Workers Press no. 730

workers press

CONFUSION

Turkey: President bans politics THE EASTER marches and speeches in Ireland have served to highlight the deep confusion in the ranks of the IRA. While both wings of the IRA, particularly the Provis- ionals, show their politi- weaknesses, the cal struggle against British imperialism is danger- ously undermined. The disarray and uncer- tainty is directly traceable to the nature of the IRA movement and its middle- class nationalist politics.

It has now clearly emerged that since Heath seized direct rule, the Provisionals have been thrown into considerable chaos. Sean MacStiofain, their chief of staff, made the risky visit to Londonderry on Easter Sunday his authority over to re-assert the Derry and Belfast command.

Only a week ago, a four-week truce was called by a spokesman for the Provisionals in Derry. But this instruction was counter- manded several hours later.

Meanwhile, in Belfast, sections of the Catholic community are beginning to openly attack the Provisionals' terrorist policies.

Incensed They have been incensed in accidental by the particular shooting of Mrs Martha Craw- ford—a mother-of-ten, killed in week-and crossfire last the Donegal St bombing in which six people were killed and more than 100 injured. Yesterday Mrs Clare Fegan of Andersontown district of Belfast Together' her Women said organization intended seeing MacStiofain to 'talk peace' In his Londonderry speech made special MacStiofain appeal to the womenfolk:

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLI

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTF

BY A POLITICAL CORF

I hope the nationalist-minded women of the Six Counties will stand behind their menfolk, and the men behind the wire, the men on the run and the Repub- lican movement.' Speaking from a lorry at the city cemetery, he urged his fol- lowers not to hesitate. Everyone should recognize that comprom- ise never solved anything.

Truce *If we become hesitant, the fight of this generation is lost, he added. But if some of his supporters are arguing for a truce with the Tory government, it is no use MacStiofain complaining, because he himself inaugurated a 72-hour truce only a month ago as part of a 'peace-feeler'. The confusion in the ranks at this moment also reflects on statements made a few months by another Provisional ago leader, Joe Cahill. He said that the purpose of their military campaign was to bring about the downfall of Stormont, direct rule from West- minster and then a conference resulting in a final settlement of the Irish question.' PRESIDENT Cevdet Sunay yesterday suspended all polit- ical activities in Turkey and reserved the right to rule by decree for a temporary period.

In a letter released to the press by the secretary-general of the presidency, Sunay asked for constitutional amendments to fight political extremism and terrorism in the country.

The letter also revealed that Prime Nihat Erim Minister offered to resign on two occasions last week, claiming that he was responsible for Turkey's present political problems. Sunay's letter follows the massacre at Kizildere of ten Turkish urban guerrillas and

E NEWSLETTER • TUESDAY APRIL 4, 1972

• CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOI

CAL CORRESPONDENT

Yet now that these reactionary demands are met, Cahill changes his tune or is forced to by the working-class Catholic com- munities who are demanding that all internees be released and the complete withdrawal of the British army. The Officials, at least, made an outright condemnation Heath 'initiatives'. the But despite their stated adherence to Marxism, the Officials are still tied to the Stalinist-dominated civil rights movement in Ulster.

This connection with the civil Tomas MacGiolla, rights led president of the Official Sinn Fein, to make this astonishing during deduction his Easter oration in Dublin: "The campaign civil rights the slogan "One man, began on one vote" and now no man in the N has This is any vote. obviously not progress.' Yet the Officials (and Miss Bernadette Devlin, MP) continue to pull back from an all-out campaign against the real source of the murder and terror in Ulster which is the Tory govern- ment. It is at this point that they split themselves off from the British working class.

• SEE LATE NEWS

their three NATO hostages five days ago. Sunay's letter said Turkey's problems were organized abroad.

They were not getting any better despite repeated calls from the armed forces since the military coup which toppled the govern- ment of Suleiman Demirel just over a year ago. PRESIDENT Makarios the said yesterday ment had Cyprus government was made cert ready to discuss a ions aime general disarmament general dis the island 1 plan to reduce tension between the island's Greek and Turkish had also population. November 4, 1972 • No. 730 • 4p

HE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

Students are among targets. military governor of Ankara has teachers, students and their families that harsh measures would be taken if they step out He implied that the univer- sities could be closed if the Kizildere protests against the He said the govern- UN proposal calling 1 repeatedly a progressive reducti had in the armed for ade certain suggest- aimed the with demilitarization at eneral disarmament of the ultimate object. le island by stages. 'We He said: He added that they willing to accepted the working out of a pl for the abolition 24, 1967, Flagbearers of the Official IRA marching in London at the weekend killings did not cease. There have been campus and parliamentary clashes over the killings. Young guerrillas Deniz Gezmis, and Huseyin Inan Yusuf Aslan are still awaiting execution after their death warrants were rushed through parliament and signed by Sunay on March 23. over arms l calling for either side of military posts in the island.' ve reduction Greece and Turkey med forces each have a regular tarization as army battalion on the island and Greek and are discuss the Turkish Cypriots each t of a plan have conscript forces of bolition by about 10,000 men.

workers press

CONFUSION

Turkey: President bans politics THE EASTER marches and speeches in Ireland have served to highlight the deep confusion in the ranks of the IRA. While both wings of the IRA, particularly the Provis- ionals, show their politi- weaknesses, cal the struggle against British imperialism is danger- ously undermined. The disarray and uncer- tainty is directly traceable to the nature of the IRA movement and its middle- class nationalist politics.

It has now clearly emerged that since Heath seized direct the Provisionals have rule, been thrown into considerable chaos. Sean MacStiofain, their chiet of staff, made the risky visit to Londonderry on Easter Sunday to re-assert his authority over the Derry and Belfast command.

Only a week ago, a four-week truce was called by a spokesman Provisionals in Derry. for the But this instruction was counter- manded several hours later.

Meanwhile, in Belfast, sections of the Catholic community are beginning to openly attack the Provisionals' terrorist policies.

Incensed They have been incensed in particular by the accidental shooting of Mrs Martha Craw- ford—a mother-of-ten, killed in crossfire week-and the last Donegal St bombing in which six people were killed and more than 100 injured. Yesterday Mrs Clare Fegan of Andersontown district of Belfast Together' said her 'Women organization intended seeing MacStiofain to 'talk peace'.

In his Londonderry speech special MacStiofain made a appeal to the womenfolk:

INCORPORATING THE NEWSLI

DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTF

BY A POLITICAL CORF

I hope the nationalist-minded women of the Six Counties will stand behind their menfolk, and the men behind the wire, the on the run and the Repub- men lican movement." Speaking from a lorry at the city cemetery, he urged his fol- lowers not to hesitate. Everyone should recognize that comprom- ise never solved anything.

Truce 'If we become hesitant, the fight of this generation is lost,' he added. But if some of his supporters are arguing for a truce with the Tory government, it is no use MacStiofain complaining, because he himself inaugurated a 72-hour truce only a month ago as part of a 'peace-feeler' The confusion in the ranks at this moment also reflects on statements made a few months by another Provisional ago leader, Joe Cahill. He said that the purpose of their military campaign was bring about the downfall of Stormont, direct rule from West- minster and then a conference resulting in a final settlement of the Irish question.' PRESIDENT Cevdet Sunay yesterday suspended all polit- ical activities in Turkey and reserved the right to rule by decree for a temporary period.

In a letter released to the press by the secretary-general of the presidency, Sunay asked for constitutional amendments to fight political extremism and terrorism in the country'.

The letter also revealed that Prime Minister Nihat Erim offered to resign on two occasions last week, claiming that he was responsible for Turkey's present political problems. Sunay's letter follows the Kizildere of ten massacre at l Turkish urban guerrillas and E NEWSLETTER • TUESDAY APRIL 4, 1972 • No. 730 • 4p

• CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOL

AL CORRESPONDENT

Yet now that these reactionary demands are met, Cahill changes his tune-or is forced to by the working-class Catholic com- munities wht are demanding that all internees be released and the withdrawal complete of the British army. The Officials, at least, made outright condemnation of an Heath "initiatives'. But the despite their stated adherence to Officials Marxism, the still are Stalinist-dominated tied to the civil rights movement in Ulster.

This connection with the civil rights Tomas MacGiolla, led Official president of the Sinn this astonishing Fein, to make deduction during his Easter oration in Dublin: "The civil rights campaign "One began on the slogan man, one vote" and now no man in the N has This is any vote. obviously not progress.' Yet the Officials (and Miss Bernadette Devlin, MP) continue pull back from all-out to an campaign against the real source of the murder and terror In Ulster which is the Tory govern- ment. It is at this point that they split themselves off from the British working class.

• SEE LATE NEWS

their three NATO hostages five Students days regime's ago. Sunay's letter said Turkey's military governor of problems were organized abroad.

They were not getting any better their families that har despite repeated calls from would be taken if th the military armed forces coup which toppled the govern- ment of Suleiman Demirel just be over a year ago. protests against Makarios

PRESIDENT

He said the govern- repeatedly to reduce the island by stages. also accepted the population.

• LABOUR LEAGUE

Flagbearers of the Official IRA marching in London at the weekend the killings did among not cease. The There have been campus and targets. the vernor of Ankara has parliamentary clashes over students and killings. Young guerrillas Deniz Gezmis, es that harsh measures Yusuf Aslan and Huseyin Inan aken if they step out are still awaiting execution after ied that the univer- their death warrants were rushed and signed closed if the through parliament Kizildere by Sunay on March 23. gainst the either side of military UN proposal calling for a progressive reduction posts in the island' the armed Greece and Turkey with demilitarization as the ultimate object. He said: Cypriots willing to working out of a plan have conscript forces of the abolition by about 10,000 men.

PAGE 2 Workors Prese, Tuesday April 4, 1972

AROUND THE WORLD

BY JOHN SPENCER

ing them to the relative safety of Da Nang further S VIETNAMESE defences around the down the coast. city of Quang Tri were reported to have Over 8,000 Vietnamese reinforcements were rushed to the border saigon yesterday attel lical crumbled yesterday as the invading infantry. government troops were northern Army's tank units closed in reported falling back down Highway towards the Capilal on the provincial capital.

unable support About 50 N Vietnamese tanks and 'We also have the problem government forces. • Vietnamese this infantry were sighted ten miles to the knowing wnere UnILS are stage,' an Air Force officer Salel Though they were unable to fly 'close support' N of Quang Tri. Other reports said US missions, planes yesterday began what giant bombing campaign' against tanks were only five miles from the described as "a southbound units from N Vietnam.

town. and the command was unable. The Saigon government's defence lines S of 10 eæe dow ànven ækn the demilitarized zone were knocked out in precipitate retreat. Saigon president Nguyen Van Thieu left for. the Da Nang base the first days of the offensive, which began overseer the retreat, atter excusine himselt trom five days ago with a heavy bombardment by a session or the puppet parlament rockets, mortars and artillery.

American ambassador Ellsworth Bunker rushed back to the Vietnamese capital, cutting short A S Vietnamese command spokesman in holiday in Nepal. atter of the recelvink news Saigon told a press briefing that 12,000 rein- Invaricn US advisers with the Saigon forces are openly forcements, including Marine, Ranger and sceptical about their puppets' Armoured units, were being sent into Quang best. one said. ine davance. nr Tri in a desperate bid to hold the city.

performance could be described as 'inconclusive'.

The spokesman admitted, for the first time, that The Vietnamese have opened up other Saigon forces had abandoned all their bases below Tay Ninh, 70 miles from Saigon and fronts: near the This was "a new tactic demilitarized the Central Highlands, threatening the city LuIc. Their offensive is proving far more effective US helicopters were busy in Quang Tri yesterday and advaneing much more rapidly than the Saigon evacuating American civilian personnef and ferry- government and its US advisers had expected.

The Us command said vester- day its artillery and air power Viétham northern provinces of s being used acaltonaorecautlonar opeld tions' to protect the withdrawal öf American troops. For opera- tional reasons security the could not elaborate sockesillan on this statement.

CEYLON'S

civil rights movement has protested about However, it would appear to indicate that the US rumoured government legislation designed to deal with 14,000 is reluctant to become embroiled people detained without trial since last year's uprising.

Which ast faces the Sagen faces Saigon which ncw There was only the slenderest forces. countryside as well as a wave of evidence against half the detain- strikes in thẻ the Bill The N Vietnamese offensive only is showing the complete bank- ees ana Coule will certainly mark aniosu charged with with any treason ruotev of Nixon's 'Vietnamization Tur ner urcn: lowaes •clatet hope. of being. convicted.

policy, aimed replacing the US soldiers with Vietnamese.

Now public clamour for their economy is in decline and socia service It has ra ence. 0an0aa- stees proves what the naike's three-party coalition to cutbacks, rocketing prices and always maintained: that without either justice of all kinds of con- the point where scarcities .air sup- Us ald and paruculariy goods have unleashed must be seen to be port, the Saigon regime is power cone nt SUlICI prison camp gates thrown open.

withstand mounung wave or popular un combined ess to Ceylon's civil negh criminat move- rest.

NLF

and of

DIOWS

tlit The coalition, the which includes N Vietnamese army. ICalS

HIC W

Bil! may the (Moscow) Justice Commissions Communist Party so-called Cae used as svions by and the renegace .

ACOTSKY CE

evidence. Lanka Sama Samaja Party, has- police to down by «clamping on

ALL TRADES UNIONS

oince bonce orulaury loos und list of against the pecuons. validity of such banning strikes in regime,

ALLIANCE

'essential putting con. 'confessions would be obcl trade and

MEETINGS

more than oolioT. Afraid to* release the detainees opening wide the door to Carol of and and faced with a resurgence trary arrests, ACTON: Tuesday April 4, 8 p.m brutality by the police. armed querrilla activity in Mechanics Arms, Chürchfield 'Empire Pool and build- Road ing the revolutionary party.

Aprll 4, 8 p.m. Abereldy Pesd Aberteldy • •.m Aoeneov ru• Street, Tunnel. mnckwall 'Building the revolutionary party and the fight for docks jobs'.

G.M. Paric Burgn Aall R igho THE French Communist Party pursued with a view to givins p.m. Partick Buror has published details the Europe a larger role in world to-Work march; building the revo- Goess nn whe oi e will be put to aflair The Ten lutionary party. "should develop Market voLCIS 1n LaC SOUTH LONDON: Tueaday April towards a confederation. though relerendum due to de nela on April 23. with the Sireatham 8 am High White Lion', novacersonal 'L'Humanité' of the constituent powers pre- 'Scar- Their paper served. borough Ys conference' ann rene coțe coce ccc referendum paper from the 5. France is readv to play the

DARTFORD:

Tuesday government printing office.

role in such a Europe 'for which her geographic position, her past, will ask res eenl onDQOu Right to Work' voters approve five policy Tne …aDOUr ocic. prestige of her culture, has points: LIVERPOOL: Wednesday Aprll 5, destined her'. The Common agricultural 8 p.m. 'The Swan', London Road from clear policy shoula be naintennee abundantly 'Tory attack on unions; engineers all its principles: i.e. it should that the elector. struggle'. Tus cocunent its tariff continue with walls in- ate being asked endorse tact, of trado-war policies of the French «esotes re o•ecuons SHEFFIELD: Thursday April 6, Britain, Germany and the US.

Common the 7.30 p.m. New White Lion Market against US and Japanese The European economic Wicker, Sheffield. 'Engineers' union of the Ten and the Industrial claim Party policy has Relations Act: Halt the retreat' SHole while the and speak with a single voice at caled for a No' vOte. NOTTINGHAM: Thursday April international- economic and other main working cians Socialișt Party p.m. organization. the reooies monetary zatherinrs Report - back Heathcoat St. Polítical co-operation with- abstention avOLS from Wembley Pool. community should be referendum. in the. THE LABOUR bureaucrats are always quick to reward their friends and expel their enemies. When the Young Socialists attempted to resist the betrayals of Wilson in 1964 and fight for a new socialist leadership in the Party, they were bureaucratically expelled, Labour their federations wound up and their press pro- scribed. Even in the League of Youth in the 1950s the LP leaders fought tooth and nail to stifle the enthusi- asm of youth and prevent youth representation on the NEC. The Labour leaders were afraid of youth because the post-war generation was very much under the influence of the Trotskyist movement.

Once the peril of Trotskyism had been bureau- 'solved' cratically, but provisionally, the Labour leaders gave a great sigh of political relief and began to look round for a new type of Labour youth, a youth with all bark and no bite whose loyalty to social democracy was unquestioned and whose hatred and fear of Trotskyism was equal to its bureaucratic leaders. The NEC did not have to look far-although they did have to stoop some-to find the kind of political animal called the 'Militant' group which answered to every requirement of the Labour traitors.

This group of 'running dogs' for social democ- racy has left its masters in no doubt about its loyalty reactionary, to the witch-hunting, Trotsky-baiting policy of Transport House.

In the campaign to prevent the Right-to-Work march from Glasgow to London this group un- hesitatingly formed a united front with the Tories and and deprive YS the right-wing Labourites to try marchers from getting accommodation in many pro- vincial towns. Leading this campaign in the NE coast and in Carlisle the only town to keep the YS marchers out —was a certain Peter Doyle, NE representative on LPYS National Committee. Not satisfied with witch- hunting the YS, this reformist even tried to organize a diversionary LPYS march from Sunderland to Jarrow on the day that the YS marchers reached Sunder- land. And who should be addressing this gathering of reformists? Why well-dressed, middle-class smug none other than Doyle's political comrade in arms and one-time publicity man for the Greek junta Gordon Bagier, Labour MP for Sundertand S That, however, is not the end of this sordid story.

It is not enough to witch-hunt Trotskyists and main- tain an equivocal attitude to the extreme right-wing today. Love Wilson, Love Jenkins is the motto of .

the Labour Party now. So when the demand was made for the expulsion of Roy Jenkins at the LPYS conference, the 'Militant' witch-hunters of the left predictably became the fore- most defenders and apologists for the right. Said Jenkins' from attorney in the LPYS - McMillan Croydon: 'Ludicrous. The question is not of expelling the 69 Jenkinsites because you could only replace them with another 69 Wilsonites.'

Apart from Jenkins, Wilson, the 69 MPs and the 'Militant' group, there is nobody who would subscribe to this fraudulent evasion of responsibility. This argu- ment—if you can call it that—only reveals how these fake lefts use militant phrases to cover up the most • blataht prostration before the right wing.

Having set out to discredit the Trotskyist move- ment by trying to reform social democracy through the of 'deep-entry', these revisionists have now tactic apologists and willing hostages become the chief of the betrayals of social democracy and the implicit defenders of the Common Market.

We say that the struggle to expel Jenkins is in- separable from the campaign to expose Wilson and secure a Labour government pledged to socialist policies. To say that this cannot be done is to malign the working class and condemn it to eternal right- wing domination and eventually-fascism.

Is it any wonder then that Doyle has been allowed to sit on the National Executive together with his friend Wilson-and the friend of his friend-Roy Jenkins?

CHALKHILL ESTATE

When the Tory 'Fair Rents' Bill becomes law, millions of council and private tenants will be faced with having to increased pay enormously rents each week. There is one group of tenants, however, who have been living with the effects of such 'fair' rents for a long time. On the Chalkhill Estate in Wembley there are today nearly 2,000 dwellings costing , between £7.41 a week for a bedsitter, ranging up to £15.12 for a five- bedroomed flat or maisonette. Heating is, in most cases, extra.

It was supposed to be quite an architectural feat in its time but, as usual, the men who designed the estate neither lived in themselves, consulted " the nor people who have to do so.

The flats are stark, simple buildings in white concrete. 'Like a lot of identical egg-boxes with the sides punctured by rows of windows like TV screens, one tenant described them. : Maisonettes line the sides of the estate in serried ranks.

There is plenty of greenery, which on which the children are pro- hibited from playing ball games.

Residents complain that there are not enough proper playing spaces, so the children do play the grass, which then gets on churned up, and the mud gets carried all over the paths.

Chalkhill Estate has been a centre of controversy since its conception in 1964. As part of the reorganization of the Greater London Council, Tory Wembley was about to be merged with Labour Willesden to make up the new Borough of Brent. With large areas of crowded its Borough, slum property in the Labour. Council in Willesden saw a way of trying to solve its problem housing moving into middle-class, under- occupied Wembley. It began to make offers to householders around Chalkhill and Barnhill Roads to sell their houses and large gardens. The eventually property would handed over to Brent Council after its inception for the build- ing of council homes. Fearing a general lowering of property values if council tenants moved in, and scenting a good price to be had, several house- holders agreed to sell. They were not disappointed. The Labour Council paid well.

For one group of eight houses alone they paid out £84,800.

furious. Local Tories were not objecting They were to development of the area in prin- ciple, they said, but they had a responsibility to the people already living there to ensure the 'right' sort of tenants moved in. Luxury flats should be built by private developers. "The Council has a standard of integrity which intended it is be upheld, one Tory should councillor put it. Labour councillors accused the Tories of wanting apartheid in housing-trying to exclude coun- cil tenants from Wembley.

Ald Reginald Freeson, later to become a Labour MP, pointed out that 30,000 people in Willes- den were in urgent need of re- housing. 'The choice,' he said, 'is be- tween selfishness and greed or public many people were in need of rehousing in Wembley was not known. The housing list there had been closed for ten years and the Tory Council had carried out virtually no council building. Councillor Swannell, another Labour councillor, said: 'We say these areas should be developed for the people, and not for the, small section which can afford to pay f12 to £15 a week rent.' Fine words. But the reality turned out to be somewhat different. The people the got homes-and the f12 to £15 rents.

Labour won the first elections in the new Borough of Brent and announced that priyate developers would be consulted building luxury about council flats in the area. Subsidies for these flats would be considered.

demonstrations by Amid Wembley householders objecting to council building in their area, compulsory purchase orders were applied for the remaining houses.

In March 1965 the then Labour Minister of Housing and Local Government, Richard Crossman, refused permission for a grant which would enable the Council to buy the property from private developer, because, he said, the resulting homes would too expensive for council tenants. Either the rents would be too high, or local ratepayers would have to pay too high a subsidy.

estimated the was that average family would need an income of at least £35 a week to live on the new estate. Two months later Crossman agreed to the deal on condition that the new homes would be leased to a housing association.

By December, however, the " Council had decided that even a housing association would not be able to afford all the property.

It announced that. 104 of the homes would be offered to the GLC to nominate tenants from anywhere in the Greater London homes would be area, some offered to the Willesden Housing Association, and • the remainder would go to families on Brent's waiting list who indicated they would be prepared to pay more than the normal council rent.

There were hundreds of des- perate families on the waiting list prepared to pay almost any rents asked. But by the time the first part of the was ready for. estate occupation in 1970, the Tories had gained control of Brent the waiting list Ignoring altogether, they openly advertised the flats and maisonettes in the national press for anyone who wanted to apply. Applications poured in from all over London. People who had given up hope of ever being rehoused in their own boroughs, eagerly turned to Chalkhill hoping that, by making other sacrifices, they would be able to afford the rents.

And dream of a then the decent home began to turn into a nightmare for many families.

The recession began to bite.

Unemployment and short-time working began to hit at workers all over the country. For those on Chalkhill Estate it was a disaster. Rent arrears began to build up.

The evictions began. 'In. January 1971 Harrow approved Brent magistrates Council's first application for a possession order. The victims were the Gabriel family who had come to England.

from the W Indies only a few years previously.

DAMP

Mr.and Mrs Gabriel and their five children, aged two to 15, initially had to make their home in two damp basement rooms.

The chance of a fist on the Chalkhill Estate seemed like the answer to a prayer. Although the rent was £13 Ils 2d a week, were sure they could man- they age if Mr Gabriel worked long hours overtime. firm stopped all Then his overtime working. The family got behind with the rent, and the Council took them to court.

Mr Gabriel begged for cheaper accommodation. He said would pay as much as f9 a week.

Coldly refused. the Council He had had his chance. It offered to take away not only his home, but his family as well. If he was having found evicted without anywhere else to live, the Coun- cil said it would take his child- ren into care. But such brutal measures did not stop the rent arrears con- tinuing to mount. In just over a since the families first year moved in, nearly £10,000 was outstanding in unpaid rents and ten families had been evicted.

In the Borough Council elec- tions of May 1971, Labour was returned. Chalkhill residents breathed a sigh of relief as the Council announced new an immediate freeze' on the five evictions in the pipeline and the further 70 under notice to quit.

It was also announced that only tenants from the 9,000-strong Brent waiting list would be re- housed there. Chairman of the Housing Com- mittee James Goudie said: 'Our for families who have concern been on the waiting list some is demonstrated by time our decision to look first at rehousing all residents who have been on the waiting list for over 21 years.

There are many people who have been on the waiting list longer than that, some for more than 30 years.' Just 38 homeless families were installed during the next year.

'Rent rebates were now to be available for all the dwellings, of only the 350 flats instead affected before. Things seemed to be looking up. Or were they? Allan Blatt, secretary of the Chalkhill Tenants' Association, explains the reasons why the rent rebate scheme did not help.

'Our Association has never been happy about rebates, he told me, 'because they play a very in helping little part council tenants, and then only those on the very lowest income even many" cases both husband wife have to go to work and that immediately cuts out rebate. If the wife is not worke ing you might get a rebate, but when you move into a flat cost- ing £12 to £14 a week, a rebate of el to tz doesn't hetp much?

In spite of Labour's statements, the enormous rents burden con- tinued to be too much for many families who had moved in with such high hopes. currently Rent arrears are standing at nearly £23,000. The Tories Council are on blaming "lazy, shiftless tenants', and calling for more evictions.

The controlling Labour group puts the blame squarely on falling rising unemployment, wages and overtime stoppages- but it still authorized the evic- tion of 19 families in 1971 alone, most of them for non-payment of rent. from evictions, the Apart Chalkhill has a higher rate of tenants moving than any other estate in London. months before In the six families November 1971, 150 moved out-and the trend con- tinues. Some of them, unable to pay back rents owed, just did a moonlight flit' and have never been heard of again. It has been estimated that about 100 flats are standing empty at any one time between lettings, and the Council is handling about 25 new lettings a week. Tenants are only too eager to explain the reasons. 'Many people find it very difficult to make ends meet,' Neville Parris told me.

Mr Parris moved into a three- bedroomed flat with his wife and three children after they had been given notice to quit by their previous landlord. pays £12.26 a week. I reckon that I've paid nearly €1,000 since I came here. They must have paid for this estate several times over by now.'

Another tenant asked not to be named since he is a couple of weeks behind with the rent and fears reprisals. no choice about 'We had coming here,' he said. 'My wife and I and our two children were living in just two rooms, having bathroom to share the kitchen, Workers Press,

LATION

iN Tenants lobby parliament to protest the 1 and toilet, and paying f7 a week for it. We reckoned that it was better to pay £10 for our own flat here. 'My wife works. She has to. We couldn't manage otherwise.

But I know of three families who had to move One out. woman came here with her child- ren and thought she could man- age. But then, when she found.

she was paying f10 a week rent, plus electricity, plus AP on the furniture, she just couldn't make ends meet.' He went on to recall the rent strike in which he had par- ticipated in 1971. 'All the flats on this floor were ' he said. 'When you very damp,' toucned the wall you could feel it was wet. Fungus started grow- ing on the paper. We had to have the electric fire up against the wall all day to try and dry it out. When we complained, they said it was just condensation and we should open the windows.

Well, we took a decision at association not the tenants' to pay all the rent. We paid part and withheld the rest, paying it into tenants' association instead, for them to hold for us.

'There was a lot of publicity.

There were programmes on TV us and articles in the about papers.. 'Eventually the Council had to workmen give in. They sent something round who sprayed over the outside walls and that seemed to stop the damp coming through. the wallpaper was Of course, still stained. We asked for it to be replaced and got a letter say- ing they would pay a portion of the cost and we would have to pay the rest. 'When I read it I was so dis- gusted I never bothered to reply and just did it mysell. They charge all this rent and then when damage is caused, we are supposed to help pay to put it right.' There are many other com- plaints—warped doors that won't shut properly, peeling wallpaper, smelly refuse disposal units, noise. Young people in particular get fed up. Said 16-year-old Zena Rual: 'There's nothing to do here.

can only go into Wembley You and go bowling, but that's expen- sive.' There have been complaints about 'hooliganism', , fights, milk bottles being broken. The Coun- cil has warned that families might and be evicted if their children mis- behave. Stephen Smith (18) put his finger on the problem. "The kids have got nothing to do round here, so they out go and cause trouble. They're just bored' There have several been alegations of police harassment of youth on the estate at night.

So many young people have been involved that the tenants' asso- made a complaint to ciation They Wembley police station. go through the told to were 'proper channels' The association is now collect- ors Preas, Tueaday April 4, 19 otest the Tory Rent BIll ing a dossier and intends I was told that TeW seen estate at night. trouble, ther Watce

TOGOTS

ana right association Chalkhill assed a resolution Council for rent Celu nave not receivea a r Many of the tena worried about 'Fair Rents' legi

1 OTV

councilors havA on the estate will be not may be reduced even Tenants' leaders 'That says Allan Blatt. 'It i trary to all the evider the new U1DLCIlCI • pecomec lawan: were elected for. enough It is not Council to carry out Mr Batt went any more the Ce made Market TrAGA their part in this figh trade day ane lorcer aoot Many council tenants about what to do organice Asked fight ther such a the Tory Torce Mr Blatt agr resign it's not the coverament dowi Labour government i оп with carry cies. It ha ernment that 1S defehal will Est tegh Chalkhill Estate of warne winalt •Fair Rent the Tory is carried through The Labour carrying on witn misery shoulders tenants. Unless are committed the new plement will he the same in o The trade must be forced along tenants. workers the Tory governmer and to return which ment ano the bullding supplies industries an compensatio without workers' control out an oroxiamne homes tor • Work11d-( at rents they can aff

SINTS

people young round the not want either slay or the area The have started meeting, the A sociation asking the immediate 25 They reduction. are the proposea rents high they allu dispute this. nonsense, coun- not to and Words are not a Labour think must play You can't during une it. The unions ichanls. orIvae give them he thought government to agreed. to bring chousI. the same poli. committed to a terrible to come i and worry on ae connoll refuse to im- legislation, legislation organize with other • то тосе resign governi- the building and the banks, crash housing build decent

PAGE 1 Workora Prose, Tueaday April 4, Part 2 If Soviets were ormed during the war the soldiers would elect Labour Party people to them, not us. Workers would still say that we handicapped Labour. But if we gave critical support and by that means helped the Labour Party to power, at the same time telling the workers that the Labour Party would function aș a capitalist govern- ment, and would direct a capi- talist war-then, when war came, workers would see that we predicted rightly, at the marched same time that we with them. We would be elected to the Soviets and the Soviets would not betray.

As a general principle, a revolutionary party has right to boycott parliament only when it has the capacity to overthrow it, that is, when it can replace parliamentary action by general strike and insurrection, by direct struggle for power. y April a, 1972 In Britain the masses have yet no confidence in the ILl.

The ILP is therefore too weak to break the parliamentary machine and must continue to use it. As for a partial boycott, súch as the ILP sought to operate, it was unreal. At this of British politics it stage would be interpreted by the working class as a certain con- tempt for them; this is par- ticularly true in Britain where parliamentary traditions are still so strong. Moreover, the London Div- ision's policy of giving critical support only to anti-sanction- ists would imply a fundamental distinction between the social- patriots like Morrison and Ponsonby or-with your per- mission-even Cripps. Actually, their differences merely propagandistic. are Cripps is actually only a second-class supporter of the bourgeoisie. He has said, in effect: 'Pay no attention to my ideas; our differences are only small. This is the attitude. of dilettante, not a revolutionist. times better A thousand open enemy like Morrison.

Lansbury himself is a sincere but extravagant and irrespon- sible old man; he should be in a museum not parliament. The other pacifists are more duplicit — more shifty; like Norman Angell, who demands more sanctions now, they will easily turn into social patriots could say to ele workers: thou develops. Then they know We were anti- sanctionists. Even the ILP sup- Therefore ported our struggle you can have confidence in us say that this when we war is a just war'. No, the

ILP

should have applied support to hea the same of critical whole of the Labour Party, only vary- ing our arguments to meet the slightly varied propaganda of and social - patriot. Otherwise, illusions are pro- voked that pacifism has more resist than social power patriotism. This is not true; their differ- not fundamental. areas Even among the Tories there are differences on sanctions The distinc- and war policies. tion between Amery and Lans- bury is simply that Amery is more of a realist. Both are anti-sanctionist; but for the working, class, Lansbury with his illusions and sincerity is more dangerous. Most dangerous of all, how- ever, is the Stalinist policy.

The parties of the Communist International try to appeal especially to the more revolu- tionary workers by denouncing the League of Nations (a de- nunciation that is an apology) by asking for 'workers' sanc- tions' and then nevertheless saying: 'We must use the League when it is for sanc- tions. They seek to hitch the revo- lutionary workers to the shafts so that they can draw the cart of the League. Just as the General Council in 1926 accepted the General Strike but behind the curtains concluded a deal with the clergy and pacifist radicals and this way used bourgeois opinion and influence to 'dis- cipline' the workers and sabo- tage their strike, so the Stalin- ists seek to discipline the workers by confining the boy- cott within the limits of the League of Nations. The truth is that if the workers begin their own sanc- tions against Italy, their action inevitably strikes at their own capitalists, and the League would be compelled to drop all sanctions. It proposes them now just because the workers' Top: Lansbury, plece. museum Above: Pollitt. Below: Stafford Crippe.

voices are muted in every country. - Workers' action can begin only by absolute opposition to the national bourgeoisie and its international combinations.

Support of the League and support of workers' actions are fire and water; they cannot be united. Because of this, the ILP should have sharply more differentiated itself from the CP at the elections than it did.

It should have critically sup- ported the Labour Party against Pollitt and Gallacher.

It should have been declared openly that the CP has all the deficiencies of the Labour Party without any of its ad- vantages. It should have, above all, shown in practice what true critical support means.

By accompanying support with the sharpest and widest criticism, by patiently explain- ing that such support is only for the purpose of exposing the treachery of the Labour Party leadership, the lur would have completely exposed, also, the 'critical' support of spurious the Stalinists themselves, a support which was actually wholehearted and uncritical and based on an agreement in principle with the Labour Party leadership. This interview has been reprinted from • Workers Press, June 15, 1970.

BY OUR SPANISH CORRESPOND

The opportunist twists of the Spanish Communist Party leadership are revealed in a by its October- report November, 1971, delegation to China and statement on US President Nixon's visit to Mao. streets and the China's clean idyllic existence in the communes and factories are praised. The report tells of cosy chats, where no questions of principle upset the flavour of the best chowmein: The Chinese comrades, after listening for a week, made no judgement policy. our on Similarly, they asked us not to pass any on theirs. However, the talks did contain a re-évaluation of the relation- ship between the two parties.

At the time of the Cultural Spanish CP- the Revolution, under the leadership of secretary Carrillo - launched Santiago vitriolic attacks on the Red Guards and Mao Tse-tung. On February 17, 1967, Dolores Ibarruri (La Pasionaria), as Party President, sent the most servile of letters to her Moscow mentors: It was difficult to understand unheard-of unleashing that nationalist and anti-communist xenophobia . . . the monstrous deformation of Marxism-Leninism which Mao's group is trying to impose.' March 196/' CP paper, 'Mundo In Obrero', the Spanish published a description of 'anti- Cultural Revolution as anti-Party and working-class, Bonapartist', a danger to the struggle of the Vietnamese people and an insult to the Soviet Union.

However, the worsening crisis of Stalinism and imperialism has led to a deterioration in the Carrillo-Kremlin friendship. The Spanish CP, trying to preserve its image as the Party of liberal- ism and democracy, had to con- demn the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. It also was increasingly embarrassed by the increased exchanges bétween Madrid and Moscow and the capitals of E Europe. champions the Moscow now rival Spanish CP, set up by ultra- Stalinist Enrique Lister, who is engaged in a campaign "reveal- ing' Santiago's crimes against democracy. Already in September 1970 a CP's Spanish Plenum of the Central Committee decided to suspend judgements on Cultural Revolution until the Party had some 'direct knowledge of the Revolution'. The direct knowledge gained in Peking has led to the Spanish Stalinist's about-face. They have now realized that Maoism is a perfected expression of Stalinism. then of the Cultural What Revolution? Carrillo still has to explain this development which he and his Party had so bitterly attacked. He opts for the radical-sound- ing theory that political revolu- tions within a socialist regime political and social supersaruce to change that are hangovers from tures capitalism. Although his wording deliber- ately attempts to imitate Leon Trotsky's analysis of the need for a political revolution remove the bureaucratic caste

ESPONDENT

the which governs the degenerate workers' state, he is only serving up the crassest form of Stalinist reformism and gradualism with a few left words about "political revolution'. There is nothing in common between Trotsky and Carrillo.

After the defeat of the German working-class in the early 1930s Trotsky concluded that the Soviet bureaucracy was now the instrument of conscious most counter-revolution within the working-class, a parasitic caste which endangered the property by relations established October Revolution. This caste had to be destroyed by the construction of a Marxist leadership within capitalist states and the degenerate workers' state, Trotsky, any talk of pro- gressive developments within the then counter-revolutionary bureaucracy was to admit com- plicity in the counter revolution: "The first condition for successes upon the international is the liberation of the arena international proletarian vanguard from the demoralizing influence of Soviet Bonapartism, i.e. from the venal bureaucracy of the so- called Comintern. "The struggle for the salvation of the USSR as a socialist state coincides completely with the for the Inter- struggle Fourth national. ('The Workers' State, and Bonapartism'. Thermidor Available from New Park Publications.) Carrillo's revised version of the Cultural Revolution reveals the 'reality of Mao's leadership of the Red Guard movement the siphon- ing of the revolutionary content of the revolt of Chinese youth against Stalinism into a safe channel, leaving intact the Chinese Stalinist bureaucracy and its peaceful co-existence policies.

The Spanish delegation found everywhere the old Party cadres who had not been 'axed'. They had made public confessions and had regained their confidence in a question of them. It was 'curing the illness to save the patient'. The enthusiastic champions of the Cultural Revolution were not so fortunate: "The bad image of the Revolution was the work of ultra-leftist counter-revolu- the tionaries and these excesses have been duly dealt with.' The Carrillo concept of the self-reform of the bureaucracy, to save the ailing patient Stalin- ism, extends from China to the movement in Poland: Workers Press, Tuaaday April 4, 1972 PAGE 5 Spanish CP Secretary, Santlago Carrlllo (above) once launched vitriolic attacks on Mao. Following Chinese regime most reasonable what of Poland on the Baltic coast where which [December The Polish recogn- • of the

VARO

leaders of this uprising have now become part of the Party leader- ship.' Carrillo's 'political revolution' i he movement of the liberal win of th bureaucracy which moves left under pressure from the the order to preven masses of the the development rea political revolution and ortho des ist peaceful co-existence d establish more the including actions Suen o the seria miners strike praised here by Carrillo, and the The Spanish CP statement on shows the talks only confirmed unese that Tne Maoist government wa of the most reasonable kind: "The of the principle E° proclamation co-existence document [the communiqué talks] has the significance, considering greatest the criticism Chinese comrades in the ideologi- that they polemic was had abandoned the policy of peaceful Franco's fascist police While shoot • shipyard-workers Ferrol and the Maoist René Pierre Renault Uverney Is Paper us prate for peacetil co police Carrilo establish with

PAGE 6 Workers Press, Tuesday April 4, 1972 In preparation for the Fourth Congress of the Inter- national Committee of the Fourth International, the Central Committee of the Socialist Labour League are publishing the four main documents of the Inter- the split with the national Committee covering French Organisation Communiste Internationaliste.

DOCUMENT 3

leaders, whose Callalll origins must be identified in order Conduct cucculve Vallic

CONTINUED

against revisionism. There is no need to construct of the Central Com- Declaration International, the Fourth mittee of the International Com- enoush to build the revolutionary Organization (For munist the construction the rourth International International) eạch Fourth country. amrmation that the fight to nulls revol. parties each country task thus international winas up as a nolow formula lo the extent that the international that is relationship Trotskyi dimension, concrete Thére is the same Form and content: the between the real the political devel- revo unc

TASKS

reconn the revolutionary struggle within IC and the opments Fourth International practically themsel affirmations of the SLL as there longer of the Bolivian no between This is not simply academic Dosive mea Te C an proletariat, the policies The terms must tive photograph. August position. It has led the sLl.

lead- reversed to find the truth.

commun of the POR and the ership to first ignore and then practically oppose all the the leadership of the desire to break up the article v reconstruct-

SLL

towards aves International Committee piece who seized on the problems ing the rourn internatonal.

Trotskyist organization can of the Bolivian not workers The sliding towards ideo The reconstruden the euros be built outside fight a means of political clarification logy and the putting forward of which t positions, but as a pretext orescul pronounced official Localist cannot be explained by an abrupt International. other ote accomplished facte sections use wrone onena- with Workers tion of the SLI. on this. to the of a brutat ideological loss of balance by the public offensive against the POR carried that was 1s not t solidarit could not help but have an effect The mists of so-called Marxist class en away from on discussion all its activities. ne creater 'philosophy invade political and greater place given to ideo- the question of Bubivia and bych break over of the to the r

SLL

at a very the more ism, Wo corresponds to relation to precise moment the com and ot avoids at the same time any dis- nore nATTOW that the SLL leadership POR to cussion on Bolivia. oscilla- dangerous itself into. an point of view. EThe got go with- leadership are nas But form does not Stalinist From chosen pretext at ione reconstruction of es central I he relation lo le marked an important state. allack Is at the same time oscillations of the encer. consicer International. They capital importance since Fourth expressed by were concerns the proletarian with directly, disagreement SlID declare their he 1966 renegad con- DareDele the the decisions on revolution. Essen meeting. fact Then rules ference that nevenicicos The revolutionary process that drawn into it with- ment a The Fourth Interna- accepted. organization. Bolivia marked the highest poll- its repressic tional does not need to be recon.

out mobilizing reached by the up- timeless. Interna tical point the POl They were structed': it surge of the working class on the under false pretences class and Tale bile, incarnated in the "ideological whole Latin American revoluti Continicall tional Committee. and it was characterized by the The d e co sinuite or Trotskyist party, in ther sectiol of the ic! ership confuses the continuity forward in the reconstruction O1C Dietel GuesTIon Fourth International real po the Fourth International, the places the SLL and war a serious dis- programme. nesertes its before iżations , a rigorous assessment. …the assured by the activity the resp webdoes. the POR assimilation again ir faced with policies. an and its organizations, we do not begin from the of the struggle. to liquidate the "The attempt the lessons contradictions with the In this sense. it is legitimate in 1935 Fourth from its

SLL

leadership discuss the policies of the POR political conditions, ana existence of refusal to work them out OCI. for its 1n Trotskyist between a funda "t ere . within ranks, we organizations and the class, con- discussion part did not The

WAIT TO

events LU shocking understand the within the IC. between inter- cannot ditions of selection nappen: and the bad faith and the criminal light- base which national leadership leading to the the POI approach to the prob- orean zanons ness in its centralized inter- if conducted a discuss with lican Bolivia and the policies of moral errors is not a question of conducted a veritus. discussion national leadership. Teths WIth The suj (La is related to

POR

the POÏ This attitude moral errors but of the results October 1970). ing orientation which is taking crisis of an

PÖUM.

the SLL in the direction of aban- What is criminal, Is Illal tie Fourth International, to a tend.

desire of the Workers deliberate doning the programme ency to see it only as an League and the SLL to use mistruta Fourth International. the Fourth International, whereas ama

SLL

victory of the fascist the seriousness, cold dealist the war, reorganized atter that the of the IC, leads them explains unity pages leadership centralized tols broken up serious discussion, to reiect this was only a pretext around the Bolivia used organization the vulgar by the OCI to precipitate the split repeat

LUSL

tional Programme by the capitu- which slanders of the enentes majority of its by avoiding discussion. lation of the vast in order to impose the workers' that is the organ which mat tic ized the struggle government' commented on proletariat This passage is to power and which opened the October 24 text in the in the dictatorship of the to the following way: he 'Revolutionary does tariat in Bolivia'. strategy with the difference Yes begin. or no, he Front, between the left wing and the originating a- but from reply of the Bolivian masse right wing of the army, ce their of overthrowing organizations the perspective October 1970 the whole bourgeois order.' ch Where Lora of tactics, organism of the spoke October 24 hegemony, from the base t the editors of the the top? text have substituted term.

SLL

Yes did Furthermore, the or no, strategy. absolute Assembly become, introduces an almost distinction between strategy and intervention of When it is a question of of dual power which tactics. organ opened workers' United Front (we cretely the workers' will return to this strategy and government? did it or not deserv tactics are presented totally as sense, epithet that its separate categories which lead first. Latin in it, the parallel existences merd- physical heaven. On the other soviet? an hand is question of Yes when it 110, strategy to begin with this attacking the POR, strategy and its become the tactics interchangeable given by ble with this self, terms. Moreover, read that when pose the question we he of the policies linking the criticism were founded around the masses ew Assembly to build the Fouth International as m- the fight inside on the basis of principle and total honesty' it seems to be an acci- open concretely the way to slogan: 'All the lo- dental comic note in an other- with the Popular Assembly. ain wise sinister text. Could But once again, we must come eir ple to the essence. The October ducted independently. Bolivian vanguard, of the r Wohlforth's nd text proclaiming maturity 'our declaration' has tionary el. article to be that to say about themselves, er- no more than of the Popular Assembly. all the revolutionary ek- This however the Latin is most ments in The OCI gave an answer important question on which the of OCI first and anti-Trotskyist centre took position & Co not the in confusion gave an opinion oTO- gramme of the

POR.

theirs. What is er- Therefore this is the question the SLL and of the groups first. signed the October 24 decla the which be discussed October the reading the with them? But from 24 text we learn simply that the This is er- OCI talks about a 'whole process' be ing organizational ui- concetized in 'something' like the Assembly. a discussion ick Popular declaration SeD- of the problems In its on 17 Central Com- stage ust tember the present

OCI

struggle. The period of imr of the emphasized is mittee revolution'- -and ing that the

POR

had been 'the motor of the Popular Assembly, imminent sm the period of class confrontations the organ which material- question struggle of the Bolivian the power: raises build how can the concretely its own masses nd which opened the road understand the approach and of the prole- question of power? of institu- This is the question was the Popular tions of dual power, of a workers' originating in the united governmental United Front, the Bolivian masses and questions of slogans, concrete the as the October 24 text to course d'etat, coup an this out but concrete points proletariat's would be a dead abstrac- only ny, from the base to the tion if it was not the expression that is that the period enat we live in is marked the Popular through the of the inter- by the movement the

POR,

an class towards national working which con- its own power. the way to This is not abstraction an to In this the revolutionary us of which lid it or not deserve the should be a passive ex- party gave to This manner of under- pression. American standing problems shows very the lack of under- well deep was the correct standing by the SIL of the dialec- to begin with this reality the contrary, it is con- tic. On struggle ith this soviet organ to crete reality which constitutes the decisive part of the revolutionary of power by and the fight to build it of the party mobilization nationally and internationally.

the Popular their expression to Some attacks on the it inside the Assembly to

OCI

'All Power is an implacable There Assembly'. The logic to political conflicts. this struggle be con- of SLL's evolution the attack the 1 vanguard, of the revolu- to the very method of the construc- of the masses tion of the revolutionary party, independently from workers' the develop- the question United Front, the means and ex- OCI gave an answer. The pression of mobilization of the masses, a fundamental part of the of Mandel have given construction of the party.

But politics do not exist in a the answer If one attacks the poli- the Octo the 24 declaratich vacuum. cies of the OCI it is necessary to propose an alternative. And here SLL must use the weapons which the of the Pabloites. Thus the attacks avoided by any OCI lead to this ational measure for it is against the ssion that is at the heart conclusion: • the position of the OCI problems raised by the on the united class front becomes of the class the e. The period of 'imminent complete liquidation of party and subordinates it to the thus also and nt counter-revolution labour bureaucracy the Workers Press, Tues Left: Stalinist and Social Democratic parties? miners To reach this conclusion, the dynami SLL leadership must purely and ing_in its pet simply invent, in vague terms, leaders. "spontaneist position' of the OCI, If wi attacks must multiply SO exaggerated that they become in- accusat Berg, c little have they significant, SO the AJ followed the OCI position, and which would make the collabora- concen bourge tion of the OCI and the SLL in the IC Stalinis incomprehensible. leaders For our part, we seek politi- this tir cal clarity, not just to make an impression which only fool Ther can which those who want to be: the SLL suddenly from SLL is does not veer for its to black. We will simply white in time point out the contradictions of leadership veheme the and show the orientation that it has developed, cies a organi which if continued, would lead to revolut the abandonment of pro- Pabloit the Fourth Inter- gramme of national and to the break up of the p and th the SLL. We wish to take up just two ported bit bri attacks. Firstly, the October 24 docu- vincing ment dares to state that at the themse no dif beginning of 1968 Comrade Charles Berg took an openly ab- and th stentionist position on Vietnam.

port a It is 1 This clearly means that he gave equal weight to imperialism and this st revolutionary of the undoul the war Vietnamese in In a other people, Trotsk words, that he took an openly becaus position. counter-revolutionary sele This is false and outrageous. to This i: Even the Stalinists have not is fro dared to go this far: so far only the well-known Weber of the Lesson Communist League has spoken lished of the 'defeatist' position of the We the SI

OCI.

At no time, under any circum- the PI pillar has militant, stances, any any OCI publication been equivocal Ameri forgett on this topic. On the other hand, Comrade unlike others (like genera Banda who in Ho Chi- the h saw Minh's the party who Westel party, will b assassinated the Indo Chinese Trotskyists, the reincarnation lessons of order the Bolshevik Party), we have in Ens confused unconditional never

CONT

nd the . support with political support to

PAGE & Workers Preas, Tuesday April 4, 1972 We are reprinting here articles by Cliff Slaughter which appeared in Workers Press on October 7 and 8, 1969. They explain the political background to the Labour government's dispatch of troops to the province in the summer of that year.

They have a particular relevance today to the events sur- rounding Heath's declaration of Direct Rule.

The whole perspective of those of Britain, require social.

leadership the of the civil ist solutions. rights movement - a middle- Bitter struggles, in which the class leadership supported by workers of Belfast and Derry middle-class 'socialists' of the are unable to resolve even the 'state capitalist' and Stalinist smallest day-to-day questions British that varieties — was without armed clashes with the within it had the forces of the state, capitalism will force possibility demo- of granting this lesson upon these workers cratic reforms and allowing a in a very short time. development further peaceful To fight for these policies of capitalism in Northern all diversions is Ireland. against the 'task of Marxists in this situa- But for the Catholic worker tion. marched behind their who Belfast or Derry, it It because of was the banners in middle-class orientation.of the was a step towards something initial leadership of the civil quite different: it was the only rights movement that the way he could see, at that stage, Catholic workers found of using his growing strength them- to challenge the employers and selves apparently facing the of death prospect wholesale the government. and destruction by August of Above all it is necessary to this year. understand, not only that the The Royal Ulster Constabu- middle-class leaders inevitably lary and the B-Specials (con- betray this movement from be- sisting largely of low, but something else. extremist right-wing elements, some of The political crisis which them followers of the Protest- opened with O'Neill's re- ant Reverend lan Paisley) used signation and the split in the their government status and Unionist Party brought in its their arms to carry out brutal Catholic wor- train series of objective attacks on the which the class kers' Whole struggles in quarters. streets will inevitably come to issues were burned down and several the fore, and in which deaths occurred. great opportunities arise for the de- Against these odds the un- velopment of united working- prepared fought workers class actions and the develop- bravely, but the independent ment of a Marxist leadership fighting capacity of the work.

in Britain as well as in Ireland.

ing.class had never been organ- ized, of course. by civil the If we approach the question even of the so- rights leaders, from another this be- angle, called 'left wing'. comes clear. What is the real The 'state capitalists' of the of 'one content the slogan 'International Socialism' group, man, one iob' or ' one vote' and others like McCann, who one house? What is constitute this 'left wing', then or the content of the demand-for found themselves unable to ending discrimination in edu- oppose the intervention of cation? British troops. For the working class, the Their supporters say: 'With- 'jobs' question is a matter of would out the there troops more jobs. But capitalism has (i.e. have been pogrom entered a phase internationally violent attack and killing of -and even more certainly Catholics)'. within declining British capi- They forget, first, that this talism-where jobs must scarcer and not mose mutiful.

"pogrom' is about to be now organized by the troops and Thus. if the Northern Ireland the Royal Ulster Constabulary and British government "prom- and B-Specials who are part ise' to implement the reforms of the same state machine; demanded by the civil rights and, second, that their own what this movement, can politics of liquidation into civil mean? rights, instead of independent mobilization of the strength Unemployment in Northern of the working class, created Ireland is at this time seven the conditions for Wilson's and a half per cent, or three troops to intervene. times the rate in Britain.

Now the Cameron Report The ruling class is patently on the events between October incapable of controlling the 1968 and April 1969, together social contradictions and witch-hunt of the with the establishing 'law and order'.

capitalist led by the press, Hence the 'normal' problems 'Daily Mail'. is turned of reducing the labour force in and McCann, Toman, Devlin capitalism as a whole are much of the student Farrell. in Northern Ireland, 'People's Democracy' worse section These like. all the of the Civil Rights movement.

promises, promises of Tories and all the No effort must be spared in promises of Wilson and the movement the labour of reformists, are a lie and a and Ireland to defend Britain fraud. them and all the Irish militants Northern Ireland's problems.

the attack is against whom oven obviously than directed. more 1 Bitter struggles in which the workers o day questions without armed clashes wit The Labour government must be told to keep its hands off any of the workers and civil rights members whom the Unionists want to make scape- goats for their own • historical bankruptcy. But the lessons must be learned. These left wingers, among them. revisionist supporters 0l groups like the 'state capital- ists', considered that the fur- ther development of capitalism in Ireland gave the opportunity for a reform movement (civil rights). In this way the Catholic section of the working class would begin to develop con- sciousness, so it was thought.

workers of Derry and Belfast are unable to res lashes with the forces of the state.

Instead, the revolutionary nature of the problems facing • Catholic the Irish workers, and Protestant, was the essence of the question, and required a socialist, revolution- ary, not a reformist programme and preparation; a working- class organization, not a liqui- dation into the middle-class organization (civil rights) with a reformist programme. The situation and is was building up to a revolutionary one. Therefore, as soon as the workers show even a small example of their strength and combativity, counter-revolu- tionary reprisals are prepared by the Unionists. - ble to resolve even the smallest day-to.

Unable to prepare for revo- lution, the 'lefts', because of their revolutionary words, and because they are useful as a scapegoat, fall victim in the witch-hunt to these reprisals.

The working-class move. ment will defend them, be- cause the attack on them is essentially the ruling class's first preparatory blow in tightening the grip of repres- sion in Ireland.

CONTINUED

TOMORROW

A scene from 'Walting for Lefty' now sho In the wake of Heath's tem- porary retreat before the miners, the Communist Party, harried from within and without for its craven re- formist policies, launches yet another* protest campaign against the iniquities of Toryism; and so it comes as surprise to see Jack no Sutherland, theatre critic of the 'Morning Star' writing • wistfully of this play, that it 'a strong sense of evokes nostalgia' for the late 1930s.

It was written in 1935 about the heroic, but defeated, 1934 New York taxi drivers' strike.

1934 was also the year of the immensely more significant Mine- in appolis Teamsters strike which the Trotskyists played an important part. It was outstand- ingly victorious and set a pre- cedent for the two-style CIO trade union organization. But to have written about this would have meant stepping the over limits of 'Popular Front' politics.

'Morn- Odets then-like the ing Star' and its Stalinist sup- 'Unity" porters of now-sup- ported that poisonous collabora- tion of Stalinists, reformists and Liberals and strove to contain international and betray the working class. 'Lefty' not critical of was 'Popular Frontism', but an ideo- logical expression of it.

The play is set in a union branch meeting. They are call- ing for strike action to further wage demand, against the wishes of the right-wing union boss who is backed up by a gunman. Whilst they are waiting for 'Lefty' — their newly-elected militant spokesman — to arrive and lead the struggle, the meet- ing fades into a series of short sketches which depict the hard- ships which have driven the individual • drivers to support strike action. One driver returns home to find all the furniture has been re- claimed because he defaulted on the repayments and that his wife is going out with a former boy.

friend because he wouldn't fight back: a former research worker who was sacked for refusing to make poison gas is now determ- ined to fight in the ranks of the working Class: a young Jewish is discriminated against doctor by anti-Semites in his profes- sion and becomes a driver whilst dreaming of practising medicine the Soviet Union (Stalin's in special plan for Jewish doctors was as yet in the future).

By resolving the dimensions of worns dass, druggle into, an y now showing at the Unity Theatre

THEATRE REVIEW

BY A GUEST REVIEWER

Waiting for Letty', by Clif- ford Odets. Unity ' Theatre, directed by Michael Kaye.

issue of spontaneity - whether this group of workers does or does their right- not overrule wing leader and decide for strike action-Odets was able to avoid being in the ensnared openly Stalinist support for Roosevelt's New Deal. In fact only the union boss refers to it obliquely. The other side to this is the reduction of revolutionary theory to a useful support for minimum economic demands. As Agate puts it at the end of the play ' ... if we're reds because we wanna strike, then we take over their salute too!'

An unemployed actor is given a copy of the Communist Mani- festo to read, and another driver recalls someone calling him 'Comrade' as they picked him up out of the gutter, but the issue becomes than never more whether to strike or not.

Finally, when voice calls out that Lefty has been found (Chicago murdered gangsters were actually used to break this strike the drivers decide to call for a strike, or as the 'Unity" programme notes quaintly put it in vintage Popular Frontese.

they decide to act 'against anti- life forces'! The absence of a US Labour Party exposed the •Popular Frontism, real nature of - the open alliance with the ruling class. The small but crucially important CP was able to play a significant part in diverting the energies and resources of literally millions of working and middle-class people from the construction of a mass Party Labour to supporting Roosevelt's. New Deal. ... The fate of the artistic sec- tions Thou- was symptomatic. sands of artists and writers were employed in 'creative projects' by

WPA

(Workers Progress Administration) and in 1935 (the same year 'Lefty' was written) a Federal Theatre was set up which employed 10,000 at its peak and operated in 40 states, before fall- ing victim to the anti-commun- ists in Congress in 1939.

The overall purpose of this was class consciousness. At this time the US working class was in the throes of its gigantic struggles for trade union organization, pri- marily the newer, mass- construction industries. These artistic fellow-travellers used during vere subsequent- he war to refurbish the imag of US imperialism, and when the Cold War started they were sub- jected to the vicious witch-hunts and hysteria of Senator McCarthy and the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Under the guise of proving they were all part of a gigantic 'red' con- spiracy the committee sought to slough off these radical, pre-war ruling appendages as the class in particular needed Hollywood to work in a more explicit anti- communist manner. consistently per- 'Lefty' was formed in the US and UK before the war, and some even pro- claimed it the voice of the 1930s'. How come it has only been revived a couple of times subsequently by Unity? The for the distance reason us and this conception between of political drama, besides the over-emphasized production with its rather incongruous 'alienated' trappings, is to be found in the real class struggle where the Stalinist grip the masses is on either slipping or has already broken. Despite their superficial milit- ancy, which arises from the fact the Stalinists were able to that mobilize considerable sections of their workers behind slogans, 'Lefty' about defeat and betrayal and has little relevance today, except in a negative sense, for those who are engaged in the construction of the mass revo- lutionary party. Whilst the "English Revolu- part of the tion' is an integral Right-to-Work campaign which unites a generation of working- class youth with their older trade brothers in union the struggle to force the Tories to resign.

this productioh of 'Lefty" little expresses than more momentary glance backwards by the Stalinists as 'Unity' tempor- arily surfaces from its near total submersion in the murky flows of civic entertainment. in. the - London, Borough of Çamden, si Workers Press, Tuesday April 4, 1972 PAGE 9 How for about this solving the US balance of payments deficit? Robert Hagopian, a profes- Salem State College, sor at Massachusetts,

USA,

recently discovered that the Republic of Armenia still owed the United States $11,959,917.49 on its World War I debt. Armenian American scent, realized that the Repub- lic of Armenia hasn't existed something for wis but wanted to do something forebears' credit rating. Accordingly, he Treasury a sent the US check for $17.49 to be applied toward Explained Armenia's debt. Hagopian over the weekend: I sent the check just to tidy up the figures and break the monotony for the fellow who must have to figure out the annual interest on the loan.'

Now if every first generation Former NCB chlef: Lord Robens Armenian sent the US Treasury Headline of the week: 'Lord a cheque .. Robens, champion of the tells his story' miners, -'Birmingham Post'. News item in Liverpool 'Daily Post'. 'Two firms and their manag- What daily ing director and chairman were newspaper in carried Britain fined a last week's total £6,100 with unemployment figures on page £2,500 costs at Wells Street 10? Yes. for evading there were the figures Court yesterday of more than 1 million for the Rhodesian sanctions. third The fines were against the successive month buried Vapermatic Company in a three-column article (£3,000), on page 10 of the 'Yorkshire Post'.

the Vapermatic Company (Ex- ports) (£100) and Arthur Eaton Lea (£3,000), with costs against supported in the last 100 elections? Vapermatic Company £1,250 and Lea £1,250. The firms, based at Budleigh Salterton, in Devon, but with a registered office in London, manufacture agricultural and tractor equipment. Whatever happened to the Joseph Sir Moloney, pro- principal executives of Vehicle secuting, said over the total and General, the collapsed of illicit trading period firm? with motor insurance Southern Rhodesia, beginning Mr Kershaw's latest project 1966 until in and continuing is called 'Status', a credit card 1970, the total value of the outfit. All financial commenta- goods involved about was tors should follow the fortunes £48.000. of this operations. Mr James Comyn, defending, The other two haven't sacri- said Lea, who was 60 a few ficed the splendour of the old days ago, had done sterling days; they're living in modern service in industry for this apartments and driving flashy country.' limousines.

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SOVIET TRADE DRIVE

PAGE 10 Workers Press, Tuezday April 4, 1972 Soviet trade with the Middle Middle East countries thus have a problem of financing their countries has been East deficit Soviet trade with the growing in recent years with Union, either by obtaining credits the biggest increase concen- their other or by earnings in trated on Egypt. Soviet markets. For the big oil-exporting coun- exports are paralleled by a tries this much of 1s not growth in imports but overall problem. It bears most heavily on there is a considerable trade Egypt which has become depen- dent upon Soviet imports.

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Or Full subscription (six days) for months. Amount enclosed £ It is not known to what extent supplies of military equipment to Egypt are included in the Soviet figures. It is certain that Egypt has received a vast amount of military equipment, much of which provided on has been some kind of loan basis. The Soviet Union may also be interested in the Middle East as a 'source of oil supplies.

It is true that until now com- little oil has paratively been purchased by the Soviet Union, which has made a virtue of its self-sufficiency in fuel supplies. But some Soviet oilfields are now reaching the end of their useful life and this may mean an in- creased need for imported oil.

It is possible that more oil for use in the western part of the Soviet Union will be supplied from the Gulf while states, Siberian which oil, be may developed in • co-operation with Japanese business interests, will be exported to the Pacific area.

Soviet trade with the Middle East. is held back at present by main factors, apart from two political considerations. First, Soviet consumer goods exports still uncompetitive in are the Middle East markets with Japanese and W European pro- ducts. Secondly, Middle East do countries not supply many products which the Soviet Union requires. It is advantageous for Middle East countries, including the oil producers, to increase their sales to the Soviet Union because this will increase bargaining their in the capitalist world power markets. Although Soviet trade and aid in the area is to extent some influenced by political considera- tions, particularly in support for Egypt, bureaucracy is not the deterred from trading with a country which has a reactionary regime or represses the Com- munist Party. There are signs of a grave crisis in capitalist countries today', said Yuri Zhukov in a Moscow radio broadcast in English. 'At the centre of economic troubles lies the USA which has to pay a heavy price for its policy of imperialist adventures.

The dollar crisis caused a general financial upheaval in the capitalist world. The entire economic sys- tem of the capitalist world is ebbing deeply shaken.' What the conclusions were from this piece of analysis? That the conditions were maturing for the overthrow of capitalism or something of that sort? Not all: According at to 'the farsighted Zhukov, more in the capitalist businessmen world have to revise their atti- tude to the socialist world ....

Zhukov took some satisfaction in the growing need of capitalist firms to trade with the Soviet Europe. Union and E Normal economic relations were being established by W European coun- tries and Japan. Perhaps the USA would follow their example.

The main interest for the bureaucracy in the world econo- mic crisis lies in developing trade with capitalist countries and per- suading them to drop their dis- criminatory trade practices - which precisely in such a period tend to become more severe.

BBC 1

9.45 The Herbs. 10.00 The white horses. 10.25 Deputy dawg. 10.30 Swim. 10.55-11.00 Magic roundabout. 12.55 Fo a fe. 1.30 Along the river. 1.45-1.53 News and weather 155 Out of school.

3.25 Lloyd's of London. 4.15 Play school. 4.40 Magic roundabout.- 4.45 Clangers. 4.55 Vision on. 5.20 News round. 5.25 Motor mouse.

5.44 Hector's house. 5.50 News and weather.

6.00

NATIONWIDE.

6.45

TELEVISION

TOP OF THE FORM. Slough v E Grinstead 7.05 TOMORROW'S WORLD. From Australia.

7.30

FILM:

'THE OTHER

MAN'.

Roy Thinnes, Joan Hackett, Arthur Hill, Tammy Grimes. Kathy has everything a wife could wish for. 9.00 NINE O'CLOCK NEWS and weather.

9.20

THE BRITISH EMPIRE: ECHOES OF BRITANNIA'S RULE.

'The Setting of the Sun'.

10.15 FILM 72.

10.45

24 HOURS.

11.20

THE QUIET WATERS.

11.50 Weather. 11.52 MEDICINE TODAY. 'Fungal Infections of the Skin'...

ВВС 2 11.00-11.25 Play school. 1.15-1.40 Medicine today.

7.30 NEWSROOM and Weather.

ONE PAIR OF EYES. 'Poets In a Barren Age'.

8.00

8.50 WHEELBASE.

9.20 PLAY: 'EDWARD II'. Prospect Theatre Company's production of Christopher Marlowe's work.

11.25 NEWS ON 2 and weather. 11.30 THE OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST. Kevin Ayers, Claire Hamill.

ITV

11.06-12.05 Out of school. 1.30 Outlook. 2.25 Motor racing 3.00 Houseparty. 3.15 Matinee. 3.45 Danger man. 4.40 Once upon a time. 4.55 Junior showtime. 5.20 Magpie. 5.50 News.

6.00 CARTOON TIME.

6.05 ARNIE. "To Buy or Not to Buy'.

6.35

CROSSROADS.

7.00 DES. Des O'Connor. 7.30 FILM: 'EAST OF SUMATRA'. Jeff Chandler. Adventure on

9.00 A PLACE IN TH

A PLACE IN THE SUN. 'At the Villa Pandora'.

10.00

NEWS AT TEN.

10.30 DOCUMENTARY: 'A FAR BETTER PLACE'. St Kilda.

11.30

DRIVE-IN.

12.00

SCHOOLGIRL MOTHERS.

REGIONAL TV

CHANNEL:

4.10 Enchanted ULSTER: 11.05-12.05 London.

house. 4.20 Puffin. 4.25 Simon 2.05 Film: 'Forever My Love'. 4.55 Locke. London. 6.00 4.30 Romper room. 4.50 News. News, weather. 6.10 Police file 4.55 London. 6.00 News. 6.10 6.15 Lookaround. 6.35 London.

Cartoon. 6.15 Daws explores. 7.00 Film: •Doctor in the 6.35 London 7.00 Bonanza House'. 8.30 Des. 9.00 London.

8.00 Odd 8.30 Des. couple. 11.55 Gazette. 12.00 News, 9.00 London. 11.30 White line.

weather. YORKSHIRE: 11.05-12.05 Lon- WESTWARD: As Channel ex- don. 2.30 Good afternoon. 3.00 cept: 3.55 Gus Honeybun. 4.20 Master chefs. 3.15 Dangerman.

News. 6.00 Diaryl. 11.55 News, News: 4.10 4.15 Cross- Faith for life. roads. 4.40 Enchanted house.

weather. 11.59 Calendar, 4.55 London. 6.00 SOUTHERN: 11.05-12.05 Lon- weather. 6.30 Hogan's heroes. don. 2.35 Tea break. 3.00 Out 7.00 Film: 'Denver and Rio of town. 3.20 Goldilocks and Grande'. 8.30 9.00 Lon- _Dec Odd 11.30 the three. bears. 3.30 don. Great painters 4.00 Houseparty. couple. 4.15 12.00 Weather. Pingwings. Crossroads. 4.30 4.55 London. 6.00 Day by day.

GRANADA:

11.05.12.05 Lon- 7.00 Film: 6.30 Smith family. don. 2.30 Randall and Hop- 'Passport to China'. 8.30 Des.

kirk. 3.25 Messengers. 3.55 11.30 Camera in 4.10 News. 9.00 London. News. action. 12.10 Place. 4.40 11.40 Farm Peyton Origami. progress. 4.55 Newsday. Weather. Inheritors. London. 6.00 Put it in writing. 6.25 Jimmy HanI-me. 11 n5.12 05 London.

Stewart. 7.00 Film: 'The Purple 2.40 Arthur. 2.55 Phoenix five.

Mask'. 8.30 Des. 9.00 London.

3.50 11.30 Monty Nash. runen 4.15 Tinkertainment. Junkin. 4.30 Crossroads. 4.55 London. TYNE TEES: 11.05-12.05 Lon- 6.01 Report. 6.18 Report. 6.35 don. 2.30 Play with a purpose.

Film. 'The 3.00 Master chefs. • 3.15 Dan- Return Frank 9.00 Lon- 4.10 News. 4.15 James'. 8.30 Des. derman 12.00 Weather. don. 4.40 Sean the leprechaun. 4.55 London. 6.00

HTV

West as above except: Today. . 6.30 Hogan's heroes 6.18-6.35 Report. 'Denver 7.00 and Rio Film: HTV Wales as above except: 8.30 Des. 9.00 Grande'. Lon- 1.15-4.30 Miri mawr 6.01-6.18 11.30 Snooker. 12.15 don. • dvdd News. 12.30 Epilogue. HTV Cymru/Wales

HTV

as

SCOTTISH:

Wales plus: 10.30 Dan sylw. 11.05-12.05 Lon- 11.15-11.30 O'r wasg. don. 3.30 Foo foo. .3.45 Cross- 4.10 Dateline. 4.55 roads. ANGLIA: 3.00 Houseparty. 3.15 6.20 London. 6.00 Dateline. Bygones. 3.45 Women today. Cartoon. 6.30 Hogan's heroes.

7.00 Film: 4.10 News. 4.15 Mr Piper. 'The Purple Mask' 4.40 Enchanted house. 4.55 8.30 Des. 9.00 London. 11.30 London. 6.00 Anglia. 6.35 Late call. 11.35 Drive-in.

London. 7.00 Film: 'Old Man Cried Wolf'. 8.30 Who Des. GRAMPIAN: 11.06-12.15 Lon- 9.00 London. don. 3.41 News. 3.45 Women 4.10 Beloved today. enemy.

ATV MIDLANDS:

3.10 Yoga. Once upon a time. 4.55 4.40 3.35 Horoscope. 3.45 Women.

London. 6.00 News, weather. 4.10 Simon Locke. 4.40 Story- 6.10 Royal clansmen. 6.35 time. 4.55 London. 6.00 Today.

7.00 Film: 'California London. 6.35 London. 7.00 Film: 'Gun- Holiday' 8.30 Des. 9.00 Lon- smoke'. 8.30 Des. 9.00 London.

11.30 Drive-in. 12.00 don. 11.30 Who knows? Epilogue.

FIGHT AGAINST TORIES RENT BILL

Tenants keep a check on Ban on Hull stewards a threat to unity

BY PHILIP WADE

GREENWICH,

S Lon- don, demon- tenants strated 1,000 strong outside the town hall last week to make sure the Labour group voted against the Tories' 'fair rents' Bill. Now tenants are signing pledges of support to the local Labour group, which has voted 44-9 not to imple- ment the Bill if it becomes law. Many feel, however, that the struggle cannot end there.

The Tories are intent on de- stroying all workers' basic rights.

The only way these attacks can be answered is with a policy of forcing the Tories to resign.

Michael Potter, a committee member of the Barnfield Tenants' Association in Plumstead, was one of the 600 tenants on the estate who to Greenwich went town hall when the Bill was de- bated. "The point is that if this Bill goes through, I won't be able to pay,' said Michael. He has been unemployed since last October when he lost his driving licence.

He gets £9.5 dole money for his wife and young daughter.

'I asked them for some money to buy shoes for the girl. But the Social Security told me she didn't need them.' Michael lives on one of the oldest estates in the area. It has few amenities-there are no lifts for tenants living on the fourth floor. Many of the flats have damp walls. One consequence is that children are forced to sleep in their parents' bedroom if it is the only one free from damp. 'All the council suggested to these people was they put an electric fire on in the room and leave the windows open all the year round, Michael claimed.

'What I'd like to see is all council tenants say no to the rent increases. The aim of the Bill is to force the working class right down and line the pockets of the Tories. 'Those who can't afford to pay will have to apply for a means test, but that's like going into • prison-they want to know every- thing 'This is the first time I've been out of work since I left school and it hurts my pride something rotten having to go down the labour exchange to beg things for my family. 'But I hope the working class won't let those Oliver Twist days come back—we have to fight it ail the way. 'All the working class has to together and say to the get Tories: "We've had enough-it's our turn now, so get out."

HULL SHOP stewards were not represented at the meet- ing of the National Docks Shop Stewards' Liaison Com- mittee in Manchester which decided a few weeks ago to prepare for a national strike if 53 London dockers were returned to the unattached pool. Six Hull stewards travelled to Manchester. Their spokes- man asked if any Hull steward would be admitted regardless of whether he was in the Blue (National Amalgamated Steve- dores' and Dockers' . Union) or the White (Transport and General Workers' Union). The Liaison Committee decided— mainly at the instigation of T&GWU stewards from Man- chester and Liverpool - that Blue Union • would not • men be allowed into the meeting.

The Hull men then decided, : on principle, that none of them would attend the meeting though, in fact, all six were T&GWU members. The strongest opponents of collaboration with the Blue Union have been Communist Party members. For years, the CP has striven to prevent national docks unity because • of their fear of the Michael Potter on the balcony of his fla 'All these petitions and so on rec definitely has to organize anywhere. Ine workers' action, because it's not just a tenants' question-it will everyone hard, young and hit old. 'I think one of the problems is that many of the union leaders are turncoats and don't give a lead. "What opened my eyes about these men was when the Young Socialists' Right - to - Work.

marchers came to Woolwich and were turned away first off.

"The workers' purpose of has to be to get this action government out and put back a with leaders who government will run the country as the working class want it run.

give children 'Labour must back their school milk, look after

BY OUR OWN CORRE

influence of revolutionary politics in the northern ports. Also, of course, the Stalinists have sought to cuddle close to the T&GWU bureaucrats by opposing the Blue by every means-including strike- breaking-since it first-appeared in the northern ports in 1954.

Hull, with 300 men regularly on the unattached register out of a dock labour force of 2,800, has the largest redundancy prob- lem in the N. Yet a decision on 'national' action was taken with the Hull representatives excluded!

Docks Shop The National Stewards' Liaison Committee has 'Dockers' Charter', the issued a main points of which are: • Preserve the National Dock Labour Scheme. work inside the ports. • Containerization work to be done by dockers (except in special circumstances accept- able to the dockers). to be sent to the unattached pool. • Nationalization of the docks.

Many Hull dockers are openly ; that the Charter is fine, saying but not realistic as long as the Tories are in office and as long as national unity of dockers is not achieved. There is also some bitterness in the port that Liverpool Women join r. of his flat with his wife Carol and daughter the pensioners, give everyone a housing and chance of decent put everyone back in arjob.

'If we can't do this I'm sure we'll all end up as slaves. Some- body's got to do something we've waited long enough.

I'm certainly not going tó let my wife and child starve, said yuchael oner Mrs Goddard (72), Pensioner who has a small bungalow on the estate, told me of how rent rises have already affected her.

'My rent has just gone from £2.54 to £2.63 because they put more on the rates. When I first came here in 1955 the rent was only 19s 3d "The pension increase will be 75p, I'm told. But some of it's gone already. I feel bitter because they're making us wait for our increase right round until

IN CORRESPONDENT

dockers' leaders called off the blacking of Pilkington glass, after the Hull men had repeatedly refused to handle such a cargo during the dispute at the Helens, Lancs, firm. In addition, there is some feeling that the leaders in the other ports left Hull to fight issue, of non- alone on registered ports. It is experiences such as these which have pushed the Hull men into reformist blind alley of attempting to form their own company on the docks. Some men-pointing out, cor- rectly, that local one-day stop- would be useless against pages redundancies-even this regard as a form of 'workers' control'.

The anti-Marxist 'Institute for Workers' •Control' clearly bears responsibility for contusing dockers by presenting workers' control as an attainable reform within capitalism instead of a revolutionary demand directed against capitalism. are more far- The employers and welcome the "com- sighted pany' as a means of diverting the real fight to dockers from a defend their rights. employers have Hull port offered to place equipment, in- cluding cranes, at its disposal!

the refusal of Despite this, the CP Stalinists to unite all Workors Press,' daughter Lisa. October. It'll help, but I don't think we'll be any better off. And we won't be able to afford any more rent increases, said Mrs God- dara, whose pension is to a week, supplemented by: 52.10 trom Social Security. 'Once you've paid your rent, there's not much left to live on.

To be able to live as I should I'd need another £2 a week. 'Only two or three months ago I had to give up butter. And put | as for a bit of meat . . . well.

"With these rent increases and everything else, it'll be leading back to the old days when my husband used to queue up for Is towards the rent and a bread ticket. 'The sooner these Tories are out the better. They never were for the working class.' dockers around a struggle to attain the Charter by forcing the Tory government to resign re- bigger obstacle to mains a national unity than the dream of a dockers' company. The Hull shop stewards' com- mittee has agreed to support any national action against men being returned to the pool and this decision was endorsed by meeting of Hull dockers. a mass. An attempt by the 'Hull Daily • dockers' Mail' to present the company as an alternative to a national strike has been refuted by Walter Cunningham, chairman Stewards' of the Hull Shop Committee. 'I did not make a statement that the Hull dockers' company could take the place of a national strike. I merely said it might fewer local disputes, he mean told Workers Press. Speaking in a personal capacity, 'My Mr Cunningham went on: attitude is that we should go along with a strike on a national basis, but there will be difficul- ties for us if our stewards are National excluded from the Liaison Committee.' A successful fight against an enlarged unattached pool and for the defence of dockers' con- ditions, however, requires a fight Tory government against which the Stalinists will do their utmost to prevent-even at the cost of sabotaging national docks' unity. ora Pross, Tuesday April 4, 1972 PAGE 11 TORY proposals to encour- age workers to move all over Britain in pursuit of work come into effect on April 5.

The plans for wider Tory plans within the Common Market. If the Heath government gets its workers will walinto a grim zame of dragged musical chairs not only around Britain but also around parts of Europe, being exploited and • by a new era of degraded Euro-capitalism. Unable to provide the right work communities to in throughout the country, the Tories are proposing to smash while men search them up, for work wherever they can find it. The new 'resettlement' plan is to be operated by Employ- Robert Carr, ment Secretary, author of the anti-union Indus trial Relations Act. rehousing grant of f400 and £600 is to be introduced and lodging allowances will go up. For the first time people without dependants who move away from home may be paid a weekly allowance of £2 a week for up to one year. The new increases will also make available to workers with dependants a lodging allow- ance increase of about £2 a week until they move their home. Another increase will be to meet expenses incurred in the sale or purchase of a house because of a move. Where a sale or a purchase is involved, legal and other expenses will reimbursed up to £145. be Where both are involved, the amount will be £240. The income limit above which people cannot benefit under the scheme will be raised to £2,650. NICHOLAS RIDLEY, Parliamen: tary Under-Secretary for industry, will visit Lisbon, capital of Portugal, tomorrow and Thurs- day for talks with Portuguese minister and the Anglo- Co-operation Com- Portuguese mittee inaugural meeting.

PAGE 12 Workers Press, Tuesday April 4, TEACHERS' leaders yes- terday buried their heads in the Blackpool sands. The National Union of Teachers' executive success- fully opposed a resolution before annual conference to Transport and back the General Workers' Union confrontation with the In- dustrial Relations Court.

Opposing suspension of stand- ing orders to discuss the motion, member Alf Wilshire executive claimed that the matter was not union's best urgent nor in the interest to discuss. secretary Edward General Britton claimed teachers would stand no chance whatever of claims through winning salary industrial action. He said the union's executive were political realists but added: 'We can't shut down power stations, but the union may soon have no alternative but to sweat it out in industrial action.'

The teachers was the case same as the miners their wages relative to other had fallen sections over the years. on the Britton poured whose sen- sationalism assisted government in cutting education expenditure.

POLICE yesterday raided il Scarborough hotel where. three Spanish delegates to the Labour Socialists annual Party Young The are staying. conference Spanish social-democrats claimed police examined passports and other documents.

BROADMOOR

patients

TWO

yesterday ended i 70-hour roof- top protest over conditions at the Crowthorpe, Berkshire, hospital.

CND SUPPORTERS rallied 3,000 strong at Aldermaston vesterday last of the march from Commented CNI) London. sec- retary Dick Nettleton: "After a lears, it was lapse of four impossible to predict how many would actually jein us. But there to show CND is were enough not dead.' PORTSMOUTH'S Brickwood's Brewery a subsidiari of Whit- locked out 400 bread has workers since last Friday follow- ing a management threat to sack not prepared workers all accept present working arrange- ments, including overtime work- have been on i ing. The men work-to-rule and overtime ban since March 24 in support of a 20-per-cent ware increase.

in circulating A

LEAFLET

CAV's, Acton, N London, factors if the engineering claims that is not fought for, pay claim workers will be forced into a 12-month wage freeze tied to a productivity deal for the third year running.

LATENEWS

from Anderson-

CATHOLICS

town, Belfast, turned out. 2,000 strong yesterday at the Milltown Cemetery funeral of Mrs Martha Crawford, killed in crossfire last Thursday. Patrick Crawford and nine of his children headed the mourners. The tenth child was a year old on Saturday. Com- mented Mrs Elizabeth Mulhol- land, mother of five: 'We don't want people killed like this.

Catholic or Protestant. We are supporting civil rights, but we want our country united.'

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ay April 4, 1972 PASSENGERS flying BEA yesterday were expecting flight delays on their return journey as the pilots' work-to-rule be- gan to bite. Action by the airline's 1,400 pilots — demanding parity with BOAC pilots - is now in its fourth day. Up to Monday most flights got away with a minimum of delay. But a British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) spokesman said yesterday: 'A backlog of delays will have built up and pilots will be re- JOBS, WAGES and working this year if Mersey docks is 1 cargo-handling facilities.

is the warning be- This tween the lines of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Co's report, just out. In a five-page statement on the new company's £1.8m profit for 1971, resigning chairman John Cuckney makes four main points: • There must be a reduction in lost in the 80,000 man-days industrial disputes last year. • Trade, which apart from oil imports showed little improve- 1971. must ment In attracted by a major marker- ing effort. • With il total debt of over £100m at December 31, 1971, the company badly needs. a now capital structure if it is to attract other than govern- ment funds. & Speed-up and big cuts in costs are needed the company to he more competitive. 1S is Sinceran Elo wage-bill item in the largest. bi far the company's £17.5m operat- ing expenditure. it is cicar main burden of- where the Those cuts is to fall. LP agenda THE massive workjng-class oppo- fair to the hated Tory sition is bringing forward rents" Bill Party demands for the Labour to organize the tenants" fight.

down of 28 Out resolutions annual meeting Saturday's for of the Labour Party southern regional council no less than 13 are on housing, compared with eight on industry and seven on services. the social • See pp 3 & 11 for tenants' stories. It WIll be cloudy with ramn and E England and over SE N and NE Scotland at first. but brighter showery weather in other these districts will spread to areas during the morning.

The showers will become heav!

prolonged at times in the and more scattered W and N. but in the E and SE.. There will be clear or sunny intervals in all districts.

Temperatures will remain near normal in the S, but it will be- come rather mild in the N.

Outlook for Wednesday and Thursday: Some rain at times in periods. most places. Sunny Temperatures normal. fusing to take over flights while they are off duty' The work-to-rule means pilots are refusing to fly aircraft with any minor defects and are in- sisting on everything being per- fect before take-off. BALPA-BEA talks broke down last Wednesday when manage- ment failed to come up with any more cash. BALPA have demanded £9,100 a year for 300. senior captains.

BEA's reply to this £24-a-week, 16.9-per-cent claim, was an offer of another £17 a week. This vorking conditions must all come i cks is to recoup its massive capita The company came into being on August 1, 1971, following a £3m loss the previous year by the old. Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. Profits for 1971 enabled the company to pay out interest . which had been withheld be- tween the inaugural date and December 31. This reduced the profit to £1.5m. Major item in improving the results was i two-stage, 45-per- cent increast in port charges which came into effect towards the end of 1970 and early 197l, but cargo handling continued to make i loss. Cuckney lists the port's capital particularly re- projects contlywopened.. Seaforth container and bulk-cargo dock and warns: •Most of the cost has been incurred, but it is not vet fully RIGID restrictions imposed by legal authorities from remote real issues, will not solve the problems of dockland, says Transport and General Workers' Union secretary Jack Jones -s Writing in the mass-circulation •News of the World' on Sunday he referred to the 'vanishing jobs® problem which had been underlined by the £5,000 fine imposed on the T&GWU by the National Industrial Relations Court. the number of Since 1965 registered dockers has shrunk to 41,000, Jones from 65,000 pointed out. Meanwhile tonnages have shot up enormously. He concludes: 'The law will create hostility when what is needed is confidence and under- reat human standing? of? a problem. revenue earning and it is difficult accurately to forecast the timing build-up or revenue. Trading results for 1972 will in- evitably, therefore. be much less satisfactory than those recorded for 1971• On present information it will prove difficult to achieve a profit for the rear.' The report illustrates the port's continued reliance on oil imports.

These showed an increase of 33 the 1970 figure. percent ever but observers point out that these in the could well. be reduced North Sea offshore future developments start up. A meat berth at Seaforth is already in operation. and in the next few months the dock- described b. ' Cucknes as the most modern port complex in Europe'- four container berths.

a grain terminal and •a forest- products berth come into com- mission. MD&HCo chairman com- The ments: 'On the successful opera- tion of Seaforth the profitable the company largels future of depends.' By August 1972, the S section of Liverpool's seven miles of docks are due for closure and will • become available the land for redevelopment. compans has. •.Meanwhile the also had the results of an inde- would cut the gap between BEA and BOAC pilots from 12 per cent to 8 per cent. Kenneth Wilkinson,

BEA

managing director, said: "That amount .:. is not only unreasonable but, in our present conditions, we cannot afford to meet it.' BALPA's executive meets to- day to review the situation. It could well be that a second phase of action, bringing in more rules which will lead to longer delays, will be introduced; said a union spokesman. come under increased attack • capital expenditure on new valuation of its entire pendent land resources. Cuckney warns, however, that at present the is favourable for market not disposing of large amounts of land. Tory changes in the metnod of local-authority rating for docks land are going to double.

company's present rating liability of £350,000 a year, and within a few years the bill will have Elm and beyond. reached All these factors increase the urgency for the company to slash its costs. container With a loss of revenue caused by the US docks' strike, Cuckney singles out in- creases in labour costs as the cause of its failure to make a profit cut of cargo handling.

And he repeats i warning that not afford to the company can continue loss-making activities unless there is a good prospect of their being transformed into "substantial profit-earners'.

This must be done, he says, if the company's capital debit , cut and new capital is to be attracted.

VARTOWORK

DRAL TO LONDI

1972

MIND THE

RIGHT TO WORK

YOUNG SOCIALISTS 12th A Saturday & Sunday April 8 Dance to 'BRAVE NEW WORL also see a star-stı Cost approximately £4.50. For tickets apply to .

186 a Clapham High Street, I Please send me details/tickets of t I enclose

NAME

ADDRESS

ENTRY into the Common Market would kill more than 50 per cent of Irish firms, the Irish Labour estimates Party leader. Brendan Corish, speaking at a Labour Party meeting in Co Wexford, said that Eire urgently needed to protect many sectors extended of her industry for an period, otherwise redundancy go on multiplying and would unemployment would increase to disaster dimensions. Ireland has not yet developed as to its industrial sector so provide full employment, he said. 'Some sections of industry will survive free trade, but more than half our industrial sector will not be able to meet increased import competition. And', he added, 'the consequences for an already bad unemployment situation do not bear contemplation. he said, The economy, was reeling under the impact of free trade with just one country in the projected 10-member EEC- Britain. It had meant more and more redundancies as British goods replaced Irish products on the home market. in psychiatric hospital MRS Maureen Bingham, wife of navy spy David Bingham, is in hospi- a Portsmouth psychiatric tal on bail to appear in court on April 11 accused under sec- tion 7 of the Official Secrets Act another trying to persuade of person to commit an offence.

Her husband was jailed for 21 lașt month selling years secrets to the Russians. Her four adopted children are in care.

YOUNG SOCIALISTS

WE DEMAND THE

GHT TO WORK

TON TO

WE DEMAND THE

RIGHT TO WORK

SWANSEA TO LONDON.

MUNG SOCIALISTS

WEDMAND THi

RIGHT TO WORK

GLASGOITO LONDON

3 12th ANNUAL CONFERENCE y April 8/9 Grand Hall, The Spa EW WORLD' Saturday night 8 pm a star-studded show ckote apply to John Simmance, National Secretary, n High Streot, London, SW4 7UG ckets of the Scarboroush Conleresce.