Fords: Reject 12 per cent'

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Asked outright where the Tribune Group stands on the struggles now taking place against the government's unilateral 10% limit on wage increases, three MPs were degree of support for workers.

Meanwhile an ageing Tribunite Minister Michael Foot calmly surveyed the proceedings from a seat in the back row-possibly talent spotting for Callaghan, or revelling in nostalgia for the days in which he, too, used to talk "left".

Neil Kinnock declared outright that in his opinion, 'Ford workers would and should reject the new offer. which had been raised to 15%.

Kinnock declared himself opposed to government intervention to prevent Fords paying over •If the government picks fights with workers by moves against Kinnock ful not to state support for pay strikes now in progress.

And a mere two days later Kinnock had changed his position considerably, telling a Radio interviewer that the government ought to "be flexible on the 10% norm', and that each case should be viewed on the merits.

A similar two-faced stance was her distance, proclaiming that the wages issue was a 'trade union matter' in which MPs could not play a role.

Skinner, too, though rejecting the 12-month rule and the 10% limit, did so strictly from the sidelines, with no intention of carrying through any fight for such views within the Labour and trade union movement «efts' felt obliged to If the mince their words about the wages struggle, they telt no such constraints in holding torth on general issues where no action seemed likely.

PUBLIC WORKS

Heffer for instance regaled the meeting with demands for a 35 hour week, and a programme of public works to end unemployment, along with the restoration of all cuts. Others nodded ernestly in agreement-but kept quiet on the prospects of such a policy ever being adopted by the CallaghanSteel coalition.

Such unpleasant realities were antu hranoht into the meeting by imperialism, perhaps the most obvious give-away was the presence on the Tribune platform of Stan Orme, until recently a junior minister in Northern Ireland.

Orme in his introduction assured the meeting that despite this role, presiding over the imperialist occupation, at least once a week he was socialist-continuing to attend Tribune meetings.

To make sure he did not forget his socialism he wrote these meetings down in his desk diary!

Orme came in for a continual barrage of abuse from WSL lobbyers demanding he explain his actions in Ireland, and that the other Tribunites separate themselves from him-and remove him from the platform.

But other Tribunites were showing themselves as no better.

Chairman Ron Thomas

particular used the cover provided by the taking of a collection to hold forth in defence of the nationalist policy of import controls, claiming that these were justified because most imports came from Western Europe.

EXCLUDED

Tribunite "internationalism' early excludes solidarity with orkers of Western Europe!

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SOCIALIST PRESS, M'ednesday 12 October 1977 corresponded almost entirely witb their own immediate feelings whe:

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prepared-in the sanctuary of the meeting--to state a limited