We Reply to Le Ety to Press Slanders Press She Der

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The decision of Vanessa Redgrave, a Political Committee member of the WRP, to take Alan Thornett into the High Court for the return of £4,000 lent to him last May became - by last Monday - the basis of a witch hunt against the TrotMost of the press slanders in one way or another, seek to connect Comrade Thornett with corruption, suggesting that at the time workers were on strike in support of him last year Thornett was receiving large sums of money. Any such insinuation under the atmosphere of witchhunt prevailing in British Leyland is highly damaging and endangers not only Comrade Thornett and the WL but the trade union movemen Because of this Comrade Thornett issued a written statement on Tuesday which was deliberately confined to an explanation of the circumand purpose of the loan and specifically excluded any political material in order this being used against the WRP or the WSL under witch-hunt conditions. The full text of the statement was as follows: *I am making this statement to clear up the distortions and inferences which have appeared in the press over the past two days concerning the writ served on me regarding the 4,000 loan made to me by Miss Following my divorce, I was left with the choice of either selling my house or raising half its value (£4,000) as a settlement. The loan from Miss Redgrave was a personal arrangement to deal with this problem and was considered only after it had proven impossible for me to raise the money through any of the building societies. Having received the loan it never remained in my hands but was passed on immediately to The loan was made on the basis that repayments would be made in the normal way once the details were agreed. In June the solicitor acting for me wrote to Miss Redgrave pressing for a final arrangement to be concluded. A reply was received six months later demanding repayment in full by February 11th 1975. I replied to this through my solicitor proposing a reasonable monthly figure for repayment. This was rejected The loan therefore was received in good faith and with Miss Redgrave having full knowledge that I would only have the resources to repay it on an instalment basis. In these circumstances it is regrettable that this entirely unnecessary action has been brought."

No other statement has been issued by Comrade Thornett or any othe member of the WL on this matter. Newspapers such as last Wednesday Telegraph which give the impression that other statements have been made, or that Comrade Thornett has spoken to them, are The WRP Political Committee statement of Wednesday March 5th, made during this witch-hunt and attacking the WS publically, is The statement accuses Comrade Thornett of triggering the witch hunt when it was entirely precipitated by Vanessa Redgrave's completely unnecessary High Court action pressed under conditions where she knew full well the consequences. This action was also pressed after a reasonable arrangement for the return of the money had been offered, The most incredible claims made in the WRP statement are that Thor nett, who is being witch-hunted by the capitalist press, the employers and the right wing in the T&G as a continuation of a previous victimisation is "the darling of Fleet Street", that he has had a "great receptio in Fleet Street circles". It goes on to say that "the same papers that villified him are encouraging him " and that he is "feted in the capitalist The most obvious lies contained in the statement are the expulsion figures - put in to lend credibility to the argument. All the figures are invented but Oxford and Yorkshire are the most blatant. The statement says that there were 26 expulsions in Oxford and 1 in Yorkshire. Yet at the August Central Committee meeting there were 109 registered members in Oxford. Since there are now only two members lett that would appear to leave 107. In Yorkshire the WL has three branches made up almost entirely of members expelled from the WRP.

The WRP statement directs away from politics claiming a "personal" •split. In reality the expulsions were to silence criticisms by organisational continued ALL JOBS from page A firm nationalised in this way must be integrated with the beginnings of a planned economy through state contracts, in order to guarantee the job of every worker. The sliding scale of hours - dividing the work available amon gst the whole labour force at no loss of pay - must be introduced. This is the socialist alternative to the capitalist policy of short time on cut wages.

Clearly, until the capitalist economy itself can be replaced by a planned socialist economy inflation will continue at a rampant pace. Government contracts will add to this. The way to fight inflation is to struggle for the sliding scale of wages, linked to the rising cost of living (as established by trade union committees Without such a programme to defend jobs and wages the working class faces an onslaught from the employers with no leadership whatsoever. The TUC and Labour leaders who allow the Shrewsbury Two to rot in jail and support the class-collaboration of the social contract will not challenge the right of the employers to exploit.

That task. must be undertaken by the undefeated strength of the working class, under a new leader ship, which starts from the detenc of the nights of the working class. The sell-out of the annual wage review, due on February 3rd, for the 20,000 manual workers in the Cowley compl is being hatched behind the scenes.

It is now a month since talks broke down at the final stage of rocedure with a top ofter of 5.60 and the claim put in the hands of the national officials.

The tacticsof the sell-out are clear. Things will be allowed to drift on until the employer can come forward and offer a large sum of back-pay (which is worke own money anyway hoping that this will influence the vote. At the same time the employer will say that to increase the offer will endanger everyones job, and the trade union leaders will say - this is not the time to fight.

Workers in Cowley must not sit back and see this happen. Meeting must be demanded immediately and preparations made to ignt for the full claim. skyist movement in the capitalist press.

on the plant.

Vanessa Redgrave last May.

my ex-wife.

by Miss Redgrave. guilty of tabrication.

gross political irresponsibility.

the details of which were still negotiatable.

press. methods.

Deserts Two (cont'd The march had succeeded in raising the demand for general strike action amongst many layers of the trade union movement, but suffered by being dominated by the centrist politics of the Worker Revolutionary Party.

The WRP throughout the march published a number of lengthy and hysterical articles making various charges against the International Socialists and the International Marxist Group, both of whom supported the campaign, as ustification for having excluded these groups from the march.

Workers Press has also attacked the Workers Socialist League for "wanting to disrupt" the march, and stated this as the reason for escluding trade unionists membe of the WSI from "public" meetings. Needless to say, all the legations against the WSL are baseless, and generally too ridiculous to refute in detail.

The hostility within the trade union movement to these unprecedented political exclusions can be judged from the reaction of the 5/293 BLMC Assembly Plant T&GWU branch in Cowley.

On February 17th the remaining WRP member in the branch move support, plus £20.00 donation for the Wigan Builders march.

peaking on the motion, Alan Thornett reported that the entire branch delegation to the TUC lobby (the WRP member did not ittend) had been physically exluded from the Central Hall mee ing of the Wigan Builders Action Committee, and moved an amendment to the resolution of support.

EXPLANATION

The amendment called for the €20.00 to be withheld unless an explanation was given by the Wigan Committee as to why such action had been taken, and an assurance that branch members would not be excluded in the future.

The next day the branch secretary contacted Mike Farley, secretary of the Wigan Builders, who said that the exclusions at Central Hall occurred because the workers concerned had been distributing leaflets outside (which is not even true). He went on to say that workers would not be excluded if they attended as mem bers of the 5/293 branch.

On Wednesday the 19th Alan Thornett and another member of the branch went to the Wigan Builders meeting in Watford and were excluded at the door on the basis that they were not branch delegates. (who heard of delegates to a public meeting?)

After hearing this report the branch meeting on March 3rd voted by 28 to 3 to with-hold the £20.00 and then with only one against decided not to let