Crisis hits Kremlin plan

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The USSR's refusal to give 'satisfactory assurances' is not based on any principled opposition to economic nationalism.

From figures revealed to a meeting of the Supreme Soviet in December, it appears that the Soviet econoiy in 1977 has had its lowest growth rate since 1945.

The national product grew by only 3%, the worst sector A comparative handful of workers at Fords were given slight concessions until a relatively weak group of public sector workers, like the firemen, could be picked off by government and TUC alike.

Throughout these struggles the method of approach fought for by the Workers Socialist League started clearly from the objective needs of the working class.

Foremost requirement remains to mobilise the full strength of the working class against its treacherous bureaucratic leaders, in order o. break the Lib-Lah coalition and wage control, and prepare a revolutionaty Bitter opponents Throughout the THE, Desoutter and Grunwick struggles in particular, we have fought to expose the role of the bureaucracy, and to direct workers towards lobbying key union committees that stood as obstacles to their struggle.

Most bitter opponents of such a course were the Stalinists of the Communist And it was the Stalinists who were most thorpughly exposed when Desoutters strikers pressed ahead and lobbied the North London AUEW District Committee for a district levy and blacking action.

Suspended

Leading Stalinist George Anthony opposed a strike levy-even while parading around as a main CP speaker on Grunwick.

Similar lessons on the nature of their "leaders were learned when • Grunwick strikers lobbied the TUC, only to be suspended by the APEX bureaucracy, -.. and threatened with expulsion if they called a mass lobby.

Despite these attacks Jack Dromey, the darling of the CP and the International Marxist Group, has continued being agriculture which declined by 5% instead of growth by 10% as planned.

Next year's target has also been scaled down which means that the targets of the present 5-year plan cannot be achieved by the target date of 1980.

Serious setback

This is a serious setback for the Soviet bureaucracy.

And its seriousness is Scanlon met by Desoutters stri to divert away from the fight against the bureaucracy.

Meanwhile the Socialist Workers. Party's policy of rank and fileism continued to ignore the need to defeat the bureaucracy if the full power of the working class is to be unleashed.

In their calls for rank and file "solidarity" the SWP have been joined over the last year by the "unity at all costs" merchants of the International Marxist Group.

Yet the whole experience of recent struggles indicates that only when the focus is firmly on the question of leadership do workers make real gains.

The firemen's lobby visibly shook the TUC leaders to their roots, and virtually split them down the middle, with 17 voting for the firemen.

Stand exposed

This opens new possibilities for demands on the 17 to bring out their own members on their pay claims slogan; and better means: quality, efficiency, productivity.

Battle of efficiency He called on the trade unions and the youth organisations to join the battle of eificiency and show intolerance towards those who violate discipline.

In other words keep the creative force of the Russian working class under the heel of the Stalinist bureaucracy. ikers picketing AUEW HO or stand exposed as tacit supporters of the 10% policy.

The Workers Socialist League's fight over the last year to direct every struggle towards the central issue of leadership has been completely vindicated by events.

The coming year must see the expansion of the WSL and its work in every area, as the only political force currently capable of offering principled leadership and an independent programme to the working class.

Fight

We must intensify our fight against wage control and for cost of living clauses to protect against inflation, against speed-up, • sackings.

unemployment and against all forms of 'worker participation'.

In doing so we will at the same time be mobilising the forces necessary to break the Lib-Lab coalition and to fight for the removal of its supporters at every level in the workers' movement.

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emphasised by the fact that PHOTO: John Sturrock, Report DE