Socialist Action No. 22, 22 August 1983
The scan: 022-aug-22-1983-SA-UK.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive)
Uncorrected machine reading of the whole issue. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from the scan and has not been corrected or cut into articles. Each page gives the headlines first, then the columns in order, so one article runs on into the next. Expect misread words. Use it to find things; quote from the scan.
Page 1 scan of this page
FRAME UP!
La Mail Baily ent for Marxist RED MOLES: BL discover a docu
THE SECRET
E ORDERS
Sin
ERED
STEPH
Punk girl SOCIALIST ACTION is under sustained attack. First we had the Cowley 'revelations', then the lies about our supporters in CND, and now the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph hysteria about Socialist Action supporters inside the Labour Party.
Our offices have been literally besieged by reporters. photographed outside reporters camped on their doorsteps.
Neighbours, employers, relations, friends have been closely questioned about every aspect of our supporters lives. waged to make it impossible for us to engage in political activity.
No.22
SOCiAlist
ACTiON
Moles.... Infiltrators.... Wreckers....Vote-riggers
she-moles at Leyland
STAR RED STEPH
An urgent appeal Defend Socialist Action
Some of our supporters have been
A sustained campaign is being
26 August 1983 30p
KPRESS
Unearthed: Six
Mirror DAILY
Amazing
red mole
plot to
seize BL
Full story
We are not going to submit to this witch hunt,
which aims to drive us out of the labour movement
and vilify our ideas.
But to fight back we need your help. We need
you to put motions opposing the witch hunt in the
Labour Party and trade unions. We need you to
send resolutions and messages of support to the
paper.
But above all we desperately need money to
fight the witch hunters, to get out the truth about
We appeal to everyone in the labour movement
to aid us in this fight, and to send us a donation,
no matter how small. Send your letters of support
and donations now to Socialist Action, 328 Upper
Street, London NI.
THE PAST two weeks have given all of us an insight into the real nature of British democracy. Day after day the press and the television have hammered out the same crude message - that socialists are 'in-
filtrators, back-stage manipulators, vote-riggers,
liars. methods to con people and destroy anything good by 'wrecking'.
The charge that socialists are 'wreckers' is ludicrous coming from newspapers which almost totally support a government responsible for more than four million unemployed and the wrecking ora fifth of brush maustry. ine real wreckers and the inHittors are tose peopie prepared to fling millions of people onto the dole to defend the profits of a tiny minority.
Worse still have been the press accusations that socialists, and in particular supporters of Socialist Action, work by methods of
deceite is aimed y
- le Is aimed
That we work by devious and even criminal
fingering left wing militants in the factories, in the unions and the Labour Party, and in the mass movements like the peace movement and the womens movement. Lies
To try to justify its charge une press, including the "liberal' Guardian, has resorted to straightforward lies about Socialist Action. • The LIE that Socialist Action supporters rigged the vote at YCND conference • The LIE • that Socialist Action supporters tried to get Labour CND to give money to Socialist Action • The LIE that Socialist Action sup-
artificially packed the last Labour CND conference.
Moles
On top of these lies come the new revelations about *1000 moles inside the Labour Party
Make no mistake, this witch hunt is not just aimed at Socialist Action. It is designed to finger every leftwinger in the Labour Party, every union activist, every CNDer, every feminist, every activist on democratic rights, every black activist. It is design-
make all of subversives moles. conspirators. It is a witch hunt aimed at the whole of the left.
The witch hunters say we work by methods of conspiracy, VOLC rigging and deception. But the very opposite is true. It
By Stephanie Grant
Ron Brown MP
66 The sacking of 13
Cowler workers for their politics is
sheer McCarthyism,
predictable reaction of
management during
period of for
capitalism. Obviously,
then, Labour MPs must
speak up and demand
that these activists be
reinstated.
But there is also a
lesson to be learnt here.
this situation, after all,
lights who supported the
is the socialist left which fights for its views bv the methods of argument, free
open discus Socialists have the STOM most to lose from the suppression of free debate.
Opposed
We are opposed in principle to the suppres sion of free debate and to VULC rigging the hallmarks of the capitalist class and its agents in the labour movement.
The very object of the witch hunt is to prevent a free discussion of socialist ideas in the labour move-
CND and elsewhere.
Anyone in the labour movement, anyone in CND or the peace movement, who lines up with the witch hunters is lining up with our bitterest enemies -the Tories and the capitalist press. These enemies want to use the press to take away basic rights of the labour movement - to decide which papers to read, to elect who we want to positions, to decide our own brough Socialist
Through Action, appeal to
socialist, every
witch hunt against Militant and individuals like Peter Tatchell - which led, in turn, to a divided labour movement and to the of a Tory
Yes, we need unity to face the bosses - but we
agents within OUR
Whatever the capitalist says, the socialism SULUSTIC must 99 for
and will go on.
supporter - basic democratic rights to op pose the witch hunt. The right to a job; the right to put your ideas freely without being ac cused of 'conspiracy'; the right to democratic debate and freedom of association. These are crucial freedoms must defend.
If it's Socialist Ac tion today, it will be the rest of the socialist and radical left tomorrow.
MODERN
TIMES
«List Now, I want all the dir you can dig up on this DIOKe OAKY ... where he lives, where he works and which
Lavour rard belongs to ...
Page 2 scan of this page
Socialist Action Jay should the press unleash one of the most cious witch hunts for years about 13 socialists in owley. Why should the Guardian jump on the
adwagon with pure fiction about the activity of cialists in CND, trying to whip up a red scare in be anti-nuclear movement — and openly advise the L management that they should sack people for heir political views.
Obviously the reason is pitalist class fears that it that the about to be overthrown
revolutionary socists. NOT Goes abour right wing believe •* Marxism is about ize the leadership of the
Party and the unions. Never-
less, the witch hunt
just a product of the
'silly season' as me have attempted to smiss it.
The witch hunt is part
an attempt by the pitalist class inmidate and crush the tole left wing the
movement, to ake out that militants in
trade unions and bour Party are irraonal fanatics.
Since the general elec-
despite the best efits of the capitalist class ad the labour right wing, I has not gone complete-
L SACKSE
I3'MOLEST
attack on the whole left
Why the
ly according to their plans.
plan which aims, by hitting the whole left, to bring the political situation HOIC completely under control.
By John Ross
At the time of the general election, all the most serious representatives of British capiatlism Hike the Economist and Financial Times, and with them the Labour right, the Tories and the Alliance, • had a clear target to smash the Labour lett.
Most representatives of British capitalism saw the way ahead clearly.
Thatcher should be returned to 10 Downing Street. Labour should electorally crushed and the right wing should take "WELL, WE COT 13, BUT I'M A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT PERKINS!"
Tuch hunt hysteria spreads. All left wingers are infiltrating 'moles".
witch hunt?
over the Labour leadership again. The right wing
then Labour for coalition oriculatol to the SDP-Liberal Alliance.
Tactical
The call of Frank Chapple and Roy Grantham for votes for the SDP and Liberals, the editorials of the New Statesman urging 'tactical voting', the demands of to vote for the Allance Guardian for and Labour' were all part of this policy. The goal is to create what the Economist called the 'desirable coalition' of 'southern Alliance and northern Labour' the sole alternative to Thatcher. both government and "opposition' under control, British capitalism's interests would be safeguarded.
This question of getting Labour politically Orcoarcu 10I coalition with the SDP and Liberals is absolutely fundamental for British capitalism.
The Sun may tell its
readers that Thatcher
capitalist class itself does not believe for one
Sir Geoffre!
Howe went out of his way to say the day after the election that the Tories were not going to stay office for ever. David Steel pointed Britain is not going to become a one ally state. The Economist finished editorial on the general election as follows:
'The electoral system has ensured that there can be up to five clear years of necessary economi changes before the electoral issue will be faced again. Then it could be the Conservative Party, mauled in what has become the electoral lottery, that joins reem which it at present, the (electoral) with more than a touch of
The Penrith byeelection that the support of the Thatthe economic and political all impregnably stable storms which are to come in British society.
Given that British capitalism does not believe
that Thatcher is politically invincible for the next five
one of its most urgent tasks is to that there exists only an 'acceptable' opposition to Thatcher — that is an opposition which doesn't actually oppose anything major which capitalism
This means that it snould be a Labour and trade opposition which in practice doesn't fight the Thatcher government's policies, and which accepts that the only way
will be allowed into office alliance with the SDP and Liberals. All policies whereby Labour actually opposes the interests COT British capitalism must be eliminated and that means defeating the Labour left.
Smile
TUAt the top level oị the
Labour Dureaucacy British capitalism today is getting
everything wants. Len Murray and David Basnett are leading the TUC back to 'negotiations' with Tebbit these negotiations consisting of Tebbit agreeing to smile rather than frown when he attacks the working class.
All three fundamental policies in the Labour Party which are unacceptable
British capitalism withdrawal from the EEC, rejection incomes
and unilateral nuclear disarmament are under attack. Kinnock is leading the assault on the commitment withdraw from the EEC,
The world of Keith Waite
old boy." hunt,
How the Mirror saw it: 'mole' hunts become fashionable with the ruling class.
Hattersley and Shore are fighting for acceptance of incomes policy, and the CND leadership and E.P. Thompson are leading the fight to dump unilateral nuclear disarmament Labour Party policy.
Policies
In those circumstances both British
Cabilallsill and the Labour right wing Have a stone accu lo ury to stamp out the resistance to their policies. • it Is not the 'moles' they are directly scared of but the fact that there are thousands of labour movement tivists who are not supporters of Socialist Action but have concluded out of their own experience that they are against incomes policies, against membership of the EEC, for unilateral nuclear disarmament, and against coalition course towards the SDP-Liberal Alliance. Crush
It is not because socialists are 'unrepresentative' but because on certain policies they do repre sent a growing number of people that the witch hunt is going to be stepped up.
But this is also why the witch hunt is still going to be difficult through. The
WILCI hunters can get rid of five Militant editors from the Labour Party. They can sack 13 people from Cowley. • But the problem now is that thousands of people are opposed to the
News
type of politics the witch hunters are trying to force through. It is not going to be easy crush all these quite involuntary 'moles'.
BRITISH
LEYLAND PERSONNEL
'Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?'
...and 'moles' even look like Trotsky.
The current witch hunt, like those in the past and those to come in the future, car and must be fought. The very very political developments capitalism and the Labour right are worried about gives us the base to do so.
Page 3 scan of this page
News
Labour Against
the Witch Hunt
Statement
'Labour Against the
Witch Hunt deplores
the media attacks on
Socialist Action and
its supporters. We call
on the NEC of the
Labour Party to make
clear its total opposi-
tion to these attacks.
We fear that unless the
Livingstone
denounces witch
hunt
Photo: GM COOKSON
"IT is obvious that the 13 people sacked from Cowley were dismissed because of their political views. No action would be taken against them if they were not suspected of being socialists and trade union activists.
'If the labour movement accepts the right of companies to decide that people will or will not be employed because their political views the door open every type of McCarthyite witch hunt in Britain.
"The labour move-
End the Witch Hunt in industry No to the blacklist!
Manchester
Speakers include: Stephanie Grant, Les Huckfield, Peter
latchell, Phil Davies (FTAT), Alf Home (Wythenshaw
LP), John Tocher (AUEW
Confed). All in personal capacity
Thursday 25 August 7.30pm Manchester Town Hall (basement)
Sponsored by Manchester Central LPYS and Blackley
LPYS
East London
Speakers include: Steph Grant,
senior steward Britain's Toys), Andy Harris GLC coun-
CUSIOT. uerry KOSS ULL
Hackney councillor, Jim Willis chair TG WU Metal Box
(all in personal capacity) Homerton Library: 26 Merton High Rd., London E9
Labour Party leadership make such statement, the media
will interpret their
Silence as endorsement for a further attack on socialists both within the party and in the country at large.' ment must fight to bring out into the open the whole system of political bans and blacklists, the organisations which operate them and the attack on democracy that they represent.
"The hysterical press campaign o1 tne last week. yet one more reason why the Labour Party must stop its own internal witch hunt. The What political views can press wants decide and cannot be put forward in the Labour Party. 1he labour movement has to say a decisive "no" to this sort of thing.'
secretary of Manchester
Liaquat Ali (TGWU
councillor, onn Bloom
lotd fleet cost
BL TRACES
MARXIST
'MOLES'
14 face sach at
Cowley plant
have a job regardless of their political views.
management manage'.
property.
The reality is obvious.
Every extra minutes work,
all 'flexibility of labour every increase in effort capitalism can extract from the workforce the greater is its profit. The attempt of the working class to maintain its living standards, job organisation, and health is consistently experienced by capitalism as an obstacle to its needs and 'right to manage
Theretore while capitalism accepts working class 10b organisation grudgingly during periods of boom it constantly tries to weaken and smash it in times of economic crisis.
Il IS perfectly logical therefore that as Britain has moved into recession the witch hunting organisations which tried to stay in the background during the 1950s and 1960s are much openly emerging into the daylight.
Dump
The most prominent blacklisting or ganisallon the Economic League, was quite explicit change in policy. In its 1978 annual report the League outlined that:
*The Central Council's policy has been publicity has been aeciaea that this sed in should bé changed favour of More gressive one The League has amassed a substantial store of information about the activities of subversive groups and the individuals prominent
Daily
WHY I
LIED
Daily
No. 39859. LONDON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 1983
F 'k
T'
One of the most basic rights which capitalism proclaims but can never grant is the right of people to
The reason is simple. Any democracy in the workplace is completely incompatible with the famous 'right of
rights democracy and the rights of property are in contradiction capitalism naturally supports the rights of
them. The League answers enquiries from the media as well as its own members and necessity to be reticent about the fact that we have such information or that it is available.
The use made of the Economic League and similar organisations by British companies is quite clear. The personnel director of Shell explained company policy clearly to The Guardian at the same time the Economic LcaLut changed its policy to come out more into the open.
He said: 'We are interested in identifying overt opponents of the system to which we are committed.
The last thing we want to do is have political subversives on our payroll or on sites in which we have an interest. (Guardian 29.6.78)'
A director of Ford's
operay x plaiesd
Sunday on 14 August this year that his company operated a 'rigid system of selection technicucs and rejected people who were 'unsuitable for whatever reason'.
The official policy of the CBI, outlined in a confidential internaly memorandum in 1976 and reaffirmed to Tribune last week, should Consul the Economic League in the very necessary function of identification of and preventive warning about individual wreckers'.
TUESDAY. AUGUST 16, 1981
T'm no Marxist-just a Labour Party member'
-RY Ms. MOLE
Telegrapl
Printed in LONDON and MANCHESTER
hunters?
The Economic League has a staff of more than
100 and nine local offices
up ana down tne country
The way it operates
was clearly explained by a personnel director of
Wnance mausanar corr. pany Pames on 1 Au Fin. Financial Debate
If he wanted to check a
job applicant's record, he
would type the company's
code number on the tog right corner of a blank sheet of paper, give .the person's age and national insurance Halllc address
number and send it to a postal box.
Twenty four hour's later he would ring the League's regional office to find out whether the applicant should be employed
zd o de cn dvc cy the person's past which were on the computer.
Impact
In many Cascs of course the blacklists are much 11101 C direct than that. rOI example December 1978 two UCATT members applied for a job with Whatlings's in Glasgow. What happened then was described by Labour Research:
"Three hours after starting, Mr Goldie was sacked. When both men approached the site about the blacklist, the foreman also said that Mr Monaghan was on it ana should also be sacked. Negotiations later led to the two being reinstated. A sympathetic member of management anter tenkeo ine Dockuso Mr Monaghan. It contained 67 names including two UCATT officers, three UCATT Scottish regional council members and eight
SUPER SN •KER
SEE PAGE 26 FINAL*
20p
Who are the witch
UCATT branch officers. incretaries. ive including branci
Among the members of the central council of the Economic League are Lord Hewlett - President of the National ,Association of Conservative and Unionist Associations, and Lord Matthew: proprieter of the Daily Express and Daily Star. Both LOTO Hewlett and Lord Matthews are of
cuuls staunch defenders of democracy - in particular the democratic right of the Economic League to ust computers blacklist people and deprive them of jobs.
Futility
For the point is simple. Capitalism and democracy are incompatible at every step. Democracy is the right of people to join with OLIICIS lU decide on their
they want their oo oreausauon. waeme jobs or not, how they will work. Democracy, control over one's life cannot be confined to a five second casting of a ballot every five years. But the right to decide the questions that affect a person is totally incompatible with managements 'right to manage' Capitalism is the most fundamental obstacle which exists democracy in our society.
A 'liberal' paper such as the Guardian expresses it exactly. In its editorial of
August the Guardian writes that 'Even Trotskyists have to earn a living But then it goes on:
'Mr Musgrove (the BL director) in retrospect, got himself bogged down unnecessar) nonesense over Red Steph's O-levels Had he managed to say that the function his company was make cars, not revolution,
Socialist Action
New
Trotsky
threat to
Labour
Party
By ROBERT PORTER Political Corespondent
Sa ao on and
9 0783 44122 CONTRACT HRE TD CO WIE company time, he would have been on sure mora and intellectual ground.
The Economic League could have scarcely bettered the language. Apart from the remark about 'making the revolution ir company time' (try work ing in a car tactorv anc find out how much time there is to 'make the revolution') the positi( " of the Guardian is perfectly clear. Support
Naturally 'in abstract' people should not be sack ed for their political view but concretely they should be because they interfere ton to mone cas n. tion to make cars. employer could ask for more.
But at the same time that the blacklisting organisations corne more out of the woodwork this glves more opportunity for the labour movement to expose and fight their activities Alread) 1979 the TUC called for the breaking off of the rela tions between public bodies and the Economic League because *the Economic League kept blacklists trade unionists for consultation by employers considering taking on new workers.'
It is time for the labour novemen lo sen up this campaign. But it should be
and wider The trade unions should demand that all companies break off funds and links with the Economic League and similar organisations.
The
LuTea democracy in the work place - the activity of the black listing organisations and the companies that support them — should be dragged right out into puone view
Page 4 scan of this page
ALLOUT FOR 22 OCTOBER STOP THE WITCH HUNT IN CND CND dissolves YCND leadership
4 Socialist Action ARTICLES have appeared in the reported the dissolution of Youth CND's national committee by the CND executive. Statements have been made by CND officers denying the charge that they are gradually trying to dismantle YCND as an independent campaign framework of CND. for their views. Tracy was an ordinary officer of the YCND National Committee and a member of the editorial board of Generation before the Executive's decision. Jon was the national coordinator of YCND.
Events started to move with a paper producea For the eND Bruce Kent executive. The paper titled Youth CND: Pape and Proposal for CND Exec, argued: • that the annual YCND conference which took place on 2-3 July in Manchester had no basis since CND council had already deceed that YCND was not 'specialist with the ability to govern itself • that the conference was not well attended, with 29 groups prescut • that the conference elected a committee which
'auite unrepresentative of the broad political base of VeND' • that the National Committee of YCND should be dissolved and replaced by a youth committee responsible CND national council.
The result was that
CND executive sacked the
SIX ordinaYOND officers
elected by
ference, cut the regional
representation by half and
case Scotland
from three to one
• With the addition
four members of the CND
National Council the
voting
members on the new com-
considerably Was
NEXT WEEKEND,
over the August Bank
Holiday, nearly 40
marchers will set off
from Greenham Com-
mon. and march the
fifty miles
Haunslow in West
London.
The march is in
protest at the propos-
installation
cruise missiles at the
end of this year.
It is being organised END Hounslow Youth
La of of
preparation has gone in-
lo makilg Il a success.
By Ian MacDonald,
Sec Feltham &
Heston LPYS
It meant contacting
the local community,
CNDS Labour Parties
and trade unions in each
LOWI This is important route for sup-
port. because the whole aim of the march is to show that youth aren't going to
press which
operating within the We asked TRACY DOYLE and JON GREEN
YCND's magazine Second
reduced. However
was made that pledge recall conference YCND would be called before the end of the year.
Jon disputes the status of the decision that ended specialist section with the YCND's status right to manage its own organisation within the framework of CND
'We asked the minutes of the CND National Council this point, Bruce Kent could only produce minutes of the executive which is not entitled to take such a decision.
Campaign
'In fact, given that the
change means a change in
the constitution, this deci-
sion snould De national conference.
agrees that the
organisation of YCND
was rather chaotic. But she
says this was because the
national office was grossly
under-resourced and quite
incapable of meeting the
enormous growth
reflected in the
70,000-strong festival
organised last Easter.
Jon and Tracy argue
that the decisions of CND
executive
Tirst step to dissolve
YCND as a national cam-
March against the missiles
take Thatcher's victory
lying down. but are
fighting back.
One of the highlights
of the march will be the
visit to the Sikh temple in
Slough,
tion and food is being
provided Dy the locai
Asian community who
have a history of struggle
noteably the Chix
dispute a few years ago.
Advances
A reception is being
organised for the mar-
Hounslow
CND, with a rally at
Greenham Fields,
Hounslow which will be
addressed by well-known
opponents of
weapons. The local
Party Young
Socialists are leafletting
Houns ow this week
build support for the
reception and rally.
Whether cruise are installed or not, youth in West London will continue to fight to build the biggest possible Campaign against Thatcher and Reagan's war plans.
paign. Proposals made at a subsequent 'youth mittee by CND officers tend to support their view.
In particular the proposal originally made by Bruce Kent tor a recal
was opposed by the officers present.
The meeting was
Most of the
CNI • delegates refused to vote ana eventually Dave Wainwright, one of the COCCUIC pe als on structure should proposed that pro Scilla
circulated YCND branches throughout the country. Proposals would then be made at tne next meeting of the youth committee on 25 September.
But Jon and Tracy are sceptical of the consulta-
Reading Twyford
Greenham Common
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
A PIECE OF TH
The trouble with these socialists and self-styled revolutionaries is that they
industry is actually like
tion excercise. We believe that if
proposals will be reported, says Tracy.
Seven of those present refused to recognise new youth committee's decisions, while urging YCND groups to support ny proposals for action t uild YCNI Reaction YCND branches is mainly one of confusion. Very little information has come down from fice. Some groups like Hemel Hempstead, St Albans and Watford, the South Midlands area for which Tracy is coorhave expressed concern, have Maidenhead Hounslow
Slough Mommon Leave Hounslow for Greenham naname kally at Greennam common and
Be at Reading, and stay overnight.
Evening Arrive Slough Mermark wil se met at the Boroue oundar eh and march to Hounslov
Now, if they would only work for a while in this idea what dant! /
rays on the tinie; But, no! They're too damned lazy
Coventry branch. There is also concern in CND Scotland and London.
But behind the accusa-
Youth CND, Tracy and
political manoeuvre, linked with the moves by the majority of the CND leadership to making the central objective of the campaign the demand for a 'freeze' of nuclear rather than the objective of unilateral disarmament.
'We think that CND is trying to effectively silence those sections of the movement likely oppose this, they say. 'YCND is the first victim. As we said
statement the of the CND
All out
for CND
demo
SCOTTISH Labour CND is urging the Labour Party to
mobilise all its members for the vital 22 October demonstration.
that there are couple o
in the.....
Youth Committee we aim to defend the unilateralist stance of CND.
But the press have also raised the sinister spectre ot a witch willial CND, with talk of 'takeover' by the revolutionary left.
Tacl says Tracy supporters of Revolution and Class Fighter, the two most active political currents building YCND, remain a small minority of YeND conference officer: elected by
'But even if they were a majority,' argues Jon,
a disgrace that papers like the New slatesial should stoop to the same methods which have been used by the gutter press against CND as a whole!
Jon and Tracy think it is vital that there should be
recall conference YCND, called by YCND
The 'crimes' of
Oxford YCND By Kathy Brown, Oxford YCND
People may have newspapers Oxford Youth CND
in building YCND. true
very successful march
missiles.
guilty.
The Scottish commit-
tee has urged its sup-
porters to pass resolutions
along, the lines of
passed by the Partick
Anderston branch
Hillhead CLP.
'Recognising the
urgency of preventing a
further escalation of arms
race through the proposec
stationing of cruise in the
UK at the end
December, this branch
pledges its full support tol
October London
CND demonstration.
'It agrees to circulate
members calling on them
seriously to consider atten-
ding and to print
Sorry to disturb h you, sir, but it seems socialists employed
What! How did they get in?!
SACK THEATELLARDS
IMMEDIATELY!!!
News
itself They believe that there must be a fight to continue to build the campaign o YCND in the future, despite the difficulties. particular they want build a giant contingent of YCND on the 22 October demonstration in London.
debate about the future of the • roULOUI conference sept says conterence says Jon. 'We would like to see people defend Youth CND and its ability to organise national events like the Easter pract
'So we want CND groups and other affiliated organisations pass resolutions opposing
eng un eD to recognise
CND to recognise YCND as a specialist section. recently read in the various "accusations" concerning
Among the 'charges' are that Oxford Youtt CND is very big, active and played a major role
the recent National Conference We are pleased to say that all this is Among other things, Oxford YCND built a
in support _the Greenham Common women involving some 200 young people. We also did register 130 activists before the national conference, and we did take along the biggest delegation to conference discuss our experiences on how best to stop the
If building Youth CND and actively fighting the missiles is a crime then yes, Bruce, we pleac renais ents an art rangements next newsletter. 'It asks its executive to approach Glasgow West CND offering our full collaboration in their efforts to mobilise our members for public activity planned in the build-up to the demo. 'Recognising the urgency of preventing further escalation of the arms race through the proposed stationing of cruise in the UK at the end of December, this branch pledges its full support to the 22 October London CND demonstration
CORMA
Where was 1?
Ah, yes. Middle class intellectuals in their ivory towers. Trendy students and
Page 5 scan of this page
News
Labour
CND
fingered
in witch
hunt
FLEET STREET mole-catchers have begun burrowing in the direction of CND's specialist sections, ably assisted by some of the campaign's own leadership. This is a dangerous precedent for those leaders to set.
une contenuons are that the "Trots' rigged the
Labour and Youth CND in order to get themselves elected onto those bodies for the purpose of subverting CND policy. The
imes also alleged that al attempt was made to get Labour CND LU donate money to Socialist Action.
By Carol Turner, Labour CND Executive
Socialist Action supporters categorically deny the charges of irregularity at either of the two annual meetings. Iveltner nas any attempt been made to get money from LCND.
The policy of Socialist
supporters Labour and Youth CND is
oppose SUCT manoeuvres. They are the memoes or lse real wing We defend the right of all
currents organise openly inside the specalist sections of CND as Socialist Action does, to WIll DOS LIONS democratic discușsion and majority vote.
Lever
allegations made
Tory
al C
exist inside CND
majority vote.
BUIL LAZL where the problem has lain for SONG He scis
WILl will of the majority. They claim that the meeting of LCND was rigged because las (The same allegation made of YCND, Dy le way, for the opposite
because it was small!)
This year's AGM was big for one simple reason. in the vear ot an election. many constituency acLIVIDLO WELC moved organise around the issue. About 250 people attended the meeting, at least 200 of which were registered through their constituencies in advance. And they elected an executive they thought would fight best to defend CND's policies inside the Labour Party.
One of the AGM decisions - by a two to one
Was comply with the Labour Partv's request to registe the campaign. This decision prompted a section ot LCND's executive, at its first meeting, to query the
constitutionality of the AGM, in an attempt to
decision.
When this failed, they resorted back-door methods,
Led
Political differences are resolved, of course buried, by a inajority vote. Time and again this section of LCND executive found that it had no majority.
Ditterences came to a head first on • the fudge over Polaris in Labour's campaign document. Opposition to such a fudge was carried against a position welcoming the campaign document's statement on unilateralism in its entirety. They emerged around the model resolution proposed for Labour Party conference.
Meanwhile, the minority of LCND had begun to organise secretly. They were supported by a section of CND's national leadership.
It's a moot point which of the political positions neto LUND DesI reflects the interests of the campaign as a whole. But one thing's for sure when the dust settles, the consequences will be painfully clear to the instigators.
The bosses press 'exdirty doings inside
paign. Just as they exposed the so-called rotskvist attachrae Cowley to
democratic rights of all trade union activists. Allowed
Those inside CND prepared to resort to the conspiratorial and witchnunting melnoas the right wing play straight in-
ponents. Any healthy organisation Ilas i tactica and strategic differences.
Such differences exist inside CND at the present time: around the basis for
discussion ot nuclear defence policy and around how to organise to defend Labour's unilater-
policy (indeed, whether to defend it all!) and around what position CND should take on the freeze demand.
It is in the interest of all CND campaigners that such differences • are resolved oper. debate and democratic
vote. any section of the move. ment attempts to resolve them campaign as a whole will -be the loser.
computers
stabilised TV cameras. Branch and Criminal Intelligence.
Just make they'll have space for all suiC your details where you work, who your friends are, where you drink, what
think the Met yUu police are going in for a big computer expansion, a £23 million Command and Control system to become and a Crime Report Infor-
Svstem operational by the end of the decade.
The Command and Control System originates from the military and
as Policing London, the periodical of the GLC
Unit, put it is 'to facilitate the rapid and deployment of forces. Helicopters - a method of police snooping Mole?
THE Daily Express
(which is subtitled "I'he
Voice of Britain'!) had a
42110
headline last Saturday 20
August.
Under the flyer
"Revealed: The Sov
the Camp' the front pag
'RED
SHOCK AT GREEN-
HAM'. The
revealed that the women
have had inside info
from a red mole buried
deep inside the base' on a
delivery
According to the Ex-
press: 'The Greenham
women are strongly link-
eu to une Left through
their ties with
Cameras, cops and
SMILE, you're on 'Heli-tele'! Or you might be if you hear the whirring of a Metropolitan Police helicopter overhead. They can even get you in closeup with their super-sophisticated Marconi Avionics
If they don't want to photograph you, don't let your vanity be too deflated because they probably still think you're a very special person and have found room for you in the police computer records: either on the Police National Computer or the Met 'C Department computer with its use by Special
The Control will
Central Coll
and in each sional stations
puter, too, National with any into use, including especially
puter.
This latter computer is to be used to computerise all the crime reports at prepaper, allow for far greater amounts of intormation to be recorded and stored.
MALE
ORDAR
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier,
Workers Revolutionary Party and other similar groups. Russian TV crew demonstrators outside Berkshire Copies of the Communist paper the Morning Star circulate at the women's camp.
Needless to say, the Express couldn't manage to camp who Weathes the camp was. did reveal establishment and their press will stop at nothing to discredit the left and those campaigning for unilateral disarmament.
Unfortunate v. leadership of CND seem way to help them out.
All those files now mouldering away in dividual police stations winne canes. addresses
vind dis or innesses, et
williesses. be transformed into readily accessible data
A massive amount
and innocent alike. though, you're concerned
mation the police have on you, the Data Protection Bill now going through Parliament won't help you
police records are vir ually exempted from an control.
By Tim Wright
Not only does the Bill give you no protection in terms of the nature of the information held by the police nor any right of access to that information, it also enables the police to utilise any data on the myriad of private and public computer systems now in use.
The growing computer power of the police must be seen in relation to Ken neth Newman's plans for the policing of London. It
Take your
pick
IT WOULD seem that
BL management and the
press decided to pick on a
'she-mole' as their
target the tabloids
would be able to fill up
their pages with a bit of
drivel about what 'Red
Steph' looked like.
through 'community policing' and the 'neighbourhood watch schemes' that the bulk of low level intelligence will be gathered
The police are at present trying to forge links with socia service, education and local authority structures with a view co-opting these structures into their own plans. Control
Within the neighbourhood watch schemes, local volunteers will be encouraged to take on the responsibility for distribution of police leaflets and to become nosy. but not meddlesome'
There considerable information on the 'guilty relayed the local friend v home beat oftice! who, back at the station, will keep his notebook to date with the aid of the
But they couldn't all agree on a description.
The Sun thought was vital to point out in the second sentence their story that 'the 24-year-old punk rocker spoke out after dyeing her blonde hair... RED
The Express decided to for additional
LEE COOPER MEAN JEANS
ONE OF A series of postcards featuring photographs by Jill Posener and published by The Women's Press, 25p each from feminist and left bookshops.
Socialist Action integrated computer gi or by using the mil computer with which eve station will be equipped
The relevance cameras, computers
can be summed with Kenneth Newmar own words: it would Deller ll we stopped la to ing about crime preventi and litted the whole thi
higher level generality representec
the words 'social trol"
When all this is col pounded with the dang
of the Police and Crimir
Evidence Bill, nort the dous picture of the futu
You needn't both writing your 1984 dias just ask a cop , and as lo
It arrested the spot, he'll be able tell you the time and pla OI your next meeting three seconds flat fact he'll probably be co ing along too.
facts: 'Her hair was dyed bright red and she wore two gold rings her right ear.
But keen to seek ou the truth in an amazing
investigative journalism, the Dail Mail spared no to bring us 'Miss Grant, who has orange spiked hair'..
Page 6 scan of this page
turn round, come into the liberation movement's concern and anger.
carriage and rape him.
dreading another beating.
ing or giving pleasure to
exceptions,
the arms of their regular partner.
WAVAW
Inner London Women Against Violence Against H'omen were asked to answer the following five questions for Socialist Action.
What is your definition ography?
Pornography is material, pictures and serds, whose purpose rouse those viewing and reading it.
Pornography is about the kinds of ematy that has been
Pornography depicts a xuality that is consumable and is bas-
on objectification.
Tes pt of olen depic do not make ontempt of women.
between soft-core porn and erotica since
all rely on using women's bodies
: the sexual gratification of men and
such abuse and degrade all women. What do you see as being the relaionship between pornography and
Socialist Action
ocialist
oman
NO MAN ever sits alone in a train carriage as two women walk by fearing that they will No man experiences wolf whistles from women when they walk past a building site.
No man will wait at home for his wife or lover to return from a drink with the 'girls'
Few men's chance of success at school, in the office, factory (or even dare we mention it in a political party) depends upon charm-
the woman or women in positions of authority over them.
Unemployment for men, with very few does not bring with it the 'choice' of poverty for you and your kids or the sale of your body to women to gratify the hidden fantasies that they dare not satisfy in
Women experience all these violations. pornography.
other forms of male violence?
Pornography is male sexuality.
culmale which
of por- LUAL can learn pornography's
is to sexually joyment of it.
produced by masculinity through an
hatred and increase in actual women for hard-core Snuff, murdered in front of the cameras.
pornography?
that masculinist power
PORN = VIOLENCE
Their experience
and magazine adverts, male violence and pornography.
Below we the propaganda of black and reinforces men's violence of women in the name of sex.
It legitimates their fantasies and obvious hatred of women and promotes a
violence against women is acceptable. One of the ways
believe that women want rape is through reading
repetitive brutal rape, and women s eventuat eu judgement
hatred.
Within the dominant culture where women have made it limited political and social gains, one of the ways men have responded is by reasserting their
escalation of violent pornography, paralleled by an
azallisi example the movie
Who do you think profits from
write or Place, All men profit from pornography in
is strengthened.
In addition, a specific class of men
AGALST WOMEN
of male violence and society's perpetuation of these attitudes —
through these advers romanhe nevision
novels have become a focus of the modern women's
As socialist women we are angry too. We sympathise with women's outrage at the depths to which the male sex can stoop and we
which teach women to hate themselves. But we realise also that there are those in society who would
repress any expression of a free sexuality in
A clear analysis and demands that lead to action on this issue are long overdue on the left. To this end this supplement is devoted to a debate on how we as socialists and feminists should define, analyse and oppose
present four views from women who have been involved with campaigning or writing about male violence and
white and rich — has set up an industry in which a class of women whose sole function is the sexual servic- Willie. has been created ing of men.
Are you in favour of censorship against pornography?
Our definition of pornography is that it to hatred of women, and should therefore be sublect to the same political and social incitement _racia
How do you think we will be most effective in opposing pornography and male violence against women?
We believe that all women should look at pornography to see the full extent of male violence and make her own decisions about what she should do. • For further information of discussurite on phone us cups, women cur phone c/o. A Woman's Hungerford House, Victoria Embankment, London WC2, 01-930-1584, or contact their local WAVAW group.
54
CAROLE RUSSEL, a member of Oxford West Labour Party and a supporter of Socialist Action. also answered the same five questions, giving her view of the debate.
What is nography?
There is no absolute definition. right-wing says pornography is about sexuality. This covers and even just naked bodies.
The liberal view is not so different. They talk about arousing sexual pas-
these course male defined ones.
Socialist feminists have to use an alternative definition.
women. Pornography is propaganda to
violent women. It is the ideas, object to and not the form it takes. particular sexual acts of parts of the body shown.
What do you see as being the relationship between pornography and other forms of male violence! By defining pornography as propaganda for violence against women, we can avoid being side-tracked debates about how the particular forms of 'pornography' affect people. clearly is violence against women, there clearly are magazines that glamorise it.
Most of the studies that try to find a link between pornography and violence or wire non-wine cauchll tion of predictably confused and useless. Goeb
bels said:
Snray it Loud by Jill Posner which works invisibly,
whole of life without the public having any knowledge at all of the propagandist initiative
aest criteria, stands a very good chance of being etfective. Pornographic images appear in everything from cigarette ads through to classical art, let alone hardcore pornography and snuff videos.
Who do you think profits from pornography? From first there are the Paul Raymonds and the Hugh Heffners
PRIVATE
PORNOG
DEOS
MALE V
CAROLE RUSSEL
repression
make
cians urge
your definition of por
The militarism. sex education
sexual passions are of
What we object
degradation
oppression of socialist the content, we or
which
into long Why nored There and films, DOOKS tempt to
determine
The results are therefore
'The best propoganda is that
penetrates the the
From Class Struggle pornography
sorship because
who rake anytick
FRI 930 SAI 330 millions, legally and illegally. Sexual
creates a lucrative market for all sexual material
Secondly there is also a crisis in the family. More women have to work to
ends meet. More nurseries are closed down and the right-wing politi-
women to return to the home. In this context pornography or the one hand provides ammunition for Mary Whitehouse and others who want to see us all confined to the family. On the other it channels both female and male sexuality into patriarchal roles.
Lastly pornography is useful
: with VOIC CO male sexuality boosts the macho image of the soldier/killer and helps to desensitize its consumers to violence.
Alexandra Kollontai
Creating this e see sto
this page who don't understand newspaper should
discuss this question!
'What are the roots of this un
forgiveable indifference to one of
the essential tasks of the working
class? How can we explain to
ourselves the hypocritical way ir
"sexual problems"
relegated to the realm of "private
matters" that are not worth the
attention of the collective?
has the fact been ig that throughout history
one of the constant features of
social struggle has been the at-
change relationships
between the sexes, and the types
these relationships;
and that the way personal rela-
tionships are organised in a cer-
tain social group has had a vital
influence on the outcome of
struggle between y
hostile sócial classes?
Sexual Relations and the
Are you in favour of any kind of censorship against pornography?, Accountability is not possible with cen-
Over vale whatever form it takes. Feminist cen sorship is no different in principle from
form. Under the present
Page 7 scan of this page
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Page 8 scan of this page
8 Socialist Action AS THE 10th anniversary of the Chilean coup approaches, a Chilean marxist takes up, in the second of his three articles, happened between the elections of Salvador Allende in • 1970 and his overthrow by the military in September 1973.
As the class war intensified the workers took over WOre bourgeois papers; radio stations and requisitioned Sorries, distribution agencies. Many cordones
the coordinating committees and other organisations of the people decided not to distribute their products to private commercial concerns.
Instead they distributed directly to the consumers as a means of defeating
black market. Strikes sabotage by the employers met by the direct action of the masses.
In January 1973 Orlando Millas
Minister of the Economy and a member of the Chilean Party proposed a Bill that return 123 of the factories seized by the workers in the previous October. In Santiago workers from the cordones marched through the streets opposing Millas' proposals.
The general seclelaly Socialist Party, Carlos reflecting the mood within the party ranks denounced Bill às capitulation to the class enemy. At the same time he questioned the dialogue between Popular Unity and the Christian Democrats saying that it put a brake on the forward march of the revolutionary process.
Altamirano argued revolutionary process had an uninterrupted character without stages or consolidations and that the workers must strive for total power. That was the way he said to complete the remainder of the democratic tasks and the new socialist ones.
Urgent
However radical that may sound the fact of the matter was that in all te decisive events In the nuean class struggle the Socialist Party ended up aligning itself with the right wing Popular Unity. rhetoric of the Socialist Party leaders had three effects on the proletarian vanguard.
It misled them into believing that if they put enough pressure on lne Government it would lead to them implementing the right policies. tied the une strategy of Popular Unity. Secondly by giving its verbal support to the most politically advanced actions of the workers but at the refusing to centralise and generalise these actions on a national scale it became an objectivé obstacle to the development of working class power, via a workers' and peasants' governHelle
As most of the leaders on the ground these struggles members of the Socialst sympathisers of the party the Socialist Party appeared to be leading the most advanced struggles and this enhanced its prestige enormously.
currents inside the Socialist Party stay within the party and prevented them from taking on the urgent task of creating an alternative revolutionary party.
In March 1973 background of worsening economic
Chile-a road to
death and defeat
what constitutionally The CODE which
43.7 per cent.
The Socialist tionally firms, per cenl.
shops sified tion. In June they offensive. The
association secondary and
lar unions as well as the and was strike.
Communist
would
of the Altamirano
proposed
that the
, separate
bourgeois
always
The
'he irony of this miners union which
This
legalistic bourgeoisie
counter-revolutionary
same time
Coup
were
Party or
Thus thanks to the policy Popular Unity, This had the were revolutionary
On 29 June Regiment
the against
crisis, with inflation soaring and shortages getting worse, the country went to the polls. The bourgeoisie claimed Jaucis that the elections were in the nature of a plebiscite on the government. They noped to gel a parlamentary majorils of two-thirds so that they could have
impeached Allende. was an electoral coalition of the capitalist parties got 54.7 per cent, the Popular Unity got
Party did excepwell polling 18.4 per cent whilst the Communist Party got 15.9
After this quite allazıng election result the bourgeoisie inten-
their extra-parliamentary al' were again on the lorry drivers and public transport stopped work. The
of liberal proressiolis. university students along with some right-wing white col-
El Teniente Police copper miners all went on national
CANPAMETO NEVA HABANA
The courage of Chilean workers contrasts with the timidity of their leaders
was that the
control of the Christian Democrats launched their strike for economic demands to make it appear that the
derending hunt workers' interests. Their aim was to integrate them and other workers in a
bloc. The response of the government played right into the hands of the capitalists.
It denied the right of the miners to strike by insisting that in nationalised enterprises there was no contradiction between capital and labour. Then it used the police against the miners.
of the the EI Teniente despatched and mind into the camp of the ruling class.
Second Armoured Vic attempted a coup against
Responding to a call to come to defence of the government the workers occupied most of the country's factories and put them under
their own control. The cordones were strengthened and the first cordones
were published. bryonic militias were reinforced.
At a meeting ten cordones from Santiago set up an Area Coordination Committee which reaffirmed leading role of the working class in the struggle for the socialist revolution. Meanwhile Allende and his government looked towards the military to
and re-opened talks with the Christian Democrats who demanded the inclusion of the military government. Socialist Party then theatened to withdraw from the government if an unacceptable compromise was made with the Christian Democracy.
But the Socialist Party capitulated on y August when three heads of the armed forces plus the Chief of the
were made governell nilisters. Popular Unity new cabinet the Cabinet of National Security. This capturanon government and the support given to it by the Socialist Party and the Communist Party demobilised the masses.
The armed forces then went on the
„TOr arms claiming they combatting extremist violence'. Across the country factories and
which had headed the CHECTUSC movement calling for people's power
targets for repression.
Militants were brutally treated and humiliated. Some were killed, others injured. The Socialist Party and the Communist Party had paved the way for reaction and the eventual coup.
Apparatus
The government was losing control over the state apparatus. powers were facing each other.
masses. On the other stood stitutions of bourgeois rule like the judiciary, the civil
The government was becoming an empty shell - its only breath of life coming from the mass movement
which it was desperately trying to deruse. ine armed forces were using the Law of Arms Control introduced by the Christian Democrats and approved by parliament Popular Unity had not opposed the Act and had told its MPs to abstain when the vote was taken.
The arms searches had a purpose. That was to disarm strike al the Popular Unity was creating the conditions both psychological and political for the coup prepared. By drivers, profession went on a 'new strike of
bourgeolsie em- Allende's resignation. Tortured the
In late August a group of sailors told the general Socialist Party, MAPU and the MIR that their officers were preparing a coup al Ine alcanuano navy rison. savagely tortured by their officers. The Carlos Altamirano a leader on the left of the Socialist Party admitted being in contact with When the sailors were charged with sedition the Popular Unity parties including ment of solidarity committed Popuar Unity to nothing and the sailors were abandoned to their fate. The extreme right stepped up its campaign of sabotage and killings. of the According to Le Monde they were responsible for more than 500 attacks In two weeks course when the armed forces had gone out searching for arms they had were NO I included organisations of the fascists in the searches. The responded to the growing threat collecting signatures threat of civi war. All this did was psychologically disarm the masses by creating the illusion that there existed a 'constitutionalist' wing of the armed forces which could be relied on to prevent any coup.
Popular Unity's policies towards the armed forces were aimed at the of•ficer strengthened the grip of the officers over the army and made the services impervious fluence and thereby soft. On 2 August the Chamber of Deputies declared the government illegitimate for alleged violation of the Constitution. Not surprisingly it was the Christian Democrats who drafted the document which was the basis for legally justifying the coup
On 11 September Allenge died,
1972.
the people and political vanguard.
which was being mid-August the lorry , shopkeepers and the liberal
They demanded garThe sailors were arrested and
these sailors.
Altamirano issued a state-
with them.
August 1973.
para-millar.
Communist Party by against the
not at the troops This
to outside political in-
impossible September 11th
International
gun in hand defending the 'peaceful road to socialism'. Many of the Com. munist and Socialist leaders did not follow his example. A lot of them hid
foreign embassies neither organising any resistance or firing a single shot.
skins. What resistance there was was
Run-
behaviour flowed logically from their politics. Right from the start Allende and the Communist Party attempted to make a deal with the 'progressive' sector of the bourgeoisie despite al
pollies nothing but antagonism to any 'antioligarchic, anti-imperialist course' let alone collaborating in laying the basis for a socialist society
The right wing of Popular Unity persisted with this course at the cost of paralysing the very forces that had put them in office, and whose actions had kept there for the previous three
along with all those workers who supported Allende, thought that was the best way to defend and advance their left wing of the Socialist Party consistently capitulated to the right wing • of Popular Unity and thereby blocked and cut off the evolution of a revolutionary current inside the Socialist
and the
could have evolved towards revolu-
Leadership
parliamentary debates the Socialist Party talked about class war and even
when the chips were down and the struggle hotted up it resorted to the traditional parliamentary methods of
What happened in the dramatic and sad events in Chile can be summarised as follows — the most politically advanced sections of the
destinies to the leaders of the Socialist Party. But the Socialist Party leaders
to the strategy of the Communist Party and
the bourgeoisie' who used this policy to
noveltil bourgeois legality. This enabled them to deliver the workers' leaders and the rank and file over to the military who
more Chiles. It will have to understand that all the defeats suffered by the working class have been due to the lack of a revolutionary leadership that puts the interests of the working class
If that problem is not solved then the horrors of the Santiago Stadium will happen time and time again.
PEACE AND • FREEDOM IN • LATIN AMERICA
STOP U.S.
INTERVENTION
CENTRAL AMERICA
NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
Page 9 scan of this page
Letters
PAT HICKEY (SA 18
August) was right to draw
attention to employers
copying BL *smash-the
unions' tactics.
As he points out,
John McKay, former
communications director
at BL under Sir Michael
Edwards, was adviser to
the Financial Times board
during the 10-week strike
there this summer.
But he implies there
was a oreci oa ane
ween the case of the FT
and Cowlev a tortnighi
ago with management
'screening militants and
expelling them from the
workforce'.
The significance of
McKay's role was in
management's tactics in
the battle for the 'hearts
and minds' of the rest of
the FT workforce.
Mckay helped draft
the chief executive's press
Teleases. anere were aso
personal letters and 'fact
Sheets to all statt. an-
pealing to them directly
over the heads of union
representatives.
Journalists, ,for in-
stance, learned through
one of these documents
that they were going to
have to make up their
minds where their
loyalties lay before their
chapel officers were in-
formed of plans (later
Labour misleaders
EVERYBODY understands that Thatcher has not got her majority in Parliament because of the Militant Tendency or because of a socialist manifesto.
The Labour leadership backed the Tories by ac c ckog the left. Those who suffer Minusuce. BaTUsID. unemployment, insecurity do not want the right blaming scapegoats.
Photo: JOHN HARRIS
With some exceptions, Labour
I WELCOMED Arthur Scargill's call for political strikes and his statement that dialogue with the Thatcher government would be like talking to the Nazis in World War Two, as a sign that the trade union movement was di lasl gallllllg confidence.
Scargill is one of the strongest voices for not only the miners of this country, but for all the working people feeling the effects of capitalism:
Red faces at Fleet Street
over money. were asseltilg a umon s August, ll carriea a They want the truth.
The voters have rejected leaders who ignored and misled them at the time of the Faiklands war.
Does the right wing want more Labour voters to defect? Is the right wing of the Party aiming to destroy it?
They got it wrong on the Falklands and have it wrong on Ireland.
We who sutier oppression don't want
CEA SE-FIRE NEGOTIATE
FALKLANDS PEACE COM MITIEE
Party
Scargill and Eastern Europe
I was therefore sickened by Scargill's proposals to iorm a 'Miners International' which gives open support to the official 'unions' of Eastern Europe, which acas icol cocutalve ul working class interests as the Nazi Labour Front ever was.
These official 'unions' are meré tools of state not to fight for workers' Teoreosiol l ficuo ls interests but to ensure that the economic
contorm to ine pattern ot
This was the sumflatterers in Parliament. We want a leader who a1 all times will unmask the Tores. A leader who does not applaud hatcher s reacuonary moves, but tears away the 'democratic' mask
The Labour Party cannot reject lne pool and oppressed. It is their Party.
PETER BROWN, London. leaders backed Thatcher's war
ROWI CP
directives of the state are carried out
During the military Photo: DAVID
takeover in Poland these official unions not only supported, but encouraged the repression of the Polish workers -which included the flooding of mines to flush out striking miners.
seven miners were killed trying to defend the right of Polish workers to organise in the free trade union Solidarnosc.
With the call for real
Defend the 13
THE DIVISIONS within the British working class were quite broadly expressed around the anti-nuke issue, but as best I recall Thatcher did not begin counterposing muti atera ism' to unilateralism till last November
• cc comrades here in the States had given excellent answers to those who were becoming caught up in the 'freeze' movement.
1 was struck by the fact that you had such Arthur Scargill
social control of the means of production and an end to corruption and privilege in Polish society, Solidarnosc was a progressive movement
Is the freeze issue being 'imported from the United States'
The freeze movement and CND
hassles and bizarre turns of expectations in getting CND to agree to your notion towards a call for a vote for the Labour Party in the elections.
If there were a Labour Party here in the States, hopefully it would attract the anti-nuke movement more automatically.
But in Britain you've Hau tue expencice ol DELLIC TAHOR transform into a Labour calling tor the genuine socialist Poland
Yet Arthur Scargill aligns himself with the rulng classes uf lle
Socialist Society
cause lor alarm.
Hln COnOde Dyi times: a systematic cere
Keep London out of the killing grounx
government.
In the aftermath of the elections, CND's true colours are more visible for all to see. The 'freeze' issue has been imported from the States.
Hopefully the milieu around CND will not be ossifying politically. Perhaps we should emphasize marxist conceptions when
working among them more often.
Although anti-nuke
Eastern states, who are smothered with privilege and power and maintain their positions with tanks and riot police against the working class.
I hope that Arthur Scargill's defiant stand against dialogue with the ruling class of Britain, who he says rightly have no mandate from the people will be matchec by a refusal to enter into a dialogue let alone alliance with the despotic ruling class of the Eastern states.
TIM PORTEUS, Edinburgh
Socialist Action 9
industrial and financial
enterprises and notably
B.l's own Michael
Edwardes.
More seriously still, the language of these
emossuwored
baiting and spy fiction. Ils emecl Is lo suggest ¿
new kind of 'treason',
opiuee SocausE
infiltration of employment. As such it is
an outrage, exposing who
knows how many on the
left to 'charges' that are
not only anti-democratic but also unanswerable.
How can an active SOCAISEDOVe ERaS/ne has not taken a job for
ulterior politica reaons. It is impossible.
We must not alon particular judgements to distract us trom the the Cou ey alicir. Thef the Cowley affair. danger comes not from
the luckless 13 but from • those who are already exploiting their misadventure to push us all in the direction of a British McCarthyism.
LYNNE AMIDON,
MARTYN DAY PATRICIA HOLLAND, RALPH MILIBAND FRANCIS MULHERN, JOHN PALMER, LYNNE SEGAL,
or the steerin
ommittee of the Sociali. Society. issues touch neoble at s very emotional political level when they consider that the earth can be destroyed 10 times over, don't you think that we can take on the challenge of explaining that to a marxist this is but the worst of their means of destruction and as workers our interest lies in gaining control of the means of production?
THOMAS BOUSHIER, Oklahoma, USA.
CHOICI
TV Choice will be
back when we return
to 16 pages
Page 10 scan of this page
Socialist Action
PICKETI
LINE
Greenings
strike 20 weeks on
Twenty weeks ago, 400
workers from Greenings
Warrington went on against forced
redundancies and
changes in working prac-
tices.
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act NAC at 374 Grays
M. 01-278 0153 Forest Peace Festival ‹ a maior folk and iazz Lival Sat 10 Sept, noon to an, Friends Meeting ise. busn Koad. gronstone, London E11. '50p unwaged/children 2. Organised by Waltham rest CND.
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The picket line re-
mains and now manage-
ment, is threatening to
close the plant.
Strike representatives
nave toured une countr
to get support and dona-
COC Ula
quarter of the Engineer-
ing union branches — in-
cluding £5,000 from the
Fleet Street branch.
Steps are now being
Kelvedon Hatch Civil
Defence HQ to London Fields, Hackney. For details contact East London YCND, Box 5, 136, Kingsland High St, London E8.
Hounslow Youth CND
March: Stop Cruise! March Trom breenan common Lo Greenham Fields, Hounslow, August bank holiday 27-29th. Details from Hounslow YCND, 42 Wellington Rd North, Hounslow, Middx. • Lesbians in the Labour Party We exist! And it's about time the Labour Party camaster on ourssues too! National meeting for
Labour Party lesbians. Sun 4 went. one county cal South Bank, London. Waterloo. Creche available.
Covent Garden, London WC2. 4-5 November.
Enquiries to Bookmarks, (DBr), 203, seven sisters Road, London N4 2DE 01-802 6145 • Uxiora Claimants Defence Committee One day conference on Sat 3 Sept 1983. Discussion ot "operation Major' the police and the DHSS swoop on homeless and unemployed in Sept '82. Speakers and workshops, bar available. Fee only £1.50, unwaged pay less. Information and registration papers contact CDC, 44b Princes Street, Oxford. • History Workshop 17 Manchester 1983 nanstester Polyand nic, All Manchester Polytechnic, balls. Machester oNovember. Registration and enquiries to: History Workshop 17, 47 Albany Date 19
(date of Socialist Action, 328 Upper
taken to encourage ac-
tion in Sheffield factories
owned by the parent
company, Johnson Firth
Brown.
The Miners Union
have been approached to
boycott Greenings' pro
ducts in the pits, where
wire from the
company are used in the DUTCCIS.
washing of coal.
But, with the
Laurence Scott struggle
against redundancies,
the national AUEW
leaders are dragging their
reel Obstruculg
solidarity
Solidarity messages
and funds to: N Green-
ing JSSC Strike fund,
c/0 Len Blood, St
John St, Newton-Le-
Willows, Merseyside.
›APs fres
, Mumbles Central America (NICA) — a broad based coalition of solidarity groups, human rights orgs, aid agencies and political parties. NICA have organised a daily vigil outside the US Embassy Grosvenor Sq, 9-7.30. until 11 September. • No more Chiles - • Hands of Central America National demonstration 11 Sept assembles 12.30pm Clerkenwell Grn. London ECI.
• Against Racism and Racist Attacks! National march called by Newham 8 Detence Cttee and supported by National Campaign Against the Police Bill. Sat 24 Sept, 1pm, Plashet Park, East Ham, London E6. • Sri Lankan Research & Information Group will provide speakers on the current situation there for mcelines Inn Buildings, London EC1.
Socialist Action Forums
EDINBURGH Socialist Action readers forum is on the last Thursday of every
Phone 031-667 9630 for furthe information and details of venue.
EALING Socialist Action public meeting 'US Hands Off Central America'. Speakers from Chile & El Salvador solidarity campa Com SA. Thurs Phil Hearse
Thur 1 Sent 7.30pm, Southall Town Hall.
PASTON
Join the
fight for
L socialism
Britain's Toys
strikers on
the road
STRIKERS at Britain's Toys Walthamstow East London SCUL they first delegations to local 1aclorics and workplaces last week
They are drumming
support TOT their week with reduced loss of pay.
Management will soon icer ine pressure as toy orders mount in the pre-Christmas months.
THE press
as much
possible"
Trotskyist
power
been
uncovered'
not
Wall lu
They are
dangerous fanatical
Marxists..?
'New can
BL inflitrators'
ceeded'
infiltrators'
'Lefties are the
enemy working
people'
TURKEY:
A nation behind bars
Saturday 10th September
2:30pm
Stoke NewingtonTown
Hall, London N16
Jeremy Corbyn MP, Anthony
ersary of the coup in Tur
"WORLD WAR
THREE — Its Origin,
Inevitability and
Cure"
Claims the first logical
carldnation wuy we wen
and how to make War
impossible.
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Their worne are shown with increased intimidation of early morning pickets.
Donations and messages to: Britain's shop stewards' commit tee, 205 Fore St, London Unit
Superheaters
strike threatened
THE STRIKE at Unit Superheaters, SuD sidiary of the British Steel Corporation, now in its fourth month.
Red Moles! Shock! Horror!
true ex
totally
Tolled the discipline.
They're like the
vive they are
blinkered by their
was.
they
ment. So
The revelations know
no bounds:
'But at night, they get
together
moles. They laugh a lot,
exhilarated about
TURKEY
INFORMATION BULLETIN
Available from Turkey
BM Box 5965, London
WIN 3XX, 46p
(includes postage). . Tel
forced The strike redundancies, OVCL which have been used to break up union organisaLOn
The strikers have had big Their action began with an occupation but this ended when a High Court writ was served and the union full time officials Wrealenca to remove or ficial recognition.
The then sacked the
and shut plant.
When the plant convenor accepted redundancy and left the strike others were demoralised and angered. world'.
caucation their
Fighting hysterical press hunt, of
above,
The
even
Socialist Action has
So please My fugust 198
Facing
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Diary
News has now come out that management have plans to reopen the factory, but with a greatreduced workforce and a blacklist.
The strikers are Sut the pocal Labou the local Labour council has offered the company a developmen Local Labour MF Alan Williams has sup ported this council plan. ine workers reel tna Workers Union give their the Engineering backing to this plan, then the strike will be lost The defeat will be held up as an example of how through lack of national labour movement solidarity workers can be crushed.
Thanks over the last couple of weeks to:
Manchester £200.00
888nn888888888888
R Moxhan DDr
South East London Birming Cardif Brent Ealing Total over break £2803.50
_Advertisement
International
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1984
New issue out now! 1984 with articles by Alan Freeman on Rebuilding the Labour Party, the 1983 Peoples March & the CP, John Ross on Facing 1984, Margaret Ward on women and Irish nationalism, George Kerevan on scotland after the election, Charlie van Gelderen on the 50th anniversary of All for just 75p! Or subscribe for £5.50 inland, £6.50
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Page 11 scan of this page
More action at British Telecom
Wandsworth gardeners win
In the Unions
MOLES
EYE
VIEW
Death of an idealist
indictment is a terribse
indictment nOSe marxist moles when they arive a young tacalst Into unburdening his heart to the Daily Mail.
It's even worse when the same lad has to take a job as an industrial relaLOIS consulall can meet other idealists like manacers and mole
But that is exLulles.
what happened to &CEN Roger Rosewall who hates the marxists 'for what they did to my idealism'.
Roger knows what he is talking about there. As
idealism clashed with his
tional Socialists - forerunner of the socialist Workers Party because he wanted to work full time for ASMTS. All Roger wanted was to help the ASTMS members.
But were having HOLE of that. They insisted that members of IS working for unions should be both elected by, and accountable to, the people who paid their wages. But Roger wasn't going to have his ideals suppressed by a bunch of sectarian letties.
So putting his principles first he took the ASTMS job even if it meant being appointed by the union bureau-
not being Not a mole, but a rat. Ex-IS industrial organiser, Roger Rosewell, abandoned the working class for fat cheques and the Social Democrats.
Subscription rates: 6 months fy (95FF); 1 year
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Payment in French franc if possible. Personal
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elected by the rank and Ille. Roger's 'idealism. had come first before old fashioned and subversive views about the members
Later Roger did go
But 'OIC again the lad got betraved. He moaned to the Daily Mail that he
told Khmer Rouge
freedom against American domination.' There was Roger telling everybody how wonderful the Khmer Rouge were.
But hold on. Roger in those days was orthodox member of S ac cording to the gospel of
Cliff. and the IS had this theory Khmer Rouge represented force for establisillg state capitalism. So most
actly euphoric about the Khmer Kouce
So either Roger was a bit stupid and did not understand the line or he is re-writing history just a wee bit.
But not daunted, Roger is still crusading in
idealistic way. says he pointing them out' and
could more idealistic than helping Thatcher, Tebbit and the
to hound PEACE
THE British Telecom engineers' battle against privatisation entered its eighth week on Monday 15 August.
union's action against private consortium which hopes to cream off the most lucrative services now provided by BT.
Five Central London branches blacked private wires for British Petroleum, Barclays Bank and Cable and Wireless Mercury's backers.
These private circuits provide data, Heer 20101 direct lines to the other financial institutions. Seven key buildings belonging to the companies are also black-
At present the POEU's action is aimed specifically against interconnecTHE FOUR week strike of 38 gardeners, working for Pritchards Industrial Cleaning Services in Wandsworth, finished this Monday when management con. ceded the majority of the workers' demands.
Management have agreed not to impose piece work targets and will guarantee existing gross earnings as a minimum.
Demands for protective clothing and contracts of employment have been met In Tull.
Although management won recogust UNON fulltime officer they have conceded the workers' right to join and recruit to
National Union Public Employees. Three NUPE shop stewards will have full representation and negotiating rights.
No new practices disciplinary action will be imposed before negotiations with the stewards.
with inis victory the workers have stemmed come one won excesser of management.
Pritchards rely on exploiting their workforce to under cut direct council labour. This was the reason for them winning the contract
COLLECTION of the strike fund for the
This week also saw a limited escalation of the Project Mercury the
tion of Mercury to BT's network. However, a motion passed at annual conference in June authorised the POEU executive to begin industrial action against privatisation immediately.
At a one day special conference on 15 September, this wider campaign will be mapped out.
action of scab managers, have car-
engineers on strike, is one
But, wherever Pritchards have won contracts the tale is the same - low Wealth and sara, disregard for
instant dismissal, union witch hunts and so on.
Although the workers return to conditions which
still inadequate comare pared to most council employment, their action has shifted the balance of power dramatically. Their victory gives them the confidence to tackle further
The dispute is also of great significance for the ight against the hive off of public services.
It reveals the aims and pit falls of privatisation Before privatisation the gardening section was effi. cient and there were very few public complaints.
Y'KNOW-SOMETIMES I WONDER IF WE WERE RIGHT TOLET PRIVATISE THE PARK WORKERS!
ANDS OFF B
of the major reasons why the media have so far been able to ignore the selective actions and have considerably lessened their effectiveness.
Ву a POEU engineer
In retaliation against this scabbing 151 engineers, who take faults from customers, have been withdrawn in the area of Mercury's head office in Covent Garden.
A few managers may be able to make equipment work, but they cannot make POEU members scab striking workmates by making maintenance engineers accoul laull reports
The escalation of the
Pritchards were given the contract when they claimed they could save £35,000 with among other things a reduction o gardeners to 9 full time on reduced wages and the re-
ed to casual workers
This saving is small in a contract worth £500,000
There lack of gardening management experience and cut in staff quickly led to contracts not being met
• with fines to the Council mounting to £45,000 in three months.
Pritchards then attacked workers conditions further in a desperate attempt to cover the fines including the imposition of the wage cutting piece rate systemn Walka led LIC workers to take action.
rines have now reach
action is a sign to man members that the new Broad Left-domimated ex. ecutive committee of the POEU is serious about a fight for jobs.
But this badly weakened by the executive announcement that the fl per member levy for the campaign fund is to be indefinitely suspended on 2 September.
Many members are concerned about this, haying been led to the brink and sold out many times by the previous executive.
They are watching the new executive to see if it really is something new.
Although there are problems with some undemocratic ficials not carrying out
GARI ed £84,000! This places the extreme right wing lor council in a difficult situation
They desperately don't want to tear up the con. tract. They would lose political face and direct labour is the next lowest tender
they also can't justify hanging on to the
Pritchards can't fulfill it.
Now inal Pritchards can't pass their fines onto the workers, they will have
Socialist Action 11
their duty to collect the levy, the vast majority of the membership favour of paying it.
The NEC must decide its strategy on the basis of the union's strengths and not its weaknesses.
The best way to encourage these branches to pay the levy is to extend the action.
If the members see why the union needs the levy they'll want to know why it is not being collected The greatest danger for the executive at the mo-
people who want to fight by bending to those who are against - privatisa-
to do about it.
PRICHARDS GARDENE
ARE ON STRIKE FOR
A LIVING WAGE
HONK FOR SUPPOE
to subsidise the work more heavily from other parts of LICH multi-national
Shareholdersil not please
shareholders pence has already been knocked the
WINDULG This struggle lessons for other workers resisting • Drivalisation. Speakers are available from Benlow Secretary District NUPE 25 + Vecti: Rd, London SW17.
Page 12 scan of this page
EL POELD LA APLASTARA Central America's 'ray of hope'
THE SCOTTISH Medical Aid Campaign organised a delegation to Nicaragua to report to the British Labour movement its observations of the revolution and the impact of United States aggression.
just obtained an exclusive interview with FATHER MIGUEL D'ESCOTO Nicaragua from which we publish the following excerpts. 'UNTIL NOW, the Contras have had to rely mainly on former members of Somoza's National Guard. They cannot find any significant ADEN Des of dinary citizens.
"They have about 7500-8000 people that they have managed to train and arm. Having made little headway by mid-June, returned to Honduras to regroup and rearm.
'They are still making raids into Nicaragua. an we are not able to go over
in hot pursuit ine trontier
- that would be to fall into the trap that has been
set by the United States.
PEACE AND-FREEDOM-IN-LATIN AMERICA
STOP IIS.
INTERVENTION
IN
CENTRAL AMERICA
National demonstration Assemble 1pm, Clerkenwell Green,.
London EC1 Rally in Trafalgar Square MATIONAL DAY OF ACTION September 11th
spaper wila tne rost urrice Lare Laterrises, ru box ou, London Ni. ‹∞ s • visi ll | ka. Loraon tz.
SOCiALiSE
ACTION
has
One of the delegation, BRIAN WILSON, has
the foreign minister of
"There is already an in-
crease in the level of activi-
ty again, and we now ex-
pect the Honduran armed
forces to be involved in the
next offensive• probably
in September. They will be
rebuffed, but the Hon-
alorce Colt Co
quite a lot of damage.
Outfit
'We have virtually no
airforce. Honduras hap-
pens lo nave une best
Central America. But
Take more
win a war. When
to te morde oranues.
there is really no com-
parson
*From the logic of empire you can understand why they (the Americans
ed) should be insisting on squashing Nicaragua's revolton. il was ceneraly accepted in the area that there could be SuC cessful revolution, at least
this We disproved that.
Pact
•Moreover - in spoile of the enormous foreign debt that we have accepted responsibility for, whether we were morally obliged to • • 101 answels lu some Drolouniu as ourallon our people.
We are giving better than those of richer couillice which have not suffered in the way Nicaragua has sutICICU 'We have become a ray
of hope for many people in Latin America who mould
£ ... 200ee a
LATIA
AMERICAN
CULTURE
RESISTS
Chile Democratico, El Salvador Solida
EST PEDRO ARAUZ. P
independence. Latin America 1s now. on its LTestod.. "Squashing Nicarazud d revolution would really be like sending message to other patriotic forces throughout Latin America • • that it's useless to attempt it •Incidentally, it's being
said today that the US sees this as part an East/West conflict. 'Maybe that allows them to get a bit of sympathy from their people at none bul we Krow la things never change. They invaded us in 19l2. betore the Russian revolution had
People
"They invaded us 1928 — Nicaragua was the first victim divebombing, you know and at that time we were
Merco • We are awars on the
Artists inc ude Los Awatinas from Bolivia Yolocamaba-ita from El Salvador Mayapi, Puebio. Adrian Mitcher British film Premiere: 'Fuera de Aqui,
September 10th Festival For Chile, El Salvador, and Nicaragua
10.30am-11.30pm
verge of becoming a second something else. The ollly way ' they have been able to get along with Nicaragua was when Somoza was In powel one of the most despotic rulers in the historv of the Americas, yet they got on
'Roosevelt was asked OHCC distinguished journalist how they could have anything to do with that son of bitch Somoza.
'He replied "But he's our son of a bitch!"
"That has been their attitude. Now for the first time we are making a firm effort to democratise our country.
'We are on the eve of passing a law which wil guarantee the existence of political parties. And it is now that they are so con-
about democraci in Nicaragua
•Our relations with Cuba are excellent, just as they are with many other
curie: the basis
don't
compromise our
autonom!
• We would like to have
excellen: relations with the
LS par thal autonom! being recognis-
•We don't have ans military country. Phat is why mie with any
cant have any illusions that in the event of an
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Inland: 6 months S8; 1 year £15.
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American invasion anyone is going to come to our side.
"Just as in the nast we had to rely on ourselves to get rid of somoza. So In the future we will have to rely on ourselves to defend the revolution.
"That is not to say that we do not appreciate the enormous international solidarity we have receivea...
War
"It's understandable that we shoud have ad. visors. Ours is a new army.
army, was an American C calcu armv. was totally dispers ed.
'We have got to look for advisors who will not repeat the immoral and criminal outfit that was created for Somoza.
'The National Guard burned its own cities, killea Ils own people we will never have that again in vicaragua..
'More and more,
Reagan's actions against
Nicaragua are being
repudiated throughout the whole world
•It looks so awful for Britain the Sole western supporter alons
Israel and Pinochet's Chile and
It's aw ful company for Britain to be keeping.
subscribe SPEEK
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solidarity
events ...
WEST LONDON.
Wednesday
September Film benefit with invited speakers, including an eye witness from news reporter JON SNOW. 7.30 The Electric Сіпета, Portobello Road.
Organised by West London El Salvador Solidarity Campaign.
EAST LONDON Solidarity rally spon. sored Hacknes North, Labour Party, East London and Hackney CND. speakers FSLN Guatemala and films.
Rio Cinema Dalston. On Sunday 4 September. SPECIAL
For readers who take out a year's inland subscription we are offering a free copy of Hard Times, a new book in the 'Arguments for Socialism' series by Bob Sutcliffe. The book normally costs $2.50
Alternatively we are offering Alan Freeman's book, The Benn Heresy. For new readers there is our special introductory offer of 8 issues for §2
All subscriptions are posted first class on day of publication.
← Socialist Action No. 21, 18 August 1983Socialist Action No. 23, 2 September 1983 →