making it a crim- offence for staff members ricing committees of Congress to k their oath of secrecy. explanation But the obvious committees have been these cing like sieves is that the CIA livities revealed them have locked even their conservative propelling mbers and ofticials. Phillip Agee - m to give 'off the record' details publishing CIA Addresses

EBANON

CEASE FIRE NO ANSWER

The abatement of the Lebanon's murderous civil war following * cease-fire and agreement of 22nd. January can be nothing but temporary hold-up in the bitter conflicts that lie beneath the -face in this focal point of imperialist intrigue and counter- fensive in the Middle East.

smokescreen for the agents and of and British friends of US imperialism and its cation from local supporters. perialism Empire fall

DIVISIONS

ien they the the state In Lebanon the carefully design- of owing ed 'sectarian' constitution has main- aristian specifically tained and intensified religious and other divisions, and was enforced in 1958 when it was last threatened was agreed in its by the arrival of US marines on the beaches of Beirut. necessary Such political arrangements, however, are of necessity unstable.

parate The movement of Palestinian refu- focus in ine gees into the country over the years (particularly after the military ad- vances of the Israelis in 1967 and halange,, the massacre of the Palestinians in 1970), 111 population burning with hatred of national and class oppression.

Spain). commercial, The growth of academic and other organisations in an artificial Lebanese society has at the same time caused the growth of The Maronite Christians of various left-wing political organis- banon have the Progressive ations such as Jablatt, Socialist Party of Kamal Crusades, and the Communist Action Organisa- ny tion of the Lebanon and a number of claiming to be small groups racialism. Trotskyist. Most of these groups are members of a 'Front of Progressive was shocked srut the Parties and National Forces which has played a major role in defend- retugees in ing the Palestinians and poor blood, Palestinian say Lebanese agaubst the Phalangists.

fugees were

BALANCE

the special trade of every dema- At the same time, of the character írom to Lebanese state, mich and Madrid with the careful balance of compet- or alsewhate such ist London newspapers press sequent agents. in Paris, identities Madrid and brought US govern- ment, being in Arlington military with President He has un- Hord questionably This, fact that the plus тери- tation for and Akallu public-relations handling of Sir Maurice Oldfield is usually Christian but whose rank and file is often Musim. Thus the army has been useless to maintain the status quo.

Instead the government has built up large- scale armed militias, not just of the the Phalangists, called *National Liberal Party' of which the leader is Caille Camoun, who is one of the major right-wing figures Lebanese politics who also happens to be the Interior Minister. These forces could not just On 13th last, the the April of Palestinians, seven. steps of US month January: If the was wal on 13th the April last, hostilities scope in september Israeli-Egyptian niature of the social and as always intim- ately tied up changing as between pro- in the area as a whole. the friends, to hold who in the inter- any Beirut the area wing ours from the Front organisa- that the

CIA

itself have may decided that a pawn would have to be sacrificed for the sake of the Such suggestions, greater needless are rejected say, 'scurrilous' by Washington. Be that as it may, the mounting campaign in defence of the

CIA

rejected with be tempt by the international workers Colby television only last week that the murder of Fidel Castro and the Patrice Lumumba, the nationalist the Congo. What the for the that murderers, their ac- alta their activities. left-wing Wilson struggle against all spying and Security Britain, in the the CIA. the Secret Intel- ligence Service

MIS

(the all of the has The scheme, One result has The SIS, of the British in some of military coup overthrow the nationalist Gaddati government in Libya and restore the oilfields there The significance Arab tor the world as a whole was made clear by Le Monde: "To tell the truth, the Arab lead- ers do not see the Lebanese conflict Arab religious governments can be seen, in effect, sympathisers, friends and eral allies of the Christian militias of the Lebanon" It if to confirm this was as assessment that after a number of days of bitter fighting, right-wing groups over-ran the Christian Pales- tinian refugee camp called Dbayie massacring the 14th anuary, women, children and old men who still remained there.

INTERVENTION

This event transformed the sit- uation, forcing the intervention of forces right-wing Palestinian the mobilisation of left-wing and militia forces in all parts of Beirut and the rest of Lebanon. left-wing On 16th January, successes at forces achieved some the Christian village of Dumori to the south the or belrul, and same day, units of the Lebanese air force attacked Palestinian and left- wing groups. This provoked a crisis that with- in two days led to the resignation of Muslim Prime Minister Karami, who a tew short months ine man before had been described as the last hope for unity in Lebanon.

It was at this point that the Phalangist forces began move into areas of shanty huts and slums Beirut in order to kill large of the inhabitants, level numbers out their houses, and drive what- people and their possessions remained into the Muslim quarters.

ZIONIST

Such techniques of course are the butter of lionis! and it is not surprising conquest that a Guardian correspondent in Beirut found Phalangist militiamen engaged their grisly slaughter 111 who claimed to have been involved the Zionist murders of Pales- in tinian leaders in Beirut.

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday January 28th 1976 to British and American interests.

They are presently credited with British planning government sup- port for the Sultan of Oman againsi liberation forces there Earlier, backed the 1954 they which brought the Shah of coup Iran to power, and in the late 1940s they collaborated with the CIA in a plot Albania, removing the Communists and restoring King Zog to the throne. which provided much of the initial training and guidance for CIA in the period immed- iately after the war, is just as wil- ling as its big brother to intervene and movenent in this country.

Oldfield's likely successor as of SIS is head

K.R.C

Pridham, Director of Communications at the roreten Ottice polllel close relations that exist between the intelligence services and the "public' departments of the capital- ist state. Ford Colby from warning Another comes the year-long fillibuster waged by senior civil service officials in many departments to obstruct the - CA tremely timid - proposals of the Labour government to relax the Official Secrets Act. At present the Act makes it pos- sible who

CLUSCLUED

publishes any classified information whether or not it is important o1 genuinely "secret. legal police-state powers civil service the chiefs are struggling to preserve in Britain are, fact, even stronger than those that Colby is demanding on behalf of the CIA. wrote: "The hatred of the Palestinians by the Phalangists is extreme and expresses itself other ways that do not bear repeating" In this situation, with the threat- ened partition of the country and even of Beirut itself by the right-.

forces, the Arab bourgeoisie wing was forced to intervene. victory for. in "Syrian interests' as por certain to some kind of modus vivendi with the Zionist settler state. heroic anon have many fight now not only for the to will In they policies have to socialist aimed above held of nationalism which have back the They of Beirut much forces. independent ist policies the the Arab prepared to com- with and its imperialist pictuse

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday January 28th 1976

CUBA: FIRST CP

CONGRESS

PART 2: CASTRO FALSIFIES HISTORY

certainly by an agent of Machado.

The Congress has been His expulsion and conflict with the prepared over the last party are months by a campaign of gross mentioned. falsification of Cuba's recent Villena another hero of the

PSP

praised by Castro. He was in fact forced out of the leadership of the pae of the comintern in uba Stalin through party Roca and Fidel Castro. of the established in In succeeded him as general secretary, none other than Blas Roca!

anniversary of this occasion Castto delivered a eulogy of a member of

DEAL

party, Julio Antonio Mella.

The First Communist Party, said has frequently been praised by the Castro, 'played a key tole in the Cuban leadership for his indicidual general strike of August 1933 that put an end to Machado's tyrannical in 1925 he went on hunger strike Indeed it did! In fact it regime'. while imprisoned by the made a deal with Machado to call dictatorship and forced Machado to off the strike in exchange for the release him. It is only recently that limited granting economic demands. The CP was emphasised his role as a founder of unable ot the bargain sinice it failed to control the mass movement which was the dictator-

HEROIC

determined oust ship and Machado fell against the In fact Mella was wishes of the CP. continuously the party for The Castro, criticised by exactly party, "consistently the heroic deeds for which he is Marxism-Leninism' remembered in Cuba. Mella principles now left Cuba in 1927 and, after a visit and implies plainly that this meant leading the struggle of the working to Moscow, lived in Mexico and joined the Mexican CP. class against all Cuba's bourgeois As far as of can be judged from limited sources, including governments that was expelled from Batista. fact when Batista first Mexican In tale CP as a Trotskyist in 1928, though gained effective powet after coup in 1934, Blas junior officers' one report says he was readmitted to the party in 1929, two Roca described him fascist. weeks Within 3 years he had become a before being assasinated, almost

THE WORKERS

SOCIALIST LEAGUE

The Workers Socialist League was formed in December 1974 to struggle for the continuity of the principles of Trotskyism Britain and towards the rebuilding of the in Fourth International. In the daily struggle to take the demands and principles of Trotsky's the WSL has been at the Transitional Programme into the trade unions, forefront of the fight for the sliding scale of wages, and work sharing T&GWU Conference were the only on full pay - demands which at the alternative to Jones' treacherous f6 pay plan and the wholesale accept- ance of redundancies by the bureaucracy.

In the Health Service, WSL comrades have led the struggle for the sliding scale of NHS spending and for trade union committees to open the books of the Authorities, along with the fight to end all private practice - policies adopted by ASTMS National Conference.

In local disputes also, WSL comrades have tested and developed the demands of the Transitional Programme, putting forward in every case, the only real opposition to the Stalinists and thè right-wing. Our struggle for the "open the books" demand in the motor industry has won a mass response. At the same time we have put forward a policy to fight unemploy.

calling for unity of elaployed and unemployed through the fight ment, The WSL is the only movement that fights consistently for transition- al demands, going beyond mere trade union militancy to pose the pol- itical issues to workers.

While these practical interventions have developed the League's grasp of Trotsky's Programme, there has been a consistent drive to deepen and movement's enrich the understanding of the history and the present crisis of the Fourth International, as an essential part of any serious initiative towards its reconstruction.

We urge all readers who agree on the need for revolutionary leader- ship and the demands we put forward to find out more about the WSL fight in the Simply fill in the form labout movement. below: I mould like more information at the WSL COMPLETE and SRND to: 31 Dartmouth Park HI, London NWS 1HR Name..... Address. Socialist Press Subscriptions 6 lamuez 21 •12 12 lasies. 24 Insures. .... I worsene, tacool...becation to Sortals Press; I would like Nauaa... Addren

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

democrat. Roca later wrote: When path Batista found the to the Party helped him'. democracy, In 1938 the party formed an with Batista; informal alliance in supported 1940 him the in presidential election; and in 1942 two leaders of the CP (Marinello and Raphael Carlos Rodriquez) became Batistas cabinet years members of

MYTH

Castro also develops in his as he has done for years, speech, the myth that his movement was from beginning Marxist- This the Leninist. includes myth that he was always close to

'OUT

the

PSP.

for the Communists' admiration the conduct' when he university. In fact the movement to which Castro _belonged in the University (The Revolutionary Insurrectional! Union) was openly helped anti-communist the and of trade union leaders the Authentic party in the 1940s to expel the PSP from the major trade union federation. the of In present contest falsification in Cuba, Blas Roca runs Castro a very close second. In October he described a speech in Over three hundred trade unionists, including delegations from Triumph, Chrysler, and Rolls Royce, marched through the streets of Coventry on January 17th to protest against rapidly increasing unemployment in the city. There are important political why the march reasons small. Though the demonstration was called officially by the local Contederation of Shipbuiding and Unions, the T&GWU, Engineering (the major union locally) was not branch a single represented by banner, and only

AUEW

one branch banner evidence. was in And the abstention of political organisations was shown by the fact File' banner was that carried by the Socialist League. was also WL alone which e employ ors, ning nationalisation, alongside a fight to remove Wison themselves to pleas to

LETTERS

We welcome readers' comments and criticisms on Socialist Press articles. Letters should be addressed to the Editorial Board, c/o 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, 1953 Castro's assault the Moncada 'an barracks as extraordinary feat... an example organisation, valour and courage"; though tactical military up enter defeat" this 'an Mella

WHY ONLY 300?

designated "Assisted Area" an would direct which - they claim - more capitalist investment to the area and so reduce unemployment.

declining period investment such a policy is quite Ever clear v a fraud. more that this, however, it is a policy designed line trade union up LU leadership alongside local capitalists the against working class of Coventry and elsewhere. Although few workers could summon up much interest in this bankrupt perspective, it is a policy which support entHusiastic from called "left' MP Les SO Huckfield.

GEC

At a recent city centre rally of

GEC

workers the Tribunite MP from Nuneaton said it was time "Coventry people looked after themselves'. This narrow outlook hand in hand with the goes economic nationalism advocated by

BACK ISSUES!

We have back issues available of both "Trotskyism Today" and of Socialist Press' Page 3 Blas Roca (black jacket) with other Cuban leaders.

political extraordinar strategic victory'. Many people may have but Blas Roca forgotten, certainly has not, what the PSP said of the assault at the time: 'We repudiate me purscust mernoos, pecular u bourgeois political factions ... the by heroism displayed the this action is false participants in ? The PSP counter and sterile.. posed to the action a policy of 'civi iberties, general elections and thi National establishment of Democratic Front government'.

LIES

This chorus of lies from the shows that the Cuban leadership context in which the first Congress of the present Cuban CP takes place is not some renewal of political life instead represents culmination of ten years attempts to erase political memories in the interests cementing the bureaucratic control of the Cuban leadership.

NEXT ISSUE:

PART 3:

THE CONGRESS ITSELF.

Stoke stéwards on the demonstration the feets low The attendance Will be Saturday's demonstration used by all those (whether open enemies of the working class, cynics opportunists) who high claim that won't against declining living standards.

It will be used, as were the low Chrysler attendances at mast meetings, as a cover for those who refuse to lead a struggle for jobs As such therefore is deliberate blow against the working class, increased by the ludicrous of a 15,000 attendance forecasts Confed leaders. made by The fight for alternative policies to the dismal protests of the local bureaucracy is clearly essential. firm starting point the programme fought for by the WSL demonstration. clearly showed that the WSL alone has the perspective of defeating the bureaucracy and leading the struggle against unemployment.

WSL EDUCATION CLASS

OXFORD

Sunday, 1st February, 8.00 Lake St Community Centre.

*The building of the Labour Party'.

SOCIALIST PRESS

IYEAR OF

SOCIALIST

PRES

DANGERS

IN GET

BR

PLATFORM

SOCIALIST

PRESS

ICT NOW. DEFEN

ALL JOBST

PRESS

FEE 15 CLASS ISSUE

STEWARDS DEMAND OPEN THE BOOKS

BYDER LEADS

OSSES ATTACK

ICY TO FIGHT

A PO

LOYMENT

SOCIALIST

"OPEN LEYLAND'S

PR A year of principled struggle: some of the lead articles and theoretical material published in the frst year of "Socialist Press".

BENN PROTECTS

BOSSES SECRETS JAIL FUR

'OPENING THE BOOKS?

BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

SOCIA

PRESE

VICTORY NEAR IN

VIETNAM

DESERTS

Salute Кле"

LABOUR MUST

Victory

SACK WILSON

(TUC'S REACTIONARY DIVERSION

IMPORT CONTROLS:

DANGEROUS POLICY

soc

PRESS

REJECT JOINT, SPEED-UP COMMITTEES

NO PARTICIPATION

IN MANAGE

LAW ONC

SOCIALIST

PRESS

CONLEY:

*

FOR CHRYSIER

OBE PRIN

DEFEATS RIGHT WING-

GILLY RAPER OF FIl

ERS SOCINUST LEA

TORY

LATI

JONES BACKS

SOCIAL

TORY LAW

UNITE TO DEFEA

SACK THEM!

REACTION

SAY UNION

CHIEFS

ERS

SOCIALIST PRESS

Wednesday January 28th 1976 The WRP school of

FALSIFICATION

NEWS

VIETNAM VICTORY

PUTS MARXISM ON THE RACK

TaGWU CONFERENCE:

JONES

GIES PAY CUTS

LUÜR

LESSONS OF THE

SPANISH CIVIL WAR

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT

CALLING ALL

CENTRISTS

CHRYSLER COOKS

THE BOOKS

TROTSKYISM

TODAY

COVENTRY SACKINGS:

DATELINE FEBRUARY 1ST

CHRYSLER

Hundreds of Chrysler workers have shown their faith "rescue, Labour goverment's opting voluntary redundancy. At the Stoke engine plant the queue to get out was headed by reactionary T&GWU convenor Bob Morris, who had waited only to prevent any struggle before against sackings of the scuttling out plant clutching his company cheque.

A similar spectacle presents itself Ryton out of 770 at where enquiries about voluntary 22 from shop are Icuunuality y stewards - a clear indication of why no tight emerged trom that plant s leadership against the government plan.

SACKINGS

Thanks to such stewards, even in Coventry, where there are no jobs to and continuous sackings are taking place under the watchful the leaders eye of knifing any attempts at struggle, Chrysler have managed to that no compulsory redundancies will hourly among take in first round of place the Stoke sackings plant February 2nd. Some white collar staff however will be compulsorily sacked. And in Ryton the government demands that an additional DalH 1,000 workers Poor and abounthe applicants redundancy must be thrown out of the plant on February 2nd.

LEEDS FACTORY RUNDOWN

At the company's Whitley headquarters 25 women employed at the Data Processing Department have been told they must go. Their APEX, has objected, on the union, grounds that some of the work done by tne women 1s now being farmed out to office office bureau.

The women are particularly angered by the company's suggestions that approach they the bureau concerned order to find work! 1n "Why can't they keep us on?" their obvious reaction.

CRITICISM

Meanwhile, as Chrysler prepared for the first wielding of the jobs axe the Labour government's "rescue" every side - except from the MPs and union officials. Lord Ryder, of the Chairman National Enterprise Board, reported to be furious - arguing that a major blow has been struck at the government's strategy, and in particular at British

ALFRED HERBERTS

Simply to call for nationalisation in defence of jobs is not enough. This is the hard lesson in Coventry, where the nationalisation of machine Alfred tool manufacturers Herbert Ltd has not prevented 1,200 people from losing their jobs. The first steps towards defeat were taken when the union from the leaders, under Labour government, took part in the preparation of a pan ior the industry which involved 900 redundancies. Workers at the Stoke plant Leyland. The Trade or the Houdes Industry Sub-Committee of Commons Expenditure Committee has questioned the viability of Chrysler UK despite the government's injection of £162m. Varley, who, it is widely Eric money to de company ans company, sharply grilled by members of the. committee last week. Tory MP Maxwell-Hyslop argued Avenger that production of the would be expensive at Linwood than at Ryton where, Stoke even with the tight plant nearby, production levels of 88% capacity were needed just to break With the Stoke engine plant ocu. 240 miles away, the costs would be Hildai.

ATTACKS

Right MP Labour wing Pat Duffy has followed up his previous attacks on Labour's investment in British Leyland with the statement The first details of redundancies were announced in September last year and the leaderships of the various sites, few of whom had even members consulted their before the plan, quickly proved themselves incapable and unwilling to wage any fight.

There was no attempt to unify workers. Despite the fact that steps had been towards establishment of a Combine: Committee covering all plants, each individual union, at each site went its This strengthened own way. sectional consciousness, clear factor in the defeat. In any event union leaderships in the plants had no programme which could be the basis of a successful defence of jobs. Instead they placed total reliance on discussion with In Leeds the last months has seen a gradual running down of the engineer- firm Crabtree-Vickers. Every couple of weeks 50 or made SO workers have been redundant - and the process is still going on. of the The firm, part giant Vickers group, makes big printing presses which, in the present recession in the print industry, are unsaleable. In opposing the redundancies repeated WSL leaflets into the plant the shop have stewards' urged committee to launch a campaign to force Vickers to open the books • as first moves towards an all-out fight for nationalisation, beginning with calling a mass meeting of the to enforce official AUEW factory policy of opposition to all redund- ancies. But the response from plant Terry

AUEW

convenor Jacques. Morris should be published as widely as "we want the taxpayer to get good value" possible and steps As Duffy has not been one of immediately for the establishment have called for of an 'open the books committee those who around which a campaign for a full nationalisation we are only to wants the workers enquiry into Chrysler can that he car indüstry collapse, leaving hundreds of thousands on the dole.

be launched. There have recently been reports Such must be driven people of resistance by French unions to from labour and the transfer of production of the THe movemen replaced with those who will put Alpine to Ryton in Coventry. defence forward policies in of Simca must French unions at working class conditions and living therefore be drawn also into the standards. preparations of a full investigation clear that workers at into Chrysler International.

and elsewhere are Chrysler expected to draw the conclusion the As we have argued consistently the campaign against trom the Chrysler workers shoulc plan that they have been demand to see the company': What books. plans are being Chrysler's closedown, prepared to speed up those worker there's any trouble that closedown can easily be brought forward. The who Iemain? What is to happen t the money handed over (with n fact that 8,500 redundancies can be strings attached) by the Labou government? complete betrayal of Labour and The ancies is dixed comr lune fixed June redundancies Between now and then a polic major reports on the British Motor must be hammered out aroun Thistry - Tanby the governmydes which fight to reverse situation can be organised.

Report on BLi; Expenditure Along with the campaign for th 'opening of the books' must demands for no further sackings Industry". sharing on full pay, an

YVIN

nationalisation worker Those stewards wh management. persist in support for the rescue There has yet, however, to be an plan must be replaced by those whi independe tutorting ase Motor will resist any sackings future Industry. And without full

FOOTNOTE

knowledge of the real state oi the Another rat leaving the sinkin industry, workers are at a clear car ship Lord kootes. wa disadvantage in fighting the current Chairman of Chrysler UK unti drive towards and speed-up 1973 when he severed connection unemployment. with the company. Yet before the government made He is now chairman of Chrysle its decision to axe 8,000 jobs the dealers Green's of Swindon Whitley drew up their at Greens giving thei are plan for future production. own Chrysler franchise and switiching t The findings of this report Japanese Datsun cars. NEB chief, Lord Ryder. A plan could then have been Although it was obvious that the drawn with up starting Labour government was insisting on redundancies and instead a system the sackings going through before it of work sharing on full pay committed itself to any action no When this did not take place and the struggle was waged against the Labour government policies of the government.

nationalise Herberts, it did 80 inevitably on the basis of restoring

DEMAGOGY

it to a position of 'viability' within the capitalist system. No call was issued to the 'left' The principle of redundancies has been accepted - but not enough implement their demagogic claims workers have volunteered and so to oppose government policies, and compulsory redundancies will take for them to wage a real fight against place on February Ist. The these pro-capitalist policies.

lessons are clear. was no attempt by the Nationalisation in itself will not union leadership to prepare a real save jobs and the situation facing trade union leaders is so stark that increasingly there will not even be a carried out. A committee should pretence of a fight. elected to campaign for The fight for workers' manage access to the accounts, investment carried through must and production plans of Herberts.

under new leadership. District President, was to announce working class on the local Trades his 1n the local press Council, PeTsOllas determination that At the January 6th meeting "there will be no fight, no work-in Stalinist delegates voted down an and no occupation.'

ASTMS

507 resolution branch he Having announced was condemning TUC support for the handing over his members bound Government's cosmetic "youth hand and foot to the employers, unemployment scheme", Jacques went on to Though delegates pointed out that the scheme • was in line with happening" was to the factory. local government cutbacks, The sole action by the stewards replacing trade union labour with to date has been to approach local unorganised paid youth only MPs and the government to ask for pocket-money rates, the Stalinists help - which hasn't come.

were already up to their necks in The AUEW District Committee the scheme through the regional TUC, and were actually assisting in led by Jacques - a 'left' Labourite a large "broad distributing the Yorkshire alloca- group, all of whom are now para- tion of finance under the scheme.

lysed the face of large-scale Stalinist principles are certainly factory closures and cutbacks in the cheap on the market - the amount Leeds area. they have to distribute in Yorkshire is the princely sum of 35 pence per In line with complete refusal of week per unemployed! the 'broad left' to defend jobs, the Stalinists of the Communist Party As we go to press, we hear 250 piay a leading role in attacking the the workers face sack at independence of Crabtrees.

LIC

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

Part Two: by Ian Swindale "Sire! We workers, our children and wives, the helpless old sople who are our parents, we have come to you, Sire, to seek stice and protection. We are in great poverty, we are oppressed weighed down with labours beyond our strength and espotism and we are uS, affocating. Sire! Our strength is at an The limit of our tience has been reached; the terrible moment has come for us sen it is better to die than to continue suffering intolerable ment ... Dressed in best, followed economic crisis and their Sunday led by a priest, the workers of hardship grew in the face ersburg crossed the bridges Russia's military defeats in the war against the Japanese, the ding from the working class areas working the city to present a petition to class and more linked with 11101 their economic demands a call for a The date was Januarv yth and on that day the roads to freely elected constituent assembly, Winter Palace led not to justice Iepublic and provisional but to death. government. The Tsar's officers had planned a

POLITICAL STRIKE

ody of the unarmed kers and their families in order teach the workers a lesson. But Moreover, it was becoming clear the snow covered streets around • to ine workers or retersourg tual Winter Palace turned red with the way to fight for these demands blood of the workers, a very was through the mass political ferent lesson was being learnt in stnike. It was precisely a strike ol working class districts from the this nature that led to the events of e intended by the Csar. January 9th. The capitalist class, themselves

MASSACRE

wanting to break out of some of the restrictions on expansion and The of 'Bloody profitability imposed by Tsarism, massacre wanted Constituent also day took place at the height of Petersburg in Assembly. The disorders that took eneral strike place in the early months of 1905 over 100,000 workers were finally convinced them halved and which had brought the that the to a standstill. The attack on only way they would be able demonstration led immediately continue 'peacefully exploiting the working class was if Russia took on the erection of barricades in the oking class areas and the mantie of bourgeois democracy.

fighting in The capitalists themselves, of street ious parts of the city. nowever, were unable to carry out rapid growth of capitalism the revolution that would be Russia at the end of the 19th to put an end to the had only led tury not in the size the Firstly, most of Russian capital increase of ssian working class but had also was owned by foreign capitalists iced the workers into struggle and the native capitalist class was inst the employers. therefore too weak as a class to lead as purely Starting very largely a revolutionary movement.

these strikes Secondly, nomic struggles, because of this, the re and more took on a political Russian capitalists were afraid of the strength of the As crisis working class

CCOHOLIC

1905 - THE BIRTH OF

and while they were prepared to unorganised the more

BUDDUIL

of the working class to attempts fight for the Constituent Assembly, were not prepared to lead the they working class into conflict with the This did not however prevent the capitalists from presenting themselves as the champions of the working class. the first Consequently, once died down rebellion had wave towards the end of February 1905, capitalists and their supporters in the intelligentsia began holding conferences and banquets to demand the setting of up The Tsar, assemb y

COKERIC

however, was in no mood to listen the pathetic pleas a tew and textile intellectuals manufacturers. The Russian revolutionaries had long understood that the capitalist class would be unable to lead the for bourgeois democracy. tight That . why Lucy the founder of Russian with Marxism, Plekhanov, when he 1895 that:

WIULE

"the Russian revolutionary triumph workers movement of not at all?

movement

CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY

Unlike the capitalists, the working class was not frightened to tight tora constituent assemblv and and a democratic republic because the working There would provide class with conditions much more favourable for the continuation of the class struggle. The revolutionaries, therefore, in living abroad exte in underground existence the working class districts of the main industrial greeted Cares. events of January and February 1905 as heralding the beginning of the democratic revolution.

en the view Soche Memories, (the Social • Democracy wing from which Lenin and the Bolsheviks had split only two years ealier), any talk of socialism in the context of this revolution was quite small premature. Because of the size of the Russian proletariat the Mensheviks concluded that the best that could be hoped for was parliamentary democracy in which could working class parties the interests of the represent the of 3ace expanding Russian capitalist class. Socialism, they said, could only be fought for at a later date when Russian capitalism had run its Collise Consequently, the Mensheviks were very careful not to upset the capitalists on whose good will they democratry median tee republic been democratic The Ivanovo-Vosnesensk Soviet of workers deputies.

THE SOVIET

strengths of the various classes for class dynamic of the revolution as it was unfolding, the Mensheviks first tried on the mantle they wear at a later stage of the Russian Revolution of loyal opposition to the capitalist class. in exile in Geneva, Lenin, was greatly excited by events in Russia.

He was convinced that the working class and the peasantry alone could bring about a constituent assembly.

LENIN

But he stressed that such an must not assembly be talking shop and therefore argued that only a revolutionary provisional government based the insurrection could ensure the setting up of a truly democratic and functioning constituent assembly. slogan therefore, was for "democratic of the dictatorship proletariat and peasantry' Because Lenin recognised the bourgeois importance Trotsky democracy for the further development of the movement in Russia. because he realised that socialism was not Immediatery on the agenda ne was effect for the arguing not dictatorship of the

SOCIA 1CT

proletariat and peasantry but for bourgeois democratic ThA dictatorship of the proletariat and peasantry. The workers and peasants would be the driving the force of revolution but the content of that revolution would be confined within the limits of a democratic republic within capitalist framework This position was very different from that of the Mensheviks. Lenin would tolerate soft attitudes

ILU

towards the capitalist class, and he fully supported an insurrection by working class to overthrow the Tsar. His slogan, however, Was no and the most wimout its delects. of Lenin critic was SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday January 28th, 1976 his to leave leading, revolutionary Geneva and return to exile first of Russia. after the wave He brought with him an rebellion. understanding of the dynamics of developed jointly the revolution, old European socialist with called Parvus, which, while still tat from complete, went much further other Marxist of that than. any time.

TROTSKY

The question that Trotsky had been this: Of considering course, the revolution is a bourgeois a small minority of the population, refusing to our ine capitalists are lead the struggle and the working the lead class has taken in the struggle against the Tsar.

the event of this struggle being successful is the proletariat to hand conquest the 4441 capitalists? Isn't it more likely that the working class will wish to retain the power it has just won?

In other words, Trotsky was for the first time laying claim to power behalf of the Russian working argue Parvas went ever uttonary argued: revolutionary Provisional Government of Russia will be the of government workers' democracy As the Social Democratic party is at the head of the revolutionary moyement... this government will be social democratic ... a coherent government with social democratic majority". The period relative the summer of 1905 gave through strikes Cotinting fresh water culminating another extensive political strike.

All the conterences of the bourgeoisie had surprisingly not failed to persuade the Tsar of the need for a more democratic regime.

The Russian army was suffering further setbacks war with the Japan. Parvus Then the typesetters Petersburg's printing works went on strike for higher wages. The strike soon spread to other industries and almost immediately political demands constitutional IoI freedoms were added to the purely economic demands around which the strikes first started.

RAILWAYS

On October 7th, workers on the Moscow-Kazan railway joined the strikers and within a week virtually the whole • of the Russian rail was strike-bound. The He IK country ground to a halt. The post office and telegraph ceased to function and the workers marched round the city bringing out on strike any workers who remained at work. The schools and universities closed and in many parts of Russia industrial and commercial collapsed completely. The Cossacks came out on to the streets to harass provoke the workers and anc immediately the workers began to erect barricades and raid gun shops.

Although the troops to overrun the barricades with apparent ease, the Tsar nevertheless gave way under the pressure of the strike. Since the early days of October, the strike had been organised and coordinated the Petersburg This arose as a completely Soviet. new form of workers' organisation, out of the strike committee of the printers. When the Soviet held its first meeting on October •13th there were delegates from only one district, Neva. However, the when Trotsky addressed the Soviet two days later delegates from several

The Bolsheviks, Mensheviks Social had each three members Ine execuave Soviet but the and Mensheviks. daily Soviet became more important. workers prepared organisations disconnected under 170 The leader at Trepov, was stop nothing in breaking the Soviet. And all over the City calling on up But on streets, Witte as minister and issued prime and universal civil suffrage. This was also spare no bullets. on to the crowd they towards the where the The speeches. on the rostrum. intent: "But victory: celebrate it is not yet complete. Does the promisory note weigh as much as pure gold? Is the of freedom the same pronuse freedom? ... Are the gates of our prisons open? ... The crowd cried out "Amnesty!

Amnesty!" and Trotsky continued: "Today hundreds of political fighters may be released, tomorrow thousands will be jailed...

the order 'Spare no Bullets' posted by side with the freedom side manifesto Is not the hangman Trepov the undisputed master of Petersburg?" Holding a copy of the Txar's manifesto before the eyes of the crowd, Trotsky concluded: "The Tsar's manifesto, however, ... see! it is only a scrap of paper •. Today it has been given us and tomorrow it will be taken away and torn into pieces as 1 am now tearing before peesy eye paper iberty, into pieces, this From this point on, the liberals were all for calling off the strike They argued that if the struggle was called off the newly won freedoms would prove illusory. FOr the revolutionaries, The for middle only constitutional the Manifesto provide the indication assaults. Since of the no further of success, The Soviet this view proposed unanimously on the 23rd to the dead was that liberal Prime learnt Minister, Witte, was little in sO to plan of the demonstration. reluctantly the procession, on grounds that Tsar they should the ground of choosing. Owti Firstly, initiative. continued to paper, ItS Isvestia, which edited by turn and was

WOTKA

Frequently, managers of these willing to raiders

ITIN

the of One most important This workers' since the applied, the free revolutionary that: the dont bue The Soviet of Chicke Heateratures Sea Tarte Striking workers march through Moscow, 1905.

Deputies resolves that only those published newspapers may editors ignore the censorship whose committee, Teruse _to suoml cnel issues for censorship, and generally act in the same way as the Soviet in For this publishing its own paper.

reason typesetters other workers of the press will work only after editors have declared their to put the freedom of press into practice... Newspapers which fail to accept the present resolution will be confiscated from their sellers.. highly resolution Since the beginning of significant. the strike the Soviet of Workers Deputies had organised the various organisations workers in the execution of the strike. Now taking itself it functions of different very character. It now telling the was employers what they could and As Trotsky could not do. points out in his book 1905, this law, Petersburg. Once the grew tended the existing legality on the the working class. except produced which Manifesto would publish press. police began the the aimed at pogrom inciting riots Jews. socialists. of the press led This within days to approaching joint as well as a quarter of Social Revolutionaries. paper Within two the stopped the a man on instructions of Soviet. The call was for the twofold. made death penalty. The demands of the strike therefore, were executions the Kronstadt Sth leaders. By the Petersburg 7th the of returned to with same unanimity with had clearly to the It country that the as proletariat of was not fight. real soldiers and in the publication by Soviet of the Manifesto to grievances workers against the Tsar. grew GaNS Liberal grew more they had been frightened. prepared to support to the workers in days, (the founding of the Constitutional voted gone tar enough. consume feared the workers was focal struggle feared the hetween the the first Soviet a year or two after sailors. The rev it of sections of the class soldiers sailors. his trial: "The Soviet organised the further strengthened fleet working directed the these tears. The response of the liberals to political strikes and demonstrations, armed the workers, these events, therefore was to swing their support once more behind the and protected population against the pogroms. Similar work government. By November 26th the President of the Soviet, Khrustalev.

done by other revolutionary The before the Soviet had been arrested. elected Trotsky to take his place, concurrently came existence, refusing to yield under the threat with it, and after it. Iel this CH that hung over it and dissolve itself.

not endow them with the influence On December 2nd the Soviet that was concentrated in the hands published its economic manifesto of the Soviet. calling on all sections of society to The secret of this influence lay boycott the economy by retusing withdrawing all in the fact that the Soviet grew as pay taxes, the natural organ of power deposits from banks and demanding of the proletariat determined by the payment in gold, and so on.

actual course of events. The name Within twenty-four hours the of 'workers government' which the Soviet was arrested. and the The trial of the members of the workers on the one hand, Soviet did not take place for a year press on the other, gave and a half, but before that the final to the Soviet was an expression of act of the 1905 revolution unfolded the fact that the Soviet really was a workers' government in embryo. in moscow, On 4th December the Moscow the The Soviet represented power soviet 'financial manifesto' and on the 7th insofar as power was assured by the Barricades in Moscow streets, 1905.

proclaimed strike strength of the in revolutionary intention Moscow with working class districts, it struggled for power insofar still as power the hands remained in of the begun on the The of the 1905 revolution

TELLIT

December Armed the members of revolutionary known druzhinniki groups, organisations the raided gun and disarmed for exile. policemen. were troops. The armed druzhinniki their with the of Revolution'. He working class. kow-towing became the the liberals and this "democratic of the finally when troops mercilessly

O TO

With came to an end. defeat of bourgeois state. December this Trotsky were In to argued revolution clearly demonstrated the the face of Secondly, regime the bourgois main

CHEAT

However, the class could Russia had succeeded in the not complete struggle for win the the insurrection. that were revolution. Moreover, Trotsky argued links of being through the the revolution, of working class, failure of interests -king class the the then be working over the immediately would inevitably revolution comprised the majority of carry revolution 1905 had shown that the Tsarist officers. ordered y weakness was class that of gains. the Autocratic the the numerical loundations, class would become workers development barrier now that the time would surely Moreover, revolution had catry out task extend when the

HIVALSI

Trotsky saw lessons that flared Kussian once more.

MARXISM ON THE ATTACK

A REVIEW OF FRANZ MEHRING: 'ON DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM' , New Park Publications, 50p.

REVIEW

Naturally, following generations of these plants also return to the by Adam Westoby to earth from which they form part of the future topsoil, but the human mind can no more make itself something permanently Franz Mehring's short essay independent of material history omes to us today as fresh and than biological evolution could take cisive as when it was first the limits set by place outside ablished than eighty more geology and climate. Mehring deals, for example, with cars ago. the claim that 'Christianity' in all 'On Historical Materialism' was its different forms during the last mitten in in reply Marxism nas acted as burgeois opponents of two tousand years, single and any sott the German intelligentsia, moral nong religious force. the attacks they the basic works of Marx lade Engels and on Mehring's own ritings.

CHANGED

from the first page it goes But eyond merely replying, to give "With every upheaval of the mode and lively exposition of of production, the spiritual content the Christian religion changed Within fifty pages he covers an with varying rapidity. This has stonishing of examples: variety clear the better become "technical' essential oI the bourgeois historians, such as Gustav eventions which spread through who emphasises that the Freytag, arope with the development of had already made Christian faith capitalist mode of production - great chastes in the is continually tinting, gunpowder and firearms, existence. continually the weaving, ollowing the changes in echomis changes succumbed fects of climate and geography on sonomic development; the 17727 development. the religious moral and wanted to determine a If one ractices of nomadic tribes are spiritual of Christianity content town into chaos when their herds common throughout all the changes * and they are forced to settle; in time, then one would have at the the putrefaction of German the most a few lifeless formulae at hilosophical idealism after Hegel, hand, and scarcely that - formulae ading a more and more explicit which at their best could not move ace with the bourgeoisie.

a feather, let alone a world. As the The common thread throughout of a world empire, world religion had develop Christianity to aterialism and idealism. The the most of Marxism opponents conditions, and varying economic ie united in one thing: their wish to their ideological requirements; in • rescue ideal' or 'spiritual' driving Italy, it took over many which can arces in human history components of the mythology hen be shown to act independently antiquity, in Germany it took over or even as causes of the main equally strong components of the caterial -and economic Germanic religions, in China the svelopments. veneration of Confucius and the cult of ancestors.

NEW SHOOTS

And if the Bible was the book of books for the European peoples for more than a thousand years, if it Mehring insists that the had an extraordinarily lasting aterialist, scientific key to human effect on the spiritual and religious story lies searching out the in conceptions of these people, then ays in which the development of this did not take place because of e productive forces lay down the its godly and unchallengeable truth, cessary soi from which the new oots of intellectual and 'spiritual' precisely contradictions". (p43) countless e grow.

WHITE'S DEAL

WITH RIGHT WING

The election of Tom White, the election with a completely that the eading member of the WRP, unprecedented six-day witchhunt a position of deputy senior carried out by media the mass op steward in the recent in against Alan Thornett had ections in British Leyland's fact been directed against the owley Assembly Plant was WRP! To quote Johns: "The

WRP

White were and scribed by Stephen Johns in facing nothing less than a conspir- forkers Press of January 24th acy at Cowley. The extreme right "convincing victory" for wing and their allies of the Tory WRP and a "vindication of launched their witchhunt press firm stand for aimed principally against the party Party's (our emphasis) six days before the and adle union principles elections. It continued right up to cialist policies to meet the and during the voting. car industry". of the was nothing of the sort. In

NO HOSTILITY

it the vote took place as further idence came to light of White's In fact in the whole deluge of live collaboration with extreme lies and slander pumped out by the ti-communist witchhunter Reg media there was not a single hostile sOns. Parsons the elections word about White. as a gance at the capitalist press of that week will thusiastically backed White from start, including him on his show. Johns goes on to claim that the commended list of candidates, Thornett which was carried continuously 526 votes cast for Alan show that Thornett has no basic the national press and Television the plant. White's vote support Hil of 1,117 is "more than double the Despite White's belated state- vote of Thornett" says Johns. But alesting to his inclusion on received the right-wing not onlv was l'horett witchhunted Leyland announced that they ballot papers that where would not recognise him it elected and national newspaper bad implied that a vote for Thornett Mehring it Without this impossible to should both "Christiar the state 'Christianity' power, Protestant against the which under Charles both used pike dispute their doctrines the English idea forms

THAI

history as

TOT

concerned there body of doctrine closer to which

ACCURACY

Like all great polemicists, Mehring wields his blade with First he conomy off the neatly White White, Johns defending proceeds to denigrate the meeting at which Thornett elected as chairman of the 5/293 branch as a "The party", he says, had minority. "the results of not been diverted by of participation) terms elections". 142 workers at the meeting). Every employer would agree with Johns. Every right-winger is opposed to votes at branch meet-

TATO A MOYAY SAAOSIE

is the arena in which the most class- fighte swollen heads of hif enemies and then - without personal malice, but demonstrate that just in order to the matter should be settled once and for all - he holds up their skulls and shakes them to show that there are really no brains in them.

But, as an historical materialist, he knows it is necessary go further, so he also examines the * insubstantial vapours with which discover their skulis are filled, to their smell and colour how even express - often in a quite direct way - the class interests and prejudices of the German bourgeois and petit disguising their bourgeois, ignorance with thick dust of ce to lack their and essential cowardice and of grace with vainglorious sallies into the field against 'oversimplication' and popularisation.

TEDIOUS

There is no need to describe any of Mehring's their examples found, descendants can tedious as ever, in the corridors of any modern university. Mehring's essay - here published in English for the first time - was written as part of the struggle (in the German Social Democratic Party) to build a socialist leadership of the working class, and that is what it remains. There are few better primers in the of dialectical method materialism, applied to human development history and the of for workers society, studying for the first time the world view of Marxism. The present edition though not cheap at 50p - has the advantage of a clear and literal translation. The editors, however, have merely translated Mehring's own notes, and added references of the works to some which he cites. They have not given notes or glossary explain briefly people, dates or events which will necessarily be not known to British workers in 1976.

Who, for example, was or Louis

XIV?

Schopenhauer, though 'On will be of Historical Materialism' the greatest value to the cadre of ballot voting which is not only open to corruption by the bureau- but invites the intervention cracy, the capitalist press and the witchhunt. Johns tries to explain the awkward problem of the content of White's vote, by claiming that they did not come from the right-wing but were "the votes of 1,117 trade unionists". But the 1,200 votes Parsons recieved as convenor also came from trade unionists. In fact most of them were the same trade who voted for White the right wing.

ISOLATED

In any case, if 1,117 votes give White a mass base, then 1,200 votes must give Parsons a mass base is isolated when in tact rarsons from worker on every principled the plant. One thing is now clear, White is We can with Parsons all the way.

give some examples of this.

On the day before the Deputy Senior Stewards elections, the 5/293 branch voted to send the to lobby branch committee Regional Office with a branch res- olution demanding an inquiry into the recent elections the reg. ional, national and executive which committees directly challenged the right wing.

LOBBY

The lobby was on Wednesday after the January 14th, the ady election. On Tuesday afternoon aupey pommittee member including SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday January 28th 1976 Workers Socialist the League in the new training ourselves and forces coming forward to revolutionary leadership.

Printed with Mehring's essay is also important letter from Engels Mehring in 1893, to the congratulating on publication of his Lessing Legend - treatment of German history which dealt with and patriotic -reactionary myths which had grown up around it.

COMPARISON

It contains a comparison of the differences between parallels and development the of the French nation state ('a rare objective logic the of the during whole course belated, process') and the reactionary unification of Germany under the bourgeoisie (the outcome of a 'story of a continuous state of wretchedness'). Engels also makes the important Marx, in point that he and defending their discoveries against sort of bourgeois critics with whom Mehring was struggling, put *the main emphasis, the first place, on the derivation of political juridical and other ideological of and arising

HOOTO

through the medium these notions, from basic economic facts." This their adversaries gave opportunnes lo disto ene to caricature Marxism as though it denied that ideology and consciousness had any effect upon history. Mehring's work is a concrete refutation of all such accusations - as universal as tney are trivial - u that it skillfully the way reworks the knowledge of history, literature and philosophy which he acquired bourgeois intellectual, consciously giving it a political edge and turning it to the preparation in practice of a revolutionary party whose task was to equip the German working class to impart to Germany the greatest convulsion in its history. of historical knowledge Mehring's necessity, in hands, breakin a poe chains of cassiat in chains breaking capitalist slavery. within of each evening an hour other, all the right wing, including White, withdrew. Somewhere and the decision had been taken, line was drawn between those who prepared challenge the bureaucracy and those who wate not.

SPLIT

A similar position arose at a recent meeting where Parsons was criticised for splitting the inspect- threatened to close the Assembly Plant. (Parsons called a meeting of TGWU members only and had instructed them to work normally after a joint meeting had voted to continue the overtime ban). When Parsons was attacked White defended him, saying that "Reg" had not wanted to split the inspectors but had

DECI

He en instruction from the District Office.

PRETENCE

It is clear that White cannot hold "left" position the pretence of a much longer. He will be forced continuously further into the open struggles proceed and his position on the Ryder committee him conflict into with brings workers fighting to defend their Jobs. We said over that Healy was liquidating the RP, this a year

WRP

clearly today. case members are asked to give large sums of money to a hopeless crisis fund which solve nothing Healy's unprincipled manoeuvres lose the movement the last remnont

ANATOMY OF A WITCH-HUNT

SOCIALIST PRESS

TRANSPORT

The future of Britain's transport system lies very in the balance. The much government and British Rail discussing are plans which could lead to hundreds of miles of track and thousands of jobs being lost. The National bus network is also similarly threatened. 10,000 jobs facing the axe. This transport HW-xIc services for many workers and, with a furtner fare increase on the way, prohibitively expensive services for others. All this on top of thousands of jobs lost. The of the problem lie with the decline of capitalism and attempts of the Labour government to shore up the British economy dl the expense or essential services. The working class are being made pay through spending cuts in health, and transport education, social services.

CLOSURE

In London, the travelling public faced with closure of certain railways and cutbacks from London Transport. In December the GLC approved LT's budget, (subject to a further £6½m cut in revenue expenditure), giving a forecast deficit in 1976 of £113m. figure was based expected

HL. GLEL

£38m (previously £53m). In fact, For any workers who had illusions in the 'independence' or freedom' of the press, the coordinated completely and united witch-hunt directed by seven national daily papers and three television networks for a week leading up to the recent elections in British Leyland's Assembly Plant should be an eyeopener. Not a single paper stepped out of line or at any point attempted to question the combination of lies and distortions fed to them by the local union bureaucrats and directly by British Leyland management.

Indeed the coordination of the witch-hunt shows clearly that be- hind-the-scenes and man- orlenngs ipulation daily predominates over minor questions as facts and objective anaiysis industrial and clearly must also

UYENE

decide the coverage on political and international questions.

NEWS AGENCIES

The way it works is this - the main bones of the story are fed into the main news acencies from man- agement and the trade bur- union Reporters have direct to the bureaucracy access at any time - though of course trade union members (particularly if in dispute) can find it impossible to contact officials for weeks at a time.

The 'reporters' then seek out their local 'colour" - which makes their reports marginally different in certain de- tais and gives the impression of individual treatment. This is why many of the reports during Cowley witch-hunt seemed to be the outcome of of 'Chinese game whispers in which the participants sit in a circle and repeat a story round and roun getting details more

TEOIE

HIEU

garbled while the main lines stay the same. Out of the garble there.

fore, the same insinuations, lies and slanders emerge in unison.

Let us take a simple instance - the issue of the election as Chair- Wednesday January 28th 1976

PLANS TO SLASH

only f36m was allowed. bus services are T217 concerned London Transport have delivered a report to the

T&GWU

Central Bus Committee, outhnmg their policy in relation to their situation. They make clear, however, that all figures are estimated and depend on several variable factors, notably the rate of inflation.

CUTS

LT management have said that: to stop at the keriaiment September 1975 level of 'staffing.

this figure exceeded in some bus garages, some loss of jobs wasteage" will through 'natural

OCIT.

Only 84% (possibly rising 852%) of scheduled mileage will be covered. This means that overtime will be cut and recruits will

T CORE

have to come off duty rotas and "spares list' - not knowing from one day to another precisely what hours will be worked or which route to expect. 3. The 1976 wage bill will be kept to the 1975 level, allowing onty for threshold vAJICLL 4. "No redundancies" The combination of points 3 and 4 means wages must be attacked - if assurances on redundancy means anything at all! Several effects of LT's cuts are already being felt. Essex several bus services run LT being by are man of the 5/293 T&GWU Branch of Alan Thornett (who two years ago some unknown Sunday Times for

ICOOTEEE

decided should be called "The Mole' throughout Fleet stalllg a crazc St.). The Oxford Mail, knowing its readers have some idea of what goes on in Cowley, had to admit that the the Branch attendance at meeting (which was the highest of those held outside working hours) was "by branch standards a goor ¡ttendance"

BIG BOYS

But the big boys in london don't feel so inhibited and let loose distortions. Thus the grand Times argued that his vote was only 1.4% of the total voting strength and that there had been a strike in plant, drawing the bogus con- ine clusion: place, nihst of the vetes on te alt the election took home because strike". the The Telegraph goes even further, though omitting to mention the strike, which they replace with: "a breakdown mautenance [which] led to all but 141 of the 3,500 being home." sent The Mirror uses the strike story greater effect, L atler nowever, creating suspicions as to 'extremist involvement: "Since then there have been fears that the dispute to coincide with the election". But while the Mirror just refers uaraian sueests the real pos toe 1,600 being sent home, much worse, telling readers all 1,600 were "unable vote".

"EXTREMISTS"

Amazing how much strength these papers attribute to Thornett and the 'extremists' they are able to keep 1,600 "moderates' locked theil houses, barring them from attend- a branch meeting held after working hours outside the ana British Leyland and from Chrysler.

The union leaders seem very likely to scheme, accent the thus giving credibility to a management committee which plans to cut the throats of LT workers. Out a transprt system as we eteve known completely compatible capitalism recession. Only when the transport system is placed under workers management; when the financiers, supply industries and vehicle manufacturers are nationalised without compensation and under workers management and in the of planned socialist VULLOl axed because the local authority refuse to subsidise the losses on routes. Similar negotiations Berkshire, being are made with Surrey and Bucks and expected

HO UCCC

shortly. public London are well of the already of cet aware effects cuts in schedules. LI's expenditure capital being maintained, however, with large sums of money being spent on new buses, tolling stock and developments The new buses, easily modified for operation, combined experiments with with pre-paid tickets, pose threat to jobs.

AGREED

T&GWU

provides obstacte. They have apreed to 100% economy -only then can a planned OMO conversion. transport system providing cheap, agreement was extensive travel be initiated.

HAOHUt made about twelve years ago - in a period of boom and staff shortages

WHINE

- the bureaucracy their continue approval. In the last six months a resolution calling for suspension of But the union leaders have other was thrown

OMO

ideas. Larry Smith, national bus conversion out the Bus officer of the T&GWU whines that by Central Committee. In this situation of threatened if the buses were allocated 2% of redundancies and wage cutting the money given to British Rai, London Transport are pushing for a would Toad transport FaboCueCI scheme of "worker participation" As far as he's concerned, its survive. dog-eat-dog - rail jobs should go to Although only "workers" being takee, with make way for busmen. two being taken made it quite clear onto the LT Executive, it provides Smith has that kind combined The dangers of worker any 4 vd1ll. participation can be seen from campaign with other unions against plant! Naturally, every paper has to of starting a witch-hunt! The Mail fact that these people however, ignore Parsons Ine quotes saying never attend branch meetings!

pride that he is running a Of course every accusation and witch-hunt! insinuation in a witch-hunt against As for Peter Boyles, the militant a militant is cumulative in the Tory who pointed out in the press that the techniaue heap Parsons should not stabbing smeat upon smear in the hope that trade unionists in the back, but accept not one

WONKUR

fighting management - he is casti- argument will be bowled over by by the press because he gated sheer weight of propaganda.

complained after the right-wing this witch-hunt all In "'lost" his nomination papers.

YANC N

returned therefore to the again "The moderates are very sus- previous witch-hunt in 1974 which picious of such left-wing manoeu- centred on Leyland's withdrawal of vres", says the Telegraph.

recognition from Thornett as How devious this chap Boyles deputy convenor and their unsuc- must have been! "Manoeuvring so attempt to withdraw cessful his that the right-wing recogni one spee tor

LUSC

VOLE

nomination is really an amazing Times, while forced to trick! admit that

T&GWU

Regional Indeed the manipulations of the Enquiry exonerated Thornett from involved taking the charges levelled by managemen

CALIGIIKS

advantage of management's well- still digs them up again and makes intentioned introduction of speed them the centre of its coverage.

up! "The speed-up was seen by the

SCURRILOUS

militants as a ready-made excuse to stage lightening strikes. They hoped to shut the plant for a The Mail, then and now one of day", reports the Telegraph.

of Fleet St. the most scurrilous Apparently then the stock ins ortad ther. Thoril m wes rags, of workers to speed-up Thornett Io-vIN ought to be welcome it with to voted out of office by fellow stew- Of course the press OaCH ards 18 months ago after an 18 day are at pains to make it clear that strike". But as Cowley workers the 'extremists' are not interested know, a major consequence of that in defending jobs and wages against confrontation was that the T&GWU management attack, but in "wreck- bureaucracy took from Cowley "disrupting' ing" and production, stewards the right to the plant, and all "shutting down convenor. the other dire things Once the witch-hunt gets under GaucKI ara supposed want. The Express is of any old angle will way course, clearest of all: and the most ordinary actions "The militants want to smash are trumpeted as evidence of dark society and pick up the pieces for doings by the 'extremists". The themselves". Express sounds the warning- *'The Mole and his colleagues

WHITE

from other extreme left wing groups [!] are making a concerted effort to win the poll. Strangely coordinated, then, was The same the press support for one supposed argument is taken up in the Mail. How outrageous! 'extremists' Tom White, a leading People standing in member of the Workers Revolution- elections, and trying to win? - How despicable and ary Party. White had been selected undemocratic! Parsons as a tame 'left' to com- According to the Express these plete his right-wing anti-communist 'wreckers' and 'militants' even had slate, and so all the press with one the cheek to accuse the 'moderates voice separated White from the page the cuts would be pure coinciden Yet he ready to trot off with the leaders

ASLEF

and

NUR

to push worker participation. conniving with bureaucracy infes the union structure in LT.

The WSL stands apart in its fig for elected committees of transpo investigate the bool tuoirkersn finances and plans of LT to sho the absolute need for an integrat planned transport systei nationalised and under worke This links with the need for : all-round programme, on which Western region threatened with cuts fight can be carried out to challeng the existing leadership and defen jobs, , wages and services. We No redundancies, voluntary entorced! No cuts in scheduled mileage.

Expansion of all services Thes maintainted by full stal must be levels - not overtime working.

Fight for an increase in basic rate which for makes loss overtime earnings, protected fro inflation by a sliding scale, whereb wages rise point with inflation a determined by committees transport workers. committees of transpor BeCI workers to fight for these demands describing "militants' him as 'moderate' 'acceptable Parsons'. Ath tast ee days p tope for the last few days up elections advertise deDUEs Parson's slate of candidates, bom barding workers on every side wit the need to vote for these "mod erate men, and whipping ever right-winger into participating the ballot. Indeed it was this rallying of th right-wing, together with personalised threat by Leyland tha they would still . refuse recognitios Thornett if he électeç wEIe which alone secured the 'moderats landslide' in the election.

ELECTED

Bob Fryer, regarded Trotskyist, who had come withit 200 votes of defeating Parsons fo consolidated his vot convenot, which increased from 900 to 1,00 securing his election as deputy. C Blake, another militant in opposit was alse 10n tố țe Hon elected with over 1,000 votes.

And Alan Thornett. whos. th election thought be to for re gnition, cate 10kh recognition, came luth candidates winning 526 votes Without the blatant, organised an vicious intervention of Leyland, th trade press and umon bureaucrals this result would have been ver different. Workers must take note of thest press techniques. They are mor refined at the art of witch-hunting coordinated and mOIt than ever before. They are now the basis used directly as : weapon in the hands of the ruling class to dictate the results of unior elections and the policies the unions themselves adopt. The demand that any decision which is sub election or jected to such intervention by Tory press and TV must be defes red until this interference must therefore now be foughi branch sho stewards committee.

ADOPTS FIGHTING PROGRAMME

= 10

BITTER LESSONS

AT NVT

For the capitalist press, the competitors. In capitalist terms, the "viability' akers' cooperative at The question. of both eriden and the occupation of intensifying battle for profits

NVT

factory in the world market was demanding the of small averhampton are no longer destruction Yet these two relatively unproductive companies.

wsworthy. with

BSAR

threatened and the struggle clories bankruptcy and Norton Villiers, them well deserve bund though recording a profit was in a tention as an example of the weak position. hievements of the Labour and the trade emment ion leaders. With their assistance, 3000 jobs destroyed to date and a been ther 1,000 workers drawn into a has scheme which ced through massive speed-up • still leaves their jobs hanging by tread.

BENN

Despite these negative results a bade mythology about cooperatives has been efits of it around the Meriden struggle, a which Wedgewood thology occupies a principle. role. For Benn reasons, it is timely to review effect of the events of the last the Tory At this point ce years on motor-cycle workers government intervened to try and ibe Midlands. £4.8 profits. By 1973, the British motor-cycle back their million grant was handed out to astry was confined to two firms Norton

BSA

Norton Villiers ensure the merger and Villiers and BSA to form Norton ádiary of Manganese Bronze Idings). Villiers Triumph. The government Both operating took 51% shareholding and the rest- machinery and ancient MBH which also ducing out-dated models was retained by took the profitable non-motorcycle for the US 'super-bike' any interests of BSA. their position was Following the logic of capitalism strongly challenged by their

HULL-TRADES COUNCIL

Boosted by the continued trayals of the local and tional trade union leaders, in Hull, at employment last year's level thout including the number factories imposing now ort time on their workforce.

This level was not reached thout sharp resistance by workers 19-vreek notably the most cupation of Imperial Typewriters year. But every move from the loor contronts the conscious otage of full time union officials the political inadequacies ory leaderships. The Imperials fight was iberately isolated from the rest the labour movement the by only be lunacy in the

GWU

while can bureaucracy, inflationary crisis series of reformist diversions uncontrolled confronting British capitalism.

It of "cooperatives", the search The local

AUEW,

though mother employer etc. - we verbally for campaigning ed to divert from the all-out nationalisation of the yards, have at it to force nationalisation.

the same time allowed a run-down in the labour to begin, while the Committee District has organised

VARLEY

only the most half-hearted opposition to closure. And the death blow was This took the form of a request inistered by Labour Minister (not CYCl the factory's gave branches to participate in a 2 hour Industries, the Litton meeting at City Hall, addressed by sell off plant and local MPs after which Labour members were expected to return et even after this betrayal the back to work! right wing blamed the defeat working class - claiming that

WITHDRAWN

had "not raised to finance the sit-in! o the reactionary mole oposes recently the attempted e of the Drypool Shipbuilding reactionary role also has figured prominently Labour government. Originally The yards are based in down for nationalisation under the Selby and Beverley Hull Shipbuilding Industries the largest. Nationalisation Bill, Drypool was faces from the list Drypool bankruptcy withdrawn when pe drawn te need to longe dl the first move of the new company the was to close down Meriden plant in of saving by rationalising production profits in other actories onto the Birmingham and Wolverhampton. The Meriden resisted workers and immediately occupied the plant to defend jobs. Operating within a reformist Meriden workers' framework, the the closure was resistance to with faith in finding a viable 'solution' within capitalism. identified saving campaign with saving the industry and jobs the Triumph name.

'VIABLE'

of the The incompetence at (whose Iecord management Meriden was soled cape of was cause problems. The hopes of the workers workers' were pinned on cooperative which would make the industry 'viable' again. The union leaders seized on this ideal solution, since as an of directed the resistance from any workforce away with conflict fundamental off the capitalism and let them hook. When Labour returned to office, Benn too adopted the idea and with Meriden blessing the Benn's cooperative was born. was soon shown that the cooperative was not so ideal for the The absence of Meriden workers. the capitalist did not abolish the capitalist economy the laws The Drypool yard in Hull 1975. Now local Labour MPs have agreed to try to amend the Bill to include Drypool, attempting to substitute Parliamentary maned by worker in the yards o maneouvies necessary force nationalisation. Against bankruptcy betrayal and job security) struggles

OVEI

submitted Hull fight against meetings. Though the resolution was circulated draft statement consisting programme - which dictated speed-up, wage cuts and redundancy. As we pointed out in Socialist Press No 2: "The labour force was halved from 1750 to 870, all demarcation was and wages are at a flat rate ended, of £50 a than week the general average in the area" was intensified to Exploitation of the profits the companies and pay off supplying interest to the banks Today fate of the the in the cooperative

SCU

balance with international competition intensifying and their marketing arrangements threatened by the collapse of NVT - which is also demanding compensation for its blueprints and its copyright of the Triumph' name. Varley 1975, financial In July the collapse of NVT itself was to axe the jobs of another 3,000 workers.

Wolverhampton where the workers, wages had beer held down for the previous three industry', years to 'save the had occupied, the union leaders once refused offer again to any leadership. This time even a cooperative was Benn's scarcely considered. left rhetoric had been dispensed with as the Labour government turned directly to creating unemplovment and Varley's decision was to wash his hands of any responsibility for workers in NVT. cooperate with their employers in every way that is reasonable and to avoid redundancies and unemployment". to employers objecting to that proposal! In fact the cringing keynote of the draft statement was set by point 2: "That normal wastage should far possible replaced" the which by stressed the need for saci cieses "all classes in Britain" make enable the "nation" to survive while making flabby appeals the TO Labour to reduce unemployment.

AMENDMENTS

WSL

fought members consistently in their union branches during the discussion the statements for transitional demands amendments in to be moved opposition the reactionar politics of the draft, and at the 50-strong Trades Council meeting 15th on january amendments submitted originated from this fight. Among the points of programme adopted as result of this intervention were calls that: Normal manpower wastage be TopIaced. To avoid redundancies there should be work sharing on full pay.

ban general on overtime should be implemented. 4. That trade hiring, firing and veto on control of manning levels.

DELETED

The EC's reactionary concluding statement was deleted and a

TASS

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday January 28th, 1976 Following the government's lead, leaders abandonned the the occupation to its fate. . With no lead weak from the unions and reformist leadership in the plant, a fight for nationalisation though discussed was not acted on.

The occupation continued with perspective, other than the hope no of finding another employer to buy up NVT's assets. The esponsibility for this dead end policy must rest with leaders and the the umon Labour government.

CHALLENGE

For the outcome at NVT was by means inevitable: an entirely no different avenue struggle challenged the which one Open: right of capitalism to destroy jobs and to tie the fate of workers to the 'viability' of the industry: we pointed out in Socialist As Press No 15 "Poore claims that Wolverhampton has £2 million debts - yet most of this is owed to the parent company What financial fiddles

NVT.

have to transier gone on elsewhere? has happened to What the £18 million given The books on and grants?... books both Manganese NVT must be Bronze and opened union the inspection of trade committees. On the basis of such information a plan can be drawn up to maintain jobs after nationalisation through state contracts and the provision of alternative work". This direction of struggle was blocked by the union leaders who refused fight for not only nationalisation, but would not even veil think of calling surrounds NVT's which operations to be raised. centre of both these At aste Staderesp. Workers in the motor been issue leadership: been cycle industry deliberately demoralised and into the blind alley of searching for 'viable' by the union solutions leaders and 'lefts' alike.

From this bitter experience must the struggle to resist leadership in Labour's attacks. though inadequate at stressing the adopted between link the policy and the development of a socialist planned economy, was still a considerable improvement.

SUB-COMMITTEE

from the 10/76A further motion Branch, calling for Council of Trades setting up unemployment sub-committee was agreed and It already Trades appointed. Council policy that unions unemployed possible Iecruit workers. developing the fight after Hull the need is these advances in to that these Doncies are

CHUC

struggles against taken to all and that the further redundancy, demand to force the opening of the elected books of the employers to trade union committees is also forward bridge brought between workers resistence to redundancy and the all-out fight for nationalisation.

LEADERSHIP

On this programme it is possible of to begin resolve the crisis working class leadership in Hull.

WSL PUBLIC MEETING

SHEFFIELD

February 1st, 7.30 The Mail Coach West Street

SOCIALIST PRESS

Police carry off Cammel Laird picket

CAMMELL

PICKETS

'TRIAL'

The struggle of the Birken- head building workers which began in 1974 and ended in the courts this month is rich in lessons for the labour move- The ment. building workers were employed by Peter Lind to construct slipway for Cammel Laird in 1974 and in the autumn of that year struck and stayed out for five weeks until a pay dispute over tide manning satisfactorily was concluded. They had only been back at work six days when Cammel Laird's boilermakers own crane men and

VIETNAM

POPE'S

FRATERNAL

As a gesture of goodwill towards Hanoi's "peaceful co- the Catholic heirarchy in North and South communicated an Archbishop recently ordained by him.

An announcement in kome on archbishop of Hue, in the with five priests whom he ordained as bishops in December, had been cast out of the Archbishop Thue is a brother of Ngo Dinh Diem, the of dictator south Vietnam installed by US imperialism after the partition of the country in 1954. When the Diem regime fell in 1963, the Arch- bishop fled to exile in Europe.

The Vatican announcement of he stated was purged under a 1951 decree of the Toly Office, which automatically excommunicates anyone who con- secrates bishoos who have not been approved nominated or from Kome This decree has never previously been used. The axing of Thuc is a the Vatican's satisfaction of sign that its representatives in Vietnam the support and collab- are getting oration of Party and state officials both North and south. and it indicates that they do not wish to prejudice this by maintaining any sort of token 'church in exile' Wednesday January 28th 1976 came out at the end of October.

In solidarity the Peter Lind workers refused to cross the Cammel haird picket line their use own entrance gate to the works.

By now Cammel Laird manage- ment had some notion of the kind of building workers they had con- tracted and applied to the courts to the rescind with Peter Lind. The building

CONTACLOS

Peter Lind checked this move by applying for injunction but an eventually Cammel Were allowed by the rescind court the contract and Peter Lind pulled out. Determined to defend their jobs wnoever nao the contract the men formed committee. When serious questions of and the class collaboration right to hold socialist views in academic institutions are academic inyolved, freedom must be thrown to the wolves.

That is the gist of written proposals by the Director of the London School of Economics, being put to the LSE's Academic Board February meeting. Director Ralf Dahrendorf, former West German Social Democrat and Market Commor Commissioner, proposes the setting up of a 'Centre for Policy Studies', part for the

LOD.

'improvement of economic, social and political conditions different climate" Among the problems identities for attention are

ATTO

international and

CCO CHITC

monetary crisis, the sad state of the UN, stagnation in British industrial investment, the high level of strikes, and "Hostility between workers and management, and high tax levels".

DEPLORE

Getting down to brass tacks Dahrendorf deplores "a tendency and seek, embrace solutions for far-reaching transformation of economy, society and polity". and resulting "evacuation of the centre" occupied and impounded the plant.

Straightaway the crane hire firm writs on the leaders of the occupation, but when police enforce the attempts to writs failed, a more personal approach was attempted.

SYMPATHY

The owner of the cranes. a wt Goodfellow, arrived, declared his occupation; an aim which he felt was in no way advanced by retain- ing possession of his cranes. To show his declaration was no empty gesture he claimed membership of the Communist Party, asked to see the member of the strike ittee who shared his political out- look and waving a £10 note offered it to buy "drinks for the lads' The drink was gratefully consu- med but the cranes stayed put, and meeting, with no success on this peaceful Mr.Goodfellow resorted to the methods of the Stalinism Classical and turned up the next day with a gang who refused to take on any of the Peter Lind mer claiming that they had all the men that the trade union bureaucrats ot needed. It was at this point the TGWU and UCATT attempted to turn a principled struggle against into an minter-union disput of jobs management in defence According to their logic the TGWU and UCATT districts were were trying to bring in) from their so a picket in defence of jobs

WE GON

coaches that Wimpey were trying to bring in and the police, seeing the of the picket, acquiesced to the demand to speak to the ently recruited Irishmen who still their suitcases with them. In the lace of this exposure Wimpey retreated and agreed to take on 30

MODERATES'

ON THE WARPATH

His solution involves a Centre for propagating policies "in the national interest' It would employ academics and "middle level from executives industry and the civil service", and the aim would be to "mobilise and stablilise the restless and increasingly disillusioned of mass middle ground citizens around a focal point which is independent of the existing political parties, which provides a credible commonsense means of expressing the moderate view as to what needs to be done in the national interest to resolve the country's problems" At this point, the thoroughly 'concensus' politics declares itself.

puts it one is not dare delicat a

DUT

about one which is supposed to be Contrary to a university - problems, however loosely defined, Contrary to a university, it would not seem necessary, and perhaps wasteful, to try and invite people of intellectual and political of the 100 so Peter Lind men. escape The list of 30 that the action seemed to ormance committee proposed was not at all to the liking of Wimpey who tried

REMARKABLE

to invite by tele- personal gram and entreaty 30 workers more to their The No less remarkable was Geor taste. workers' plan was that the selected Hall's conviction for assaulting P 30 would fight for all the jobs from Bate. Two policemen testifie the inside. that Hall lowered his head, charge In an attempt to keep Wimpey PC_Bate like a bull and felled hi to their own agreement the TGWU the ground where the two me offices were lobbied for support. Tolled around ferocior But when PC Bate No support was forthcoming and embrace. by deserting their members in this called to the witness stand he way the union bureaucrats gave the adamant that he had stayed on h green light to the police attack feet and the closest George Hail ha that was being prepared the got to assault was to point a fing picket. in the vicinity of his chest.

PC Bate admitted that on th previous day's picketing he

CONFRONTED

"taken hammering" but neither occasion had he require medical attention. findir hour before the coaches were due, George Hall guilty the magistrat 35 pickets found themselves con- must have concluded that by th second day PC Bate was too punc drunk to know whether he formed a line to allow the coaches around on the ground Mersey tunnel to the gate) unimp- Of the eleven charged, six we even access In the attack various arrests were charged with assault and making an and by jury was refused leg case was eventually heard representation, maintaining that ti in front of 2 magistrates at Brom- dispute was between two groups ‹ disput Robertson guilty as charged despite "between two groups of workers' the fact that when the police wit- of open apologists for strik perpetrator of Robertson's crime he breaking. Sprotswood, instead.

OFFICIALS

wisdom overlooked probably arose The trial of the Merseysid from the fact that at the committal pickets was a further display of th in Birkenhead the defendants were real support of the capitalist state lined up in the dock on the order the police and the judiciary wh on the charge sheet, while in Brom- only moved when they got the no borough Sprotswood was standing from the trade union bureaucrac So while Shrewsbury picket De Warren is still allowed to rot in ja TUC, local and regional officials ar the parasitic bureaucracy in th opening the door more attacks on picket lines.

EAST LONDO

man was brought to an abrupt end when he was told he was on the

CONFERENCE

Trade unionists have begur and although he returned again for a fight back in East London in the right case, try as he might the defence of jobs and social services. The fruits of two Labour government can all be seen in the area. The attack on the NHS and social services locally has beer merciless. Without building any replace facilities, ment the scoreboard of hospitals already closed of closing shortly includes Poplar Hospital, the Invalid and Crippled Children's Hospital, the Eastern Hospital, the Metropolitan Hospital, the Conn- aught Hospital, the accident unit at Albert Dock Hospital, and the Mothers' Hospital (Hackney's main convictions to participate. What maternity unit). would be unacceptable for university, is therefore acceptable for a Centre for Economic and Political Studies. i.e. restriction of Thousands of workers in the the area are jobless. In Newham participants to spectrum Over 5,000 are already unemployed, and views represented Parliament. This must not, of course, with the closure of more factories exclude such as STC, that grim total is sure other more idiosyncratic views as objects of study" , to rise. In a nutshell, keep 'extremists' It is in the face of this desperate out! situation that trade unionists have For his begun to organise to fight back. cockpit of anti-commurist policy-making, Trades Councils in Hackney, Dahrendorf impudently Bethnal Green and Dagenham have proposes initial endowment of £8½ sub- an set up unemployment millions. No doubt he hopes to committees and a variety of local attract this of from sort sum conferences have been held.

consider the However, far these activities hundreds of thousands they pay have been limited to protest politics every Party, Xems of industry, ensemative Conservative and no real alternative This is why has been put forward. well spent. the call by the East London Action Committee against the Cuts for an

REJECT

Movement East London Labour Conference to Defend the Right to Workers and students in higher Work and the Public Services can education all must reject such an important step forward.

prove sinister proposais, and demand the The Committee, composed 03 removal of those - like Dahrendorf - delegates from over 30 trade union who spend their time hatching such including

NUPE,

schemes.

NALGO,

NUT, ATTI,

NUR and Dahrendorf seeks to rally "the Fords Shop Stewards Committee middle ground' against the working was originally in way •to class. organise the fight against hospital Students academics and who closures. wish to resolve the What is needed is not another economic and social crisis must talking shop, but working grasp that this can only be done by conference with the job of mapping a revolutionary leadership of the out a clear programme of action working class will end to put the working class on the canitalism once and for all

IMPOSSIBLE VOTES Ea rige 1Z

NO ENQUIRY INTO

Following demands for an be largely accounted for as having voted for Coventry candidates, it the quiry from two of T&GWU branches in ajor * Oxforeherea, the Firpose recorded was the Purposes General of ommittee Region amber 5 has declared the cent elections for Regional National ammittee, able to Set 10W and General emmittee many voted whilst they ate their Council for recutive the

"SUB-JUDICE"

suthern Division (basically xford and Coventry) invalid ad have ordered a newballot.

Plant saw the high votes in the raised Questions Regional results and asked for the flowing the publication of the sults at the end of December.

he votes received by three of the aford candidates were nsidered by many workers to be accountably high. proceedings are involved.

HANDFUL

bureaucracy refused to reveal the TO Jack Adams, who has only a branch meeting which took place members in his (MG Abingdon) received votes. of the chunting convenor Plant received 6,781, embly 287 of these only came m his own plant. Bill Roche, revealing the suspect Body Plant of the Body Plant tavour beived 11,442 votes when the vote possible in Oxford was 1000 (after those branches who not to vote are deducted)

"TECHNICAL"

to have received y votes outside Oxford. only This decision was

"RIGHT TO WORK' MARCHES

I.S. The International "fight for the the vague slogan cialists are launching what On this basis IS right to work' cir paper 'Socialist Worker' able to enlist the have "a rank and file support of a number of 'left' MPs scribes as lending their names to who are for, the right to the marches. Without committing k" , acting through their themselves to anything, these organisations calling for who have voted "Right to Work emselves virtually one Wilson's mmittees". unemployment-creating policies, including the Chrysler deal, are They are organising a march of "left' given lace in the employed from Manchester to

TRUN

workers movement. February ndon, starting The opportunist tactic of the ith, and finishing on IS in this march is to direct the want to use the march ih. They hostility against massive build still more of these rank within the unemployment id file committees. from the working class away The campaign is distinguished political fight for leadership putting forward virtually no within the and unions the ogramme whatsoever other than RALLY: 1 year of

SOCIALIST PRESS

The first year of publication of

LONDON

acialist Press seen orkers Socialist League develop Friday 6th February, 7.30 abers expelled from the WRP Conway Hall based Red Lion Square h a proud record of struggle in trade unions. Leading this at each point has the paper, which

BIRMINGHAM

sistently forward put ogramme and perspective on issue major political Sunday 8th February, 7.30 the working class. ironting Digbeth Hall Anniversary Rallies Our will Lecture Room 1 ok back on this history and then : forward to coming struggles prospects for

HUMANS

relopment of the movement.

LEEDS

invite readers and porters to attend. Sunday 15th February, 7.30 Speakers will include Trades Council Club Alan Thornett and John Lister (Editor, Socialist Press) TGWU Regional Secretary Mathers- eagerly invetigated Trotskyists at Cowley in 1974, but now avoids enquiry into right wing votes.

announced a week and two days the of the after meeting Finance and General Purposes Committee the basis of a - on "slight technical infringement" necessary confrontation with the bureaucracy, into rank-and-file protest committees There surface similarities between this march and the Right to Work Marches organised by the Socialist Labour League in 1972

SLL

today) ine advocated no developedprogramme unemployment. It, too, enlisted 'left' MPs as sponsors. Labour But the Socialist fought League at that time consistently. against all other for leadership within the trade unions in conflict with and the bureaucracy, correctly focussed the attention of workers continuously political the fong sovemment, face of the government. This was linked to a political against Stalinism fight and centrism. of political None these strengths are present in today's IS In seeking only develop the lowest level of 'rank-and-file' IS action, ever to the political pander as backwardness of sections and offer neither workers, programme nor principled understanding of the bureaucracy.

Workers Socialist League The will of support the course when they unemoloved marches pass through areas in which we have support. We will not stand aside from of the struggles unemployed capitalism workers against however much we disagree with their political position.

But we will give no support to the diversionary politics of "rank and file" "right to work" committees which direct unemployed workers and youth from the trade unions. away instead we have

GUIDE ANY

fought for the formation of Council on the unexplained s which we along committees on can fight other tendencies for policies. And we will our the fight in continue to take up the branches for full trade union rights for the unemployed.

SOCIALIST

PREDS,

The nature " of this "infringement". they explained, was the destruction of the ballot by the scrutineers papers, one month after the date the returns were posted, rather than after 3 months as required by the letter covering detalling the arrangements for the elections:

NO COMPLAINT

on this 'technicality' knowing that no-one had complained about it. In fact the only people who would have the were papers were the scrutineers. The only complaints raised ince the Coventry vote co welc the vote and the refusal of the Body Plant leadership to reveal the results of the ballot on the branch, put it in not reveal them? We already know how most of the voting figures for Pressed Steel body plant). We believe figures have been refused even to other factory voted almost every that we find it difficult to accept A ne Bradley is right. The decision will not satisfy any T&G member concerned about the conduct of the election and the procedures

T&GWÚ.

inquiry must be held immediatell used to establish the true facts.

The avoidance of an inquiry the real nature of ballot shows voting under the existing set up.

Those control of the system have all kinds of manoeuvres open to them to say nothing of the now routine intervention of the media witchhunt those opposed to to the bureaucracy. revision of the complete rules under which voting takes place in the T&G required. 15 Rules must be established which take the control of elections out of the hands of the appointed officials and hardened bureaucrats and establish the rights of rank and workers to scrutinise ile election procedures and figures at any stage.

HOUGHTON

DISASTER

Main The Houghton Colliery disaster was not just an accident. It follows in line with the Lofthouse tragedy increasing and from the accident rate in the mines.

This increase is due to the deal and productivity pressure that the out everything bears Yorkshire miners have said about such 'deals". No less than sixteen people knew about the laully Howden auxilliary fan and yet no- anything did about it. no-one On June 12th 1975 at 6.49pm the explosion occurred in the Meltonfield seam of the Houghton Main Colliery. committee has now been set up by the Chief Inspector Quarries, John Mines and Carver, to investigate ventilation in narrow drive ways. The inspector also put forward a series of immediate proposals for improving safety in the mines.

The NUM must act to force immediate implementation of all report. licable The whole report is complete indictment of NCB methods management. Its lessons must be the start of a campaign to prepare for workers' management throughout the Coalfield.

Wednesday, Zith January, (cont'd from front pagę).

incentives to stimulate capitalisms demanded socialist not one has policies to aefend jobs and create employment. But the working class is now posed with the urgent battle for jobs and conditions. The demands necessary to lead such a fight are those the Trotskyist from Transitional Programme: * No redundancies - work sharing on full pay! Occupy factories where this is refused. Demand the account books be opened elected trade union * On this basis, nationalise, under workers' management. A full programme of public works, paid at trade union rates, for nationalised industries.

Full for the union rights unemployed! In fighting for these demands will see in practice the union and leaders Trotsky described them in 1926: struchoe of the presenritish British superstructure working class - in all its shades and without exception represents a braking mechanism on the revolution." As this is learned by broader layers of workers in struggle, the base wil be established for the building of a new revolutionary leadership in working class. the

SPAIN

(cont'd from front page) questions of amnesty and demo- cratic reforms these organisations are attempting to demand for the the loud and clear overthrow of the government which the working class is making.

Nowhere was louder than at the Real Madrid football match on January 11 which ended with the chanting of political slogans familiar from the Portu- guese revolution and the Spanish republic of the 1930s. In sharp contrast to this, the Workers Commission leader Marcelino Camacho, like other of the Democratic Junta and Platform, attempts to disown demands political Spanish working class.

'RECONCILIATION'

The history of Spain, he said interview in a recent with Le Monde *has always wars, revoli- proceeded through We tions OI crusaute in a moment of history present end the when it is necessary to 'traumatic' We must evolution. reach a national reconciliation of Spaniards. The economic crisis he went on, demanded sacrifices and the working class knew its responsibilities. But 'the working class is the bearer, in part, of the future of Spain. To be sure tha today's sacrifice will bring benefits to the whole society and not only the oligarchy, we say we need freedom But at Camacho's back Spanish workers are already demanding the complete elimination of that aul his Fellow Stalinist and refor class with which Camacho *mist leaders wish to enter into partnership.

OVERTHROW

The last two weeks of dramatic action give further proof of the readiness of the Spanish working class to wage a militant and united struggle for the overthrow of the and for a workers'

INGRICUIC

The single majot government. obstacle to that is the policy of class collaboration of the leaders of the parties which make up the Democratic Junta and Platform.

The main lines of the liberal- isation' policies to be announced by Prime Minister Arias Navarro on January 28 are already clear (elections and the legalisation of non-communist parties). These Francoism must be met not with but tota compromisug gestures rejection. Spanish workers' organ- Isations must at once prepare a bring down general strike TO Francoism once and for all and establish a workers' government in Spain.