Cross out the Tories!

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hollow ring to it. By October it would have been further eroded and perhaps exploded by events. So - with lies in their mouths, and in their hearts the vicious intent to smash up the labour movement if they win - they go to the country while the going is good.

We can beat them, despite their present lead in the public opinion polls. The lead is big, and it will take a lot of work to crack it. but.it is not big enough to make the election absolutely safe for Thatcher. Leads crumble, as Harold Wilson's did in the 1970 election. If we mobilise the labour movement and its allies, we can If the Tories beat us, and Thatcher is returned for a second term, there will be no holding them. There will be a new legal onslaught on the unions, this time aimed to break up the existing labour movement by blocking union money to the Labour Party. There will be a further drive to dismantle the welfare state. Present nuclear military plans and alliances will continue undisturbed, and new missiles will be deployed in Britain. The social devastwtion will continue unchecked and untended.

Socialist Organiser has called for an anti-Tory crusade. It is still not too late to mount it. Now is the time to mount it. If we don't launch such a crusade, the labour movement stands to suffer the There is reason to believe we can win, but we will not win unless The left must take the initiatived in building a local anti-Tory crusade around each Constituency Labour Party. The unions are committing money and organisers to the campaign on a scale unknown for decades. Draw the rank and file of the unions into the local election campaign. Approach convenors, shop stewards, and your union branch secretary, and discuss ways of reaching and organising politically inactive Labour Party supporters. Initiate Approach nuclear disarmers, women activists, and activists from community and ethnic groups, and ask for their participation in rousing the local working class communities and oppressed groups for a crusade to drive out the Tory vandals.

It would be far better if we were going into this election with a completely transformed Labour Party, one with socialist politics, full accountability, and leaders firmly under rank and file control. The fight for that transformation is still going on.

Even so, a Labour victory is unconditionally better than a Tory victory. The Tory party is the party of big business. It acts against the labour movement with class hatred. Labour is the party of the lahour movement. If its leaders rat on their limited commitments, the labour movement can take up once more the struggle for accountability, and mobilise itself to oppose anything a Labour government does against the interests of the working class.

Right now the main enemy is in Downing Street. The first task, and the decisive one now facing the labour movement, is to mount an anti-Tory crusade that will change that on June 9. from page knock Thatcher out of Downing Street.

We must beat Thatcher!

disaster of a Tory election victory.

we mobilise.

Labour Party workplace branches.

Campaign on socialist politics. THE TORIES showed a net gain of 128 seats from the May 5 council elections. But 'independents' showed a net loss of 247 -However, on Sunday there was also a composite motion on the national minimum wage, supported by the NEC and carried, which reversed ASTMS previous policy to support campaigns to maintain differentials.

On Sunday night a fringe meeting on Ireland was disrupted politically when supporters of Militant intervened in a way which prevented any development of the discussion on getting a troops out policy in ASTMS. The ASTMS Irish caucus is to remain in existence, and will hopetully get involved in the Broad Left.

The main victory for the left against the platform was on Monday morning, when a rule change was carried - with the necessary two-thirds majority - so that the ASTMS members on the TUC General Council now have to be elected at conference. Although Clive Jenkins will almost certainly fat least for some time) win such an election, the democratic difference of having him elected by and accountable to conference instead of being there by right of his job is obvious.

The unexpectedness of this victory (we thought we could achieve a simple majority, but doubted our ability to get the two thirds) made it even better. and most 'independents' in local government are Tories in disguise. So a net loss of 119 would be nearer the mark.

The Alliance did badly. Labour had a net gain of 37.

So a general election victory is not impossible. It will take an effort - if May 5's voting pattern is reproduced on June 9, the Tories will, it is estimated, come out with an overall majority of 64.

BAS HARDY reports from Liverpool, where Labour gained control for the first time in ten years.

At last the people of Liverpool were no longer prepared to be conned by the phony pavement politics of the Liberals. Nine Liberal seats fell to Labour. The added bonus was that the colourful left-wing candidate, Jimmy Hackett, defeated Tory leader, Reg Flude, in what was considered to be a safe Tory seat.

The Liverpool result nailed the lie that left-wing policies lose votes. The Labour Manifesto commits the new Council to building 6.000 new Council houses, a major housing repairs programme, the creation of 4,000 new counci jobs, and the reopening of Croxteth Comprehensive school.

Militant

At least one fifth of the Labour Counciliors are Militant supporters.

Labour policies will inevitably put the City into conflict with Central government and the so-called 'Minister for Merseyside' Tom King.

The Labour Party intends to carry out its programme without recourse to massive rate rises. If this line is maintained and the government dissolves the Council. a new phase of struggle will begin in Liverpool.

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