WHEN PEOPLE woke up Tuesday morning to find that US planes had attacked Libya British bases a visible shudder went through the through British political life.
The rapid demonstrations took place in almost every major city during the week were the tip iceberg. The first opinion polls, taken for the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian, showed 69 percent against the bombing raid on Libya and only 29 per cent in favour. More strikingly still the poll for Channel 4's 'News at Seven' showed 40 percent now favouring the removal of all US bases.
Tribune, which has recently been devoting itself almost exclusively to being the house journal of Kinnockite witch hunting, was forced to break with its master and call on its front page for the removal of all US bases 'nuclear and non nuclear'.
CND mobilised within hours of the attack, called Saturday's extremely successful London demonstration, headlined its leaflets mobilising for the demonstration with the demand for the ending of all US bases in Britain. In the week following the attack CND has received a flood of membership applications and donations.
One area were ine pontical almosphere did not penetrate of course, was the new style NEC of the Labour Party. It seems that only two members present, Eric Heffer and Dennis Skinner, were prepared to vote for a resolution demanding withdrawal of all US bases as well as condemning the attack - Tony Benn, who supports this call, was at another meeting.
Neil Kinnock made another of his predictably feeble lamentable displays in the House of Commons Kinnock is increasingly only surring when attacking Militant not Reagan or the Tories. He led the way in calling for economic sanctions to be taken against Libya for terrorism 'instead of military аспоп.
Kinnock, in his supposed zeal for the fight against "terrorism, needless to say did not call for economic sanctions against the United States - which is at present preparing and arming Nicaraguan contra terrorists as well as last having carried out direct terrorist acts against Nicaragua such as mining the gulf of Corinto.
But despite Kinnock and the NEC's best efforts it is clear that the reaction to Reagan's attack on Libya is going to be a turning point in British politics. It which can also be a major turning point for the left. It is therefore vital that what is ot the taking place is understood.
The first and most urgent task is to stop the attack on Libya itself. Some sections of the left, ferences which emerged United States and the Western Euro pean capitalist powers, have first and foremost concentrated on this inter-imperialist clash - notably the obvious difference in approach between the US and Europe.
But this is wrong. No matter what weight is given to exploiting the contradictions between the which is important and which we deal with later, the first aspect of the situation is the defence of a semi-colonial country, Libya, perialism. 'Hands off Libya' is the very first demand that must be raised by the That becomes all the more important because of the decision by the ÉEC states for actions against Libya such as restrictions of Libyan diplomats. The ett must be against these sanctions against Libya as well. The source of problems in the world, and Middle East, is imperialism There must be no fudging on this whatever.
The diplomatic sanctions used by the EEC states can, and will be, used to whip up an atmosphere military other attacks United States and its allies on Libya will be claimed to be justified. United Nations Security France, together with Australia, joined with the United States and Britain to veto condemnation of the US raid on Libya - which is another reason why sections of the left are wrong to tie condemnation of the attac: on Libya to support for, or illusions in, the United the Nations.
From the practical and political point of view of defending Libya, and the future of world politics, however, the conflicts between the imperialists shown over Libva -tant the relation of forces between the working class and capital that underlies these conflicts - is important.
From the point of view of practically defending the Libyan people the difference between the US air strikes and the present diplomatic actions taken by the EEC states is importan though the lett must oppose both.
into the light of day for a large number of people a key part of the structure of world imperialism - that is the relation between the United States. and the real nature of that alliance. noting the difbetween the world imperialist system has been the western Europe. NATO is the core American military policy. countries have an economic weight, and military capacity, rivalled by any of the United States' other allies. Break that link of western Europe and the United States and imimperialists, perialism would weakened.
threatened by two enormous pressures under attack by im- which combine to aid any working class sturggle in western Europe against it.
Firstly NATO
was against the USSR — a force with which the west European working class has neither any interest nor any desire to have a war. Secondly is directly Alance struggle or revolution in the third - not Qaddafi.
world countries, came to the fore during the American war in Vietnam. The threat of war with the USSR, and the threats against where new resources for attacks on semi-colonial by une countries, dominated the anti-missiles movement. The attack on Libya directAt the ly poses the threat to third world conCouncil tries from the NATO.
developments struggle against imperialism in the "third world' countries and the strength of the USSR - combine to reinforce west European working class opposiand more imporeven For the attack on Libya brought out Britain, western Europe and Since 1945 the central pillar of the relation between the United States and The EEC not even remotely enormous!)
furthermore, the Atlantic directly constructed the Atlantic aimed against That last aspect, of attacks on third it to free up US States imperialism.
But the long term reality is that both - both any upsurge of forward purely their territory mobilising Cuba Then Kinnock, and the Labour leadership, threw themselves into attempting to break RESPONSIB FOR THE CONTINUIN *r NUCLE RF