Socialist Press no. 29

BACK ARMED LIBERATION FIGHT!

DRIVE OUT SMITH

SOCIALIST

PRESS

RACISTS

Ian Smith's white racist regime in Rhodesia now confronts the onset of the armed struggle for black African liberation of the MPLA liberation which, fanned on by the victory forces in Angola, is spreading like a bush fire.

And as the liberation struggle still confronts grows more calls from all quarters during the desperate by world Angola struggle to simply

LLOYES

imperialism and its allies "withdraw all troops!". . It is now -LO Africa as Southern maintain clear for all to see that it the bulwark of repression and anti- FNLA/UNITA forces with their communism. SCiA dadvisers and Somen entices, fascist mercenaries, Last week, Mozambique President Samova Machel regular troops, had defeated the the belated move to seal off the

MPLA,

that latest exports Knodesai development in the struggle for through the ports of Beira and Zimbabwe would have been under Mapuro Ist estabusnea drastically retarded. Portuguese fascist regime). the This, together

ADAPTING

WiTn The valuable confiscation of much equipment and chrome shipments Now capitalist and Stalinist already in Mozambique, will strike governments alike spring to adapt a hefty blow the Rhodesian to the new balance of forces in economy Southern Africa. move to head off rather than lead British Labour The forward the impending armed by supporting struggle against Smith. Mozambique, attempts to bluff Smith into peacefully conceding

DOOMED

"reforms", offering as further bait the possibility, voiced by Foreign imperialists and strate ye of Office Minister David Ennals that: imperialists and "Britain could become bourgeois nationalists is now to involved in policing operations pressure Smith into negotiating after a return to legality lend of "peaceful rather UDI] and while an Settemen agreed settle- than allow a hopeless and doomed was being put into effect.

ment all-out war to develop in which all This is in essence the same as of hope maintaining direct the South African racist regime imperialist control over the area headed by Vorster, which, fearing would vanish. Zimbabwe struggle may Times assessed the Mozambique snowball into South Africa, moves: refusing to give Smith military "President Machel well help - unless reforms are made to have calculated that his move will head off the outbreak of all-out provide the extra push necessary armed struggle. further ensure concessions from Smith at the

HOLD BACK

MT. constitutional talks." The form taken by Amid rumours of arms ship- now imperialist interventions Cubans arriving in

BIRCHES

ane. precisely this channelling of Mozambique, the Kremlin revolutionary struggle into bank- governments hold back cuban reformist In rupt, roads. the from immediate intervention, context of today's struggles giving Smith some leeway to settle no compromise is possible. Certainly peacefully in the new situation nothind elats emote shas to thes At the time same the leit changed balance of class nationalists limit their support world scale in the wake of for on a the Zimbabwe fight the defeat of US imperialism in providing guerrilla bases and Vietnam and Cambodia last year releasing thundery than the impotence with which statements calculated to keep the leading imperialist powers intact their "peaceful" agreements have been forced to witness the compromise with the growth of banks and Hoeranen struggles in Africa. monopolies. for the right wing

REACTIONARY

Zimbabwean nationalist Nkomo, he continues, more isolated every And nothing more condemns week, to pursue the reactionary of the endless "constitutional talks" while with Smith increasing of the nationalist ready for movement arm Wal In the fight for African liberation then, just as in the fight to defend the working class and in every overthrow oppression building Trotskyist leadership. Oniy such a leadership can carry through to the end both the fight for the immediate over- of imperialism and

MAOW

socialist of measures nationalisation land and for the industry necessary planned construction of economy outside the domination and exploitation of imperialism.

SUPPORT

Thus while We

HOUS

unconditionally the support armed struggle the Zimbabwean liberation forces in their fight to drive out the Smith way declare racists. we in no support for their - political programme, which (as in the case Angolan of the

MPLA

and Mozambique

FRELIMO)

completely inadequate to solve the economic problems faced by the mass of African workers and peasants. But all class conscious workers the demand must now take up that the fight for material support to be sent to the freedom fighters in Rhodesia. This of course is inseparable from the necessary all-round fight to remove the reactionary Wilson- Healey-Callaghan leadership, who will oppose these struggles. In this also, the indissoluble link fight between the Zimbabwean struggle and the international struggle of all workers is revealed.

FORTNIGHTLY PAPER OF THE

WORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE

NO 29 * March 10th 1976 * 10p

SCANLON

SUPPORTS

CUTS

This week sees a test of the claims of left MPs that Labour oppose they the government's savage spending cuts. Some Tribune MPs have put down a critical amendment in the two-day commons debate on the cuts. 25 Tribune MPs (though the claims 80 members) have group said they not vote for the will though they have government - been too coy to say whether they will vote against it.

RETREAT

But the history of the lefts' so called is OnE

BICE

continuous dismal retreat.

the time of the meeting of By the Parliamentary Labour Party to discuss the cuts the initial blood- curdling statements made by the 'lefts' to the press immediately after Healey's announcements had converted themselves into muted and respectful reservations.

The lefts' crumbled weakly before Healey's insults. He arrogantly said that critics of the spending talking poppycock were "out of and were their tiny Chinese minds".

On the Labour Party's national executive several 'lefts' voted with Wilson Healey, defeating the call for a special party conference. And Judith Hart agreed to withdraw motion critical of economic policy

COYCECIL

long as it discussed was at a special meeting of the National Executive and the Cabinet later this month. That more that a of course, nothing more Downing Street tea party designed to head off any political opposition. The see the whole question of the cuts as one where they must raise only face-saving protests to be dropped if they rock the boat; they do not see it for what it is - cont'd on back page, col 4.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

SPAIN: POLICE KILLINGS SPARK

FURTHER STRIKES

The historic offensive of the strators in the streets. These events anish working class ascert showed clearly enough what Fraga's 'liberalisation' means. Spain's fascist shown too, the fact They have gime as a 'Communist plot' that the workers are not prepared fact it is the very absence of that to compromise and their national revolutionary offensive has now spread Oul from the adership which is placing this major cities to become a nation-wide pidly growing movement in movement, sweeping across all areas or ine country.

In Vitoria, in the north on the The Communist and reformist edge of (Basque) Duskadi arkers' parties have consistently country, a series of strikes in sup- ed to limit its objectibes and to port of wage claims has been going with the mpromise so-called on since January. perals' of the regime. Last week the leading "liberal' Interior Minister Fraga,

GENERAL STRIKE

omised that would there of assembly within *dom two On March (not to include the Com- 3Id (out of a population nist Party and separatist move- workers of -nts). 170,000) joined a one-day general strike and 20,000 joined a demon- stration. losing control of the Police,

SHOOTING

centre of the town, opened fire on the crowd, shooting low to cause maximum injury. They killed three Within days of that announce- people and injured a further 100, Fraga's police had begun the some of whom remain on the d-blooded shooting of demon- danger list.

CPSU CONGRESS

SPLITS WIDEN

Communist All arrogance on the one movement no d, on the other all longer a church'. and Italian hility' - such was the 25th general secretary Enrico Berlinguer did travel to of the Communist ¡gress Moscow - but only to deliver there Union, 'fraternal' speech which under- y of the Soviet ich las week ended in lined not only his Party leadership's and in predictable intention to enter a democratic" scow, Combation set with the Christian Soviet nimity among Democrats main capitalist But it was marked, gates. party) but also to allow Italy to ve all, by the foundering of remain within NATO. zhney's attempts to get

FOLLOWED

nal agreement with the of Stalinist parties Berlinguer was followed by tern Europe. Gaston Plissonier, deputy to Georges Marchais, form another the general secretary of the Party. (Marchais ach, the Italian, the Spanish and French himself, British Parties Communist having just presided over a French CP Congress which officially buried their intențion to collaboration with their the goal of the dictatorship of the capitalist classes and the proletariat, pointedly remained. in -wing in the labour movement Paris.) of Moscow's wishes 'socialism hereby they knocked further draped French into the coffin of Brezhner's and based upon the 'union for a conference of European of the left' with the French Social munist Parties which would Democrats And in underwriting the Kremlin's as was speaking the ne mational strategy. Swiss discreetly theoretical article in the Communist

EVIDENT BREAK

party paper, also brought its theory into line with practice by dropping the 'dictatorship of the proletariat'.

bis qualitative turning-point in Bringing up the reat was British splitting of the world Stalinist CP leader Gordon MacLennan with ment had to be discerned 'independence and a hymn to the al with staunist conterences sovereignty of Communist every in a very few key phrases in an Party and the need for "individual of routine verbiage from freedoms and His pluralism. functionaries. Much of this remarks were neutered by the unashamed flattery of Leonid Morning Star doubtless with a ney in tones which view to sales in the USSR and the stakeably recalled the obscene 'People's Democracies'. tion of Joseph Stalin. most evident break to the came from the leadership of

'DIFFERENCES'

panish Communist Party general Santiago did not attend the CPSU All these covert and 'diplomatic' ess at all, but stayed in Rome assertions of 'differences were in he gave an interview response Brezhnev's opening ere della Sera (the reactionary with report, its equally veiled paper of big capital in Milan). attack on 'those who make spoke of the primitive state concessions to opportunism, and the

USSR',

who get may temporary ed the quasi-feudal system *Proletarian advancer • It overthrew and of which it internationalism' Brezhney declared cries the stigma', and went on (meaning of course obedience to eclare that the international requirements of Soviet policy) Since the deaths the whole city has been at a standstill as workers stay on strike and police patrol the city in groups of 30, armed with automatic weapons.

BARRICADES

In Bilbao, main industrial city of the north, 17,000 workers and students demonstrated against the murders in Vitoria and were them-.

dispersed with police The same happened in brutality. the city of Pampiona to the east of Vitoria and in many other cities throughout Spain. A few days before the Vitoria murders, an office worker had been shot dead by police in a demon- stration in the southern town of Elda near Alicante. 29th On February a series of battles took place between police and demonstrators in the north- eastern city of Vigo, during which workers builtit barricades the in streets as they did in Vitoria and have done in Barcelona on several occasions in the last few weeks.

In Barcelona itself, where the "constitutes a sacred duty for all marxist-leninists. of number coincidences underlined the historic character of the 25th Congress. It ended on the exact anniversary of Stalin's death in 1953. And it opened almost day since yeals to the Kruschev, then Party Secretary, delivered his famous 'secret speech' to the closed session of the 20th Congress. this. Kruschev session confirmed officially the terrible catalogue of Stalin's crimes and the of of thousands communists, through which the Stalinist faction consolidated its political dictatorship. While the momentous history of the CPSU and the Bolshevik Party may be politely ignored by today's Stalinists, ( buried.

COLOU

'DEMOCRACY'

Behind all the hypocritical talk of "democracy' stood the fact that the 1917 years to 1927 (following the decision of the 1917 - the first on Petrograde Congress Russian soil) the Bolshevik Party held virtually one congress a year.

In the four decades since then the Stalinists have held - equally Congresses, every one of which has opened an ended in total delegates! unanimity among the For forty choruses of functionaries and bureaucrats have greeted the latest line of the Party chiefs and jumped to denounce they those whose boots were licking There yesterday was obsequieous 'unity' throughout the Stalin unanimity Inere was C14, Kruschey exposed Stalin when the 20th Congress 1956, the same when at the 21st Congress (1959) he denounced the so-called anti-party of Molotov and group Malenkov (removed in 1957).

Vitoria

PORTUGAL

Madrid Seville striking police and firemen are now drafted into the army, other strikes, notably those of 85,000 building workers 25,000 teachers continue. And in Asturias the coal miners strike has now lasted two months. Spain is reported to be making up the needed coal by imports from Poland. In-addition, the whole of Spain has been partly paralysed by national strike lorry drivers which began three weeks ago in Madrid. In some areas the regime to break the strike by Timer using troops to move supplies and to protect blacklegs against pickets.

Seville eleven were strikers arrested for forming pickets.

By last was estimated that over 300,000 Spanish workers throughout the country were on strike; that is over 6% of the total labour force. addition, demon- strations and clashes with the Likewise when Kruschey used the Albanian CP whipping-boy for the Chinese leadership in 1961 And this astonishing 'unity' no way impaired when it became time to denounce Kruschey (ousted 1964) at the 1966 Congress!

One can understand, therefore, why Brezhney felt it necessary to deliver a caution in his opening report against over-zealous praising of the Party ride the the Byzantine world of

LOU

echelons of Stalinism, superlatives are too often the prelude to a fall.

However, he might as well not have spoken. hardened traditions of flattery brought speaker after speaker to the rostrum to support the 'general Even line', the removal of Minister Agriculture Dmitri Polyansky from the Politbureau (undoubtedly as scapegoat for the poor grain harvest 1975) was stage-managed to the hilt, being ushered in by attacks on the poor performance of his ministry - but not him in person. After all, with good weather for a couple of years, he may still climb back to the top! Stifled with pomp, but without a shred of dignity, the public sessions of the Congress droned on for almost a fortnight. , Wednesday March 10th, 1976

FRANCE

B108C Pamplona Barcelona Elda police were a daily occurrence in several of the larger cities.

The reactions of the fascist the Tegime, promise of reforms and the increasinely brutal repression, are unable to control the workers' offensive. On the contrary they are giving it further fuel as all sections of the working class come to realise that Franco's death has changed nothing of the repression and hypocrisy of the regime. All these events simply highlight the need for a revolutionary leader- ship within the workers' movement to direct against the main political obstacle overthrow of fascism of -the continued grip Stalinism and reformism. The demands must be for a working class united front to pre- pare full general strike action, and for committees in each area to pre- pare armed defence squads against the attacks of the state Far left: Breznev; left: Castro with Portuguese leader Cunhal. Below: British Stalinist leader MacLennan. But for Trotskyists this should not be allowed to mask the real developments which signalled. The fragmentation of the world Stalinist movement stems from the Stalinist material basis the bureaucracy resting the political usurpation and prostitution of the economic gains proletarian seeking to limit those gains and protect them only through compromise with imperialism.

The policy of "socialism in one country reproduced through in Eastern Wally stales eurone - necessarly gives rise to native bureaucracies with their own interests and privileges to preserve, diplomatic, and their economic and even military policies imperialism. And the ! problems of doing this are being sharpened the economic crisis and the offensive of the working class in capitalist world. along with the public 'dissent' by Western the European CPs, the Congress also witnessed even more camouflaged of exore sions independence by the Eastern European CP chiefs. Ceausescu, of Rumania, flew *fraternal home early after greetings' in which he outlined the intention of his party to "work for a new unity founded on respect for the right of each to party freely develop political Line, its revolutionary strategy and tactics.

For the Hungarian party Kadar (whose particular stripe of Popular Democracy' installed Budapest by Kruschey's tanks in 1956) prudently expressed a more modest adapt the historical experience of the USSR to 'Hungarian conditions'.

And in Poland the press tactfully censored these references but Bulgarian Zhivkov Bulgarian, the love of Bulgaria and of the USSR are the same thing"!

Like a scab upon the body of the European working class, Stalinism is gradually cracking as the tissue beneath it begins move. But of course the final defeat of Stalinism will be in no way the political revolution Stalinist against the bureaucracies just as the social revolution against capitalism can only be completed under conscious Trotskyist leadership.

REPRESSION MOUNTS

TUC NEW RULE

DEMOCRACY UNDER FIRE

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday March 10ci, 1976

POLISARIO

FRONT

On February 27th the Polis- armies. resisting this settlement the Front announced the ario Polisario Front has had the support formation of the Democratic of the Algerian government. This Arab Republic of the Sahara help, however, more nominal than real. And Algeria has in the former Spanish colony of Western Sahara. up to now wriggled opportunistical- ly of out recognising the new The Front has been fighting a republic. remarkably successful guerilla war for several weeks against the armies of Morocco and Mauretania which

TWO

have taken over the country after the withdrawal of the Spanish army So far only two countries have which was completed last week, (Malagasy and Burundi) done so Inis takeover was the result oi though majority voted in the a sordid deal signed in Madrid just Polisario

OAU

to recognise the before Franco's death between the Front national liberation and King Spanish fascist regime Hassan.

HIRTEEL

The promises to have matter The King promised Spain the wide repercussions, not least in continuation of a large slice of the Spain. territory's huge phosphate revenues The Military Democratic Union in exchange for sovereignty.

have strongly protested at Spain's In fact, in an entirely unsuccess- cynical betrayal of the saharam ful effort to save face the Spanish people and a large number of the government gave sovereignty to Ieturning Spanish officers people of the but '*the be supporters of the reported "administration" handed over the Union. to the Moroccan and Mauretanian SUBSCRIBE to Socialist Press

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THE

WORKERS

SOCIALIST LEAGUE

The 'Norkers Socialist League was formed in December 1974 to struggle for the continuity of the principles of Trotskyism in Britain and towards the rebuilding of the Fourth International. In the daily struggle to take the demands and principles of Trotaky's Transitional Programme into the trade unions, , the WSL has been at the forefront of the fight for the sliding scale of wages, and work sharing on full pay - demands which at the T&GWU Conference were the only alternative to Jones' treacherous £6 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 Authr-rities, along with the fight to end all private practice - policies adopted by ASTMS National Conference.

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 the right-wing. Our strugzle for the "open the books" demand in the motor industry has won a mass At the same time we have put forward a policy to fight unemploy.

ment, calling for unity of employed and unemployed through the fight to mobilise the trade union movement.

The WSL is the 'only movement that fights consistently for transition- al demands, going beyond mere trade union muitancy 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 enrich the movement's understanding of the history and the present crisis of the hourth laterallonal, as an essential part of any serious initiative to vards 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 and fight in the labour morement.

join

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

W.GERMANY:

The most recent example of the growth of repressive legis- lation in West Germany was an amendment to the Criminal (paragraph 88a) which Law severely tightens press censor- ship and restricts freedom of speech. The new paragraph provides for fair entence of i underhake years undertakes anyone available, produce, spread, make accept, deliver, store, offer, advertise, announce, import into, or export from *the Federal Republic West Berlin) any pub- (including lication which supports crimes of violence and which "tends in thé given circumstances to increase the preparedness of others" to support Federal movements against Republic and her security or against principles of the constitution by criminal acts of violence. The same applies to all public speeches.

For German courts "criminal violence" need not involve any kind it of direct exertion force; includes obstruction of entrances and exits, of public highways or picket- publc means of transport, ing, passive resistance, civil dis- obedience, and strikes which do not have the blessing of the union bureaucrats. A liberal critic pointed out that in the present circumstances of 1.3 million unemployed, even the balance sheet of a flourishing bank might well "increase the prepared- produce attacks upon trade union democracy TUC bureaucracy. Communist threatened to use the TUC'S new Trades Councils Rule 14 opponents on the Islington Stalinists adopted the rule without been abominable record year - threatening to exclude him was "disrupting" the meeting.

earlier in the year refused to rule that fascists would not be allowed "mislaid" their affiliation fees, and when the sitting the CP to prevent discussion today Cpthe els in the hues Black Councils, thus removing from union branches their right to choose their Trades Councils as part of the chain of command by which the leader- ness of quite a number of people to "criminal engage acts of violence" flexible Clearly, the law enough to permit prosecutions for virtually anything said or printed that does not suit the ruling class.

In practice it means that a call for a sules of the socal partnership "social rules of partnership between the union bureaucracies and employers. It also means that information about ongoing working class action Goll supplesseu, especially if it might help build up solidarity of spread the action.

SUFFICIENT

The existing laws were already permit the quite sufficient common police practice of raiding oppositional publishers, printshops, booksellers, and editors, of seizing printing equipment and and banning material. publi- cations from open sale. The new law is more specific and it everybody between the actual author and the reader.

Gewerk- The DGB (Deutscher schafts Bund, the main trade union federation in West Germany and West Berlin) long ago took its own precautions against left opposition.

It ruled on 3rd October 1973 that cooperation with extree support membership left organisations" is incompatible with Since union membership. then hundreds of militants who oppose the "social partnership" have been. By fighting to make the Trades and unifying centres of the working the limitations of Stalinist politics posed a real threat to the bureau- The outcry at this crude censor- the circulars accepted Ernest Bevin was forced duction, that "delegates were being sent from unions to these bodies men who gave up their time to do the business of these bodies could this way the circulars were forced in 1976, with the TUC called upon hold back again to workers' mit ane black coders modern equivalent of the have again been issued. The new 14 Councils which Trades been asked to adopt (one have clause optional, the other is intended mandatory) for use against political opposition which challenges the TUC's class collab- orationist policies. There however, one major difference between the new Rule the black circulars. The 14 and latter were intended for use against the Communist Party. Today, as the TUC's introduction to the new rule makes clear, the target is the militants and revolutionaries to the left of the Communist Party, while the CP is the agency that is used by the TUC to attack these militants.

The new clause which prevents Councils from cooperating Trades with organisation wnose policies those of are contrary to Congress is intended to prevent Councils from Trades cooperating even with the Cuts Committees By a special correspondent expelled from their unions, and frequently as a result, sacked from their jobs.

COLLABORATE

The union leaderships collaborate closely with the political police in implementing these expuisions occasions Stalinists And on many Maoists and "left" social democrats the have in their tur collaboated with the union leader by denouncing fellow workers.

The DGB's expulsion policy fol ruling by lowed German Social Democratic Party (SPD) in 1969, and the well known Berufsverbot of 28th January 1972 A decree by the common Federal Chancellor (then Willy Brandt) and the Prime Ministers of the 10 provinces of the Federal Republic West Berlin ther plus ruled that nobody could be employed in public services unless they would "under all circum and defend the stances support liberal and democratic principles" of the Federal Republic. These printe law, nowhere defined in written in practice redefined from day to day to exclude from public employ opposed to the anyone capitalist status quo. expenditure cuts. Nevertheless the refusal of Camden and Westminster Trades Councils to accept either clause of the new rule shows that the Trades resistance amongst Councils and even some CP members, to the witch hunting, will be as strong as it was in the thirties.

"democratic" course, pro- cedures do not inhibit the CP and right-wing when they risk defeat.

Oxford Trades Council the AGM a rump grouping of 15 right- wingers and Stalinists walked out, led by Stalinist Trades Council President Joe Richards, after failing carry majority against Even some continuing the meeting. right-wingers unable to sup- this and stayed port move, even after Richards had declared the AGM 'closed". The walk-out followed repeated refusals by Richards • to revea to delegates what had taken place at a "special conspiratorial Trade Council meeting" held by selected CP and right-wing delegates half-an- hour before the AGM It later emerged that they had voted unconstitutionally for a rule change restricting Trades Council to monthly of fortnightly

HINTONG

meetings These upheavals in Oxford are no they flow accident from prolonged fight against the CP and the right-wing by WSL and other delegates and for a Trades Council demonstration against Wilson's spending cuts. Confronted with a clear majority against their acceptance of the cuts, the bureaucracy and their political allies could only seek themselves to disrupt and stage provocations to impede any local action Despite these manoeuvres, 34 delegates from a wide range of unions stayed agree overwhelmingly to press ahead with organising demonstration against the cute to take slara neut

THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION

PART 5: RUSSIA 1914-17

By Rick Roberts Germany declared war on russia on August Ist, 1914. This war was not only to matter the lives of millions of yorkers who died in uniform battlefields, foreign but 'so broke the back of all the il, non-revolutionary ways of in workers' ruggle the zovement. On 4th the German August ocial- Democratic party voted in e Reichstag to support the war night transformed the omradely greetings into the deadly actange or Dulets. The Social-Democratic parties of Second International had carly found an alliance with their wn' national employers easier and ore fundamental, than a common ruggle alongside workers over the against the employers and eir war. But while the Second ternational had collapsed, as i done so it had given birth at time to truly Russian prisoners under guard after defeat at Tannenberg volutionary, international meersat, foothe smail and wand industry in technique and capitalist that, though small and weak outstripped structure even nen it was born, was to grow to advanced countries. As Trotsky aturity and seize state power only "an advanced Days. so and a half years later.

economy ... made demands upon Russian standards, the wooden plough that could only aticipation revealed the absurdity be met by a tractor". Russia was an the war 1 Iul. The could not jump der-developed peasant country and straight to advanced cultivation but of assive part her productive first tried to solve the problem of aces were in the hands of foreign under-production and a rural excess ners - western countries owned population by increasing his land % of all stock capital, and the traditional three fields. atrolled almost all heavy This could only be done the at dustry. expense of the landlords, 190 whom owned about million

PAYING PRICE

acres, enough for 10 million peasant families. Thus Russia was out of her After 1905 the landlords started selling pth their estates and a law orld domination, but was paying November 1906 allowed the of of price for the right to be ownership sections the ivileged colony of the Allies, and communal land - this in order to oppress and rob Turkey , Galatia create stratum of capitalist 'kulaks' farmers for their menia and even more backward support. titlics. Her army was a serious force in ack only against such peoples, in defence only with the help vast spaces, sparse population d impassable roads. The brought wat only astrophe and disgrace. Out of 15 lion men mobilised, 2½ million are killed (about 40% of all Allied and another million unded or taken nrisoner for no ard but the right to call foreign perialists friends. The burden terrible of war ded another twist to the already of Russian ining antagonisms piety. Tand the Working th and working class caught by the war and up together umbling walls of mediaeval Power rested in the hands of the and his appointed Cabinet of stocrats, while the bourgeoisie, in Csar Nicholas II swiftly ige advanced and cloping capitalist industry, were resented only in the Duma (the But by 1914 a million peasants Parliament) which was had sold land they could not live atively recent, and (more adding five million to a rural ortant) completely powerless. Millions of others could only hang on to their tiny,

AUTOCRATIC

hungry allotments The new rural bourgeoisie was as The autocratic rule of the Car hostile to the peasants as the old not been overthrown in favour peasant the the parliament, as accomlished in movement, which died down after by Cromwell 1640, 1905, revived in armed conflicts the bourgeoisie in Russia a large and hostile over the seizing of communal land working against their will. In addition the on one hand, while their with the landlords meant cannica away some iu mimon rural workers and 2 million horses, could not use the support of many peasants (even the middle on the other, thin rich) could not now their dreaded of any shake-up fields. Thus peasant hostility to the Their paralysis war started before soldiers this contradiction was only brought back tales of the front to led by their overturn. the villages. Neat then this agrarian Fas trat only revolution I sotte: Essentially it was that

LEADERSHIP

petture remained at the archaic In Britain revolution. the problem was solved by the bourgeoisie through Cromwell grasping power civil war, enabling them to 1nne liquidate the independent peasant long before the working class awoke. But in Russia serfdom was only 1861 (4½ abolished centuries 107 after Britain) and the forced development of mitali me ve that problem agrarian social revolution to solve. Thus the peasant found his leadership for the first time in history in the person of the worker.

and he in his turn found in the support for the peasant mighty struggle of his class.

MODERN

was the background What then the working class? of Russian Industry in Russia was modern, of organised base giant 1914, enterprises - in industries 1,000 workers employing accounted for 41% of the working population as opposed 18% in Lo This may seem surprising America. but is explained by the late arrival of Russia, capitalism accordance with the of combined development as form- ulated by Trotsky. This he briefly stated as follows: "The privilege historic backwardness - and such a privilege exists - permits, or rather compels, adoption the of whatever is ready advance of any. specified date, skipping whole of series intermediate stages. Savages throw their bows and arrows for dwar rifles all at once, without travelling the road which lay between those two weapons in the past.'

This meant working in class small numbers relation to the total population but for the very same reasons was advanced politically.

WESTERN CAPITALISM

Firstly, this was because capital for industrial development had to from the and wer Europe, the under pressure from richer Russia n • state swallowed up a far greater part of the people's wealth than thofold poterty and weakering the west, enforcing foundations classes. The concentration of industry also ess from dine ed thin capitalist, leaders working classes, and the foreign owners who bought political influence through investment, opposed any struggle lor democracy Russia • ГОГ these reasons the bourgeoisie was Isolated and unpopular. Secondly, the very sudden origin coal-mining south, took place in the thinly populated steppes among peasants who had lived in economic religious backwardness and prejudice. Trotsky explains: ruthlessly seized the "Capital peasant lad or youth by the scruff of the neck and at once ilung into the cauldron of factory life. The change in his conditions took place When the young catastrophically. peasant felt the blast of the factory's steam he at once began to think about who he was and where he At that the was. stage revolutionary party caught up with him and began to explain to him what and where he was. It gained ascendancy over him all the more easily because he had

UTTO

old village ideas: the notions did not fit at all".

SUPPRESSED

Under the absolute monarchy workers' the was

LL YELI

ruthlessly suppressed. Hours of income levels a work were long, tenth of those in the United States, and trade unions and strikes illegal.

Socialists and workers' leaders were either in exile, like Lenin and Trotsky, or serving long sentences in prison or in Siberia. conditions Under these forced into resistance was underground circles, street demonstrations and often bloody encounters with police and troops Persecution of the young, fresh and impulsive working class led to the adoption of the political strike as its fundamental weapon. of 1905 The great defeat discouraged workers for a long time, worsened by the industrial slump of 1908-11. But with the industrial the struggle boom that followed, revived: 1910 only 4,000 engaged in political workers had strikes, but the first half alone of saw over a million workers striking. The outbreak of war gave this process backward movement at first, since together of with wreck the Second International it disorientated the class politically working and gave patriotism a big stick erath which te literally, revolutionary workers.

PENALTIES

Severe penalties were imposed for striking, workers papels welc hunted out of existence, and revolutionary elements the factories were sent to the front. Bowing to the mood, not one of Bolshevik the groups organisations took the openly defeatist position of Lenin abroad, who argued for civil war against the When the Bolsheviks bourgeoisie. began to develop agitation against the war their organisation, heavily penetrated by Secret Service spies, was broken up, and in November 1914 the Bolshevik deputies to the Duma were arrested. After the trial in February 1915, SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday March 10th, 1976 at which they received long prison sentences, there were no protests would nave trick solidiy at some workers wno a The abiliary anniversary of the 1905 march of workers to the Winter Palace went almost unnoticed. The chaos of war strengthens the which seems the only state power, firm support to cling to, but then interruption of war held back the recovery of the workers movement, only to accelerate it more as the full meaning of powerfully the war broke through. How then did the fighting affect with all the Russia, country contradictions of a nation which still had its bourgeois revolution to accomplish!

INADEQUATE

The army reflected the country: the peasant-soldiers were hopelessly inadequate to the demands of the modern military technique and the commanding staff showed an lightmindedness and thievery corresponding to that of of the ruling classes from which they came. bankruptcy industry transport: the troops soon turned out to have neither weapons not even shoes The lack of munitions, the small number factories their production, the of sparseness lines for their transport lalway soon translated the backwardness of Russia into the familiar language of defeat. "The first days of war were the first days of disgrace. After a series of partial catastrophes, in the spring of 1915 came the general retreat.

The generals took out their : ownl criminal incapacity on the peaceful population Enormous tracts of laid were violently waste. Clouds of human locusts were driven to the rear with whips. The external rout was completed with an internal one In answer to alarmed questions from his colleagues as the situation the front, War Minister the Polivanoy answered in these words: the place my trust in impenetrable spaces, impassable mud, and the of Saint mercy Mirlikisky, Nicholas Protector of Holy Russia' (Session Augus 4th, 1915). A week later General Ruszky confessed to the same ministers: 'The present-day demands of military technique are beyond us. At any rate we can't keep up with the Germans."

BLAME

Everyone looked for someone to blame: the Jews were accused ot espionage, the staff and the Duma the Csar's Court of friendliness with the Germans. The Allies were envied and hated by all: French command spared its by Russian" soldiers armyn using the drawing rooms of Petrograd and the headquarters at the front they gently joked: *England has sworn to fight to the last drop of blood.. of the Russian soldier'. These jokes seeped down and reached tranches. 'Everything for the war!' said the ministers, deputies, generals, «yes, the soldier began journalists. to think of the trenches, 'they are all ready to fight to the last drop..

...of my blood'. ' soldiers The gathered the increasingly bitter experiences of lower ranks who ignorantly commanded. They measured the

WRP MYTH EXPOSEI

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday March 10th, 1976 confusion generals by the number of purposeless manoeuvres on sole-less shoes, the number of dinners not eaten. The number of deserters kept increasing even in the of more rigid discipline, flogging including for the trivial offences. Everyone at any wanicu peace cost, and the growth of discontent brought the revolutionary elements, drowned the army without a trace, to the surface. The sending of striking workers to the front as a punishment increased the ranks the agitators, and the OI retreat them Baye audience. «The Gendarme Administration of the Petrograd province declares that 'the October 1916. mood in the army is alarming, the relation officers and extremely tense, even

SOICICTS

bloody encounters are taking place.

Deserters are to be met everywhere by the thousands. Everyone who comes near the army must carry complete away a and convincing impression the utter disintegration of the troops' •. I a few months all these gentlemen..

will nevertheless assert that the revolution killed patriotism form". in the most army, and that the Bolsheviks snatched a sure victory out of their had no party hands". Meanwhile the representatives of the the bourgeoisie the movement their Constitutional Democrat Party, underground The revived. Kadets, had greeted the war as their war. Special Conference "The was been called in the spring of 1915 numbers LO recruit private industry to work for revolutionary with army, and Military-Industrial Committees were set up. a republic. its palpable workers' the workers' roubles to irrigate conference of

HOVERIN

private industry and since the and the development the anti«war had enormous , filling four stage- devouring industries all coaches, resources, production First still However, Russian masses alists in four But they 1915: «Their finds of food expression first in were Zimmerwald. disturbances, rising to many questions he broke war hypnosi the Zimmerwald countly: one, left did formally although was lowered wages. Close to all-important questions. Lenin stormy in been delayed. strikes were action Swiss mountain village, he was the laying of the revolutionary International." (Trotsky Pathfinder p.249-50). Common wat defeats

VLOW

the parties of the ruling class While the bourgeoisie continued 1915 the patriotic majority of the to suppress the Bolsheviks, they Duma formed the attempted the Bloc" for "a satisfaction of the Mensheviks. Frightened by the needs created by wat" strike movement, the industrialists comprising the Kadets, the tried to impose patriotic discipline Progressives, and national groups on the workers by including their like the Poles, Jews, etc. Minister of elected representatives the the Interior, Prince Sherbatov, Military-Industrial Committees.

"a called it called forth by While the Bolsheviks campaigned the danger of social revolution' to boycott the committees, one Menshevik was to the sayıng

JOINT CABINET

'You ought t industrialists there demand that the existing bureau- Taking up again the struggle for cratic power retire from the scene, they proposed to the Csar a yielding its of the toresent social joint Cabinet of the Duma and the the Court. present social

HIGILON

They hoped to take over the structure". This new political regulation and planning of industry friendship brought forth its rotten the state bureaucracy had fruit after the February revolution.

refused, although the latter was In May 1916 the Duma was impotent against the opposition of called together again, no one knew the powerful Military-Industrial why. The bourgeoisie was mortally Committees. afraid of revolution, of The Car refused and dissolved change, but were powerless without the Duma on 3rd September, 1915.

the autumn it was obvious The workers of Petrograd and that the war was hopeless, and the Moscow responded with strikes of indignation of the masses threat- protest. These first signs of strike struggle since the war began were ened to explode. weaker and less clear politically than the first months of 1914, but

SEPARATE PEACE

heralded great battles. The Minister of Justice said: "If "Progressive behalf of the Un there are armed at present Bloc" Protopopor felt out the demonstrations of the workers, it is possibilities of a separate peace, but they have as yet no the demands of the Allies, organisation". world The Minister of the wanted to make Russia the chief "We added must not field of exploitation after the war, amnesty the mamhere of the Dumo Russian soldiers committee meets the Czar's government increased, government banning the speeches of the Duma and thereby ensuring that they circulated by the million.

CONSPIRACY

Conspiracy against the Czar hung in the air as a mood of the circles Petrograd; idea of salvation oI a slogan of despair. The conspirators did not dare remove the chief actor of the monarchy, but the Grand Dukes decided its prompter - Rasputin. The more isolated the monarchy became, and the less shelter the Czar felt, the more this mediaeval autocrat had turned for help from the "other world". One of the most recent myths created by the Workers Revolutionary Party leadership is that wartime Trotskyists Joint their as to why class For instance Press of in Joint Committees they nominated by them" It is no

WRP

that But that he Should do inventing tales The war-time Trotskyists were from class Ine collaboration by the the And it was the CP who were movers behind the Production Committees. The CP for these Propellor, the organ of CP-dominated Stewards (The rate-cutting during the waI - demanded function was, of Rasputin had first met the Czar 1905, 1916 and by had enormous power over state sppoint- ments and royal policy, although in his private life he was a drunkard and a womanizer Czarina would write to the The Czar "I am firm, but listen to me ie. this means Our Friend, and trust us in everything." The Friend was Gregory Rasputin On the night of 16-17th December 1916 Rasputin was murdered in a Prince's maisonette.

The ruling classes greeted it as an salvation. People talked about i everywhere saying that even the aristocracy had no othe solution. It was a sign that the antagon- isms of society had reached their highest pre-revolutionary unbearable even for the classes o relieved of it. Indeed, as Court, the official LD. Trotskyist They recognised the truth of the statement by open cynicism: "Though risk of of extremists, the same at workers, confidence management". The rapid out completely Lord McGowans wartime The Trotskyist into sections, the the Workers League The latter, Haston, (The two 1944 to form Revolutionary of which was Industrial Organiser, was the most JPCs. for the class struggle to continue during war time. In the early days the main slogan of the

WIL

and RSL was "THE MAIN ENEMY IS AT

HOME!"

and Trotskyists became the only labour movement tendency to support strikes against speed up and the slashing of living standards. Healy in October 1942 wrote CP for its role in allalking tue speed-up and rate-cutting "Today British industry is in a The workers chaotic condition. know full well that the owners are the responsible people. This is a natural result of the fact that they are not gearing up industry with the Page s the old society which Trotsky called the "rank-and-file nobility' The forces were now maturins that would, ten weeks later, sweet away the Czar and all his court fo Prices were rising good. by leap, and bounds. Shortages down consumption by a half "In October the struggle enter its decisive phase, uniting all form or discontent one Petrograd draws back for the February of meetings runs through wave the factories. The topics: food supplies, high cost of living, Bolshevik leaflets distributed; political strikes begin improvised demonstrations occur at factory gates; cases of fraternisation between certain factories and the soldiers observed; protest-strike flares up over the trial ol the revolutionary sailors of the Baltic Fleet. The Government refused to give abolished concessions and Duma. It proposed a government of autocrats, martial law in Petrograd Moscow, and and preparation of forces to put down the rebellion.

GENERAL STRIKE

The slogan of the general strike of 1917 showing 575,000 workers out on political strikes. On January anniversary of the march Palace, 150,000 struck in Petrograd. was organisation was forming, most often around the Bolsheviks, and meetings went on throughout the February On the 16th bread cards were introduced in Petrograd, crowds gathered round food shops, demanding bread. Next This was the lightning of successfully the war of capitalist competition ...These are their war the drive why against the workers to lower conditions and keep down wages is them to than national interest. These any are the real saboteurs of production and they now have a very good ally in the CP with its parrot cry to the workers to sacrifice everything to production and the Second press them was the interests of cutting, of worsening conditions repressive more Socialist such a move was the line. the issues are also January 1943 of Healy within industrial which of production is activities. at the 1943 refers to: "the the Joint the expense the workers' and call 101 Healy

WIL

(in the same sneaky its paper different Tole

IMG: Permanent Liquidation • 6 1s And us particularly the willingness of too. has been a part. content the same. supere

WIN.

in its

UWI

Immutants

HOL

Can de an workers "he particlial for can be pile Far from it being necessary to mongering from the sidelines.

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday March 10th, 1976.

19zo, alter tae

"RIGHT TO WORK"- LETTER AND REPLY

BLACKWELL'S

STRIKERS DEFEAT

EMPLOYERS AND

BUREAUCRATS

Since our last edition went to press we have received this more detailed account of the Blackwells strike by one of the pickets involved in the dispute. In view of the importance of the questions raised by the role of the bureaucracy in this victimisation fight, we have therefore included it in this edition. At a time when capitalism dispute had developed there requires the weakening of in members and management trade union organisation, the response to company's increasing attacks wages on offensive on and jobs create conditions for whole sections of workers to begin to organise for the first and l1 time. company's The recent successful four-week dispute arose. strike Blackwell's Oxford reflects member and capitalist crisis and also the way in been which the class collaboration of the trade union leaders nationally drive over a them to suppress all attempts by Issues, the working their cuss to act in principled to work own defence. out this,

BATTLE

with The fight for union organisation the refused company continual battle from the was a start, -aramst the company on the hand and the trade bureaucracy on the other. At each point, the rich experiences which firm without were made proved important element in the struggle over union recognition. "he allocation of the member- ship initially to the branch of a basis. leading

T&GWU

right-winger brought immediate conflict, as the branch had not met for six months - and then only did so on their The branch leadership raised the insistence! issue the local T&GwU

WITE

Thompson and Buckle, As union recruitment increased, officials, of leading union was bureaucrats whose history organiser victimised in the middle of 1974, opposition principled trade and though only unionism in Cowley goes back more dozen took strike action, the strike was short Thompson pledged full support successful. and entirely This resulted in increased membership for the action and confirmed this formation and with Regional Office. Feeling the of separate Blackwell's T&GWU branch at the certain of official backing, when beginning of 1975. the company to concede For six months before the latest representation and Ted Heslin was Dear Comrades, In the 28th Jan. issue you attack is directed the towards labour the Right to Work Campaign, which movement, and in no way opposed you allege is a purely IS campaign, to initiatives by the Trades any that it Councils or any other official body.

grounds programme other than 'the vague The need for rank and file slogal "fight for the right to work" has clearly thẻ however, and because it is based on demonstrated, by "rank and developments diversionary politics of subsequent on the file" or "right to work" Hull Trades Council. committees which direct unemployed workers Your article failed to point ou and youth from the trade that a programme by itself is just unions'. Instead of the Right to of it piece paper; needs active Work Campaign you advocate organisation to give it any meaning Trades Council unemployment sub- and the bureaucracy the trade committees. union movement will do its utmost Inside the same issue, you report to prevent this that result of

WSL

This is what has happened in Hull Trades Council has Hull, adopted where the Trades Council call "fighting leadership and TGWU officials have what programme" on unemployment. blocked even the circulation of the of the four demands newly-adopted policy to affiliated which

IWO

particularly branches! you out as Meanwhile, the calls for Hull Right to are general ban on overtime, and that trade Work Committee has mobilised unemployed workers for unions must have a veto on hiring, firing and the control of manning action. And far from diverting the unemployed from the trade unions, levels. unemployed the The truth is, however, that these workers in the demands were proposed by Committee will soon be banging on the International the doors of the Trades Council and Socialists through their trade union asking them when they will stop branches; and furthermore, that talking abour unemployment and these points are taken directly from do something about it. the programme of... the Right to WSL members would be better Work Campaign! off working in their local Right to Your allegation that the RTWC Work Committees and getting trade is "diversionary" can now be seen for what it is, a sectarian excuse for engaging in artificial criticism of the fully not participating an Internationa socialists the Yours fraternally, important initiative on unemployment question, Martin Shaw. Hull I.S. (Trades Council delegate) initiative which, as you must know, Di sacked, more than 70 took strike action. day between management, clear that the The Committee was out. told that the on work the and re-employment and • unon recognition be referred to Thompson, his ko scare office and visit picket line picketing strikers and campaign was begun to raise support for the struggle in the local trade union and student movement, demanding strike be made official. Following support from Oxford Trades Council and many local branches, particularly

BLMC

Service

T&GWU

5/55, students at Ruskin and Balliol Colleges voted to hand over their facilities to the strikers, who had been maintaining from pickets early throughout the day under arduous conditions outside Blackwell's main premises. Daily statements were prepared for 600 people still the working

REPLY

In reply to Comrade Shaw's International and around "artificial of the principles. for the IS stunt and an adventurous from a leadership hold of the and the mobilise avoid fight they advocate instead 'ad hoc' bodies unions. When Hull our on for the setting of an up unemployment sub-committee last ummer the IS delegates to Trade and urged Trades Council instead to affiliate to the local Right to Work Committee, which at the time had no policy or programme. This sort of unprincipled stand has been largely responsible for

BLACKWELL

which carried details of the dispute.

Mass organised and Dickets were nationally. support began to grow With the fight directed back into the local union leadership, their was forced to change PosIton the extent that after three weeks the strike was declared official, at which the agreed Ie- employment and shop steward The experiences gained during

20000 STUDENTS MARCH

"Fair Grants Now!" roared 20,000 college and university the march from 01L Waterloo to Hyde Park on Friday, February 27th. We agree. The £100m to be hacked away by Healey's axe over no nen • yeal pul caucaol ‹ he top of Labour's list of target In higher education, not only would grant but facilities would be allowed to run down, and jobs, of every kind will be under constant "scrutiny" if the cuts go through. But the what do student leaders leBroad Leoposer doe Stalinist who dominate the

NUS

Executive spoke to the marchers of "priorities": "more important" education is they say. More important than what? Medical care? Public transport? Housing? Social services? Pensions? allowing the right wing dominated Executive to drag its feet over the unemployment issue. Whilst our comrades have fought consistently in their union branches for to socialist policies combat unemployment the local IS [thinly disguised Right to Work the Committee] have been content to engage in stunt activities such as their recent occupation of the local *Jobs As if Hull workers Centre. had to be reminded that 15,000 of them can't find jobs and that every week hundreds face redundancy! Instead of waiting patiently until unemployed workers "bang on the doors of Trades Council" what is needed principled campaign 1s a now against the union bureaucracy for a socialist programme based on transitional demands which will defend workers living standards and end unemployment. Before the IS can be taken seriously by the labour movement in Hull they could be well advised ‚discontinue a method of work which allows them to write letters to the Hull Daily Mail condemning the Trades Council' President's use af the same capitalist newspaper to attack wing extremists Trades planning to take over Council!

WSL

members, on the other hand, fought for Trade Union branch motions condemning the President's press statement and one in particular from 10/76A T&GWU branch calling for Trades Council to One of the mass pickets staged outride Blackwells main shop this fight a strong basis provide for the inevitable struggles to come.

A further gain from the dispute was the strong links established between students and trade unionists The Blackwell's T&GWU 5/833 branch is for this reason sponsoring establishment delegate student-trade union committee from action can be rant for in the which town. In the current situation all such talk and reactionary It is no accident that the Broad Left now stoops to signing joint appeals with the Confederation of Conservative Students, for on these matters no hostility between fundamental them. But there is no way out down this road. We say to students: your fight must alongside workers education and socialist * for a rising scale of grants and wages to offset the intoads of inflation, determined by elected committees of the students and trade unionists.

• Not one job less * Not one place less FOr increases in educational expenditure To maintain and improve all facilities! condemn the press statement, was carried with a large majority at the last Trades Council full meeting on February 26th. At the same rades Councils major amendments to Trades twelve points on unemployment were called for from •the regional committees of several unions, but these amendments defeated. This was a victory for those who had fought original programme, but this programme can only have any meaning if it is taken back into the trade unions and fought for. This means & determined fight against the bureaucracy and not an attempt to deny its existence and influence othere just will programme become of paper". The WSL's piece emphasis is continually on the fight to carry out policies - not simply talking abstract demands.

It will be interesting to see whether the IS delegates will carry out such a struggle for the Trades Council programme they claim to be largely responsible for whether they will continue to cling illusions their in the vague policies of the Hull Right to Work Committee. Judging by past performance, we would doubt whether they are able to break away from non-politica protest, to seriousiy mobilise the working class. Jeff Fowler, On behalf of Hull Branch WSL.

lege 8 The Region 5 Committee high votes, of the T&GWU still has not Convenor, replied to detailed Yen complaints on the recent Hectoral practices. the

5/60 (BLMC

Cowley Body tant) leadership. Both individual and branch means they have been 'omplaints lodged, ne coming from the 3,500 strong included 5/293 Branch, listing violations democratic procedure the in the 5/60 Branch ran ballot Regional ballot for General Committee nd Regional Committee. the key! election, slate of Ine The wingers supported xtreme right the Oxford District al! obtained aspicious and unaccountably WRP Crisis The demise of the further, Yorkers Press' 14th on do c ebruary is not, it seems, te his actarianism and Stephen Johns, quidationism of the WRP editorial board, adership. of Workers This is the only conclusion that forward' drawn from the though ysteriously produced News igest they are now bringing out.

preliminary The world is told to wait and We assume from this that the why will reappear orkers Press in extracted ame form. For our part, we are all glad of It will enable us to study the This ists and turns which emerge in politics of the WRP. But we only hope that by then they Thus have found some political of the difficulties members planation tendencies cy are now facing. frenzied and disgusting excluded The of the WRP. barges against every political ponent of being an agent of and the pitalism, or at the very least an of an ent agent of an agent, ive been just facet of the Leaflets one treat of the WRP from political Banda; inciple of any kind. Such charges presumably sidered to rem oresthe need are out of discussion. But, this attitude leads a stage

WORKERS SOCIALIST

These

LEAGUE

democratic allowed

CLASSES ON

MARXISM

these movement,

LIVERPOOL

ednesday, 17th March AUEW Hall, Mount Pleasant

OXFORD

movement, Every Sunday, 8.00pm. continually ake St Community Centre of use the police force? SUNDAY, 14th March: The Boom Years, 1951-64" claiming SUNDAY, 21st March: bring the 1964-70 Labour overnment" end.

DEMONSTRATION

OXFORD

Saturday, 13th March Trades Council Demonstration

AGAINST PUBLIC

SPENDING CUTS !

Rd. semble Cowley 10.30 aspital, am.March St Giles at 11.00am. bing your banners!

LETTERS

We welcome letters from aders, whether critical or ith additional information raised these matters in ges. Letters for publication ould be kept as brief as ssible. pad to: Dartmouth Park Hill, adon, VWS 1HR.

SUSPICIOUS SILENCE

T&GWU BUREAUCRACY SILENT IN FACE OF BALLOT COMPAINTS

on the strength of Plant Cowley Body abuses gross Bill Roche was elected officials of the TaGwu and thed General and unkown right winger Jack Adams hangers-on. from MG Abingdon elected to the Regional Committee. allowed simply The complete silence from the legitimate complaints and protests T&GWU bureaucracy presumably of the membership. the come to clean up the T&GWU and cannot answer serious complaints posed, the Cause the fact that. Roche, a major candidate in the election cutting initiatives. had for two days the uncounted papers, together with the Footnote unused ballot papers, locked in his office, which he had LU passed

WSL

the Trie welcomes Branch support which has come forward "This both Red Weekly and now in Socialist Worker for the demand Regional in No. 5 Executive Committee Committee to might be Alice in the calls from Manchester meeting, branches the on Regional was a 'step the for proceeded he omitted to Similar over the to the the way similar had been been ignored. from members to Therefore immediately has the way the movement. of political to physically from ended and have been rights concerned. people talking to In the occurring by the voting figures Committee procedures attacks on be "There are Passed for some of

TGWU

practices the Stalinist but explanation demand

SOCIALIST PRESS

$500 Monthly Development

FUND

the workers' Our £500 Fund is still vital to they continue the even by Please send all donations to: 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, be to London NW5 1HR. discredit the entire Publication Fund With the first book of a series of planned publications coming out next week, we are calling on giving generously to our £500 Publications be completed by To date we have received: has been extremely encouraging.

Oxford (Meetings and classes) £30: Oxford (NHS Branch) Islington £10: London (South) All donations should be Fund, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, London NW5 IHR.

for a full union enquiry into these of trade union appointed The bureaucracy must not be aside The time has manipulations which Jack Jones bases his wage- resolution Was Warwick 5/504 on 3rd March: the in relation for General Regional But the National and shown that positions as willing than the class policies. Just the them every "opponent" present 5,01 last week: simply invalid ahid new ballot. general We against the conducted, and Scanion,

TUC

leaders, accepts branch calls to secondary an enquiry ballots, and the Committee like wage restrictions further capitalists' profit. this situation: which should be And while Scanion campaigns held in for Jack Jones be continued his pleas for further reductions in pay through state wage control. Healey of course, case of ballots welcomed this and hinted that the legal limit planned for and the vear is an increase of about f2 a week or 3 per cent! members consistent anti-working class positions of the trade union three Labour Party and leaders above when producing wave throughout the labour movement.

As the collaboration 5/504 leaders with the becomes more naked, so the anger of the rank and file is growing For instance, last week's T&GWU meeting received from cuts

TROLOS

Regions. work of the paper. movement. This 170 Party Policy Thornett leadership. work. éxpulsions

NW5 1HR.

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday March 10th, 1976 d trade union democracy ! Jack ye an entre point of the hase discussion of them until after the budget in the utterly forlorn hope have more But there is little chance that they give Hug

TOONROS

of Er nave so focal antist are not the that the capitalist's govere tint and its policies.

are Incine - A programme of extra public

WOTKS

- Open the books of all public has the next spending under the control of Udde and supply industries. are of revolt of the capitalists Wilson-Healey leadership and to several movement.

OUT NEXT WEEK!

THE BATTLE FOR

TROTSKYISM

As the first of a series of publications to be produced by the WSL over the next few months The Battle For Trotskyism represents an important development for our pare book contains the two documents - Correct the Wrong Positions of the Party: Return to the Transitional Programme, and the Second Document on Perspective Alan - submitted by exportion, along with 200 other comrades, byone thelly for discussion The book also contains, published for the first time, a detailed political account of the struggle within the WRP. It sets out to draw the political conclusions from Healy's sectarianism and subjective method, particularly as applied in the Cowley factories and his trade union In addition, carried as appendices, are all the relevant documents and letters relating to the struggle and the including. the

WRP

Control Commission Report through which the expulsions were carried out.

The price will be £1.00 plus 20p postage. Advance orders can be placed for delivery on publication. Orders should be sent to WSL, Dartmouth Park Hill, London,