READY FOR ANEARLY ELECTION! the witch hunt and for an

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scab threat to water stake troops" wanted to offer, instead of cial Times, the 4 per cent the governly Govern- ment insisted on - and the y-planners union leaders will use that e a serious as an opportunity to get off : of an all- Because of the tremênI workers' dous effects of an all-out ird SO supporter, sending us a week's £236.30, bringing the January total istn't slacken off now! We still have to nning costs, and put some money towff our debts. So if your group hasn't n to the fund this month, have a collecWeek, groups should be making plans for d raising. We heard at the delegate Published by the Socialist Organiser Alliance, 28 Middle Lanc, London N8 8PL., Printed by last lad Ofset, London F2.

Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. Signed articles do not necessarily represent the views of the SOA. SMALL wonder Margaret Thatcher has refused to rule out an early election. In many ways the summer of 1983 is likely to be the pinnacle of Tory hopes for a further period of office.

With the economy currently running at 1967 leveis of output, and redundancies still announced on a daily basis, there is no prospect in even the medium term of a fall in unemployment substantial enough to merit a further delay in going to the polls. Thatcher must be resigned to the prospect of fighting an election with 4½-5 million peatie jobless or on work schemes.

So tight has been the Tory clamp on public spending however, and so draconian the cuts in benefits, housing, health, education and wetare that hatcher can still reckon on giving a vote-catching tax handout to the most smug and satisfied sections of the middle class in this Spring's budget.

Jingoism

And with her stage-managed trip to the Falklands under her belt, and the hurdle of the Franks Report surmounted, she has rekindled the wave of jingoism which engulfed whole sections of the middle and working classes last summer, and can hope to enlist this for electoral advantage -provided the election is not too far distant.

The disgraceful stance of the Labour leadership -both in supporting the war, and now in criticising the Thatcher government for having been insufficiently efficient imperialists in maintaining the armed defence of the Falklands - means) that Thatcher can play the "patriotic card" with little fear of a substantial response.

There is another important factor which might urge Thatcher to go for a summer election rather than wait until autumn.

The US Cruise missiles destined for deployment at Greenham Common arrive in November - thus heightening the sense of alarm which - according to recent opinion polls - has now gripped a majority of the population.

It appears that the impact of the Greenham Common peace camp. has been a major factor in weakening the Tory support amongst women according to the latest MORI poll.

Impact Thatcher is of course aware that the movement against nuclear weapons is growing throughout Europe. It is even having a visible impact on the Reagan administration.

There is no reason to suggest that a later date for the election in Britain will do anything but strengthen the impact of the peace movement - to the detriment of Tory support.

With Thatcher as usual playing her cards close to her chest, nobody can be certain exactly what plans are uppermost in her mind.

But it seems likely that a summer election fought on "putting the Great back into Britain", and on Norman Tebbit's latest plans to "democratise" the unions by imposition of state control over rule books could be the Tory objective.

Thatcher could also hope in this way to catch the Labour leadership on the hop, with the extreme right wing's witch-hunt half-way completed and causing the maximum confusion among the Party's rank and file.

"Party unity'

As soon as the election date is confirmed, we can expect a rapid "pre-emptive strike" by the right wing on Labour's NEC to force through a manifesto which avoids any commitment to policies adopted by recent conferences.

And in the name of 'not rocking the boat' and 'party unity' we can expect Foot and whole sections off tho Labour "left' to join the retreat.

Key policies the right will seck to squash in any manifesto include the most popular of all - the comGET mitment to unil: teral nuclear disarmament, 1 hich had barely passed thi ough last year's Blackpool conference before it was publicly disavowed by Roy Hattersley.

Both Labour and TUC leaders will combine once again to hedge on repeated commitments that a Labour government will not seek any repetition of the vicious wage controls which helped bring the downfall of the Callaghan government - and which are now central to Peter Shore's economic proposals.

Other targets for suppression include the calls for the 35-hour week without loss of pay, for renationalisation State corporations "hived" off by the Tories, for the reversal of cuts in the NHS and other public services, for the repeal of all racist immigration legislation and for immediate abolition of the House of Lords.

Questions

Even if upheld, such policies would only begin to answer the vast economic and social crisis unleashed by Thatcher's policies and the decay of British capitalism.

They would open: many questions as they answered: how would Labour deal with the probable sabotage by the state machine of nuclear disarmament moves, by the bosses of a 35-hour week, or by the courts and monarchy of the abolition of the House of Lords?

Workers would need to organise independently. to pursue the fight for a serious programme of policies to defend their jobs and wages and demand the kind of sweeping nationalisations and socialist policies necessary to create five million new jobs and restore Thatcher's cuts.

But without even the left wing policies adopted by conference, a Labour manifesto would be a pathetically feeble response to the Tory propaganda machine - and Party canvassers would be sent out to fight for votes with both hands lied behind their backs.?

The threat of The threat of an early election therefore underlines election therefore 1 the need to step up the fight the need to step ul in every Labour Party and in every Labour trade union branch against trade union branc the witch hunt, a immediate turn in the work- immediate turn in places and on the working places and on thi class estates to build class estates. to socialist campaign for socialist campaig Labour victory. Labour victory.

The best ar Thatcher and to 1 hunters is for Labr to start their elec paigns now, fight Labour victory o ence policies and local working cl And in London, also mobilise imi right across the cit Peter Tatchell wi mondsey. "EVEN with reports the Finan‹ "it is estimated b ment contingenc that there could b threat to health. hours of the start out manual water strike."

The water worl will also paraly sections of indust services and clean plies will stop.

Water worker GMWU, TGWU :: are already bannin as we go to press, out strike is du from Sunday 23rd.

The main fea ists in the indus the National Wat will propose s improvement - I per cent they IT was going to be this morning's post from an Oxfo wages. That's to £882.85.

But we mu pay all our rui ards paying • O sent a donatio tion this week!

Also this w February fun iswer. to the witchour Parties tion caming for a in confer• on every ass issue.

we must mediately, y, to help n in Berwithin 48 the hook.

kers' strike 'se major ry. Sewage water supin the end NUPE ig overtime and an allto start midnight, r of activtry is that er Council ome tiny laybe the 6 originally DEMI indefinite water strike, in the past there have always been retreats by both employers and union leaders as they neared the brink of confrontation. This time, with a cock-a-hoop Tory government standing behind the employers, and rank-and-file anger pressurising the union leaders, it could be different.

As soon as the strike starts - if it does - a flood of abuse against the water workers from the media is likely.

Fleet Street has often been compared to a sewer, FUl only £136.30 this week - until brought a huge cheque for £100 and some would call it is a great deal more com fortable and profitable to work in than real sewers. The editors who will hold forth against the water workers endangering public health would themselves never dream of doing a water worker's job for a basic rate of £78.20 to £85.85 a week.

The four per cent offer means a cut in real wages for water workers. Their claim -15% - is designed only to bring them into line with workers in other essential services.

9,000 troops are reportedly being readied to strikebreak. Water workers in London told us that they were not willing to work along side such strike-breakers, and would walk out and end emergency cover immediateND meeting that SO groups in and Islington have plans for planning a sponsored swim.

What about the rest of you? London N1. ly if they were used.

Other unions - especially the supervisors and the craftsmen in the water industry - should also refuse to cooperate. The use of troops as strikebreakers with the apparent justification of saving life and health is a preparation for their use as strikebreakers without conditions.

Despite their great industrial strength, the water workers will need support -to combat the media's moves to isolate them (remember the power workers in 1971), and to help extend their fight into a generalised challenge to the government.

The best way of doing this would be for the gas and power workers - who both have claims outstanding - to come out for their demands alongside the water workers.

East London, Lambeth jumble sales; Edinburgh,