Lothian test of tenacity

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THIS WEEK the Tories are imposing their 847 million penThe Labour-controlled Region has refused Tory demands to slash its budget, and will now be penalised at the rate of On Thursday 13th the council meets. The Tories, Liberals and SDP will be proposing a £26 million cuts package -mutilating services and freezing job vacancies, but not sackLast week's Labour Weekly announced that the Labour group "is resigned to the fact that it will have to make cuts once Younger has withheld the money... probably around The story was untrue - and no help to the struggle! But, unfortunately, left-wing Labour councillors are likely to go for a £10 million cuts package on Thursday.

This package is supposed to avoid all cuts in jobs and services, and trim the budget by 210 million merely through juggling amounts like a 25 million subsidy the council wanted to pay which was blocked by the Tories. And it is But it is surely more likely to blunt the struggle and Meanwhile, the Lothian Action Committee is meeting on Wednesday 12th. Socialist Organiser supporters will be pressing for urgent steps to convene the national action conference called for by a July 25th conference in Lothian and by many activists right across the country. : * Contact: Lothian Action Committee, Ruskin House, Rowland ON 27 June, the Scottish Council of the Labour Party decided to set up a Council of Action to fight the new round of local government expenditure cuts in Scotland.

At the special conference held that day in Glasgow, George Galloway, Chairperson of the Scottish Council, described the action committee as a 'council of war' which would involve the Scottish Parliamentary Labour Group and the General Council of the STUC along with the Labour controlled local authorities.

No concessions At the special conference delegates were urged to ensure that local authority Labour Groups made no concessions to George alties on Lothian Council. Younger, secretary of State for Scotland. In return the Scottish Council were to £1.5 million a week. co-ordinate the labour movement in Scotland through the Council of Action to give support to the Councils and ing council workers immediately.

councillors defying Younger.

The one tangible sign of action is the demonstration in Edinburgh called in support of Lothian Regional Council on Saturday 12 September.

•However much more needs to be done in encouraging a united front from the councils under attack and in gaining support from Scotland's trade union leadership supposed to gain time.

by a campaign among the membership for industrial muddy the issue.

action to be taken against the cuts.

Cracks the ranks. Stirling District Cracks are appearing in 15 Windsor St, Edinburgh.

Council Labour Group are considering making an offer of cuts to Younger. At a time when Lothian is reaching a crunch situation such an offer would be disastrous.

Stirling, Dundee and Coordinating Committee has big influence, are the front line councils under immediate threat from Younger. For Stirling to break ranks would put greater pressure on the other two. Stirling District Labour Party has still to discuss the Labour Group's report on the latest developments and they meet next on Monday 17 August.

Cuts supremo Heseltine Stand firm Delegates have to be a separate peace.

encouraged to advise the Labour Group to remain firm and refuse to make the cuts. The Scottish Council of the Labour Party should support.

make that advice clear and pomt : out to the Labour Group the effect on the overall fight of them making such as Glasgow District Council who will face the Support for lathian's next round of cuts have stated their determination to stand has been building up.

Local authorities in England resist Younger. and Wales such as the GLC The Council of Action should act to maintain a have given statements of united front and campaign for more tangible support action for the councils under Scottish local authorities. fire. 3000 YOUTH have been arrested over the past few weeks, charged with threatening behavioul, criminal damage, breach of the peace, and countless other charges.

Most of them are being held for the "crime" of being on the streets a night when there was a riot.

We know what the Tories think. We've had it all screamed at us day after day rom the bosses press -'Hooliganism',, 'Inadequate parents, 'Greed ...

We know what the Labour leaders think: "OK, the cause is unemployment, but really the police should be allowed to get on with their job."

The TUC see the regeneration of inner city areas as the solution. Big deal. But what have we heard about the 3,000 youth arrested -many of them still in the detention centres where they have been sent to keep them off the streets, many of them refused bail or legal aid?

Some of them have been beaten so badly they're scarred for life. One is dead.

What has anyone had to say in their defence? The truth is that the Labour Party and trade union leaders have been absolutely silent. Only a few Labour Parties have come out and demanded that the charges all be dropped.

Whose side is movement on?

If the labour still won't hear THE DEATH of Thomas McElwee, the ninth republican hunger striker to die in the struggle for political status, went almost without a mention in the British media.

And it went completely without mention in the British labour movement.

Labour and trade union leaders, reluctant to fight the Thatcher government in Britain, are even more relucafter these riots - where will the youth turn?

What's needed is a campaign to defend the 3,000 who were arrested for finally turning round and saying "That's enough - we won't take any more" - something we are still waiting for the Labour Party and trade union leaders to do.

For taking desperate action youth are now being physically kept off the streets, many facing sentences of months, even years in jail.

Crippling fines of hundreds of pounds are normal. These youth are being made an example of -the state is saying loud and clear "Shut up, and stay home - or you'll get locked up."

Defence

The labour movement must not stand by and let this. happen. These youth must be defended and won to the ranks of the labour movement.

We need a national campaign of meetings, pickets of the courts, statements, mass leaflettings to show where the Labour Party and the trade unions stand - on the side of the youth in jail.

The National Left Wing Youth Movement and its paper Class Fighter as part of the LPYS, is organising defence meetings and has riots.

managh/South Tyrone. The lobby helped persuade the local party to defy their national executive and not to stand a candidate against republican Owen Carron in the by-election caused by the death of Bobby Sands.

Thus the main voteof Sinn Fein the Workers Party, tunning on a pro-imperialist platform "peace, employment and But that is not enough. We appeal to Labour Party branches, trade unions, youth organisations, community groups to side with the youth - to demand that the charges are dropped and to organise a campaign nationally to side with the youth against the police and the courts.

There's a lot to be done - many youth still haven't been located by their relatives as they've been sent to detention centres all over the country.

We need to publicise what's happening as there has been a virtual press and Labour Parties, for resolutions of support tr the hunger strikes, for solir arity meetings, pickets lobbies.

Political status for prisoners of war!

Troo noW!

Self Irish blackout on the being handed out.

We need national and local meetings. Pickets of courts have to be organised. Money has to be raised to help pay fines.

The whole labour movement has to be stirred. The youth have shown where they stand - there's 3,000 arrested to prove it. The Labour Party and trade unions now have to show to the youth where they stand.

*Defend the youth!

*Drop the charges!

*Police out of Toxteth, Moss Side, Brixton!

Lodge Lane burning out of Ireland determ for people!

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Lothian, in all of whose Labour Groups the Labour

produced a special Class Fighter broadsheet on the

splitter in the nationalist camp emerges as Tom Moore