Socialist Action No. 76, 2 November 1984
The scan: 076-nov-02-1984-SA-UK.pdf (PDF, Marxists Internet Archive)
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Page 1 scan of this page
No. 76 2 November 1984 30p
SoCiAList
ACTiON
Stop the scabbing!
... NUM pickets invade south
London ?
THE TORY inspired campaign over Libya this week exposed the
face of Neil Kinnock's leadership of the Labour Party.
Kinnock's attacks on the NUM's contacts with Libya were a caleulated blow aimed at the Scargill leadership of the mineworkers union. Their aim was to weaken and isolate the main obstacle to a NACODS-type settlement of the miners's strike.
Their effect is to try to make it more difficult for militants to raise support for the miners.
None of that is an accident.
Basnett and Willis have no stomach for the fight which is needed to secure a victory for the NUM. Kinnock has sided with the right wing In une dispute from the beginning.
It is this weakness that the Tories are now trying to exploit. Thatcher's hopes for victory are still pinned on the leadership of the TUC backing down from support for the mers.
That is why David Basnett, who was last week described as 'weak and ineffectual', was suddenly hailed this week by the press as the "TUC's elder Stelal after had attacked Roger Windsor's meeting with Gadam. Ine wole mysterical witch hunt at the beginning of the week was simply used as a cover for the NCB's hardening position on the talks with the NUM - and the government decision to break them off. This government toughening of position is going hand in hand with stepping up the use of the courts.
Last week's sequestration of NUM funds is inevitably going to be followed attacks against both the miners and unions
supporting them. By escalating their Build the
attacks the Tories hope to send the TUC running for cover.
Instead the TUC, and left-led unions, must now turn to dealing with the threat mounted by the courts and stepping up the solidarity action.
The General Council must declare its intention to meet the legal attacks with industrial action. Any weakness will encourage further attacks against not only the NUM but also the rest of the trade union movement as well.
The breakdown OI the talks should be met with a rapid stepping
up of the solidarity action. The main action!
targets are power blockade of coal and oil is still the first priority and the TUC, in addition to individual unions, should throw its full weight openly behind this campaign.
Also now there is urgent need of money. The legal attacks will inevitably increase the hardship in the coalfields. The trade union movement should ensure that there is no question of the miners being starved back.
There must be no repeat of the scabbing seen last week. The NUM's courageous refusal to make any concessions to the closure programme must be backed. • Stop the coal - stop the oil
VICTORY TO THE MINERS!
MINEWORKERS' Defence Com- • Keep the money coming • For a 24-hour general strike
mittee conference now confirmed
for 2 December in Camden Town
• For a national Labour Party demonstration
Hall. London. Scargill, Benn,
Skinner to speak plus workshops.
Details from the campaign c/o • For a national solidarity conference
Ken Livingstone at County Hall or
phone 01-981 3289. Publicity
available now.
Page 2 scan of this page
Willis heads for cover
2
ACTiON SOCiAList
Super-Scab
AFTER WEEKS of intensive research, based on secret Labour Party press hand outs, Socialist Action is able to reveal the full horrifying truth. Neil Kinnock, leader of the sinister so-called. 'Shadow recently as February secret trip to meet with the world's number one terrorist leader. The revelations will shortly not be appearing in the Sun.
photographers, Neil 'the Democrat' Kinnock met with the world's number one killer at a carefully guarded location in Washington. The man who has organised more terrorist raids, and more personai assassinations, than any other thug in the world admitted that even now thousands of his armed killers were roaming remote areas of Central America — on political assassinations.
Inflamed by his incredible oil wealth Ronald 'Star Wars' Reagan was openly contemptuous of his minor rivals.
Nho is this Gadaffi creep anyway?' Reagan i reported to have asked Kinnock. pad on a map. Iii turn it into a parking lot. Shoot down a few more of his aircraft,
Urged on by his fanatical religious advisers, and twitching nervously as he eyed up the globe, 'Star Wars' explained his plan for springing into action.
'The basic trouble with this Gadaffi jerk is that he thinks small. He seems to pay his killers out of his personal bank account. We in ine US of A think big everytime. I have 150,000 people in the cersonal hit squad known to my enemies as
"I don't go for the small guy stuff. Think big, young Neil, if you want to make it to the top. My outfit's victims go from Presidents to peasants
'Remember that Allende Dicky (remember, the one who got caught?) did for him. And we've had no less than thirty goes at getting rid of Castro. crap never did work. Pity.
When hearing of Kinnock's visit to this international outlaw a stunned and astonished Arthur Scargill called an immediate press conference. To avoid world opinion condemning the labour movement Scargill went ahead without even bothering to contact Labour Party headquarters.
"I cannot believe that Mr Kinnock would enter knowingly into relations with this odious regime the president of the NUM declared to applause. In an evidently barbed but veiled attack on the
'It is obviously out of anyone should take money from the 'Star Wars' empire. It would be contrary to all the principles of the labour movement'. were heard coming from the direction of various organisations supported by Denis Healey.
Unfortunately, would give no such assurances. 'I condemn all small-time violence', he said, 'whether it be the miners or the crackpot murderer in Tripoli. But I'm always willing to meet a really big time killer. Otherwise, how could I get Roy Hattersley to vote for me?
Meanwhile the bishop of Durham preached a sermon, widely reported regarding morality in politics. • PS There is a moral in all this. Many people knew we'd got a rat in the new leader of the Labour Party. Now we know we got a skunk as well. • PPS Our only regret is that Gadaffi didn't give the miners £5 million.
Editor: ALAN FREEMAN Published weekly except two weeks in August and the last week of December.
Signed articles by contributors do not necessarily represent Socialist Action's views. These are expressed in editorials.
Send all correspondence regarding subscriptions, and receipts to Socialist Action Distribution, 328 Upper Street London N1 2XP. (Tel: 01-359 8180) Send all material for publication (including advertising) to Socialist Action Editorial at the same address. We regret that due to the high cost of postage we cannot return or acknowleage unsoncitea copy or photographs unless accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope.
Socialist Action 2 November 1984
Cabinet' as this year made a armeo with secret manuals
show me hi
maybe guy? Well, tricky
But that poisoned cigar
question
Embarassed noises
Neil "Super-Scab' Kinnock
in Marxism Today,
THE RELISH with which labour and trade union leaders joined the vicious anti-NUM campaign over the Libya question will have sickened every militant in Britain. But it would be too easy simply to dismiss the reaction of Neil Kinnock and Norman Willis as yet another example of chauvinist hysteria. threat behind the trade union leaders' reaction.
David Basnett's statement that 'Roger Windsor's tree flight to Libva could prove to be the most
allu productive trip by a trade union representative ior a very long time,' was not a mere expression of an opimon. Il coula also read as a statement of intent.
DASBELL. rest of the centre and right of the 1UC nave lonne that the decisions of the TUC Congress to support the miners have landed them in the middle of a fight for which they do not have the slightest stomach.
The hope of the TUC was that a slow tightening grip on the power stations would finally the government to make some compromise on major issue and then the TUC leadership would impose a
the NUM.
By Pat Hickey
Not only has the leadership of the NUM refused any sell out deal but the government has dramatically upped the stakes. It has launched an immediate and massive
Walker has already announced the government and NCB refuse to shift from the terms of the NACODS settlement - a settlement that would continue the pit closure programine. Scargill and the NUM executive, rightly, have out the NACODS deal.
But the prospect of an escalating struggle lasting into the new year horrifies the Thatcher openly shown her deter-
COstally step up the stakes in the
The tion of the NUM's funds will be followed by further court action in all the NUM areas. The financial noose which the Tories are trying to draw around the
will be inexorably tightened all the
LUIC quickly because of the lack of response by the TUC to the sequestration — a lack of response which will in evitably give rise creasing demands that the TUC should act.
A PIECE Of ThE
I am beginning to believe that the courts are being used to attack the ! unions!, No, no! It
craven surrender to There is a far more serious
Worse still other are going to be
If the government cannot DICaK the NUM rapidly then huge pressure will
for legal attacks
anions the over sorters
unions AUEW, TGWU, GMBATU - and against the NUR , ASLEF,
NUS that are operating the boycott on
movemenu coal. Delivering TUC Congress
alone anything else, would involve a central confrontation with the law.
The have already ruled, in the case of Ilford films, that even an overtime ban without a ballot is illegal. It won't take the Freedom Association long, if necessary, to
power worker to take the TGWU, or GMBATU, to
over their coal bovcott policy power stations. The TUC is faced with a head or confrontation with the law and the which Basnett, Willis and
al c absolutely prepared. And Thatcher knows that they are 11U1 prepared for it- • which is
she is upping the stakes constantly.
Congress
The only way out for the TUC right and centre is
force deal the NUM which the Genera Council would claim is a compromise, but which in reality would be a victory for Thatcher.
This is the policy which Willis, Basnett and co are considering behind closed doors at Congress House. Getting Arthur Scargill isolated is a crucial part of
Kinnock, Willis and Basnett jumped rapidly to join in Thatcher's Hauscalllg attack on the NUM.
For if the TUC were to continely the pollens continue implement
the delcome will be tery
the outcome be very different. The latest and most authoritative study
the governclaim on coal stocks are not une
Do the unions have any choice but to ignore the courts? To treat them with the contempt they deserve?
Willis and Basnett
Even with coal deliveries continuing at their present rate, and with the maximum possible substitution of oil burn for coal, stocks at the power stations will be • completely exhausted by late February/early March. Power cuts, or a massive movement of coal bv road will be posed before that point is reached. concerted drive by the TUC to deliver on its pledges at the power stations would radically alter that picture more rapidly in favour of
In fact, it is necessary to break the law
Haveto!
Sounds h reasonable!
the miners.
power workers boycott the oil now being delivered to • substitute for coal, and retuse to handle
her coal supplies victory
NUM guaranteed Failure to campaign for such action, and failure to give full support to the NUM is actually to give aid and comfort to the enemy. The enemy the TUC should be fighting is Thatcher, not Gadaffi.
But instead the statements of Basnett and
You can't break the law!
Schizo!
News
Willis will encourage the government harden their attitude stil further So will the types of TUC policy openly discussed in the press for example that the TUC should draw up its own dratt agreement over the heads of the miners
leaders. Refusal by the NUM to accept such a deal would then be used as al excuse for the TUC to withdraw support.
The TUC leadership do not want the miners to secure an outright victory
OVCI are they prepared for the confrontation sucn a viclor would require. Not only would such a victory mear a huge increase in militancy in the working class. would also mean that the Scargill wing of the trade union leadership would be strengthened — a prospeci which would be even more frightening for the TUC leadership ll would for Margaret Thatcher.
Careerists
Leaders like Basnett and Willis, who
have reached their positions through the career ladders of the trade union bureaucracies and through experience of class struggle Calllio tolerate the class struggle leadership of the Scargill wing which emerged NUM leadership not out of the corridors oi
Congress House but out
miners' strikes of 1969, 1972, and 1974 and which still rests the militants of the NUM.
The left wing in the trade union movement must fight the right wing's treachery the death They • must clearly expose
decisens and fign rest
decisions and fight them to be totally delivered. The TUC as body should appeal to the power workers to carry
Full financial backing must be delivered to Lilc NUM. Any court attacks must be met with industrial action.
Any stab in the back to sell out the voted decisions of the TUC Congress must not be met with diplomatic silence in the interest of a
unity. Traitors should be exposed to the hatred of the whole movement. That is the way now to hold the line firm and deliver the still within the grasp of the NUM and the entire trade union movement.
SORMA
Not really -I've just got a little KINNOCK in my head!
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Thatcher's total war
News
THE ARTICLE which appeared in the Times on NUM executive officer Roger Windsor's trip to Libya was set up with the British police or intelligence service. Included in the article were details of telephone taps of phone calls made from Paris. No British newspaper could have done this. It came directly from the state.
fact the entire carefully orchestrated campaign on the 'Libyan connection' should dispell any illusions anyone might nave in Jus! how utterly determined Lne Thatcher government is to win this strike and the ruthlessness of its methods. Thatcher's government has never had one idea of 'compromise in its head since it provoked the strike in March.
It was confirmed again in the House of Commons on Monday when Peter Walker announced 'not one inch' would be given bv the government Now everyone from the Daily Mirror David Owen that's any distance!) is demanding Inal te government does not move from the NACODS settlement — deal that leaves in place the government spil crosure programme.
If Thatcher loses this strike her government would be finished as credible political force. Its sole aim is to smash the miners. It is using, and will use. every available for that. Cynical distortion the law. police violence, starvation and hardship are all just grist to Thatcher's mill.
This cynical person, whose morality is shown in its full glory by the fact she murdered in cold blood more than three hundred Argentinian sailors on the Belgrano, and then lied over that event, is perfect-
happy to use any wedool that Contes hand against the miners.
But the Libyan scare campaign is oniv the latest proof of the total war the i hatcher government is waging against the NUM.
Its tactics in that war have been simple. At all costs to
Local
government
workers:
ALL OUT
7 NOVEMBER!
THE PUBLIC Sector Alliance, which com-
prises Democracy for London Campaign (the
GLC and ILEA unions), the Save ILEA Campaign (unions, parents and SERTUC), and the London Bridge Committee (the joint unions of the London Boroughs) has been formed recently and has called
plans to smash local government.
All local government unions in London are asked to take strike action on the day, and
join the march through south London to a
rally at County Hall. Assemble: 11am in nearess be Elephan and Castle. The rally Burgess
will begin at 2pm, Jubilee Gardens, County Hall, SE1 Westminster).
Sunday try to isolate the NUM Ton me rest or lae about movement. To try to
the nuders themselves by sheer police
CUUI L acuul. and grinding hardship These policies are totally
By John Ross
This happened during the first docks strike and again with the threat of the NACODS walk out. Each time Thatcher has been able TO relatively isolate the NUM, the government nas gainca connaence and taken the offensive — as it is doing viciously since the NACODS sell out
Now the aim of the government is clear. It is trying to use the courts, and press hysteria, break the miners' strength.
resolve ° of the usiners
resolve miners before the power cuts come. Secondly to try to so
for a 7 November day of action against the Tory's Camberwell Green,
tubes Waterloo or
discredit the NUM that if the coverlical
coal from the pithead stocks workers in the
power stations will handle
Confronted with UnIs onslaught the policy of the TUC leadership of trying to reach a 'compromise' is a certain road to disaster. When Thatcher is determined will and TUC to compromise, then Thatcher Cal always vul bid the TUC. • Only Arthur Scargill's policy of relentless struggle for all out victory can win the strike.
Exactly because Thatcher's tactics are 'divide and rule' each time that unc miners strike has threatened to prea beyond the UN something approaching panic has gripped major sections of the ruling class.
Voted
The role of the NUM leadership in keeping the
together has been superlative. It was shown once again after the NACODS executive voted not to strike. Arthur Thatcher awarding prizes for free enterprise to Eddie Shah and Goldsmith
N
Scargill appearing on the television win use summe message of 'no compromise Was just wildl
needed to keep the strike together after one of the ime history or elirits
the history British trade unionism. But the task now is to smash this government's drive to isolate the NUM. This is task of the entire trade union movement and not just the NUM.
Bridges
The bridges to rebuild
around the be both political and material. A huge political campaign to gain respect and support or the miners. A massive financial campaign to alleviate the hardship. huge campaign of material industrial uppor to win
ne since ae break o legal attacks on it.
The first step is to campaignto ge Nue. aner aid to NUM. There should be no illusions. With threatening court actions against every area of the union the government
I C
aims to cripple the union's ability to win the strike. Large Large interest free loans ory donations,
and TUC number one priority.
Secondly the TUC Congress decisions on the hovcott of strengthened. Coal stocks ai tie bowel staliulis alc rapidly . running down in Yorkshire, Scotland and Wales where there is also effective boycott action. The beginning of an effective boycott on oil was achieved at Stanwell UH Monday ' TOWÙ NUM pickets and oil delivery drivers. This has to be stepped up
What is needed is for the TUC itself to appeal directly to workers for the implementation Congress decisions. This would be the way to gain the maximum support for the coal and oll boycott
Socialist Action 2 November 1984 and to reinforce those workers around the coun try already operating the TUC policy
Thirdly the key political move is to get a LOLa identification between the labour movement anne use miners best step in that would be a nationa Labour Party/ •TUC demonstration support of the miners.
Money
The NUM leadership has reportedly opposed such a move — - apparently
That is a mistake. Ty.
That mistake. political identification the labour movement with the miners is the key delivering material sup
Now, DOrl
after the smear campaig OI. Labour Party/TUC demo- Libya, lassive
listl allull in London in
Defend the
political levy!
THE conference called by the Labour Co. ordinating Committee (LCC) on 1 December in defence of the political levy is to be linked support for the miners' strike.
Jean McCrindle treasurer of Women Against Pit Closures, will be joining the platform of speakers who include Ron Todd Ken Livingstone Tom Sawyer and Robin Cook. The one-day conference will be held in Central Hall, London.
The aim wil be to in tegrate the lessons of sup port for the miners strike into the campaign to de-
3 support the would help gain that sup
The Labour Party
NEC and the TUC should urgently decide a calling such a demonstra. tion.
Fourthly there needs ic be national solidarit! conference sponsored by the NUM. There are a whole series of effective local conferences taking place but these need to be pulled together at a na. tional level
Fifthly there must be industrial . action prepared by the TUC against the court attacks on the NUM
• attacks which are now spilling over to other unions. This means a 24 hour general strike against the legal allacks NUM — and further gen eral strike action if this is not enough to force the courts to back off.
If these steps are taken the NUM is going to win.
Defend the miners!
fend union political funds and Labour Party affilia tion
Arthur Scargill is one of the sponsors of the cam paign and there will NUM sponsors at the con ference.
the conference include th Bakers Union; Kings Cross NUR; Cardiff Trades Council; ASTMS No. 3 Divisional Council: and Putney, Surbiton and Ryedales Labour Parties.
• Trade union and Labour Party delegates are invited to register (£3 each, with the LCC.
Street, London WIV 3DG (01-439 3749).
Page 4 scan of this page
Support Coalville
4 COAL STOCKS at the Trent Valley power stations
are reaching critical levels as the cold
arrives. This spells management in Coalville, almost all the 2500 miners are working.
more pressure to get rail workers to shift coal to the
power stations. But rail workers continue to resist.
There is no lack of coal
Roy Butlin explained to MassIve
organised miners
London last week:
• We have backed our union's policy to stop all
movement for seven
have tried to cope by using : ound-the-clock Convoys of lorries to move the coal.
"HUIL LuC
123.000 tonnes of coal we
normal
handle 60-70,000 tonnes
rest 1s being stock-
'This is becoming MCB. Scab coal has filled problem the
10 capacity the pithead
stocking grounds Now
the rent or lease new VCB has started ground to
from local farmers to
stock the Coo.
Everywhere Coalville
mountains coal are
at Dideot
Supplies. \EM. SERTUC, and Oxford groups. Support groups from Islington,
lorries.
Despite the tremendous spirit of the Merthyr and the sizeable turn-out Oxford, there was not enough serious mobilisation from elsewhere achieve the necessary solidarity.
To be fair, a handful of pickets were allowed to approach workers entering the power station without too much interference from the police, and this was one aspect of the affair that could be Considered successful.
However, after a couple of hours anticipating the arrival of oil deliveries by scab lorries, Alan Thornett, president of Oxford trades council which played a key role in getting SERTUC involved, ex-
Socialist Action 2 November 1984
railworkers
weather trouble for British Rail Leicestershire, where
The Coal Board and British Rail are putting on
springing up. "This situation won't be aliowed to continue for power serviced by STanon. Coalville are in trouble.
Didcot, one of the largest stations served Coalville, has been off the national grid some time, and is running on oil.
By Doreen Weppler, NUR •The other two stations Drakelow and Rugeley - are trying to manage on smaller amounts oi coa transported by lorries. But danger points are being reached rapidly.
According to Butlin, the crunci point arriving, and the NCB has. only limited ways OI shifting these mountains "It can bring in the military style, making the to drive lorries operation bit MOTE efficient. But it would be politically damaging.
Mass picket
ON WEDNESDAY 24 October 250 pickets blockaded Didcot power station in an attempt to stop oil
The picket was called by South Wales Hackney and Camden joined miners from Merthyr Vale and local trade unionists and students, to picket the scab oil
plained to the picket that a tactical Victory had been won in delaying deliveries.
By Terry Luke, Islington support committee But as if to emphasise their unwillingness to take positive SERrUC official told pickets left that it was unwise to alienate anybody.
This, despite the fact that he had previously stressed the call for picketing was implementation the TÚC congress decisions. there was a convoy of 40 It became clear lorries waiting to deliver oil. arrived periodically in threes and
'Or it could use Kne army operate the freight side
There is railway always. training the
They are prepared for any, eventuall! But this option would be 1oo explosive to use today
Finally decisiul. could be made to break the rail workers' secondary action and get the coal back on ine trains. In Butlin's view this is what is happening.
We are having pressure applied but it is nothing to what we will see when the power stations are starved of coal.
decision by NACODS to call off their strike disappointed those
who are supporting strike. But its impact WIl 110L railworkers were skeptica be Local
NACODS
about welle.
would take strike action.
'For us, the NACODS'
decision means that
stockpiling will continue,
and the pressure to move
coal will increase, says
Butlin. Local rail leaders
who work closely with
the striking miners — IC
doing all in their power to
withstand the moulilille
pressure.
'We've had a closure
fours, and despite the al-
tempts of the pickets to them. they got
through.
Interestingly, a comrade from the Camden support committee tried to bring to the attention of the police that the lorries were not legally marked. Such respect for the law fell on deafears, Although Was peaceful picket four people were arrested, and later released without charge. The Didcot picket was mainly intended to give support to the workers inside prepared to Int plalit boycott who are oil deliveries. But the need for mass picketing to support the NUM will increase It is crucial that all lad. movement bodies, including the support comshould not only xpress support through allies, collections and so on, but should also get involved where the fight can - on the picket be won lines.
threat. homes raided by transport poice, and three trade unionists sacked.
rumours are flying that local track will be lifted. We've caused management much pain that they starting to chip away at the depo:.
Over the last few
rail weeks, leaders have been taking their case wide possibie an audience in the abour movelliCil every meeting the message has been the same:
'We are being victimised for backing the miners and backing our union. Our members need your support. And when miners win, we want guarantees that the coal
to rail, and that our sacked members are reinstated.'
Butlin will be especially pleased to address meeting called by Agecroft miners strike committee, to discuss how to implement TUC policy. For the first time he will be sharing
platform with Knapp, NUR general secretary.
At this meeting Butlin will extend an invitation to Knapp to attendia me tag called Coalville
South Wales
women rally
for the miners
THE women's support
groups in the South
Wales coalfields are
holding mass
women's rally in Car-
diff on 8 December.
The aim of the rally
is to give recognition to
the role that women are
playing in the miners'
strike.
By Petra Hughes,
Cardiff Women
Against Pit Closures
This rally will provide
an opportunity for women
everywhere in South Wales
to express solidarity with
women involved In lit
battle against pit closures
and put pressure on
area executive to provide a
stronger lead in massac-
tion ayer the next few
weeks and months.
Those of us not direct-
ly involved the battle
Facing thi against closures,
hardship and
struggle of those living in
the pit communities, have
a duty to show ours. Pood
in a concrete way.
parcels alone will not win
this strike. Active support
from every section of the
labour movement is vital:
• Organise delegations of women to attend the rally This rally aimed women and children. The speeches will be short and we hope to provide food and entertainments.
workers on Sunday November. The meeting is open to all in rail who support Coalville. and will discuss practical support.
Two coaches Gals
been booked London, and supporters In
areas are asking Oucl they can come alone well. An invitation been extended NUR. sponsored MPs.
The response to une Coalville members' case has neet tremendous in the rank and file of the union. If the NEC took its responsibility seriously. and put the resources of the union behind the etforts of local rail leaders, our union would be enormously strengthened.
The Coalville men are Coalvile doesn't become determined that doleville. the
leadership matches that determination, there is no way that the BR Board will
come back TOT
Coalville members once
the dispute is settled and
the miners have won.
• Messages of support,
and details of the open
meeting from: Roy Butlin
Capston Street,
Ibstock, Leicestershire,
LES ILD.
• Women in the mining
communities desperately
need money for transport,
so that they can attend the
Can your Labour
Party, trade
women's group sponsor a
mini-bus, provide cars.
• Men can arrange
creches, raise funds and
come and watch on the
dar.
The steering committee for
the rally can be contacted
at 16 Glamorgan Si, Car-
diff Defend the NUM
Thursday 15 November 7.30pm Chapel Allerton School, Harrogate Rd, Leeds Speakers:
Ken Capstick, Yorks NUM executive Pat Thomas, women's support group Atmar Singh, campaign against the police bill Ledston Luck colliery speaker
ORK 80
Labour movement
conference in support of
the miners Sunday 11 November
Hounslow Civic Centre, Lampton Rd, Hounslow
Workshops, creche, food, parking Admission free Organised by West London miners' support committees
Manchester women
meet to support
the miners
miners group.
dulls to bring together all the women in the North-west who have been mobilised in support of the miners' strike, from the miners' wives them selves to the women from Labour Parties, trade unions and the peace movement, together with hundreds of women for whom for the miners their first political act.
There is a great need for women to get together and discuss not only the things they are doing, to swap ideas and problems, but also to look at the way forward both in the dispute and afterwards.
- During the day conference there will be workshops on policing wilding mines not missiles, solidarity through the
News
10
Roy Butlin Phone: 01-572 3764 ON SATURDAY 17 November a unique conference is to be held in Manchester Town Hall. It has been called by the Bold and Walkden miners' wives support groups and Manchester women support the
Labour Party and trade unions, and why women-only organisation, with the afternoon session concentrating on the way forward in the dispute and for the women's organisation.
By Cath Potter, Manchester women support the miners committee Speakers so far confirmed are Lorraine Bowler from Barnsley women against pit closures, LOr raine Johnson from Bold miners' wives SuDOUl group, Lesley Boulton and Cllr Helen policing, plus women from Greenham, trades unions and the Labour Party.
The conference has attracted widespread spon sorship from local labour movement and women's organisations.
Page 5 scan of this page
THE MINERS' strike is having an impact in the workers movement across Europe, demonstrated by the enthusiastic response received by the miners who have been on solidarity tours.
for the women from the mining communities whose heroic struggle is inspiring women and men alike.
Germany, together with women from the Greenham movement. She describes her impressions and her response.
Our first meeting was in Cologne on the Saturday, we spoke at a march
The speakers seemed to g‹
didn't understand a word.
I didn't realise that I was to be the last speaker.
And I couldn't believe it, papping as soon as was clapping as soon as announced to speak before I'd even got to the platform.
There was a really good feeling in the crowd, and I
given bouquet.
Afterwards loads of peo-
IRELAND
UNFREE
Briefing
wrong
THE RESPONSE R
from ruling circles to
the Brighton bomb-
ings has been a predic-
table 'business as
usual' — anti-terrorist
chief Commander Bill
Hucklesby even took
time out of the press
conference to crack an
anti-Irish joke (to the
titters of the assembl-
ed journalists).
The most stagger-
ing reaction from the
left however was that
of Labour Briefing
who devoted the front
of the national supple-
Tatiatil. to of
vitriolic chauvinism.
'It is important,' they
said, 'at a time like this to
attempt to harness the
Hunderous conflicts
which we find all around
us as creatively
can. in the service of a
political solution. By this
we mean the election of a
Labour government.'
By tying such
nice heroken co
Kent women
visit Germany
many
However the biggest response has been reserved
KAY SUTCLIFFE recently went on a tour of
ple came up and asked what they could do to nelp. Iney were genumen interested and really wanted to get something
goinge.
travelled around visited different town every day for a week.
Every meeting we spoke at was packed and everyone wanted information about the strike.
The questions salle
We were asked about the national ballot. But people were most interested in the situation around strike
CAHHOLSON EVABANCI-DUSMANLICI!
NIEDER- MIT. DER
DERFEINDLICHKEIT! ATiF.
LOUDS! of reland
parrot the of
impact in an article
which
flash 'take
fects Brighton from their absurd that cabinet military
The they
resolve' it will fuel for
may even acreal the miners' strike. such fren-
patriots neral),
can have unim-
They
get it in
way cutting social securily
They
week, after
had Luku been for the
around women
how we getting the
the groups
with
Aylesham, twinning
me was the response when tion of the prime
Male writer have
Thatcher's 'composure rod's
Christmas?' all In will Certainly would find Norman deci-
as substitute rational
debate.'
This middle class betrayal everything
We defend
necessary, to rid themselves ULCOUN
big went think
many, SO thought
Ger-
'workers' participation'
things the workforce. But the ran and file left out,
discussions and it's not
The were
we back 16,000DMs which is well over And more
pay
crew over 10
will up visits.
visiting us.
Money for the
sent to: Aylesham miners' wives support are co c/0
Welfare Dorman Ave Sth, Aylesham, Kent. Dona-
tions preferably in cash, or
Killa
discussion amongst
not the theme homilies delivered Labour pacifists.
The Briefing we disclaimed for its front article and will be
in its
But the the Irish in disap-
"Thatcher's they
sion Labour
They are
of capitalism.
tainable Britain without socialist
Ireland. all Irish
your fight!
PROVERTON IND
Twenty-five thousand demonstrators invaded Barrow-in-Furness last Saturday to surround the Vickers' shipyard and protest against the building of Britain's Trident submarine. The encirclement was followed by die-in and firework display which simulated a nuclear explosion.
Peace campaigners were joined by. CUrL
of striking miners from Lancashire, Staffordshire, and Northumberland, together with women from the support groups of Port of Ayr, North Wales, and Yorkshire. The rally Mountain Ash women's
closures.
paign. Nigel Bevan reports on the trip.
The really crucial meeting was held in Eindhoven. Over 200 people
Ficial a the first
ficial meeting to be held in that town in support of our strike.
Here, as at the meeting in Best, they sent a letter to the Dutch lUC and the transport union in Rotterdam calling them to stop all coal to Britain.
At every meeting we attended there was a decision taken to set up a permanent support committee and there was intense interest everywhere in the women's involvement in we surike
On the Monday we went to bueme did sooke with trade unionists and a
workers' union.
Socialist Action 2 November 1984 which followed was addressed by Joan. Ruddock, Bruce Kent, Tricia Benzie from the Anti.
Trident Campaign, AUEW-TASS convenor Danny Pearson, and others.
PEACE DIARY DATES: • Saturday Novemer 10 10.30 till 5pm, County Hall, London SEI. Labour CND's NATO day school Speakers include Pat Arrowsmith, Günter Minnerup, sen LOWe and others. Registration £2 (fl unwaged). Contact: Kate Edwards, Sec LCND, Endsleigh St., London WCI or phone 01-388 1628.
Miners tour Holland
FROM THE 7 to 14 October NIGEL BEVAN from Penrhiwceiber NUM and HAZEL JONES from
support group toured Holland seeking support for the battle against pit
The tour was a big success. By the time they returned to South Wales the Dutch TUC (FNV) had committed itself to launch an official solidarity cam-
A miner from the pro. vince of Linberg also told us about the struggles defend the mines in Holland in 1965-75. There were 90,000 people working in the mines then, now there are no mines left. government pro mised them pension pay ments of £100 a week, when they closed the mines they only gave them f25 a week. Ine miners organis ed a mass campaign and eventually won a pension of £70 a week.
We had discussions with many different groups, for example with the union of the unemployed which is producing paper the unemployed.
Another was with the
TRING
• Saturday/Sunday 3:4 Novembe National Women's Peace Weekend, West Bridgford Day Centre, West Bridgford, Nor-
Theme of the lingnam weekend. links. Suggested workshops in clude: links with women against pit closures, black women and the peace move. ment, Greenham's future and relations between local groups and others. Contact: Susie on 0602 473145. • Sunday 9 December fifth anniversary of the announcement cruise deployment in Britain -Greenham peace camp have called a women-only event: Blanket Greenham. More details in future issues. Turkish solidarity move ment in Holland (TIGD)
This organisation exists to protect civil rights of im
migrant workers in Holl
MARTIN BEERIS, from the Dutch Labour Party (PVDA) helped to organise the tour. He describes its impact.
'The tour that and Hazel did and meeting in Eindhoven, a seen from the reaction of union officials and ex ecutives, gave us a good start to go on with
solidarity campaign Holland.
'Eindhoven was the first place that the official un was drawn l Ac tivists in the union have
dam headquarters of the Dutch (FNV) into
setting up a bank accoun and €100,00 has now been placed in it."
Page 6 scan of this page
The politics of the
Sociálist Action '2 November 1984 • DATE there has been little cession of Labour's new cace policy. Only now, after Merence has overwhelmingly acded it, is that debate beginning. inlist Action has consistently apaigned against its adoption. - will continue to oppose the *y because of its commitment NATO and to developing conational forces in Europe to sown plans forejiging its which fits neatly into ropean strategy. TONY BENN, prominent campaigner for Lateral nuclear disarmament,
for the document. JOHN ISS asked him why.
• first thing I wanted to ask was why a voted for the Labour Party defence cument? ¿ like the curate's egg. It was patchy. id say clearly that we would go nondear, that is cancel Trident, send i cruise and decommission Polaris. d it did give some attention to what
meant by non-nuclear defence ách was full of defence thinking of a od I've never been very interested in. But there was one aspect I thought is quite wrong: saying we couldn't brour defence spending down to the
percentage ot Gross National oduct as our European allies. This * been a party commitment for a long
We tried to get an amendment on
at the national executive, but fail-
told us something bour's economic policy. After all, rcentages of GNP aren't just about fence. If you increase the percentage defence you decrease it in other ods.
However, I did put forward an ernative Foreword that brought out the open a question that is really releat in the defence field: namely, are under threat from the Soviet Union? ai Foreword makes the case that we
't believe in the Soviet threat theory - it also reminded people of the Soviet atribution to the war with 20 million
It gave a completely different itical flavour to the defence docu-
A second amendment was moved at
VEC which made it easier for me to cept the document: that it wasn't the
word. it was open for discussion
I would like to see the argument ren forward now into the political
Are we going to have any defence
- whether bows and arrows, or tridents, or home guards or guerrillas which accepts uncritically that there ¿ a Soviet threat to attack Western агоре? believe that policy repared on this basis is really designed another purpose: to use the foreign men order l lepress
That is the area of argument we ould move HALO now, the details • VUL non-nucicar defence alc very condary arguments.
agree very much on one thing: the bote NATO defence strategy is based
an alleged Soviet threat. But I think
reality of the whole document is
more serious than you think. been a major debate inside LATO itself, calling for the type of
that the Labour Party is now
opting. That is, a big build-up of
ventional weapons Western
This is outlined by Kissinger,
aeral Rogers and others.
The defence document does reflect, in a
the thinking of caterea-aown loll, hose who believe the bomb is now too langerous to use. rgument has made people feel that a suclear war of any kind would be terminal for civilisation, therefore we've por to go back to a souped-up convensonal force. There is a danger that the Labour Party could get drawn in quite the wrong direction.
But the central question remains an
of the motivation and character of the superpowers, where we stand in relation to them. We eed to develop a policy that allows us
Photor.
to throw our weight, such as it is, in the direction of detente, development. The document is defecuve In that respect.
But the document goes out of its way to stress complete commitment to British membership of NATO. From you ve said, the sole NATO is to defend us against this (nonexistent unreal. 1as is anole. damental flaw in the document. do you think is the purpose of NATO?
Well, it's a good question. NATO grew up after the war, at a time when it was thought the Soviet Union might extend its frontiers. It was part of the desire by Western European leaders to commit the United States to Europe and avoid a
Party policy remains the dissolution of NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
What is dangerous about the way the argument is developing is that those in the party who point to a conference commitment to NATO then say that there is a contradiction between that the our decision not to be nuclear. And they say that this had to be reconciled — a readiness to stay nuclear by putting nuclear weapons into negotiations.
But then Britain isn't even in any negotiations, we play no part in them So the argument that the bomb gives you a seat at the table isn't even true.
The peace movement and Labour Party view of nuclear strong one. If that was the choice you would get a very different result on NATO membership.
The other thing that has to be taken into account is that reelected (which/seems very likely at the moment) the fall-off in his popularity and of confidence in the and which has begun - will become much sharper.
But the first priority is our assess-
ment of the motives and position of the , disarmament and superpowers. If we can get people to
think straight about that, a lot of other things will follow. If the main emphasis is on NATO withdrawal, without people understanding the nature of that discussion, we are not likely to succeed.
rationale for on party policy to disolve NATO and
the Warsaw Pact. Taking that as a star fun- ting point, What tional relations the peace question. pretty well come to the fullest develop ment it's capable of. Now it's got to redefined as a political movement with much broader objectives.
The Labour Perhaps you
mean by that?
I've been to a lot of peace conferences in the last few years. that the agenda begins with the horrors of nuclear war, but immediately people begin raising women's rights, racism, unemployment, monetarism.
and narrow movement, being by nuclear weapons and contined to the objective of removing them. It's absorbed with all the causes that are realv associated democracy.
weapons 1s a
forces in the United Europe and the non-aligned countries, the liberation movements around the world, are coming. clutch of demands that go far beyond lI keagan
the abolition of nuclear weapons or nuclear-free zones. A new international
being born.
Europe?
The main priority is to base yourself
we should discuss interna- indeed, go beyond
peace.
I think the peace movement has
you look at it that way.
And could explain what you
What's clear is
their histories. language
The peace movement is not a new
brought into
Perhaps I can put the with socialism and more clearly.
We ought to recognise that the peace movement and the progressive
Westert Moscow.
together with a
political movement is in the process of has created g
to operate in.
Well, I certainly agree with that. Take
the Greens in West Germany. For ob- One, vious reasons, they have developed a politics which is extremely clear on such things as NATO and the presence of foreign military forces. What is your attitude to these types of development in
Every country's politics reflect its own
and traditions. The Green movement is interesting, a way in which socialism can express itself in the context of West Germany. Mind you, non-political green movement can be very reactionary. But in West Germany it's a reflection of the failure of the SPD to take on board the idealism of young people and the passion for
Union.
France however is still reliving the shame of the 1940 defeat. I'm not saying I support it, but you can understand France wanting the force de frappe if
Ilaly, where the Italian Communist Party is the main instrument of the working class movement, you have a different situation. And the same is true for Britain and America.
If you examine the politics of different countries, you find they reflect
To understand the politics, and therefore know the alliances to build, needs a clear view of what's happening. There are elements everywhere we would, and should, ally ourselves to.
question a bit After 1945 not only was Europe divided, but the labour movement was almost exclusively divided into forces who aligned with the United States and forces who aligned with
Since then there's been a dramatic decline in the pro-American forces, and a decline in the attractive power of what might be called the strictly stalinist, pro-Moscow, communist parties. This
much bigger political space for the European socialist parties
But two directions can be followed. built.
extremely dangerous, is what I think you referred to: the idea of a third superpower based on Europe. That's a trend you can see rather clearly in the politics of Mitterrand - what I'd call Euro-socialist.
The other thing emerging is what might be termed a Euro-left - the left of the Labour Party, the Greens, and various other currents • wno are Up• posed to European nuclear weapons as well as American. They are opposed to the idea of economic sacrifices to rearm Europe just as much as they oppose any sacrifices to aid the Americans. The European third force idea was the one that created the West European
It was very much a Western establishment idea. It's the idea that American economic policy is dangerous and American foreign policy adventurous under Reagan. You can't be absolutely sure that the Americans will stay forever, and therefore you have to rearm, you have to have a European deterrent.
I suppose the French would like the force de frappe to be the core around which that is built, although they might accept that Britain under Mrs Thatcher might contribute something. Although our weapons can't be used without the They re just toys unless they're linked American international into the American satelites
I don't know whether you would call that Euro-socialist. It would really be the Brussels gang trying to recreate the old European Defence Community, like in the mid-5os, when there was ar attempt to supplement the Treaties of Paris and Rome with a treaty for a multinational force
That attempt failed then, now they're trying to bring it back
And İ also think that the ParisBonn axis, as The Times openly calls it, is based on the idea that the Germans would provide industrial strength and the French their diplomatic strength and the bomb - the core around which
Western Europe and the EEC could be
Page 7 scan of this page
peace movement
I don't know that that's really cialist. I think really it is a sort of lest European SDP or Alliance. The ct that Mitterrand's part of it and me individual members of the British abour Party are attacted by it doesn't ake it fair to call it Euro-socialist.
I presume what you mean by the aro-left is the Italian Communist Parand the bulk of the constituencies in ritain, and a lot of other green and enconmental groups, and the ovements — a torce that is canable of eveloping a new Europe, free from the reat of the superpowers and the ocpation of the superpowers.
The peace question is too narrowly amed terms the capons. It's got to be a very much oader movement, and it's got to have
alies in the non-aligned counes. I've been trying to persuade some n-aligned Tenders to estern Europe under the auspices of e United Nations, and have semirars
disarmament and development nich would allow them to participate Ine pontical me or une countries ere the UN commissions go. I would efer to call that Euro-socialist
That is where we should be going. If u go back to the post-war years, there as a third force movement in the bour Party which Nye Bevan was sociated with. What the Bevanites ere saying in the years when I was first octed to parliament until the ar began: was that thev wanted Bri in to be, in a sense, non-aligned. They anted Britian to be playing its part in a ferent way, and not tied mericans.
And I think all that history and imtus and aspiration and desire is repressing itself now in the whole of rope, East and West. ing we should be part of, not obusly part of Mitterrand's dream of = glory of France, buttressed by the wer of Germany and inspired by the ame of past defeats. That is not a ture which would attract the British our movement.
peace
nuclear
come round
general election defence policy
disarmament.
Cold unpopular unilateralism,
to the defenceless.
That is the
unilateralism, it is argued,
itself without the bomb?
GREEN
SINCE LABOUR lost the 1983 popularity
La debate on has broken out.
Many people believe that the peace movement, and with it the Labour Party, lost the argument on nuclear
Labour's defeat is often attributed to its profoundly
commitment to policy it is strategies. argued — which the majority of the electorate felt would leave Britain forgotten
The debate in the Labour Party 1983 now, increasingly echoed in the peace movement, is about 'defence without
nuclear nuclear weapons'. To win support for
woluer must answer the questign: can Britain defend
But this view of Mrs Thatcher's victory leaves two things out of account.
First, the overwhelming success of the Tory Party is not explained by the defence.
of its policies. undemocratic peculiarities of British electoral system gave a whopping parliamentary majority to a party which received only 43 percent of the lolal vole, and whose popularity (as statistics show) is in long-term decline.
It is not, and never has been, the case that Mrs Thatcher has a majority mandate for her nuclear war-fighting
Second, it is often conveniently
that many 01 Labour's leading figures most notably exprime minister Callaghan — fought the
publicly opposed Labour's promise to get rid of
weapons from Britain. lacked confidence Labour — they were openly encouraged by its own parliamentary leaders!
Labour's downfall does not mean that Tory nuclear policy is popular, but it has highlighted contradictions within the labour and peace movement about
The women Greenham
Common have won the case against the new generation of nuclear missiles for the whole of Britain's peace movement,
one opinion poll shows. Ine job everywhere is to build on the Greenham gains.
This won't happen if CND or the Labour Party go hook line and sinker over to Mrs defence. Strange as it might sound, this is just what is beginning to happen.
since me elecuon, unose very same leaders who cost Labour its victory, aided and abetted now by many with a
adherence have gained much ground within the party. And that same current of opinion is creeping into CND.
By Carol Turner
Labour's new defence policy, whilst repeating unlateransı argues for so-called defence policy placed firmly in the conThe text of "full Labour government, it says, will argue from the inside for NATO to become a non-nuclear alliance, no-first-use agreement.
Such an agreement is as far away today as it nas always Labour's leaders are forced to admit it will doing, Labour commits itself to increase conventional forces, longstanding pledge to reduce arms spending
Despite all this, Labour's new defence policy year's party conference by a huge fiveto-one majority. Defence and Security No for Britain has been welcomed by right and left alike.
Messrs Healey and Shore glowed over Labour's firmest commitment yet to stay with the Unilateralists in the party were content that promises to scrap Trident, get rid of cruise, and 'decommission' were up-front.
Socialist Action 2 November 1984
surfaced
niversary
of the December.
CND
openly witnarawal Irom Defence
Defence Charter'
policy' side door.
after another
CND of unilateralists
nuclear alliance.
Thatcher framework for Nukes
nukes -suasions.
The
commitments,
non-nuclear of
support for NATO. A
tion. starting with a
government been. Even
Meanwhile,
abandoning its
was accepted at this
NATO alliance.
Polaris renowned.
7 Meanwhile, the same debate has Campaign Nuclear Disarmament, in two complementary ways. First, the fifth an-
of the decision to deploy cruise missiles in this country will be on
12 December. Instead of the traditional mass action at Greenham Common to protest at this decision, CND national council has decided to call for a lobby
'Warsaw Pact' embassies on 8
They follow this up with resolutions to CND annual conference calling for a
campaign against Russian missiles. It seems to have escaped their attention that there are no Russian missiles in this country!
At the same time, calls for CND to
SHOT on the question of British NATO have been pushed off the 1984 agenda by the campaign leadership. There is a clear move away from the anti-NATO side of the campaign's aims, which goes hand in hand with a shifting emphasis towards non-nuclear defence.
A resolution calling for a 'National a declaration on the main principles which should guide
defence and foreign — failed to reach the final agenda. But the theme recurs in the form of a report to conterence from the for ward Planning Committee.
A draft of this was presented to CND's national council in October. No vote was taken on the report, which now goes — in whatever form the forward planning group wants to put it! -to November annual conference. This group are sneaking in a completely new perspective for the campaign by
They say: "Our overriding goal is to convince the majority of the public by the next general election of the case for complete nuclear disarmament by Bn tain, and the adoption of a credible defence policy which does not rely on nuclear weapons.' (our emphasis).
Working out defence policy is not, and never has been. 9 concern of teN!
— the biggest popular movement that Britain has ever seen. From its birth,
been specific ends: getting rid of all nuclear weapons from British territory, and withdrawal from the NATO Atlantic
These straightforward and limited aims of the campaign - scrapping the
goes a long way towards explaining its success.
For obvious reasons, millions of people fear the terrible consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, by accident or design. That fear unites millions of people of vastly different political per-
"single-issue' nature of the peace movement has always been the key to its success. From the early days
Aldermaston to the present Greenham Common Peace Camp, peopie have got together in their deter mination to prevent nuclear annihila-
The attempt to change the aims of CND — from disarmament to advising
defence policy represents a fundamental attack on the unity of the movement. Pacifists will not unite with communists on the issue of 'what defence for Britain'. Because their view of society is fundamentally different. To force the campaign in that direction will quickly break it up.
Any old non-nuclear defence policy is not an answer to the unilateralist's dilemma: how do we win before it's too late? The answer to that lies in develop. ing a socialist foreign 1 policy. Part of the pressure to devise it will come from a continuingly successful peace movement which understands the need to keep nuclear disarmament at the top of its agenda, by the national mass actions for which the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has rightly become so
Page 8 scan of this page
The right's blind terror
8
THE FSLN's daily newspaper,
has been the vehicle for a lively debate on the
coming elections, publishing the opinions of
different sections
those of organisations as well as those of in-
dividuals. Here are a few of them.
• a worker:
perfectly alright as we are.'
of strengthening the revolution even more.
workers will give the bourgeoisie their answer by
supporting the Sandinista Front.'
• a militia member, in response to the right wing
opposition's demand that the armed forces not be
given the vote (as happens in
America: 'I've been in the reserves tor 3 years, not
counting the liberation war. How can we not have
the right to vote, when we're the ones who made
the revolution, when we are the people?'
• à local trade union leader, on the bourgeoisie's
demand for international supervision of the elec-
tions: 'Foreign supervision is an offence to a peo-
ple who have carried out a revolution.
• the Sandinista Youth organisation's slogan for
lowering the voting age to 16: 'We're building this
country, we want to vote.'
• General Secretary
Union Congress
we're going to give
workers' power..
single factory is taken out of the people's hands,
not a single company, not a single bank, not a
single inch of land. We're going to make sure the
bourgeoisie never return to power.
• secretary of the Council of State, in reply to a
question whether the mass organisations and other
political parties would
ideological debate: 'Yes, of course. We in the San-
dinista Front believe that our positions are correct,
so we should confront the people with them and let
them decide if they
organisations should use this opportunity to in-
crease its numbers of members and militants, but
also to grow ideologically.'
Nicaraguan election posters
South Africa
SOUTH Africa's apartheid government is running scared. The invasion of three townships, Sebokong, Sharpeville and Bopatong by 7000 armed soldiers and police was not in response to what has been happening in the Vaal triangle in the imPolice attack crowd in Sharpeville
Socialist Action 2 November 1984
Barricada,
Nicaraguan society,
I don't want elections. We're
most of Latin of the Sandinista Trade
(CST): 'With these
institutional form to the
• We're going to make sure not a
included the
think they are correct. Our
The struggle continues
mediate past, but a preemptive bid by the Botha regime to try and ward off trouble to come.
This is the first time that members of the South ' Africa Defence (sic) Force have been used in actual police operations. In the past they have only played a 'stand-by' role.
THE INTERNATIONAL Nicaragua's 4 November elections struck a fresh blow last week. The biggest bourgeois party still running, the Independent Liberal nounced its decision to puil out.
The party's presidential candidate, Dr Virgilio
that «TOCOV exoldlica their aim was to force the barunslas VUCI dialogue with 'all political sectors of the country'
The decisions taken in this 'national dialogue' would then be ratified by the newly-elected National Assembly., leading. new constitution and fresh elecuons will two veals "The November elections'. he admitted. 'are still legitimate, but now irrelevant'.
The rhetoric here wafer-thin. The PLI know they have no hope of winn-
than small Ing HOIC percentage of votes. So they aim go over tne head of the democratically
The period since the
mid-1970's and particular-
ly since the access to the premiership of PW Botha
in 1978. has seen a rapic
and extensive militarisa-
tion of the state.
Top military com-
manders are strongly
represented on the State
Security Council, which
replaced BOSS as the prin-
cipal security apparatus of
Nicaraguan elections
campaign to discredit
Party (PLI), an-
elected 90 person National Assembly and wring con-
VUl of some spurious 'dialogue'.
By Stuart Piper
They attempt to face the Sandinistas with stark choice: either you
to making the elections look in the eyes of the world like a farcical one-horse race or you by-pass your com-
to democratic procedures and negotiate concessions to us directly close on the heels of lone this follow more right wing parties in Arturo Cruz's Democratic Coordinator (CDN), which refused to register in July this year unless the the state. They play an increasingly important role, not only over the narrowly defined security policy, but over the total strategy of the state.
By Charlie Van
Gelderen
The Nkomati Agreebetween South
Africa and Mozambique,
the first positive achievement of the
set-up. Having, allegedly,
secured their against any infiltration from without, the Botha
government is now turning
its attention
enemy the masses
fighting against apartheid
and all it stands for within
the country.
The derisive vote in the
elections for the so-called
Coloured and
chambers of the new tricameral parliament show-
ed that the white ruling
class had failed miserab v
in its attempt to split these
sections of the black com-
munity from the officially
designated black majority.
It became clear to the
government agreed to negotiate with the CIA. backed contras, something the nave always vowed not to do.
Behind this latest move lies the clear 'sleight of print Washington's hand, with its attempts to force a bogus parallel bet. ween the need for negotiations with the Nicaraguar 'freedom fighters' and President Duarte's negotlallulls with the FMIN/ FDR in El Salvador.
One thing stands out above all else in this sordid story of manoeuvring: the bourgeoisie's blind terror of democracy when it not strictly controlled by them to defend their own interests.
The Thatcher govern. ment's behaviour over the metropolitan councils or the NACOD's strike vote, after all its wailing about ballots in the NUM, is just regime that the spurious reforms were fooling nobody. That left brute notie. Hence the combin- only alternative. ed military-police operation last week.
this wAs ostensibly a police operation, the Afrikaanslanguage newspaper Beela, which closely associated with the Botha
'verliste' wing of the ruling Nationalist Party estimates the number of troops in the 7000 strong task force at 5000.
But raids did not have the intimidating effect which the regime pected. Although there were over 350 arrests,
the arrested.
Most of these seemed to be for petty offences such as
possession of marijuana
failure to produce a pass or being in an urban area
without permission.
Nor has it halted the wave of active resistance to apartheid rule which
sweeping South Africa.
On the contrary! Since the
massive raids, there has
been renewed outbreaks of
violence in Sebokeng and it has spread to the in-
19 July 1979: Sandinistas celebrate the overthrow of Somoza the most recent blatant example.
The Labour Party has a special duty here, and so far the leadership's response has fallen woefully short of the mark. The Thatcher government was
few that lent credibility to the really fraudulent elections in El Salvador this spring by sending official observers.
Labour Party conference passed an excellent motion this year which in. cludea a call lor a lig level NEC delegation to once ve the Nicaraguan elections, made up if poss ible of the party leader anc the spokespersons on foreign affairs and women.
The outcome has been Dudes. decision send Alf
Whatever his merits, that is not quite the
thing. Kinnock's own promised to visit to Nicaragua has been postdustrialised centres in the Eastern Cape around Port Elizabeth.
At Zwedi, police gass ed a crowd of 1000 and a Kwazekele, also in the Eastern Cape, some 2000 youths surrounded police when they went to in. vestigate a car crash.
In the past three mon-
than 80 people ths more have died in riots in black townships. There is growing revolt against life under apartheid against rent rises, and the indignities of the pass laws and influx control.
Up to now most of these struggles have been Simuleous character but there is no doubt that out of it a new leadership, spearheaded by the black working class, will arise which will lead the way to victory.
International
poned. Despite the glowing invitation repeated from the conference platform by FSLN representative Carlos Nunez, nobody seems know wnen Il might eventually come off. have to defend at every opportunity the democratic character Nicaragua's TITSE sovered elec tions, and explain the immense importance of these first ever post-revolutionary elections for socialists everywhere.
good start is to distribute as widely possible' the leaflet from
Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign explaining these elections. But above all, we need to organise in our local parties and trade unions to put pressure on our leaderships.
We want them to put all those fine words into deeds. And fast.
Page 9 scan of this page
Socialists and nationalists
REVIEWS
THE CONTINUED strength of nationalism poses problems for socialists, and among them are some of the most controversial for the Marxist and would-be Marxist left.
Of course, Thatcherite Reaganite imperialist nationalism hardly pose any great analytical problems. But what of the Irish national struggle, against the Spanish state, Scottish nationalism and the enduring demand for German reunificaton?
Arguments among
about tionalism generally go something like this. Lenin said that Marxists regard the nationalism oI the oppressed against the imperialist oppressor nation as progressive.
But ally concrete
this immediately Cast poses the question: but is Scotland Lne DasCuC Country / Ireland ' Wales
oppressed nation? (Generally the question
is it a goes In wo balls. nation?' and 'IS oppressed?')
Reviewed by Phil Hearse
Jenkins and Minnerup, in rather audacious
attempt NOVC. through all this by asserting that Lenin was rather indifferent dennions of what did, or did no!, constitute a nation. Rather
he assigned the question of
self-determina-
national tion, 'wholly and
clusively to the sphere of
political democracy',
rather than to the sphere
of abstract definitions. As
our authors put it:
'Unlike Stalin he need-
ed no scholastic yardstick
Which to measure uc
claims of a community to
run free
the of
different
ages, and
political
terspersed these
It is,
pelling.
chapters:
nobody My
on harsh
reality of and
together.
imharrass-
DISOLICIL
of the
hildren and
riends disp notion
The interway
Catholicism affects
their own
bodies, innumerable
guilt about
sexual rape
within sexual
Some women
recall self-
induced yet
refuse
chauvinism and
the fight of the Basque people nationhood. The primacy of the political struggle for democracy and equality turned the oppressed national minorities into allies of the proletariat in the overthrow of the autocracy, and the proletarian revolution into the condition for the liberation of the nationalities the
Only the rivers
tion.
One Cathy,
made them
Healy,
Party
no
women's and
terests
almost women
other rallying
He Alle imprisoned
street pro-
with their de-
fying the
hide
these
furtively their DWI
, both
and women
that it
amongst these
betweet. na-
right to national self determination on the part of the
class was Workie precondition for its own
51-2)
In the light of viewing nationalist sentiment this fashion, our questioning about national movements has to be reposed in a rather different way: do
first hand the harass-
break the
female way through
But it also these are fighting against the traditionally
the struggle
fighting for our own
don't no one
After found the section on
•Protestant
rEDSILY ULC.
tion,
bigotry
norance facts of
Despite common
experiences
childcare
there reof the these and me one
side'
that 'other it:
ing ones to
in a have
sense
of their
community streets and
they articulate
genuicy UNC demands and democratic aspirations of pressed groups in an imperialist world? To the extent that they do they are progressive, irrespective of definitions of nationality.
The second crucial theoretical point that Jenkins and winerus
Elleen Fol ther, Rolsin t
RUN FREE
THE WOMEN'S WAR
denom-
inator.'
The of the
continued by the
military, and
tory be ig
nored:
tition structured
women's in
haven't in They
The Irish freedom struggle: "progressive, irrespective of definitions of nationality" make is in relation to what they describe the
of 'neoresurreence nationalism'. Put simply, their thesis is that the nationalisms such as exist in Scotland, Wales. Catalonia, Quebec and the DasuuC coulill y are different from the nationalism which grew up with
ONLY THE RIVERS
NORTHERN IRELAND:
work to get rid of them,
not just ignore them.
to be an!
more part of the South as a
woman, the way it stands
at the minute, than Paisley
would. But that doesn'
stop me saying I'm
Republican well as
socialist and a feminist.'
If people reading this
book begin to understand
this relationship bet-
ween republicanism and
feminism it will have
taught them a great deal.
Only the rivers run free:
Northern Ireland, the
women's war
Eileen Fairweather, Roisin
McDonough and Melanie
viacr auycal
fluro rress
Socialist Action 2 November 1984 the rising revolutionary bourgeoisie.
form of petty-bourgeois, , democratic nationalism has been able to articulate the democratic aspirations of the masses in a way which the dominant forces in the labour movement have not.
The consequence is that socialists have to confront the democratic themes raised by these new nationalist movements by championing their democratic demands and not by denouncing. them, cocal 'diversion'. fashion,
Underlying these views is an assessment of the nation state will perhaps be startling many socialists. and Minnerup conclude:
"rar from the dark source of most modern evil, the nation state actually represents the pinnacle of human achieve. ment in the field of
emancipation.' (p. 145)
Liberal
The nation state el
that nation state is 'out-modea as a lailas. of liberal cosmopolitanism. asoccu the strainetoroardis appears straighttorward flicts between states are in reality no: conflicts between states at all, but conflicts between specific social ana class interests using those states for their purposes.
But the second is more sharply posed: 'The problem is not that our
political organisation has
lagged behind our social and but that our economic social and progress
economic orcallisallulls
remained behind our political progress.
This certainly rather paradoxical way to
pose things, and embodies
a rather different emphasis
to the traditional Marxist
argument that the growth
the productive forces
has 'outgrown' capitalist
social relations, and with
that, the fetters of the
capitalist state. But it does
highlight that well after
any socialist transition,
even in wide sectors of the
9 world, the nation state will survive as the only rational unit of social organisation
The second majos focus of the book, attemp ting to apply the more general theoretical points. is a sustained argumen: about the British state. nationalism the brills! Isles and the Labour Part! and the British state. evitably this turns into ar argument about the whole character Britisn ponues loda!
The key to the argument is thai conceptions ot socialism the Labour
(including until recently the bulk of the Labour left) have been constrained within a tun damental respect for the parameters of the British state — both its territorial extent and its institutional forms.
Further within that framework, interna tionally traditional Labourism capitulates
imperialism; and even its most radica domestic projects ('na. tionalise the 200 monopolies'!) have tended to accommodate to statist and authoritarian models Fortunately, and this ha been vividly confirmed by recent events, increasing body of the
Labour left which
'new' rejects these accommodations. Socialism
Ultimately, the logic of
the Jenkins/Minnerup
argument comes down to
this The programme
socialism cannot avoid in
corporating, as part of its
very essence,
democracy and the demo
cratic aspirations op
pressed groups, , of which
nationalism is one of the
many manifestations.
Engagement with
democracy is not an 'add.
but crucial to
both assembling a viable
for socialis
change and
reality which will look dif-
ferent to the bureaucratl
monstrosities in Easterr
Europe.
from this its only
point of view that we car
look at the nationalism o
the oppressed. The case!
put most eloquently
defending national
struggle in Ireland, bui ex-
the
cement sulll.
theme the book marxis
socialism, only
which can
hesitate over the problem
of taking sides in such a
situation is one that has
lost its democratic
emancipatory instincts
somewhere along the road.
or buried them beneth
heap of economic deter-
minism
'Socialism is not the
subjection of humanity to
economics, it is the subjec-
tion of economics
humanity. Its aim
political, and politics
rathe than either na-
tionality or class must be
the supreme criterion
judgement of conflicting
much as anywhere else.' forces in Ireland as
Citizens and Comrades
Brian Jenkins and Gunter
Minnerup
Pluto Press, £4.95.
Page 10 scan of this page
10
SOCiAlist
ACTION
STUDENTS
Ultra vires -
students, the
miners and the law By Polly Vittorini, London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) ALL OVER the country, unions are coming up against the law. In attempting to make payments, known unions and political groups, they are running up against the Tories' redefinition of legislation regulating such donations.
The problem arises when students, donate money the miners. women or other such subversive causes, vote to do just that out of their union funds. Instances of this have been increasingly numerous since the beginning of the miners' strike.
So far Thames Polytechnic, Manchester, Cardiff, Essex and Sussex universities have, or are trying to, donate money to the miners. Some of these are now being 'investigated' as the government has deemed that student union funds are to be used purely for education or welfare purposes.
Of course, supporting our class allies in strug gle is not part of their definition of 'welfare'. Union officers are told that they will be breaking the law and personally liable for any uitra vires payments. overcome the obstacle of a president or sabbatical officer who will not sign their cheques, even before facing the possibility
One example is SOAS, which has twinned with Grimethorpe Women's Yorkshire. union per head in Britain, the decision made last week to donate £500 to the miners was important and unprecedented.
After buying 'education packs' hugely inflated price (since, as yet, laws against selling at a huge profit!) the money was eventually sent off. raise money through socials, a special 1p price increase on all drinks in the coffee bar, as well as following the advice in the current National Stu-
donate the profits machines.
However, it is impossible to support the miners
without breaking the law. The use of the law during this strike has made it clear that laws are created specifically to crush certain developments in the class struggle.
Local student unions on their own cannot stop
these laws without the maximum support from all
students and youth. It is vital that the NUS takes a
stand condemning the use of ultra vires rulings and
organise a national campaign in support of student
unions faced with court actions for making such
payments
If NUS fails te lead, then the students unions
committed to making
organise to defend themselves. This will also mean
challenging the current leadership of the NUS on
how to defeat this type of attack.
The issue of ultra vires payments will be crucial
this year. It is our chance to show the Tories that
we will not be stopped from supporting the miners.
• National CND Conference, Sheffield,
23/24/25 November. Deadline for delegates is 5
Nov. Don't delay, make sure your college sends
its full delegation.
NUS Women's Conference, Birmingham
University, 10 November. All women supporters
in attend.
London Socialist Action Forums:
City London Poly: 'Women in the miners'
14 November
LSE: Ireland and the struggle for socialism', 21
• No Nazis in our colleges! Picket NF member
Harrington at North London Polytechnic,
Holloway Road Extension Site. Every Friday,
8.30am.
support for PNL's stand against the NF!
Want to advertise meetings or events in the
activists' diary? Write to Activists Diary, 328
Upper Street, London NI 2XP.
Socialist Action 2 November 1984
local students'
popularly ultra vires payments, to other
eager to the Greenham This results in many unions having to
of massive fines from the
Support Group
Being the most underfunded student
wrangles and protracted battles over
from the NUM at a there are no We have also decided to
from games payments must Book transport and pass resolutions of
THE RESULTS OF the shadow cabinet elections revealed the fact that the parliamentary party is way to the right of the party as a whole. The split among left MPs, the Campaign Group and the Tribune
wasn't particularly helpful of course. meant that Tony Benn and myself weren't elected.
We received the support of the majority of the Campaign Group, but, clearly, lots of Tribune MPs didn't vote for either of us. Instead they voted for others who weren't such staunch supporters of the party's socialist programme.
Tribune Group were influenced not to vote for us because we've
miners ath along. Tony
miners along. Tony especially has been public ly critical of the lack of support for the NUM that
parliamentary party should have offered right from the word go
arguments inside the shadow cabinet last year: about Liverpool, about the strike, and about the role of the Campaign Strategy committee of the national executive, and other things.
Now there is widespread reporting in the press that Neil Kinnock is pleased by
Many party consider this year's annual conference was unle best for years. First, and contrary DICOS reports, because it was a very well Devel conference; but more importantly because it took some good, solid decisions on policy.
VULC for Tony Benn, Dennis Skinner and myself on the NEC was high. The party will con
sider that the moves made
against us by LICi parliamentary party are
totally out of line with the
mood of conference and
the policies of the party.
the workers?
FOR NEARLY two
months 689 NALGO
members in Sheffield
have been on strike, and
another 165 look like joining them next week. all T000 Sheffield NAL GO Last Wednesday
members on strike for the
ray. And the strike ap-
pears to be
with another day stoppage
this week the
suspension of more
NALGO members for car-
rying out union policy.
By Paul Davidson,
UCATT shop steward,
personal capacity
At the heart of ine
dispute lies the decision of
management to tear up the
existing new technology
previously
negotiated with
This has resulted
in new technology
introduced without any
agreement with the union
being reached.
For most socialists it is
very disturbing that this
dispute should be going or
at all in a city led by the
likes of David Blunkett.
Labour's true
parliamentary
colours revealed
Photo:
By Eric Heffer, MP
Sheffield: what about
Services Worth Savi SHEFFIELD
The Sheffield District Labour Party and Labour group have been leading the campaign against rate-capping for months. All the unions in the •authority have committed themselves to this fight, none more than NALGO.
If Labour councils are to succeed in fighting off the Tory attacks on their
There's going. to be a strong feeling in the con-
that the MPs cutence who support party policy aren't represented in the shadow cabinet
But I must stress the role Solidarity Group the shadow cabinet elections. They put forward a complete siate
candidates. They didn't want their members
vote ior anyone else. And they got 10 of those 15 seats.
The only Campaign Group member elected was Michael Meacher. The party will not consider this representative those sistently been whose voices have raised consupport of the miners, Liverpool, and against the class laws that have been increasingly used by the Thatcher government.
Interestingly too, Robin Cook, who oppos ed the Evans amendments on reselection,
scraped onto the shadow
cabinet. That very significant indeed. reveals the true situation inside the parliamentary
party.
If anybody's moving towards taking control
the party and usurping the
role of conference, it's the
Solidarity Group. And
remember what happened
to the Manifesto Group: a
large section of it joined
the SDP!
Those on the left in the
parliamentary party have a
job of work to do this
year. First, the left has to
begin to act cohesively
And second, it's got to
fight for the socialist
policies of the Labour Par-
iy, in parliament and the
country as a whole.
budgets, then it is vitally
important that they forge
alliances counci
workforces. As Liverpool
has already snown. with
such an alliance the Tories
can be beaten.
The sooner Sheffield
council resolves this
dispute to the satisfaction
the workforce, the
sooner we can get on with
fighting the Tories.
Top town
AY - Rugbyt
rantee that will not diet
guarantee against bemosexuals seeking jobs Parmer Gordon robustly: *We're not having up for work in dresses and earrings. Dead right!
own affair. make their closet problems.
Preterence
Tor years we have had to endure a
campaign martyrs
ployers ham pretence for both
Loeal authorities notably the GLC money to any group on the sole qualit -have rushed ED cation that it te part minority.
The homosexuals have believe that they are superior, healthy con munity are our of step and normal the
- nice ry which swallows that kind
destroying itself. nopsens Lot's ALL tells
Rugby
than a game
By Frank Elvy, Labour Campaign for Gay Rights IN SEPTEMBER, the Tory controlled Rugby coun cil decided by 20 votes to 19 not to include the term 'sexual orientation' in its equal opportunities policy. malignant phantasisers of Rugby council and Sun, the people fighting back are those they want to ban. In this we have received the positive sup-
of Rugby Labour DULL Party and the chairperson Groth, Ri Coupe Labour
Saturday 20 Oc tober convened meeting which was attended by representatives from the Labour Campaign for Gay Rights, NALGO and the National Union of Students.
This meeting decided to set up a national campaign called 'Stop the lesbian and gay ban', and to organise a demonstration in Rugby on Saturday November. Probably the first ever demo in Rugby.
The next council meeting is on 13 November, three days later and the Labour Group in tend to press for the inclusIon term sexual
orientation Rugby's
News
minate
Collett declares
The Sun has nothing against homo-
What they do in private is their
But they have no right to
problems our
cast homosexuals frst as have actually been bullied into alla ten as heroes som
hand out public
of a sexual
been led to rest of the
in danger
ishting
- more In subsequent statements the council's leader,
clear that this means they esbians or the council. In short, they men work-
from the town hall.
HUbE citizens rights that have, nothing nothing less
They and their in Rugby
they smash lesbians gays and we're
not just gay rights for this
• Stop the and gay Saturday November, 11am, Market,
Road.
Page 11 scan of this page
CARS HEAD FOR COLLISION
In the Unions
Massive majority
for strike
at Jaguar
AS WE GO to press, 7000 Jaguar workers will be completing their final shift before taking all-out action in support of the '84 wage claim. decision came at mass meetings held last week at the three Jaguar plants in Coventry and Birmingham.
to support the shop stewards recommendation to reject management's final offer and strike November.
The Jaguar claim is for £25, sick pay from the first day, and for negotiations on the grading sucture.
In the final round of talks, management ottered a Jur
on terms that were unanimously rejected
the previous week.
50p was calculated insult. It was accompanied by a flood of management leaflets, which declared that there was 'no more money'.
They said that managemen woule nol be moved by strike action, and warned 'Do not be misled'.
By a Jaguar Shop Steward
In fact management are trying desperately to mislead everybody. Their talk of a 'very generous.offer worth 22 per cent' is utterly false. Even the local papers — no friend of the workers - calculated that for an average production worker the 'new weekly
would be £151.93, a rise in actual earnings of 6 per cent'
When Jaguar was sold earlier this ycal wallaze ment assured us that the hand-out of shares every worker would not figure in wage bargaining.
Every management statement in the last few weeks appeals to the workforce to count shares held in our names "benefits of working for
Jaguar'
On their ability to pay, management's deception is most blatant. The fall in the dollar exchange rate over the past year has
The strike
A massive 81 per cent of the membership voted
trom
boosted Jaguar profits by
1984 budget forecast. To meet the claim full would cost one-tenth of this year's profits.
The battle clearly over whether management alone decides how dispose of the fruits of Jaguar's recent success, or whether the workers who have created it are entitled to demand their fair share.
AS A RESULT of the decisive vote at a meeting last week, workers are set claim, which is due on 1 November.
steward at Cowley.
What happened at Cowley mass meeting!
The Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) resolution rejecting the company pay offer was put to mass meetings of the night shift on and day shift
Out of a total of 8000 in Assembly and Body Plants only 40 vote against strike action. The overtime ban, started last month, "Yes, we do have an incentive plan here .. work faster or get fired!"
Cowley walk out in 1983
Militant mood at Cowley
mass Austin Rover Group (ARG) on confrontation over their pay
MIKE PICKEN spoke to a TGWU senior shop
will be continued, until
The plans were picketed at the weekend.
The ban has been so effec tive that supervisors and non-union managers have brought from Longbridge and other plants to try to cover.
What is the level of militancy at Cowley?
Militanty is incredibly
high. Workers al C prepared to fight until the pay claim is settled in full. They are determined not to be sold out.
The wage offer derisory four and half per cent TOT tane average Grade 3 worker it would mean an extra £3.20 in th wage packet. • Workers are taking home £8.00 a week less than in 1981, despite a work effort being up by 130 per cent.
In the world war industry only Japan has a higher rate of exploitation. In Cowley assembly there have been disputes since January related to the slave labour condi tions.
At the last pay review, after the washing-up dispute, we were guaranteed by management that we would get £25 a week bonus, rising to £30 with further efficienty improvements. Despite
uffering speed-ur bonus
Cowley assembly has dropped to £4.00 weekly.
What is the attitude of national leaders to the claim?
The JNC resolution calls for ARG workers to take any action necessary to win the claim.
Cowley have great cocialuis of the national leadership, and have constantly called for the date for strike action to be set. We feel the resolution
weak, and gives too much control to the JNC What is necessary to win?
An all-out strike. ARG workers are learning from the miners and realise that an all-out confrontation is necessary to win.
we hope that Ron Todd will give the lead that has been lacking in the past, and won't sell US OWE LIC LIVer improved pensions, pay.
The shop floor is not getting agitated about
poring predictable first of fer. But if Ford worker want the company to give them more this year two things are central
First, we will have to fight for it. Second, we will need eyes in the back of our heads to watch the antics of some of our union officials and convenors.
Recent history shows why. This year's claim was drawn more demo-
since different plants the shop floor was sounded out via questionnaires, section meetings, and shop stewards meetings.
This culminated in national shop Stewele comerence m Coventry,
Socialist Action 2 November 1984
Victory at
Vauxhall
VAUXHALL workers at Ellesmere Port and Luton have ended their two-week strike with a substantially improved offer.
The deal is worth about 13 per cent for the main semi-skilled grade. This is a substantial improvement on the company's original of. fer of between six and eight per cent, tied to productivity strings.
One such string was Vauxhall's demand that the rise they had offered was to be based on 'merit'
By Pat Hickey
Mick Whitley, TGWU deputy conveno Ellesmere Port told Socialist Action that the result was 'a victory' for the unions
While the deal involves malor restructuring of the grade system, and 'selfUS CCLUll , the unions are confident that they will be able to deal with these issues at a local level.
Mick explained that a major factor in the success achieved by the unions was the picketing of the ports (Bristol, Sheerness and Hartlepool).
The picketing at Hartlepool, the main port for Vauxhall, had been '100 per cent successful', and this was due to the 'sterling work' of local Labour Party members and trade unionists, who had provided the Vauxhall workers with accommoda-
Ford gives you less
FORD MANAGEMENT have offered six per cent and sweet nothing in response to the annual wages and conditions claim of its 41,500 manual workers. The trade unions are demanding 14 per cent for all grades, a special payment for assembly line workers, and parity with staff on sick
The shop stewards asked for an across-the board cash increase. The officials asked for a percentage increase which will increase divisive differentials.
By Mick Drake, TGWU Dagenham
The shop stewards wantea lo renegoale lit new technology agree-
• LU protect 1ob: 13,000 have gone in the
three sycals Ron Todd's submission to the company did not mention this.
Finally, the shop stewards decided to end the undemocratic system whereby plants whether 200 or 4000 had one vote each at national level.
11
GM
tion, ce contacts, and so on
Vauxhall deal
coming at the very beginn-
ing of the pay round in the
HIOUSLY sensa high
level for other car workers
With Austin Kover
Ford, and Jaguar workers
waiting for answer
from their employers, the
example of determined ac
tion from Vauxhall will be
the one to follow.
Final
In future, mass meetings in the plants will decide by majority vote which way their total vote will be cast, and these will ten be louica up nanonal ly.
Negotiations
Now the trade union side of the Ford National Joint Negotiating Committee, over half of its members full-time of
icials, is having a specia meeting on 2 Novembe "to rediscuss' this voting plan. This date was originally set for further negotiations with manage
"toc busy' to meet the trade unions.
In reality the company has every interest in disen franchising the bigger and traditionally more militant plants. Ford workers have the power to take on the company and win this year. But they will have to fight anar watch their backs to do it.
Page 12 scan of this page
THE PICTURES of hunger and despair in the
are socialists — because this society is so disgusting, so inhumane and so immoral.
ages of a woman grovelling in the dust for individual grains of wheat with Europe.
But they haven't explained why these food mountains can exist willic millions starve around 25 million a year dying of starvation or malnutrition on lowest estimates.
By Jude Woodward
Nor do they explain that when Thatcher wrings BeT l HaIOS and makes pretence of rushing aid to Ethiopia it is the dirtiest hypocrisy. Not only does the blame for the famine
at the door OT the US and British governulICILS. but thev are now using it as an opportunity
destabilise the Ethiopian regime.
The rapidly worsening food situation across much of the 'Third World'
als tob e loor mos dhe tiy
the door government, with the EEC in a supporting role.
Since the Second World War the United
has beer able lo establish a world market in
which totally 1O0G dominates. In 1979 it provided 55 per cent of total world grain exports.
Over the last 40 years this domination the world market has been used to manipulate 1000 prices — undermining self-sufficiency TOO0 many countries from Iran and Nigeria, through Japan.
Cheap backed by US subsidies, makes developing home food production more sive than importing, or else forces superspecialisation in agricultura production
creating "banana' dictatorships, pineapple ones, lIKe parts LIiC Philippines.
While subsidising its own exports, the US refuses to provide aid to build up the agriculture of LIC I COUELNCS dependent upon it.
By Laneridge Ltd. (TU), London E2.
SociAlist
ACTION
Ethiopian famine have shocked tens of millions of people. They remind us only too forcefully why we
The news reports have cleverly counterposed im-
the food mountains in
The explosion in food
prices and food ex-
after 1973, meant
DUL LO
that many marginal states
were simply unable to
compete WilD agri-
business. Simultaneously
there was a collapse of the
agricultural economy
stale nke banglaaesn, OI Il.
Central Africa. Regions
Kissinger has
WolC O
described as 'expendable'!
The US uses its
dominance in the world
food market as a major
political weapon. cuts
oli ana allocales Iooa ala
according to who it agrees
WILd. slogan tor
policy can be summed up
support the and
live, oppose the US and
SLaVe
A typical example was
TOIUI the Camo David
accords when Egypt. was
'rewarded' for recognising
Israel by large scale US
1000 20. the Casc of
Ethiopia, hostility to the
Mengistu regime has
meant a virtual complete
cut off of US aid The
famine Welca Western
governments now bemoan
was created by them. Eritrea
The Mengistu regiile
itself has made the situa-
tion still worse by pumping
enormous sums of money
into arms to wage its reac-
tionary war against the
people oi Eritrea rather than prioritising tood pro-
OUCLOI
But withdrawal of the West's aid has nothing to
do with defending
Eritrean people, and everything to do with change the Mengistu regime's internaalignment with
LUlal
Moscow.
No imperialist country has ever given aid without strings. This is why there has been no direct request Ine westeni guvenl-
UBSCRIBE
Sata, 328 Urme
PO Box 50, London NI.
ments for aid, though Mengistu has appealed to the voluntary agencies aid. The Ethiopian government has not been willing to accept the compromises that would demanded in return.
Airlift
The machinations of the Tory relation to Ethiopia became clearer wnen its only offer of aid was made dependent on , Ethiopia accepung an KAr airlt ana RAF officers to oversee its distribution.
The offer • was initially rejected, and the Financial
Ethiopian spokesperDIDICYA IITRIAPSNEHOS tion: 'It serves the interests of politics here, the publicity aspect. We don't exploied by potici ans be want this situation to
In the absence of any alternațive offers Ethiopians have been forced to accept the RAF airlift, though at cost of f2000 an hour, it is
particularly expensive and ineffective method of giving aid. Thatcher
Thatcher's real - aid will go. LNScear to Ethiopia only when the Ethiopian government ready accede the political demands of Britain and the US. As soon
that happens ail the obstacles to aid will disappear. weanwae lse no perialists have a gun at the Ethiopians' heads. Tha gun is called starvation.
Socialists Britain should make it clear it is Reagan and Thatcher who have created the famine in Ethiopia. They should demand the unconditional sending any aid demanded by the Ethiopian government, any form that it decides.
Aid without strings, not crocodie leds.Is wildl should be demanded from inalenet s govermicul.
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Ethiopia
God's American
heads for victory
IN ONE of the most cynically manipulated elections of all time Ronald Reagan heading for electoral victory in the US presidential elections on Sunday.
The entire election campaign from beginning
end has been as pre-ordained and artificial as a script out of the Hollywood movies Reglast sed te star in.
there 'good black guy Jess Jackson who ran for Democratic candidate for ITCSUCIL LU CEDUIC IURUL thought of breaking witl the Democrats. The aim of
Thatcher feeds
on famine
that whole operation came with Jackson's 'moving reconciliation' with the white liberal faker Mon-
Democratic Party convention.
By John Ross
Then Reagan like he was going to win by SO much people might again think of breaking with the Democrats as no hopers'. So Mondale's campaign had to be given
life by adding to it the 'plain awarde millionairess Geraldine Ferar However much of the
wak bigotted they tried to knife
even a female representative of capitalism. So Mondale then had to be given another chance to close the gap a bit with his "last minute dash after the first penale with Reagan
Finally, on Sunday, the whole rotten show will reach the appointed end of the road wiich Is Wal Reagan should win massively but with Mon dale doing sufficiently well
persuade people that next time, if they work "just that little bit harder', they can get a Democrat into the White House.
Only one good thing will come out of the whole affair apart from the
small vote that will go to the Socigiist candidate Me Mason. This that, noperully, and probably, the turn out to vote will be
history.
If anyone ever wants to know why democracy not reducible to the right to vote once every four or five years just study that election in the United States. The whole thing stinks to high heaven.
← Socialist Action No. 74, 26 October 1984Socialist Action No. 77, 9 November 1984 →