Socialist Press no. 30

WILSON'S POLICIES CONTINUE

LABOUR LEADERSHIP:

'LEFTS' CAVE IN

Not one of the six cabinet ministers jockeying for the leadership of the Labour Party offers an alternative to class Wilson's anti-working policies. The Left MPs who have collapsed in front of Wilson on every issue have failed even to field a candi- date of the 37 who out abstained from supporting the spending cuts ten days ago. Instead, left' support is being thrown into the campaigns for Foot (Wilson's ambassador to the

TUC,

basking the of glory having inflicted the biggest evel cut on the British working wage class or Benn leading advocate of job-cutting, "worker-particip- ation" in industry and the nation- alist policy of import controls).

CENTRE

Wilson's unexpected announ- cement of resignation a week ago, especially coming so soon after the Parliamentary defeat for the Labour government, threw the question of the Labour leader- ship back into the centre of the stage. It posed question the decisive to the 'left' MPs. Would they take this chance to fight to defeat the right-wing and their policies would they yet again stand back respectfully while the right wing get down to the job running capitalism and attacking the working class? Workers did not have to wait long to find out there would be The fight. very night of Wilson's Tribune resignation, Group MPs were falling over each other to praise Wilson.

"IRREPLACEABLE"

Chairman of the Tribune MPs, Latham, told that Wilson "irreplaceable", was and Eric Heffer was happy to discuss in a television interview whether he would prefer Callaghan Jenkins! (He opted for Callaghan).

This grovelling of the "lefts' is a complete betrayal. The issue facing the working class is not choosing whether they prefer to be bludgeoned into the ground by Jenkins and Healey or strangled Foot's wage by cuts. It is -LO fight to mobilise the strength of the trade union and Labour move- ment to drive out these traitors and instal a leadership prepared. to carry out policies to defend jobs,

SOCIALIST

PRESS *

I'M BANKING

ON ALL OF

YOU!

The 'left', by limiting the стасу, has clearly stated its fight leadership fight opposition to any for the closed ranks of the Parliamentary Labour principle within the Labour Party.

Party, and by fielding no candi- Bassnett

(G&MWU)

Jones have shown they want no

(T&GWU)

and Scanlon (AUEW date have combined to call for "unity" part of this fight. But even as they try problem, meaning practice, unity their backs on problem, around Wilson's policies! But certain sections of the trade union the 'lefts" confront must growing strength of the hostility bureaucracy are becoming aware of the movement growing within to Wilson's policies amongst their the union and are calling Labour the

OWEL

SUODOTEC

for a recall TUC Conference.

movement. It is in the light of this growing resistance that the Workers Social-

SUPPORT

ist League repeats the call for militants to fight now for a recal- We support this call- te led Labour Party Conference to bring clearly before the working elect a new leadership class betrayal and There can be no question of bankruptcy leader- another Wilson ship. We demand the TUC discuss imply accepting by a fighting programme of action in clique of MPs defence of the working class: the Parliamentary while the membership 1n all Social Services constituencies and Labour voters National strike action to cuts. in the unions are brushed asıde defend full services and manning While the 'lefts' sit on their levels. hands and leave Wilson's policies 2) No to all redundancies.

the of this intact, main prop Occupy the plant, and demand government's programine of un- the full strength of the unions be

FORTNIGHTLY PAPER OF THE

WORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE

No 30 * March 24th * 10p fight for work-sharing on full pay, Where employers refuse this - force them to open their books elected Trade Union com- mittees. 4) On this basis nationalise bankrupt firms and place them under workers' management!

5) A full programme of public works under trade union control to create new jobs and make good transports and education.

cuts health, housing, The Labour Party "lefts' refuse to stand and pull back from the fight for such programme because it is one which cannot be fulfilled under capitalism.

They know all too well that he present crisis is so severe tha he basic right to a job and decen living standards cannot be conceded within the capitalist economy - but they refuse to lead the struggle to overthrow capital- 1sm. For this reason only a prin- cipled revolutionary leadership is equipped today to lead actions in Callaghan with fascist envoy Areilza

SPAIN

BASQUE GENERAL STRIKE

The events which followed the police massacre of workers in Vitoria on March 3rd have revealed both the tremendous strength of the Spanish workers movement and the way in which this strength can be wasted and diverted by the political line of the Communist Party and its allies. The killings (4 in Vitoria and at least few days later in Basauri, district of Bilbao) provoked an immense reaction in the 4 provinces of Euskadi (the Basque provinces). A General strike called in the region March 8th was supported by about four-fifths of the workers in the region, one of the most industrialised in Spain In all the towns of Euskadi the day was marked by continuous thousands clashes between demonstrating workers and students and the armed police. Even more than the recent demonstrations in Barcelona Euskadi actions represented a direct challenge to the authority of the fascist regime. The sight of four-fifths of the workers of a major industrial region responding to a call for a political general strike is for the regime a terrifying reminder of its mortality. no doubt one of the It Is for the sharpening of reasons tactical differences inside the Fraga and Arias Spurred on by its fear, the government has now published its "legalise" political proposals to parties. Their main feature is the maintenance of the illegality of an astriticant section or poe of a significant section working class. The plan is to gran legality liberal, radical, groups including the Socialist probably Party (PSOE). In fact all these parties already operate in a kind of semi-legality.

OLD STALINISTS REHABILITATED

CHINA

Thy does the political crisis it is essential to grasp that masses directly into Id remain in his posts (as Vice- nier and Vice-chairman bunced in the press and in huge And from the other side Teng, Keep out of public view and is of the political form emics against Teng disguise their The whole content. is China 1n ght on the horns of an historical On the one hand they are based the victory of the international imperialism against and the destruction of italist property relations there.

And on the other they exist as a al caste on that national basis, ncing between the interests of Chinese people and the inter- working class - and imper- onal policy of 'socialism in one - a contradiction in terms, for today's Chinese leader- means cynical 'friendship' with capitalist reactionary most iticians, from Franco to Nixon- tures this dilemma in a phrase.

I this contradiction is what lies seath the ironies of the present ti-revisionist' campaign in China.

Teng is accused of the things putting the 'class struggle' on same level as two other "Ineses Chairman Mao - the need for and stability, and the need to Yop the national economy.

The 'left' faction, supported by O, accuse Teng of playing down

EUROPE

Immediately after the 25th.

Communist of the angress aty of the Soviet Union had ded in Moscow came two indications that Soviet is resurrecting the dinism as well as the methods, -n, Stalin himself. of March 10th carried a Prasda igthy tribute to Andrei Zdanhoy, in * of Stalin's chief henchmen and the period, ander of the Cominform in 1947.

Commun- talin had dissolved * International in 1943 as a sop to poserelt and Churchill). was also the man who Zdanhor i and as Stalin's chief literary dentific censor in the late 1940's

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

consolidation and technical advance wages for specialists i with higher higher and with a reform of the

STALEMATE

system to produce cuncanon competent functionaries and tech- rather than to give first nologists, place to educating the children of workers and peasants. supporters see in this the the importance of the class struggle His consolidation of their position, and of the interests reviving many of them have only recently 'capitalist road' for which he was office after being ousted during the 'Cultural Revol- returned to and attacked for conservatism In effect the left' are resurrect- the Cultural during ing Stalin's famous 'theory that the Revolution. The 'lefts' are not, of course, op- further the building of socialism to economic development. the intense the posed progresses, But they can feel on their necks the class becomes in that struggle breath of the forces that began to country. get out of hand during the Cultural This was for Stalin the political" and they fear that if Revolution, justification for the similar thousands of there another, thousands ироп campaign, a drive by Teng and his Communists and Soviet citizens in the great purges of the 1930's, and fast a supporters to impose too pace of economic development, and for the drive to physically destroy to buttress their own privileges will Stalinism in the the opposition to eruptions in world communist movement.

greater lead to even Mao with friend Nixon 1930's the apologists for In the ine future Thus it is seen as an important Stalin made great play with those victory for the 'lefts' that the pro- capitalist newspapers and politic- Teng Education Minister, Chou ians who gave credence tot appears no longer to be example - to the 'confessions' of Yung-Hsin active in his post. the Moscow Trials. In China today the 'left' faction But with the important editorial March 10th, in People's Daily on afraid to bring play the 'lefts' have been making Chinese masses - also look for sup- to limit unmistakeable most hardened attempts the port, their own campaign. The struggle, enemies of the revolution. Thus there was the spectacle of the head claimed the paper, must be 'led by the party committees at every level solemnly Peking university and it must be on its guard against of the explaining the importance public order Teng and the those who against struggle and the revolution by to....Nixon, 'sabotage 'capitalist road' the sabotaging production • man who launched the most savage 'splits' in the All reference to bombing ever North Vietnam on top levels of the party was dropped.

who (in public at least) is and What Nixon's visit - planned by capitalist pariah even among Teng but carried out by his politicians! clear that And in the last fortnight, one of adversaries made neither faction of Chinese Stalinism the main audiences for further the been will салту through attacks Teng has the Pontica. on bureau- to eliminate capitalist ambassadors in Peking.

Te TO IL privilege and unite the Teng may be attacked every day cratic working masses with the Daily and wall- Chinese in People's on international working class.

posters by activists, but he has the For this the construction of a of a massive social silent support will be layer of and state function- new, Trotskyist • leadershic party necessary - a leadership which bases professional aries, officials, and military officers, all of itself upon a scientific understand- brings whom are privileged relative to the of Stalinism and • the and masses themselves into the struggle of Chinese workers it within eradicate the workers peasants. His policy to go for economic CP from Gomulka's Freud and Picasso. of the Polish first removal in 1948 to his own But Pravda's memorial - written the slender of the death in 1956, and one of the most on pretext devoted of all the Eastern European of Zdanov's eightieth anniversary birth - mentions none of this.

Stalin's and lackeys poison. The author (one politics. so-called deputy director of the Institute of Marxism-Leninism)

TRIBUTE

says: "Zdanhov directed his attention ideological But his obituarist, the 'historian' above all to and those of the theory of Marxism Rechowicz, is not so unkind as to aspects of Leninism. His interventions on dwell on the 'negative' On the scientific, literary and artistic Bierut's personality. questions, which he assessed with a smothers him with contrary, for his including a tribute of the matter. praise, brought contribution to particular attention to a serious 'giving fraternal regulation of Polish-Soviet the The ideological Soviet Mr. Rechowicz goes on people and to the develop relations'. ment of its spiritual culture.'

to explain that: the day after Moscow's The fact (sic!) is that apart from And on the Communist Party of the Soviet rehabilitation of its chief cultural' article in the Union, since policeman

ARMED STRUGGLE

"I don't believe in black majority rule ever in Rhodesia - not in a thousand years" said racist premier Ian Smith this weekend. This is the reaction of the white the final break- settler regime to protracted negotiat- down of the right-wing nationalist ions Joshua Nkomo. The collapse of talks has even of Kaunda prompted now Zambia to state that it nas "nothing been demonstrated that achieved by peace The strategy"

INTENSIFY

Africa, he said, now had no option but to help intensify "which armed struggle in Rhodesia is now in full swing". MP Gwilym

LADOUT

Roberts has revealed allegations of recruitment of British mercenaries He fight for Smith's regime. timidly asked Callaghan to "probe" these reports. however, has refused Callaghan, to give any undertaking that the British let alone government, not mercenaries, the liberation against African struggle. Smith has already said that, in view of the "changed situation' Africa, white Southern Rhodesia's "best bet is to say to the British you must come in and play positive and permanent The British and role". Rhodesian governments, he demanded, should and see if we can 'get together solve this problem" Successive Labour governments since the time of UDI have done nothing to remove Smith's racialist Sanctions, always a fiction have been gradually whittled away.

of FOr example, legal export from and nickel ferro-chrome

USA

is now Rhodesia to possible, and is an indication of the absurdity of hoping for sanctions to be effectively imposed Rhodesia MP Eldon Griffiths, in a Tory in Salisbury last conference week, expressed admiration for the developments which had occurred in the Rhodesian economy in spite of international sanctions.

PLEASANT

The Financial Times correspon- dent pointed out: "it is almost impossible to over- pleasant life still is for state how most whites, with their full shops, dinner tables, and obedient Black servants" But it is this 'way of life' that is now to come to an end. of personality". and he adds that Bierut for the "struggled liquidation of the cult of person- ality, and Ior ine restoration Leninist norms in the party".

What is the truth behind these lying euphemisms? The fact is that Bierut hard-line was always Stalinist and that he fell ill and died where he was attending the twentieth Congress of the CPSU at which for the first time Kruschev officially confirmed Stalin's crimes!

Consequently Bierut's 'sincere unfortunately have struggle' could lasted at most only a few days and from hotel conducted was bedroom in Moscow. And if one wished to know why Bierut himselt It the top leaderchin of the Polish CP after the SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday March 24th 1976

ZIMBABWE

ONLY WAY

So far, the war for the liberation of Zimbabwe has been on a small scale: The knodeslan claims that since December 1972, eighty-two whites have been killed - South African including some civilians and soldiers and eighteen 748 blacks. successful liberation The in Mozambique and struggles Angola now threaten Smith with a struggle and an serious 111U1Y inevitable defeat. 15,000 Cubans are estimated to Angola with the MPLA, and be in MPLA's leader DI. Neto met the Fidel Castro in Guinea last week to "liberation problems discuss Angola and in Southern Africa as a whole"

TALKS

The talks - which also included Guinea's Sekou Toure President Guinea-Bissau's Luiz Cabral and were described by Louanda Radio as "an historic encounter which will help increase aid to peoples strug- gling against apartheid, colonialism and imperialism stakes everything on the Smith imperialists being able to help him against that struggle. That is why he statements claiming makes that the introduction of democratic forms in Rhodesia would lead to Russian intervention. These demands are completely by with the statement Callaghan's junior at the Foreign He has said that: Britain David innals could become in- that: volved in policing operation" and Callaghan that has confirmed an Smith's 'illegality (i.e. UDI would make declaration ol British military intervention possible.

EXCUSE

is the kind of This, he knows, excuse the imperialist powers need Callaghan to dack a wnile lega and Wilson had three meetings with Russian ambassador in London the while the Smith-Nkomo talks were Office on, amid Foreign going briefings on 'British fears' of Sovie!

or Cuban intervention. MPs Gwilym Labour like Roberts, who protest at the idea of Te t Rhodesia from Britain must demand that Callaghan promise the Labour movement as a whole that is possibility of any there aid to Smith, British government and that the Labout government will support all struggles against the racialist "rebel" regime.

had the vast majority of its leader- ship shot as 'agents of the Gestapo and "Trotskyists'. Most of those who survived did fortunate they were so be in the jails of the enough at the time Pilsudski dictatorship to and unable to Moscow when summoned. Naturally, during Bierut's tenure of office comment on this "incident" the was not allowed mar of Polish- regulation "traternal Soviet relations'! These resurrections of Zdanhov and Bierut - politely ignored by the leaders of the western CPs - provide a clear political warning Brezhnev and the entire leading of the Soviet bureaucracy clique have every intention against the pol- Stalin's methods itical revolution in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, and they are

IRAN 'WORKERS STRUGGLE

SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday March 24th, 1976

..SPAIN

Continued Furthermore, the law to legalise Even the PSOE has been permit- be passed by the ted to hold open, publicly advertis- parties has to unlikely ed meetings addressed by its leader Cortes - an event. as the regime knows. That, too, , allows the Felipe Gonzalez, recently lauded by image of liberalisation with none of the Times as a kind-of Spanish J.F.

the reality. Kennedy. changes in the of semi-legality these tiny This situation walle of Francoism create for reformist parties, Jtke donatalive great excitement among bourgeois softening of censorship. over the and reformist politicians, they have bourgeois suits the regime press, not distorted the perception of the very well: it can present an image mass of workers who see the organ- of liberalisation while retaining all isers of strikes arrested and jailed the powers of control it requires.

without trial and their comrades shot down in cold-biood. strike is The Euskadi general important evidence that the mass of workers are not deceived by a mere change of expression on the face of Francoism. the fact that the Nonetheless, strike lasted in most places only a day and that it was for the most part restricted Euskadi to evidence of the obstacles which still workers' stand in, the way struggle against fascism.

The strike restricted to buskadı not onlV because that was where the murders took place but because the area of Spain it is where the Communist Party wields least within the workers" Elsewhere the Communist Party Ruiz-Giminez POSItIOn SUBSCRIBE to Socialist Press

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WORKERS

THE

SOCIALIST LEAGUE

The Workers Socialist League was formed in December 1974 to struggle for the continuity of the principles of Britain and towards Frotskyism in the rebuilding of the 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 waions. forefront of the fight for the sliding scale of wages, and work sharing - demands which at the T&GWU Conference were the only on full pay alternative to Jones' treacherous £6 pay plan and the wholesale accept.

ance of redundancies by the bureaucracy.

WSL comrades have led the struggle for the In the Health Service, sliding scale of NHS spending and for trade union committees to open Authorities, with the fight to end all private the along

LIC DOOKS OI

ASTMS National Conference.

practice - policies adopted by WSL comrades have tested and developed the In local disputes also, demands of the Transitional Programme, putting forward in every case, the only real opposition to the Stalinists and the 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 unemploys calling for unity of employed and unemployed through the fight ment, to mobilise the trade union movement.

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 deopen and the present enrich the movement's understanding of the history and 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 lesder.

ship and the demands we put forward to find out more about the WSL and join our fight in the labour movement.

MORE INFORMATION

I would like more information on the Workers Socialist League. Name. Address.. COMPY RTE and CEND to. don NWS 1HR 31 Nort

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

demand for strike, prevent a national though tot such strike went up all over the country.

situation general Euskadi could not be strike maintained without more national support. In Vitoria, however, workers in the steel plants, where the strike wages began two months ago are still refusing to return to work their leaders, (now charged unti with criminal offences) are released.

The possibility of a new upsurge of this struggle is, therefore, very strong; and its immediate objectives have become more explicitly political. The Communist Party is as fearful of possibility as the government. It is a major threat to the Communist Party leaders' tire- less effort to keep a tight lid on the both as to mass struggle methods which must be peacetu and its objectives which are to bring bourgeois democracy to Spain.

The party talks occasionally of socialism, but this is an objective postponed to an indetinite future Like the French CP, the Spanish party has now dropped the goal of the dictatorship of the proletariat from its programme. According to the Spanish CP, the dictatorship franco must be replaced by bourgeois democracy; say is historically possible this they because it of the most the aim powerful section of the Spanish (including bourgeoisie sections of the present regime) and is part of EEC and of the the the strategy United States Spanish Communist Party defines the tasks other of the working class by reference to what is aimed at and permitted by the bourgeoisie! More and more now, the crisis of imperialism reflects itself back into the countries of the Middle east. The Shah of Iran, too, has over- spent his oi revenues, not least in such ways as the Empress Farah's use of an Iranian Boeing 707 jet last month transport three tons of marble to decorate a new swimming POOl. If the Shah has been running a much-publicised anti-corruption there is little at home campaign' sign that this will allay the growth of popular discontent and the re- awakening working class of the move lean fourteen terrorists At least fourteen have been executed by the Shah in weeks Some them recent allegedly killed Mohammad Sadegh landlord Fateh (a notorious and exploiter of child labour) twenty were shot down DINOSE woe during a strike in 1971. of these notable feature barbarous is the cordial regimes support given to them. by British Labour and trade union leaders.

visits by Trade Secretary Shore and other The practical form of this strategy is through the class collab- orationist alliance, the Democratic Junta. Participating in this alliance have been the Maoist Labour Party (Partido de socibai tmocratic the tiny social right-wing Popular Socialist is Communist intermit- tently the centrist Movement (Movimiento Comunista Workers' Espagna) and Commissions. The CP has tried to attract more bourgeois political groups to the less Junta. In this has DECl successful than the Socialist Party's 100,000 demonstrate at the funeral in Vitoria Platform of Democratic Conver- gence which contains the section of the Christian Democrats (Izquierda Democratica) led by former Franco Minister Ruiz-Gimenoz. With them be found the monarchist to alC Carlist Party, several Social Demo- several right wing groups, nationalist such the groups Nationalist the Basque Party, Revolutionary centrist group, the Workers' Organisation (the ORT, with complex origins partly among left Catholics) and the General Workers Union (UGT) which already notorious. TUC Moritz is General Council Lord member Briginshaw also visited Iran before his recent retirement. notorious The trumped-up charges against twenty-one Iranian students who protested against one ot the Shah's series of executions were carried through by the British authorities, but eventually had to be dropped. The price of this cooperation is of the illiteracy rate of over 50% in Iran, together with an average income of less than £8 week in the rural areas.

the The wealth goes into pockets of a few millionaires and companies the multinational are exploit Iranian to help to masses ways which undermine workers' conditions everywhere. why we welcome the 11s 1s leaflets and other appearance of by a group of material produced workers Iranian this country in called 'Nabarde Kargar' (Workers" Struggle) pointing out the conditions under which oil wealth "Campaign for the Restoration of produced, Trade Union Rights in Iran'.

Page Barricades in Vitori closely linked with the Sociali Party On March 17th the Junta a stat the Platform made a joint ment of "immediate unity" of t two alliances. The main pressure f tl this unity has

CONC

Christian Democrats, the ORT ar the Communist Party. Most of the resistance has con from the anti-communism of mar sections of the Socialist Party "democratic alliance a unified formed it organisational gain Communist Party's strategy of cla colaboranon.

DOUBTFUL

But it is very doubtful wheth politically can strengthen th 1t which, the Euska sulated. general shows, is beir increasingly rejected by the worl ing class in favour of an indepe dent class position. purely in response pressure from the masses that th CP a few weeks ago abandoned i plan to disband the Worker Commissions and establish instead "left' faction within the corporati "trade organisation,

CNS

(Central Nacional Sindical ista).

CRISIS

Four members of the CP Central Committee were summaril expelled during the internal cris concerning this change of line.

While the Stalinists argue abor how to collaborate wit exactly the ruling class, revolutionaries i Spain are faced with the task fighting for the complete indepe dence of workers' organisations in working class united front prepare coordinated action to for the downfall of the regime and th establishment of a workers' goven By a Special Correspondent in Spain. Two bee the Shrewsbury wouldn't only hay iranians. thev wrongly jailed, they woul been have been executed'. They show the links of th multinational companies and the profits where ther troubles' "labour (trad are no not been allowed i In On mae Iran since 1953). They point out further that "there is à link between unemploy ment, redundancies and wage cul this country, and lack o The Workers Struggle group call for the right to set up unions, t bargain and to strike, as well as fo full freedom for all political prison ers in Iran. They call on trade unionists an Labour Party members to suppor the idea of a British Labour Move ment Mission of enquiry to vis Iran and find out the rea conditions under which worker struggle for trade union rights'.

We feel sure that readers an supporters of this paper will wan their give support to campaign and obtain about it from material Nabard Kargar at PO Box PO BOx 21, 197 King

Review by The subject of this book is the fight for a adership, able to solutionary party robilise and politically direct ass support within the work- the struggle for class in ower. All of the issues of principle and rogramme, of party regime and of towards the workers' rovement which the emerge 1n ocuments brought together in The For Trotskyism are' of attle all revol- ecisive importance tionary socialists. The "Battle" referred to in the was as many now know, the within the ranks the OI Yorkers Revolutionary Party in the months of 1974 for osing political in its sectarian and a return to the methods of Trotskyist Transitional programme.

INDUSTRIAL BASE

It was a fight which began in the dustrial base the

WRP,

Oxford, and was begun by owley, who started to lan Thornett, only bestion what at first olated aspects of the practice and espectives of the WRP leadership General Secretary, caded by As the account of the Serry Healy. in the Third ruggle alls us: ....differences over party per- in emerge ectives began to 1973. from December nord three day were the practice of the party adership in drawing a mechanical nection between economics and olities, and, later, the perspectives the oil crisis, of vocated during coups and police-military itary ctatorships. Differences also emerged over designation of reformist class as 'corporatists', the stitutional changes, the WIONg the leadership titions tionalisation and workers' ntrol and, most important, of Transitional vision the imme - the founding document f the Fourth International" (p84) These were deep-going political truly lifferences lemocratic-centralist they party sould have been freely and honestly a fight waged to fiscussed and Hange the leadership of the WRP iself. The party had not crossed class ines to give support to the bour- had it advocated un- coisie, nOT principled alliances with Stalinism or centrism.

TROTSKYISM

It remained a party which for all s wrong positions contained a vital - though that ore of Trotskyism continuously coming was ore ander threat from the liquidationist bourse of the leadership, a course which was accelerating rapidly.

1974, once September But 111 Thomett's opposition had begun to Healy destinetly hat more pear demonstrated clearly chieve a full discussion within the VRP was virtually impossible.

The Com- September 14th. Central set-piece muttee meeting of Thornett, political frame-up designed to silence him within the Borement: "When discussion started, the Bealy demanded ContrIDunOI from the Western Area and Alan He said that the Thornett spoke. had the orking class all of that The offensive year. Tory had forced the one contit ted estroith offerages continued through wages morement, and now it looked as if going to working class were Labour replace the minority with a Labour majority overnment. He went on to say that woukl come government of power under conditions economic crisis and that the meals to be tought in the coming woul rinter

BOOK REVIEW

John Lister of 'The Battle for Trotskyism' - Documents of the Opposition expelled from the WRP in 1974. Price £1.

Slaughter Cliff Slaughter then got up and Thornett completely what altered had said. Thornett, he siad, was of the opinion that the working class conflict with would come Labour capitalism through Thornett government....Alan vigorously protested that he had but this was been misquoted, Healy". (pp90- brushed aside by Thornett and those incident cynically branded as "soft on social democracy" by Healy and sources has been produced to back The book makes clear that Alan resigned next day from the political responsibility to fight for methods, combined with an under- that there be full discussion on his differences with a Conference before the end time of the Conference every WRP member even suspected of support- Thornett had been expel- led or excluded as a delegate!

Petals the course of the fight, and was his response to the political

ADAPTATION

Indeed at first, moves by Healy much for immediate were not so to expulsion adantation Thornett's position, seeking to head off a fight in order to keep hold of

WRP

in cadre workers the Cowley. Thus after two Central October Committee meetings 12th and October 19th, when Thornett had spoken at length abandonment of the the party's transitional demands in its election Slaughter attempted to in a lengthy section on write the "programme" supplement to leadership's original document.

This was to give the impression closer Thornett's of to 110V1I while at the same time, position, Healy leadership viciously the tacked Thornett himself, within the party ranks, in the hope of splitting off Thornett's support Cowley factory branch. It resulted the edition Press dated October 26th Workers. 1974 which carried for the first time a front page incuams Walls ¡innal demando the dav before the first The two political docu- reproduced in this volume ments therefore produced under were these difficult material conditions: the need to develop nagging doubts.

half-formulated uncertainties, into a coherent written form, probing the very method of the leadership on the one hand; and manoeuvring of and the the WRP leadership adaec pressures from the need to maintain itself, Healy struggle But at tinuity without at once factories on the other spoke The documents are not master- pieces of prose or fully rounded They are theoretical statemeals bearing at documents of struggie, The the imprint of their hasty times the including and complex preparation. whole had been background This threw up the to even further the broader of the WRP is also a key factor in understanding on the which it While the general line of attack dominated. be points could not These into docured it brought of ignorance of the WRP member- answered Healy section of the Second Document In the course Oxford that had taken in and most glaringly in the section on begun to had several to Blast Thornett's give support to fight for an and turning in a practical way first contrib- Transitional of all to points of programme to the uting advance the struggle of workers and Document. material to prepare which would positions in that document. It is a When Healy second Western 24th therefore, opment of sectarianism within the

THE

BATTLE FOR

TROTSKYISM

FOCUMENTS OF THE OPPOSITION EXPELLEUEROM

ALLORKERS REVOLUTION CRY PART ATE

worhers press

FINAL EDITION

SOCIALIST

PRESS *

CONLY WAY TOR CHRYSLER WORKERS

PRINCIPLED LEAD

DEFEATS RICHT wun Cover of the new book. documents of the 1953 and 1963 sion to produce a second document Fourth splits within to do this. It became plain to Thornett's readiness to International. It was those involved in this as soon as we what Healy plainly thought tackle were able to look at this material were unanswerable questions which decided him to press ahead to im- objectively, that Healy completely miseducated the WRP's expulsions. The mediate WRP cadres on their own history Control Commission which had been working behind the scenes building and created a completely distorted up a fraudulent dossier of lying and picture. standerous allegations against Alan brought in the Thornett, was or compounded in This means to expedite the expulsions: selective documentary history Trotskyism v "Healy rganised a meetin of Slaughter's Cliff he Control Commission first thin by morning, Monday lying Introduction, which claimed the following in defiance of all the evidence that: November. had 24th between the nd of the The letters of G. Healy show happened aggregate meeting and the Control how the British leadership entered the [1953] fight in an endeavour to yet Commission meeting, decision was taken to overturn the forward the building carry decision taken by the Central Com- sections of the international and to hun dove earlier and educate its cadre the struggle SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday March 24th, 1976 to under- It was in struggling stand this material in the writing Second that of the Document problems several basic unresolved of the world movement began come into focus, laying some of the groundwork for the WSL's later docu- International Perspectives Fourth International - Prob- lems and Tasks.

NOT DEVELOPED

But, it must be stressed that the the op- issues touched UDOn position documents were only seeds ed hat, current posities o positions of current the WSL. It must also be remembered that first documents were the two written as internal discussion docu- change the wrong course There of the

WRP.

was nothing cynical in this approach, and those worked on the documents who made serious adjustments of tone phrasing in order and create objective dis- fewest barriers to We held cussion within the WRP. of back consciously from in abusive and denigratory terms relation to the WRP leadership. For this reason also we were at pains to focus on the political roots of the coming into organisational abuses play against the opposition, rather than piece together a superficial catalogue of bureaucracy and inter- nal corruption. Of the first two course documents also reflect weaknesses.

They fail adequately to come to grips with the WRP's liquidation in the youth work, and the omit any mention of Healy's complete and failure for the strugga for struggle perspective women's rights. On both of these

WSL

now has sub- issues the committees drafting perspectives. documents The expulsion of the opposition was carried out in the beginning of Healy to cut December 1974 by short the very rapid strides that had towards an all-round been taken critique of the leadership, seal off any possibility of a threat which had the old leadership to

SLL/WRP

the in its grip kept since the mid 1950's. The Third Document, especially when taken together with the docu- ments and letters in the Appendices details these expul- to the book, sions and their scale. The entire Oxford, organisation

WRP

Reading and Swindon was wound with only isolated individuals up, left supporting Healy. Suddenly outside the party as a result of this were the trade union developed years of cadres OVer patient and principled struggle in the Cowley factories and in other The unions in the Oxford area.

trade union penetration in Reading, parts of Yorkshire Swindon and WRP was achieved by the also thrown overboard in Healy's sub- bureaucratic jective defence of power.

CONTINUITY

This immediately confronted the opposition comrades with a dilem- ma - either to immediately organise a centralised continuity of the fight for leader- ship inside the working class - OI haggling Stract espectives lengthy engage abstract and OvEr "orientation" in of the course which the inherent strength of the its movement and forces could be wasted away.

The decision taken was at once together provisiona to •Graw organisation - which took place th Annual the

'WRP,

after week Conference of and build the immediately to resources to launch an independeronew anger proud growth the The record in struggle of the WSL from that day on has been a testimony to correctness of those decisions.

the its practice the WS has estab- In lished the possibilities opening up disciplined revolutionary for leadership taking the method and transitional pro- demands of the gramme into the daily struggles of the working class. While those small forces among those Healy who expentu Dy want to build an independent not left leadership have revolutionary the movement in order to drift off into the quagmire of reformism,

WSL

all round in gained The strength and programme. the for Trotskyism shows

TRIBUNALS NO ANSWER

SOCIALIST PRESS. dietresder Merce 2tia. 1975

WOMENS' RIGHTS

by Gill Blackwell. freedom for the as was Sex the day the and the Discrimination Equal Pay - five years passed in after it Parliament became law. all Both of as with the attacks Labour services hit both at workers jobs Women hit both by and an even hospital and workers), their traditional that the them in the home. These retorms time when the Committee on has been facilities. the collaboration material holding conditions, and petty movement bourgeois

TOTCON

WHILE ANO

confidence working class, womens tine liberation their and liberal consed went 60s in the late there were many other Assembly won equal Barbara introduced the years to And make they certainly did! The man and a t wattledd similar work, work salt, graded the same on a job evaluation scheme, then they should receive. equal pay rates. Or where there is a collective agreement for rates with different conditions for men and women then the women's rates have to be raised to at least that of the lowest male rate.

MANOEUVRES

Now the years of manoeuvring began. The Act gave carte blanche to employers to introduce job evaluation schemes on the pretext of 'preparing for equal pay' but in reality using them as a preparation for speed up and redundancy and an opportunity to make up theit own categories of skills.

(Thus men and women working side by side filling paint cans are classified as *heavy paint fillers' or light paint fillers' according to sex - and paid accordingly!) In some cases the lowest male rates in collective agreements were dropped. The trade IOle oi ine union bureaucrats here is of course ite crucia: one. These manoeurres could 10I storess == ==: stretches in cases down to convenor and shop steward levels.

Their attitude is based on their of management's logic acceptance that raising women's wages will be the male and therefore the issue is workers, as a threat to their by them seen basic support. Hence the refusal to struggle for wages and conditions and their inability to bring women into membership acre in some cases actually abandoning factories where women have fought for the beginnings of trade union organisation are connected. We their accept arguments that women are too their homes to

COLONICO

about

LITER

without which appreciates the housewives mothers, struggles for wages and conditions, will see 11% trade union membership. Women's Year will act when of the mainly due to concentration oI women The DudIc services and traditionally low in light enginerring. closing down Parliament to These unquestioningly the *cannot accopl employer afford" wages and hecause conditions. abroad. Act the sex she is a woman" discrimination and education, discrimination against married people. for security allu pensions And again the concession example. is made at this time when the vast and social cutbacks in education services serve very effectively mothers preventing from getting jobs. This act has been described as the "most complicated of piece century" legislation this adequately describes the numerous loopholes it contains. There are also ominous signs, as in the case of the Newcastle headmaster says

WHO

that he will now cane girls as well as boys in the spirit of equality, that the law is being used to equalise oppression rather than rights.

WHERE

P4Y S GiSTLE Radiographers march for more pay in 1974 - majority of hospital staff are women workers.

As concede equal of course we pay employ fight for women. down The only weapon the working barriers and within the class has against these employers is that of united action. Those the elements within movement who are

WUJUCID

train advocates to tc concessions, the fullest function advisers for as women political equality capitalism taking their cases to these tribunals working class are on a very dangerous path, and

CAROL

they play directly into the hands of the woman's subordination the trade union officials who within the family. suggest this way in order to head off a struggle. The Communist Party joins these by boosting the credibility of the reformist NCCL capitalism to organisation, which union this plan, by printing uncritically bureaucrats and Labour NCCİ statements in their womens their given journal Link (Winter issue) reformist to defend These tribunals are a diversion capitalism away from the trade union and must be recognised as such. Those left groups like IMG which simply turn to flaws in the the women's main whether it will be Act or query - and the oppression implemented have the need to fight these contront tribunals.

CONTROL

legislation remove forcing which prevents night shift women The gains of these Acts will only be felt by women workers if the the bogus that on movement itself fights to workers' "right' to woman control their implementation.

The boycotted and women that men are now illusions placed the no "equal" functioning the Equal conditions. Opportunities Commission.

These are

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Next Saturday's National Assembly on Unemployment called by the Greater London men una Confederation of Shipbuilding wish to prevent. and Engineering Unions will The most aspect have more than 2000 delegates in attendance. Such bodies as the Scottish

TUC,

union executives, shop stewards committees, Labour Parties and others have elected into individual delegates. them. The strong response follows on the 20,000 usually bureaucrat nearing strong unofficial retirement age (the fee is £20 a demonstration against unemploy- day). ment held last year. Like last year's The odds therefore are heavily the TUC has not demonstration. stacked against a worker from the supported and the response comes start and anyway the tribunal can precisely because of their lack of if the fight over jobs. only award compensation case is proved against the employer The organisers, however, showed their - the worker is still without a job, at

COLICICIE

or equal pay conditions Friday that their policies are just The low levels of compensation : bankrupt as those of the TUC.

and distant vague threats of They offer forward way to criminal proceedings workers faced with the threat tor going in of breach of the tribunal's decision ae redundancies dosure. any not poice or the unemployal them NO

RAISE

No Instead, Trade women to lake On committees such linked to equal be linked the fight for living all work be can practice through work levels, hi control …ot part of which tr and firing, demand of applicants is exercised by employer. At the time

WOI

laws and the рирпа бренишь с political

IOI

building of new working leadership. by the members this in resigning called for A 3rd demanding Alf Lomas, secretary OI London Co-op Political Commit Instead said: of restriction wages, demand for goods should increased to bring down the jobl total. Cuts in public expendit should be reversed and the exp of capital should be curtailed provide for Britai pronomy. money "expand The call to economy" is precisely the way t the TUC originally argued in go into the social contract. It is entirely reformist path and only lead to betrayal. The politics of the main org isers of the Assembly are those which Communis Party using it as a safety valve to av any fight in factories in which th dominate. The response to the Assembly an indication of the feeling fo That is why it is correct fight. attend and put forward alternat policies that give direction to the who want to fight defend jobs. These are the transi demands that #SL member a fizh ting for.

Page 6 February In 1917 three days of street fighting broke but in Petrograd followed by a mutiny of the troops and a virtual of seizure power betrayed only by the social democrat leaders) of the city, and soon the whole country, by the masses. The Tsar abdicated. the provisional government and soviets were set and the struggle between the workers and peasants hand bourgeoisie on the other which was o result in October in the second evolution 1917 set notion. Decisive in the successful seizure of power October, however, struggle ras the for leadership which began in February, although of course, it had negun long before.

"SPONTANEITY"

Liberal have always stressed what they saw as the spontaneity of workers' actions in Broken by, the war and tying them "In every tavern, in the

ICTE AT

eeped down through the mass, and ner mechanic of the revolutionary, onsiderable degree fertilised with experience of the masses.

Lasses 111 1917 was sufficiently severe to have moduced a general rebelliousness and tenseness in the city which was autnoritles, the exact moment of the and severe restrictions nac een imposed on workers' meetings nd even on their changing jobs.

een imposed at the Putilov Works fter a section of the workers had porkers there were There was only 10 days' supply of Jour left in the city, and the daily neuess a mile long and four deep pere particularly outraged at the mours of rationing, the prospect the authorities even attempting control eating habits.

WOMEN'S DAY

February 23rd was international somen's day and demonstrations Striking ere planned. cussed, but the Bolsheviks for stance had advised against it with women's mainly cause feared that undisci- they red street fighting would ensue fact they were quite annoyed in spite this decision men textile workers came out in sending off messengers to factories and soon joined by bread queues who had been there would be no bread that ith autocracy! marched on the war! as they anicipal duma demanding food.

0,000 workers were on strike that half Petrograd and the austrial workforce, 240,000 orkers, the next. Transport was at standstill and school students on e streets. Trotsky brilliantly describes the vitable stage in any revolution' den the masses began . to win over soldiers. Most of the soldiers of peasants course, angsters, in reserve units straight with little the countryside, Moreover, the authorities, ring mere doubtless unaware of the of the uprising the Tsarina ¡anobino tha rnade orders that the crowds should not be shot at, because OI Ine Dad impression might create on the Allies and also because of the Also, shortage oi ammunition. the demands for bread appealed to the soldiers' class loyalties in a way political slogans such as "Down with the autocracy' would not. Even so the crowds themselves approached the soldiers way. The masses get near their eyes,

LOOK

with their hot surround played breath. workers... They by women than the rifles, Put down bayonets join Cossacks, us! the 'those age-old subduers and punishers' into the held theit horses steady the masses capital. Police officers killed, fled. sharpened its counter-attack Demonstrators 100 there was talk calling off the strike. lagged writes Trotsky, Mezhrayonka, tionary groups, far called on It and appealed soldiers to

O1 TRATI

tion the troops. killed and demonstrators 100 first company and shot its commander. "Having burned their bridges behind them the Volinsti hastened to broaden the base of the insur- rection" says Trotsky. They rushed harracks distributing were soon arms, disarming the police, freeing political prisoners from gaol and spreading the revolution ot the less of the That active parts city. evening Khabalov, *the formidably empowered, but all formidable' military commander in Petrograd was arrested. It was also during the 27th that the Soviet was formed, part of the Tauride Palace, the building where the Duma sat, but close also several barracks and to the militant Vyborg district, being taken over as the revolutionary centre.

Leftist Menshevik intellectuals, realising that the uprising had virtually taken command of the city, went first to the Tauride Palace to establish a headquarters They were soon joined by newly released political prisoners, members of the moderate Labour Groups of the. War Industry Committees, and formed the Provisional Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet Workers Deputies. The Bolsheviks had always been implacably opposed to worker participation in industry initiated WICs. by They the Labour Groups described "lackeys of helping imperialism, protiteers to exploit workers in the war industries. Bolsheviks were point concentrating on waging the of the streets the with workers and soldiers and the same was true of the Mezhrayonka (the Petrograd inter-district committee to which Trotsky belonged, These were Bolshevik in all but name, and joined with them in August 1917, before possibly not simply for reasons. In February this security group had been putting out leaflets calling 'Down with the autocracy, Long live the revolutionary govern ment, Down with the war!') One Bolshevik, Shiyapnikov, was at the Tauride Palace, however, and he managed to delay the sitting of the Soviet until 9.30pm, in order to give the workers deputies time to be elected and to arrive.

the his suggestion main socialist parties the Mensheviks, the Social Revolutionaries and the Bolsheviks were allowed three extra deputies. A Praesidium was elected, and (a Menshevik) viktlaze Kerensky (a Social Revolutionary) both members the Duma, Skobolov (also a Menshevik), and three secretaries. appointed

WATE

daily and this Bonch- responsibility to Bruevich, a with revolution. paper revolutionary Soviet government, for were calling leader Copies of Izvestiya were to which was whole country workers and by down contrast comp- letely, causing confusion the remaining old authorities. The Petrograd Duma was closed on February 27th, but no reinforce- ments: were sent to Petrograd for several days because Tsar refused to take news of the uprising

NOT

did seriously. the military commanders in Petrograd act with authority to replenish supplies during the night or to build up the morale of the troops In fact The fabric of the regime had complete dread ithe was thread Trotsky. themselves generals half expecting the overthrow.

were When the Isar himself set out to Petrograd and called up additional companies, their arrival prevented by the railway workers SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday March 24th, 1976

THE RUSSIAN

Part Six:

THE FEBRUAR

By Pru Chamberlayne and insurgent soldiers. that a republic be set up, with the On the officers' • one Duma sharing power with the split off from the carriage was Soviet. soldiers' and left stranded while the This then was the classic troops were hastily told of events situation of a bourgeoisie too weak to make its own revolution, only back. coming to power on the shoulders of the proletariat and peasantry, then whose hands the possibility Only this to be on lay of through the all Journey, his generals historical stage of bourgeois rule to of the establish dictatorship had Tsar to abdicate, proletariat. Meanwhile,

PERMANENT REVOLUTION

end of the been several The of 1905 had revolution lists of brought Trotsky and then Lenin to up leaders for realise that, particularly late countries overthrowing feudalism in the and entering Rodzyanko and Milyukov, capitalist stage of development, the 'stages of history president Marxist might of the not be clearly separated and were of the rather that that change might occur of process permanent revolution. On the other hand they The difference between Trotsky

WELC

and Lenin until about 1915 or So nervous over- was that although Lenin saw that the would need the bourgeoisie prevent this. proletariat to come to power and that bourgeois democratic rights would only be achieved under a dictatorship the democratic proletariat, he considered that the In fact, power was being handed overthrow of capitalist relations of to them on a plate - the workers (and the production therefore and soldiers . were coming to the achievement of socialism) would lie • Tauride calling on the Duma beyond to well that stage when take but they still industrial was much were production stalling. more advanced. Only Kerensky had gone out to He thought however that "the welcome them, demagogically democratic dictatorship of the calling them the great ministers, seize the post offices and spur to in the revolution more capitalist telecommunications, occupy rail- countries and that this in turn would speed up the way stations and government offices. process of historical change in When Rodzyanko, by contrast, Eastern Europe. addressed the mutineering soldiers bedecked with Ied who were

PEASANTRY

ribbons and prociaiming their readiness to die for the revolution to the last drop of their blood, he argued addressed them as "brethren", and Trotsky, ContIast, from the beginning that permanent told them not to believe the stories revolution would mean passing that they had mutinied, rather they straight the democratic on from were patriotic soldiers asking for an dictatorship of the proletariat to efficient government to "save the of the socialist dictatorship the motherland". backwarat, even in an ecovided ally provided country,

TENDENCIES

course that the peasantry were won By 1916 Lenin's views were included The Duma his writings changing, political tendencies, some maintain- proclaiming the possibility of the ing that it should take power in the revolution in Russia had not been name the Tsar, There the some, like seen there. deeply Mikyulov and Rodzyanko, trying embedded all assumption among engineer monarchist coup the as

SUCIALIST IRES.

REVOLUTION

40100 4048Ax2

• REVOLUTION

established, however • important a role the proletariat and peasantry played in that. How held these beliefs clear from Lenin's were became ularly among intellectuals, on his return to Petrograd and in his fight within the Bolshevik Party for the the April Theses, acceptance which repudiated the call for parliamentary republic and called instead for a republic of soviets of farm workers and

WULACID.

peasants. orthodox of views change were certainly historical Mensheviks strongly held by and Social Revolutionaries who were in the leadership of the Petro- "leaders", i These grad Soviet. 17 petty bourgeois fashion, were their terrified independent power of the working class.

CRUMBLING

Despite the obvious crumbling despite the of the autocracy; obvious incompetence and indecis- liberals and iveness obvious bourgeoisie; despite the strength of the workers and soldiers who command of were in virtual the city, occupying the state bank, the Treasury, the Mint and the Post Office, these leaders of the Soviet (which was the only body from which the main sectors of workers and soldiers would take orders) were "looking around with alarm to see if they could find a real boss!"

As Trotsky says, they were "The petty bourgeois democrats and Sukhanov socialists of the type, journalists and politicians of the new middle caste. who had tught the masses that the bourgeoisie the enemy tnemselves leared more than anything else to release the masses from the control of that On March Ist when the leaders of the Soviet met with the Duma committee to discuss the conditions under which the soviets would accept the new provisional govern- ment, the true extent to which they would betray masses revealed.

TERRIFIED

Milyukov was terrified by the Soviet assumed would make; he the and members of the Duma were quite arrested by the expecting to be Soviet any moment. But he found himself faced by Lenin revolutionary change, and that the participation of socialists at this stage should rest in winning certain guarantees. Provisional By accepting the Government on these terms, Trotsky says, "The Compromisers betrayed the confidence of masses by calling to power those they themselves had against whom been elected." Mass demonstration in Petrograd, March 1917.

ALLIANCE

In effect the Social Revolution- base lay in the aries, peasantry and therefore in the army soldier the and the to Soviet, formed an alliance with the landlords on the question of land, Mensheviks, who the predominated workers' among block formed representatives, industrialists and with with the bankers. "In voting for such leaders the proletariat and peasantry erected a an equally fearful set of representa- themselves partition tives, who made no mention of the and their own aims. They could not without main demands workers had been forward 110Yc this wall erected by rallying around throughout the wat knocking into ando unday, and reform, thace, the indeed long before that: the themselves and knockIng Il oyer Thus it that with official was of the Soviet (only 15 out republic. of 900 or so delegates voted agains The only demands put were for freedom of political action for the Soviet-Duma agreement), the Government declared its Russian parties, pontical Incing amnesty for political prisoners. The promise tents erin or alies.

with calling elected Constituent agreements Tsarist officials left at their Assembly was also agreed to, but were posts so as not to offend anyone no date fixed. and Milyukoy looked unnecessarily; Rasputin wonder relieved and pleased as these leaders ministers, although in prison, were gave their agreement that he should voted a pension The and soldiers of now proclaim the establishment of workers the Provisional Government 'with Petrograd, although impeded, were not confined to the Soviet' agreement of the minimal demands! No doubt cowardly betrayals of the Soviet such leaders. There was great anger when was also when Kerensky, who regarded himself as the Soviet appointed Military the paladin of the revolution (and Commissioner, Mstislavsky, agreed to merge his command with that of who had declared he would only Colonel Engelhardt who had been maintain his seat on the Duma if appointed by the Duma. , did not conflict with his cong so position as president of the Soviet, To some extent there was of the alliance interest between although he attended it), Duma and the Soviet in that both agreed made Milyukov's to he frightened of the danger of were Tsarist units being kept from the front and also of the officers in Petrograd organising resistance to the new order. l'here was therefore disciplining common interest in the soldiers, who on February 27th and 28th were still ransacking and setting fire to police stations, courts and government buildings.

THREATS

Colonel Engelhardt issued warning, which included the threat of executions, against officers from soldiers confiscating arms and the Duma agreed to a pledge Soviet that units transferred should be of „Oll Petrograd. The soldiers themselves were not satisfied with these "guarantees" and marched to the Duma however demanding the signing of an order Minister of Justice Thus the Duma was given a 'left' which would give them not just the same political rights as civilians but cover. For despite his revolutionary the Kerensky talk was an out and out right to elect their own When refused this by the officers. reformist. He believed that Social- ists should take part in the Duma so Duma they marched to the Soviet their demands, General that all shades of political opinion Order No.1, were adopted would tind expression at the centre This included in of the government, that the Soviet order and Izvestiya as supplement should act as a watchdog over the Duma and only assume control if consequently distributed and used as a model throughout Russia So necessary. Chkeidze by strong was the pressure from the contrast refused a garrisons that thè Soviet was forced ministerial post at the direction of the the to accept it lose support and executive committee of thus, against the inclinations of the Soviet who voted 13:8 that social- Soviet leaders themselves, set ists shoud remain unhampered ov was belonging bourgeois irreconcilable conflict organisa- between the Soviet and the Duma.

tions to fight for the next stage of On March 5th the Soviet began to call for an end of the strike and a return to work. Workers however led by the Vyborg district, refused to do so unless on the basis of an 8-hour day and increased pay, and strike for 20 extended the days until March 25th.

DIRECT TALKS

This forced the Soviet to directly with the negotiate employers over the heads of ten Duma and the demands were won.

Contrary, therefore, of the reformist demands Menshevik and Social Revolution- the Soviet leaderships that should act as a watchdog and the Duma pressure group interpreting the will of the masses to the government, a state of dual existed in which the masses power were by their own independent forcing fundamental action changes. The Bolsheviks, only a handful of whose Petrograd central exec- utive committee were in the city at the time of these events, were at first weakly represented on the Soviet. Their influence had been much greater than their numbers indicate however and they had considerable strength in the Vyborg district, for instance, the working class district which the had from uprising started. It was the Bolsheviks who days of the first three fighting had opposed the call to arms of the masses, arguing rather that to prevent confrontation between soldiers and workers, soldiers should be called on to hand over their arms. The part played by Shlyapnikov greater worker partici ensuring pation and also the representation of soldiers on the Soviet and the part played by Bonch-Bruevich in using Izvestiya to circulate through- Russia both the Bolshevik manifesto and the soldiers' General Order No.1, been have already mentioned The Bolshevik manifesto which was probably by the Vyborg District Committee a few days earlier before Milyukov's Provisional Government was formed, called on the working class and CONTEs provisional revolutionary government and to nationalise land, win the 8-hour day and call for a on the four- formula equal secret and universal ballot and for "merciless struggle".

FURIOUS

No wonder the Soviet leaders were furious when this document reproduced Izvestiya was without discussion But the fact that done recall it nothing was OI Bonch-Bruevich from his move position also showed the popularity of such demands. When on March 2nd only 15 Soviet delegates voted against the Soviet-Duma agreement Bolsheviks proposed some of the of the starting a new uprising workers' boroughs against the government. but on the 'he leaders agrees appointed day appear Bolsheviks passed a The also resolution describing the "at bottom which no revolutionary and with agreement could be reached" .Some 'All Power Bolsheviks were calling Soviets' others, such as Shlyapnikov, were advocat- Mensheviks, that ing, like mant socialists should seize power without installing socialism immediately. Some, like Bonch- Bruevich, were adopting a national- defencist position on the war

CONFLICT

There clearly a conflict within the Bolsheviks between the party in the Vyborg district which was demanding 'All Power to the Soviets' and the leadership of the The first central committee. issue fundamental problem is to establish Pravda announced, a democratic government", clearly leaving the struggle for socialism as a separate and later goal.

When Kamenev and Stalin arrived from Siberia and control of the Party and of Pravda official lurched Bolshevism further to the right. Under them even outright opposition ot the unshakeable plank war, always an of the party before was dropped. Instead, they called on the Provis Government to: ional "make an induce the immediate countries to open • and until then every negotiations... man remains at his fighting post.

INDIGNATION

These positions caused bewilder- indignation ment and factories where workers demanded the resignation of the editors from Siberia. Kameney's and Stalin's policies were also in direet conflict with the telegram sent by Lenin on March Our tactic: absolute 6th: lack of confidence; no support to the new government; suspect Kerensky immediate especially; elections to the Petrograd Duma; with other rapprochement parties. By contrast, Kameney's view was "What purpose to speed things up when events are taking place at such a rapid rate?" These questions of leadership and perspective had to be fougit out to pave the way tol the October revolution. Kerensky

ING ATTACKS BOLSHEVISM

The Red Weekly, paper of the International Marxist Group, has published a series of polemical articles challenging The editorial board of the IG's paper 'Red Weekly' has * several weeks been twisting e history of Bolshevism and rotskyism in their series of demics against the Workers cialist League. While we welcome the fact that have ventured into print in ply to some of the differences on inciple and that programme ride the WSL and the IMG, a only deplore the fact that to do they feel obliged to distort the story of Bolshevism from the very ginnings. Our last edition carried a reply the fraudulent "united front" aception put forward by the G, and the linked issue of that pup's retusal or inability to take verbal into the programme Now we will concentrate on the ore developed attacks on Marxism ntained in the Red Weekly series empts to hurl the continuity of for the Bolshevik rision of Trotsky in the light of defeat of the German working But in the third of these articles : purpose of the IMG's revisions these principled aed more openly: they want to

CYCL

Fourth International in 1953.

In laying the basis for this, they Tine tralism to make it seem to fit in

COVER

PETITE

ot the Hourth ernational" of which are a part. body is of bodies, Secretariat, ports the the other Miation). It will ase continuous divisions Thin that international "Get pacifist out clashing ictory to the

IMG.

noW all veen them ticular question. distorting 2.76): "No herik Russian cial berik party at TIDE but Lenin Fist any after 1903 struggle itical and faction taneously what he Furthermore actual split not granniational nineinleg nf the political positions of the Workers Socialist League.

here the second of our articles in reply to the points the IMG raise.

the Party. So as far as Lenin is concerned If we were to accept this point in retrospect therefore, (though for a number or reasons he may have of view, then to cal themselves eat of pron suncements members of a revolutionary party, made in would obviously need no the heat the struggle), agreement on programme, strategy Bolsheviks after 1903 wee or tactics - just as long as they distinct party grouping which at of adhered to some form times made temporary, formal "organisational unity" unity arrangements with the This is quité obviously a case of Mensheviks. on behalf of the Zinoviev in his History of the spond paral IMG, within which only the most Bolshevik Party makes the same point at length. In describing the notional political unity exists.

But it 1903 Conference he concludes: is worth examining in "The closed some detail the real relationship Congress between Bolsheviks and Mensheviks split. The Central Committee was elected by the Bolsheviks alone.

during the period "unity" The Menshevik delegates set off for referred to by Red Weekly.

The division first emerged in the Russia and formed their own special 'bureau' which in 1903. Lenin, when

LICC

historical declared a boycott of the Bolshevik analysing the

DELUDIS COMPLICIT

WIT

THE WAR

COLUMR!

END

RING THESE

OPP

NOWH

HOME

3%%, (Top)

SWP,

1968 demo "Withdraw from troops Vietnam " while (bottom) IMG calls for "Victory to the NLF' development of the Bolshevik Party Central Committee .. .. In this way (writing after the Revolution with by the end of 1903 we already had rather more background knowledge organisatiens, and two parties. P clear-cut groups, than Red Weekly) was in no doubt: current political 96, emphasis added). thought and as a party, Bolshevism For the IMG to answer this by has existed since 1903". (Left Wing form of words is hanging on to a Communism, p8). pure deception. The two "factions" and again:

RDSLP

within the operated 1908 the "left" Bolsheviks completely from our Party for expelled were In 1904, the stubbornly refusing to understand control of the Iskra, and these reasty ofy apacipaine Menshevik Committee most reactionary "parliament" Bolshevik Central (p19). members confronted complete Walo

POLITICAL

Menshevik of the

RSDLP

conditions Surely,

IMG

comrades, this passage refers to a political split, in recalled co membershi which ultra-lefts within Bolshevik Party expelied? as the IMG were "unity" claim, fight even clearer on the "unity" with under such Zinoviey's question the Mensheviks: "Between 1903 and 1912, there were periods of several years in which formally united with the Mensheviks in a single organise Social-democratic Party, never stopped our ideological and formally • struggle against them as examination of question opportunists and vehicles of bourgeois influence the And whole (mac) en numher *anional We welcome the start of such an open discussion, and publish party comerences « Irom tne norto.

the south, Moscow and other areas - put forward a plan for creating in Russia a 'Bureau of Committees of the Party Majority' as a counter- Menshevik Central weight to the Committee. Once an all-Russian central organisation of Bolsheviks had been founded in this way and came into direct conflict with the Menshevik Central Committee, Comrade Lenin gave his final agree- organubanonally 113). separate party (p. party" went on to call on their own behalf the Third Congress of the refused to participate in !

ferent cities, both taking complete- ly different political positions the revolutionary wave after 1905 and increasing mass pressure from convened in 1906.

OUTVOTED

All-round were for an open the division at point, and Bolsheviks at the were But is no very Congress. promising … from this points turn. As the re-unite Mensheviks in fact as factions. the partyi illegal, from were seemingly operating of one". within. the On the again *this forced with martiage had to independently be organised". development amongst the to closer liberal' political conflict: "After the plenum. with the liquidator break finally

CONSCIOUS

The IMG of course knows this very well, and there is conscious deception when they use a 191 | quotation from Lenin to back their case. The quote comes from Lenin's Introduction a pamphlet to revealingly Kameney which was "Two Parties"! titled article, Lenin writes- •Kamenev has proved conclusively that in point of fact [Lenin's emphasis | the liquidationist group represents the

RSDL

party, not His evidence sums Party. up the experience primarily of the years 1909-11, which confirmed the 1908." resolution December OI Works, Volume 17 (Collected p225) What then, about Lenin's repeated calls to unity, vaunted by

IMG?

The fight tor unity carried on by Lenin was inseparable from the fight for clarity on real differences. viewer en unity attach he described attacked SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday March 24th, 1976 "[placing] in the forefront the "reconciliation" of "given persons, and institutions The groups identity on Party ot their views work, on the policy of that work is a secondary matter. One should try to keep silent about differences of opinion and not to elucidate their their significance, their objective conditions..... Live and 'conciliation" is live. is philistine which inevitably leads sectarian TO Vol parallels in today's IMG and 'The process of unification does given persons, subordinating them, rejecting those of them who do not understand or who do not want to effecting changes, reshufflings and regroupings within the old factions, of reaction, the In reunification of the two wings of yutati necessary step for the preservation party, which is hostile both to the (Collected Works, Vol

NUCLEUS

Of if Lenin had not course Bolshevik regarded the faction as operating as a party there would have been no nucleus arond which forces from Menshevism could have been won. Indeed to look back over these of "faction" turbulent years struggle we only draw the can conclusion of Lenin - that for certain periods a formal agreement for while for the unity existed, most part the two tendencies with organised themselves without the opposed name as parties. This too was the verdict of the

SWP

leader James P. Cannon, in 1953 when he drew the lessons from the Bolshevik experience as part of the fight against the liquidationist politics of the International Secretariat: Zinovier "The /workers/ presented the simplest argument: the more of us the better. It was only with difficulty, by learning the lessons that history taught, that the working masses digested the there are fact that when to split is the sacred, obligation of a revolution.

* 240k, 1976

SOCIALIST PRESS,

"Dida't be (Lenia] Mensheviks 25 the rehicke of faction i 1903, the workers' faction and didn't that though the hard and fast faction all the way up to the retolution? Not entirely. The taction of Lenin which split with Lenin the Mensherik 1903, in and subsequently had negotiations with sought to them all times united was political surery with them in a single party, but tendency to democratic neverthelegs remaied faction, was a faction only in its outward jorm. In the essence of the matter, the nucleus of the Bolshevik Party of the October Revolution the Lenin Bolshevik faction. was a party. And the proof of the fact that it was a party and not an repeated public exclusive faction of Lenin divisions on was that

DIU

within the Bolshevik faction there their

QUILAL

members. were different tendencies. There Democratic left centralism, were wing and right wing remind the just Bolsheriks. At times some of them openiy polemicised with Lenin. The Bolsheviks even had splits and debate. It reunifications among themselves.....

method to discipline Lenin's faction was it reality in the of the party, party." (Speeches the Party to p. 186, emphasis added). majority, party Cannon the sums But the inG Writes position party quite clearly. of the working know this already! Why then have class. they put together a wong position article Faction or Party?

their the IMG Because the IMG leaders are quite who daily determined separate organis- Transitional cogent ational questions from politics.

formulation:

SELF CONTRADICTORY

education. To attempt to justify this, they The revolutionary inner use arguments which patently con- structure Fourth Inter- They cite tradict their Lenin the split of democratic centralism; full to was on organisational questions: freedom complete "It was precisely after the Plenary meeting of 1910 that the this fight for above mentioned chief publications of the liquidators Nasha Zarya and Mandel Dyelo Zhizni, definitely turned to utionary cadre. And by stepping liquidationism all along the line, aside from this they cut themselves 'belittling (contrary not only still further from pos- darl Ine the decision of the Plenary meet- sibility of a working class base.

ing) the importance of the illegal This is both a political and an party", but openly renouncing it, organisational question. declaring the party "Opportunism programme is already liquid- that the Party was naturally connected with opportun- ated.... calling upon the workers to irg nations one Step Forward.

regard the nuclei of the Party and organisation"./One Forward, "dead", hierarchy as etc". Iwo Steps Back p. 193). (emphasis added).

IMG,

these political differences? One member

BAG

publicly advocates winding up the The IMG's scorn for this organic party the other members are link prepared to die to detend it. By politics is an expression of their what stretch of the imagination can conception of a party. For them it this be described organis- of as an conglomeration largely ational question? autonomous factions - a kina oi Have not the different political elastic sided bag which stretches to assessments of the liquidator placed accomodate every twist and turn of him organisationally outside the the membership, with room for all patty in all but the most tormal, wlaN literal interpretation? It is a "united" which is party able to move only in the manner of rugby scrum unpredictably,

DISCIPLINE?

with pushing each tendency different (and often opposing) directions, only half realising where More tangibly, if IMG members "ball" is that they are seeking!

the preduced a newspaper, or This can only continue under Guardian that the IMG was the conditions of the propagandist "dead", and others began advocat- limitations of the

IMG

Cannon ing winding up independent your correctly pointed to this, writing in would you be content to 1953: brand them as "in breach of dis- cipline"

CIRCLE

itical motivation for such action??

seek the "A propaganda circle which has no intention of taking part in any see that "organisational" actions - and that is the central, ferences are merely a reflection governing feature of such of deeper-seated class political ormation, as distinct from a party..

positions they emerge in the has even less use for the Leninist practice of the This is movement. system of democratic centraism. why from 1903 Lenin attacked the ingle progremine. even programmes. combat and strictly ne Paroy to. 284, (Speeches to Party principles thus sloppy, reflects the its leadership. praising up outweigh Unity in the revolutionary be must on "democracy" mean of without its "united iront" are an opportunist diplomacy with whatever around. In addition, have become entrenched and case-hardened they the most passing oilly Ieveal- greater abomin- in the political auton movement permanent faction. demoralise the life of a more

DOLLY

the Party p. 185). else. faction happens control party that very fact isation of and and there is no (p. 187). which acts more as coalition than a party, thing but the Socialist lecture League (or else) about

PABLO'S HERITAGE

The liquidationist political heritage of Pablo, whose wrong opportunist politics led corrupt, bureaucratic organisational combined with internal weaknesses post-war Trotskyism to destroy the Inter- national Secretariat as an organising centre in 1953) can still be seen IMG's in lne attacks on Bolshevism, and the pliant adaptations of the USFI. Our next article will take up some the unresolved political questions from the 1953 split and the so-called "principled reunificat- ion" with the SWP in 1963.

BACK ISSUES

TROTSKYISM TODAY

Theoretical Supplement to Socialist Press Back copies available including WSL International Perspect- "Fourth International: Iyes: Problems and Tasks" Available from WSL, 3 London NS THR Dartmouth Park Hill,

LETTERS

welcome Letters publication readers. should be kept as brief às possible.

Send to the editor, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, London

NWSTHP

IS RIGHT TO WORK CAMPAIGN

"NOT A

When

WSL

members in ner on File "was the politics are The IS. the ten of the march, one of which reads "no to But at a all participation schemes".

recent conference of the so-called carworker 'rank and file' group the policy adopted was to work within participation schemes (ie "no' to participation - unless the employer wants it!).

OPPORTUNISM

follows on first of the pushed order to of any by. _saying fight for the leave the challenged. It is, the Labour working class. politically ec and the Callaghan, yor these right- "left" wing. Labourites leadership contest is They will not challenge the workers). Heffer both the other last voted for motion of confidence in the economic strategy of the govern-

ABSTAINS

There could not be a better period for exposing both right and eft reformism - but the IS abstain from these questions, pontical descending to pure protest gim- mickry. Their "no politics' position also assists the reformist trade leaders such as Jones and Scanlon whose own politics of cooperating with and supporting the attacks of the capitalist state at present dominate in the unions. The whole perspective of the

POLITICAL

MARCH"

because instead of turning into th trade unions in order to fight then (and in the process of this develop ing a mass based, genuine rank an figh movement where the could begin for revolutionar politics, the IS simply want to g together a few individual militant and then direct them into separat committees outside the fight in th unions.

TRADES COUNCILS

setting up of committees by Trade unior bodies to deal with the problem o hi Unions outlined the main fight it unions in the present epoch canno simply be the organs of democracy were in the epoch of fre neutral that is, limit themselves to servin ie, ignore the decisiv influence of the state on the life o the objective conditions leave no roon for any serious and lasting reforms caT serve as secondary instru ments of imperialist capitalism for the subordination and disciplinins of workers and for obstructing the revolution, or, on the contrary, the the movement of the proletariat". (p9).

REACTIONARY

position and leads to the Right to Work March and Rally being only Socialisi Worker says, it is an 'anger march'.

when the call for ation propaganda demand consciousness of the working class socialist isation' on its own in no way brings in demands that develop workers' control in preparation for workers'

"MILITANCY'

The other demands such as a 35-hour week are just trade union demands and effectively imply that that is needed is to be 'more militant. The IMG show that they accept fully this positon of IS when in Red Weekly they merely attack the protest nature of the march ignor ing the bankruptcy of programme not even mentioning political banners were not allowed ou cue march The IS, by refusing to focus hostility workers' to unemploy- ment on the central political issues facing the working class, and by avoiding any fight beyond trade union militancy, have ensured that their march will do nothing to resolve the crisis of leadership and the real problems of The nayt nawad

NO CONFIDENCE IN

WILSON POLICIES!

the actions of these 37 MPs — who abstained on the one day, but who loyally trooped in to vote to uphold Wilson's econo branches the day before Wilson's resignation from the Labour leadership was announced. The statement is an assessment of the new questions arising from the Parliamentary defeat of the Labour government brought about by the abstention of 37 left-wing Although press attention since Wilson's resignation has (to the obvious relief of the lefts') very much shifted away from leadership elections. The very fact that the 37 have again "abstained" rather than stand a candidate in opposition - we are convinced that these political questions are in no way altered by the present hullabaloo of 10 MPs on the vote to endorse the White Paper proposing Healey's spending cuts.

strategy the next day. policies shows the accuracy of the political assessment in the statement.

The defeat of the Wilson vernment in Parliament last inesday, 10th March marks the fight for ew stage in It aking class leadership. s a reflection of the growing and opposition entment roughout the working class this government and its ctionary policies. The present Labour government elected under normal aditions. It was thrust into power the movement of mass king class which, spearheaded miners, forced the hated the ath government to resign in 1974, and returned a шагу ority Labour government.

RESISTANCE

two key factors: on the one hand historic depths collaboration by the TUC leaders, who residin over and dvocating the biggest-ever cut i working class living standards in this country, without a single voic of principle raised against; and the other, the spineless capitulation the sharp of 80 Teft MPs. Issue

ULI

Tribune' group refused at any point who have fight for the removal of the Wilson-Healey leadership, to challenge the betrayals of the TUC leader.

VOTED FOR

returned speed up, and Healey Budgets, of which has working class into the of private of timid bleats employers. of and placing import faith in the Enterprise to

RAILMEN

The cringing capitulation of

TUC

"lefts' both

TRUN

But the developing resistance of working mer in the railwaymen's the pay betrayals strongest

TUC

The solid strike in which both and "guidelines" Linwood ernment and even action at leadership

TUC

itself were a 30% hed aside and

NUM

ease forced through. From then on Chancellor Healey the militant pits overtime of Region am to turn even more openly to action described as " Тогу cies" curb the wage His most powerful ally week and were with great T&GWU leader by Jack Jones. difficulty forced thrargeh acceptance of the

ASLEF

and for iroluntary support rictions rallies against which ediately made enforceable all the Wilso the social are the same time a sharp turn ley started consciously to create pool of unemployed the working class the has now topped 1½ million, The Parliamentary upheavals of on its way towards 2 million.

last week were just a pale reflection

WORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE: NATIONAL COMMITTEE STATEMENT

Benn and Heffer for the first time in any numbers abstained on the vote for Healey': White Paper of social services spending cuts and hand-outs to industry. They did not of course take the correct position and vote but their these proposals, action still caused a Parliamentary defeat for Wilson. But rather than press home the political lessons of this defeat and withdraw all support from Wilson "lefts' this issue the then on trooped next day into the lobbies to vote confidence in Healey's strategy! This simply restored the contents of the White Paper, and contirmed to Wilson yet again that the lefts' are no serious opposition.

WRONG

We the "left' MPs must be supported in having given (though they should have opposed it); but they were absolutely wrong next davison's policies to reverse this stand by confidence which will now prop up still longer this reactionary Labour defeated in Parliament on such

CONTIRE

rest entrory result of sutco a strugale, this would Wilson betrayals and attacks on the working class, not the fault of those Indeed the removal of Wilson take the whole struggle for working class leadership to a new far higher the Tunn This process would do far more to strengthen the working class and develop leadership revolutionary even under Tory government, than of opportunist It now seems clear that the days government are numbered. of this Tories, The thriving on the of demoralisation Labour _under Wilson and its supporters subordination to the complete interests of industry and the. bankers, are confident they could They are now preparing the right and defeat Homela Inove Wilson. It is precisely now that the fight to drive the Wilson-Healey leadership out of the labour movement is so crucial. Until this place this government will continue to create confusion and frustration in the working class. There are other stirrings which indicate that if the "lefts' did now launch an all-out drive to defeat the cuts and expel Wilson, they would find firm support among the most of workers. The militant sections

NUM

calls last week from the

ASTMS

receit rud to discuss the pay recalled laws indicates the growing unease of the bureaucracy faced with restraining the mass movernent. these would new conditions we support the call for a recall TUC - insisting it discuss a programme of Wilson's opposition attacks. The fight for the sliding scale of work-sharing full pay, on sliding of public and scale spending could then be focussed on national the union bureaucracy. Foot - forced to withdraw Industrial, Relations Court But the latest events highlight leadership the fight for in the Labour Party. Our demand for a recalled Labour Party Conference is more vital than ever to expose the "lefts' refusal to carry through the Wilson and their fight against complete lack of alternative programme. These demands for us flow from the new turn in the situation. They be not generalised slogans to bandied about indiscriminately, like the WRP's "Bring down the Labour Government!", or the IMG call for separated from any a recall

TUC,

programme of demands. These new events make all the more vital a clear fight for principle and alternative policy the leadership of to win workers in the coming period, in with and contlict opportunism. SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday March 24th, 1976

ABC

BAKERY

CLOSURE

of Announcement the closure of

ABC

(Aerated Bread Co.) bakery has brought the final death nearer industry the London in Borough of Camden. workers are being told at a Tall sale of cakes that in the of the (itself an effect capitalist crisis on workers' buying power) means that more than 300 must go the dole! Workers Socialist League members in Camden are campaian ing for a real struggle by the trade

WSL

leaflets issued last week explained how capitalist rational- isation destroys jobs.

ABC

Camden not just one 18฿ Bakery in trouble. ABC is part of the Allied Bakeries Group - which controls bakeries and 2355 shops and restaurants in the UK.

Allied Bakeries, in turn, is just Associated British Foods. As well as Allied Bakeries, ABF controls the 842 Hine Fare supermarkets and shops, a chain of supermarkets Ireland, 1n flour mills, Iwining tea and coffee houses throughout Europe. and more. It has 77,000 workers in Britain alone.

SHARES

Who Associated British UWIls Foods? Most of the shares are held by Wittington Investments Ltd., a huge food empire alsc controls the "millionaires' grocer" Fortnum and Masons in Piccadilly Bakeries chain, and the Sunblest besides massive holdings in the food Australia, New Zealand and South Africa Wittington owns And Investments? That company is com- Betely Garcla multi-millionaire Garfield Weston and his family! Weston has already closed down Welwyn, Ply- bakeries in Acton, He is mouth, Sheffield and York. closing ABC because - he says - it lost him £158,000 last year.

But in 1975, Associated British Foods announced after-tax profits £20 than And more over £5 million of that was given away to shareholders. Just 3% of what was handed over to those shareholders would ABC's loss and wiped out saved more than 300 jobs!

But the capitalist system exists for profits not workers' needs.

MODERN

Weston, hand This is why in with his list of closures, is hand opening bakeries with more new modern machinery and less labour, on the outskirts of London.

The Bakers' Union has complete- caved in to the bosses, and is ly doing nothing to protect its mem- They told us, "We are bers' jobs. forced to recognise the realities of We can't the economic situation. for

ABC

make case keeping open". The workers at ABC are angry and frustrated, but this sort of line has also created demoralisation It is possible to wage a successful fight for jobs in cases like ABC, but only with policies which come to grips with the nature of the crisis and take the struggle for a socialist alternative. reformist trade union bureaucrats be fought and must pushed aside if they refuse to defend the workers' interests.

The answer is not to close the bakery, produce workers want and need, instead of defending the profits of multi- millionaires! the books of ABC to a Open. of committee trades unionists. Whose pockets did the Labour food government's subsidies into? What about Associated British Foods and Wittington Investments?

Take the profits out of food. Fight for the nationalisation of the food induct under workers

SOCIALIST PRESS Metres Monot tit 15!

TUC RULE 14

policy. This policy includes support for by the Labour government.

bureaucratic leadership.

WORKERS SOCIALIST

LEAGUE

OXFORD AREA

Oxford Trades Council march against the cuts At their recent AGM, the Camden Trades Council easier soundly defeated the impos- ition of the TUC's gag 'Model on pay policy Rule 14' by a vote of 37 to 31. The vote came after much main discussion of the risk of disaffiliation by the TUC.

meeting It was clear that a battle would March have to be waged against the force, having which agenda bulcauciacy embraced all forces in the trade

OXFORD MARCH

DEFIES

RIGHT WING

Over 150 trade unionists, students and housewives join- ed the demonstration against • a Stalinist the cuts called by Oxiord Trades Council last week - the to attend" best such march through the town for several years. The was have also strong response vindication of the Trades Council's decision to defy the organised dis- ruption and sabotage of its work by Stalinist delegates unions" right-wing and (as reported in Socialist Press 29) and ahead with action against the cuts. The day before the march, over 40 delegates turned out to a well- attended Trades Council meeting and voted overwhelmingly to reject calling a TUC letter "advising" the Council to cease operations until the verdict they well of a TUC inquiry into its affairs was present, known. The same meeting further decided to proceed in one month with its Annual General Meeting, The February disrupted in right-wing and CP delegates walked out led bv rades Counci President Joe Richards, ( while 37 delegates Party. remained in the meeting. The frenzied antics of a bloc of Stalinists and right wing to prevent

TOPICSION

any leadership being given in the fight against social service cuts and Move to strangle Trades Councils Seven London Trades Councils have now voted to reject the reactionary 'Rule 14' which the TUC have attempted to impose, which would have the effect of shackling Trades Councils hand and foot to TUC wage cutting and unemployment at present being carried through- Main advocates of the new Rule are the Communist Party Stalinists, who, from being the main targets of Kule 14 in the 1930's are now the main prop of the right wing in the TUC.

This new rule is the latest in a series of blows against union democracy from a corrupt and reactionary

MOXFORD AND

DISTRICT

TGWU,

HE HA

56473 BINE TRADES

COWLEY:

A'OPPOSE

C4

UNITI

AS STAr

FIGHT ON IN CAMDEN

union movement prepared to fight against the TUC's attempt to make to put issues to the vote!

their collabor- reactionary brandishing ation with the Labour government and public spending. But the Stalinists of the Com- the TUC. munist Party, who in Camden were supporters of the

TUC

on Rule 14, did not give up. At the of the trades council on they were back struggle put the question on there Stalinists also refuse to do this).

despite heavy oppos- ition on the executive committee, forth the they did succeed struggle to a national level.

inability to branches to be can only send accept Rule 14. redundancies have continued in the Militants in intervening period. must organise While on the one band Richards Stalinist bloc the they deserve. - has made repeated press statements as Trades Council President calling on delegates "not Trades constitutional Council meetings, iocal bureaucrats and centrally the NUPE leadership the

WRP

member attempted erect Council, who direct rival to the Trades Council in counted with the form of a so-called "joint trade union committee of public service independent working class! In every one of these manoeur- res the narrow base of support on which the right wing and Stalinist local bureaucracy rest within their

FOOTNOTE

branches is exposed. This accounts for their fright at the very idea of contempt growing protest demon- ponte i stration or rally. They know all too democracy no policies there are forces Union Alliance coming forward in the town This conference pre- pared to challenge for leadership.

trade union of the Trades delegates but

SUCCES

delegates elected from Counci demonstration under these conditions is a crucial blow against Book the right wing and the communist tials at ine To defend themselves they admission, this was given. are now forced to resort to even bureaucratic lengths in the of trade union democ- group calling racy, and in attempts to smash the unparallelled Oxford Trades Council. morement. Dear Colleague, Standing Orders for a Trades Council dealt with below. Optional Clause on Disruption by Delegate the membership, optional clause which reads: Trades Council to decide.

Model Rule 14 on Proscribed organisations.

n relation

MUNCIL

The Conne Parthe General declared Congress policies It is TUC responsibility of carrying out policiese mitter to predecided by tay a 88000 0 ư00 v at whose meeting they refused even The Stalinists tried scare tactics, Parties which they claimed threatened immediate ex- clusion of the Trades Council from They shed crocodile tears over the rule, and tried to push the fight against it off into the trade union branches. (Of course it is important but the too, @ decision of Consress and CATCs therefore reads: Even so, they were unable to call two-thirds majority needed to adopt the rule; although suppressing discussion of a motion to set up an action committee to contact other trades councils and try to carry the It now emerges that despite their sway the Trades Council, the Stalinists are organis- inch a bren states that the bated circulated delegates if they the Camden area to give the

TUC/

massive defeat Indeed, the Stalinists seemed to have complied with TUC registration requirements.

have little support except for their own members and the right wing.

A scandalous exception to this was of the Trades stood be the in their attempt to help the TUC suppress initiatives in As working class opposition to Labour's policies mounts, Further indication of the WRP's the TUC desperately tries to for even the limit and hold back any real elements of workers resistance. was Sunday's confer- ence of their front, the "All Trades This is the meaning of the new Rule 14 which the had invited instructed Trades adopt. branches to send Murray's letter (reprinted above) when of the the NUJ makes it condition

TUC

Branch arrived with creden- door, he was refused Councils accept Rule 14. Under this rule, Trades Councils are prevented though no reason for from cooperating with any organ- This kind of behaviour from a isation whose policies run contrary to those of the TUC. Delegates can itself Trotskyist in today's workers' be banned as "disrupters ight against these policies.

THE NEW

BLACK

CIRCULAR

Proscribed Organisations The 1975 Congress approved revisions to Rule 14 of the Model Rules and optional clause on disruption by delegate. A cori of one present odd Rules is proscribed change of principle or of TUC The present rules and advice along with the revisions adopted by Congress are At the lannoum lever trades Gownels are currend ave co acost an oowonal nue babe to acert oceem as or cedars on trace thon brances ru are member or hae Commans or sees canes оотапогедатоп bsorber the Gene Conn eed < ÷ des colmals dont conlenave committee took the wew chat alerie unionists acting in the best interests of the trade union movement should nave the the theretore been denter kongrang that in place of the existing optional clause in the Model Rules there should be substituted a new "'The Council has the right to refuse to issue credentials to, or to withdraw credentials from, a delegate who ha isrupted the work of the Trades Council.'

Whether or not a Trades Council has an optional clause is a matter for each to the organisational level, Model Rule 14 for Trades Councils be adopted by all Trade. Dau Councils (and CATCs) recognised by the TUC. stated "In no circumstances shall to the co•operate wirn or sudseroe Ids on me communist o Fascist rarties, or any subdalary organisations or these rares, or any maustra organisation which has been proscribed by the General Council.

Fascist rarties or a ust ol presenbed organisations because the titles oI such bodies). One he 1950s the faterpretation of what was meant by the Co monst time to time (but not necessarily the personnel of such organisations orgartsations which were closely identified with the views and policies of that Counch and the ICCC recognised that in recent years other political parties and groups and unofficial trade union bodies have emerged whici direst ore directe out de the or ruote Trades Count inter got thee.

oun unions and the TUC, and adopt and pursue policies which are contrary to noł , as local agents of Congress have the Congress policy way unofficial organisations which pursue lodel Rule 14 has therefore been revised to take account of the existence an Specific reference to the Communist and Fasci Revised Model Rule 14: Political and Industrial Organisations he remed mode cue 1e on consca ana ladusan Oransacons brica. t nust now be included in the rules of all Trades Counci piles of site are costary to fine of Cones t funds of

LIONEL MURRAY

General Secretary. Our Answer Cuts Committees, which con- tinue to . spring up all over the to country opposition govern- ment spending cuts, are clearly one of the main targets. These attempts by the right- wing and their Stalinist allies to sabotage working class resistance to

TUC

have Councils the government's policies must be LU fought on every Trades Council and in every union branch.

of

WSL

members delegated recog- Trades Councils calling for a that Trades national conference of those Trades Councils order to co-ordinate the fight back against the right-wing. We call on all militants to take if they up this cal! in their Own uniso branch or Trades Council.

SNAKE BITES LIRA

12 It seemed from last week's adlines that every currency capitalist Europe was ing devalued, and that with crumbling the was sition of their govern- -nts. The European "snake',. tying of the the value the atschmark in attempt ablish a monetary bloc for the Market, coiled out of 1180011 atrol. A wave of speculation, starting London, passed to Paris and iftly moved south to inundate - political situation in Italy.

Although the pound is not part the 'snake, the attack on its triggered was gerian and Middle Eastern sel- • of sterling assets, and for the time drove its value below symbolic two dollars mark, ckly placed other weak dencies in the front line.

French state reserves of foreign hange dramed away as selling i the franc, and at the beginning Giscard WeeK staing midnight empt to negotiate joint of aluation the franc and valuation of the Deutschmark - * forced out of the 'snake'.

From there the pressure moved Rome. As the delegates to the Islington Cuts Conference Delegates from 20 local con branches, four Labour ty wards, Tenants Associat- is, political and community ups passed a fighting prog- ame at the recent confer- of the Islington te impaign Against the Cuts.

The programme in its final form luded the following demands: to it for increases in public expen- re and wages to keep pace with ation; the election of "open the investigate plans of Islington local Area Health anci and the ent to car or me or sell offset unemploy- at; and the demand that the 'lefts' fight for a recalled

OUT

aference of the Labour Party in position to the cuts

RECALL

Much of the discussion centred and the demand for a recalled bour Party conference and the ed to put demands on the 'lefts' right-wing fight to remove the dership. opposition to this there was interesting line up between on hand those supporting ank-and-file" politics and hither Win pen two people from the Ethical All Trades ion Ailiance". These latter also unsuccessfully posed an amendment to delete call on councillors and MPs to this programme, and to for ate the demand for a programme public works monitored by com- ¿tees of trade unionists.

amendment instead, located the usual WRP propa- da demands for nationalisation the means of production ed with making the Wilson No hint emment resign. was to who was to fight for as or how such a struggle could developed in the Labour move-

ACTION

Proposals for action to fight the • came from the second session.

To begin the fighr in the sectors housing, social services (includ- the 5's), health under 21141 cation, the first action is to be a national congress of the Christian Democrats the vast menagerie which does service Italy's political party main capitalist converged the city, massive on selling hit the lira, driving its total devaluation against the dollar to over 30% since the beginning the year. Thus operations became necessary -ot the lira or the one hand, and of the minority Aldo Moro government, (lacking parliamentary support since the withdrawal of the Socialist Party 'centre-left' the coalition) Irom on the other.

ITALIAN ROAD

And central to the rescue ot Italian capital was the Communist Party, Stalinist leadership newly returned from proposing an 'Italian road' Moscow. to socialism' What this 'road, means took form in the labyrinth- ine 'debates' Christian among in Rome's Democratic *Palace of Sport'. In the presence of a strong CP Christian Demo- delegation the cratic magnates (their ranks sadly and recent bribery scandals!), set about corruption the intricate necessary to arrange just the right Council on Tuesday 23rd March they on next where TOlE year's budget, cuts included.

The major role being played nationally by the Communist Party - trying to hold back any struggle in defence oi social services, jobs living standards - was shown in the fight for this Cuts Conference.

SABOTAGE

The CP-dominated Trades the Council has tried to sabotage Campaign since last October when they it going beyond their protest limits. support the wold not delegate conference. when sunbort for the conference was called London NUT for in North the the branch, executive ruled it "out-ot-order" - as the Trades Council did not sup- port it! the CP-dominated Feder- Even ation of Tenants Associations back- tracked on a previous decision to support the conference and attack- ed those who wished to attend.

The shown the support conference now gives the possibility of further intervening on a concrete fighting programme organisations class

WOKE

Islington and removing this present leadership. A national demonstration is being organised by the National Coordinating Committee against the Cuts in the NHS (formerly the Medical Committee Against Private together with Practice)

NALGO.

organised in op- It has been position to all the proposed cuts National Health the Service, and other Public Services and is calling for the abolition of private practice. of the demon- The weakness stration is the lack of political directive. There are no slogans which criticise the 'left' MPs who are not willing to fight the right- wing the present administration.

WSL.

will give The however. full support to this important demonstration fighting the cuts in the nuhli, rawings Wa roll an al forms Stalinist support for a cabinet which can press on with working class the attacks on the necessary to underwrite the lira.

POPULAR FRONT

The essential political formula was hammered out on the anvil of the crisis popular

CUNCILY

front in content, but with a form Communist Party to conserve the leadership for future use.

night of March 17th-18th Prime Minister Moro completed a rapid round of political "consultations', CP with leader Enrico Berlinguer. The following day he announ- and interest ced savage tax 1ale protect the lira, increases to the including price nike of petrol to over £I a gallon.

Berlinguer bowed to both left With the trade union and right. calling token organisations Thursday, he general strike for acknowledged the economic crisis 'grave'; but at the same was time he gave roundabout author- to the government 'package" ity his distance from the by taking call from fellow Stalinist earlier chief of minane minister Smili Emilio minister tinance 101 Colombo. And at the Christian Demo- cratic Congress this arrangement

POLICE ATTACK

We reprint below extracts from the Socialist workey account of the police attack on the Right to Work March. "The marchers, having arrang-

MARCH ON

APRIL 25th! our members and supporters to attend this demonstration. The main slogans will be: No to the cuts! End private practice! Open the books! For a sliding scale of spending!

Call Labour Party emergency and TUC conferences! will The demonstration assemble at 12.30 pm on Sunday 11th. April at Hyde Park Corner Square for a marly at 4.00 pala march Trafalgar

SOCIALIST PRESS

£500 Monthly Development

FUND

Please send all donations to: 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, London NW5 1HR. SOCIALIST PRESS, Wednesday March 24th, 1976 not survive more than a minute without their support - and all this without even a handful of seats in a cabinet! Italian politics are not was clear. The formed in Rome government CriSiS brought to a head by a currency crisis throughout Europe.

With the open splits exposed at the Congress the

• CPSU

in it poses before French Moscow, Spanish, as well as Italian and began to take on more perman- the reality of CP support workers, ent shape. minority faction for capitalist governments in the round Amintore Fanfani, who led near future. the party through virulently anti-communist local elections last summer, spoke campaign against CP entry into the Cabinet.

But CD party secretary Zaccagnini picked up the suggest- ion that for the time being the minority Christian Democratic should continue

SOYCINCHL

office, but that it should contin- ually renew its sunport through a series of semi-official 'consul- tations the opposition all the parties, including above stalinists. To which the CP replied? Not 'yes, but on the other hand, not precisely 'no'! Far from calling to force immediate general election, and a bloc with the other Kremlin boss Brezhnev working class parties the Christian Democials Stalinist commented And the latest Italian "solution' leadership agreed by that Zaccagnini's address was: could not have been "The serious speech of a man the leading Christian Democratic conscious of the severity of the factions without the unofficial crisis, and who does not wish to US State of the disguise with rhetoric the respon- Department, which allowed it to sibility of his party' understood in washington ast Thus the Stalinists declared week that - opposed to a their intention to tie the workers' CP. - it formal coalition with the bourgeois movement to the saw alternative more to a parties, and at the same time prop public political 'agreement to which differ' with them. Coverien for 15 minutes they came back down the ramp and turned into the Edgware Road, heading south.

The police were in confusion.

ed to meet building workers at the Some calling the marchers were huge stables Corner ivover forward, others telling them to sile, arrived at about 2.30 pm, walking stop. (....)Suddenly, up a ramp to the site. Frank Jones, After talking to the workers who was carrying one side of the lead banner, felt a tremendous blow to his head. "My glasses fell to the ground" he said. "They were smashed'.

(......) The march reassembled.

Campaign Secretary John Deason hailer and sad: 'Let's hope the police can be more disciplined'. (...) Attack No. 2. Suddenly off police their charged out of a coach parked across the street, just outside the West Hendon police station.

They rushed straight at the There was another violen fight. Five people were arrested. march reassemb ed and moved off. It went over the North Circular Road. (.....) The police bus whizzed past the marchers and parked sideways across the road outside the Smiths Industries factory. Then came Attack No. 3. on both sides of the march. up march. An inspector Get shouted: the guy in the middle. Two groups of police converg- ed from both sides, clearly aiming for John Deason, who was in the centre. This time they were wielding truncheons witnour mercy.

42 marchers were arrested Detail of the police attack and this by a police force which was said a radio culetins to be (Photo: Socialist Worker).

outnumbered four to one! Publication Fund The publication last week of The Battle for Trotskyism, the first of our series of books and pamphlets scheduled for publication, is a big step forward for the WSL.

And alongside this development we to our special appeal for £500 in a have had a strong response special Publications Fund to be collected by Mayday.

we have received: Islington £27; Since we last to Dress

WCEL

London(South) £11; Liverpool £10; Oxford (BLMC Assembly) £17 Oxford (BLMC Body) £ 13.85; Oxford (General) £14.50; London (Central) £20; Birmingham £5; Leamington £1; £5; Coventry Nuneaton £2; S. Yorkshire £6; Portsmouth reader £1.80; London readers £4.00; London Collections £5 Total received since last edition: S143.15, Total so far: E232 35; Publications donations Dartmouth Park Hill, London NW5 1HR.

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