DURING the Sun's rabid campaign against Labour a sickening series of interviews appeared under the headline 'Why the jobless are voting Tory. Those duped by Tory lies explained • There's a world recession at the moment so you can't blame the government • If the steel industry had not been nationalised would be open today • Inflation has come down and so will unemployment • The Tories have increased productivity so the economy s now on the road recovery.
So let's examine the arguments.
Getting it wrong: the Government's forecasting record to show."
recession." 1979 Socialist Action The Tories and the truth about the economy The Tories' record in office can only be described as a catastrophe for the economy.
Commons Treasury cher's arguments.
in the UK dropped by dustrial to and 13.7 per cent respectively. "There are now clear signs that the worst of the recession is over." "1981 will be the year when results begin — Prime Minister "We are reaching the trough of the - Prime Minister 'It's the world recession' THIS is the biggest lie of all. Even top Tories don't believe it. Edward du Cann put his name to a report of the and Civil Service committee which said that at least half the amount of unemployment was attributable to the government's policies rather than the international recession.
Nor do the figures bear out ThatSince 1979 the change in Britain's national output is 5 per cent down. The average change in output over the same period amongst the major capitalist countries has been 1.4 per cent up. Industrial production against an average drop of 1.6 per cent, and Japan and Italy have increased inproduction by 10.9 per cent This shows itself in comparative unemployment rates, Britain's was 12.4 per cent the first quarter of this year as against the average of 8.3 per cent. This is within an international context where "The evidence of a start of a recovery is all about us and not even the most blinkered pessimist could fail to see it." — Chief Treasury Secretary "The recovery that we foresaw, and worked for, is now taking place." — Chancellor of Exchequer — Prime Minister 1980 to offer an alternative.
all the governments of the advanced cau lalsu countries pursuing austerity policies like Thatcher's — including Mitterrand's France.
In the same four year period, in underdeveloped or Grenada, hit much harder by the international recession, the revolutionary governments of these countries have succeeded in reducing unemployment from 40 per cent to 15 per cent and 30 per cent to 13 per cent respectively.
In these countries, unlike Britain, the government has challenged the laws of the international capitalist economy, not obeyed their every imperative.
Thatcher has deliberately boosted the effects of the international recession to weaken the British labour moveNationalisation is to blame THIS argument is being promoted strenuously to make the case for the vast programme of denationalisation, hive-off legislated by the Tories to the advan1981 * Manufacturing output has declined by 19 per And yet despite this record the Tories are still gaining in the opinion polls. Labour's leaders have virtually conceded the election. Below we look at what the truth about the economy really is and why the Labour leaders have been unable Stage of their City friends.
Government control has been used to put butchers like lan McGregor in charge of industries like steel and coal Under Common Market rationaltiny isation plans these industries have been ruthlessly pruned down in the interests not of the workers employed there nor of the consumers they serve, but in the interests or a European capitalism.
This is irrespective of the high levels of productivity within the coal industry or the huge profits of nationalised industries like British Telecoms.
The Tories are not satisfied with the enormous sums that are paid to the City through interest repayments, they want the whole cake.
if the interests of workers and consumers are put first in a labour movement plan workers' control. work if the banks and finance companies are nationalised and the massive debts of these industries cancelled being "these are the basic steps needed towards a planned economy. 1982 UK Italy streamlined Western Nationalisation can be progressive Julia Lit increase enforced Nationalisation can ercast still afloat. suggest working class unions (millions)
worse.
hellots Registered unemployed in 1988 be five million.
end of the productive profit.
Britain does worse Output change -5.0 USA -0.1 OECD average 1.4 West Germany 1.7 Japan 8.6 11.83 AUStralIa 'The economy is more efficient and will therefore start to beat international competition THE TORIES say that unemployment has been a necesary price for transfor • COLULLY. They point to the productivity (output head) to back up their arguments. But average productivity in manufacturing industry is still only half that of Italy's and a quarter of Japan's argument conceals the fact that the rise in productivity been almost solely due to the destruc.
of British industry - not from an inproduction in those OCCIDE That's why the Tories are fighting for increased speed-up and productivity among those sections picking up pro duction such as BL Cowley.
The real solution lies not in competition between imperialist countries, whether through making British in dustry more streamlined, or through import controls as the Labour leaders It rests in international action by the starling will une trad across Europe fighting for a 35 'Inflation has come down.
So will unemployment WHILE the government blames the rise in unemployment on international factors, they don't say that inflation has also gone down in most other ad. vanced capitalist countries. But this trend will not last.
In Britain, in particular, inflation will begin to increase again from the last quarter of this year. This was one of the factors that made Thatcher opi for a cut-and-run election But prospects for employment ar . Thatcher has managed to sup press most of the authoritative report on the economy in the lead-up to the But Cambridge Economic Policy Group, which ha produced the most accurate forecasts unemployment during the pas years, predicts that a further five year Thatcher would take registered unemployment up to over four millio.
the highest in Westen Europe. By 1993 unemployment would tunnel. With for a society which doesn' cruelly dupe its unemployed but guarantees every person:
role in a societ! which plans for human need no
- 11.9 UK 12.4 -7.0 Italy •9.1 herlands -2.7 Netherlands 8.9 CD average - 1.6 USA 8.6 nce 0.0 OECD average 8.3 st Germany 0.9 8.2 tralia 6.3 Australia, 6.2 10.9 West Germany 5.5 an 13.7 Japan 2.2 BiLE Notes 1 Change from the seconc auarter of 1979 to the hirsi quarter of 1982. source OECD Main Economics indicators Standardised unemploy Economic w vuly look Change from 197 • 198
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* National output has declined by 6.7 per cent * National income has declined by 5.6 per cent * Unemployment has risen by 154 per cent * Prices have risen by 52 per cent
THE PLAIN truth is that with the Tories there is no light at the Tahour victory the fight begins
THE SUM, Thariding, Wary 76, 1983 THURSDAY JUNE Blues ro