THE TUC has caved in to Hammond and Laird and is to abandon its democraticallydecided policy of opposing state cash for ballots. That capitulation makes the role of the right wing, Mainstream, In the same way that the SDP is a dagger pointed at the heart of the Labour Party, so new realism is the dagger poised to drain the blood of the trade union movement. job, with a little help from Neil Kinnock, is to drag the union behind the policies of Thatcher.
On Monday they got some plaudits. Employ. ment minister Kenneth from a meeting in the them. 'The unions,' he said, ed on the hook of a ridiculous policy.' ridiculous to imagine one can deal with a government out to wreck the unions in the way the TUC has tried to do: by issuing paper declarations, then standing back from every real struggie in the faint hope that Labour will be elected - and the even fainter policies if it gets in.
The right wing unions have to ensure that by the time Thatcher's policies have made her so unpopular she leaves office, the union movement beyond repair. After why should a future Labour government - much less a coalition - rescind state shackles on the unions when these same unions, own prompting, have already put the shackles on themselves It is precisely for this reason that leaderships such as cargill's, which are prepared to stand and fieht the government threat. Thatcher knows she has not seen the last Arthur Scargill and policies. tions of society to the wal!, duce a fightback. She therefore has to ensure that the resistance that results has no focus, no leadership around which it can regroup.
This is the second function of the right wing unions. By dragging the labour movememt over to Thatcher's positions, they aim to isolate any emerging class struggle forces and ensure they cannot count on any serious solidarity.
Board's strategy of promoting the UDM to crush the NUM exactiy corresponds to this. But it goes the miners same way, WELWCCII the scab Association (ereners Association of Schoolmasters to try and isolate the National union wind out of the teachers strike.
These tactics are destined to become part of the employers manual.
labour movement be doing?
struggle' in the TUC against Hammond was a non-event whether the TUC would actually do anything, was already settled. So, as well as taking an intransigent stand against the anti-trade laws and the Tory restructuring of industry and in the Labour Party against 'reasonable' and 'unavoidable unemployment and privatisation -question across the support for real struggles against Thatcher.
the UDM, communities, solidarity with the teachers and al!
public sector workers fighting cuts, backing for councils who stand up to the Tories, and rejection OT any WitCh-nule hallmarks, in 1986, of those who defend the true interests of labour.
Xmas break:
This is the last issue of Socialist Action in 1985 Reagan, Botha, and Thatcher-free new year!
unions dead Line new reallsts Clarke took time out Hague to congratulate are obviously impalIt is hope that it will reverse Tory she has damaged at Kinnock's represent such a This like, because her wilc are arving ever growilig set will inevitabiy proine cod union. in exactly the Keith Joseph is promoting a line-up non-TUC Professional the National of Teachers and take the But what should the It is not just a question of paper policies. The precisely because the main issue.
accepting as policies of mass