[British Shipbuilders and the three firms interested in…]

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British Shipbuilders and the three firms interested in a takeover are rushing around like hungry sharks, but the shop stewards' committee at Scott Lithgow remain passive, as if reconciled to their fate.

They have yet to produce even a bulletin informing workers of current developments, never mind arguing the case against volunteering for recundancy, and attempting to rally workers fur a serious fight.

The result is that the management and media propaganda goes unchallenged and the number of voluntary redundancies continues to grow: 3,944 were working at the yards in mid-January this year (compared with 5,400 in March of the previous year) but only 3,544 by the beginning of February and 3,484 a week later. A further 738 inquiries about voluntary redundancy are also - so the management claims lying on the table. is one of defeat after defeat for Scottish workers.

Bedlay, Kinneil, Monktonhall and Cardowan pits havę all been closed by the NCB. NUM leader Mick McGahey let the rot begin. He has only his own bureaucratic politics to blame when miners do not respond to his last-minute calls for strike action for Polmaise and Bogside.

CORRECTION An article on Scott Lithgow in Socialist Organiser 166statedthat "the best chance of saving the yards now is that the terms of the privatisation will turn out to be so unacceptable that it becomes impossible to reopen the questions of the survival plan and privatisation." This should have read: ' ... possible ..." (i.e. anger at the terms of privatisation would make possible to overturn the previous decision on the survival plan and Becume a supporter of the Socialist Organiser Alliance - groups are established in most large towns. We ask £1.50 a month minimum (20p unwaged) contribution from supporters.

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Send to Socialist Organiser, 28 Middle Lane, London N8 8PL.

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ROB Johnston, a Socialist Organiser supporter from Nottingham, has been canvassing for Tony Benn in "There are Benn posters all over the town. I've never seen a town like it. It's fantastic, phenomenal. "A lot of new members have been recruited to the Chesterfield Labour Party since Varley's resignation, "There has also been a lot of support from Labour Party members from outside Chesterfield. For example, last weekend Sandwell Labour Party sent 'The campaign has included a lot of factory gate, workplace, and street meetings, which have been ver Despite all the efforts of the media, indications as we go to press are that Benn will win. His return to Parliament should be the signal for the Left in the Labour Party to get out of its doldrums and back on It's a long time since mass public meetings were a feature of Labour Party election campaigns. It is a long time since Labour candidates used elections to reach to rank and file Labour supporters and ask them for their commitment to a continuing fight after the election, not just for their vote on polling But in Chesterfield Tony Benn has done just that.

Many hundreds of people have come to his meetings Socialist -abour Socialist Fightthe mith a £5 donation (belatedly acknowledged) from Tim and diaper supporters dominate the fund column this week; Scargill gets it right Inside an; and a donation of £235 from Ross Catlin. With other nations - €5.10 from John Douglas, raised by selling extra THE atmosphere of financial scandal beginning to enshroud this government was again highlighted last week when the Public Accounts Committes renar- reported on the sale of Hamilton College, near Glasgow.

The report shows how the college was sold for £5 million less than its market value and describes the method of the sale as "astonishing". • The committee has apparently "never before reported in such strong terms."

Hamilton College was opened in 1967, a teacher training college which always served mainly local needs. It was closed in August 1982.

Before the closure there was a broad based campaign involving staff, students, unions, politicians of various parties and others such as church leaders - but it failed.

The college and grounds were bought for £270,000 by Christian Schools (North West) Ltd., a company owned by Mr. Charles. Oxley, an activist in Mary Whitehouse's National Viewers and Listenpers Association. The residenIces were bought by Miller Homes Ltd. for just £410,000.

The college stands in grounds of 51 acres and the estimated value was £6 (million. It would cost £20 million to build at today's prices.

George Robertson and other Labour MPs are calling for the resignation of Alex Fletcher (the Scottish Education Minister at the time) and other Ministers.

The sale. another example of the Tories' destruction of the public sector, whether it be services or property. By the next election this government plans to have sold off over £20 billion vorth of public property -that's public companies, state ervices, and council houses.

A valuable teacher training pollege has been lost forever, kachers and other workers hrown out of work (some iso out of tied houses), and ducational opportunities lost b the already depressed areas • Hamilton, Motherwell and he rest of Lanarkshire. JOHN HARRIS The parasitic friends of the lories in private education ind property development ave benefitted to the tune of fillions.

Miller Homes Ltd are kely to make profits on the cal in excess of £s million, the private school of harles Oxley charges £700 what he describes as a "sound education based in the Christian faith"

Meanwhile, Strathclyde Regional Council are currently looking for a site for a much needed new secondary school in Hamilton.

1:036 Chesterfield. He told us:

and have been out canvassing.

three coaches.

large and enthusiastic."

the offensive. to listen.

Benn has emphasised that this is not just a by-election. It is a confrontation between two opposed types of politics. Labour ORGANISER Join the Party ORGANISER witch.

TGWO