LAST THURSDAY's decision by the NUM executive to continue negotiated settlement, and to refuse to give the NCB a blank cheque for pit closures surprised most of the Tory press as well as many on the left. alternatives as a return to work without an agreement — in reality an agreement would be imposed dangerous option in the present situation — was a victory for the left in the union.
The slowdown in the return to dication of this strategy by the NUM and a blow to the NCB's hopes of rapidly reaching a point when 50 per cent of miners are back The reality is that 60 per cent of all miners, the overwhelming majority of those who came and Arthur Scargill is a long way from being a spent force.
This fact is a vindicaton of the intransigent leadership given by Scargill. The Tory press, and wing in the movement Basnett's attack on Scargill on the eve of the NUM executive meeting - regard this stand as destructive lunacy.
At BL, and later at British Steel, the leadership of the unions threw in the towel at an early stage in the fight and became complicit in the closure Pr The result in both cases was wave after wave of redundancy, with no resistance from the work forces concerned. leaderless and isolated in the face onslaught on jobs. Militants at local level were unable to substitute for this lack of leadership and generate a fight back.
ODDS In the NUM, as a result of this stand there is an extremely strong left wing which remains intact and in fighting order. It has built links across the trade unions and into the Labour Party. It is a formidable force for the Tories to deal with in their efforts to destroy the NUM as a fighting force.
For the left in the movement the stand of the NUM has demonstrated the importance of waging a fight against the Tories and the right wing however the fight for The rejection of such and for a recall TUC - a work is a vinat work.
1984 are still on strike. The NUM, witness The truth is very different.
The membership were left of the ДРЕМІ difficult the circumstances. This IT IS not just that politics of the labour movement that are being fundamentally miners' strike. Major shifts are now being forced out into the open in ruling class politics.
The dominant element i use smacos oi coulse the economic crisis. There is no doubt that the lhatpletely underestimated the cher government comeconomic price it would nave lo pay lot we meis While the ruling class is perfectly prepared to pay any monetary price to defeat the NUM neverineless ine impact or une has completely off the government's short term econonic Dials.
Put most directly Nigel Lawson's planned give away budget in March has already had to be cancelled. The rapid rise in interest rates will signiticantly slow economic recovery, Nigel Lawson is now rated polls as the least popular Chancellor of the Exchequer since records of that type began.
While there are other factors behind the rising economic problems of the government - notably the noncies Reagan in pursuca the United nevertheless there is no doubt that it is the miners' strike which has seriously inflamed the The plunging pound is just the sympLONE Major shift The political consequences could be clearly in the opinion poll SCCIl published HasI weekend's Sunday Times. This for the first time for a year saw a major slide in government's popularity — down to 37 per cent for Labour and 37 per cent for the Tories.
When find government begins to itself in trouble, as this one is, then blows begin to rain creasingly rapidly. The verdict on Clive Ponting is obviously a purely poltical decision by the jury vote of no confidence in the government's actions on the Belgrano affair. It shaken up by the is going io be another huge source of problems for the government.
short what the miners strike has done is provide the background against which every other problem of the government has become clul mously magnified No matter what the immediate outcome Thatcher has_been dealt a major blow. In that situation other ruling ing to put forward their alterave Undoubtedly the most skillful manouvering in the trom capitalist point : of view, has come from Owen. For most of the strike he has positioned himself 'to the right' of Thatcher calling for earlier use of the law, for 'Scargillism' to be utterly smashed and so on. Now however Owen has turned up on Thatcher's 'left' calling for reconciliation, no vengeance etc.
There is no contradiction in Owen's position. He just has a different formula for now bourgeoisie should than Thatcher. He believes the key thing is tọ gain a firm right wing grip inside the trade unions rather than central direct assault on them. Owen's formula is to link up with the realists In Ene TUC As moves such ban on GCHQ get in the way of that Owen opposed them.
really decisive attitude the trade union bureaucracy is going to take to Owen's overtures Neil Kinnock is not going to move towards any deal with the least not until after he has made an attempt to win the next election. But the new realist wing of the TUC is now in full flight - and is likely to be further strengthened by David retirement. Here there is very significant reservoir forces seeking deals with the Alliance.
Also coming up is the orientation of Maxwell's Mirror Maxwell himself has been giving great prominence in his speeches to those, , such as Macmillan, advocating national government coalitions and so on: the Southgate by-election the Mirror, for the first time, studiously avoided calling for vote for advocated a vote against the Tories. Sharply right Kinnock, with Hattersley playing a vanguard ideological role, is attempting to take Labour sharp ly to the right to take ad vantage of the problems which brewing for Thatcher. The sole thing Ull united are that Scargillism which all lorce that is anything which threatens to bust through support you? Don't my ell me... you call i your TÚC chair! ceptive"?
Dhoto. JOHN HARRIS (Renort the basic interests of capital - - must be isolated and crushed. The differen forces involved simply disagree on how it should be done.
No matter how the miners strike ends now there is going to be return to stability in British politics British bourgeois politics had already become fun. damentally unhinged wit! the formation of the SDI the rise the The effects of the miners strike are only going to deepen the effects position still further.
#86 285 LO CORMAC Have I told you about "Labour Party Leadership contra.
Don't tell me.. ... tell the Pape!
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ACTioN Stand and fight
AGAINST ALL THE
Decisive question however is vishat