Photo: JOHN CHAPMAN TONY BENN'S speech at St Ives last Thursday, when he raised the need for the ment to discuss the question of a general was reported in the press. It was accompanied by similar statements by other Labour MPs and NEC members including Skinner, Audrey Wise, and Eric A similar statement was put out by the editors of Labour Herald Ken Livingstone, Knight and Matthew Warburton.
We are printing Tony Benn's speech in full. We also asked him why he had considered it important to raise the question of a general strike at the present moment. We make some comments on it in our editorial on page two this week.
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unev were slaves move- Chile.
We all know widely Dennis through the ballot box.
All our liberties the courts, Ted obligation to obey unjust laws.
Bulain. THE LABOUR movement has now got to face the fact that a might become necessary to protect free trade unionism, ballot box democracy, political freedom and civil libergovernment have now mobilized, and used, the full apparatus of state power, including the police, the courts, the media and the financial system against working peoto destrov the NUM, government attacks have now spread to the TGWU, the GLC, the metropolitan counties and all local Workers in the great public industries and services are now being bought and sold by speculators, as it There is no guarantee that these attacks will not intensify until we have passed the point of no return, as happened in Germany and Italy before the last world war or more recently in that free unionism led directly to the winning of votes for men and women, and that, in its turn, made it possible for a party of Labour to be formed to protect the interests of the working class were won by struggle, often in direct defiance of moral It is against this background that we shall need to consider our response to the growing threat to democracy in must We shall need millions of pounds, raised by a levy, to replace the money stolen by the courts and to pay for our We shall also need to extend industrial action to back up the miners in their opposition to pit closures and Eddie Shah and Thatcher rewarded by Aims of Industry for their services to the bosses unemployment.
But it is becoming clear that we La SO start discussing, preparing, now, for the possibility of more widespread withdrawal labour by means of a general strike, for twentv tour hours or longer The 1926 general strike was called by the TUC in support of the miners who were faced with a wage cut.
More recently, in 1972, the TUC general council, backed by the naexeculive strike if five dockers who had been arof rested were not released from prison.
Any decision to hold a general strike would require the most careful consideration, by others before it was reached.
We should when it should be called, who should vices.
coulill y got across to dustrialists, those ties committee of the threatened a general not the unions necessary, also have to decide be involved, for how long, and what arrangements the movement would need to to maintain emergency serAs in 1926 local committees would have to be set up but these could be built up on the basis of the miners' support groups and women's action groups which already exist all over the We should also need to set up our caucalos prepare plans for seeing that our case the general public. possibly by setting up our own network of radio stations.
All these arrangements would take some time to make, which is why we must aiscuss mem urgenty, in cact trade union and labour party branch up and down the country.
No-one would contemplate such an action unless it became the only alternative to a complete capitulation to a dictatorship.
But a general strike may prove io be the only way of reminding this Government of the harsh realities ot They seem to have forgotten that their class allies the bankers. instockbrokers, judges. editors, chief constables and generals Callllul dig coal, illallulallul. goods, move trains, care for the sick or teach the young.
It is for us to make it clear that who perform those essentia lasks, and creale ine real weall Io. the community are absolutely determined to maintain their trade union and democratic rights and civil liberThe government must now, that we are serious and this ma: help to bring the prime minister to ne senses before the crisis goes too far.
We must make plain now that we prepared to have our freedoms stolen from us and that, it we shall call a strike to protect the liberties of the people of Britain.
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EY SHALL, NO STARVE