DOlI carrots and Sticks Soviet economy to the West.
prevent any strengthen the tions of the Soviet state.
The foreign policy permanently military arsenals. bring pressures to bear on the USSR - that would lead to the opening up of the Soviet Western capital, would marketise the USSR, destroy the monopoly of foreign trade and tie the A second great NATO aim has been positive development within the USSR or any big advances in the social position of the Soviet working class, changes that would make the Soviet Union more attractive to workers in other parts of the world. It thus exerts pressures designed to limit Soviet social spending and to authoritarian foos of this NATO economic. Since the end of the war, the USSR has been ringed by many hundreds of American bases and has been threatened by huge From this starting jective of the left to seek political changes that enable the working people of the USSR to strengthen their control over the affairs of state. We want 10 achieve this not only as a matter of principle but because of the enormous practical impact of such changes on world politics.
It is surely an ABC of politics for socialist that such democratic development is a matter of political pressure and struggle by the working people of USSR everywhere can best exert its power in politics when it is in the strongest possible economic and social position.
working maximum the economic security, prices, nominal fuel bills, income The point is that we want to mile have the left must want be taken up bloody ment. in- so-called provocative' strengthen the fighting the about buttressing posed of Soviet Eastern Europe. In the second place the left must break up the machinery for wartare against the USSR work OUL programme for massive, planned trade between Britain and the Soviet Union. There is enor. mous scope for a huge increase in trade. provided that it is organised on a long term planned basis. Thirdly, the left maintain its ideological debate struggle against authoritarian. bureaucratic models of socialism.
Such a programme could meet with • very wide support within the working classes of Western Europe and should within the peace move And those trying to construct 'constructive, 'non defence. strategies NATO should be forced to answer the basic question: what political aims do want NATO to pursue towards the USSR? When the discussion moves onto this ground, the absurdity of notion fashionable in the Labour Party now turning into "progressive' alliance can be easily ex• Oliver MacDonald is the editor o Labour Focus on Eastern Europe.
Socialist Action 6 April 1984