Labour's national leadership
this hasn't been forthcoming. Neil Kinnock has said within the law. suclaris! we're faced with. All Labour councils en- and constituency parties should pledge their support to Liverpool, contingents to our demonstration on 29 March.
The council is calling for a general strike on Merseyside on this day, and the local government unions are suporting us.
Liverpool has no choice, no option but to take the Tories on now. We need the - and a support of the whole labour movement to make this a success.
They councils should stay But how can we? No could vote for the options gressively and send Liverpool divided. wing inside Everyone must be clear that on local government's on 29 March.
But things have been changing it the party over the last ten years. Lef MPs have been elected. And a younger, more enthusiastic membership has proreplaced right wing coun cillors. Militant supporters have been most prominent in this development. workers are no longer They have rejected the right and outside the Party. But they are threatened by one of the worst levels of unemployment in this country, and by the Tories' attacks government. Nowadays, Liverpool is at the centre of the fight for socialism and democracy in Britain.
When the crunch comes, you have to bat with your own side. The city council has no alter. native but to refuse to comply with the requirements. The county council will do everything in its power to sup 'port Liverpool city. There is no way in which we would sabotage their fight. We support our own workforce taking sympathy action Socialist Action 2 March 1984
Socialist Action FOR MOVIE buffs, the 1932 Paul Muni version of Scarface is a must when makes its regular appearance in the Saturday night late film spot.
A mini classic of its time it was a comment the rise, of what after the armaments industry, was to become America's biggest growth point organised crime.
The Brian De Palma 1984 update uses Miami, now the US drugs capital, for Chicago the booze capital. Yesterday's Italian mobsters ‹uDan crue rooners ar centess.
Reviewed by Bob Pennington This could have made an interesting film showing how the drug bosses need the police, the courts, the politicians the bankers to fix their protection, keep them out of jall, launder their huge take. Besides lifting the lid the links between organised crime and the state it could have been an exciting compelling piece of cinema.
But surprise, surprise, Come easi Wils oul. Ok it does appear to say and show most of the right things. Tony Montano, played by Al Pacino, despite his claims that he is political refugee from communism, is shown to be a iwo-bit gangster who Castro is only too happy to dump into the 'American war of lite' In Miami he can join up with Batista's former pimps extortionists who founded the city's 2 March 1984 Cuban crime colony. In tracing Pacino's way to the top he is revealed as a dirty little psycopath interested only in violence and money and the power they bring The only cop in the film is a crook. The politiCals trom Washington, the Bolivian Minister for the Interior and a top Bolivian general are shown to be a bunch of swindlers and assassins.
Scarface's view of the family is shown to be one that men are top dogs and women should know their place. His "protectiveness' towards his sister masks an incestuous sexual desire. His nemesis comes final surrealistic shoot out with another gang owes more than a little to Russell. As he gets his lot it's obvious that he has become a victim of cocaine which has weakened his former animal-like awai clicos So why am I beefing? The film shows him to be a nasty piece of work, the cops COOKS politicians are bastards and it atev KROCKS al the family. Well, the trouble is that De Palma has not used the violence, racism, sexism and corruption inherent in the drug dealing world, and which any senous film would have to show, to expose its FULLCHICOS Instead has used them as a spectacle in of themselves Therefore Scarface becomes a figure for the audience to identify with.
That's we were leaving the cinema this voung bloke said to his friend: 'Brilliant film eh?' 'Superb' replied his mate: 'But a really sad ending'. That says it all. They knew what Mr De Palma is selling and enjoyed it.
Reviewed by Sue MacDonald suburbia deals with it.
'sympathetic' The difficulties each other are genuinely celebrated. she replies 'we have enough'.
But cabaret and benefit. Chats Palace, Brooksby Walk, London cy. rn marci Lianna is a married woman with two kids who falls in love with her night class lecturer who happens to be another woman. The film documents their relationship with all its problems and shows how white, middle class There are good things about the film. It is a pleasant change to watch a film in which the film subtly exposes the ridiculous attitudes of most heterosexual people, no matter how supposedly Her closest friend's husband says to Lianna " do understand what's wrong with vou' and frustration of the two women at being unable to openly express their feelings in public is sometimes poingnant, and there is the odd moment when women's relationships with When a lover says to Lianna 'we don't have much in common', this is the exception in a film that is generally so careful that it is at times painful! Although the film is about a lesbian relationship, there is nothing in it that challenges the status quo. The main theme of the film seems to be that lesCivil Rights • Action Group on Immigration and Nanonalty as 'straight' ones..
Ruth's nights together! oppression of women is absent.
women ana men they do in our society.
not expenence i relalonsmips will men radical film.
But inspiring and challenging it is not. bian lovers will get into the same emotional tangles • so why bother?
Although it is not quite as crude as that, the final scenes are explicit in their message, Lianna watches a dance routine on stage with a man and woman expressing love, anger and depression. The scene is intercut with memories of Lianna and There is one glaring omission in this film, the There is a total lack of understanding that a relationship between women will always be different to that between so long as women suffer as i here can be a sense o solidarity in a lesbian relationship that women canThe "love scenes' are soft focus stuff. Two conmake love to background of whispering in French. Really corny stuff and more reminiscent of soft porn than a It is very obvious that Lianna is edited, directed and written by a man — how somebody who can never have a lesbian relationship expects to write a film about how it feels I'll never know! Compas sionate and caring' said the Daily Mail which made me scepucal to start witn and some may think it is.
r-December 1983
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Keva Coombes, Leader of Merseyside County Council
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