[The "official" June 15th NUS national demonstra. Matanzima…]

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The "official" June 15th NUS national demonstra.

Matanzima and democratic rights within South Africa. Moreover the strikes and demonstrations have not been solely against the South African State terror but also against Matansima and his stooges.

When on August 20th this year 266 black students were arrested by police at Mount Frere in the Transkei demonstrating explicitly against independence, Matanzima left no room for doubt as to where he stood. Speaking against the demonstrators he said:

....force will be met by force and criminal behaviour will be extinguished by all means necessary."

So strong was the rejection of independence during the summer demonstrations that chiefs of the other Bantustans wishing, unlike Matanzima, to salvage the last dregs of credibility they might still have in the eyes of the masses announced they would refuse independence even if were offered them.

FIVE VOTES!

Finally, in Soweto. Xhosa workers called to vote at the end of September in the "Transkei General Election" flatly refused to do so.

According to the Financial Times of 30th September "late last night electoral officers reported that the election had been a flop because fewer than five voters had cast their votes at most of the polling stations in the Township."

John In an article entitled "Wanted: Teaching Jobs" ,. the Journal attempts to examine the student teacher occupations which erupted as a spontaneous protest against education cuts - beginning in Scotland, and rapidly covering the whole country.

But the author points out one reason for the Broad Left leadership's refusal to give any national perspective or impetus to the struggle, admitting:

....Some of us have not analysed exactly why we are fighting on the issue of teacher unemployment at all."

Of course there was no confusion in the minds of the student teachers in struggle - they were fighting teacher unemployment because it is the way in which government policy directly attacks them - threatening them with chronic unemployment, and savaging the education system they want to help build.

The only confusion on this question is in the heads of the Broad Left bureaucrats who regard these issues as simply debating points or problems to be avoided by manoeuvres and left' phrases.

Indeed, for the Stalinist leaders of the Broad Left, with their eyes fixed on the prospect of full-time officials jobs in the trade unions, the militancy of students and student teachers is if anything an embarassment as they seek at all costs to avoid disturbing the TUC leaders, whose policies are the mainstay of the government's cuts The result was that as the wave of occupations began to grow -despite continued opposition from the Broad Left - they were eventually forced to step in and give nominal support to the students to regain control of the movement.

THREE WEEKS Only in this way were the Broad Left then able in three short weeks to defuse and call off the occupations - to the audible sighs of relief of the trade union bureauofficial support or leadership to these occupations the early stages!

The occupations in no way flowed from NUS initiative, but from the local action of militant students, who naturally organised to ensure solid action.

The article goes on:

"Yet it was clear that a national focus was needed to pull together the disparate activities of the term up to that time. One day of activity of sufficient magnitude was needed to clearly demonstrate that the campaign was still active and positive at the end of term, but this never happened."

The cynicism here is unbelievable. The reason one big day of action did not take place was because the call from the special Manchester Conference of the NUS for an NUS mobilisation to lobby the Special Congress of the TUC on June 16th was consciously sabotaged by the Broad Left NUS leaders, who defied the conference to call a separate NUS demonstration the day before!

SUBSTANTIAL

The two contingents together would have added up to a substantial turn-out - but the Journal article ignores the June 15th march, and simply stresses the "lack of 'support" for the TUC lobby from Colleges of Education!

*32* and other trade unionists in the fight to stop the cuts.

Such a programme must include:

*Reject all cuts in social service spending. Demand the protection of the social services against inflation by spending figures rising in pace with costs as assessed by elected committees of trade unionists and students.

*To provide the information for those committees, the . current account books, detailed plans, lists of suppliers and creditors of local authorities must be opened to their inspection.

*These figures will confirm the need for the nationalisation of social service supply industries and all private education and health facilities, with their integration into the state system.

*Where these demands ате refused and cuts are to be implemented they must be fought by strikes and occupations with a clear call on the local labour movement for full active support.

*As part of the campaign to defend education and the social services, students must campaign in the NUS for ful active support to the November 17th Day of Action and lobby of Parliament against the cuts, called by the public sector unions, NUPE, NALGO and CPSA (Civil Servants).

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ON REFORMISM