ular possible alliances for action to Britain's decisive support for aparad. But that requires alliances with se prepared to fight apartheid not who profit from it class, and in some cases the comwho finance the ₽, and Liberals.
The first such alliance for the AAM self-evidently with the trade unions * Labour Party - but above all se, like the miners, prepared to take through these organisations. ondly, the decisive role of the black • munity as been under-estimated the AAM in the past.
The black communities of Britain ve already demonstrated their deterration to fight racism in this conThey are the section ediately identifies with and supports which most easily struggle of their brothers and sisters South Africa. The 2½ million black ple in Britain are a vital part of the i-apartheid alliance.
astinctive Thirdly, young people, including in sticular the one and a quarter million Aot be directly mobilised to translate student movement, r instinctive moral hatred oi aparid into action.
Fourthly, the British state operates own systematic form of discriminain through the sectarian structures of artiticial statelet in the North of land by which Britain maintains a lonial toehold, and domination, over • whole of Ireland. The nationalist immunities of the North of Ireland sily understand and support the antiartheid struggle and are beginning to •ove one of its most consistent alles.
Radical councis arted to turn a little of their resources educating and mobilising against artheid. They too can be part of the ti-apartheid alliance needed in 1987.
Women have been to the forefront every struggle in the 1980s. This can so be so in the fight against apartheid. It strategy of obilisation of the labour movement, black communities, adents in mass action against apareid which is the way to carry out the AM's responsibility to fight ns the government. Any at action against apartheid will only a by-product of mass action and lisaster The alternative perspective to mass ions was pursued by the Campaign * Nuclear Disarmament leadership in -last general election. It proved to be isaster for CND - contributing to ermining the mass action approach h had built it into the largest mass wement since World War II.
Politically the key orientation for AAM Is to une labour movement l its allies - including taking up the icies of the Labour front bench. - including The movementl including the complete Haae be necessary to police these.
of British and impaign which finally forced the South African fruit and the sanctions movement must have.
can and Namibia Ine congress Unions (COSATU). non-racial COSATU, the have be opposed.
Chimera
broadening South Africa, continues to rise.
for whoever govern- commitment to sanctions build the AAM.
fighting and dying against apartheid, movements should be dropped black communities, Apartheid Movement in 1987.
This is also the perspective which must lie behind the campaign for sanc'People's Sanctions' is not an end in itself, but a lever whose goal is full government imposed sanctions against south Africa withdrawal of all tinancial loans and assets as well as a diplomatic embargo. Trade union action, or workers sanctions as some like to term them, as well as consumer boycotts and the like, cannot in and of themselves be fully effective. The goal must be government sanctions - and trade union action will In Ireland for example the heroic action by Duane's workers to bovcott South African goods did not in itself harm South Africa economically. But it stand acted as a powerful focus for a camIrish government to ban the import of all vegetables. 1 his Is lne type ur ponucar perspecuve Finally, increasing attacks are being those leading the struggle in South Africa and — the African National Congress (ANC), the South West African People's Organisation (SWAPO) and of South African Trade For example, while the US Congress passed a bill for limited sanctions against South Africa last year the bill was also part of a camblack paign to undermine the ANC and aid alternatives to it. Whilst in Britain last year's TUC agreed to recognise the new federation, TUC department continues to bolster alternatives to COSATU. These attempts to uild up a 'pro-western' alternative to he ANC, SWAPO and COSATU mus The struggle against apartheid in Photo: IDAF IntenaDona solidarity movement with that struggle, A general election year can be an occasion to reach a much wider audience with the campaign for sanctions. It can be an opportunity to harden out the Labour Party's policy including the demand that a Labour government break all links with apartheid. It can Pursuing the chimera of an alliance of Labour the SDP, Liberals and Tory wels agalls apartnea won t acmeve any of those things. Most important of all, it won't do anything to help those for freedom South Africa today. Formulas such as 'a parliamentary majority' for action which mislead the Mass action, at orientation to the labour movement, an orientation to the students, must be the basis of the AntiCampaign Group News Defend Labour Breat, Harina councils Campaign Forum Rally Speakers include Tony Benn MP • Bernie Grant leader Haringey Council • Eric Heffer MP • Arthur Scargill • Dennis Skinner MP • Labour Party Black Section • Women's Action Committee Chair Linda Bellos leader Lambeth Council Lambeth Town Hall, 16 February
Socialist Action SO ONE army lines up in one place and says, "We are for socialism", another, somewhere else and says, are for imperialism", , and that will be a social revolution! ... Whoever expects such a "pure" social revolution will never live to see it. Such a person pays lip-service to revolution without understanding what revolution 9 Jan 1987 'We Marx outlined this in the very phrases in which he announced for the