Workers Press no. 959

HOOVER

APP 3A

workers press INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • MONDAY JANUARY 1, 1973• No. 959 • 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

DEFEND

1973 means EEC entry and a year of intense class struggle It is also the year to form the revolutionary party

BASIC RIGHTS

FORWARD IN 1973 TO

who lead the BRITAIN'S ENTRY into the But despite the lackeys trade unions, the class will need Common Market today marks a warlike speeches more than watershed in the history of Dar amen -LO working class British capitalism. It is a desper- Workers in have struggle.

REVOLUTIONARY PARTY

ate act by a ruling class in the unal uney WIll

HOL

Heath's bombast the bragging arro- grip of the worst economic crisis gance of his Ministers. it has ever faced. This resistance is world-wide.

Within Common Market the lines of struggle ine They are joining hands with are also clearly drawi. the reactionary monopolies and An Editorial Board statement Steel and engineering workers will close cartels of Europe to destroy all the industrial powerhouse of the Ruhr in the democratic rights of the ten days' time in the biggest strike action since 1929 and the rise of fascism.

European masses.

PALIST LABOUR LEAGUE

But the highest of the inter- point

TACO

Vietnamese 1973 will be a year of intense class national class struggle is the battles because the working class will revo union. struggie Is LO workers all over Europe. fight any attempt to smash its in-

BRITISH SECTION

and dependence, drive down wages Like the Americans, the capitalists and reduce it to a state ot poverty Europe must on all western go she British ted rope Th The struggles of the SeCuORs

FOURTH INIRNATIONAL

working, are one and indivisible the heroic No one should mistake the intentions the Vietnamese workers and resistance of of this capitalist alliance. These men have They control the same mono-

DESH

peasants and the Arab guerrillas.

Dolles that amance wer wussonne and Workers now face the struggle inside the Common Market. The question of European unity with their brothers is Dale Tor une concentraton raised. the gas chambers where the labour leaders and the Jewish people perished.

There are two distinct perspectives.

those, like Headers in western europe. une revisionists laced WIth of the International Marxist Group and a crisis far worse than the one of the International Socialists argue Lne InsuLULOns une which mas underoined une 'democratized' and that section of the International Committee of the The Socialist Labour League. British should fight framework. Fourth International, on the manch to the revolutionary party.

ITS

also happens be vIew by negouauon nave rauca completely.

extreme right wing of the Labour Party led by Roy Jenkins! The prevailing condition of international economic life is now trade war.

America and Japan have started an macainery offensive to expand their economic not nationalistic like Tnat and maintain their profit Kets the hritishcommunist norms race uned stuttle more mateuse destrov une engineers leaders rerused of Europe. invovement in Chance thing No one who has witnessed the rule recognized he tient countries al c out to destrov setung Gouo ne

CIS

CUSSIOn trial influence of the free back a ponucal modulzanon.

tack Act has been tions The

LUC

UsCO proves this. Five dockers have been jailed, the trade icaacrs SCCuons une the two biggest unions in the country have Class (nose ot the been fined of thousands tens pounds ane une Tall. UnIonS were court mammated their alles in the on, tne and compelled to hold a ballot when the wanted government to crush their strike

HOOVER

workers press INCORPORATING THE NEWSLETTER • MONDAY JANUARY 1, 1973 • No. 959 • 4p DAILY ORGAN OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE SOCIALIST LABOUR LEAGUE 1973 means EEC entry and

DEFEND

a year of intense class struggle It le also the year to form the revolutionary party

BASIC RIGHTS

FORWARD IN 1973 TO

BRITAIN'S ENTRY into the But despite the lackeys who lead the the ruling class will need Common Market today marks a warlike speeches more lilal watershed in the history of take away working class have won British capitalism. It is a desper- Workers Britain have shown in

REVOLUTIONARY PARTY

ate act by a ruling class in the they Will Heath's bombast or the bragging arro- grip of the worst economic crisis gance of his Ministers. it has ever faced. This resistance is world-wide.

Within Common Market the lines of struggle the They are joining hands with are aso weary draw. the reactionary monopolies and An Editorial Board statement Steel and engineering workers will close cartels of Europe to destroy all tne inaustrial powernouse or mae waar ln the democratic rights of the ten days' time in the biggest strike action since 1929 and the rise of fascism.

European masses. mun LEAGUL But highest of the inter- the point Vietnamese 1973 will be a year of intense class national class struggle is the battles because the working class will revolution. struggle signal workers all over Europe. fight any attempt to smash its in-

BRITISH SECTION

dependence, drive down wages and Like the Americans, the capitalists of reduce it to a state of poverty and Europe must all western go war on oppression. The struggles oI

DCODIC.

FOURTH INIRNATIOMAL

the British and European working. cass one and indivisible heroic No should mistake the intentions one Vietnamese workers and of this capitalist alliance. These men have ot the resolance They control the same mono- peasants and the Arab guerrillas.

not changed Mussoli arel Workers now face the struggle inside Franco against the European working the Common Market. The question of Their money only generation ago. European unity with their brothers Dale

TOT

concenaton camps the gas chambers where the labour leaders and the Jewish people perished.

The Krupps, same industrialists-the Thvssens and Pire lis -dominate weslell Europe today. Now they are faced with economic crisis far worse than the one an forth The mone- which brought fascism. tary system whichs underpinned section of the International Committee of the post-war expansion of world trade has The Socialist thou Logou. British Fourth International, on the march to the revolutionary party.

collapsed. All attempts to restore stability be the diso Happens mew une by negotiation have failed completely.

The right to a living wage: Wage increases vented it from meeting the Tory govern- The prevailing condition of international now illegal. Phase two oi Heath's economic life is now trade war.

wares. Iviarkel THaT profit to Kets the weakness sections of workers who refuse to comply of

BLOUSE

destroy the construct the socialist United States of Eurone. real meanlig or we com- Market and the struggles ahead J1U1 No one who has witnessed the mie these tasks

VUL

to decent housing backed ov the countries the Heath government has systematically serume our to descov forced through policies aimed at depriving class of the following basic Lue Works democratic rights: CUSsion Saedar of the free market. has The most craven WaVi

ACL

USCO

movement Cassane Those militancy of the working class and pre

What we think Hanoi army paper claims victory over B52s PAGE 2 Workers Press, Monday January 1 NOTHING can exceed the hypo- crisy of the 'protests' about Nixon's bombing of Vietnam issued last week by the leaders of the British Labour Party.

The 'Daily Mirror" gave over its entire front page on Friday to Roy Jenkins' letter to Heath Tory complaining 'stubborn' Vietnam. Neither Jenkins nor the 'Mirror' pointed out that if he had not led 69 Labour traitors into the Tory Common Market lobby in October 1971, the Heath government would not be in power today. Also on Friday "The Times' pub- lished a letter from Mr R. G.

Hayward, general secretary of abhorrence finite the Labour Party, Labour's bombing and its 'regret' at the breakdown of the Paris 'peace' talks. Mr Hayward failed to explain why there has not been a single official demand from the Labour Opposition for even a parliamentary • debate on the renewed US bombings, let any campaign against alone them in the labour movement.

Leader Harold Wilson, fresh from Israel, where he had been hailed as a friend of Zionism, also 'condemned' and de- plored' the atrocities. But this was the same Wilson who, as Labour Prime Minister, flew to Washington on Jan- uary 25, 1970, and gave Presi- dent Nixon his complete sup- port for the Vietnam policies of US imperialism. And that was shortly after the revelations of the notorious My. Lai massacres, which had also occurred during the life- time of the Labour government —in March 1968. Other clear examples of im- perialist brutality in Vietnam which hit the headlines during the time of the Labour gov- ernment included the news that in June 1969, a company commander of the US Ninth Infantry Division ordered his men to use village huts and their for target occupants practice. About the same time American army commanders were ordered not to 'generate' more refugees because all the camps were full. This meant, as knew, 'kill them everyone instead'. An authoritative 'New York Times' report spoke of 'official acquiescence to the destruc- tion of the countryside and its people' and declared that 'air strikes on civilians have be- come a matter of routine'.

Yet the Socialist Labour League was the only organization to campaign against Wilson's visit THE United States has reserved its rights to revise tariff levels with the Common Market-in- dicating tough bargaining at this the General year's meeting of Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

(GATT),

Washington sources said at the weekend. The US move was in response to a similar decision relayed to Washington by the EEC under an article of the GATT agreement which says members may exer- cise the option at three-year intervals. •January 1, 1973 to Washington. We said then (Workers Press, January 21, 1970): We know that Wilson, re- formist and servant of the bankers that he is, supports Nixon's war to the hilt. That is one of the reasons why he is going to Washington. All talk of Wilson being able to put 'pressure' on Nixon to stop the war is so much rubbish.

But for that very reason, we will fight tooth and nail in the remaining few days to prevent Wilson speaking up for im- perialism in the name of the British labour and trade union movement. That has happened all too often in the past. Wilson and his kind did not build this movement. The working class did, in a fight against the very system we see unleashing its terror today on the Vietnamese people. Wilson has no right to speak for the millions of workers who fought for this movement in and continue the past to defend it today-against, it should be said, the attacks of Wilson and his big business friends. As we have stressed repeatedly throughout this campaign, the fate and struggle of the British and Vietnamese workers are linked. What Wilson has attempted to do with his 'penal clauses' against the trade unions and his wage freeze against the entire work- ing class, Nixon continues in Vietnam with napalm bombs and 'pacification campaigns'.

They all attack the working class.

The difference is one of degree, not kind. United with our Vietnamese brothers we can both defeat imperialism and go on to build socialism. ring Everything we said then has proved Yet been correct. neither the Labour 'lefts' nor the Communist Party Stalinists against raised murmur Wilson's Washington trip.

Neither have they fought since to bring down the Tory gov- ernment. No number of verbal protests nor 'vigils' outside the American embassy can end the war in Vietnam. That needs the united action of the Vietnamese masses and the American and European work- class. Immediately, that ing means a campaign now to force the Tory government to resign and to return a Labour government committed to all-out opposition to Ameri- can imperialism in Vietnam.

The verbiage of the social demo- and the vigils of the crats Stalinists are a cover to avoid such a fight. The EEC had used. the option before-but only in respect of specific trade items. This time it covered the whole range of imports. This is the first time the US has exercised its option rights, but sources said the decision was at other American not aimed trading partners and that dis- cussions with Canada and Japan to review the EEC action would be sought soon. The EEC is one of the largest outlets for US agricultural exports. puppet government is crippled by THE DECISION to call

BY JOHN SPENCER

inflation and is apart off the bombing of Hanoi despite injections Vietnam had scored a victory vasu and Haiphong is war an over the b)L Domders Walca Nixon had hoped to bomb created the best political and admission of bankruptcy Vietnam back into the North had ever military experience it by President Nixon and a wer in the Core alcale. experienced. last two explosive power •For 12 of impending days and nights portent than and weeks fierce and DEL COLe A-bombs combined defeat for US imperialism Nagasaki fighting we have «eaten The barbarous

TACTICS

arle blows the US strategic air in Indo-China. proved failure. The workers a gained victories tull ol Vietnam -duti- and The American claim- strategic meaning Witholl stood firm fully echoed by Tory premier in celence the history of precedent revolution against everything that Edward Heath the wars, the paper said them. that Nixon can throw at North Vietnamese have been The entitled commentary, reopen Paris in June Victory', said the US Strategic forced back to the Paris talks a week's time, though there will e meetings of 'technical experts' entle stralegio is a threadbare lie. well as tactical air potential in It is 1 ucoldy designed cover the south-east Asia produce fact that the US has lost "destruction eifect similar to ar major portion of its strategic atomic bomb in the most popu- crucial have the lated areas. bomber force since concessens said US onslaught against the northern The paper strategy international observer force to important both militarily capital began on December 18.

was police an agreement. and politically, but it failed be- Hanoi has put American losses However. according to reports.

US has made the far five F111 the more swing cause or the courage ana erosI of the North Vietnamese people fundamental concession of recog 42 wing and armed forces. Decem- according to reports, that The Americans The bombing was a desperate country Vietnam Is one and stave oN defeat in the soury Nixon regime to It is on the basis of this prin admit to losing 15 B52s and ten North Vietnam claims ciple that other planes. Yesterday and maintain the army newspaper The partition Tie once ooos the south. Indo-China: President Thieu's 'Quan Doi Nham Dan' said North

VLADIMIR BUKOVSKY

VLADIMIR BUKOVSKY, the young Soviet writer now serving a 12-year prison sentence in the USSR, is in a bad state of health and

UNT

suffering from rheumatic fever, say the latest 1983 reports. Bukovsky, who was 30-years-old over the week- end, is reported to be in the tough Vladimir Prison outside Moscow. His damp cell is affecting his health and could lead to heart trouble.

He was arrested by police in March 1971 on the trumped-up charge of 'anti-Soviet agitation'. His 'crime' was to publish an appeal to western psy- chiatrists to assess the mental state of opposition- ists imprisoned in asylums, based on diagnoses he had managed to obtain. On Saturday, actor David Markham, secretary DAVID MARKHAM.. More 'mental" hospitals being of the Working Group on the Internment of Dis- bulli for oppositionists.

in Mental Hospitals, staged a protest against Bukov- Socialist Labour League North West Rally sky's continued imprisonment

FORCE THE TORY

outside the Soviet Embassy in London.

GOVERNMENT TO RESIGN!

'According to information the authorities are building

BUILD THE

new the Soviet

MOSO LEIS

REVOLUTIONARY

Union for political prisoners,' he told Workers Press

PARTY!

'And it is said a lot of workers well as the imprisonual now, being Imprisoned SUNDAY JANUARY 14, 7 p.m.

The Everyman, Hope Street, The Kremlin bureaucracy

LIVERPOOL

also dealing harshly senting ..... has • • just been given ten years in for refusing

FILM

certify normal people insane.

RIGHT TO WORK

A film made by ACTT showing the five Right-to-Work marches been made in the west from Glasgow. Liverpool, Swansea, Deal and Southampion to Lo keep the whole question quiet.

ending with a huge Rally at Empire Pool. Wembley on March 12 'In some leading Speakers British psychiatrists have assisted in preventing the subject being raised world comerences o G. HEALY (SLL National Secretary) fear antagonizing the Soviet OI delegation. CHRISTINE SMITH (Young Socialists) In a personal capacity: 'On the other hand, a number of leading psychiatrists are CONNIE FAHEY (Manchester Tenants) sym- ALAN STANLEY (Vauxhall Shop Stewards) boatner e Witne anything they can to help.'

BRIAN GEENEY (U.P.W.)

WALLY FOUCHS (CAV Occupation Committee) His working group is actually of leading doctor. made up TOur In une psychatric nerd.

TUC CHIEFS

SURRENDER

TO EUROPE

The leaders of the trade union have movement accepted British entry into the Common Market and are on the point of becoming its 'reluctant' policemen. This is the only conclusion which can be drawn from the resigned, weak-kneed state- ment issued today by the TUC General Council. While reaffirming formal opposition to entrv. the state- ment goes no further than a few, fairly mild warnings about possible food increases in prices and unemployment. Nothing is said about fight- European ing the capitalists' conspiracy against the working class. Silence reigns on the threat the Market dire poses to the very existence of inde- penaent uade unions. Instead the General Council lamely accuses the government of tending to 'play down' the problems presented by entry, "The government could and should have done much more insist that the UK's

OTOS

pective payments to the Com- Budget should be munity duced to a level roughly equi- valent to our likely receipts from it,' the statement says.

No principle 'On this crucially-important issue in the negotiations, the stage ap- 110 peared to have a specific nego- tiating objective.' This forms paragraph two of the statement. And this fact the key to the TUC provides leaders' treacherous attitude. Nowhere are they opposed in principle to entry-only to the present terms. All 'could have dones' and 'should have dones', when directed, they the Writings of Leon Trotsky 1933-1934.. .. £1.43 1934-1935.. .. £1.43 1935-1936 .. £1.25 1937-1938.. . £1.25 1938-1939 ... .. £1.25 1939-1940.. .. £1.05 28 Charlotte St London W1 Tory government, merely signal the union chiefs' fundamental acceptance of the British capi- talists' needs and plans.

This point is driven home in each subsequent paragraph.

'The TUC's major area of concern', the statement says, 'has been with the potential effects of entry on employment and living standards, and on the distribution of income. In particular the adoption of the Common Agricultural Policy and of Value-Added Tax will each lead to price increases, with particularly adverse effects on the lower paid.'

Britain, we are told, has for century relied over a on a cheap-food policy. It is a re- trograde step' to 'change to a system of high food prices' in the shops. Far from challenging the Tories' historic decision to completely reverse the cheap food policy—in operation since the mid-19th century - the General Council wants trade unionists merely to plead for no further blows. 'If the government were to take the additional step of ex- tending VAT to food', their statement says, 'the conse- quences would be ... wait for • • very serious indeed.'

it . Were the statement adopted as a guide to action, the unions would also bend the knee to the Heath government on jobs.

'There must be a commit- ment to full employment in all regions of the United King- dom, not just the south east, the General Council pleads.

It is essential for the gov- ernment to retain the right to take whatever measures are needed to achieve this. The retention of a labour-related subsidy for the regions is vital and it would be no sort of a bargain to exchange this for a

I TROTSKY

43533

WAITES

1000-30 WAInGS OF

ROTSHY

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3 • PERIODICALS • NEWSPAPERS

TUC leaders at the Brighton Conferenc far-less effective scheme ad- ministered from Brussels.'

What sort of a "bargain' they think they could get from the the Hoechsts, the Thyssens, Dunlop-Pirellis, the Berliet- Michelins, and the ICIs the union chiefs do not make clear.

But they clearly think one is possible. (1939-40) Writings of Leon Trotsky (1938-9) InGS

ROT

n Trotsky between the I exile from the Soviet the Paperbacks Centre

NOW OPEN

Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs 9 aim.-6 p.m. Fri 9 a.m.-7.30 p.m. Sat 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Workers Press, the Brighton Conference this year, where opposition to Common They also seem to think they can persuade the Tories to stop British transferring employers their capital into Europe, they are already doing on the hetty scale following Barber budget of last March. General Council The is 'con- cerned' at this trend, the state- ment says.

SLAUGHTER

ON

THE SITES

Peter Jones, the Cardiff branch secretary of the Union of Amalgamated Engineering Workers' section, constructional has reported that six men have died on industrial sites during the last six weeks in Wales. Yet a conference on industrial safety has had to be can- celled because of the poor from response union officials. More than 200 invitations sent out, but only had been 75 aid wed to esply think it Said Mr Jones: is a terrible indictment of the trade union movement South Wales that a conference on something as important as the Robens Report fell because of lack of support.' Mr Jones said he was opposed to the recommenda- tion of the Robens report on health and safety in industry, but that unions were The leaving everything to the firms.

Apart from the occasional weekend school normal safety matters, nothing Was being done. Press, Monday January 1, 1973 PAGE 3 to Common Market entry was reaffirmed Neither the concern nor . other pious sentiments ex- pressed in the TUC statement can soften the massive blows against the working class which start today. They-and the class-war government which is aiming them-must be defeated and driven from the scene.

VAT AND

CLOTHES

At present, children's clothing and footwear are exempt from purchase tax. But the govern- ment has so far refused to say that they will be exempted Value-Added Tax. If from VAT is added, prices would rise 10 per cent after April 1.

Some examples are: • A girl's school blazer would jump from £6.50 to £7.15.

• Boy's anorak, from £5.75 to £6.33. • Girl's school shoes, from £3.19 to £3.51. • Boy's shoes, from £2.99 to £3.29 Clothing experts calculate that it costs about £46.20 to clothe a 12-year-old boy and £58.50 for a 12-year-old girl.

CARPET

PROFITS

Carpet manufacturers Bond Worth Holdings, who have factories at Horwich and Wigan, have reported a big upsurge in profits to £914,000 for the 12 months to last June, beating their own forecast by £14,000. This profit compares with £230,000 in the previous year. Another big jump is expected when profits for the second half of this year are announcel.

for the first six l The figure months equalled that for the whole of 1971-1972.

THE BLOOD AND THUNDER

PAGE 1 Workers Press, Monday January 1, 1973

MENERAL SERIBE AND REVOLUTION

comrades, Prepare lo Vecupy Tour raelary.

M.1.U.C. MILITANT IKADE UNION COMMISTER

M.T.U.C. MILITANT TRADE UNION COMMITTEE

Inderground Movement of the Revolution operating from the Midlands to build British Socialis:

SOCIALIST REVOLUTION

Comrades, Brothers, Friends!

NOT

Capitalism is an evil in our society.

CAIPLALLIST REFORMS

How long must we tolerate this evil?

The bosses say there will be no General Strike.

We say the opposite. Who will be right?

We want urgent progress in 1972: Only you can decide. It's in your hands!

One way is to be forever patient and subservient.

1972 The other way is the modern and quick metnoa or initiauns exorms wat dave been outstanding or a nunarea years, 1.e.

• Dy means or revoluzon. in a tew Each factory must take its own responsibility.

maice weeks arter revolumon, it is possible to bring about more changes ano First of all, every shop steward has to make up his mind.

undred years lore progress than in one of reform. In a few months racer the fundamental basis of our political system and evolution, Once you've done that, then get a few loyal comrades.

he moral values in our society.

Get a plan. Get a programme. Get a time-table.

Where do you stand if others begin to occupy?

Ill

OUR OWN BRAND OF BRITISH SOCIALISM

Start getting the idea around. Talk about it.

When we speak of a chang Just ask yourselves what is the alternative.

a Soclalist systema suitable for the British Once more, we urge you to:

PREPARE FOR REVOLUTION

PREPARE FOR REVOLUTION

PREPARE TO OCCUPY

PREPARE TO OCCUPY

YOUR FACTORY

YOUR FACTORY

Comrades, let's bring Socialism into the Labour Party.

Comrades, don't hesitate to join the coming Occupations!

Members of the Labour Party Membere of the Labour Party

PROVOCATEURS

BY STEPHEN JOHNS

mand that workers tees began to receive its out- their factories like the ship- starting with 'Poster pourings, Many militant trade

UCS

('The No l' called 'Prepare for Re- yard workers at unionists will have come UCS did it. Others are on the volution'. to know and thoroughly way!') It was about this time that Again the appeals betray the a group of fascists, known to distrust the commu- dubious origins of the group, be connected with more res- niqués and posters from pectable figures on the right- claim whose members be the Militant Trade Union Labour Party card-holders.

individual particularly one One talks patrician with intelligence connections in Committee. 'good —were halted by a police pat- fashion about This shadowy body special- the dole'. Another rol on their way to a massive men on blood-and-thunder izes 'Have demonstration asks: you not had 1n let-wing manifestos, published and enough of the bloody swine?'

London. without their manner and dress printed anonymously, Others urge on workers to By Vic- they appeared to be part of the imprint and written mild forms of sabotage. 'Don't torian melodrama. be shy, produce less, lose the left, but the group, which was In their latest message-to with anything from profits, bring capitalism _lo a Edward Heath-they. claim to 'Let's clubs to barbed wire, turned halt' and make it im- be leaders of the British revo- out to be fascist. possible for the bosses. Let's and also claim to be It was at this time that hun- lution begin to make careful plans to 'operating from the Midlands'.

factories. Let's dreds of thousands of the begin to our The MTUC is, in fact, a group MTUC leaflets trouble were flooding begin make real everywhere' of provocateurs- -either from the labour movement. the or the extreme right-wing But one particular manifesto incident the British Special Branch (or came immediately prior to the revealing. It repeats 1s most both). what to be the 1970 General appears was a call efforts MTUC's main slogan 'Socialist for a Their are always again there General Strike and revolution.

characterized by tell-tale capitalist revolution not re- for nationalism. But calls for 'our own few later the then forms'. davs

CLUCCLOT

Hence the Heath Christmas brand of British socialism'. right-wing Tory for Knutsford, letter threatens: We shall not speak of a change William Bromley 'When we let you control the life-blood used the leaflets to support his of system,' it says, 'we do not an investigation of the nation.' mean a system based upon the argument for of the reveal other left-wing by passages groups ponnical petty-bourgeois outlook char- What we shall evolve police and Home Office. country. This one clue to the acterized by opposition is very much a socialist sys- tem for the British people and MTUC's possible role-a peg worthless parliamentarians, financiers and on which a pogrom of the left the privileged for our nation' could hung. Last week we The political colouring is revealed that the Tories were very much that of the extreme As usual the authors por- to purge considering a plan tray themselves as the fulcrum right, the the left if an early election was industrial militancy. believe potency 1n called. The MTUC could figure nationalism- They were responsible for the -this course. political the Indus- could also be the in such a campaign. Branch or One other function could be trial Relations Act. They say police, the Special left- implicate genuine their -though as every to to Heath: "These You trade unionist and socialist wingers in activities that might say Will lead them to run the risk of damned workers are just will recognize, the job of 'in- of They will citement' is particularly crude. arrest or to frame-up. cranks. The MTUC remains never succeed. The Industrial The authors clearly have very Colony- little understanding and know- But occasions its mous. on Relations Act is working and members do surface. Members will take greater effect as time ledge of the working class and of the Socialist Labour League passes". Perhaps the most significant have been approached be MTUC 'But just look at the situa- people claiming tion we have created in the indication group -people who made up of provocateurs is the members- offered •Mil- country. they continue. tables: a cafe lions and millions of man-days fact that they remain entirely money typical frame-up technique.

dis- lost through nelsonal the You know the 'Let's make malt co with plans, careful Whatever their origin putes. figures. MTUCers are clearly enemies they say- We do not have to quote them Neither do they at any stage We are succeeding in of the working class. So far for you. their a way we never thought propose a programme. eitorts have been hope- possible.' Clearly the

MTUC

"mem- clumsy. But they may The letter promises General bers' do not want to establish improve. After the so-called Angry Strike and revolution in 1973 socialist organiza- 1974. tion. Brigade trials and the general or perhaps of the Tory offen- the Heath What then is their purpose?

deepening With letter, samples of the year's publica- The history of the group is sive, workers must be on their guard against the activities of tions are included. These were instructive. It in 1968 these of the ruling almost all a call to revolution, first surfaced particularly allied with a de- when shop stewards' commit- class. More Strikes, More Demonstrations leading to

GENERAL STRIKE AND REVOLUTION

Comrades, Prepare to Oecupy Your Factory!

M.T.U.C. MILITANT TRADE UNION COMMITTEE

GENERAL STRIKE

amal

REVOLUTION

1972 Labour and Tory bosses use the same refrain: Work harder! Don't ask for rises! We need more profits!

Have you not had enough of the bloody swine?

Must we continue to use our hands to make their profits?

If not, then you know the only other alternative: Lose the profits for the firm, soften it up from inside • Get it ready tor occupation and take ove that's the next step for us working class.

Let's take it all into our own hands.

We can do it i we want to, you know that!

PREPARE FOR REVOLUTION

PREPARE TO OCCUPY

YOUR FACTORY

Comrades, let's bring Socialism into ihe Labour Party.

a of the Labour Party More Strikes, More Demonstsations leading tu

GENERAL STRIKE AND REVOLUTION

Comradica, Propure to Ocerpy Your Factery!

M.T.U.C. MILITANT TRADE UNION COMMITTEE

Leaders of the British Revolution operating from the Midlands to build British Socialism 14.12.1972. A Christmas Gift to the Parasites of the Nation: Torios, Government and the City.

We send you and your kind our gift for your Christma: Dear Heath, reading as you relax while millione of our poople struggle through in !

Edward Heath and the letterhead of the cocument addressed to him the Militant Trade Unior Committee. Above: Three expen- sively-produced leaflets issued by the same shadowy organization.

Part three in this series by .

Truman, the US President against the trade unions and witch-hunt era. In the five years after World War II, United States national produc- tion increased from $213 billion to $284 billion. In that period there was a vast demand for consumer and durable goods on the home market, while a foreign mar- ket for American surpluses was assured by the programme of aid and reconstruction abroad undertaken by Harry S. Truman's administration in order to shore up world capi- talism. Thus there was a continua- of heavy government spending, accompanied by an explosive increase in private investment. This, of course, created an enormous inflationary prob- lem. In the single year 1946- 1947, prices rose more than had done throughout the entire war period. The authority of the Office of Price Administration-set up by Roosevelt in 1941ex- pired on July 1, 1946. In the weeks that followed, prices jumped by 25 per cent —more than in the entire pre- vious three years. This inflation, of course, led to wage demands from unions, and the American workers-determined again to return to the days of depression-fought tenaciously to improve their standards of Within a month of the Jap- anese surrender 500,000 work- were on strike in the United States. The following 1946, saw 4.6 million workers out on strike, with a loss of 116 million man-days of work. On April 1, 1946, 400,000 miners walked out of the pits. For 40 days they cut off Am- erica's supply of fuel and threatened the whole pro- gramme for the recovery of capitalism in western Europe.

On May 21, after a short the government took truce, over the mines. When John L. Lewis refused to lead United Mine the Workers back to work the union was dragged before a Federal Court which imposed a $3.5m finethough this was later reduced to $700,000. Despite this the union won most of its demands. In the middle of the miners' strike the railway union lea- ders threatened the first total strike on the American rail- roads since 1894. To head this off, Truman took over control of the railways, but the rail workers walked out just the same. Over 90,000 passengers were marooned and 25,000 freight wagons stopped, many of them loaded with perishable cargoes.

On May 5, 1946, Truman went to Congress and de- ies by Jack Gale on Harry S.

who introduced laws ns and initiated the McCarthy manded a Bill to draft rail strikers into the army: The strike was settled the same day, but Truman had shown how far he was prepared to carry his hostility to the work- ing class. . He had, in fact, already gained the support of the House of Representatives for this step. One of Truman's last acts as President was to take over the steel industry in 1952 in order to break a strike in this crucial industry during the Korean war. He always in- sisted it was inherent in the power of the President to take over industries to 'protect the public interest at times of national emergency. On this occasion the Sup- reme Court declared the seiz- ure illegal, by a vote of six to three the steel workers went on strike for 55 days. Robert Taft was during Harry Tru- It man's presidency that the notorious Taft-Hartley Act was passed in 1947. This measure outlawed the closed shop and sympathy strikes; made unions liable for breach of contract or damages jurisdictional resulting from disputes; required a 60-day cooling off period for strikes; authorized an 80-day injunc- tion against strikes that might affect national health or safety; forbade political con- tributions from unions and banned 'excessive' union dues; required union leaders to swear a non-communist oath and set up a special govern- ment 'conciliation' service.

Truman vetoed this Bill, not because he was opposed to it on any principle, but because he thought it would cause it would strikes than more prevent. 'It contains' , he said 'seeds of discord which would plague this nation for years to come' But the Republicans— thanks to price rises and food shortages—had gained a maj- ority in Congress in 1946 for the first time since 1930.

(In 1946 Truman's inept efforts to hold down food prices had created such shortage of meat that he be- came widely known as 'Horse- meat Harry'.) Accordingly, Congress im- A beaten-up mediately Hartley with a and it became lav American swung back to Tri this, 11g ting the R. J. Thomas, of the tary Committe Action declared when Tr to draft strikers ir 'Labour is man.' The rallying of leaders to of the one Truman's over Thomas Dew Certainly, convention opened in an at deep gloom. renomination fault-delegates campaigr 'We're arry'. There was unsuccessful attem General ade accept the Within a week 'Dixiecrats' wing out and Rights Strom Thi Cartina S their nominee. On the Cabinet minister lace organized the Party with opposition and Plan nanonalization ol tries. Dewey, like everyone else, tho was a foregone co lack-lustre uttered such startl ur sure abound with credibly-'Our fut fore us. But Truman's vi usher in the era o ISm. Every bourgeois in its obituary of hearted' stressed that Tru is wet his order 9835 elmed worker, victim Taft- huge majority came law. union leaders conveniently forget pronouncement of nanonal secre Committee, had who when Truman sought strikers into the army: is through with Tru lying of the Labour o the Democrats was major factors unexpected victory mas Dewey. Democratic 1948 had n an atmosphere of Truman About "here was, indeed, an iful attempt to persu- Eisenhower to le Democratic nomi- a week, the righ xiecrats' had walker organized a States with Governor Thurmond of South as their presidential nized the Progressive a programme the demands ation of basic indus- like about just egone conclusion. campaign ich startling observa- 'Our streams should fish' and-in- 'Our future lies be- bourgeois newspaper tuary of this 'warm- atom-bomber has that Truman vetoed Workers Pross, Mo victim of a hysterical 'red-hunt' in the McCarth at 'loyalty' of civil servants.

the McCarron-Nixon Internal Security Act of 1950. This Act required all communist 'front' organizations to register with the Attorney-General, ex- cluded communists from em- ployment in defence plants and made it illegal to 'con- spire' to perform any act which would contribute to 'the formation of a dictatorship in the United States. It also barred from the United States anyone ever affi- liated with 'a totalitarian orga- nization', or with organiza- tions looking to the revolu- tionary overthrow of govern- authorized deportation ment, for aliens involved with sus- pect organizations, barred passports to communists, pro- vided for the internment of 'subversives' in the event of war, and set up a Subversive Activities Control Board.

It is true that Truman vetoed this Bill, which was im- mediately passed by Congress over his veto. But what the bourgeois obituaries left out was that the McCarron-Nixon Act was a product of the Mc- Carthyite witch-hunting hys- teria which was itself initiated by Harry S. Truman. The House of Representa- tives Un-American Activities Committee had been formed as early as 1938, but the real witch-hunt period began with the issuing by Truman of Exe- cutive Order 9835 on March 21, 1947. This order was aimed at in- vestigating the loyalty of civil servants and it introduced the doctrine-basic to the Mc- Carthy period-of guilt by in- tention and association. Under its terms evidence of disloyalty included 'member- ship in, affiliation with, or sympathetic association with ... any organization, move- ment, group or combination of designated by the persons Attorney-General as having adopted a policy of approving the commission of acts of Press, Monday January 1, 1 • McCarthy period. Truman force or violence to persons their right Constitution' (My On July 20, 194 Administratio man leaaing American under the Smith A The Supreme that the Smith Sututional and tha Party munist of guilty conspirac cate the overthrow ment. (The Stalinists, had supported tion of the Smith 1 was originally u the American Trot In 1948 was finally Russians detonated Truman ar bomb. thought achievements gains of a revolutio gle and a plannec but could only be t and infiltrat scientists and inte the United States. In this atmosphe Nixon was able to first great triumph of Alger viction 1948. after this, Klaus Fuchs was fr of spying in Britain. was this whick Truman's created the in States. The tensions of ism conveniently d attention away from ward incidents involving public ag Reconstructior

TAP

Corporation to indict high-ranki Revenue officials country during the of the Truman adm But nothing allenuon trom run 'achievement' est dropping of the ator the launching of t War 1950.

пиату 1, 1973 PAGE 5

, Truman Initiated the iolence to deny other eir rights under the on' (My emphasis.) 20, 1948, the Tru ninistration indicted the members or Communist Party Smith Act of 1940. Court accepted Act was con- and that the Com- members were conspiracy to advo- verthrow of govern- talinists, of course, the introduc- e Smith Act because ginally used against can Trotskyists.) Chiang Kai-shek defeated and the and his ad- these that could not be revolutionary strug- planned economy only be the work of infiltrators among and intellectuals in atmosphere Richard • able to secure his triumph-the con- Aiger Hiss in Aug- two weeks atomic physicist hs was found guilty his which, added to initial moves, climate for Mc- United in the sions of McCarthy- niently drew public way from such awk. as scandals public agencies like Finance nstruction n and the necessits igh-ranking Interna around the uring the last years man administration. could divert after f the atom bombs- ing of the Korear

ED TOMORROW

PAGE 6 Workers Press, Monday Januar

A TWO PART INVESTIGATION BY

Three years last month, pay negotiations opened with Fine Tubes, a small American-owned firm in Plymouth. The claim for higher wages affected workers. Take-home pay was about £14 a week at the £13 to subsidiary of factory, a Superior Tubes of Norristown, Pennsylvania. Management retaliated the claim by bringing in job- evaluation and without consulting the unions.

Negotiations broke down. Fine Tubes workers sidered the procedure ex- hausted after six months of futile 'negotiations' and went on strike on June 15, with official backing from both the Transport and General Workers' Union and the Amalgamated Union of En- gineering Workers. Three days later the Tories were elected: every employer felt heartened. Here, at last, was a government which • was going to take on the unions.

Within two weeks of the Tory victory the strikers received an ultimatum: Either return or be sacked. No one went back and in due course all received their cards.

The Tories had declared their intention to change the course of British history, meaning the existing 'peaceful' relationships between the based on the 'boom'. classes Fine Tubes management had taken the government up on that pledge. Today 37 men are still out- side the factory gates, picket- ing the plant to enforce the black against Fine Tubes pro- ducts. They refuse to leave until their basic rights are restored. Fine Tubes strikers have had to face blackleg labour, a hostile and often vicious, un- sympathetic local Press, backbreaking job of organizing blacking support throughout Britain and struggling against police intimidation on picket lines. On all these ques- tions they have basically had to stand alone on their own supported by the resources, rank-and-file of the working- class movement. The election of the Tories also signalled the beginning of a wholesale retreat by the trade union leaders in face of an open attack by the enemy class and their government.

Directly challenged by • the government which made little secret of its intentions to destroy basic rights, the trade union leaders decided col- • laboration was the order of the day. In that way the Indus- day January 1, 1973

TION BY PHILIP WADE

ist trial Relations Act became law and unemployment rose to l million without any serious opposition from the bureau- crats at Congress House. Now with Phase One of the state pay laws on the statute books and Edward Heath for- bidding discussion on any wage claims, the union leader- ship decided a further meeting at Downing Street is necessary! It is in that context that these leaders must bear the responsibility for the fact that the Fine Tubes strikers are still out on the stones. For at no time have the union leaders led a trade mobilization of their members behind the Fine Tubes men.

In fact, today they even refuse the word 'black' in to use official circulars because—pre- sumably-they want to operate within the framework of the Industrial Relations Act.

Fine Tubes, which produce stainless steel tubing, moved to Plymouth in 1962 with a £355,400 interest-free loan from the Tory government to set up shop. At that time-as now-the West Country was an attrac- tive place for investment. As a rule, trade unionism was not in the region, organized well with wages as a consequence being lower than elsewhere.

According to one union official, the rates at the plant, which had contracts for the Concorde project, were low.

"There are no bonuses... only overtime,' he added. From July 1970-the day after the strikers were sacked —management began to recruit fresh labour. In early July all the new recruits were given a backdated pay rise and staff status. The fight was on.

seven weeks on But after strike, Ron King, the AUEW could only district secretary, say: 'A dispute of this length is surely as important to the West Country as the recent dispute at the Lucas factory was to the motor car industry.?

He wanted the Department of Employment to intervene, but found-to his surprise- that Fine Tubes management was not interested in such a proposal. Herman Welch, the chair- man of the strike committee, told reporters after eight weeks on strike the blacking campaign was going well. Sup- port had been promised from dozens of factories in Birming- ham, Coventry, Derby and Sheffield. Not long after his statement the Western Evening Herald' launched the first of many scurrilous bitter and often attacks on the Fine Tubes men, who appeared to be shattering the long-established paternal- ism on which labour relations in the region were supposed to be based. After declaring the strike was doing 'the city's reputa- tion no good' on August 22, 1970, it used the excuse of a letter from a scab who refused to give his name as he did not 'want to be beaten up on a dark night' ', to write: Has Plymouth really got to the stage where a person with a point of view is afraid to say who he is for fear of being attacked by those who oppose his opinion, but have already stated theirs? What has hap- pened to the English sense of freedom of speech, a right for which wars have been fought and lives lost? 'British democracy, the envy of the world, is founded on the freedom of speech. Were it not, this country would be little more than a communist without an individual state mind,' screamed the editorial.

Here a small group of workers accused of were attempting to bring down the when the state newspaper knew full well that Fine Tubes management had consistently refused to even talk to union officials about the dispute!

Worse was to come from the pens of the editorial writers on the 'Western Even- ing Herald'. On September 11 they went overboard without hiding their hatred for trade unionism in general and the Fine Tubes men in particular: 'One firm in Plymouth has industrial "black- taken on mailers" and, so far, seems to be winning the battle. Work is continuing, say present em- ployees, with even more gusto than before and productivity has increased. 'How did the firm accom- plish what others have tried to do, but failed? By sacking all who went on strike, those refusing to have any negotia- tions with them, or their trade unions, by keeping on the loyal workers and by starting again, almost from scratch,' it went on enthusiastically.

"The line that the company, Fine Tubes, seems to have taken was that if the rates of were inadequate, there pay would be no staff to run the machines. The fact that the machines are running seems to be the answer to their logic.

'Admittedly, more money is paid to the staff now being than it was when the workers went on strike, but the workers who remained with the company say they are better off without the antagonists. It shows that companies can, with enough determina- sometimes stand up tion, against the workers and their unions, and apparently win without finding themselves in the financial strait-jacket that leads to higher prices or bank- ruptcy. Unions must have the power to call for official strikes in retaliation for acts but of unfairness or injustice, the other hand, shouldn't companies have the right to self-preserva- dismissal and tion? of course, 'Provision, must be made for this side of indus- trial relations also to be sub- government ject to the same control wild-cat strikes as would be under the impending There must be fair legislation. play on both sides.' 'impending legislation' The was, of course, the Industrial Relations Bill. In the same month, Septem- ber 1970, a plot to keep wages low in the West Country was revealed and police moved in to help strike-breakers for the first time. September issue of a The free publication, the 'Plymouth , had the headline: 'Don't Much Pay So to West Workers'. It told of an American firm 800- planning to put up an job factory being advised by Department of Employ- the ment: 'Pay lower wages than you planned to-you'll still be paying above the average' A DEP spokesman quizzed by the 'Post' said this was 'stan- dard practice. After 13 weeks of the strike police intervened at a British Road Services depot where Fine Tubes strikers were picketing to prevent the move- ment of strip tubing — which had arrived from the United States. The BRS men refused to handle the tubing and men inside Fine Tubes and from a number of executives even- tually loaded the material themselves police while removed the pickets from out- side the depot gates. Meanwhile, local union were still seeing the officials dispute in the most naive way.

One told a newspaper in September 1970 that the irres- ponsible action of what appears to be one solitary individual' was to blame. He was referring to Fine Tubes' managing director Tom Barclay.

CONTINUED TOMORROW

Norton пату 1. 1878 РАДЕ 7

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They Fine Tubes management led by Tom Barclay (above). have Riaht and above: reuse• re ever discussme Shortly after the first anniversary of the strike about 300 workers from different factories in the area Sage up tont Tubes. But picket at Fine police moved in brutally break up demonstration casine nine inne oncess. Union omicials said tney nad not seen such intimidation 'since Nazi Germany'.

MACDONALD FORMS THE

FIRST NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

In Part II of her review Jane Brown examines the formation of the National Government under Ramsay MacDonald and analyses some of PAGE & Workers Press, Monday January In Part II of her review Jane his 'socialist theories'.

With 288 Members of Parliament, Labour came to power once more in 1929. The Wall Street crash in that year heralded the world eco- nomic crisis which was to bring the reformist La- bour Party to disaster. By 1931, unemployment had mounted to over 2 million. In July, a run on the pound began. Helplessly, MacDonald sought a solution from the superior wisdom of bankers Tory The politicians. Labour Party's 'socialism' was strapped firmly to the existing capitalist system, and could provide no answer to the crisis.

The Tory bankers advised 'economy'. Britain's trading partners were losing confidence in the value of the pound be- government's cause of the 'reckless expenditure' on social services, which was leading to a massive budgetary dencit.

The sum spent on unemploy- ment benefit must be cut by £66.5m, for while a start, £30m could be saved another through reducing the pay of teachers and other government employees. (May Report, July 31, 1931.) The Bank of England's re- serves were almost exhausted.

All further loans from America were being refused until an "economy' drive against the y Jauary 1, 1973 • Jane Brown examines the formatio of working class was set under way. At a loss for alternatives, MacDonald tried to persuade the TUC to accept the bank- ers' the TUC solution. But leaders knew the limitations on what they could 'sell' to their members and refused. So did the majority of the Labour Cabinet. MacDonald was now con- vinced that the time had come to 'put country before party.

In 1931, at the king's special request (and to the satistaction of both Tory and Liberal Party leaders), he became Prime Minister in an all-party Na- tional Government. A month later, despite £70m government 'economies' in the form of dole cutting, the pound was forced to come off the gold standard, and was effec- tively devalued by around 30 per cent. Two months later, MacDonald went to the polls as leader of the National Gov- ernment. He almost destroyed the Independent Labour Party reducing in consequence, from 289 to 46 MPs. Breaking all promises that coalition poli- short-lived, would be tics MacDonald stayed on as a "Tory prisoner'-Prime Minis- ter till 1935 and Lord Presi- dent until his death in 1937.

The fact that the Labour Party expelled MacDonald and the MPs who followed him into the National Government in 193:1 had provided the Labour Party with an excuse to 'disown' the man who had ormation of the National Governme led it for so long. MacDonald has been por- trayed as merely a tragic indi- vidual: a sincere idealist, afflicted by an 'inferiority com- plex' about his obscure origins, and consequently an obsessive desire to cling to power in later life. But such excuses will not wash with the working class today. As the editor of edition of Mac- the new writings' Donald's political the 'underlying points out, continuity' between the poli- tical position of MacDonald, and that of the modern Labour Party leadership, is unmistak- able. In 1931, MacDonald acted as all reformist 'socia- lists' must do in a crisis.

Trotsky went to the essence of the matter in his comments on the Labour Party after its first spell in office ('Where is Britain Going?'). Labour "The Independent Party... could not have been better adapted to the role of an irresponsible centrist oppo- sition which criticizes, but does not do any great harm to the rulers. However, it was the fate of the Independents in a short time to become a political force ... From the moment that centrism became a political force, it was compelled to pass beyond the confines of cen- trism, in other words it had either to draw revolutionary conclusions from its opposition to the imperialist state, or openly to enter its service.'

'acci- There was nothing nad dental' about this. It had no- vernment under Ramsay MacDonal thing to do with 'personalities'.

It was true of the 1924 Mini- stry, still more manifestly true in 1931, and is once again evi- dent in • bankruptcy of the Harold Wilson's Labour Party.

The more acute the capitalist crisis, the more acute becomes the crisis within the reformist ranks. The re-publication of Mac- Donald's writings provides an opportune warning. Unless they are forced by the working class to carry out real socia- list policies of nationalizing industry under workers' con- trol without compensation, the next Labour government will prostrate themselves beneath the heel of the capitalists as they did in 1931. They will actively assist the Tories in destroying the basic rights which workers have won in centuries of bitter struggle.

For many years, Ramsay MacDonald was regarded as a leading socialist 'theorist'. This was less because of his origi- nality or intellectual powers ('absolute triviality', as Trotsky calls them), than because his writings suited existing pre- judices in socialist circles and sections of the British working class. Politically, MacDonald was a descendant of 19th century Gladstonian Liberalism. From grafted the Liberal Party he onto the new Labour Party nationalism, pacifism and re- ligiosity, together with an un- swerving devotion to 'our free no- institutions of government'.

cDonald and analyses some of Together, these political qualities, borrowed from a complacent, prosperous_ bour- geoisie, gave the British Labour Party its faith in 'the inevit- ability of gradualness'; its in- sularity; and its 'rejection' of revolutionary force. As Trotsky pointed out in 'Whoever 1925: renounces force should renounce all struggles generally, in other words he should really stand in the partisan ranks of the triumphant forces of the ruling class. we have as.… already seen, position to which MacDonald's politics eventually led him.

main "contri- MacDonald's bution' to socialist theory was comparison of social to his biological evolution. By means of a superficial knowledge of Darwin's theories, he managed to produce a brand of socia- lism which was both distinc- 'scientific. tively British and In fact, it is not hard to de- that his political monstrate preconceptions completely do- minated his notions of biology.

He saw evolution as the ultimate proof of 'gradualness'.

most critical factor in biological, as well as social, evolution-'the decisive , being moments when the new bursts from the old'. Examples of such moments, suggested by Trotsky, include the transfor- of a chrysalis into a mation butterfly; or of an egg into a chicken. MacDonald's interpretation

of evolution similarly ignores all the revolutionary 'breaks' in British history-such as the Cromwellian Revolution. Moreover, Trotsky demon- biological that the strates analogy is fundamentally in- adequate in assessing social change. For human beings are able to go beyond Darwin's 'natural selection' of the fittest, "conscious to utilization a within certain limits of the ex- periences of the past'. In other words, the working although class, historically conditioned, does not have to experience centuries of defeats, and possible annihilation, while it waits for socialism to arrive 'naturally. It must fight for socialism. And, in doing so, it will learn through study and experience to construct the re- volutionary party as the instru- ment for the destruction of the capitalist system. MacDonald's superficial ap- peals to "science' are a very inadequate attempt to conceal his anti-materialism, and essen- tially his anti-Marxism. His attempts to refute Marx be- came more and more central to his arguments as his career proceeded—as he witnessed the triumph of the Bolshevik in 1917, and the Revolution foundation of the Communist Britain in 1921. Party in According to the editor of his 'Political Writings', MacDonald appears to have read only the 'Communist Manifesto' But, unlike the editor, we do not find this philistine ignorance, revealed in every- thing he writes about Marxism, justified by the fact that Mac- a busy man of Donald was practical affairs, and 'the only 'Labour Prime Minister not to received an Oxford have education'! If MacDonald had found time to venture beyond the 'Communist Manifesto', he would have found every one of his 'evolutionary' theories torn to shreds by Marx and Engels, and his own contem- poraries, Lenin and Trotsky.

For 'evolutionary socialism' is the antithesis of Marxism, in that it denies the importance of correct political leadership.

It claims the main danger 1s that the leadership will out- strip the 'organic development' society. of Therefore • tail- ending and propagandism (as practised by the Stalinists and revisionists today) must be the general rule. sums it MacDonald up neatly: 'One is often met with the enquiry-How is socialism going to be brought about?

... We dogmatize about what human beings will and will not do, and about nothing are we less well-equipped for dogma- tizing. Moreover the question really does not arise in our socialist problem at all, be- cause under democratic gov- ernment we can never have more socialism at any given time than human nature will stand, and that settles the question.' It goes without saying that MacDonald had read never Hegel. Yet, with the sure poli- tical instinct of a reformist, he manages to extract from plagi- arized 'summaries' his works precisely those features of the Hegelian dialectic which Marx and Lenin grasped so eagerly. The dialectic, writes Mac- be 'cannot disso- Donald, ciated from the idea of catas- trophe and revolution, of accu- bursting mulated energy ... Bio- through opposition logically "the negation of the existing state of things" • Its "inevitable breaking up", its , is im- "momentary existence", The biological possible view lays the very slightest its "critical and emphasis on revolutionary" is mainly constructive, and the of "clearing before build- idea ing" is alien to its nature ..?

Behind the attack on Hegel political in this . passage, the antagonism to Marx is barely few pages further concealed. A on, it bursts forth into the open: MacDonald (beside driver), with Baldwin to arrange the settlement of the National Government election poster of his term as Prime Minister at the head of To the the old biologist,. disappears by renewing itself, and while the transformation is taking place there is perhaps a rest, an apparent reaction, but no revolutionary chaos, nothing "short and sharp". But to Marx, all that was meaning- less.' (Incidentally, MacDonald never actually read Dar- had win's 'The Origin of the Species' either!) In another section about Hegel, MacDonald accuses him of propounding 'a simplicity of opposing forces which is never in world'. found the actual This fitted in neatly with his denial that the class struggle, as defined by Marx, is the motive force behind social change. Indeed for MacDonald, whose ignorance of philosophy is perhaps only equalled by his economics, ignorance of class struggle barely exists.

MacDonald saw no need for a theory of value (' . . we need not quarrel about these technical points'). He main- tained that 'The Ricardo-Marx economics can be knocked on head at any time, and the socialism i would not suffer in the least. It is perhaps rather an exaggeration to claim that labour is the source of all value. From this casual con- clusion, it does not take Mac- long to deduce that Donald •.. it is not true that there are only two great classes in the community'. Class conflict is being steadily po mitigated by 'the goodly num- ber of workers who cross the line and become employers and employers' managers'. • In addi- workers are being won tion, 'psychologically' by such over organizations Building as From the mistine de Horati Smal leaders, off to meet union sets ent of the General Strike in 1926. Above: poster of 1931. Left: MacDonald during le head of the coalition government.

Co-operatives Societies, and co-partnership schemes. People often no longer identified them- selves with their 'own' class.

'Hence the value of the class an uncompromising war as statement of hard economic fact becomes a mere sem- blance'. A more uncompromis- ing statement of idealism could scarcely be found! MacDonald goes on to search out 'new' class antagonisms, apart from that between wor- kers and their employers. There is, for example, 'the opposition between consumer and pro- ducer. Such an opposition may lead to some workers, in their role as 'producers' (particularly those organized in strong trade unions) holding other workers, in the position of 'consumers', to ransom. This confusionist formula has been re-discovered quite recently by the Tory government. They use it to justify a 'wage freeze' The other chief flaw in the class struggle as described by Marx is that it 'leaves out of account the middle class' . Even MacDonald is obliged to admit that, in the Communist Mani- festo itself, Marx accepts the possibility that sections of the bourgeoisie will be won to the revolutionary party. But this does not prevent him, as Trotsky points out, from using a debased argument to "delude the workers in the matter of the actual class basis of their lily power, supplanting it with the fiction of super-class solidarity'.

CONTINUED TOMORROW

These articles are based on a re- cently published book: 'Ramsay MacDonald's Political Writings. Edited by Bernard Barker. Allen Lane The Penguin Press, 1972. £4 Workers Press, Mon Despite all British-Leyland's frantic efforts to win back favour with bankers and the Stock Exchange by its ruthless hiving-off and rationalization activities_to get out of debt and into Europe, the company's share price is still rock bottom.

Among the largest (bigger than £5m) companies, British- Leyland's share price shows one of the biggest falls in 1972 —a drop of almost 40 per cent.

The stock market watchers are still showing the same dis- trust as earlier in 1972 when raise more attempt to an capital by a new issue of shares proved a disastrous failure for British-Leyland.

Leyland's financial sickness —in debt, losing markets, and with only the desperate gamble of expanding into Europe as its last chance of survival—is symptomatic of the economic itself. And capitalism crisis has its own unique way of recording the patient's assumed share market progress - the index. Among other ailing giants on the stockbrokers' black list for 1972, all having recorded share price falls of more than 30 per cent, were Alfred Her- bert machine-tools, Chrysler UK, Ransome Hoffman Pollard ball bearings, and Dunlop.

All have a close connection with the motor car industry which generally acts as a thermometer for the capitalist This economy as a whole. could be the time to sell...

BBC Scotland TV A recent programme on Scottish prisons produced at least two thought- provoking statistics. Scotland has a greater percentage of its population in prison than any other country in Europe.

And a recent Parole Board report claimed that 35 per cent eligible for of all prisoners parole in Scotland opted to remain in prison. prisons are Most Scottish old, dank and overcrowded, and have never been renowned being in the vanguard for of penitentiary progressivism.

They are the same institutions which Soviet emissary Michael Borodin, who was imprisoned in Glasgow in 1922, compared unfavourably to the worst jails of the Russian Tsars. Except that they are now 50 years older and more overcrowded.

That such a high percentage of prisoners entitled to leave such places prefer to remain in them speaks volumes about conditions in the 'free' society to which they would otherwise return. ress, Monday January 1, 1973 PAGE 9 Nantwich urban council has protested to the Cheshire County Council the over latter's £15,000 gift to help set up a private nursing home.

The cheque has gone from the rates towards the £440,000 project. A county council spokesman has replied that the private nursing home could be an alter- native for health services pro- vided by the council for their own stail. These include medical check- ups-but only for staff earning more than £2,500 per year.

The county council does not provide this service for staff earning less than this figure because there are limitations and, it on medical services says, experience has shown that salary level staff above that were 'more of a health risk'.

Nantwich urban councillor John Mason claims that the home-which will have only 20 beds-will benefit top-level staff earning high salaries.

Once general manager of the 'Daily Worker', Ernie Pountney (92), has just written the story of his 'life and adventures' ard for publication in early 1973.

Nothing wrong in that, you might think? On the surface of it, no. But Pountney, a founder a Communist Party member, has made an unusual choice of writer to put a foreword to his book. It is none other than the of retiring general secretary General the and Municipal Workers' Union-Lord Cooper.

This veteran, right - wing bureaucrat, has now come to- gether one of Britain's with oldest Stalinists. Will Thorne, first leader of the gasworkers' union, set up by the Marxists in the 1880s, and which is now the main stem of the G&MWU, would turn in his grave if he could see the state of affairs now.

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PAGE 10 Workers Press, Monday January 1, 1973 Britain's depressed areas That, of course, is not the point. All over Europe, busi- will be worse off and nessmen are Shaking out prices skyrocket will labour and shutting factories after today's entry into so as to benefit from capital- intensive production methods the Common Market, and economies of scale. according two new to The stage has been reached booklets published by the where labour is even cheap too dear and must therefore Fabian Society. be employed at the lowest Trevor Fisk and Ken Jones, price, in minimum quantities of a pam- the joint authors and at as few manufacturing phlet regional develop- on points as possible. is a danger ment, say there This trend has been that industry will move to developing sharply for more the Continent than rather than a decade and significantly north or west Britain in a bid so-called boom even the costs by to slash transport years regional unemployment locating itself nearer the heart has been up to twice the na- of the markets. tional average. The second booklet, by Peter Coffey and John Presley, dealing with monetary union within the EEC, contains some In addition foreign-control- further warnings. led multi-nationals, or Inflation in the UK is roar- with panies partners in Europe, ing ahead at nearly half also opt to as may much again as the average for pand their businesses on the the Common Market countries Continent. One consolation, they say, as a whole. UK development The authors say: the is that in of fallen areas labour is plentiful and inflation has rate

EEC

and should short of that of relatively cheap the therefore lure new employers.

average in only one year. This They write: 'In most of the continuing loss of competitive- golden Paris-Amsterdam-Rhur must eventually have ness serious repercussions upon the triangle, wage costs are sub- trade balance.' stantially higher than in our development areas. that the loss of They add The dally paper that loads the fight against the Torles. £20.28 for 12 months (312 lagues) {10.14 for 6 months (156 Issues) £5.07 for 3 months (78 188U08) If you want to take Workers Press twice a wook the rates are: {1.56 for 3 months (24 issues) £6.24 for 12 months (96 issues) Fill in the form below NOW and sond 1o: 186a Clapham High St., Circulation Dept., Workers Press London, SW4 7UG. I would like to take out a subscription to Workers Press.

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Name.. Address blackburn, Depressed areas such higher unemployment and sky-rocketing Commonwealth trade prefer- ences is likely to tilt the UK balance of payments still fur- ther into the red. •. in addition any in- crease in food prices on entry will add to domestic inflation and stimulate further wage de- mands from trade unions by of the subsequent virtue This gives the impression cause inflation, that wages which is, of course, not so.

was triggered by Inflation the bourgeoisie's conscious de- A report from Scotland last week revealed that 82 acres of land at Skene, just outside Aberdeen, was sold at auction for £1.61m. This works out at roughly £20,000 an acre, and with a density of ten houses an acre will put £2,000 on the cost of building a house. The land was sold in four lots, three going to W. & C.

French (Developments) Ltd.

and the fourth to George Wimpey and Company Ltd. Mr. W. J. Braby, chairman of W. & C. French, said: 'This is all is what our business about-the ability, the expert- ise to look into the future and a good future for us I see here.' Asked what the price of his houses might be, Mr. Braby replied that this was 'too diffi- cult a question to answer in of inflationary building view costs'. The auction was the first phase of a projected new £20m township outside Aberdeen expected to be completed by 1980. The promoters are the Ash- dale Land and Property Com- pany, London, whose_manag- project and are in keeping with the general trend'. Of course, the Tory govern- ment expresses great 'concern' above, in the centre of the North Lancast rocketing prices on Britain's entry into the Con cision to placate the working class after the war by erecting a whole edifice of credit based on paper currency utterly di- vorced from real value. Now the employers must solve the crisis this decision has produced. They can only do that by smashing the fight- ing organizations of the work- ing class and driving down their living standards. over such property speculation and its accompanying soaring rises in house prices. But it isn't difficult to see how seriously the property companies regard that. They know where their friends are and they're prepared to kick a good bit into the funds to keep things good. who companies Property donated to the funds of the Conservative Party in 1972 include: Capital and Counties Property Co. £5,000 €5,000 Great Portland Estates Town and City Pro- £2,747 perties Central and District €1,000 Properties Property Holding and £1,000 Investment Trust Cornwall Property £500 (Holdings) It has also been possible to make a good bit of money out of property shares during the government's so-called Tory 'freeze' period. For instance, you could buy shares in Land Investors on November 3 when the share Company Hambros Bank Allied Breweries Richard Costain Marchwiel Holdings (McAlpines) Associated Television John Brown & Co. Hawker Siddeley Pricerite Boots th Lancashire Industrial belt, will be hit by o the Common Market. Coffey and Presley say: The recent inflationary ten- dencies of the UK, far worse than anything encountered in previous years, would suggest that more severe "stop" poli- cies may be required.' The Tories and . the em- ployers have been preparing for this task for months. That is the meaning of the anti- union law and the state pay plan. And what cannot obtained through persuasion and compromise will be achieved by force. price was 87p and sell on Nov- ember 27 when it had gone up to 113p. That represents a capital gain of £299 per £1,000 in- vested. Similarly, you could buy Peachey Property shares on November 3 at 133p and sell at 159p, on November 27 making £195 capital gain per £1,000 invested. Or you could make a bit on Samuel Properties. The res- pective share prices there were 178p and 209p. And that represents a capi- tal gain of £174 per £1,000 invested. Not too bad, con- sidering there's a freeze on.

Of course, it's not only in property that you can make your killing. The table below shows a number of firms whose share prices went up between November 3 and 27, capital gains making juicy available for investors while workers were supposed to get no increases 'in the national interest'. 'freeze' Overall, since the the industrial was announced index of com- ordinary share panies quoted on the stock exchange rose from 485 on November 3 to 509 on Novem- is equivalent to ber 27. This a capital gain of £50 on every £1,000 invested in just over three weeks. And capital gains can be cashed in during the 'freeze'.

It's only wages that are sup- posed to stay down. Share Price Capital Gain Nov. 3 Nov. 27 per £1,000 (p) (p) (f) 410 465 134 101 112 110 292 323 106 314 360 148 103 125 138 134 162 208 101 406 447 134 126 119 322 290 110

BY PHILIP W

A NUMBER of Labour council of non-implementation of the I pressure from the Tories.

Now the 20,000 council tenants in the borough are being urged to turn out and demonstrate their support for those councillors who are standing firm against the rent increases. Councillors are touring the streets informing tenants of the position and asking for their backing before the next coun- cil meeting on January 10.

The vacillation by certain councillors apparently flows from the Tory government's threat to cut Camden's housing subsidies by up to £8m. It is very evenly balanced at the moment, Cllr Phil Turner, deputy chairman of the housing told Workers Press committee, on Saturday. I believe we should keep going, but a number of coun- say we should give in cillors now? At Camden's last meeting on the 'fair rents' Act, the decision to continue non-implementation was carried by only 28 votes to 24, with a number of Labourites voting with the Tories. 'A lot of them are saying we will have to put the rates up 25p in the f if we lose our subsidies,' added Cllr Turner. "They say it will be equal to a fl increase in rates for everyone, including the council tenants.' Fight Rising Prices Force the Tories to Resign Support the Engineers EAST LONDON: Tuesday Jan- uary 2, 8 p.m. • 'Festival Inn', Chrisp Street Market, E14.

WEST LONDON: Tuesday Jan- BRACKNELL: Tuesday January 2, 8 p.m. Priestwood Community Centre.

HARROW AND WEALDSTONE:

Tuesday January 2, 8 p.m. Labour Hall, Railway Approach, Station Road, Harrow. CLAPHAM: Tuesday January 2, 8 p.m. Clapham Baths, Clapham Manor Street. 'Transform SLL into a revolutionary party'.

CROYDON: Wednesday January 3, Ruskin 8 p.m. • House, Coombe Road, south Croydon. TOTTENHAM: Wednesday • dan uary 3, 8 p.m. 'Bricklayer's Arms", Tottenham High Road The Plymouth Fine Tubes Strikers, their wives and 53 children have just spent their third Christmas on strike with very little money. These men have • waged a bitter struggle for the most basic right a worker can possess—the right to belong to a trade union. Strike committee members over 100,000 have travelled miles • sustain their fight. to

PHILIP WADE OUR HOUSING CORRESPONDE

councillors in Camden, north Lond of the Housing Finance Act are be Fighting the Toi Cll PHIL TURNER... Mobiltze next Sur In Cir Turner's opinion, the Tories did not seem to want to send in a Housing Commissioner or order the district auditor to make a special investigation of Camden's accounts. Jan- SOUTH EAST LONDON: Thurs- Deptford day January 4, 8 p.m. Engineers Club, New Cross Road. 'Build Councils of Action!

Defend the engineers!' LETCHWORTH: Thursday January 4, 8 p.m. Trades Hall. (please Bric note changed date.) SOUTHALL: Thursday January 4, B p.m. Southall Library, Osterley Trip Park Road. MANCHESTER: Thursday, Janu- TOr Hat', Street, Middieton. Fight Rising PricesForce the Tories to Resign.' Speakers: Connie Fahey, Winnie tenants' Price (Manchester leaders). WATFORD: Monday January 8, 3 p.m. Watford Trade Union Hali (upstairs), Woodford Road, oppo- site Watford Junction station.

WOOLWICH: Tuesday January 9, 8 p.m. 'Queen's Arms', Burrage Road. This Christmas has been the hardest of all. It has imposed a great financial burden. Now the 37 strikers face the rest of the winter with a depleted strike fund. January is always a difficult month to raise money to further their fight. Yet they are determined to fight on. This is a struggle the working class cannot afford to lose. That is why the Socialist Labour League and the Work-

IESPONDENT

th London, previously in favour t are beginning to waver under e Tory rent Act o next sunday 'We want a big demonstration of tenants and trade unionists from all over the country outside the town hall next Sunday. That help enormously • and will us could help win the day at the next council meeting.'

HARROW AND WEALDSTONE:

Tuesday January 9, 8 p.m. Labour Hall, Railway Approach, Station Road, Harrow. ROCHESTER: Tuesday January 9, 8 p.m. 'The Greyhound, Roches ter Avenue. HULL: Wednesday January 10, 8 p.m. White Hart Hotel, Alfred (near Drypool Gelder Street Bridge). SHEFFIELD: Wednesday January 10, 1.30 p.m. The Grape Inn, Trippett Lane, Sheffield 1.

nu- TONBRIDGE: Thursday January 11, 8 p.m. 'The Foresters', Quarry Hill Road. KINGSTON: Thursday January 11, 8 p.m. 'The Liverpool Arms' corner of Cambridge Road and London Road. SLOUGH: Thursday January 11, Community Centre, Class Room, Farnham Road. LEEDS: Thursday • January 11, 7.30 p.m. Peel Hotel, Boar Lane.

ers Press wishes to make a special appeal to all trade unionists to take collections in their factories and branches for the Fine • Tutes men in order that their heroic and determined action can be car- ried forward. All money should be sent to: Fine Tubes Treasuror c/o 65 Bretonside Ptymouth, Devon. Workers Press, N pugwash. 9.25 Captain 9.35 Desert crusader. 10.00 Unsolved 10.20 Huckleberry mysteries. hound. 10.30 Winners at the wheel. 11.30 A blank on the map.

12.30 Film: "The Mark of Zorro'.

Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Basil Rathbone. 2.00 Best of knock-out. 2.50 Joysticks and jets. 50th anniversary of the King's Cup Air Race. 3.35 Ski jumping from • Garmisch. 4.00 Pixie and Dixie. 4.10 Play school.

4.35 Jackanory. 4.50 Blue Peter.

Scooby doo. 5.40 Crystal 5.15 tipps. 5.45 News and weather.

5.55 Your region tonight.

6.00 BRUCE FORSYTH AND

THE GENERATION GAME.

6.50 FILM: 'ON THE BEAT'. 5.10

Norman Wisdom. Comedy.

8.30 THE TARBUCK FOLLIES.

Jimmy Tarbuck. 9.15 MAIN NEWS. Weather.

PERFORMANCE.

9.30 GALA

Michael Flanders intro- Margot duces Fonteyn. Maria Chiara, John Wil- liams. 10.30 TALK IN EUROPE. Rt Hon Sir Christopher Soames and Rt Hon George Thom- son, Britain's two Com- missioners in the Common Market.

11.15 ON STAGE WITH LENA

MARTELL.

12.00 Weather. 11.00-11.25 Play school. 3.30 Film: 'Pal Joey'. Frank Sinatra, Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak. Rod- gers and Hart musical about a singer who has great ambitions and no money. 5.15 New Year's Day concert from Vienna. Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and dancers of the Vienna State Opera Ballet.

RIPPLES IN THE ETHER.

6.25 Royal Institutions Lecture.

Getting Rid of the Wires.

7.25 NEWS

SUMMARY.

Weather. CHANNEL: 1.30 London. 2.10 Film: 'The Nutty Professor'. 4.05 Puffin. 4.15 London. 8.00 Film: 'The Long Duel'. 10.00 London.

12.15 Weather. WESTWARD. As Channel except: 11.40 Katie Stewart cooks. 12.05 London. 12.57 News. 1.00 London.

SOUTHERN: 10.10 Torchy. 10.25 London. 2.30 Houseparty. 3.00 Kelvin Hall circus. 3.50 Lucy. 4.15 London. 5.55 6.45 Day by day. London. 8.00 Film: "The Quiller Memorandum'. 10.00 London. 12.15 Weather. Guideline.

HARLECH: 10.25 London. 1.00 TYI Plus Tam. 1.30 London. 2.00 Farmhouse kitchen. 2.30 'Climb an Angry Mountain'. 4.15 London. 5.10 Please 5.40 London. 8.00 Film: 'Goodbye Mr Chips'. 10.00 Lon- don. 12.15 Weather. ATV MIDLANDS: 10.25 London.

2.00 Dr Simon Locke. 2.30 Film: 'The Lady Vanishes'. 4.15 Lon- Film: don. 8.00 'Sex and the Single Girl'. 10.00 London.

ULSTER: 11.05 Hogmanay show.

12.05 London. 1.33 News. 1.35 = Press, Monday January 1, 1973 PAGE 11 9.30 Wandering through winter.

10.25 The further perils of Laurel and Hardy. 12.05 Inigo Pipkin.

12.25 Cliff's kids. 12.40 First re- Mrs. 1.30 port. 1.00 Mr and Emmerdale farm. 2.00 All our yesterdays. 2.30 Film: 'The Ladies' Man'. Jerry Lewis, Helen Traubel, Pat Stanley, Kathleen Freeman.

A young man takes a job at a hotel for aspiring actresses. 4.15 Black arrow. 4.45 Clapperboard.

AT'. 5.10 And mother makes three.

ady. 5.40 News and sports. 5.55 Kelvin Hall circus.

6.45 OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS.

7.30 CORONATION STREET.

8.00 FILM: 'ONE SPY TOO

MANY'. Robert Vaughn, David McCallum. The men from UNCLE.

10.00 NEWS AT TEN.

AND BERNIE'S

10.30 MIKE

SHOW. Mike and Bernie Winters with Peter Noone, Sylvia Syms, Sheila White.

11.30 LOOK BACK WITH THIS

WEEK. 1972.

12.15 THE FUTURE OF THE

FUTURE.

7.30 LOOK, STRANGER. Foula the Lonely Island.

7.55 CALL MY BLUFF.

8.25 AMERICA. Domesticating a Wilderness.

9.15 ALIAS SMITH AND JONES.

A Fistful of Diamonds.

10.05 MARLENE DIETRICH

SHOW. First-ever television special with musical arrangements by Burt Bacharach. 10.50 OPINION. The 1972 Critics' Circle Television Awards.

11.15 NEWS EXTRA.

Smith family. 2.05 Romper room.

• Year's Day 2.30 New concert from Vienna. 3.45 Skippy. 4.12 News. 4.15 London. 5.10 Emmer- dale farm. 5.40 London. 5.55 News. 6.00 London. 8.00 Film: 'Genghis Khan'. 10.00 London.

12.15 Monday night. YORKSHIRE: 9.30 Galapagos the islands. 10.25 London. 2.30 New Year's Day concert from Vienna.

3.45 Hogan's heroes. 4.15 Lon- don. 4.45 Skippy. 5.10 London.

12.15 Weather. GRANADA: 9.30 Thunderbirds.

10.25 Fịlm: 'Kelly and Me'. 12.05 London. 2.30 Film: 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'. 4.15 London. 8.00 Film: 'One Spy Too Many'. 10.00 London. 1.00 TYNE TEES: 9.25 Out where the new begins. 9.30 The door that never closes. 10.00 Lidsville.

10.25 London. 2.30 New Year's Day concert from Vienna. 3.45 Chicago teddy bears. 4.15 Lon- 4.45 Skippy. 5.10 London.

don. 12.15 Lectern. SCOTTISH: 10.25 London. 2.30 New Year's Day concert from Vienna. 3.45 Hogan's heroes.

4.15 London. 5.55 Hogmanay at McCue's. 6.45 London. 8.00 Andy Stewart special. 8.45 Film: "The Adventures of Nick Carter'. 10.00 London. 12.15 Late call.

YOU'VE DONE IT! IT'S TREMENDOUS! FUND

DEFEND BASIC RIGHTS-BUILD REVOLUTIONARY PARTY

PAGE 12 Workers Preas, Monday January 1, 1973 YOU MADE it. Our final total finished with the record of amount £2,539.72. 1972 has cer- tainly been a magnificent year. Each month, you, dear readers, have raised well our monthly over target. And now-to end the year - December's total raised our biggest amount so far. It is a of strikes

THE THIRD

against the £50,000 fine imposed on the engineering union in the Goad case will begin today in Leeds. The action will shut all the and city's engineering plants affect other industries as well. Swindon engineers also plan to join in the protests. Today the town's Plessey factory will be shut and tomorrow 6,000 workers at Pressed Steel Fisher, of part the British-Leyland combine, will stop work. These strikes will be followed by Mersey- more stoppages on side where the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions has called General Front and other extreme The Nationa Strike in the area for January 14.

Market Safeguards Committee den mon LONDON DOCKERS decide to- AN ANTI-Common Market day whether to black shipping South lines in the American demonstration organized on because of plans conference to Saturday Labour Party by transfer their meat trade to including Douglas members, Southampton. If blacking action Jay, was almost entirely taken meeting iS taken by a mass at the Royal docks this over by the National Front and morning, dockers' leaders will appeal the Colin Jordan's British Move. other for support from ports. ment. The shipping lines are demand- The protest attracted over 400 ing big increases in productivity to go on using the Royals.

who in- extreme right wingers terrupted the speeches at the

GAS

will be pressure cut in Central Hall, London, with chants and 'Enoch'. 80,000 homes in the south today of 'National Front' as the overtime ban and work-to- Many were encouraged by the rule by 1,000 workers at two largely nationalist opposition put key south London coal-gas plants up by Jay and Peter Shore-two begins take effect. A Gas to Board spokesman warned that if leading members of the Parlia- flames go out altogether, supplies They mentary Labour Party. should be shut off at the mains.

shared the platform with Tories

YOUNG

SOCIALISTS

OFFICIAL

WEEKLY

PAPER

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

and National Speaking Contest Next Saturday-January 6, 2.30 p.m.

East India Hall, East India Dock Road, London E14 Dance 8-11 p.m.

FROM PAGE ONE

banks and the land under w trol without compensation.

of the Many workers are not aware • REPEAL of all into the political consequences of entry legislation. Common Market. that the defence of all democratic rights raises the

• WITHDRAWAL

of question of building revolutionary parties Northern Ireland, withdrawal and taking state power. and the disbandment of the st But illusions will be stripped away when

• WITHDRAWAL

from the Tories re-intensify their attacks from EEC and conspiracy of the within the

EEC.

for the Socialist United State The revolutionary party must In the struggle to realize t prepare the British working class for this shock.

workers will deal with the To mobilizing The key issue remains the settle with the fifth trate woon to lose holticalament - and trade union traitors in it: action to force government to Such a revolutionary resign. unionists at the national confe The programme for unity All Trades Unions Alliance in capitalist attack blow on October 22. must demand: (The ATUA is convinced • NATIONALIZATION of industry, the way to face up to this res record we are very proud of. But wonderful your support encourages us to press ahead even more. Today we enter the Com- which Market, mon means greater even changes in the lives and living standards of the By no working class. means will we sit back.

KEES

MARKE

extreme right-wingers swing in behind the offic nittee demonstration addressed by Labourites [ and other extreme right-wingers.

After singing 'Land of Hope and Glory' the protesters held a torchlight procession to West- minster Bridge by the House of Commons. The National Front took • the lead until they were pushed into second place by the organizers of the Common Market Safe- guards Committee. The demonstration signals the collapse of reformist protest over entry into Europe. People like Jay, and even the British Com- munist Party, have encouraged the forces of the extreme right by confining their opposition to the Market to issues of national- ism and 'sovereignity'. Saturday the pay-off this was treachery.

BRIEFLY • BRIEFLY

NIGHT STAFF at the Garrick International Telephone Ex- change, London, meet today to discuss whether to continue a strike which began last Wednes- day over a bomb scare. It is believed they may be offered the backing of other operators within the Central Branch. The a supervisor shift struck when threatened disciplinary action unless they went back into the building after only ten minutes and a cursory search by only two police officers. I under workers' con- through the struggle t tionary party. Imme going ahead Il anti-working class transform the SLL and the ATUA, into a re The recruitment of all troops from ithdrawal from NATO Marxists of all those such responsibility is t of the standing army. task. In its policy the from the capitalist must take up the stru EEC and a campaign minimum demand of ited States of Europe. for wages, against p democratic rights, aga • realize these policies against the Industrial ith the Tories and also Housing the th column of Labour these demands with itors in its own ranks. transition to working nary call was issued Every one of these ore than 2,000 trade raises the question: is ional conference of the ruling class to defen Alliance in Birmingham which shall prevail? class to impose its w onvinced that the only through the con- quest of power? to this responsibility is 1973 is a year to ex- pand Workers Press in a many you all for a magnificent big way. We are more determined than ever to year. Our best very into the wishes to you for the reach movement. We New Year-and don't for- show to workers will get — January's Fun‹ everywhere that Workers starts today! Post all you Press is the only daily donations to: Workers Press that fights paper on of the behall working January Appeal Fund, 186a Clapham High s London, SW4 7U( PUNJABI foundry workers at Smethwick, Warwicks, will com- plain to the Race Relations Board because management decided to axe their factory after they rejected a new pay deal.

Peter Higginbottom, manager of Birmid Qualcast's Midland Motor Cylinder subsidiary, said: "The Asians just would not • the otical banner at Saturday's Com.

bourites Doualas Jay and Peter Shore.

accept the new wage agreement in spite of being recommended to do so by their union. of 'Eventually the minority white workers at the factory decided to give it a try and later the Asians did as well. But by this time we had had so much trouble at this factory we decided to close it.' The Procabi for who make cylinder blocks diesel en- gines at the company's Middle- more Road works. sav that only a few months Birmid an- ago closure of North nounced the Works No. 1 which employs 60 per cent white workers. TEESSIDE Education Com- They claim the decision to mittee has sacked two school- reprieve No. 1 works and shut teachers who took part in a their factory instead is a cut and work-to-contract involving dried case of racial discrimina- members of the National tion. Association of Schoolmasters.

General The Transport and A mathematics teacher Workers' Union earlier urged Keith Howell (41) was sacked on the men to accept the firm's pay Friday for night refusing to deal. Now it approves Birmid's teach classes of more than 30 offer temporary of alternative Fairfield Secondary pupils work for the Punjabis until the Stockton-on-Tees. Felix School. factory modernized and re- on Satur- Rudge was dismissed The opened. they men say are day for refusing toobey an order half, labouring jobs at only pay. from his headmaster at Stainsby Middlesbrough. Howell School. and Rudge are among 155 Tees- have been side teachers who suspended for taking part in the as a newspaporkers ondon.

Office Published Press, work-to-contract. After two full- Clapham day a special sub- the Tees- committee set up by 1. London (TU). Planah Proce side authority has only been able Street, to deal with these two cases.

SWA

build the revolu- In 1973 the working class must answer struggle to Immediately this this question. the preparations to e SLL and its industrial wing, • No to the Common Market: Beein the into a revolutionary party.

fight for United States Socialist of Europe now. and training as share those workers who essence of this • Clear out the right-wing traitors in the the labour and trade policy the revolutionary party union movement who basic with of these p the struggle want to co-operate any on everv mand of the working class- reactionary, anti-working plans.

price increases, for against unemployment, • Mobilize the labour and trade union Industrial Relations Act and movement to force the Tories to resign.

Finance Act-combining with the programme of • Elect a Labour government pledged to working class state power.

socialist policies. of these elementary demands Build sections of the International is it will of the Committee of the Fourth International, the to defend its dying system world party of socialist revolution.

the Or is working ose its will on the economy • Transform the SLL into the revolution- ary party of Britain.