Lions Led by Rats

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"LIONS — led by donkeys" was a famous descrip- sign of something moying. Activists should call This is one of the worst examples of scabbing by the Shores and Hattersleys and others who did tion of the workers and their leaders during the the trade union leadership in post-war working not support ASLEF to account in' their local 1926 General Strike, which was sold out by the TUC after nine days. 'Lions - led by a vacillating class history. Its consequences may well be grave less rats who lead the TUC". , that's the only prop- er description of what has just happened on the ASLEF leadership, and sold out by the conscience- at the top of their voices and carrying a big stick. want to be seen to be industrial dictators, roaring The style of management was no accident. They of a tremendously. promising revival of working class activity. Strikes to support the health work- In the last months there has been the beginning remarkable among statements by Labour leaders past era. His mild statement on July 11 was in such circumstances for not condemning the Michael Foot during the strike personified a The Tories picked ASLEF and 'flexible rosters' Michael Edwardes in BL is to be cloned across ers' claim have shown a high level of class conse- strikers. In fact he preached peace and conciliation to be a test case. They wanted to teach the labour not a pushover. The Tories wanted a full-scale movement a lesson. ASLEF was a strong union, industry. The 'smack of firm leadership' is to express itself in the sound of gates clanging shut laws. And health workers' banners appeared on iousness - and defiance of the Tory anti-union Instead of building on this revival, and giving it in conditions where the Tories were urging naked class war. Foot spoke with the voice of a wheeler- dealer out to placate — the voice of a Labour lead- er of the Wilson era of the '60s and "70s. Thatcher confrontation which they could win, to create an And so BR would accept nothing but abjeet a target and a focus on the Tory government with spoke with the union-bashing. voice of Baldwin ' ASLEF effect' throughout the labour movement. inevitably out of a conflict on rostering. Despite The confrontation did not grow naturally and ment. BR's brutal ultimatum against a comparat- The challenge was to the entire labour move- its anti-union policies and anti-union laws, the TUC leaders have joined with Thatcher to discour- Foot was irrelevant. But the 71 CLPs in Scotthe ASLEF conference decision against 'flexible rosters', Ray Buckton was talking throughout the ively strong union had implications for all the gov- ernment-controlled sections of the economy and their place in the black museum of labour history The leaders who sold out the drivers will take land, and some 500 others which could have been mobilised, would have been anything but an irrelethe British Rail Board. It is proof of the will to fight build-up to the strike like a man who wanted a deal and was willing to accept the basic demands of enge to the TUC. Tebbit's proposals for a new law as its stooge, was making a direct political chall- for private industry too. The government, with BR general secretary and leading witch-hunter in the alongside Ramsey Macdonald and J.H.Thomas. Most odious of all was Sidney Weighell - NUR a grievous blow — a deep wound, primarily self- Now the entire labour movement has suffered of the drivers that Burkton's vacillation undermin- imposing postal ballots on unions shows the path Labour Party — who acted throughout as a strike- After a massive act of treachery by the gened so few of them. The ASLEF leaders had agreed to almost everything put to them by BR on June Resistance - organised, concentrated labour eral secretaries last November stopped effective 17, 22 and 25. British Rail decided on confront- movement resistance, to the point of a general industrial action throughout BL, it was followed strike - was necessary. Mobilisation of the maxi- by a rash of uncoordinated strikes. ASLEF militmum strength of a united labour movement was The strike was also a test of the scale of the ants will mount guerilla resistance, and will probworking class and socialist renewal that has taken Behind British Rail stood the Tory government Instead the TUC turned round and struck at Party called on its /1 CLPs actively to support place in the Labour Party. The Scottish Labour maintain and develop the links built up between The lesson now for railworkers is that they must depots during the strike. They must develop joint fight back, the TUC made themselves into hatchet- Instead of organising the labour movement to unrouenoul country. The serious left-wing willingness to protect itself and in doing so to hate about the labour movement - its ability and For the Tories ASLEF is a symbol of what they men for the Tories against ASLEF. They threaten- comply with the ultimatum from British Rail - ed to suspend ASLEF from the TUC if it did not with ASLEF. 60 MPs signed a motion supporting Labour MPs — led by Benn - turned out to picket leaders of the trade unions will wobble at best and sell us out as a matter of course. We must create a The lesson for all workers is that the official thwart and frustrate the drive of the capitalists An utter scandal that it as only 60: Neverthe- rank and file network throughout out the railways further to exploit workers and beat them down. destroy it in a full-scale confrontation is to declare The eight hour day is 63 years old for drivers. To that none of the protective practices built over the their obligation to call ar ASLEF special confer- call the TUCleaders' bluff. Without even fulfilling An already wobbly ASLEF leadership did not less, compared with the past, that number pre- pared to come out for a strike being flayed by the press (ard by the NUR general secretary ) is a aside the leaders who turned themselves into - and throughout industry - capable of pushing Sham - has not had such a secret existence since the disastrous Aubrey, Berry and Campbell had pieced together publicly available information to expose the scale of the "Signals Intelligence" operations which help the secret service compile dossiers on us all. the process a large procity hardene to tax the reacher government in the aftermath of the Falklands war shows that the whole exercise was a waste of Meanwhile in a further embarrassment to Thatcher, it appears that the efficient cop-killer Barry Prudom previously employed his skills guarding another top secret spy station - the US National Security Agency base at Menwith Hill, near Harrogate. railways. ation.

Symbol confrontation. ASLEF.

and the Tories. decades is safe from attack.

It is to incite employers throughout follow the lead of BR.

No accident behind victimised militants.

surrender from the A._DF leadership. the Tories want to pursue.

called for, to strike at the government.

decide what to do, th-y gave in.

parties. for other struggles.

ASLEF picket lines.

and Churchill in the 1920s and '30s.

age it and snuff it out.

vance in an all-out strike.

inflicted. breaker and a scab.

Socialist renewal ably have to resist victimisations:

NUR-ASLEF committees.

ASLEF.

Thatcher's hitmen against ASLEF.

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- prodding, guiding, instructing it to go for throughout the was massive support in CLPs

WITH MY LITTLE EYE