Socialist Press no. 9

REJECT BOSSES

MARKET!

The Common Market is a regroupment of the European employers against the working class. It is a trading block, cre- ated by European capitalists in order to compete more effect- ively with other sections of capital, and to do this by increas- ing the exploitation of the European working class. It was set up in 1957, in the boom period, and incorporated the Europ ean Coal and Steel Community which started in 1952.

Recent developments, such as bringing Britain in and the creation of a tighter common tariff and trade policy, are directly related to the new conditions created by the ending of the boom, the shar- pening of the world crisis of cap- italism ana the regurements of the employers which flow from this - to substantially reduce the living standards of the working class. By the creation of such a block, the ruling class hope to use their strength internationally against a working class which is imposing defeats on imperialism all over the world. In Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos imperialism has been ended.

In Europe the working class are on the offensive and have ended 50 years of fascism in Portugal and 9 years of military dictatorship in Greece.

STRENGTH

This same strength could be seen in France in 1968 when the work- ing class through mass strikes and occupations had power within its grasp. In Czechoslovakia the same year, workers resisted the tanks of the Soviet bureaucracy. In 1969 Italy was paralysed by mass strikes.

The events in France, in partic- ular, were looked upon by every capitalist government with great tear- they were saved only by the betrayals of Stalinism. The govern- ments of France which followed and were influenced by the revol- utionary threat posed by these events, are now the dominant pol- itical force in the EEC. It is because the Common Market is such a basic class issue, involving the history and the future of the European working class, that we urge every worker to wage an all- out struggle for a NO vote on June 5th. sources. These basic political question nvolving the EEC must be spellec out now because the campaign against the market is placed in great danger by the refusal of the Labour 'lefts' to fight. Let us look back briefly at their record: First, on March 26th, the 'lefts'

SOCIALIST

PRESS *

As Benn Diverts Fight Then on May 18th, at a crucial stage in the campaign, Benn made the claim that 500,000 of the curr- ent unemployed are directly attrib- utable to Common Market member- ship. This provided the pertect div rsion for Wilson to use. The capitalist press and the pro-Market of the Tribune group refused to campaign have concentrated on it press for a decision of the National ever since. We are not saying of course that Executive of the Labour Party the Common Market is not creat- (where there is a majority against ing unemployment - it clearly is.

the Market) to commit the party The Common Market is a part of ovalalus lo lue canoad Lor the world crisis of capitalism and JO vote. Even after 2 to 1 suppor therefore cannot be separated from for a NO vote at the Labour Party special conference they still refus- all attacks on the working class, including unemployment. ed to fight this through.

This was the major decision of the campaign. It meant that the party

BENN

machine was neutralised (which would have had enormous influence in the working class, had it been used) whilst Wilson could speak with Benn gives Wilson ammunition because he ignores this and tries to the authority of Government. On top of this unlimited finances were treat unemployment simply as a European issue. This protects Wil- being made available to the pro- Market campaign from business son who is busy creating unem- ployment through the budget and cuts in public spending, as a wea- Next, on April 9th, only Heffer out of 38 ministers who had declared pon against the working class. Benn is also keen to make unemployment themselves against the Market. was prepared to speak against Wilson in a mainly European issue because he accepted Wilson's budget, and me commons acoate. wnen nener was sacked the Tribunites took no therefore attempts to divert away action in his defence - leaving it at from his own row in creating un- the level of an individual protest.

employment in Britain. In reality, of course, all these issues - the budget, public expendi- British Steel redund- ture, nyael, ancies, are all intimately connected with EEC membership. Benn is not the only one who can separate crucial issues. Jack Jones whilst making speeches against EEC Jenkins and Whitelaw jointly campaign for the Market membership, attacks workers who are defending their standard of liv- ing and calls for wage restraint in the national interest. Jones goes on to make proposals which could have far reaching im- plications. He made a call for act- ionally negotiated flat rate increas- es, negotiated between the TUC and the CBI. His proposal not surprisingly was promptly supp- Wilson and the CIl itself.

orted by Therefore Jones, who calls for withdrawal from the EEC, advocates in all other respects policies which are entirely in line with the require- ments of the employers in Britain.

In fact his proposals may well be ased by Wilson as ground work for attempting to introduce some kind of statutory wage control after the referendum. The fight against the EEC there- tore cannot. and must not. be sep arated from the situation which the working class will have to face immediately after the referendum.

The employers are not separating continued back page

FORTNIGHTLY PAPER OF THE

WORKERS SOCIALIST LEAGUE

NO 9 * MAY 29th 1975 * 10p

AUEW

Postal Ballot Defeated The decision of Hugh Scan- Ion to place his casting vote in favour of ending the postal ballot rule was correct and courageous. The even vote, 25 - 25, came at the end of last week's AUEW Rules Rev- ision Conference following the disqualification of the credent- ials of two National Commit- tee members, Graham Healey and John Weakley, both from South Wales. This decision is of great import- ance to the trade union movement and could halt the slide to the right in the AUEW which has taken place since the introduction of postal ballots 5 years ago. It raises the principle that voting requires the minimum involvement in union aff- airs of attendance at a branch meet- ing.

"DICTATORSHIP"

The capitalist press went wild at the decision. Dictatorship had been introduced into the AUEW, they said. Scanlon was attacked from all sides. The employers of course have an interest in wanting to elevate those workers who are union members but not involved in trade union act- ivity. The active worker is the leader on the shop floor. He is involved in the day to day struggle to build and protect the union. He becomes a shop steward, he collects the weekly subscriptions. He is on a different level from the inactive worker, who is more easily influenced by the capitalist press and TV. The trade unions were built by the active, not by the inactive and they will be defended in the same way. This is not to say that the in- active cannot rapidly become active or that he will not respond to lead- ership when it is given - but whilst he remains as he is he can be used and influenced by the capitalist press. This is why the employers want to enlist his support through the postal ballot system.

DEMOCRACY

Democracy becomes meaning ess when the right wing separate it from the building and defending of the unions. It means you can have ar abstract democracy and end up with no union. When democracy means that a worker does not need to go to his branch meeting to vote but can vote at home under the constant influence of the TV screen it becomes downright reactionary.

When the right wing talk about democracy they ignore the fact that democratic rights were won in strug- gle and can only be defended in struggle. They will not be defended by the "leaderships' chosen by the continued back page

Page 2

NATO

SPLIT

Ford and Kissinger's whis- tours of tle stop European fight for the capitals are an attempt to gain a breathing space on a series of acute problems facing US for- Delegate eign policy. Top of the list at which Brussels

NATO

summit the is the problem of meeting Portugal. Portugal is still in NATO des- pite the fact that Communist Party chiefs are at the very centre of the state administration. Portugal's fail- withdraw from NATO un- ure to doubtedly has the approval of the ical differences military policy makers in the Krem- out. Ford, still trying to pick up the vious pieces after Indo-China, is applying strong unofficial pressure on other ortunist

NATO

states to remove Portugal tailed to and admit Spain. Greece's membership of NATO is now more or less token. And the ective extreme right wing Demirel govern- perspectives ment in Turkey is threatening the withdrawal of US military facilities It Kissinger's commuting bet- there. that the Athens and Ankara a week ago failed to heal this breach, while Congress still has not restored the the Irish people, military aid to Turkey, cut off by effective the pro-Greek lobby following the Cyprus invasion, Kissinger was also unable to Gromyko, the promise Soviet foreign minister, when they met last week Abse. any speedy calling of a "European: contained Security Conference" intended to internment ished as they review and re-establish the division of Europe after World War II.

of the

PORTUGAL

and The demonstration a week ago in Lisbon included both the forces between which the Communist Party military kossio sauare. regime in Portugal maintains its delicate balance. The 'democratic' - and effective- ly right-wing - policies of the Social- have provided ist Party leadership umbrella which spreads over both class-conscious

WOKES WILU

are opposed to the Stalinist alliance change with the officers OI Toe Movement, and many Forces reactionary and anti- thoroughly communist elements, who no longer dare show their faces under banners.

to the right of social democracy.

forces - fundamentally These opposed - were temporarily brought on a' parallel course by the cynical

USA

chairman The economic crisis in the year off deepen.

USA

continues to employment last week Statistics issued to be the situation showed worse than previously thought.

now falling the National output is rate of 11.3% as com- at an annual Inflation 9% pared continues to increase - now standing rate of 8%. Stally the summer. at an annual profits showed record annual rate decline falling 22%. of As in Europe the depth of the future crisis is most clearly revealed in system. leading sectors like the motor ind- US car sales have fallen 21% week,

UNLIY

over the last year for all the big car INTERNATIOnAL nEWS

IRELAND

The right to self-determin- ation for the Irish people is a principle for all socialists. An essential part of the struggle for this principle must be the withdrawal of British troops from Ireland.

The National Labour Movement Conference on assembled more than 300 delegates, might therefore have been an important step forward in this fight in the British working class.

Of necessitv. however, such conference must contain many diff- erent views on Ireland, and it is of 'the utmost importance for such a conference (and indeed its sole practical purpose) that these polit- should be fought Otherwise it can turn into a self-congratulatory jamboree.

Pre- protest movements were constituted on a limited and opp- basis, and consequently penetration into the working class. When simple protest consequently proved ineff- of questions policy and arose and split the bogus unity down the middle.

was into precisely this trap

TOM

conference fell. speech were met with threats from Instead of a discussion by delegates of the policies to meet the needs of and of the most and such hecklers way of fighting for with- ounced as ultraletts speaker. was dominated by platform speak- arose from a motion presented to ers, including a catholic priest and Labour Leo the conference reactionary Trades Council, 1 ne remarks "the ite esse activity inste This camps must be are the staff colleges

IRA".

Protests at Abse's of the policies of the reactionary right-wing: Portuguese Stalinist leadership. On oughly not only "freedom of the press' but Thursday night a demonstration of tens of thousands marched from the the demand for secret in the centre of the trade unions. Lisbon, protesting against the gov- ernment's decision to close a news- on the demonstration were in opp- paper ('Republica') whose editorial osition - from a left standpoint - to line ran in support of Soares and the hand-in-glove the Socialist Party leadership.

The the Stalinists with the officers, had stepped in after Communist government by elected and Party printworkers - of editership - had shut the responsible to the There paper. The Socialist Party leadership the 38% of the unist strengthened by itself - by the ballot they got in the elections to 1UE Constituent Assembly on April Mr oise groucas wells the closing 'Republica 25th - responded by boycotting the political expression over the other cabinet and calling the demonstrat- ion of May 22nd. tendencies 'ment, Stalinist apparatus is becoming a The speakers and official slogans.

CRISIS AND CORRUPTION

firms. Ford has, in the words of its the "written the 1975 model ents reflect giving little hope of re- quacy. 20,000 Ford the workers now on indefinite lay-off.

Meanwhile at Chryslers unsold unemployment. stocks of vehicles are already twice normal level for this time of bourgeoisie in year and the company is consider- out of its six US closing four plants for at least six weeks during ive The deepening economic crisis 1S of has brought forth a bout of gloomy prognostications concerning American political igations concerning of the corruption in big business.

As leading industrialist Fletcher Byron put it bluntly last to uncover a new "Our political system just won't allow corporations to make

'TOM' POPULAR FRONT

report from the conference organised by the TROOPS OUT MOVEMENT British troops patrol in N.Ireland.

sought a solution right of the whole Irish people to national self determination. It also were later den-

IMG

called for an end to Labour's by partisan approach to demanded that the PLP adopt a The only discussion of the day programme based on the right of Irish people from which had the sup- democratic majority rule. A mass rally and a lobby of Labour MPs' surgeries were proposed as well as a broad united campaign on the use activity inside and outside the labour movement which Square for demonstra-

SP BOYCOTTS

CABINET

ladder for careerism in the State.

demonstration were thor- As one speaker put it "The Popular they included Democratic Movement (a Commun- ballots in ist Party front organisation) has become a real employment agency'.

This was why the Communist Party But many of those who marched attacked the demonstration "reactionary and counter- rallying revolutionary forces, including left- collaboration of ist, psee tote out one Comms" role in a Party in Portugal has brought splits confusion way the and walch is in no Stalinist leaderships in working class. was also anger at the Comm- Europe. While the French CP daily "'Humanite', accused the Portuguese Party's attempt to procure of Socialist Party - and by implication, its supporters ir the French social democracy - of 'playing with fire' monopo v the Italian CP 'Unita', paper described the shutting of 'Republ worKers move and at the way in which the ica' as "an act of political intoler ance" the profits they need". Such comm- Company paid last year a total of $5m in bribes to government offic- increasing inade- in South Korea and ials of the existing methods to Further revelations deal effectively with the rising work- ing class resistance to inflation and imminent. against this background It 15 This crisis of confidence by the that President Ford arrived in Eur- liberal democracy' ope, armed only Mayaguez affair to boo of over the last couple years enormously increased by the ibility, to urge his NA" → allies to Watergate revelations and the mass- continue to give him the i support.

defeats in Indo-China. Currently Just as he cannot defend the capit- Western being further magnified by a alist classes against the massive movements of revelations, product of earlier Watergate invest- the working class now represented by the struggles in Portugal, and Water- existence of American capital itself gate investigators are now beginning and becomes 'Business Water- dependant on the reformist leader- gate. It transpires that the Gulf Oil ship of the American working class SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday May 29th, 1975 tions on Ireland, and on the right to campaign amongst serving soldiers Finally it asserted that the Troops "essential Out Movement was the on any effective organising core the question of the campaign on Ireland' British army in Such wide ranging motion necessarily contained many sources of dissent was shown by the large number of amendments put forward. These were largely dismiss- ed however by the organising comm- ittee who, with the support of the IS and IMG, threw out amendments which sought to restrict the activit- ies of TOM to the labour movement and which condemned Labour MPs who tight tot on the GODS Cut with takes priority over taking a prin- cipled position As stated in previous issues of Socialist Press, the starting point of the WSL in the struggle against British imperialism is the need tor the independent-mobilisation of the currying Irish working class. By ideas of with UnLY MPs, and establishing

. DONT

popular front with catholic priests Troops Out Movement, backed the by IS and IMG, is doing no service either to the Irish people, or to the based on the British working class. A successful struggle for the policies of TOM- "self determination for the Irish people" and "immediate withdrawa Ireland, and - can only be British troops undertaken by those who take up the fight for leadership in the work- "unimpeded ing class against all who have cons- pired to fasten on the bullish and Irish workers the chains of slavery and these include the very MPs and TOM is eager to • SO welcome onto its platform.

West German

SHOW TRIAL

The trial of the Baader- Meinhof anarchist group, open- ed in Stuttgart on May 20th, was adjourned on the first day until May 30th because some of the defence lawyers have already been excluded for being too helpful to the Communist accused. main The build up to the trial and Western it has the which atmosphere in been conducted can only be com- witch trials of th the parea lo middle ages. A great campaign of hysteria has been built up by police defendants press against the It was even proposed at one time to open the brain of Ulrike Meinhof for inspection. She and the other • defendants, Andreas Baader, Gudrin Ensslin, and Jan-Carl Raspe have been treated by sensory deprivation and other modern forms of scient- ific torture. and The Spanish inquisition nazi 'science' will not be dead as methods continue. these Two and a half million pounds construct a special court house which expresse West Bolivia. German state. All the most advanced

LONE

forms of modern technology.

have been utilised for the electronic sur- veillance of the accused, surround- ing them . with granite, witn ter parnell ant wil! helicopters flying above their heads.

his cred- The possiblity of any serious consideration of the evidence ag ainst the accused must be dubious to say the least. A defence lawyer Europe suggested on the only day of the so far that the chief judge trial might just as well shut up shop the general take his and let an army words will no doubt clearly His ring even more true in the months ahead as this show trial proceeds.

only Basque nationalists and Comm-prior to a full founding conference, a vital part of which is to hammer out anc SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday, 29th May, 1975

SPAN

These are dangerous times for a leopard to try changing its spots. But that is just what the fascist regime in Spain is being, forced to attempt, al- most four decades after Gen- Franco launched his eral military insurrection against Republican the government and the working class. Unde the ex maxes spread.

ing from example Portuguese revolution, faced with persistent and widespread politica opposition within the country, and allictea by ine international econ- omic crisis as severely as the rest of Western Europe, the machine of fascist state rule now faces a serious and intricate internal crisis.

situation is 'la Centre of the Operacion' ('the Operation) - the in ruling-class circles tor the Call Darel the ageing Franco to relin- in an orderly way. Though aged 82, the Caudilo has now almost com- pletely recovered from the blood almost killed

COT

summer. He has already taken back the powers that he then temporarily formal ceded to his nominee as head of state, Prince Juan Carlos de Borbon y Borbon.

INCOMPETENT

The nomination of Juan Carlos, in is no than a any, case, more formal problem. Franco, The Prince, despite the extremely blue and reactionary blood that runs in his veins, is widely regarded as a man of severely limited intelli- gence and political wholly unable to deal with the task of organising a rickety state appar- atus to deal once more with the upsurge of the Spanish revolution. west ol But, apart the dictator from him, has SO far not created any centre of power to take over from call us begins to him when he dies or •sicken again. DICe He has strictly limited the very morest proposals for 'reform' com- ing from Prime Minsiter Arias Nav arro and the cabinet. the cabinet itself - despite the case altar fact that as a body it is wholly the thumb of Franco in al under important matters - has been split in the last few months on proposals to revise the labour laws and permit a nominal right to strike.

The original strengths of the fascist state are now the source o nany of its internal problems. Frar counter-revolution came power during the Spanish Civil War over the corpses of one of the most determined and heroic working clas: - almost none struggles that European history has yet seen. The workers and peasants betrayed Spain were by the Popular Front policies of Stalin and turned the social democracy, who refused to organise the war against Franco on a class or internationalist basis.

the Nonetheless, aestroy Spanish revolution Franco was for- ced to build - with the military aid of Italian and German fascism, and sympathetic support of most of the capitalist politicians in Europe - a brutal, efficient, central- ised military state apparatus. The instruments of dictatorship - the army and police, the fascist Falange party, extent the artemor to clurch - had to be placed under a single decisive source or power: 'ranco's one-man rule. Now that Franco's days are coming to an end. and the working class is once more on the offensive, place the entire apparatus of state power crisis. is thrown into As a former cabinet minister put it - vividly revealing ine corruption and career ism which has grown rife in three ana a nall aecades or lascist beaçe "The Caudillo holds the state together. The moment he goes there won't be one bull in the ring, but at least 20%, a thousand charging in every direct- ion to make up for lost time'.

FASCISM'S DAYS

ARE NUMBERED

dictator ageing While the internal struggle over action during this year. the succession continues, the regime also been ions in the last strikes at the giant SEAT car plant in Barcelona, supported by workers in the capitalist press have described from widespread strike workers in the the last few months into a network vehicle factory. from all parts of the country.

on nationwide. provinces of Vizcaya and Guipuzcoa unist Party ers of the Liga Communista Revol- gency. There, the police have effect- ucionaria ETA (sympathetic to the ively unlimited powers - whereas in revisionist 'United Secretariat: Fourth International) and th: Rev- observe at least some outward forms olutionary Spanish Workers of legality. Over 2,000 people were

(PORE).

arrested in the early part of May.

NEGOTIATIONS

that in San Sebastian some of the victims had to sleep on the floors of themselves break the growing stren gth of the working class.

that employers are police beatings, tortures and killings neconae witn Commissions' (officially illegal, and were reported in the press or invest- largely dominated is ist Party), rather that. 'Syndicates', ment to finally concede a "right to horrific 'pogrom' against left-wingers strike" subject to six days' notice after the sympathy with Basque nationalism end of lengthy and it specifically outlaws sympathy 'guerrillas of Christ the King', groups strikes and, of course of thugs carried out dozens and demonstration" an attempt to bring the movement under state control.

Within the ruling class the search for political solutions forces sect- ions towards alliance with the class collaborative leaders of The Minister of 'Information' this month issued new 'rules', in an legal workers tress naer better control. These include a ban the Bar Association in Madrid ten : days in protest against even mentioning 'any subject arrest of their colleagues, some of which could prejudice national un- he popular ton otion let- ity, or 'the hypothesis that Franco of the could be getting ready to give up his Communist Party with 'left' mona- However, it is not only the working class and national struggle rchists.) And at the supporters of Juan Carlos' new in the Basque country that is chall- rival for the throne, Carlos Hugos de enging the regime, but also sections of workers and professional people Borbon, announced an alliance with the socia! democratic PSOE. Such throughout the country. With most biocs are an attempt to secure ar pay increases lagging behind a rate 'orderly' transition of power, and t of inflation which last year reached even actors and civil head off the development of revol- service officials have been among utionary politics in the the many groups taking industrial class.

1974 after 200 over Workers Revolutionary Party.

The reason for the expulsions a discussion within that Healy leadership and the Workers Press The were first assues committee agreea to circulate a containing a statement of his differences, discussion never took place. document was expelled. This split rapid development of the economic rapid more development, revolutionary parties Yet it was in all its areas of work.

which of positions As the split emerged, Transitional Programme, and the - way its the WRP from the working class became clear.

of jobs through the defence establish workers ot transitional demands which Yet right up restricted itself to the sterile maximum demand without compensation under workers control' maintain and fight We are There have trade union work and new areas more powertul ciass act- We are now methods. weeks - including forward into struggle in this period professional workers, housewives. construct the new party. other plants and followed by building revisionism area: strikes against sackings at a large Renanit revisions of the IMG, and against Stalinism and reformism.

which must create The repressions, too, have gour They include no: supporters, but support-Madopt perspectives for the building of the Trotskyist Fourth International, development of revolutionary and the the resources to begin regular publication workers political strength. But the repressions cannot of The fact often forced

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WHAT IS THE

WORKERS SOCIALIST

LEAGUE?

The Workers Socialist League was formed on December 22nd expelled members were from the was that Alan Thornett, who was at that time a Central Committee member of the WRP, set out to bring about party on the wrong positions being taken by the on the Central Committee, raised and that document written by comrade Thornet , arid to arrange a 'full and free discussion within the party prior to the first annual conference.

That free Anyone who in any supported the way product of particular political conditions. The crisis and the forward movement of the working class all over the world, which has since escalated to an even began to produce the conditions build this period that the WRP began was this decline more than any the sectarianism of the WRP, its departure from the maximum programme isolate To understand the response to comrade Thornett's document in the WRP it is necessary to recognise the period we are now in.

The defence the fight for the sliding scale of hours without loss of pay; of living standards through the fight for the sliding scale wages related to rising prices; the challenging of the employer and the ¡preparation of the struggle for power by the fight to open the books. and control in the fight for nationalisation under workers management; are now called for in this situation in the form of a programme will form between the present a onage consciousness and struggles of the working class to the need to take power opening of the discussion by comrade to ine Instead it Thornett had never seriously fought for any of these demands.

"nationalise the economy The impossibility of any kind of opposition within the WRP forced us to found the Workers Socialist League as an independent organisation which will develop the traditions and principles

WRP

continuing to maintain a critique the leadership, but most important to us now are the new developments in opened up by our break from

WRP

turning to recruit and train the new forces thrown - not only trade unionists, but also students and youth in the fight to We have shown already that we continue to fight against all forms of whether the state capitalist theories : of Is or the Pabloite Already it is elear that our struggles for Trotskyism in Britain take place under conditions similar splits and discussions throughout the world -For this reason the WSL is now engaging in a process of internal discussion on • the Trotskyist parties based Programme in every country in the struggle to end capitalism.

We were able to assemble the necessary political, editorial and material of Socialist Press just five week after provisionally constituting the Workers Socialist League.

Already the paper is winning important new contacts and establishing a firm base in the movement as the organiser of a Trotskyist party of considerable London NWS IHR

SOCIALIST PRESS

....93p 11.86 p .....13.72 ondon NW5 1F ====-=. would like to take out a subscription to SOCIALIST PRE ......subscription

LETTERS

Stalinism And The State Page 4 In its anti-Common Market keeping with the earlier assertion that "a transition to socialism with• , propaganda, the British Comm- unist Party continuously puts • lp 10] a nationalist position in which ilusions that a key element is the notion of fateful Pinochet the Party progr- Secretary John Gollan as "our right Loud. to make our laws and decisions on the future of Britain at the moment when it faces its greatest post-war utionaries view • (emphasis added]. This is a the bourgeois into a They would more is contained in such a position than simple reactionary nationalism: "building up a there is also the illusion in parlia- socialist state" merely taking - in socialism over the House Commons as in ine bruisn Kouu. the parlamellary This is an important revision of the fundamentals the sole people, will be abolish- ed." Socialsm of Stalin himself, in 1951, as a pro- Preparation gramme to siphon off future militant working class into the blind alley Lenin in State and Revolution seeking parliamentary reforms, writing of which in 1917 was the

OUL-

vital theoretical preparation foi come of the desire of the Stalinist Revolution it leading the Russian works back through the writ self, of forces between capitalsm and the ings Marx and Engels to equir OI workers states in the name of so- itself theoretically in order to fight callea precisely such opportunist concep Throwing overboard the historical and to clarify of the state.

HOTS

experience of the working class in a was meant by the "dictator what ship of the proletariat. etical heritage of Marx, Engels, Lenin The starting point is that the and rotsky. the Communist Party state itself is not an accident or i from forced on society but is an organ of clas: without, "for rule, the oppression OI another. It arises class by pre supported by other sections of the "peaceful cisely because any genera existence" the between opposer class forces of capitalists and wor solution to Britain's problems could and it seeks to bring decisive results. It could return itself "above" classes in order raise to Parliament a socialist Labour and "legalise thi: perpetuale oppression. a Socialist Government which, with Lenin then goes or to examin the backing of the within this the role of the armec begin to carry through a fundamen- of the state. Precisely forces bec "peo. of class conflict, the duol ple" as a whole cannot be armed.

alon : are equi- Instrument pped fighting as force. "This exists in institutions adjuncts, prisons form Parliament effective geois state: will, people's OI Using the rights carried. "rights" already of occupations propertv the truth of capitalist can cracy, wealth ownership, the added] trol. All this the of ist class. bodies of organisations, police existing armed and armed men the political "Consolidation power of the positions and Engels the] police, the and diplomatic ful quotes the festo: raging less Wal. into open where parl- Marx notion of Stalinists. "raise the ruling class", in working words 'lefts' lib- consensus of erais the More shows, "the the proletariat since. organised as other words, torm oi state in order to establish its rule - and thus estab- basis, through the nation- of private industry and the implemen. ion of a planned soc- the 12 191 Lenin shows why it is that the power must be taken by the work- "Only the proletariat by tue of the economic role it plays large-scale production • is cap able of being the leader of all the working and exploited people, whom the bourgeoisie exploit, opp waging an independent struggle for Guide To Action to the view it has made since the opments writing ainst the place. The and to smash " Finally in its struggle against the parliamentary the revolution, republic found itself compelled to along with repressive strengthen, the resources and cent- measures, ali (bourgeois reminenal perver.

ralisation revolutions perfect machine instead of smash- ed this ing it." [Lenin's emphasis] Lenin goes on to draw clusion that "World history is now undoubt.

on an incomparably edly leading, than in 1852 larger scale of all the forces' of the revolution on proletarian the "destruction' of the state mac. hine." The question that arises immed- iately from understanding the nec for the working class to. essily smash the state machine is - what Marx and Engels it? can replace certainly left no room for the Stalinist lie that merety the leading Lenin figures are changed for those "loyal to socialism' Basing themselves again clearly on lessons drawn from the living struggle of workers, of the Paris Commune this case 1871, they wrote: "...One thing especially was proved the Commune, vis, that the by simply lay working class cannot hold of the ready-made state mach- and wield it for inery purposes..." bringing completely up Lenin, to date this development of Marx- ism, states clearly that this applies also to Britain Today [1917] in Britain and Amer ica, too, the precondition for every real people's revolution is the smash- the destruction of the ready- made state machinery..." This, as we have said, drew on the actual experience of the Paris Commune, where steps were taken towards establishing a proletarian socialist republic. The first is extr- emely important when we review the Chile experience, and when we look at Portugal today: "...The first decree of the Commune ...was the suppression of the stand- the armed peoples replacement by ing army, and its The Commune in other words aimed first and foremost at depriv- ing the bourgeoisie of its main organs of repression, the backbone of its fight for the The central state. of the standing army disbanding been taken up, has since shows, verbal leve., as Lenl "every party calling itself socialist.

Only a revolutionary party however SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday, 29th May, 192 can grasp the vital importance this demand Yet the power of the bourge sie must be smashed brentra tackratus so the branch, bog! apparatus set up to pr serve capitalist private property "The Commune was formed of th councillors, chosen the universal suffrage in vario wards of Paris, responsible and re ocable at any time The majority its members were naturally worki men, or acknowledged representa ives class... OI Ine police, which had until then be the instrument of the Governmer was at once stripped of its politic attributes and turned into the re ponsible and at all times revocab instrument of the Commune. were the officials all oun branches of the administration. Fr the members the Commur downwards, public servise had be done at workmen's wages. TI privileges representati allowances of the high dignitari of state disappeared along with ti dignitaries themselves...Having on got rid of the standing army and t police, the instruments of the ph sical force of the old governmer the Commune proceeded at once Dreak the instrument of spintu: suppression, the power of the prie juridicial functionaries •.. Ille that sham independence. the were thence forward to be electi responsible, and revocable.."

Bridge actual these measures mory. They contame l begun by contained contained They end of the separation and elevati of state power above the worke and the elimination of privileg and official grandeur. These steps Lenin puts it, unite the interests the workers and the majority "at and the peasants, salli as bridge leading fro serve capitalism to socialism" At the same time the Commu was to be a working. not a par mentary body, executive and leg lative at the same time" •tay cult Marx is contemptous of bourge parliamentary democracy which "deciding once in thi or six years which member: of t ruling class was lo Ieprescull d repress the people in parliamen At times it was necessary to in Orc parlaimentary democracy to expose it, but the workers st would do away with these trappi of democracy, replacing them w representatives genuinely accou and revocable to the electora able While in the Commune most the representatives were drawn fr the working class itself, so in 1 Russian Soviets of 1905 and 19 there emerged the organs of work power, electing their officers pur from peasant, proletarian and so iers ranks, excluding the bourge since the soviets included only th who worked. In this way the cl domination of workers over expropriated capitalist class was I pared in the emergence of sor democracy, with the arming of 1 workers in the revolutionary str gle, followed by the smashing the capitalist state. Workers State In the initial period followi the revolution clearly repression the bourgeoisie was vital. It of passing not question. against them in parliament but exploi intimidating the former the n and physically imposing working cla state power of the Engels in his article "On Authorit who thought t takes up those the ending of the state meant ending of authority. "Have these gentlemen ever see!

revolution? A revolution is certai thing th the most authoritarian

A CONTRIBUTION TO THE DISCUSSION:

SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday. 29th May, 1975 is; it is an act whereby one part of the population imposes its will upon the other part by means of rifles, bayonets and cannons, all of which are highly authoritarian means. And the victorious party must maintall the terror its rule by means which its arms inspire in the react- ionaries.' Here indeed is the 'progressive' liberal's nightmare - the actual seiz- ure of power by the working class which must he followed dictatorship, and which will in some of its forms appear similar to earlier repressive regimes. This is a necessity if power is be held the to proletariat, the first propertyless class in history to make a revol- piu letarian state is qualitatively differ- ent from the state in previous forms of society. Because by expropriating the capitalist class, and ending its the working class takes the first vital steps to end its ignored own role under capitalism - its own working position as an oppressed and exp- "The exploiting classes need politi- the selfish interests of an endent exploited classes need political rule class women. in order to completely abolish all The exploitation, i.e., in the interests of dent and against the insignificant minor- ity consisting of the modern slave- dictatorship of the proletariat, so the need for repression and a spec- ific state form is diminished.

proletarian dictatorship is not the end but a part of the transformation from capitalism to com- munism. Marx himself drew attent- ion to this aspect of his theoretical "And now as to myself, no credit The me lor discovering the is due to gaining existence of classes in modern soc- iety or the struggle between them.

Long before me bourgeois historians had described the historical develop- ment struggle and bourgeois economists, the economic not anatomy of the classes. What I did that was new was to prove (1) That the existence of classes only nurseries, bound up with particular historical confine phases in the development of pro- hold tasks. duction (2) that the class struggle necessarily leads to the dictatorship of the proletariat, (3) that this dict- atorship itself only constitutes the abolition of all transition classes and to a classless society".

Classes Abolished dictatorship The therefore is OI sociely between by socialising elopment of the this material In once 10H. inequality by revolut- force of This the NaTe the of that state, army, standing A revol- ment utionary with family. rooted Marx, Lenin in from which we State all study at first urge hand. ¡ 12|141 periods by JOHN LISTER to the A debate within the Trot- skyist movement in Britain on privileges in dily the 'woman question' is long at the expense those overdue. It has either totally to win the need those of nation, class women to a or, revolutionary programme, own ruling class. when it has taken up work in corporation this field, it has resulted in a oppressed into failure to advance the indep- working of interests ipation is to emancipate itself. practice, of these organis- ations has taterest the working

LEADERSHIP

class Mierests women have been subordinated in the women's movement. This move- ment aims to end women's opp- ression by a struggle against male prejudices' and by concentrating on winning legal reforms. This approach has diverted the attention of women Grass away from the material foundations The article in of their oppression. Socialist Press no. 7 initiates an important discussion, and reader of the paper, i should like to participate in the development of perspectives on this question.

be article demonstrates that ending formal equality legal restrictions on women's rights - does not end women's socially subordinate position since the roots affected. of women's oppression lie in capit- alist society. Whilst capitalism can- social production increase sufficiently to replace the drudgery of housework with public canteens launderies etc., it must women to narrow nouse- class content.

CONDITIONS

domination This inferior position of women in the family can only be abolished when the material conditions exist to replace the family as an economic also argues for support for demands for legal ref- orms which benefit all women - free

EWAL

abortion, the demands of the Work- Charter but argues that these demands must be taken the trade reformist leadership will have to be inequality property and To develop these points a clearer the market, relation understanding between women's oppression and Two the class struggle is needed.

questions were left unanswered by though both article: why women s questioningmarartant to the training social powers. vanguard, revolutionary has his capital leadership in the class; and whether women's consciousness can be raised solely on her approaching her relation to the only onpression as a woman the worker is

CRISIS

revents himself from The social crisis which drives the mass of the class into conflict will their reformist also arouse the mass of women an draw them from the confines of the The family which is deeply popular consciousness restricted in and defended with all the means at the disposal of the bourgeois state is too strong, in other conditions, to socially from public drawn into politics. This is why in the imper- cominato must grasp epoch Tne bany the necessity to "open the road to who in "normal' the woman worker" of capitalist development is excluded from political life.

labour. est! The working class must respond socialising eeds of all the oppressed if

•THB WOMAN

QUESTION...

is expanding and needs fresh sources it is to advance its own independent The cuts in public of labour power. class interests. It must fight against spending - especially form, not just services - indicate social of its own and the limits of this process.

class, because whilst it tolerates the the existence of any privileges - whether cannot replace economic unit and sex •I race - no legal reforms will end women's acquiesces in the privileges of its socially inferior position.

The political in The family of the needs of the Is nol but also a social unit. programme and their active partic- revolutionary The inability of bourgeois society to overcome class conflicts within the struggle for state that the state must be it means power, is necessary if the proletariat a special power over developed as and above civil society, as a result the mass of from public In this way the forced back masses are family as a social unit, and women in particular are tied to the home.

The family and the state are there- - because fore closely connected. Bourgeois democracy can only formal or legal equality proclaim between capital and between the idea of equality, itself a reflect- ion of the relations of commodity into a weapon against production, the proletariat by suggesting the needs ofuali classes can be met via the institutions of the democrat ic' state. To limit the struggle of the oppressed to the proclamation would democratic rights, Whot class is to one the struggle within capitalism. and not from

PROGRAMME

to suffered working 10HS relating support class over women, fullest in ic demands struggle for a ion brings of rights in gle for the real social of dissolves and apitalist . is to buy and women into Such an consistently But equal formal fact unequal only who of from the stands who has worker to the sell his trying to which from freeing of dominatel Not reforms. aries, class conflict question' excluded the gramme. esta bilsues over woman afford to view the struggle against women's oppression as a 'side issue" or a diversion from the class strug- class struggle by gle. The restricted does not automatically the chauvinism and indifference to women's needs in sections of the capital Page 5 trade unions. A revolutionary lead- will have to fight for the ership representation women's social O1 in educatior needs in the trade unions and other working class organisations. We Will Capital only win the confidence of working family as an class women by demonstrating that consequently we recognise and will fight for their specific needs as women. Revolution approach women not merely an aries must solely on the woman question but on class issues if it is to raise their conscioustless.

ABDICATES

excluded on the of the Left, in The majority approaching women exclusively on women's demands, abdicates its own win women to a responsibility to This revolutionary programme. sectional approach advancing one policy for women and another for It transforms the working class the salalco from question the progra- amme. Although the consciousness of working class condit- womat ioned by her position in the family that means that special means must be found to raise woman's conscious- it is not necessary to evolve ness, new demands for women alone.

Organisations like the Women's restrict Liberation Movement and the Work- of reform ing Women's Charter cannot advance working class the interests not because of their social wolicu. composition, but because the former woman question above places the the class struggle; and the latter advances a series of reforms which consistently correspond to the overall do not needs of owrking class women class which can only be met through the struggle for a revolutionary prog to would Revolutionaries ramme. support these reforms - nurseries facilities for training equal pay, bourgeois women, etc. - but would incorporate these into a revolutionary strategy.

of a As the economic crisis deepens which women will bear the brunt of the of the women will be capitalist offensive: singled out for the first redundanc ies and equal pay will be ditched by the trade union bureauctacy.

organisations necessary for the def- ence of the interests of the whole demands, for class - factory price committees. committees to open the books oi the ind the capitalists and control produc tion and distribution, must take up all-class alliance. the special needs of women. Organ- isations ' of workers' control, lead embryo of the proletarian dictator- are alone capable both ship, vanguard socia politically representing the and of full; of women needs class drawing into the women Only these organisations struggle. and this strategy provide a means to emancipate working class women can tackle both her legal as tney seek an and social inequality. Separate organisations of work- on a reduced ing class women may be necessary.

The article in Socialist Press. 7, in arguing that there can be no sep arate organisations of women, con- politically autonomous Fuses dem- movement around women's which Lenin quite rightly ands. separate agitation opposed, with amongst working class be necessary to win which may them to the revolutionary progr by work undertaken Any O1 revolutionaries in organising work- would be under ing class women the party where the direction comrades would argue for the pro.

ramme and for these organisations to ally themselves to the party.

itself by JULIA KELLETT

Page 6 6 He is not wise who from his reading draws Nothing but floods of useless erudition.

For all his learning, life's mysterious laws Are a closed book beyond his comprehension.

He who acquires a thorough textbook grounding In Botany, won't hear the grass that grows.

The child is father to the man.

Frederick Engels was a revolution- politics and in philosophy - ary - in almost ali his adut lite. Rut he beo.

an as a bourgeois revolutionary, and only later became proletarian revolutionary. More, he was the co-founder of the scientific the oludaniic proletarian revolution. Engels' trans- formation was easy process, no since what was involved was not merely the changing of his views, reflected struggle u.te - of thought two mighty social the dictatorships of capital orders, and of the working class.

It is therefore an important gain for us to be able to approach.

the study of an essential part in the tirst stages of this orocess.

cune sec volume of the Marx-Engels ond Collected Works contains the writ- ings of the young Engels betweer ages of 17 and 22 (i.e. up to the 1842). The first volume covering Marx's earliest writings, has already Socialist Press, Temereo m no.1 (6.2.75). This which nearly every item appears in English for the first time, also helps us to understand some of the diff- iculties in the paths by which the fonders of scientific socialism move towards its essentail principles The strongest fledgling is often the one who must break through toughest eggshell. Engels was 1820, of Dole • In conservative and religious German industrialists. He moved in the dir- ection of philosophical materialism scientific socialism and initlally noleneares cerense of Hegelian philosophy against its religious opponents and interpreters, through political support for German nationalism, and the demo- cratic bourgeois revolution walch was necessary at that time to ach- ieve its aims.

NATIONALISM

Engels says of the great German idealist philosopher Hegel that he "came under nis own pronounce is but ment that every philosophy of its own the thought content time" Engels would not have con- sidered himself immune from such a comment, and стате reflect his origins ments certainly in the German bourgeoisie.

He be. longed to a class which at that time faced the task of carrying through the democratic aims of the bour- geois revolution, of freeing Germany ™ om ™÷e zn superstitution, and of bringing to- gether its numerous tiny principal- ities into modern nation state the mid-nineteenth century the political and economic unifica- Germany tion of appeared the as task of the capitalist and middle classes, who were only just beginn- ing to feel class at the working their backs. Engels began to form hi ideas at a time when in many parts of Europe, including Germany the modern working class was still tormed. and had oniv in belnd Britain yet begun to lay claim to its the pontica mndepenaence against bourgeoisie. Today the situation is far different. The partition in Ger- many and Europe at the end of the fruit of a conspiracy war was the between capitalism and Stalinism. The state boundary and only be national antagonisms •can eradicated by revolutionary working class, establishing its power basis that breaks open the on of historical limits the nation began to But when Engels state. write the class into which he was born still faced some national rev- olutionary tasks. this sense he

REVIEW ENGELS

was a child of his time - and of his country. the late 1830's and early 1840's Engels formed his world- and detence of Hegel's philosophical system - the most aavancea unal was to de pro- bourgeois thinkers. duced by At the same time he took up the pol- itical cause of German nationalism.

Unlike Hegel, however, he did not consider that this carried any oblig- ation to echo the reactionary forms of German chauvinism. Thus he "the servile twaddle which attacks without any principle all newspaper: now serve up against the rench Like Hegel, he admired the French revolution of 1789 and its achieve- which had been ments, some of by the armies of Napol- 'exported' He also began, even before Marx detail the nature and to study significance of growth the ot the Marx industrial proletariat. was still seking in a more abstract the role way for the working nt class as a 'universal' class, resolving as a whole, cisis of the society Engels was already looking at the parts of lives of workers in those Germany where industry had devel- 1842 he visited Britain oped. where the number of workers and their had their narten

TOT

HOSLS

reached a more advanced stage than any where else in The Noro. Marx acknowledged) it was En- gels who took one of the essential steps in probing beyond the first mystical framework of Hegel's sys- tem towards the rational, material na n conce ed But Engels also took up an independent struggle - initially as a task - to work. through G1cTinCT the inner meaning of the body of theoretical knowledge that he had.

inherited. He did this by using it to the literary and religious criticise life of his own land and his own time. More positively, some of Engels earliest passages show him reach out towards a unified view of life The short social essayature Landscapes aphoristic essay

ENGELS ON THE ROAD

(1840) lightheartedly represents and different nallola]

CHELUC

world-views through the lands which they developed. The most important single piece in the volume Schelling and Revelation, the longest of Engel's three essays against the attacks on Hegel, which Schelling mounted during his lectures Berlir in Schelling had been Hegel's close companion when they were the 1790's, and y vull Hege! regarded Schelling's successive attempts at a 'philosophy of nature' as a significant development.

But Farti a decade after Hegel's death, Schell- ing returned to the rostrum in an attempt to extinguish the 'ateistic' and anti-religious results of Hegel- more early by the radical yoever , then being brought out ever Hegelians' of which Engels was an enthusiastic member The kernel of Schelling's attack Hegel attempted to con- was that jure the existence of the real up "pure reason', the of wolu 'negative' side, and that therefore could not with he grips gel the empirical world as it is grasped by the human senses. Against this Schelling proposed a 'positive phil- osophy' "a priori empiricism', Engels basing itself on what 'immediately

EXTSS

There was, undoubtedly, an element that was 'positive' in Schel- ling critique of Hegelian idealism.

But Enge's puts his finger on its reactionary central content. By clain ing the existence of 'pure' facts, Schelling opens the door to irration- ality and mysticism, the separation of thought from being. His 'positive ahimerply sae trevention lo the as merely 'revelation' of the SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday, 29th May, 1975 of unemployment and the recent "unprepared, un- wave of strikes. organised and without leadership which had swept Lancashire. These movements none went his former 'philosophical categories"

TO COMMUNISM

could adequately grasp. In studying the struggles of the working class he became convinced that "principles develop only can Christian creator. from interests, that is to say, the Instead ot cesuous revolution will be social, not : polit- being for mind open to grasp ical". He became convinced of some- through a body of rational know- thing else the dispossessed ledge it is seen as obscured in the are coming to realise : "the revolution referred to by theologians Illists, by peaceful means is impossible and of as "evidence tor the esstence that only a forcible abolition of their concept of God (their super- the existing unnatural conditions, natural employer). While he does a radical overthrow of the nobility not yet break with religion, Engels and the industral aristocracy, can insists that the scientific content of improve the position of the prolet- hegel s oojecuve lacallsın, his clalm arians" that all that is real is rational (i.e.

In spring as a the 0I 1839 knowable), must be aclenaea agamsı bourgèois intellectual, , Eng- young for whom Engels shows Schelling, els which the Ines of verst "'The unity philosophy, From review. "ntToouced might be read as an encouragement to the English disdain for theoretic- But within four years Engels began to realise the essential insight contained in them.

Soon after his return from Eng- land in 1842, he came together with stary,le to establish the tortd-voint materialism and programme and party ers revolution The publication of this volume enables us to understand more deep- Toe ancully the struggle through which they came to the conscious recognition of this task. Chartists marching 1848 wholeness of any world outlook, is torn apart into a most unsatisfact- Frederick ory dualism, the contradiction whi- Karl Marx and Engels the world-historic sig- Collected Works Volume 2: ch

LUGAD UR

nificance of Christianity [i.e.,the 1838-42 IrICUCNCK (1975, Wishart, apparent séparation of thought from £3) La WrenCe being ]is raised to the principle of philosophy as well". Engels moves towards materialism when he ed- fends Hegel against the misrepres- by JOHN DOCHERTY entation which "takes reason really for something which could also exist without the world organsim, and so places its true realm in the hollow, , empty abstaction". But as a whole the essavs scnellng remain within "radical' philosophical Workers idealism. There is much else in this vol- ume revealing the intellectual odys- Diary sey ot the young Engels We can study his wide range of interests • music ana (as ne spent a year ll the Prussian army) in military mat- ters in the flavour of ana beer and the flirtations of his ac-

CBI'S

quaintances.

FIB

CAPITALISM

But it is when he comes into If you haven't got a good contact with industrial capitalism and the working class that much of argument, his religion and idealism begins to Roy Jenkins' pro opponents. found the I'nus he bucak uOwE Common Market campaign urperstar the tepe ed ors att clearly Wuppertal

UC DIVCU

strength and joy in life', and as for for it seems that old adage, employers, "hat thev have the abusing of their adversaries a flexible and causing consclence, is the only card they have left.

the death of ore child more or one Jenkins' allies at thè CBI did less does not doom a pietest's soul try to produce a serious case for hell, especially if he goes to continued membership of the EEC.

church twice every Sunday "spokesmen, His visit to England late their In lecturers, and writers" they descri- 1842 shows how contact with th bed "The Success Story for political and industrial struggles i Britain" In the first year of the time served to break down I they claimed British membership, adherence to the categories of Heg l investment from EEC countries into elain idealism. Despite his Hegelian Britain exceeded that fron Britain he was amazed to training, into the EEC by about £2,400m - that the laws of England di iot a staggering boost for the British ref. et the working out c 111) economy! 'world pirit', but were a much more How embarassing, then for the mundane compromise amo: ? the

CBI

to have agree that the to inters c.oss. Furtheretions ot, tese EEC investment true figures are: ruling class. Furthermor! into Britain, , £105m; British invest- people" know nothing of: 'ruggles ment into the EEC, £519m In over principles and are concerned other words, far from a £2,400m only w/ith conflicts over material boost, there was a net loss inti is'. It was indeed a world - a little £400m more than 'philosophical categories by the

CBI

of about £3,000m! "to show the proved insufficient The CBI's deputy director, Johr contradictions in which England is Whitehorne, was forced to write enmeshed" to the Financial Times confessing Moreover, Engels saw a situation to this £3,000m 'inexactitude'. (His where "the working class is aally sister, Katherine, nas better luc. becoming more and more imbued writing for the Observes she's radical-democratic princ- winn just disembarked from the QE2's iples of Chartism and is increasingly six-month world cruise.) Ah well coming to recognise them as the back to blaming the workers and expression con-

MILS

COLeCEve the reds under the bed. sciousness". He describes the growth )

STEEL MEN FACE SPEED-UP

YORKSHIRE UCATT: PROGRAMME NEEDED

SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday May 29th, 1975.

thousand trade Several attended a demon- unionists fighting, stration called by the TUC to "celebrate" International Women's Year and marched from Hyde Park to Trafalgar • jobs Square last Sunday. A panel working class. the

TUC

of speakers from addressed the demonstration ending with Murray, who said the demonstration was that for 'human rights'. No attempt was made by any explain why of the speakers (TO on the platform ional of those totally calling for 'equal rights for women' are actively pursuing policies which control of wages. remove rights from the entire work- ing class. Jones for example has a member of the T&G in prison for picketing and does nothing about it.

that The revisionist groups had not organised for the demonstration. The IS had four banners, the IMG one and the WRP were nowhere to half of be seen. The Workers Socialist League had a delegation on the march and women. distributed a statement that took women's rights in the context of the struggles of the workins We quote some bear on sections trom it: opportunity. Faced with a rate of inflation ions, linked Leading Labour 'lefts' and steel union leaders agreed last general secretary the week to severe cuts in workforce of the British Steel Corporation. Many thousands "satisfactory of jobs are to be axed through of "a very redundancy 'voluntary® schemes, 'natural wastage' and out persistent ab- weeding sentees. deceptively The agreement, the capitalist press as boosted in a "reprieve" from the 20,000 re-

BSC

demanded by

CURATECS

chairman Monty Finniston, direct result of the collaboration of Wedgewood Benn with BSC, and will ahve a severe impact on steel- day As Finniston himself said worKers. saved. on TV, "there are more ways than In the 'deal" one of skinning a cat". is provision for elimination of un- "most rig necessary' overtime, the Call control" of recruitment of

KOCU

VI VUS

BSC

new labour, the reduction oi overmanned" ning levels on sect- over the On May 30th and 31st the UCATT Yorkshire Regional conference will meet in Scar- The agenda to some borough. extent reflects the matters con- cerning the Yorkshire member- ship, but it is a disgrace that with two building workers in there is not jail for picketing one resolution calling for them to be freed. The level of discontent with the UCATT leadership may be judged the from the resolution which calls for of no confidence in the vote

UCATT

Executive Committee. What in fact has the UCATT leader- ship done defence all know, building members interests? The industry has been one of the hard- cut est hit by the economic crisis. The figures issued last month showed

UCATT

that 45% of the firms at the bank- councis. ruptcy court were building firms.

There are hundreds of thousands of building workers unemployed. Yet that Tory

WOMENS RIGHTS

THOUSANDS DEMONSTRATE

By a Socialist Press correspondent.

of 25%, the working class is now as a result of the Budget, through its unions, wage increases to protect its living workers are standards. The Labour government Women who million these industries are thrown has replied with nearly 1 on to the dole and in to the family attacking the unemoloved and 1s and standard of living of the situation. retreat must family and attempt to find an indi- In this situation workers come into conflict with their treacherous vidual solution to the problems by leaders. Benn presents the left' cov- 'making do' on a reduced income

TUC

The er Ior Wilson's attacks. presents its demands as if they can calls for the social contract to be be achieved under capitalism, when upheld, and the level of wage settle- Jack Jones in fact the emancipation of women ments to be reduced. is inseparably linked to the revolut- calls for wage restraint in the "nat- interest" the Labour ionary task of the working class: and government moves closer to state the overthrow the establishment of socialism.

Demands release women from the oppression of domestic drudgery and isolation It is in this general situation through the establishment of com- consider the particular munal catering, problems of working women. The care and the application of technol trade unions, whilst advancing a few ogy to eliminate many of the tasks (mainly economic) demands on be- now imposed on women in the home women, do so while at the Yet this understanding must same time defending some of the exclude a struggle now to defend worst aspects of the oppression of those rights which have been won has been in struggle. The basic right of abort- pay for equal made towards equal ion on demand, for example, must work for instance, hut no trade advanced with the full be union pressure has been brought to of the workers' movement and the the issue of job reactionary Huge sections of ind- ment Bill ustry remain inaccessibte to women.

redund- but also plant closures in order to to voluntary ancy, and "a degree of flexibility carry out its role for British capit- plant loading. William Sirs, alism. of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation said on

FRAUD

Monday that he hoped union prop- osals would produce what he called savings" face in the serious problem". The savings he is talking about are all of Benn's original attack on Finniston course at the expense of steelwork- for calling for redundancies.

ers jobs and living standards which then the knew he is supposedly paid to protect.

BSC and knew the strong chances of collaboration in

POSTPONED

from the ISTC leaders.

"TOW"

brated was angled to win popularity Yet even after these trade union concessions Benn stated clearly at that Finniston's policy a rally of jeering trade unionists at TaCT completely in harmony with Heal- Central Hall Westminster last Tues- ey's budget. that far from all the jobs are The closure of some plants to the 'left' posturings of Benn and "could only be postponed", he said "no-one Foot, but demand that those claim and went on to say that ing to be left take up urgently the guarantee that every man will defence of jobs and wages against his job." other words, the capitalist class and the Labour demands not just speed up, right wing. cutting Want this present leadership has shown 1972 strike sell-out, the Wakefield betrayal of the Shrewsbury 2, the refusal to defend the Eldon Square scaffolders in their struggle, and the - on zull May that it 1s recent wage agreement, determined to submit at all times fought by sharing with no loss of pay.

to the demands of the employers.

Although George Smith criti- cises the Labour government's lend- ing of £500 million to the building societies as just being a subsidy to speculative house builders, and says ting one or the other. how inadequate is the £350 million granted in borrowing rights to local authorities, he attempts to delude

UCATT

membership by saying (p of his address in the latest UCATT the worldwide recession journal) "I am hopeful that further the capitalist system. will be the announced in that there is 1975 Budget" (!). Whereas, as we the opposite happened. houses, An estimated £1,321 million is to is no Lieue from public spending in

WOIK

building workers. 1975/76 which will hit any directly the way in members. employed by production Already in leeds it has been claimed by the deputy leader to combat inflation. ot the Labour group, George Mudie cuts planned in Leeds want White MP must be opposed. This itself shows the need for new leadership - White is a Labour MP Likewise, when Wilson attacks Chrysler workers, threatening unem- he attacks the ployment, demand working class. equal pay for equal work situation cannot therefore be separ ated from the fight to defend the standard of living of the working class as a whole through a sliding scale of wages - point for point pay increases based on a cost of living index worked out by comm- As public services are cut back ittees of trade unionists and house- women wives. Such a sliding scale must be the worst affected. fought for to protect the value of have found jobs in agreements. ill new pay back who come forward to the centre o the class struggle in this way can We say working women Their play a major HOTe back would open the way for the inclu- to tne women on factory comm- sion of and begin a real fight against ittees, chauvinism in Tine

THEONS

The Working Women's Charter of conditions struggle. Workers' Control involvement of The women and housewives in the fight for workers' control at every level capitalism and is central to the fight for political and well as social economic as It is only socialsm walch cal This fight is inseparable equality. from the fight for the independence the strade unions antine state, struggle against laundry and child for the release class laws and the Shrewsbury Two. and short time Redundancy working affect not only men and not workers but equally women When the demand housewife. the books of advanced for employers to be opened and taht be ended before secrets weight proposed, redundancies are the housewife, who is directly aff- Abortion Law Amend- ected must be involved. When the put forward by James What emerges is the fraud in Benn requirements of the speed up The cele- over the sackings himself, and to disguise the was Workers must give no credence Benn on the platform at Central Hall. threatened 500 council jobs. The the full amount and must include increasing talk of "cutting costs" in automatic increases as the rate of Metropolitan District inflation decided by trade union committees has prompted the UCATT stewards agree that any (c) for a programme of government financed public works to ensure full threat of redundancies has to be a programme of work employment and to guarantee ess and this to be linked ena services to the nationalisation of the build- And yet another resolution puts ing industry and land so that private forward a programme on which to firms do not use this to fight redundancie?, and wage-cutting profits. It is also an an ver to ine leader The 6,128 wood workers who ship's so-called ternatives of accep- left

UCATT

between The resolution 1974 voted with their feet on the calls fur (a) work sharing with no policies of the leadership. Also the loss of pay to combat redundancies.

long list of Yorkshire branches who members are not to blame not send resolutions to this did for the economic crisis. It is part of must act as a warning conference, gripping that is is vital to the continuation we all know and expansion of the union that a a crying need ol policy to fight for jobs and condit- hospitals and schools, ions must be decided at the confer- shortage of necessary ence. Notice must be served on the which could justify sacking What stands leadership it they prepared to defend their members' is the capitalist system interests they will have to make way profit. for those who will. (b) for the sliding scale of wages

UCATT

claim must be renewed for Page 7 committees are set up to fight for these demands, the housewife must be represented. The demand for the basic right to work for women has' never been seriously advanced TRe whole unions. Today this demand can only for be advanced as part of a programme in this Central to this defend all jobs is the demand for a sliding scale of hours - again administered and wor- ked out by trade union committees of women The inclusion in these committees involves them elements of workers control distribution production and over and connects powerfully with the women's rights. struggle for We must demand full national- Womet isation of industries threatening re dundancies under the management of elected committees of workers action We must demand that any compen- sation is paid only on the basis of proven need, and that the Labour govetnment provide state contracts to keep the factories in operation.

It is only in this context, as a part of an overall programme, that anything to advance the demand for an end to sex discrim- working ination. Today only a revolutionary leadership can advance and struggle for such a programme.'

STRUGGLE FOR

CONDITIONS IN

he tetask inf

NHS

the is the The 9 month struggle to improve working conditions then at the Brook Hospital in S.E.

London continues aa inflation combined with spending cuts further begin to impose cutbacks. Confrontations have taken place over the 87% temperatures in the laundry over the lack of

IOOM,

basic equipment such as hospital lifts, dangerous situations causing be having items • tO with Italy and on carried up the stairways, the question of private practice in the hospital. A two hour strike took place when a consultant refused to see two trade unionists from the hospital. By blacking all but emer- said, "taking away his were, livelihood" So while the hospital manage- ment shrug their shoulders and tell workers they nave "no money" for equipment basic to any hospital, the private practice profiteers hospital, maintained within subsidised by low-paid hospital workers. Stewards are now asking what beyond protest strike can be done, action, to improve working cond- itions. Clearly action must start hospital workers themselves from organised in their unions. The joint committee must de- shop stewards plans for all im- mana access lo and vitally needed provements together with full rebuilding, waiting lists, drug information on and all accounts held by the Area Health Authority. A comm- be of unionists must ittee trade elected specifically to enquire into questions and report back.

these to be

ACTION

If figures or plans are withheld then the Joint Shop Stewards must call for maximum local supporting action in order to force its, release.

of these figures make Investigation will show the need for workers nationalisation of the drug industry and for a sliding scale of health service expenditure to maintain the spending authorities value claiming problems from who are inflation. committee must set time limits for improvements, and failure to meet these limits must be met by strike action. These actions must be combined with a black on private patients. At the same time, a sharpening of the not alC political fight is necessary, through the unions and in the Labour Party Labour leaders who at present re- fuse to defend the NHS.

REJECT CHRYSLER DEAL!

€500 monthly GLASGOW COUNCIL Page 8 After a correct and solid sirike in defence of their stand ard of living, Chrysler workers now face great danger. Man- agement have turned what appeared to be a defensive posit- ion on their part into an attack. The tying of the wage offer to future corporate wage bargaining must be rejected by Chrysler workers. By making the f8.00 offer (plus participation. Far from these additional increases for various proposals being any kind of con- groups including the Scottish cession to the working class Chrys plant) to every plant in the cor- ler is offering lump sum payments poration simultaneously Chrysler to get it. want to end wage bargaining at They have said that if there is want to create oa levernev the conditions that worked in the agreement in brincinle bv Julv 12th all workers will receive a lump favour of Ford management for sum of £50.00 and that if the sche- many years with wages negotiated me is fully accepted by the end for the whole combine by the of the year they will get a further national officials. £50.00. Participation Objective That really is some workers part- This is precisely what Chrysler icipation! It is pretty clear what it and Leyland have been trying to is that Chrysler wants tor the €2,700,000 they are bursting tu get in ever since they introduced the Measured Day Work system.

pay. (unuci concuons watre lnty MDW could never work fully to are making a massive loss and have been approaching the government their advantage until they gained for aid). control oi wage rates - and this move is the major step towards They want to suck not only the full time officials and the national this. Tied right in with this are officers into closer colaboration Chrysler's proposals for workers' with them but key layers of shop POSTAL BALLOT (cont'd from front page) capitalist press under postal ballot This principled decision of the SYSLCs AUEW must be defended if attempts As a result of the AUEW decision are made to overturn it. We are not a single member will be deprived picasea to note wat tne io arter All they have to do is of a vote. previously supporting postal ballots attend their branch meeting and put have now come out against them.

the ballot paper in the box. But this of course is exactly what the right don't went. Theyers and the press don' They don't want workers

ENDED

: want. involved in their trade unions where they would quickly become involved in the struggle to defend living stan- The system of postal ballot dards against the employers.

should be ended throughout the trade union movement. This is an essential part of the fight for the independence of the trade unions from the state. There is already talk of legislation for postal ballots and government paid postage. The postal ballot issue was being devel- oped as future policy by the Tory government of Heath This fight can only be taken up in the context of a fight for a leadership in the trade unions which will begin to fight in defence of all the rights and gains of the working Class. Scanlon development fund "he enormous movements in the working class internationally pose 'sharply the question of programme Glasgow's Labour Council, not- and of leadership. , It is to resolve orious for its recent use of troops these that the WSL and its paper to smash a council drivers strike, Socialist Press have been founded.

continued its anti-working class The response which our paper course last saturdav with the use and the policies it fights for have of vicious police action against been able to win in the workers trade unionists in order to defend movement shows that we must a National Front meeting.

expand the paper from an 8-page The meeting itself was held on fortnightly. council property - the Kingston Ne are therefore appealing to ur readers for a £500 monthly Halls, Paisiey Road. This episode follows the recent development fund. controntation between demonstrat- ors and NF members in Oxford, Please send donations to: during which the NF "Honour Guard" thugs physically attacked WSL, 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, the counter-demonstration, and later London NW5 1 HR beat up anti-fascist students. Here too, a Labour council laid on police protection for the fascists.

Printed and Published by the in Glasgow, however, only a hand- Workers Socialist League, ful of NF members turned up, and 31, Dartmouth Park Hill, the task of strong-arm "defence" London NWS 1HR. was eagerly taken up by local police.

A specially picked detachment of Printed by Trade Union labour.

• police pitched in to the 500-strong Bob Morris, Chrysler T&G Convenor stewards and convenors. They want to get them in a position where they can "appreciate the problem" of the company. Danger This is a very dangerous situation.

Chrysler workers must not consid- er this to be simply a Chrysler ques- tion. Leyland has been trying for 5 years to get corporation level bargaining introduced ana nave met resistance. If Chrysler get away with it Leyland will move almost immed- iately. Chrysler have played their cards

EMPLOYERS

LOCK OUT ACTT

All but two commercial television companies imposed a lock-out on their technicians from last Monday. As a result of this commercial transmiss- ions were closed down. The technicians were locked out as they returned to work following a 72 hour official strike called by their union, ACTT. Representatives of the employers said that they would be locked out until the ACTT withdrew its claim for £231.00 back payment, out- standing since the 1973 wage freeze.

CRISIS

The action of the companies must be seen as indicative of the sharp conditions prevailing today between

PROTECTS N.F.

counter-demonstration, punching, kicking and dragging off anti-fascists into a waiting van. Among those arrested in this way were several leading local trade un- ionists - Trades Council Secretary John Reidford, T&GWU District Secretary Hugh Wyper, David Bolton, Scottish NUM vice president - as well as lan McKay, Glasgow CF Secretary. In all some 65 anti-fascists were arrested and will appear in court this week. Many others were punch- ed or kicked by police. Workers must draw the lessons from the treacherous actions of these Labour councillors, and begin at once the campaign to hound them from the workers' movement.

At the same time, the mobilisation from the unions, including organ- ised defence squads to protect demonstrators against open fascist attack, must be stepped up, to ensure the NF are denied a public platform for their anti-working class views. well. They allowed the dispute to g n dnu laut lnel announce ment immediately after the last mass meeting (they could have made it before the meeting if it had suited them). They moved at what they considered the best possible moment to get this deal accepted.

Full Claim They can and must be beaten.

Chrysler workers must reject the ue.. conunue wito ne suike and fight for the full claim without strings. here must be no phoney "participation' The books of Chry. sler should be opened for the insp- ection of trade union committees specially elected for the purpose, and responsible only to their fellow trade unionists. The demands should include a sliding scale of wages to keep pace with a cost of living index worked out by committees of workers Chrysler workers should use the tigures revealed in opening the com- pany's books to prove the case and back the demand for the full nat- ionalisation of not only Chrysler but of the whole car industry under workers management as the ond way to protect jobs and living stan- dards in this period. workers and employers as the econ- omic conditions worsen. the ciass struggle sharpens and unemploy- mcll mounls The last comparable action was the sacking by the Mirror group of all their printers on Fleet Street until they were prepared to accept the manning levels of the employ- The media, in this period, are of extreme importance to the ruling class. It is not surprising therefore that it is the newspaper and tele- vision employers who carry out this form of attack.

RIGHT WING MOVES

The moves of the right wing in ACTT to call a special general MARKET (cont'd from front page) it. Wilson is not separațing it and the trade union leaders are open- ing the door tor them At the same time the working Class have to pay the price cor the Common Market, which has brou- ght about massive increases in the cost of living, linked of course to inflation on a world scale. Prices in Europe have been kept up by devices such as beef and butter mountains, wine lakes and the destruction of thousands of tons of fruit and vegetables, in order to rod tue workmg class

SOLUTION

The EEC is a major part of the attack against them, but workers would be wrong to think that coming out of the Market would, in itself, be a solution to their pro blens. Membership of the EEC the big employers an advan- tage. This is why Wilson gets the backing of not only the Tory and Liberal party machines but the entire capitalist press. A solution to the problems of the working class is to fight for a NO vote as part of the fight for a wew leadership in the working class. It involves the revolutionary struggle for the international unity of the working class - for the over throw of British and European SOCIALIST PRESS, Thursday May 29th, 1.

CROSFIELD

DEFEAT

The occupation of part of tr Crosfields electrical componen plant in N. London came to ar last week, with 25 workers red ant and 6 others found alternat work by management. The deliberate isolation of tl struggle by the trade union bur cracyand the local trades coun‹ fas reported earller in socialist enabled the employers to spin the struggle and eventually con the occupiers with a High Cour writ and the threat of police ev 1on Those sacked as a result of tl entirely avoidable defeat includ hait the factory's Joint Shop St ards Committee, among them t convenor. Yet whereas Marxists will see this defeat as a part of their str to expose and remove the treac ous reformist leaders responsibl Workers Press, daily paper of th centrist Workers Revolutionary Party, announced it as a "Tacti Withdrawal" , anu voicea nol a word of criticism of the betray in its lengthy report (by John S cer). Ironically this cynical piece c distortion strongly angled towa an opportunist relationship wit section of workers still working the plant appears in the first iss of what is described as the Workers Press Sapper meeting to censure Alan Sappe (General Secretary ACTT) and the action must be fought. If th employers are able to break the claim by the lock-out on the on hand and using the right wing o the other a damaging blow will have been dealt to trade union organisation in the television in ustry. Capitalism and the setting up of United Socialist States of Euro This is the only real alternative the Common Market. It is when the struggle is seen this perspective that the depth the betrayal of Benn and the le can be clearly seen. It is in this context that the full implicatio of trade union leaders joining Joint organisations with Tories to 'fight' the Market can be ass ed. It is in this way that we vier Clive Jenkins sharing a platform with Enoch Powell and we get measure of the betrava involve in the support given to the EEC the Chinese government and th French and Italian Stalinist par The fight against the Market, until June 5th and after if there no withdrawal, must be waged‹ these clear class lines. All talk o "national interest" and "nation sovereignty" must be rejected. I is not simply in the interests of working class in Britain to come out of the Market but would sti gthen the working class of all co tries. The Portuguese working class fired the first shots of the latest wave oi the european revolutio!

overthrowing S0 years of fascisr A solid class vrte to reject the capitalist ELC would create the conditions for further advances the working class on a Europear scale