CUT TAXES to win the next election, and truncheon anyone who disagrees. That's strategy for the rest of the '80s.
It was spelt out in last May's White Paper on public order and reaffirmed in the Queen's Speech. It was put in context by Nigel Lawson's economic statement this week.
Understand that policy and you'll understand all the events on the law and order front in the last months. • The victimisation and imprisonment of hundreds of miners for participating in the strike. • The police brutality and harassment that led to the Handsworth. • The police shooting of The brutal police break-in that led to the death of Cynthia Jarrett. • Why people in Brixton are having their doors sledge-hammered down at dawn Dy ponce searching for secondary offenders'.
A hysterical campaign is under way in the gutter press to link together crime and protest - to prepare the Wal 'public order' represent far and HOST serious democratic liberties for fifty years. It is for that reason that a judge, for example, savagely football fan to life imprisonment for 'riot' - and directly declared this to be a lesson to pickets.
campaign whipping up the Thatcher ment are demanding the following laws already White Paper. • That the police demonstration they choose They can tell you where you must tain Stra the stop • A to be created.
'hooligans', explosion in Cherry the policies ment, cuts in housing, fight away the sentenced a Chelsea employment, they governMany hold any open air gathering, many can come and when you musi • A new statutory offence of riot will be created with a sentence of up LeW statutory offence 'violent disorder' means you can be arrested and jailed for five years • A 'disorderly conduct' offence is This is all couched in terms of "preventing crime. But the White Paper is careful to lump together 'pickets', 'protestors', and football crowds. If it moves, that's the philosophy. As Party black section member Diane Abbot puts it the aim is to •brand as criminal anyone who resists Tories, whether it's students, Greenham women, teachers or black kids on street corners.' There is no doubt that Thatcher's producing crime and "disorder'. That is an inevitable product of policies of mass unemployservices, squalor in auracks on local ment, and savaging of the cities and the fact that people will rightly back against these policies.
As Tony Benn correctly put it you will never have 'law and order' as long don't have not a SITUS force, is the only way there will ever be order and justice, in Britain.
The entire Tory and press campaign on 'law and order' is one of the most cynical operations even hatcher has ever carried out. It is on a par with Enoch Powell's notorious rivers of blood' racist speeches. It should be exposea will the utmost contempt D the labour movement.
of Full police
Socialist Action 15 November 1985 WE ARE living in very difficult times. Thatcher has introduced anti-trade union legislation and deprived people of their basic civil and democratic rights built up over 200 years.
At the same time, Thatcher is masquerading as