PRESS GANG biełow Yekow

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What has Jack Jones in common with Vladimir sian miner? At first glance not a great deal.

Jones is about to retire from the leadership of Britain's largest trade union to occupy his time on quasi Governmental jobs and counting his medals.

Klebanov on the other hand is just setting out as the leader of the tiny "Trade Union for the Defence of Workers" in the Soviet Union.

Yet both were portrayed as heroes on the same day last week (Friday) in the two most reactionary British papers.

In the Daily Express Janice Morley profiled Jones "the man some' say is more powerful than the Prime Minister" under the whimsical title 'Hail and Farewell Emperor Jones"

"With the sober, gold rimmed glasses and silver hair, the jowly jaw and softly wrinkling face, he was set in the mould of an elder man.

"But behind those glasses and inside that suit there stood a cloth capped Liverpool docker with a diamond hard will to die fighting".

After Jones the statesman, comes Jones the unspoiled worker, Jones the family man and finally Jones the patriot.

. "Accused of the sort of idealism that turns into tyranny as in the Soviet Union he returns: I'm a patriot, no-one could call me anything else, who believes in the protection of working people'."

It is that which links us to Vladimir Klebanov. The Daily Mail spotlighted his campaign for an "independent' trade union under the heading of "The real hero of the Soviet Union"

Seen in the distorting mirror of the Daily Mail it is impossible to make an assessment of what the TUDW represents-but it possible to have a shrewd guess.

True Klebanov bases his movement on workers attacked by the Soviet trade unions.

But it is doubtful if his 'union' is based on any direct intervention into the working class.

His appeal-as represented in the Mail-is as an industrial wing of the 'dissident' movement.

Klebanov appeals to the treacherous labour organisations of capitalist countries, applying for recognition to the Geneva-based International Labour Organisation.

He is receiving support not from those who defend the interests of the working class, but from those who see in him a stick with which to beat communism.

Klebanov is on the right road for a Companion of Honour medal-but on a dead end route so far as the Soviet workers are concerned, if they are to throw off the bureaucratic yoke.

The Daily Mail knows that. Neither they nor the Express choose their heroes carelessly.

Of course none of this "left' verbiage-which even extended to an attack on the Liberals- was connected to any kind of attack on Benn's political paymasters-the Callaghan/Healey leadership.

But Tory press commentators have not hesitated to claim that Benn is jockeying for position as a 'left' contender for the party leadershipnext time it comes up for election.

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