Social ORGA Scargill gets it right BREAK LINKS TORIES

Scan page 1

Paper of the Socialist Organiser Alliance No. 139 July 7 198325p THE Tories are frank about it. on the unemployed, on wage "LET's talk to the Tories" is the chorus emerging from a succession of right wing trade union leaders as they run up the white flag of abject surrender.

One after another they issue their humble appeals for Tebbit to see reason, and pour scorn on those, like Arthur Scargill, who correctly insist that only working class action can halt the Tory steamroller.

Len Murray describes political strikes as "plain daft"; Terry Duffy denounces those who want to fight as "fools". NUM right winger Sid Vincent agrees they are "bloody silly" and suggests "we should be in there talking to the Government and trying to sort something out."

Sort what out? There is no doubt as to the Tory plans: to pursue their root and branch attacks on jobs, public services and trade union rights, and stick the boot into the elderly, the sick and the unemployed.

Even since the election we have seen the pensioners robbed by an autumn increase which will be below inflation, and we have seen announcements of further cuts in NHS spending.

The cabinet is reportedly discussing new plans to cut dole payments for the millions they have put out of work, while Thatcher, quizzed in Parliament on whether existing payments are enough to allow the unemployed to buy as much food as a year ago, contemptuously replied "That would depend very much on their choice of food. How they use their supplementary benefit is up to them."

Thatcher also appears to believe that life is "easy" for unemployed youth:

"It's too easy for some of them, straight out of school, to go straight on to social security at the age of 16. They like it [!] Len Murray they have a lot of money in their pockets [!!] And the new Chancellor, Nigel Lawson, having leaked a probable 2% pay limit has claimed that "plenty of job vacancies" are available, but that "some people are making the deliberate calculation that they are better off on the dole."

What is the purpose of union leaders trailing along to talk to such a government? Scargill is quite right to point out that with its impregnable 140 majority, *This totally undemocratic government can now easily push through whatever laws chooses. Faced with possible Parliamentary destruction of all that is good and compassionate in our society, extra-parliamentary action will be the only course open to the working class and the labour movement."

Scargill is also right to point to the need for a uhion leadership that will "politicise" and "reeducate" the workers' movement.

"Don't blame the workers for the situation we find ourselves in after the general election. To do so would be a fundamental error. The real responsibility is the lack of real positive leadership by the trade union and labour movement over the last 20 or 30 years."

But to give such leadership and make extra-parliamentary action more than a phrase to be bandied about between right wingers and the left, requires more than conference oratory and fiery press statements.

It is good to see that Scargill's NUM speech - in among some rather extravagant passages -acknowledged that he had been too ready in the past to take for granted the wholehearted support of his membership.

If the next coalfield ballot on strike action against the new proposed pit closures. is to produce majority support, it is vital that statements of militancy at the top are backed up by systematic information and education of the rank and file in a way which did not occur on previous occasions.

It is easy for bureaucrats like Murray - who have never led anything more than a life of unbridled backroom careerism - to pour sarcastic scorn on calls for mass action, and urge extended collaboration with the tories.

It is less easy for militants, in conflict with the government, employers, the mass media and the right wing TUC and Labour leaders — to rally the confidence and class unity needed to confront and defeat the Tory attacks.

But as Tebbit sharpens his carving knife for another slice of union rights, and as the same miserable TUC leaders whose demoralising, irritating and alienating actions and inaction lost us the election urge us to sit on our hands and wait five years before fighting back, the message must be hammered out loud and clear from every union branch, committee and shop imants and's 10p.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Lawson has said it openly and clearly. They want to make life on the dole completely unbearable and unlivable.

They plan cuts in the dole to. make it even more uncomfortable for the unemployed than it is now.

This will be another instalment of Mrs Thatcher's 'Victor ian values' and standards.

Back in the 1830s the ruling class built great prisons for the poor, known as workhouses. Conditions there were deliberately made as hellish as possible. 'Outdoor relief' was abo12.L V J usnea. Tou nad eler to starve or 'go to the workhouse' The Tories' new slogan is going to be _ starve on the dole or work outside your trade, below the rates and job conditions to which British workers have been accustomed for decades.

It is simultaneously an attack stewards' body:

*Break off all talks with the Tories!

*TUC withdraw from NEDC, the Manpower Services Commission, Nationalised Industries Board and other "tripartite" collaboration with bosses and government! rates, and on trade unionism.

Thatcher has been encouraged to try this on the unemployed by the stunned docility with which millions in the last three years have accepted being thrown onto the scrapheap - by the failure of the labour movement to organise the unemployed into an angry army to campaign against Toryism. Unemployed marches have been very much a minority activity.

The new Tory attack can change all that. The millions of unemployed are faced with the choice of fighting back or being ground down even further.

It nan shanno tha whale mali. tical climate and make it possible for us to build a mass campaigning unemployed movement.

Thatcher promises cuts in the next Budget. The fightback and the drive to organise for it must begin now.

*Prepare for action to defend jobs, wages and services!

*Tory hands off the unions! Defend the political levy, the closed shop and picketing rights!

*For workers' democracy, sostal ballots and media of union officials! Joy Hurcombe, secretary of Labour CND, comments on the campaign to break Labour from unilateralism launched by Terry Duffy, Bill Sirs, and Frank Chapple.

I'm not surprised that the trade union right is organising against us. We have always known they would organise against socialist policies.

This new 'anti-CND' campaign proves that we have no room for complacency.

In fact unilateralism was already under attack during the election. Many decisions were made during the election that in practice cut against party policy on unilateralism and undermined it. That's apart from the open sabotage of Callaghan nd Healey.

For example, there was no party political broadcast on unilateralism. There was no morning press conference on Cruise. We should have invited the Greenham Common women to share a platform with us, in the same way we did with OAPs. I know they would have been willing.

The Party should go out and campaign for unilateralism not modify it in deference to the medial In the election we vaguely expected people to understand the party's commitment to unilateralism when they hadn't even heard the arguments and the leaders of the party refused to campaign on it. The party didn't seriously try to get it across.

If we do this we are in for electoral defeat anyway. People will see through the shallowness of a party that abandons its convictions under pressure. There will be no reason for any. one to believe we will keep to any of our other commitments either.

We have no reason to be surprised at Duffy, Sirs and Chapple. What's important is to know we are under attack. We must defend party policy. Now people will have to make an active decision to fight for that policy.

Scan page 2

ITUAL Organiser n0.139 July 7 1983 Page 2

----- pull-quotes -----

By Harry Sloan

glit tire Wich- MOmE Dieterat anti- CND gang

INSIDE Interview with Eric Heffer