THE ALLIANCE of George Wright, Duffy and Lord Frank Chapple with Fleet Street, the SDP and employment secretary Tom King which has launched the current attack on the TGWU feature of the struggle that is now unfolding in the labour movement. Their aim is a fundamental shift to the right in the labour movement, while strengthening state control of the unions.
Kinnock's evolution to the right is an attempt to adapt to this threat rather than fight it. His project is to link the centre with the hard right.
With the weight of the state behind tnem, it will, in the end, be the right who will dictate the terms of this alliance.
The danger of this approach is evident. A bitter fight must be waged against it. Unfortunate ty, Kinnock has dragged with him some sections of the left who are in retreat in the face of the assault.
This tacks. It opens the door to the new realist right.
The retreat is justified by claims that workers will not fight after the defeat of the miners. The only course therefore is to avoid confrontation and wait for the next election. Unity behind Kinnock is the watchword.
Such unity is spurious. It will not defend the working class. Even if it were successful in electoral terms it would lead to a government of the Wilson-Callaghan type demoralising blows against the movement. It is more likely to lead to a parliamentary pact with the Alliance.
In any case the argument is false. The end of the miners' strike has not led to demoralisation and defeat. The fighting back. We have seen the evidence with railworkers, postal workers and teachers.
The problem is not a lack of ability of workers to fight. The problem is a trade union and Labour Party leadership which is not willing to lead the 5 The Scargill wing is a minority in the labour leadership. movement. But it is a minority with a potential for leading mass struggles.
This was clear in the local government cam. paign. But that campaign was marred by unity between those who and those who hid behind left talk and actually prepared the retreat The left did not fight this development sharply enough or early enough. We must learn the lesson. The half-way house have been the dominant tradition of the labour left, cannot deal with the most ferocious assault on the working class since World War Il.
Even from a minority position, the left must fight to pose the issues clearly before the move ment. We must fight fake unity.
In the past six years the left has gone through st C4Sto to the the deputy leadership can saigt of '74 to the deputy leadership NGA dispute. qualitatively sharpened this development. Continuing this fight is the only way to develop the struggle against the Tories leadership that the movement needs.
Editor: ALAN FREEMAN Published weekly except two weeks in August and the last week of December.
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Terry will be a constant and the media retreat not only encourages more atwhich would working class is capable of Its base is also a minority in the genuinely wanted to fight, positions, which campaign The miners' strike has and secure the These are ex-