Socialist Organiser

The weekly of the fused Workers Socialist League, July 1981 to April 1984

New US sanctions

Socialist Organiser no. 132, 19 May 1983 · scan pp. 5–6 · about 892 words

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THE Pinochet dictatorship in Chile has cracked down in the wake a mass demonstration and street-fighting on May 11-12.

In the early hours of the morning on May 14, the police and the army descended on working class arèas of the capital, Santiago. 'It was six hours of nightmare,' a witness reported. 'Everything began at 4am. The military came into our houses, woke us up, and made all men aged over 14 go out into the street. We were very afraid because they made us lie on the ground...

2,000 people were taken in for 'checks' ', and 200 detained. On May 11-12 itself, when a protest called by the copper miners' union federation was followed by street-fighting and barricades through the night, two people were killed and 550 arrested.

Behind the growing revolt against the dictatorship stands the economic crisis, more abrupt in Chile than almost anywhere else in the world. Unemployment is about 30%, the country is deep in debx. and industrial production went down 22% last year. ing clauses:

We are encouraged by the growing international support for the calls for dialogue made by the FDR/FLMN and by the recognition extended to the FDR/FLMN by the French and Mexican governments...

'We therefore urge that the present and any future British government do all in its power to promote a negotiated solution to the conflict...

Calling for imperialism to negotiate 'political solutions' can only mean leaving the fundamental structures of exploitation and oppression intact. It is likely to lead to a repeat performance of the disastrous reformist junta of 1979, which was responsible for more deaths than its right wing torerunners. willing to work with others of various political opinions on the Left, with the aims of constructive debate and furthering action and demands for the interests of the working class and the oppressed.

The class collaboration of the Economic Summit makes it more obvious than ever that a resolute fighting left is needed in the ALP and the unions.

Now that there are five Labour governments Australia, Australian workers can expect a halt to declining living standards and social services and rising unemployment..

Hawke

The struggle for the maintenance of real wages will challenge the prices and incomes policy of the Hawke government. Building workers showed the way with demands for catch up rises and a 36 hour week. These demands must be supported in the labour movement. Other struggles for the defence of social services and public enterprises, begun under Fraser, need to continue and develop. The fight for jobs is desperately important.

If the left of the labour movement does not mobilise to build support for the mounting struggles and to relate these to a programme for socialist change THE undeclared American war on the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua saw a further front opened up last week as Ronald Reagan announced economic sanctions which will virtually emiminate Nicaraguan sales of sugar to the US market from October.

The cutback amounts to a 90% drop in the current 58,000 ton import quota: the remaining 'shipload' would be allowed in, say officials, to show that trade could expand in the regime kow-tows to American demands.

Reagan claims that Nicaragua is sending extensive aid to the guerilla forces currently striking heavy blows at the puppet regime in El Salvador. the capitalist policies of the Hawke government will produce a swing back to the Liberals and demoralisation of the labour movement.

In the context of this urgent need to organise a broad fighting. alternative in the labour movement, Socialist Fight aims to broaden out. We aim to publish more frequently, to increase written contributions from a wider range of views, and to devote more space to labour movement issues.

To achieve this Socialist Fight needs your support. Our pages are open for your written contributions. Any help with layout would be welcome.

To pay for our new format we will need an extra $3,000 this year. As bills come in regularly, our budgeting would be facilitated by promises of regular weekly and fortnightly contributions, arranged by bank order. Lump sums are also, of course, welcome.

Finally, there will be more work in distributing a more frequent paper. If you are prepared to sell on a regular basis, even if just a few in your ALP branch, union or campaign group, we will provide you with the number required.

Contact SF Sydney: PO Box 147, Rozelle, 2039; Melbourne: PO Box 1729 GPO, Melbourne 3 001.

It has been suggested that if this support were halted, and the war in El Salvador settled, then US harassment of Nicaragua might be ended.

But every indication is that the Reagan team have set their sights - on destabilising • the Sandinistas as part of a longterm preservation of the rightwing, slavishly pro-imperialist regimes elsewhere in Central The only hope for defence and development of the Nicaraguan revolution is through its extension across the arbitrary borders of Central America as part of a sustained struggle against imperialist domination and for socialist revolution.

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TGWU "I think the Welfare State is quite evil"

TOPIONY- be better for women with children to stay at home."

FLUISHI rights and to go out to work and behave equally, he the Tories LABOUR WILL: ave achieved equality " - Tory minister Patrick Jenkin 1984

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NICARAGUA VARSOVIE

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