TONY BENN'S speech to an East London CND rally contains two arguments which need strong reiteration in the peace move ment.
The first is that the accusation that the Soviet aims to Europe is a lie.
The second is that the US military build of an attempt to economically and militarily - both nuclear and non-nuclear - is part destabilise the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
Without understanding escalation of the arms race is the responsibility of the United States, the peace movement can et politically disorientatec EP Thompson in particular has been respon sible for strands threaten to undercut all the progress CND has made.
The first is that the Soviet Union has equal responsibility for the arms race. The second is that we should now, after the general election, build an alliance with the SDP/Liberals on the basis of the demand for a nuclear freeze and op position to Trident - thus giving us 'an anti nuclear majority.
Without doubt, these arguments are influential in the CND leadership, and the World Disarmament Campaign is already trying to launch a British freeze movement.
An alliance with the SDP/Liberals would be a major retreat for CND.
NATO, pro-nuclear weapons, missiles. It only opposes Trident on strictly financial grounds.
The demand for a 'nuclear freeze' is a fake and a fraud from beginning to end. It counterposes putting pressure negotiators to the mass movement tor unilateral disarmament which has been built.
Development After the defeat of unilateralism at the 1961 Labour conference we saw the development. In the document 'Steps Towards CND leadership suggested a new campaigning The Test Ban Treaty of 1963 defused the disarmament movement because 'real progress' in multilateral talks was effectively counterposed to the fight for unilateral disarmament.
To build a 'freeze' movement in Britain would be to aid the manoeuvres of the SDP/Liberal Alliance in their plan to gain prestige as the 'ge Once sections of the peace movement start to accept KOe Union, as EP Thompson wants us to, then the arguments for unilateral disarmament and opposition to NATO are undercut.
The only sure to veterine hot der fight to ensure no watering demands, and to force the leaders of the labour movement to mobilise action, ing, mass demonstrations and 'warning' against the missiles.
Editor: ALAN FREEMAN Published weekly except two weeks in August and the last week of December.
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