People's March gains momentum

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THIS WEEK the Scottish leg of the People's March is in Lancashire, and the two Yorkshire/Humberside legs join up in South Yorkshire. The Newcastle leg is also under Published by the Socialist Organiser Alliance, 28 Middle Lane, London N8. Printed by East End Offset (TU: Registered as a newspaper at the GPO. Signed articles do not necessarily reflect the views of A marcher's diary by Helen Johnstone LEFT Keighley April 27. Sent off by two clergymen and Bob Cryer MP, plus a few others.

Some people marched all the way with us to Halifax. Arrived in Halifax at tea-time to hear the Liberal Mayor go on about unemployment, then the president of Halifax Trades Council go on about the march.

A marcher asked to speak and criticised the Liberal Mayor over council redundancies, and said that the Labour Party needed to get the working class out on the street supporting socialism. It should not confine itself to meetings, otherwise nothing would change.

April 28: arrived Huddersfield, way. to a good welcome by 200 people. April 29: went to Bradford.

Good reception, hardly any host- ied. On May 24 thousands ile reactions.

April 30: Leeds. Joined May of women will take action Day march of 3000 people and against nuclear weapons. remained for festival next day, Many actions will try to which was well organised. Arrived in Wakefield on Sunday to rousing welcome by 100-odd ainst cuts and closures, people and some organisations. with slogans like 'Jobs not Most of the public support the Bombs' and 'Hospitals not march.

Holocaust'.

could be a tremendous chance to get support for these struggles and encourage others similar.

The trouble is that many of the organisers want to make it 'non-political' In Sheffield Firth Derihon workers are occupying to stop enforced redundancies. I n Dundee Timex is occupSend support to:

Timex occupation c/o J.

Kydd, 81 Brownhill Road make links with fights ag- Dundee.

Firth Derihon (Tinsley)

Joint Works Committee, -c/o Paul McKey, 17 Melin Way, Sheffield 7.

The People's March Marchers shouting antistrikers!

Demonstration: 'Britain out of IreGet active in your town land, self determination for the Irish people'. Sponsored by Labour Committee on Ireland and others. Saturday May 7, 1pm from Hyde Park, Speakers' Corner.

the SOA. parties remained sharply divided on the best ways of fighting these "threats"

Minimal

Some - liberals' - have insistently pointed out the minimal extent of "democracy" in the right wing regimes Reagan is attempting to preserve, others are concerned that sending more military aid and advisors could spill over into sending US combat troops, and escalate into a new, catastrophic Vietnam-style conflict. Significantly, Reagan drew prolonged applause for his statement that he has no intention of sending troops to fight in To appease the growing body of Congressmen convinced that there cannot be a military but only a political solution, Reagan's speech was carefully angled to look as if he were leaning in that direction.

He declared that the USA would support negotiations "both 1e man doctor.

• Whatever the decisions of the US Congress, the battle between the workers and peasants of Central America and the forces and agents of imperialism will continue until the brutal right wing regimes of the region are toppled, and steps taken to expropriate the land, the banks and the major industries currently monopolised by multinational firms and a handful of capitalist families.

In that fight the left wing forces need not the two-faced pleas for 'negotiations' put forward by the US Democratic party, the Mexican capitalist class and the timid reformists of the so-called "Socialist" International (including the British Labour Party) - all of whom fear a left wing military victory - but full scale solidarity and material support from the international workers' movement.

An important step towards this could be the Labour Movement Conference on El Salvador, to be held in London on May 14 (details, p.13).

Jos MADONNEL. BOBBY SANDS

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