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National demonstration against NHS NAC only mobilised a few supporters Shevlin

WEDEMAND

RIki OTH NHS ALICIA VOLEMPST KOON WINT INDEE cuts organised by on this key issue.

politics of National Cuts.

It is fitting that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) should be held in Africa " scene of the recent MPLA victory - because UNCTAD, like all the major 'developation struggles.

The first UNCTAD conference in 1964, was little more than a 13 week party for its newly assembled bureaucracy to get to know each other (there 1S secretariat of over 400!)

MINOR The second, in 1968, resulted in some fairly minor tariff preferences for third world exporters.

The third, in 1972, got nowhere. The present meeting, from May 5th to 28th in Nairobi, is the fourth.

There are two main proposals for discussion. The third world countries are proposing a general buffer stock scheme for primary products.

This involves finance for a body to be set up to buy raw materials and agricultural products when the price is low and sell them when the price is high.

This would stabilize the export earnings of primary producers.

NO THREAT This plan apparentiy poses no real threat to the developed economies.

Traditional capital suffers from huge rises in commodity prices -like the 200% increase that accompanied the mini-boom of 1973-74 complete capitulation to left" social democrats* and fostered illusions in the existing bankrupt leadership of the present day.

The correct attitude socialists should be advancing at the present time is to stress that actually win and defend demo- Only the working cratic rights. And the working class does not defend rights merely through protest and pressure politics or assembling just individuals but through actions collectively organised in its mass organisations.

The WSL does not reject protests against capitalism, but we seek to transform those protests into revolutionary action which educates those involved, showing them the need to destroy the present system.

The WSL will therefore conduct an all out fight against those in the labour movement and those elements from the womens liberation movement who attempt to divert women from the central tasks which face the working class.

Such tendencies attempt to trap women by subordinating class questions to an imagined "womens movement" , splitting women from men, and concealing the fact that there is no perspective for the struggle for womens rights outside the working class struggle for socialism.

"This links in a very material way, since any fight for abortion now must centrally take up the defence of the free health service. The cut backs directly attack the health the me andrance of ossi eresent the maintenance the present inadequate level of abortion done on the NHS.

And to defend the health service wOrKers have to . politically challenge the Labour government and its allies in the TUC who are implementing the cut backs.

We must lead the fight for access to all plans and information on area - as much as it gains from the bottom falling out of the market.

Professional speculators would seem to be the only real losers.

A comprehensive buffer stock scheme would however undermine the powerful influence wielded by the US over certain commodity prices.

The American government holds enormous "strategic reserves of certain commodities, which give it considerable control over their prices.

This explains the greater resistance of the US to these proposals than many other advanced capitalist countries like France, which is more prepared to accept the principles of the proposal.

The other main plan comes from Kissinger. He has proposed an "international resources bank" which would borrow private capital and re-lend it to third world countries to develop extractive industry in exchange for an option on the output.

BLATANT

This is a blatant attempt to ensure supplies of raw materiais for capital. The multi-national have expropriation.

Kissinger's plan provides the benefit of extraction by the multinationals without the risks to the individual firm.

It may well turn out that the only third world country to get anything much out of the conference will be Kenya.

The 2000 delegates and theit hangers-on will provide a boost to Nairobi's tourist industry, badly bit by the rainy season.

151 ministerial speeches in three weeks will probably make them thirsty.

trade unionists, housewives and all users to take over the planning of the health service according to need.

A massive injection of funds is required along with protection against inflation and the nationalisation of the building industry to make possible a programme of public works to build hospitals as well as nurseries, creches, decent housing and more.

Drawing women into such struggles, showing the relation between their particular problems and those of the whole working class is the only way to begin seriously to attack women's oppres sion. We must fight to recruit women into trade unions and to defend part-time workers who are the most vulnerable in crisis.

The Labour bureaucracy remains an obstacie to the organisation of women workers and attempts to use the crisis (and the equal pay legislation) to set male against female workers.

This is why, despite passing as policy the demand for free abortion neither the TUC nor Labour Party leaders have done anything to advance the campaign.

SELECT COMMITTEE

Barbara Castle has even gone along with support for the rotten Select Committee, which only aims to find "evidence" to further restrict women's rights.

We call on Labour MPs to refuse to recognise the Select Committee and throw out any restrictive proposals which emerge from it.

The campaign for free abortion on demand therefore has a responsibility to draw out and link up the class questions and to begin to win broad layers of working women to the fight on every level against the capitalist society which is the instrument of their oppression.

*Reject the attacks on public spending!

*Boycott the Select Committee!

*End private practice!

*Warkers' control of the health

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IMMEDIATE I008 MILLION

ment' agencies, is primarily a response to national liber-

become increasingly wary of invest- ing in the third world for fear of