The Next Step: No. 10, 11 March 1988

VICTORY TO THE PALESTINIANS! -see page 6 the next step-10 Revolutionary Communist Party Weekly

WHO

SAYS

THERE

BRENDAN BURNS:

after he died in a premature explosion, British troops left his torso to rot in a Crossmagien barn, where his friends found it days later. ins

IS NO

WAR IN

IRELAND?

The British authorities first sought to oppose Its rule in Ireland.

cover up the truth about the killings, using some whitewash left over from the Stalker affair. Through the media, they claimed that Mairead Farrell, Daniel McCann and Sean Savage had been shot by the- Gibraltan police, in a 'gun battle', after planting a "500lb bomb'. But those lles were too big even for the BBC to sustain.

It soon became clear that the IRA volunteers were unarmed, had not planted any bomb, and were shot in the street at point-blank range by plain clothes British SAS men. When Tory foreign secretary Support our fighting fund pay for your tns

• ARMY

HELICOPTERS

• SAS GUNMEN

Geoffrey Howe told the commons on Monday that they could have caused casualties in three figures', all the British forces had found was an alarm clock. The only three figures in the real death toll were those left lying on the pavement in bullet holes. Britain's dirty war in Ireland. The executions in Gibraltar came just a

THE TRUE FACE

IRISH DEAL

— see page 13 11 March 1988

ATTACK ARMAGH FUNERAL

SHOOT-TO-KILL IN GIBRALTAR

Gibraltar, with blankets covering the SAS Recent events expose the truth about fortnight after an Irish civillan, Aidan McAnespie, was shot dead by a British soldier on the Border at Aughnacloy.

County Tyrone. Only a day before the latest killings, huge Chinook military helicopters ferried hundreds of troops and paramilitar police around the South Armagh countryside, to attack the funeral cortege of IRA volunteer Brendan Burns, killed with his comrade Brendan Moley in a premature explosion near Crossmaglen.

Britain Is using the same flying fortresses which the Americans used to terrorise Vietnam, and the same shoot-tokill tactics which the Israells employ to dispose of Palestinians. The conflict in Ireland stands on a par with these international struggles, as a war between

OF THE

HOW

ANGLO-

THE

WEST

BLEEDS

THE THIRD

WORLD -

see page 11 40p

MAIREAD FARRELL:

In 1976 she was jailed by a no-jury court. In 1980 she led the hunger-strike by republican women prisoners, in support of their demand to be recognised as prisoners of war. On Sunday she was shot dead by the

SAS.

an oppressed people fighting for their freedom and an occupying military power.

The Torles excused the Gibraltar executions, like every other, on the grounds that the dead were evil terrorists.

That opinion of republicans is not shared by thousands of nationalists in Norther Ireland. On Saturday nationalists In Crossmaglen protected the IRA men carrying Brendan Burns' coffin from baton wielding troops and police. On Monday nationalist youth in West Belfast took on British forces firing plastic bullets, in an angry protest against the shooting of the three IRA volunteers from their city. The British authoritles may crow about the setbacks suffered by the IRA over the past year. But so long as Britain denies irish people their right to self-determination at the point of a gun, there will be others to take the dead republicans' places in the fight for Irish freedom.

TROOPS OUT NOW!

DETERMINATION

SELF.

FOR THE

IRISH PEOPLE!

iners have voted to call off their overtime ban, after five months in which it had failed Ito put British Coal under withdraw pressure disciplinary code. The end of the overtime ban vulnerable to leaves miners victimisation under the draconian disciplinary rules, and facing offensive by concerted the board on every front. British Coal may now pay the miners the 4.2 per cent wage rise it has frozen since November, but the issue of pay has long been a source of conflict which disappear. is unlikely question of six-day working, along the lines proposed by the employers Margam in South Wales. of contention. another bone NUM leaders have no strategy for resisting the employers plans to make miners work harder for longer hours for no reward. Coal bosses are speeding up their industry. rationalisation pushing through more closures in Scotland, South Wales and York- This process will accelerate shire. under the impact of privatisation in the electricity industry.

To avoid British Coal wholesale closures would have to boost productivity in existing pits to sell to privatised electricity at generators.

POLICING

Sood contrain THE Thatcher's Britain

FAMILI

WC1N 3XX.

Cheques payable to Junlus Publications Ltd 2 • 11 March 1988

OVERTIME BAN ENDS

MINERS NEED

FRESH START

competitive prices. The more by the South of Scotland Electricity Board, to put its contract out to cheaper foreign comtender to petitors of British Coal, steps up new the pressure. When the electricity threatened to ignore a court ruling delay its tendering exercise. Scottish miners" leader coal Bolton told the judge to sequestrate the Board's assets! leadership can offer its members is a strategy of relying on the same courts which fined and jailed them during the strike four years ago to defend their jobs. The impasse facing the miners after five months overtime han reveals that Arthur Scargill's re-election The president has made not the slightest Now that the ban has difference. been lifted, the door is open for negotiations with management. In state of powerlessness. its present the miners' union can gain nothing from negotiations except humiliation on the bosses terms. Four years on from the end of the last overtime ban and the start of their year-long strike for jobs, rank and file miners are in even more urgent need of a strategy political their forces. more

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THIS!

This new book sets the revival of traditional morality in the context of British capitalist decline and Joan Philips offers a Marxist challenge to the official orthodxy £3.95 plus 80p p&p Available from Junius Publications, BCM JPLtd, London officials have utmost to block it. meeting of over 200 workers at the Western voted overwhelmingly to organise all-out industrial emergency cover under their own control. They are determined to hit back at the Health Board's plans for privatisation of ancillary services, due to come into effect at the end of this month. They have no faith in the official union selective action them nowhere. GMB full-time organiser union, which represents porters, and other domestics would be discussing the specifications for in-house tenders with management. Gifford claims this is the way to get the best deal for the But workforce. idca Stores and a disaster for union members.

Workers at have been badly hospital's joint committee set about their plan for

I STATICE

suppliers Step One: the George All the NUM of a fruitless

NUM

as MICHAEL GROCE walked free from the Old Balley last week after a jury found him not gullty of robbing a bullding society.

The only prosecution evidence was a blurred video recording of a black man running into an office and then out again.

unite Police claimed to have 'computer-enhanced data to Expert witnesses proved that the police data was fabricated.

If one of my students had simply disbelieve them,' sald medical physicist Dr Alfred Linney. Statistician Dr Joe Schwartz thought there was a million-to-one chance that the figures were accurate. He suspected that the results have been cooked.'

REVENGE

Groce doesn't need to attention of the pollce. His 'crime' is that a police marksman shot his mother in the spine during a rald on her Brixton home in September 1985. The police sald at the Michael, and they have hounded him ever since. In to drop an assault charge against him. Their frame-up

GLASSON STRIKE

HEALTH

WORKERS

calth workers in Glasgow voted last week for an allstrike. Local union done their Step management to employed On Tuesday I March a mass Infirmary in Glasgow action, with then Greater Glasgow kangaroo of campaign which is getting Their vote was also a reply to report. Billy Gifford's announcement that his ancillaries, domestics and Otto hospital workers realise that a good deal would be good for union officials Western Inthe firmary who are willing to fight to defend jobs, wages and conditions let down. The stewards' shop sabotaging action before GMB stewards committee called its members to a meeting and lied to them about the strike vote. The committee claimed the vote was in favour of holding a ballot for all-out action, and not a mandate for all-out action itself. It did this knowing full well that the GMB leadership, like the leadership of all the other health unions, will

POLICE HOUND BLACK YOUTH

MARKED MEN

life. bandarn And prove that Groce was that man.

brought me these data, I would commit a robbery to attract the time that they were looking for February 1986 they were forced campaign Is an act of revenge

SABOTAGED

not allow a ballot for all-out action, but only for selective strikes.

Two: stewards called on throw out unwere

WOEKCES

WHO

distributing leaflets in the canteen, calling for the implementation of the strike call. Management took the opportunity to call the police, who harassed other activists distributing leaflets outside.

Management hauled a steward before a court to threaten immediate victimisation. Step Three: the leading clique on the ation. stewards' committee is now refusing to hold another mass meeting on the grounds that there is nothing new to when It seems that only private contractors come into the hospital in a fortnight's time to measure up all the jobs for their tenders will the union saboteurs find anything "new to report".

Health workers at the Western

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THIS!

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MAIMED: TREVOR MONERVILLE

Trevor Monerville is another victim of police vindictiveness.

He was arrested again last week after police clalmed wrongly that he broke his ball conditions. In November Monerville was held on a trumped-up charge after an alleged street Incident in are unsure about what to do next.

But one thing they are certain of is that they have been sold out.

bottlewasher in the GMB remarked that these stewards must have a real for rank and file contempt members, to believe we are so stupid as not to know what we voted for.'

There is a danger that the union leaders, whose only concern is to maintain a working relationship with management, will succeed in demobilising the rank and file. The priority now is to bring together organise effective action against privatis- Time is short. But it is still possible to give some nasty surprises to the time and motion men when they arrive in two weeks time to carve up our jobs. Alan Harding Revolutionary Communist Party members and supporters sold 1400 copies of tas on last Saturday's national NHS demonstration in

IS THERE A

SCOTTISH

SOLUTION?

The working class and the assembly debate Mick Hume and Derek Owen Hackney. But his real 'offence" is that he gave the police a bad name when he emerged from Stoke Newington police station in January 1987, braindamaged, concussed, partially paralysed and suffering from Impaired vision. Trevor's father John Monerville says that Hackney police have stopped his son four times in the past fortnight.

'They all knew who he was, he added. The scars Monerville received in police custody last year have made him into a marked man for life. Last week the Metropolitan Pollce issued a glossy pamphlet to show their commitment to stamping out racist harassment. But the most systematic harassment of black people is carried out by police officers. And if a black youth has the audacity to cause them any embarrassment, they'll go back and get him again and again and again.

FIGHTBACK IN HANDSWORTH

Handsworth People's Campaign Public Meeting Bimingham March. Say No to 1 Finch Road. Lozets. Wednesday the next step

Revolutionary Communist Party weekly MARGARET THATCHER may not have got everything she would have liked from last week's Nato summit. The final communique fudged the issue of modernising nuclear weapons, of which she was the keenest supporter. The English translation affirmed that the missiles should be 'kept up to while dare, wnere necessary: the German version sald only that they should be 'kept in an adequate state, where necessary. But she won't be too worried about that. The summit was a big success for her where It mattered - in domestic British politics.

Thatcher used the summit to promote herself as the most senlor Western leader. She struck a pose both as the talent-spotter who 'discovered firmest opponent of the Soviet Bear, who would not be taken In by Gorbachev's sweet-talk.

Her performance helped to Sense nernoover parlamentary politics, by creating a militanstic climate with which Nell Kinnock's Labour Party cannot cope.

On her return to Britain, Kinnock tried to needle Thatcher over her enthusiastic support for nuclear weapons which, he claimed, had caused her to be 'sidelined' in Brussels. Thatcher accused him of talking 'claptrap'. Then she ringing declaration that Labour has no memory, no stomach, no spine and no guts.' That was the end of the debate, with another quick knock-out victory for the Tories. Whatever problems she might face on issues like the that the old standards of anti- AS we got to press, chancellor Nigel Lawson is preparing to deliver his budget speech.

Whatever he announces, and however he boasts about an economic miracle, It cannot disguise the fact that the British economy is weak and uncompetitive. Last week's announcement of a record current account deficit of £900m in January gives a truer picture of the state of British capitalism. The government used the poor trade figures to hint that It would not be making very big tax cuts in the budget. Lawson would ilke to take a big slice off the tax burden. But he fears that Britieh businere would take advantage of a large the next step the next step No 10

GUTS WANTED

Sovietism, patriotism and milltarism will stand her in good stead. The official opposition parties, both old and new, are closely committed to the British state and deeply embedded in the attitudes of Empire and Cold War. She can always unnerve them with accusations that they are soft or gutless towards communists, terrorists, foreigners in general, or anything which is supposed to threaten the British way of life'. The Tory government has lost its way on several fronts. The economy is immeasurably weaker than ministerial statements would have us belleve (see below). Tory policies on issues ilke the NHS and the poll tax are profoundly unpopular. The only new policies the government can offer are empty, paper Initiatives like this week's scheme to revive the inner citles without spending any money. In these circumstances, the Torles rely more and more on the political weakness of their opponents on the big Issues like defence. The government has sought to make the maximum mileage out of the chauvinism Thatcher stirred up around the summit.

This week the Royal Navy began sabre-rattling exercises around the Malvinas, while the SAS shot dead three unarmed Irish republicans in Gibraltar.

The Torles cheered all of this to the rafters, to show that they are still the party best equipped to carry the Union Jack as a symbol of British Imperlalism around the world.

Labour simply buckled before the government's gung-ho assault, proving Thatcher's

BEHIND THE BUDGET

Increase of money in the economy to inflate prices and compensate for low profitability. Past experience has Talent he ones inflation is no solution to the problems of an economy which can't compete in world markets. The Torles want to use the breathing space provided by reind government revenues to redouble the drive to rationalise British industry.

Most of the cash will be used to reduce the government's deficit on spending and to pay off past debt, rather than to fund huge tax cuts. The Torles' commitment to a high, or even Publisher Revolutionary Communist Party, BM RCP, London WCAN 3XX = copyright Printer Morning Litho Printers Ltd (TU), 439 North Woolwich Road, London E16 Annual subscription rates • Britain and Northern Ireland E26 Europe and irish Republic £34 • North Africa and Middie East (airmail) E34 • Americas, Asia Central and Southern Africa (airmail! [37 • Australasia, Japan (airmail) E40 • Outside Europe - All destinations (surface mall) £33.

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Circulation 01-729 3771. Newsdesk 01-729 3771. Correspondence to The Editor, the next step, BCM JPLTD, London WCIN 3XX ISSN 0144 350 X 11 March 1988, Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office.

Editor: Mick Hume assessment of its stomach and spine correct. On Monday foreign secretary Howe blandly announced to the commons that the authorities had lied and that the IRA members gunned down by the SAS had not, after all, any arms or explosives about them.

Labour foreign affairs spokesman George Robertson humbly replied that the commons 'speaks with one voice in supporting the shootto-kill policy. This is the sort of 'opposition' which has reduced the Labour Party to a state of reevance. The Tories can steer clear of serious trouble so long as they dominate such key debates. To change this state of affairs, we need an opposition movement which will not give in every time the government yells or 'the national "defence interest. In a nation controlled by a capitalist elite which survives by explolting the third world, these buzz-words are demands to defend the interests of the ruling class across the globe. We have no Interest in so doing. The working class requires a new political leadership. One which has memory enough to seek to avente me crimes which Thatcher has committed under the Union Jack, from the South Atlantic to South Armagh. One which has guts enough to take sides with those, like the Irish, who resist her government. One which has spine enough to stand up to the chauvinist backlash. Faced with such a movement, Thatcher will need more than clever translations to retain her Image of invulnerability at ising, sterling exchange rate s their way of telling British industrialists to expect no artificial props in their competitiveness. Instead, the Tories want the employers to step up their attacks on pay and work practices. Is leading from the front, with Its ambitlous plans to rationalise the civil service, privatise nationalised industries like electricity, and allow the shipyards to sink. We must not allow the hype about tax cuts and miracles to blind us to the way in which they are planning to save their system at our extense. duc to ro in There education support £93m cuts, start onwards. Tory central Great Tory propaganda for llea employees. should oppose 3800NT and working

FUDGE

the Labour Here the government ing democracy? to fight. employers, are not. the explain Ilea's Labour group.

BEATING BAKER MEANS DEFEATING LABOUR'S CUTS

ILEA ON THE

CHOPPING BLOCK

JOBS AND

DEMOCRACY

heard last week that 30 jobs are my department. 30 jobs in my are department. That's how Iknew I was going to be out of work." This worker's experience is typical of what's going on in the Inner London Education Authority. Ilea has budgeted for Tory in line with spending restrictions. If the cuts go through, at least 6000 jobs will disappear May from Ilea is a Labour authority which has proved willing to inflict Tory the cuts on its workforce. Ilea workers are also under direct attack from government. Education Reform Bill (Gerbil), which Kenneth Baker is steering through parliament, is a Last 170-page hit-list of cuts.

Gerbil also aims to turn schools and colleges into a mouthpiece for about moral standards. The Tories want to get rid of the loony left' Ilea. They plan to abolish it in 1990.

There are two issues at stake here The Tories' abolition plans are an attack on democracy, and we image. attempt remove our right to an clected education authority for London.

authority's

CHES

programme is an attack on jobs conditions, which education workers must unite their Ilea leaders are keen to fudge the distinction between the two issues.

They claim that the only way to save London's right to an elected education authority is to defend administration and support its cuts budget. But if we divide our ranks by defending a Labour employer which is committed to drastic cuts, how can we expect to unite our forces against a Tory government bent on attack- Many lea workers, threatened with redundancy, are determined Their union leaders, whose loyalties lie with the Labour When llea managers call a staff meeting to job Soccer officials often share their platform.

the Many executive positions in the NUT. the largest teachers' union.

are occupied by headteachers. In other words most NUT leaders are low-level managers who endorse the polices of their superiors in Union leaders dare not allow a militant campaign against Baker

CAMDENT

SCHOOL

FOR GIRLS

because they fear that workers' would also be directed militancy against Labour. Instead they organising futile publicity stunts which have the effect of demobilising resistance.

Last month's rally in the Royal Albert Hall was billed as a mass defence of demonstration in thousand people turned up, explained an angry teacher from Southwark. "There was no mention of defending jobs.

were treated to Archbishop Worlock arguing that Baker Bill doesn't give religious scone tor The whole thing was education. totally removed from the kind of action we need.

SQUABBLES

week NUT officials unveiled a new helping hand" logo to replace the union's "flaming They claimed that torch' image. the old image was too militant', and did not properly reflect the "professionalism' of NUT members.

Officials from the NAS/UWT, the second largest teachers' union, have tried to project a similar Teachers' leaders are making a play for sympathetic press coverage on the grounds that 'professionals" deserve treatment. But press coverage has never won a dispute, and the focus 'professionals can only divisions the reinforce various Ilea unions. There are more than a dozen unions in lea, and their squabbles have already done too much damage. Union leaders gave out a host of contradictory instructions for the Ilea-wide one-day strike on Tuesday. NUT national officials Tetused to back the strike call Local officers called for a small delegation from cach school to attend the protest march, while unofficially they encouraged strike action. The NAS/UWT made the strike official. Schoolkeepers in the Greater London Staff Association were asked to take a day's leave, while Nupe members were left in the dark by their officials.

Rank and file members can overcome the bickering of their officials issue is by concerns hem all he uniting around the need to defend jobs, and will conditions. They have organise their own independent prevent union campaign, Labour allies leaders and their from stifling their initiatives. But if they are prepared to take matters into their own hands, there is still time to get results. 11 March 1988 • 3

• What is your experience of the increase in official and freelance "queer-bashing'? Graham: We suffered an arson attack at Capital Gay in December.

Somebody shoved lighted paper under the door. We were lucky that it was a fire door which didn't burn fast and the fire was discovered.

We were unlucky in that we'd just installed our gew computer system by the door. So E16 000 worth of equipment just melted and put a layer of tar over the office. done nearly 520 000 damage — we Paud: Nine of us were charged with conspiring to import indecent or obscene material. From the day of the customs raid in 1984 until we won our campaign two and a half years later the growth of Gay's the Word was stopped. Mike: Greetings cards with nudes on have been stopped at customs.

Millivers Magazines like hoper and Body who publish Check — have had to stop sending them through the post. One of our shops in Earls Court was raided for selling magazines which you can still buy on news stands nearoy.

• How do the police treat your organisations today? Graham: The day of the arson attack the police came round and said Do you have any enemies?

Then they said, "We don't hold out any prospect of catching whoever did this. The police have done nothing. Arson is one of the most serious crimes after murder and rape. They were here immediately and it was immediately diagnosed as arson. But they did nothing.

Paud: About five years ago police tried to have Gay's the Word redefined as a sex shop. Council inspectors came round and said it wasn't justified. Mike: The superintendent in Lambeth invited the Gay Business Association to put across to the police what homosexuality is about.

Some police homophobic. definitely anti-gay. Most have got us stereotyped. Some of them had never knowingly met a gay person other than when trying to arrest They them. had

VISIONS

everybody being like John Inman or perverting little boys.

• Now there's the Clause in the Local Government Bill which seeks to ban "the promotion of homosexuality. What effect will this have on lesbian and gay life?

Graham: Any right-wing anti-gay person will take action to stop don't like. anything they Marriage Guidance Council

RIOT

POLICE

EXECUTE

LABOUR

HOUSING

POLICY

BEFORE dawn on Monday, a convoy of 30 police vans drew up at a crossroads in North London. Scores of riot police sat walting for the signal to evict nearly 300 squatters from the Stamford Hill council estate in North London. As we go to press, the police are still walting for the goshead. They want the TV cameras to disperse before going in to kick down doors and break squatters' heads. But they nave carried out a tew 'guerrilla raids' on the quiet.

snortly arter Iney arrived on Monday, police beat up a couple of squatters who were walking across the estate. This Is the latest in a series of casual police attacks on squatters. 4 • 11 March 1988 It's clearly promotes homosexuality when trying to keep If the Pride

TOSCUICE

gathers in a park owned by a local authority, that could be moting homosexuality. The effect will be huge. Lisa: psychologically Huge numbers will fold or be drastically affected by the loss of grants. The Clause is saying you shall only teach one form of sexual behaviour acceptable. Lesbian teachers can be sacked simply for of saying I'm lesbian or gay and I'm happy. Entertainments licences are given by Granting them to leshian and gay clubs could be seen as promoting homosexuality. There have been past attempts to do 'licentious' dancing. come back again. Tiny: I don't think the Clause will atfect us for some time Those whol The want to attack gay lite will use the back door and won't go for a head- The paramilitary police have been called in by Hackney Labour council. The council accuses the squatters of queue-jumping, and says that the 100 empty flats they occupied are wanted to house 'homeless families langulshing in bed and breakfast accommodation'. But the Labour council has shown little concern for the homeless in the nast and this is not the real reason for the imminent invasion of Stamford Hill.

To comply with Tory spending restrictions, Hackney council needs drastic cuts in Its annual bill for bed and breakfast accommodation. Housing chair Brynley Heaven came up with

ARSON, CENSORSHIP

AND THE CLAUSE

WHAT THE

WITCH-HUNT

Jon Hann went to find out what impact the anti-homosexual witch-hunt is having on the lesbian and gay community. He spoke to Lisa Powers from The Pink Paper, Graham McKerrow from Capital Gay, Paud Hegarty from the Gay's the Word bookshop, Mike McCann from the Gay Business Association and, in a personal capacity, Tiny Longman, public relations manager at gay lovers like. Heaven. back door, the smaller places.

march • What do you think lies behind DrOthe Clause? and materially. of organisations defensive. fault those and gay of lords. local councils. their own kind. for will This 'poof in headlines.

SQUATTERS ERECT BARRICADES ON STAMFORD HILL ESTATE ON MONDAY

the idea of kicking squatters out of semi-derelict flats and dumping homeless familles in them. The council will save money that way because many of the squatters are single and homeless, and there is no legal obligation to house them.

Hackney council is shunting the housing queue around and creating a new generation of homeless on Tory orders. At the came time. 10 ner cent of workers in the housing denartment are due to lose their jobs in cutbacks. Those threatened with redundancy must take a stand alongside squatters under threat of eviction.

MEANS

sort of statements? Heaven nightclub on collision against the big guns with it. They'll go for the it. Lisa: It's about forcing people back into the closet. I'm watching it happen already. More lesbians and gays are being forced to be They're saying it's the left-wing nasty organisations, or the fault of the GLC for giving us those grants, or the fault of those activists who do things like abseiling into the house It's amazing the speed with which some people turn on Graham: Legislation leads public opinion. The Clause is encouraging an obvious move towards more homophobia. Since it was introduced there's been a CS gas attack on a pub in Kent, the arson attack on Capital Gay, and the Star has followed the Sun in using the word

AN ARSON ATTACK ON THE LONDON OFFICE OF CAPITAL GAY

DID E20 000 DAMAGE

• One sign of the new climate was that after the arson attack on Capital Gay, Tory MP Elaine Kellett-Bowman said it was right to be intolerant of evil'. How de you respond to the spread of these Graham: I was shocked. I thought that's how confident they are, that a Tory MP can encourage arson. It adds to your feeling of vulnerability that she can say that and get away Tiny: The Clause betrays the fact that the people who put it together thought they could get away with Ten years ago they wouldn't stood a chance. Elaine Kellett-Bowman probably sincerely believes that these awful men Lisa: should be treated if not put out of their misery. It's very frightening.

Voices like hers of illogical hatred have been silenced over the last 10- 20 years in that nobody's taken any notice of them. Stupid cow I won't bother to report that' they would

PREPARING FOR

POWER

Specialist courses include: Introduction to Marxism • Problems of Marxism • World capitalism after the crash • Ideology and the battle of ideas • An introduction to the Irish War • Women's oppression and liberation • Other strategies for revolution • The RCP and the problem of revolution • Traditional brands of British socialism • War and revolution in the Middle East • North v South and other divides • A critique of political economy • The changing face of imperialism • The roots of racism • Europe: a continent in crisis Plus more than a hundred workshops on issues ranging from sex education to South Africa • debates • films and entertainment Transport from around Britain, accommodation in London and creche facilities available.

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say. Now it's good copy, even in the responsible press. • At first the Labour frontbench said they would support the Clause. Their spokesman Jeff Rooker even said 'No one in their right mind wants to promote homosexuality Have you been surprised by the Labour Party's retreat? Graham: The Labour Party's got its knickers in a twist over the the run-up to the Clause. In they started trying to election backtrack on lesbian and gay rights, sending out letters to people saying don't do anything. Labour's let us down badly. We've had a lot of false friends people who were nice about lesbian and gay rights because they thought the time was right to be nice. The Labour Party is the perfect example of our fairweather friends. Revolutionary Communist Party summer school Friday 22 to Friday 29 July Central London the next step

оту employment Norman Fowler has been to the USA to study work-fordole schemes. This is likely to be the jumping-off point for the second phase of the Tories crackdown on claimants. The first phase is outlined in the new Social Security Act and the government *Employment white paper Training' They are due to come into effect in April, but many of the involved have already

HIC0SHEV0

'piloted' in selected inner-

OCCH

THE

AVAILABILITY

TRAP

*Wait here, please. Someone would you, like to see says tne clerk behind the signing-on counter, and the circle begins. Instant Restart and availability for work' tests, without sprung claimants turning up to sign on, are among the traps set for more than a million long-term jobless in white government dene "Employment and Training'.

idea is to trick caimants into disqualifying Themse ves receiving benefit. For example, in answer to question Number 11, *write against each day the hours work', claimants must you can Nine till answer "Sam to 6pm'. five' or '8am to 4pm' could lead to New claimants disqualification. must be word-perfect on all 18 questions or they won't even get on to the unemployment register.

The original availability tests.

introduced a year ago, have beer used to disqualify 10 000 claimants. new, revamped tests are designed to net at least 100 000 claimants in the 12 months from April. Department employment managers are trying to stop dole office workers giving the claimants. right answers. Consistent failure to mect the full quota of disqualifications will be a disciplinary offence for clerical officers. Fraud investigators will also be sent to trawl council cstates for 'malingerers". The threat of disqualification is already more than some people can Dear, Thames Television's This Week recently told the story of Rachel Caine, who killed herself after had learning disqualified after failing' availability test. 'I have chosen the "opting-out" clause, Caine wrote, in mocking suicide addressed to the home secretary Then she lay down in front of an express train.

DHSS

managers admitted that Caine should not have been disqualified. By time she was dead. Increased pressure on will unemployed mean tragedies. But the Tories are not yet setting out to murder us. Their intimidate jobless into accepting poverty-line pay and pitifully small "training' allowances. One of the few ways of ensuring you pass the availability test is to volunteer for a Job Club.

But that's no escape, either.

JOB CLUB:

NO

JOKE

Job Clubs are 'informal groups of unemployed people". Advertised benefits of membership include use of a telephone and free postage for job applications. But Job Club's real purpose is to act as a staging post for Tory cheap labour schemes. Until now, claimants and dole office workers have treated Job Club as a joke. Everybody knew that volunteering would save your benefit, and that nothing much would happen if you didn't show up at the appointed time. This is due to change. Management are instructing counter staff to pressthe next step chief paper The from of been the note that gang one in five claimants into Job Clubs. New club them in ution doorse wilfor the their induction more disqualified from benefit.

Job Club members will provide the first intake for Training for the Employment, a new which, "training' scheme September, will replace the Job Training Scheme and Community Fowler Programme. participation in the scheme will be voluntary. He also trainees allowances will always be higher than their benefits.

lying on both counts,

TRAINING

FOR

EXPLOITATION

According to refusal to join the Training for Employment scheme will not mean automatic disqualification. But it could cast doubts on a claimant's 'availability for work'. In other words, refusing to 'volunteer' will probably lead to benefit reduction or disqualification. already made YTS compulsory for claimants under 18. His trip last week to assess workfare (work-fordole) schemes in the USA indicates

NEW TORY BENEFITS

AND 'TRAINING' TRAP

FOR UNEMPLOYED

Andrew Calcutt explains how the new Social Security Act and the white paper "Employment and Training' will create a vicious circle of low-paid jobs, cheap labour schemes and shrinking social security benefits long-term latest scheme. 12-month from that cost of their meals. C810 white says that he He is cheap labour scheme. benefit managers. training agents site employers. real aim of the new programme.

At the Fowler has labour, and Employment "graduates"

VICIOUS CIRCLE

that the Tories are considering the pros and cons of conscripting the threatened with next age group (18-24) on to their Claimants sucked on to the new scheme will be financially worse off. Trainces will receive £10 more than their current benefits. Out of this they will be expected to pay travelling expenses up to E5. The 85 that's left will hardly cover the 'Benefit Plus" The will turn out to be "Benefit Minus.

already that paper argues Training for Employment will be a big improvement on the schemes it example, is due to replace. Yet, initially, the new programme will offer roughly the same number of places at about the same cost as before. It cannot be anything more than another rates, The most significant change is that trainees will be more tightly controlled by and training managers, as well as their on- Policing the unemployed is the "misconduct. end of their 12-month to 13 weeks. Training for Employment placement, claimants will be expected to go back into a Job Club. Job Clubs also serve as pick-up points for employers looking for dirt-cheap for new Training will be have easy meat for them, Those who try to escape this vicious circle will be disqualification from benefits again.

DISQUALIFIED

FROM

EATING

threat of disqualification forces many scheme "graduates' to accept lowpaid jobs. In West Yorkshire, for standard for TaLES unskilled labouring and assembly work have slipped towards £1.20 an hour. Yet once the 'graduates" have accepted these princely pay benefit restrictions on entitlement, as laid down in a series six of social security acts, mean that they they cannot afford to quit.

Until 1986, claimants forfeited six weeks' benefit if they left their in condier:%,or lose, the dis 1986, the disqualification period was increased and the total of "voluntary jobless fell as more people were scared into keeping their present jobs. When the Social Security Act comes into effect in April, the disqualification period will rise to a nightmarish 26 weeks.

For the government, the increase will mean more savings in social security expenditure, and a fall in the total of registered unemployed (because few denied benefit will bother to sign on for nothing).

Countless low-paid workers will he forced to carry on in miserable conditions, because giving up their job would leave them with next to no income for six months.

The effects of the current 13week ban are outlined in Disqualified from Benefit', a booklet published last month by the Low Pay Unit. 'A man had an accident on the way to work, leaving him unconscious in hospital for two days. His employer dismissed him for misconduct because he failed to ring in to say he was sick. When he signed for benefit he was on months." disqualified for three This example is far from exceptional. If you're asthmatic and a iob in gIve woodyard, you're not entitled to benefit. Pregnancy also counts as "voluntary redundancy. Anyone who leaves work to nurse a sick relative, or to meet childcare commitments, will be penalised.

The Low Pay Unit report shows that claimants are automatically disqualified except in clear cases of redundancy As compulsory result, half a million claimants lose some benefit each year, and more than 50 per cent of them receive no payment at all for 13 weeks.

The Tories adminthat extending disqualification punish thousands period claimants. *We came to the conclusion that it was right to consider whether six months was sufficient penalty, said social security minister Tony Newton. They kindly decided that destitution was months "sufficient penalty for those who would rather sign on than work for a pittance. Even if you survive six months' disqualification, you could be dead-end drafted into another scheme or low-paid job. When their 26 weeks of starvation are up.

will receive their first claimants giro on the same day as a Restart letter instructing them to come in for an availability interview. And so the vicious circle begins again.

11 March 1988 • 5

KILLING PALESTINIANS

IS A PRIVATE AFFAIR

authorities imposed new restrictions on foreign journalists in the occupied last week, in a South African-style attempt to hide the repression there from prying eyes elevision viewers around the world were recently shocked by of picTures paratroopers using rocks to try to break the arms of captive Palestinian youths. film of the beatings was a serious blow to Israel's already battered public image. The CBS cameraman was rushed by helicopter to an army base to identify the paras responsible, who were promptly Both Palestinian arrested. the released were

VICTITES

charge. Israeli officials went on TV to apologise for this 'aberration' in the army's behaviour. But subsequent events have confirmed that the confers only carrying out Israeli state policy.

Once the uproar started to die authoritics down ine israch reversed their previous actions The sadistic soldiers were quickly released back to their unit. Several Knesset (parliament) members demanded the resignation of the ordered senior commaneer the arrests. Meanwhile. Palestinians were charged stone-throwing and now months or possibly years in prison.

CLAMPDOWN

Two of the paratroopers been charged with brutality. But as far as Israel is concerned, their real crime was getting caught. Brutality against Palestinians is the officially favoured tactic of the Isracli army.

Defence minister Yitzhak Rabin has publicly announced that his policy is to use force. might and beatings' against the Palestinian uprising. But Israel's rulers would rather the rest of the world did not have a front row seat. demands for tighter Asrael controls on the media grew louder after the CBS exposé. Last week's restrictions on journalists reflected the cabinet view that

BARONEY

journalists should be banned from covering unrest in the West Bank and Gaza. But even before the beatings controversy the Israeli authorities had started clamping down the media. THE explosion of ethnic rivalries between Azerbaijanis and Armenians has so far clalmed 30 lives In the town of Sumgait In Azerbaljan. The Kremiln's official acknowledgement of the rioting indicates Inat the smouldering national question can no longer be ignored by the Soviet leadership. For 50 years the Kremlin has In the Caucasus. The Sovlet bureaucracy ralled on the local party machine to maintain stability. Many of the local leaders turned republics like Georgla, Armenia and Azerbaljan into their local flefdoms. The local leaders were happy to allow regional culture and religion to flourish and to be seen as the 6 • 11 March 1988 The Israeli West Bank Dozens of journalists photographers Israeli treatenca in recent weeks, some by soldiers pointing loaded rifles.

This is on top The military censorship which was a of media feature before the uprising. The radical paper Derech Hanitzoz, the first to break the news of Palestinian women without were the with face have on

WANT THE WORLD TO SEE

NATIONAL TENSIONS IN THE SOVIET UNION

Conflict in Sumgait representatives of their ethnic group. This prevented ethnic and religious conflict from acquiring any serious public manifestations.

UNSETTLING

The Soviet leadership's programme of economic restructuring and moderneaton hae come into conflict with the autonomy enjoyed by the local party machine. The Kremlin needs to rationalise its resources and to break down parochial barriers roine cave onment oran efficient division of labour. The Kremlin can no longer afford to leave matters to local party bosses. The unsettling effects of economic rationalisation has brought underlying ethnic tensions to the surface. Often and have been correspondent of the routine coverage well territories are Rabin and Shomron. They miscarrying

A PICTURE OF REPRESSION WHICH ISRAEL DOES NOT

local party leaders have played a prominent role in promoting ethnic Identity to strengthen their bargaining positions with Moscow. Urban areas such as Sumgait, which have a mixed ethnic population, are most vulnerable to a nationalist explosion. These are also the towns which have the most strategic economic Importance. The Kremlin's economic policies require a quick resolution of the ethnic problem. It cannot, for example, afford an outbreak of violence in the highly mixed city of Baku, the seat of the Soviet oll Industry. The violence at Sumealt reveals the difficulties the Kremlin faces integrating its republics into Its moderisation drive. after being tear-gassed by troops, was recently closed, Its West Bank 'closed military Ribhi Aruri has been placed under administrative detention for at least six months.

blanket mann opponents of e main opponents defence minister chief of staff Dan would prefer, where necessary, to use the army's off if the banned altogether. Northern two ruling trade wrecked class action chairman American organisations are also specifically measures" But last foreign issue meeting.

ISRAEL CRACKS DOWN ON MEDIA

established power to declare a arca to keep journalists out of specified zones But they want journalists around so that the army can use TV film of demonstrators to identify leading Palestinian protesters. Military intelligence teams have posed as journalists to film demonstrations — a trick which will be hard to pull media has been

BOTHA UNDER

PRESSURE

he two landslide by-election victories won by the far right in South Africa last week emphasise the problems faced by PW Botha's ruling National Party.

• Despite the pre-election crackdown on 17 black organisations, Botha's traditional supporters remain unimpressed. Afrikaner farmers and blue-collar workers in Transvaal constituencies overwhelmingly supported candidates of the far-right Conservative Party in the by-elections. The Conservatives and their allies in the paramilitary A WB accuse Botha of selling the birthright of Afrikaners, through his attempts to defuse black resistance with a mild programme of reforms. The drift away from the party could mean major losses for the Nationalists at the future next erecuion. bornas attempts to reshape apartheid and stabilise capitalism in South Africa will be constrained by the need to show his commitment to white power.

• On the other hand, big business is enraged at Botha's heary-handed bans. It has seen a painstakingly the created relationship with the black union movement almost overnight through the crackdown on the Congress of South South African Trade Unions. Now the employers fear that black working will take more militant form. Led by Gavin Relly, of the giant Anglo- Corporation, business have approached Cosatu for talks on maintaining peaceful collective bargaining'.

South Africa's European allies angry. EEC. countries set up positive programme of aid to black groups inside South Africa to stave off demands that the EEC should impose punitive sanctions.

week Botha draft legislation which will block funding of organisations with "political purposes' and halt the EEC's own aid programme. The topped the agenda at last weekend's EEC foreign ministers despite- British and German attempts to prevent this.

• After 13 years of war in Angola.

South African troops are bogged down in a costly and unpopular war.

The debate over media coverage shows how narrow is the divide between the so-called doves and hawks in the Israeli establishment.

While some want to ban journalists entirely, others prefer to use the media cover as a to spy on Palestinians. Either way, beating Palestinians is seen as fine long as it is done discreetly.

Daniel Nassim

SOUTH AFRICA

APARTHEID CHAMPION: BOTHA

Angola's Fapla army is now an effective battle-hardened force and its anti-aircraft gunners have taken a heavy toll of South Africa's ageing airforce. Around 8000 South African troops have been besieging Angolan town of Cuito Cuanavale since last October, with little sign of progress. Cuito Cuanavale looks increasingly like Africa's Stalingrad and Botha's impose favourable peace deal on the region look unlikely to succeed.

Botha has become more defensive as one setback after another hits his The Western regime. media has portrayed him as a well-intentioned reformer hemmed in by the right.

But Botha remains a loyal champion of apartheid whose instincts tell him that the only solution is to resort to even repression home greater and In the short term such abroad. measures may succeed. The mass anti-apartheid organisations are silenced for the moment and the unions are in some disarray. But the will to fight remains. On the day after Botha banned 17 organisations, 2800 workers at the Mercedes Benz plant in the Eastern Cape occupied their factory demanding the release of shop steward Msitell Nonyukela who had been detained under state of emergency regulations. Within 24 hours police released him.

Russell Osborne the next step

THE CLAUSE

Stop the ory bi Revolut

FIGHT FOR

LESBIAN

AND GAY

BILL (letters, 26 February) sees positive Images as the central Issue of the campaign against the Clause. But positive images are only one of many tools for achieving the aim of equality for homosexuals.

By all means congratulate local authorities who use It; but when those same authorities stand in the way of bullding a wider campaign aimed at promoting lesbian and gay rights, clearly they

SADIE DE CHICSEEI

Bill argues that positive images do not promote homosexuality, because 'sexuality is very changed. The fact that he avolds saying that a person's sexuality is something they are born with shows that he is aware of the problems with such an assertion. But even If it were

'AMATEUR' BRITISH

BOSSES

APART from the British Aerospace/Rover link-up, last week's news also included confirmation of the merger of two British 'hi-tech giants' in telecommunications: Plessey and GEC. However, I have learnt that their technology leaves a lot to be desired. One of their first joint efforts is to supply transmission eatinment to Bulgaria. But the executivas who tendered for the contract have Gromises to ninessey transmission equipment with GFC nower nant only to discover that they don't match. This amateurish attitude is not confined to exports for the Soviet bloc or the third world. The computerised Plessey system which controls all the next step

HOW TO STOP

RIGHTS

01-729 044

FIGHT O

correct, it would not make for an effective argument against the Clause. By protesting that homosexuality is not being promoted, BIll Implicitly accepts that there would be a problem If it were. This clashes sharply with his insistence that we must assert...that we are proud of our sexuality, that it is in no way second best.' Protesting that lesbian and gay children will suffer without positive images will cut no ice with the people promoting the Clause. The only way to beat them is by mobilising enough people against them. And no one will take effective action in support of lesbians and gays If they see the possibility of promoting homosexuallty as a problem. Paul Bristol London's traffic lights went down over Christmas when one transistor blew out. Not exactly fail safe" is it? Nor is the muchvaunted System X telephone exchange - the great white hope of the 1990s. MPs were definitely not amused recently when the new System X in the house of commons went out of action. Despite technology minister John Butcher's talk about the revival of British industry, somehow I don't think that the real Biants of telecommunications technology, IBM and Ericsson, will be quaking at the threat of British competition. Richard Liverpool letters page IN Nottingham, some activists have voiced doubts about the feasibility of winning council workers to a strategy of nonimplementation of the Clause. These doubts fall to take two factors into account: first, there has never been a serious attempt to persuade straight people to fight Trespan cheady rights; second, the mounting opposition among council workers to Tory attempts to turn them into 'soft policemen. 'Ethnic monitoring' was a soft-focus attempt to get workers involved in survelllance of black people. Social workers are now being pressured into taking a directly coercive stance in their work. And the Clause leaves no doubt about the policing function wich me lories nave in mind for local authority workers. The debate about loony left' councils has set up lesbians and gays as and the Tories targets, able to take some council workers with them. But many can see that they will not be passive bystanders if the Tories are allowed to carry out their offensive, but that council workers will themselves become the Tories' agents, pointing the finger at esbians and gays who apply to use council. facilities. Many council workers do not want to become plain clothes police. Popularising the idea of fighting for lesbian and gay rights among them is our heet chance of keeping the bigots at bay. Joanne Hayes Nottingham Write to tns

BCM

JPLTD,

WC1N

3XX 9?? ON Monday the government launched the national version of Action for Cities', a programme To evanse Donates Here in the North east, the culmination of visits Trom rory noldoies who have recently been commuting from London for a few photocalls against a backdrop of demolition sites. The theory is that by eradicating the remainders of Britain's industrial past, we can all start again with a clean slate. Yet although some areas give the impression that the North-east is back on its feet again, the recovery is all based on credit and the service sector. A number of big

YARDIES 'FARCE'

SCOTLAND YARD'S new campaign against the organised crime ring, the Yardies, must be seen for what it is a further attempt to isolate and criminalise black youth in the inner cities. Having been exposed as thugs in uniform at the Notting Hill carnival, this is the first real chance for

STRUGGLES

RESTRUCTURING the civil service is the Tories' latest strategy for cutting public expenditure. This includes the loss of 8000 jobs in the DHSS.

which means halving the workforce in some offices and closures in others. Many DHSS workers can see that all-out action is the only way to match management's tactics. Yet the activities of our union leaders have obscured the issues.

There was supposed to be a union-backed campaign for a 'yes' vote in last week's ballot over strike action against job losses. But at Brixton all we had was a 15-minute briefing, with no discussion because it would have taken the meeting beyond the prescribed limits to facility time, and an announcement that there would be no strike pay. Then it was straight into the vote. Not surprisingly, the vote was two to one against strike action.

It is becoming clear that union officials, even the Militant supporters who control the national executive of our union - the CPSA - have no interest in leading effective action. Their proposals are designed to pre-empt rank and file initiatives, not encourage them. Assistant general secretary John Macreadie has talked a lot about a one-day general strike in defence of the NHS. At the same time, he has persistently refused to

FLOWERS FOR THE NORTH-EAST

stores in Newcastle give £1000 credit if you have a job. Coachloads of people from as far as Leeds and Carlisle come to the biggest shopping COnte ODE in Gateshead with a rate.

free incentive. But the banks and other vested interests now feel a pressing need to call in their credit. And the Tories are desperately trying to redress the lack of real return on massive local investment. Apart from Nissan in nearby Sunderland, manufacturing is the one thing there's no sign of.

Gateshead is basing its future prosperity on the 1990 garden festival (look what it did for Liverpool!).

County Durham is the police to get back at the black communities since the Broadwater Farm disturbances of October 1985. This farce is a perrect opportunity for the police to saturate areas with a high 'ethnic population under the Quise or prevenung arugs vice and extortion rackets.

The real purpose is to

CIVIL SERVICE

JOHN MACREADIE

workers at Brixton disaster. Brixton pla@ing to invest £75m in a strategy of renewal through tourism' that will create 2000 mickeymouse jobs. Meanwhile the Tories are using their new 'action' programme as an excuse to redirect cash from local councils to specific projects, such as those endorsed by Newcastle's CBI-backed Conservative action committee. Their plans are an attack on local democracy, which could lead to a greater shake-up of jobs and services. Instead of benefiting from urban renewal, we could find ourselves living in a Tory theme park. Newcaste harass, beat up and generally intimidate black people, while giving the impression through the media that the police are curbing a crime wave of mafia proportions. We cannot be taken in by this latest attack. lain Stoke Newington

CPSA GENERAL SECRETARY

back the unanimous vote by unemployment benefit office who want to take action alongside department of employment staff in North London who are striking against job cuts. Macreadie doesn't want to 'generalise' this dispute, because it might get out of hand. Instead, he is trying to contain it within one region. Leaving our livelihoods in the hands of politicians like him is clearly a recipe for Two DHSS workers 11 March 1988 • 7

the propaganda

ANDERTON-MAN

OF THE MOMENT

MANCHESTER police chief James Anderton grabbed the headlines again last week when his views on crime were published in Woman's Realm, shortly after he had pledged to keep his mouth shut.

Anderton has eamed notoriety for his outspoken bigotry and his claim to be gods propner. but while he Is widely regarded as a on morality are gaining ground. In contrast to the consternation which greeted many of his previous outbursts, Anderton's latest pronouncement provoked a chorus of approval. Cyril James Anderton, Commander of the British Empire and holder of the Queen's Police Medal, is the son of a Wigan miner who grew up in a flagstonefloored pit cottage. He won a scholarship to Wigan grammar school and at 16 became a colliery clerk for two years before Jolning the Royal Military Pollce.

When he left the army in 1953 young Anderton joined Manchester city police, where he was marked down as a leader of men. His rise through the ranks was meteoric by police standards, and in 1976 at the age of 44 he became Britain's youngest chief CONS SHe Many people have looked to to find the formative Influences on his subsequent controversial career. His boyhood was punctuated by bouts of Bible.

bashing and thrashings with his father's leather belt. This is said to have shaped his adult attitudes to morality and the language in which he expresses them Anderton Is best known for his views on pornography, homosexuality and crime and punishment, and the excremental imagery he employs to articulate them.

MESSIANIC

God's cop once described pornographers as garbage in the sea of llfe...not content until nearly everyone Is floating like trash in the same filthy waters'.

His judgement that homosexuals who freely engage in sodomy and other obnoxious sexual practices were 'swirling around in a cesspit of their own making caused a furore. He described crime as a bursting boll on the skin of life', and suggested that sex offenders choll be casten violent offenders flogged until they beg for mercy preferably by him — and persistent offenders despatched to penal work camps to be humillated Into penitence.

Anderton's rellglous convictions certainly explain his own perception of his Messianic role, but they do not explain why his rather eccentric bellefs should be media. Anderton's outbursts have undoubtedly become more forceful in line with his progression from Methodist lay preacher to Roman Catholic stalwart. But the fact that they have come to monopolise media attention has got more to do with the shift In the political climate after Margaret Thatcher came to power In 1979, than with Anderton's conversion to Catholicism after the Pope came to Manchester In 1982. Anderton's tempestuous career as chlef constable In Manchester spans the years of British 8 • 11 March 1988 war economic decline and Thatcherite moral revivalism. The more the pressures of recession have Increased division and conflict in society, the more the ruling class has tried to keep control by rallying the British people behind the banner of patriotic morallty. The Tory crusade has focused people's fears and anxieties on the threat to the British way of life posed by family breakdown, rising crime, sexual promiscuity and countess other indices of a general descent Into slovenliness. It has also provided a platform for bigots like Anderton to preach their reactionary moral message.

Anderton came to prominence when his men raided 264 bookshops, newsagents and warehouses in a crackdown on pornography, selzing coples of the Sun's Page 3 Girl Annual from a Manchester supermarket. The chief said the raids should be a lesson to those 'who openly hanker for total debauchery and lewdness'. Anderton Is a rabid opponent of homosexuality.

authorising plain clothes patrols to hunt down gay men in public lavatorles and special squads to raid gay nightclubs. He has condemned homosexuality as 'an abomination which should never have been legalised. This is consistent with Anderton's traditional approach to family values. He lays down strict rules about the clothes his wife of 31 years is permitted to wear and about the hairstyle she should adhere to. and is dismissive of women's abilities to be anything brings him breakfast in bed.

WORRYING

Anderton has become the bogey of the left, especially for his Insistence that plastic bullets should be deployed against rioters, for the assistance his force gave in crushing the miners and for ousting his deputy John Stalker who said too much about Britain's shoot-to-kill policy in Northern Ireland. His attacks on Idlers', race relations experts, women, gays and 'extremists' have not endeared Anderton to the left.

But while many left wingers object to Anderton's aggressive exposition of anti-working class prejudice, they have falled to challenge the broader reassertion of morality of which he is only the most vocal exponent. Left wingers might have different motives than Annarion or calline one sate to ban page 3 and for the courts to pass tougner sentences on rapists. But the consequence of these campaigns is to lend legitimacy to the moral and legal code he upholds - and to strengthen the repressive powers.

he wields against miners, black youth, homosexuals, students and anybody else he considers 'obscene. •Some of my crities want to portray me as a Bible-thumping baton-swinging, anti-working class, right-wing dictator' complained the unassuming Anderton. The most worrying thing Is not that such a man has come to occupy a prominent position in the state machine as chairman of the Assoclation of Chief Police Officers, but that left wingers can agree on some of the targets of his clean-up campaign. Joan Phillips TUC CHIEF NORMAN WILLIS, FLANKED BY FELLOW GENERAL COUNCIL MEMBER KEN GILL, PLAYS THE FOOL

TUC

TOTALLY

USELESS

CLOWN

The disorganisation of Saturday's N march suggests that we cannot trus Trades Union Congress to lead the h workers' campaign or anything else.

Confidential TUC minutes obtained confirm the point - Linda Ryan rep

an you announce that the lesbian nurses have arrived? somebody asked TUC general secretary Norman Willis, barked Big Norm, over microphone he had left switched on. Then he went back into his bad routine of silly little jokes and songs. This fiasco was supposed to be the start of a rally against the Tories after Saturday's big NHS march in London. A mile away, at her party's local government conference, Margaret Thatcher could rest content that the TUC leadership was doing a fine job in disorganising the display of anger against her health policies.

Traditional TUC national rallies used to involve a line-up of top trade union officials and Labour MPs on an impressive purposebuilt platform. Instead, thousands upon thousands marchers who poured into Hyde Park on Saturday were met by a shabby three-ton truck, from the back of which Willis kept up his third-rate variety act for an hour or so. Then himself, speakers: Archbishop Trevor Huddleston (appearing as president of the Anti-Apartheid Movement and as a representative of the Christian church'), Jack Jones (retired transport leader, now unofficial spokesman for Britain's pensioners), and agony aunt Claire Rayner (who Willis introduced as la friend').

FLABBY

There was not even health service union official on the lorry, never mind a health worker, This angered many of the nurses and other hospital workers on the march. It all added up to an unprecedented public display of what a flabby, ineffective body the TUC has become today. It should have proved conclusively to all saw it that. even when it who identifies a cause which can bring mass support on to the streets, the

TUC

capable no longer organising a walk in the park. Yet the left-wing groups heckling Willis at the front of the rally were t the still calling on him to organise a *24-hour general strike for

NHS.

They might as well have ealth Claire Rayner asked the revolution. Saturday's rally was a graphic illustration of the crisis of the y tns official labour movement leaders. It confirmed that, for those like the health workers, who are looking for a orts lead against the government, TUC is a redundant body. The Thatcher years have taken a heavy toll on the TUC leaders.

They have been removed from the national influence they enjoyed in the seventies, coldshouldered by Tory ministers and squeezed out of many quangos and public bodies. This process has exposed the way in which they relied for their

C3T11S

goodwill of governments employers, rather than the active support of union members.

the post-war years, the unions had become bureaucratic machines which recruited" many of their members through sweetheart deals with the bosses. Millions workers were baper members of unions, but had little involvement in their organisations. Now that the government and employers have laken g the hostile attitude officials the TUC has been with adrift, no access corridors of power and no real base of support.

LIMP

Ten years ago 'beer sandwiches" trade unionism meant

TUC

chiefs enjoying lunches with together prime ministers in Downing Street.

Today it means officials from the general and municipal workers' union handing out canned ale and sandwiches on Saturday's limp NHS march. attempt to in an ingratiate themselves the public. The TUC has responded to its fall from grace by trying to fit in with the Thatcherite times.

union officials like sought to appear as harmless and "No' as useful to the establishment as possible. fear They involvement in industrial disputes will mean more embarrassment and a further loss of face. Thus their priority is to avoid anything which smacks of struggle. discussions of the health

TUC

dispute, as revealed in confidential minutes obtained by ins, illustrate its useless attitude.

TOKEN

In January, as the debate about the health service took off in the

TUC

media, organising anything. It opted for an 'NHS Day' to coincide with the the fortieth anniversary of the opening of of the service in July. minutes of an Il January meeting of the

TUC

Health Coordinating Committec, which brought together officials from the unions involved, note a suggestion that regional union bodies should also be asked to organise their own local activities on NHS Day. This proposal received an unenthusiastic reception because of the constraints in terms of budgeting and time These days, six months is too short union a time in which to expect TUC regions to organise a token day of protest. At the same meeting, officials suggested that level of public feeling about the health service meant that the TUC could benefit from organising an additional protest "in the near future, included Proposals lobby of parliament, a rally or May Day activities*. At the TUC chiefs didn't however, want to know. They pointed out that recent experience in organising national rallies and petitions was not encouraging in terms of media coverage and general support. Instead, "an opinion poll of commissioned by the TUC would be likely to response to the long-term prospects of the NHS and should attract media attention. The TUC is now so scared of upsetting middle class the public opinion that it wanted to lead make sure most people really were opposed to health euts before it would endorse a petition.

ALIENATE

What changed the TUC's mind, the and led to the calling of Saturday's the march, militancy of outburst health workers. At a meeting of the Health Services Committee on 28 January, Willis noted that centern had been expressed at the volatility of feeling among NHS, particularly staffs The nursing, union officials was that

STORS

their members might be getting out of control. They were also afraid the that the protest and strike action and health taken by centring on the issue of pay Over which was likely to alienate the middle class which the support so desperately. Willis told a meeting of the TUC of General Council on 27 January that "while these grievances striking health workers] were pay related...the public aspects of the many matter had shortages, union left and growing public the opinion, thus had to bring the campaign back under emphasise charitable appeals to •Save the

NHS)

and militant demands for a decent pay impoverished rise tor all-ladsworkers. As Ada Maddocks of the local government workers' union.

Labour Nalgo, advised the meeting, Council 'It the important

THAT

permitted to shift was not from debate away industrial relations issues and the with trade unions." major concern was to avoid acting Top Willis have that The of wary The

SEVICE

some the high mass this stage, public as trade instead movement into part of a moderate produce a positive lobby against a tuppenny tax cut.

designed to do just that. Ti was them much in the opinion polls it cherishes, the people would turn up.

TUC'S

The

SOOBTOTCOUS

among privatising public services.

Over the last few 'concern' than assault is councils have significant job cuts and establishment of the

TUC

wants [among concentrated on staff ine casing of sa ou with union support. Now the has taken approach a stage further.

TUC

the

EXPERTS

and control Through the Services Campaign, the rather than health General was also local government further the funding The TUC leaders The minutes assist.

ANGRY HEALTH WORKERS NEED ACTION NOT CHARITY

unionists at all. and

TUC

the labour Saturday's march and rally was called, not to advance the cause of nurses and ancillaries, but to hold back. •The pathetic disorganisation of the whole affair showed that, despite the evidence the defence TUC has sunk so low that it still did not really believe thousands of timid and tepid facilitate approach to the health campaign is cuis process matched on all other issues today.

Take the recent TUC discussion on the cats. Tories have used privatisation, or British the threat of it, to force through big cuts in jobs, pay and conditions.

Already in the health service more 20 000 ancillary jobs have

PARANOIA

disappeared, and a new privatibeginning in Scotland. Workers in some local also suffered might be political and worse working conditions. The response public sector unions has usually been not to fight against all cuts, but to join with management in promoting in-house tenders for the services concerned. These inhouse tenders try to keep out the private contractors by imposing cuts and efficiency savings of their this sacrificial TUC Public unions have agreed to pay to hire the services of the Royal Institute of Public Administration to help the 6: if they bureaucrats construct inhouse bids that will win tenders for If scrvices. help is required from financial experts then the TUC will modern TUC. call on Unity Trust, the investment bank in which it has a stake, to of a February meeting show how Willis N meeting the deal, commended this exercise to the Finance and General Purposes Committee: *The project could reflect well on the unions concerned and the TUC.

It was a clear example of how unions were responding to new situations with new approaches and the TUC's role was to facilitate this.

Trade unionists might believe that the "TUC's role' is to facilitate" of their living standards against the employers.

But according to the rules of the TUC': New Realism, its job is to cooperation with the The Willis believes that entrusting local government jobs and services to the book-keepers of the capitalist system will reflect well' on the TUC in the eyes of the He is establishment. unconcerned about how it will affect the workers who suffer the consequent in-house cuts.

The thing which most terrifies the TUC leaders today is that they of taking accused action against the government. The TUC has always been quick to crack down on political initiatives within the labour movement which go too far in a left-wing direction. But now its sense of paranoia about anything political has reached new heights.

the On 22 February, a meeting of the TUC Trades Councils" Consultative Committee discussed a corplaint against Coventry Trades Council: "The committee were informed that Coventry Trades Council was holding a conference "Building for Socialism" which was outside the remit of a Trades Council. The TUC office had written to the Trades Council asking them to cancel the conference on February did not do so consideration would be given to removing the name of the Trades Council from the recognised list."

This minute says it all about the A few years ago. Trades Councils would only be threatened with expulsion from the official labour movement if they became involved in a controversial issue like a campaign for Irish freedom. Now the mere mention of the world 'socialism' is considered a crime against the organisations of the working class. Meanwhile, he TUC Public Services Committe ongratulatel itself on the fact tha "in the house of lords, the Bishop of Manchester was making points of the Local Government Bill ver much in line with views expressed by committee members at their with the Archbishop of Canterbury. The TUC has been tamed. It is incapable of mounting a militant public campaign against any TUC leaders government policy. presently preoccupied with internal matters, trying to protect paper unity of their body against the bitter divisions over single-union, no-strike deals. Over

TUC

the last couple of years, unions have been at war over these scabbing deals, pioneered by the right-wing engineers and electricians" unions. The traditional the unions, such as transport workers', have tried to pose as principled opponents of such union-employer pacts. But in practice they have signed singleunion deals of their own. The row is really about which set of union bureaucrats is entitled to do which in their battle to boost declining membership rolls at each other's expense.

PATHETIC

The TUC has tried to bury this conflict by repeatedly postponing a decision on whether to discipline offending unions. Now, however, the top-level TUC review body has draft produced confidential report on the dispute. It suggests legitimising "compuisory binding arbitration' - no-strike deals by another name - and allowing the TUC to arbitrate in rows over which union gets to sign such deals with particular employers.

Thus the TUC, the body which is supposed to lead the British labour now sees its role as movement. granting union officials the right to sign away their members basic rights.

How much more evidence do we need that looking to the TUC is no way to defend the health workers or anybody cise? Willis and Co are committed to chasing after middle class public opinion heavily influenced ideas of They want to ban Thatcherism. discussion of health workers' wages and conditions in favour of an appeal for charity for the NHS.

TUC's lack of success in getting public figures to support Saturday's march shows that it cannot even achieve that modest ambition. But the union leaders will continue along these pathetic lines, only staging token initiatives in an attempt to control union members and divert them from taking proper action.

STAKE

A "24-hour general strike called by anybody would be an ineffective affair. But the left's idea that the - or even could - TUC would organise such an initiative is a cruel joke ar health workers expense.

of the Leaving the leadership health campaign in the hands of the TUC is a sure guarantee that anger displayed by health workers will be dissipated, and the Tories will win. Health workers need a new rank and file leadership of their own, to organise the united all-out action which can bring real pressure to They the bear on government. need to put the issues of pay and conditions on top of the agenda to give every hospital worker a stake in the struggle, and appeal for active solidarity from other of the sections workine class Trade union bureaucrats whose idea of action is cracking jokes and applauding agony aunts on the back of a lorry cannot be trusted to beer and sandwiches, organise never mind a national strike.

(Additional information from Joe Hall) 11 March 1988 • 9

BAD SPORTS

LONELY

PEOPLE

THIS IS THE POINT in the football calendar at which the season is effectively over for most clubs.

They know that they nothing. They will relegated. But they still have up to a dozen games to play. players go through the motions, for their wages, like any employee has to. The crowds which come te watch them fall off. But some people still go each week. These are the ones I worry about.

Some go for the joy of watching "the beautiful game' Deine aver There are still players it is worth paying to see for the sake of it. But they don' play for Crewe Alexandra. Peterborough or Stirling Albion, clubs in limbo in the middle of the lowest divisions the English and somebody through the turnstiles during the dead watch Season The teams. lowest crowd England last Saturday Darlington. 1773 bodies turned up to watch them beat Rochdale 2-1 in a match that could not have meant less. They cannot all have been related to called Clayton the man scored both of Darlington's goals.

Most of these people do not go to pointless games to give their local heroes a rousing cheer for effort. They go to boo at their own team. They hurl obscenities orange peel at their players. They that demand their manager At the end of resign every week. the game, when their side has down another look smug satisfaction that their expectations have been met in full. Mr Clayton's relatives were probably Darlington supporters truly to him Saturday. For rest, the important thing is not the winning, but the taking part in a lynch-mob. The fierce emotions generated by these love hate local loyalties show why football first endeared itself to the bosses. During the industrial revolution, employers often helped organise based on workplace teams. They encouraged workers to work off all their anger and frustration by kicking seven bells out of each on the football field Saturday afternoon, rather than taking it out on the boss from Monday to Friday. As the game this function grew, emotional release was largely transferred from the pitch to the stands. Before the war, countless thousands of workers used the weekend ritual of watching football as the excuse for venting The handfuis their spleen. people who go to grotty football grounds today solely to get their rocks off are the legacy of this.

The labour movement never countered this diversion energies. So the lonely people on the terraces Peterborough. Crewe or Stirling still uphold the old international workers slogan 'The Enemy is at Home'. But all it means is telling the local centre forward he's a bloody cart-horse who wants castrating. Joe Punter 10 • 11 March 1988 ifty years ago this Sunday, at four o'clock in the morning, sentenced 15 men to death and three to prison terms of more than 15 years, Among those executed was Nikolai Bukharin, the most senior Communist Party be member in the dock. only one to have the crime of trying So the to assassinate Lenin added to the of trumped-up spying, sabotage, multiple murder - levelled against the defendants.

An intellectual who joined the Bolsheviks after the 1905 revolution.

Bukharin rose to become the chief organiser of the Soviet Union's Economic Neu Lenin's death carly in 1923. He favoured the growth of enterprise, and couraged capitalist enrich themselves, believing that Scottish prosperity on the land would lead to a boom in the towns. In the late goes twenties Stalin turned from the New Economic Policy to a bloody these collectivisation of agriculture and in all-out was at an programme some dustrialisation Bukharin opposed him and met his fate in the last great showtrial of the thirties. Bukharin's who market rewards as spurring individual initiative is enough to make Gorbachev treat favourably in the perestroika. hostility to Stalin's abrupt change of course just before the thirties and the decade cconomy! wrestles today, also stands him in good stead. To the new thinkers in the Kremlin, old Nikolai's mixture defeat, of party loyalty and mild dissent is useful. his accept experimentation in the fild of literature and culture. His whole reputation smacks of glasnost. From The Times to the Sun. see writers have portrayed Bukharin the as a symbol ot democraci liberalism, and have urged that he be reinstated. munist parties of Western Europe mounted an equally ardent defence.

CAUTION

Professor Bukharin's influential biographer.

is delighted by the prospect of rehabilitation. and the Revolution: A Political Biography 1888-1938 Cohen described his subject as 'the symbol of Bolshevik resistance to the rise of Stalinism'.

of Bukharin was more important in Bolshevik politics and than Trotsky", argued Cohen, and his interest in European thought 'set him apart as a thinker from the older Bolsheviks, including Lenin*.

Cohen his book had sympathetic response from Gorbachev during the latter's summit visit to Washington in December.

Gorbachey 1 disinter Bukharin. present him as the embodiment of revolutionary continuity between Lenin and the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45, that would do much to discharge the legacy of Stalin and enhance the prestige of his own regime. There are two factors.

however, likely to He was the charges Policy after private especially enfarmers inbased on terror. commitment to of a mcans own

BITE

21115 situation -In Bukharin's of the past. Likewise, Bukharin's "command with which Gorbachev which much can he introducing willingness petition, important for Western leadermatter. The The official Comunemployment. boost to even further Following Bukharin Stephen Cohen, investors Back in 1973, in

ORCS

Bolshevik to run factories in the East.

sell at weak thinking burdensome military sector, and _rits indebtedness is rising. In this context, to dig up Bukharin and the past could provoke a political The fall

SIOSTS

shows why.

SLOW

Two years ago, as head of the would like to Moscow Communist Party, Yeltsin If he could asked a party congress Why after many years succeeded. why are problems brought up every years at party autumn 1987 he had been removed his trom post. hardliners of the Brezhnev epoch, make Gorled by Gorbachev's deputy Yegor

PROBLEMS OF PERESTROIKA

WILL BUKHARIN

LIVE AGAIN?

Nikolai Bukharin is about to be 'rehabilitated' in Mikhail Gorbachev's Soviet Union — or is he?

Gemma Forest investigates

BUKHARIN AWAITS HIS SENTENCE

bachev move with caution. These unstable political military. the present. and chequered career in Gorbachev's hesitations reflect his fears about pressing ahead with economic refgrim. How far can he go in questioning the 'top-down' norms established under Stalin, to the traditionalists in the Kremlin are still so attached? How bluster about cconomic comof which Bukharin was the leading advocate in years gone by? Talking about such changes is

'SOFT WAX'

Gorbachev. but implementing them is a different Kremlin's recent declarations against overmanning in industry have already fuelled fold might be popular fears about permanent contemplated. Any additional private enterprise threatens to send the black market out of control. down the road to the free play of market forces would. be to invite Western especially German as fully to press for the most exploitative terms when agreeing never fully The Soviet Union is already in dialectic.)' difficulties. Its reserves of foreign exchange are low, its oil and gold prices, it runs was made 1915 In Lenin's oppressed of Boris Yeltsin lieutenant. Soviet trade have we not the same five congresses?" By Since then Charging Bukharin West and Ligachov and abetted by the Soviet have forced Gorbachev to slow the pace of reform. At the celebrations of October 1917 last year, Gorbachev delivered a stern defence of Stalin's collectivisation policy and of the disastrous nonaggression' pact he agreed with Hitler in August 1939. The strikes in Armenia and Estonia, the riots in Azerbaijan and growing turmoil in Eastern Europe have compounded Gorbachev's hesitation. The last thing he needs is a furore over the Communist tradition in Russia.

If Bukharin was a representative Leninist firmness Stalinist dissent, his return to the more easily But his record shows he was no such thing. In his dying testament, Lenin described him, Bukharin as the most valuable theoretician" and the "favourite' of the party. But he went on: His theoretical views can with only the greatest reservations be regarded Marxist, for there is something scholastic in him. (He never has learned, and I think understood, the Lenin's collected works. which are mass-produced in the USSR, reveal that this point repeatedly about Bukharin over the years. Bukharin opposed call- for the right of nations to selfthe determination. Lenin wrote to his Zinoviev: I'm so furious now with Bukharin that I cannot write' (4 July 1916). In the are 1921 controversy over the role of unions, Bukharin compiled a platform calling for mandatory nominations by unions to industrial management bodies.

1926. Lenin condemned him for making a transition to syndicalism' and a mistake that is much more serious which than all of Trotsky's put together'.

with substituting eclecticism for dialectics, Lenin remarked that tany "unprincipled" "dema-

OCTSO LEV

gogue" can leave any mark he likes on this "soft wax" Not long before his death, in 1922, Lenin dictated a telegram to Stalin hen Bukharin tried to the state's monopoly over overturn forcign trade. He pointed out that simple tariffs proposed by Bukharin would be no match for Western exports with subsidies behind them: "We must oppose this with all our might and carry our opposition right to a party congress... The only system of protection worthy of consideration is the monopoly of foreign trade. In practice, Bukharin is acting as an advocate of the profiteer, of the petit-bourgeoisie and of the upper stratum of the peasantry in opposition to the industrial proletariat.* On thesc issues - the national question, trade union responsibility for the economy, commercial relations with the Gorbachev's tendency is with Bukharin against to side Lenin. But as long as the queues to look at Lenin's tomb remain long, Gorbachev will have to hold his peace. On the other hand, efforts to portray Bukharin as a serious opponent of Stalin simply will not wash.

AMBIGUOUS

In the twenties Bukharin was Stalin's right-hand man. Once his industrial-

ODDOSOI

Crash isation was crushed in 1929, he recanted, remained on the central committee and left only silence and few ambiguous criticisms between 1930 and 1934, From 1934 to 1936 Bukharin endorsed Stalin's rule, becoming editor of Isvestia.

drafting a new Soviet constitution representing the Kremlin abroad. Only when he was arrested and tried did Bukharin lash out against his accusers Although Bukharin disliked Stalin, he was indeed 'soft wax" in his hands. More importantly. he Leninist talled to see how tradition had been destroyed in the terror of 1929 and after. Of Stalin, he remarked in 1935: 'It is not him we trust but the man in whom the party has reposed its confidence.

But by this time the party was an entirely different animal to what it had been in 1917. It is fashionable on the left to say that Gorbachev may rehabilitate Bukharin but never Trotsky. But even bringing Bukharin back from ignominy has its snags. As Stephen Cohen observes, Bukharin differed from Trotsky in that his views had a mass base among the bureaucracy and the peasantry.

CONSERVATIVE

Bukharin drew Stalin's fire only because of what he represented in social weight. Without this behind Trotsky nevertheless such a threat that he and his supporters received even harsher treatment. Contrary to Cohen's view, it was Lenin and his real heir, Trotsky, who were most immersed in internationalism and European thought. While Bukharin was a vacillating symbol of rural and conservative resistance to Stalin in the thirties. Bolshevik sort the was Trotsky's. It was Trotsky who demolished Stalin and Bukharin for their patriotic slogan of socialism in one country. It was Trotsky who attacked Bukharin's alliances with middle class peasant opportunist and disastrous in its practical results. We would like to see Bukharin rehabilitated. But we more interested in the rehabilitation of the countless Communists who died when, in wooing the peasantry. Bukharin aborted the revolution in China in We want to rehabilitate those communists who died in the purges of the thirties . purges Bukharin's policies encouraged and in which he was, despite himself, complicit.

the next step

n international conference A on third world debt took London place in The £600-a-head month. Lane bash drew dignitaries from Western banks.

Latin American finance ministries Capturing the and academia. of pessimism, general aur speaker stated that after five years of muddling through *we muddled and thoroughly longer have a strategy for dealing with the debt crisis. Recent events prove how right he was. Since the outbreak of the debt crisis in 1982 Western policymakers have managed to prevent a in the world banking collapse A series of strategies to contain the debt crisis has so far been successful in postponing the day of reckoning. global financial But while the system has proved to be remarkably resilient, the problems now facing Western powers may become insuperable. Mexico announced When moratorium on debt payments in 1982, the prevailing wisdom was that this was simply a short-term balance of payments hitch provoked by the country's loss of earnings on oil exports.

Through the Bank of International Settlements 3 western nations put together a $1.85 billion lending while the US package, billion istration gave advance payments for oil. exercise aimed to allow Mexico to resume payments while adjusting its external trade position.

RECESSION

At the time US treasury secretary Donald Regan argued forcefully that the debt problem was a temporary aberration. At the September 1982 meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Toronto, Regan proposals to double the vetoed IMF lending facilities, Insisting this was unnecessary. He was soon The world recession proved wrong. was making it increasingly difficult for all third world countries to pay their way. Rising interest rates in the West pushed up the costs of servicing debt. Economic slump reduced foreign also meant currency carnings, as both export levels and prices of raw material products plummeted. A massive flight of capital from third world countries, as investors sought to protect their wealth by moving into stronger currencies, balance of payaggravated ments problems. Within six months 20 more countries were in the same position as Mexico. The West woke up to the threat posed by the debt crisis.

responded by imposing and austerity programmes on the third world. Debtor nations were forced to accept economic dictated by the West through the IMF. New "standby" credit was made available only if the debtor countries met their targets.

The IMF programmes sought to shift resources from consumption and investment in the third world to the payment of debt. With little prospect of raising money through increased exports, debtor nations were forced to slash From 1981 to 1985 import bills. Latin American imports fell by 40 nations were cent. Debtor

SCE

forced to stop purchasing capital goods and other materials essential to industrial development just to meet the demands banks. They had no choice but to axe welfare spending and open up to their economies foreign control.

AUSTERITY

For a small country like Bolivia, austerity meant capital investment falling by an average of 22 per cent 1980 and 1984. a year between Mining crucial to the output. country's economy, fell by 20 per cent in 1985 and 37 percent the year after. Wages are now less than the next step onc are *no soon admin- This half the level they were before the debt crisis. IMF strictures have led to a 60 per cent fall in capital investment in Mexico and average wage cuts of 40 per cent since 1982.

The coffers of Western banks have filled through hunger and been poverty in the third world.

The debtor nations are facing economic ruin. Yet they now carry the added burden of massive debt further According to Da vanets. Bank figures, there has been a net outflow of capital from developing countries of $85 billion since 1982.

Even the World Bank, set up to for provide money development in the third world, received more than it lent last year.

Despite the IMF offensive, third world debt continued to grow.

In 1982 the total debt of 123 policies developing countries billion. Todav it stands at more than $1000 billion. The cost of servicing Latin American debt as a proportion earnings has risen from 45 per cent in 1983 to 55 per cent in 1987.

Together austerity and new IMF loans have barely allowed debtor nations to meet spiralling interest payments. They have done nothing to deal with the underlying debt.

SLACKENING

American treasury James Baker made a lame attempt to confront this problem. At the October 1985 meeting of the IMF Western and the World Bank in Seoul he urged private banks to support increased lending facilities from more the World Bank by opening new credit lines to the third world. He economic argued that rather than austerity, was the most effective solution to the debt crisis.

The praise heaped on the Baker Plan" could not irrelevance. By 1986 many of the world's strongest economies were showing signs of slackening, and concern was growing over the US GUATEMALA CITY: THIRD WORLD POVERTY FILLS THE COFFERS OF WESTERN BANKS

THE WEST BLEEDS THE THIRD WORLD

NO WAY OUT OF

THE DEBT TRAP

Tony Kennedy reviews the problem of third world debt engines of growth. changes debt crisis involve banks (see box) to reducing World volving a sample of choices.

COMPETITION

Loan loss industrial Citicorp's lending. was $747 follow suit and currency on profits. the realistic view Their nans been attempting to Medium-sized American Express, secretary -ấnd the Bank aim to make the remove growth, and Citicorp, disguise already depressed profits.

This practice, form of competition. trade and budget deficits. In these conditions there was little likelihood of indebted nations becoming The West has made important with dealing the recently. These making provisions against losses on debt, and the adoption of a menu approach debt inaction are greater. provisions, setting aside part of current profits as an towards insurance against future losses, are not new. In May 1987, however, the US bank Citicorp set aside $3 billion, bringing its total provision up to 30 per cent of its third world public admission that a substantial part of the debt would never be substantial repaid. It forced other banks with a large stake in the third world to a knock increased provisions mean more than the banks taking a the status of of In recent months US banks have outdo each other in levels of debt provision.

banks such Wells Fargo, of Boston have increased provisions to 50 per cent of their third world lending. They provisions that debt obstacle to expanding operations in other areas. These banks realise

• EXIT BONDS

that the largest US banks such as Chase Manhattan, Bank America with enormous stakes in third world debt, will find it difficult to do the same. They cannot afford more reductions on dubbed 'machoprovisioning", is being used as a While the debt. than largest US banks remain burdened with third world debt, big regional banks are trying to seize opportunities in other areas. National Westminster, the most profitable UK bank, favours a big rise in provisions from the present 30 per cent. Only pressure from the Bank of England has prevented such a move. The Bank is concerned that Nat West will by put pressure on Midland and Lloyds whose third world debt problems "menu' option is a move more individual and bilateral initiatives by both debtors and creditors. The recent Mexican debt-for-bonds deal illustrates this trend. The plan involved Mexico putting up $10 billion of bonds redeemable after 20 years. The aim was to offer new bonds to banks in exchange for existing debt at a discount. The plan Some items on the menu

• DEBT/EQUITY SWAPS

These are schemes whereby banks can exchange their debt with particular countries for shareholdings in companies operating In that country.

These are bonds offered by third world countries in exchange for bank debt. The debtor nation expects to buy the debt at a discount to make the deal worthwhile. The attraction to banks is that they offer an 'exit from the obllgation to take part in future amounted to swapping new debt in exchange for a greater amount of old. Optimists within the Mexican government were talking writing off up to $20 billion of The most striking existing debt. feature of the scheme, however, was the financial backing given by the US treasury. The USA's big stake in the Mexican economy explains its concern to stabilise the financial situation.

FEARS

In the event Mexico sold only a quarter of the bords in new exchange for $3.6 billion of old This bankers remain - unwilling to forgive' big slices of the debt. Rather the losses they accept continue to hope that Western governments will take the measures necessary to prop up the world financial system. But the latest developments indicate that the resilience of the system in recent years cannot last forever.

Provisions and menus are not a new internationally agreed initiative on third world debt, but rather confirmation that there is no agreement. A situation in which both governments and banks are seeking their own solutions is much less conducive to control than cooperation through the IMF and World Bank. A new world recession can only encourage these The competitive mechanisms, about the renewed pessimism of third world debt problem reflects fears that recrimination will cooperation rather dominate the deliberations between banks in the late eighties.

loan deals with that country.

• PAYMENT IN

LOCAL CURRENCY

This Involves banks accepting payment of Interest, usually a portion of It, in the debtor's currency rather than In dollars and other Western currencies.

• CAPITALISATION

OF INTEREST

This means converting due interest payments into additional debt. In effect, it means removing payment to a future date. 11 March 1988 • 11

the otiper side

REAL ROYALS

THE ONE GOOD THING about Andy and Fergie is that they show up the British royal family in its truly revolting colours. The TV special on their trip to Los Angeles (ITV.

plenty of Sunday) provided ammunition for those who would like the modern royals to be shown the same respect as was Charles I (ie, allowed to wear two shirts and a fresh. wig their execution), That Duke of York person is the perfect prince. He is overweight, over-fond of himself, arrogant, empty-headed and awful. He is a university rugger-club without the balls, a B-movie war hero without the script writer, an upper-class twit extraordinaire.

the highlight of the nim, American trin posing board USS Nimitz, the world's biggest warship, and gurgling like a sticky little schoolboy at the display of aerial airpower put on for him. He didn't look so cocky when giving a speech about the wonders of Britain at a big charity dinner attended by hard-bitten Hollywood dignitaries. He told them to buy more British cars and films which were 'the best in the Nobody world'. seemed whether he was joking or not.

• • The Duchess of York is equally good at showing the obnoxious side of the female royals. She got a lot of stick during the trip, for being basically naff, ignorant and intolerable. But we want more of this sort of thing, to show the about. She spends vast sums on dresses that look like runched-up red duvet covers, and mixes them with tacky Union Jack hairslides.

She boasts on television about Windsor castle having very good, old-fashioned loos. Water comes down works and it all everything, yah. She behaves at all times like a Sloane Ranger stereotype who has only just of grown out snogging-andpuking public school balls at the Empire Ballroom, Leicester Square.

With their almost-permanent holidays and haughty, horsey the Yorks spitting images of royal parisitism.

Not for them any of this worrying cities inner charitable works. They are real monarchists in a feudal mould.

US Their trip, however, confirmed that the British ruling class no longer has the status to lord it in the style to which their family has become accustomed.

While past royal visitors Hollywood were pictured meeting stars like Charlie Chaplin, Andy and Fergie had to shake hands with tin robot from some obscure sci-fi picture. When they went to the big social evening of their trip, the organisers had to send guests a photograph of the unknown so that they would know who the royal ones were. They also sent out instructions on how to speak to the *The nauseous pair: Duchess should be addressed as "Ma'am", as in "Spam": And so say all of us.

Eddie Veale 12 • 11 March 1988

DEGSY TELLS ALL

for chap Bloomsbury, £3.95 sure ariv in the first volume of his autobiography Derek Hattor his counter with Militant. After a Labour Party meeting in Wavertree in 1975 he went for a drink with the stocky tight-lipped print worker who was to become supremo of Liverpool's formidable District Labour Party machine and the key figure behind the scenes in Militant's effective control over Liverpool city council between 1983 and 1987: *Now Tony Mulhearn sat there in the pub and told me there was a group, centred around the Militant which and newspaDer believed all the things 1 did. It spoke the language I understood. I think I could have jumped up and hugged him there and then. I had never read the paper, never read the books. I was an activist. I just wanted to get on with it, but here was someone actually crystallising all the things I had been thinking, and telling me he agreed."

are

PRODIGY

Who was this youthful prodigy.

a spontaneous Militant member, or whose every instinct and prejudice could be endorsed by the veteran Merseyside Marxist? Hatton offers also his modest introduction: *I was an ordinary Liverpudlian, with a perhaps more than generous helping of the wit and arrogance to with which mOSt blessed, but all of those things were my strengths, not my weaknesses."

Hatton's account reveals how Militant works by labour movement activists without challenging any way existing political outlook, inevitably reflects the dominant influence of Labourism and the feebleness of British Marxism.

Far from being Hatton's know-nothing activism is the historic weakness of the British working class, one which has been consistently indulged and intensified by the British left. Love him or ha him, you have to read him

LIVERPOOL ECHO

Derek Hatton, Inside Left: The Story So Far, Peter Taffe and Tony Mulhearn, Liverpool: A City that Dared to Fight, Fortress £6.95 fateful enintroductions. ward gentle and caring'. Peter the Birkenhead-born concerned" are that had such young Hatton? In substantial said and when Party: Hatton plaining that emerged radical Liberalism adopted the Engels characteristically regarded demagogue are Scousers hostile to Marxism than Hardie.

CANDID

organising their their which Labourism, not Labour Party's strength, commitment Marxists,

STATE

HATTON, TAAFFE

TELL THEIR STOR

Who were the main influences on Hatton? He provides fulsome Mulhearn is powerful man in every sense of the struggle is to word", but also, reassuringly, 'very capitalist Taaffe, 115 control editor of Militant, is 'the greatest political thinker" ever met by Hatton, with *no equal where political strategies What was Hatton political outlook promoted by the inspirational Militant leadership resonance with and their more work. Taaffe and council and OVer

OVCH

again about the influence of the determination to ideas of Marxism', but they avoid Liverpool's specifying what these ideas are Hatton has no such inhibitions.

*What they were saving to me then - and what Militant says for today — is very little different from the things which Keir Hardie said founded the Labour

BREEZY

continues, exfor example our philosophy of taking control of the means of production is essentially Clause Four of the Labour Party's constitution." In fact Keir Hardie keep as from the traditions of and never to ideas of Marxism: Militant's him as and an opportunist. Labour's Clause Four was drafted and humiliation not by Hardie but by the Fabian Sydney Webb, who was even more behind Kinnock. Hatton's candid exposition of the basics of Militant theory blows situations the gaffe on Taffe and Mulhearn influence verbiage machine. Abolit "Marxism'. Militant's programme biography is rooted in the traditions of British Marxism. The constitutional the nationalisation has always been a goal postponed to the indefinite future, which it has retained as its claim on the loyalty of the working class. For his mentors ownership of tedious cords fi 3SR and Ea Love h days, by class, industries and services is simply a from form of capitalist organisation of society: the goal of working class overthrow the extend

DOCTO

Militant distinguishes itself from other trends in the labour movement organisational and personality factors not by political criteria.

heaps contempt on "ultra-left' groups because 'they do not know how to organise.' Taaffe Mulhearn condemn the and soft-left Labour leadership leaders because they lacked the willingness to fight and go all the way of Militant leaders. According to Hatton, Marx said: "It's a socialist's job to organise,"* though he provides no reference this endorsement of the Militant method from the founder of scientific socialism. The central organisational commitment of Militant is to work within the Labour Party machine.

are 'Our aim", writes Hatton, is to many supporters as possible within the Labour Party go down the road with us.

inability organise to outside Labour means that it has been forced to accept the expulsion They of its members and to continue down the road Militant's lack of a programmatic alternative and its parasitic dependence on its Labour Party host means that it is destined to act like the Labour Party in where it acquires Labour within the Hatton's Both autoand the Taaffe and told Mulhearn account document the rise of Militant in Liverpool and the consequences recent the confrontation between the council and the government, The virtue of Hatton's work is that it covers the subject in a breezy 174 pages, while meander over a 500-plus. it can be no accident that every cliché, platitude and tired metaphor of radical journalism features at least once in their book. The Militant celebrations of the "momentous events' in Liverpool 1983 and 1987 fail to identify what was distinctive abou Liverpool and what was the fairly conduct of a left-wing typıcal Labour council. Liverpool was unusual in that, at least in the early the council mobilise significant popular support from a working class with a strong sense of local identity and for the Tory deep hatred government. Partly because of the spirit of working class resistance and partly because of the Militant character of the council leadership.

Liverpool was singled out for attack by the Tories, the media and a shamefully cringing Labour leadership.

SMEARS

Both books document the calculation and ruthlessness of the establishment, the sewer-scraping techniques of the press and the of" the disgraceful manocuvres Hatton and Labour witch-hunt. his family, in particular, had to endure an endless stream of smears, allegations of corruption and fabricated stories. For putting up with all this, as well as the insufferably self-important Degsy, the loyal Shirley emerges as a truly heroic figure. The soft-left hacks Kinnock mobilised by against Militant are richly deserving of the scorn with which they are treated in these accounts. In most respects however history has revealed Liverpool's Militant council as little different from other Labour councils. Far from mobilising the working Militant dissipated resistance through its focus council manoeuvres between cuts and rate rises, and the debates and loans about capitalisation Swiss bankers, which culminated in the "grotesque of the scheme for 31 000 redundancies. Like generations of Labour leaders, the Liverpool Militants celebrated as historic achievements the council's meagre programmes of job creation and They parti- COnSTUCHOT cularly demoralised resistance by pretending that the election of a Militant-run council overrode the distinction between the council as employer and council employees as workers. The council leadership's manipulation of divisions among council unions and its constant recourse to the courts deepened conrusion ana under mined resistance.

SIDESWIPE

Hatton's sideswipe at the loony left over its concern with black rights' mayors and gay has provided the pretext for the softleft attack on Militant. It is striking that the same people don't object to the same prejudices when they Kinnock expressed by the camp, where they are even more deeply entrenched than they are in Militant. The soft left hate Hatton, not because of his but politics, because of their snobbish distaste for his vulgar and provincial style of conspicuous consumption.

prefer the more discreet cosmopolitan affluence and sophisof Bryan Gould or tication Hilary Wainwright. These two books are a lesson in the consequences of what Lenin called 'economism", the attempt to working class organise the by existing level of generalising its When Mulhearn consciousness. Hatton agreed with everything he said, the result was growth of an organisation which echoed the existing outlook of the more militant workers. Over 30 years Militant has built a clone of the Labour Party in Liverpool, The ideas of Marxism now have to be established there from scratch.

Mike Freeman the next step

has been

SOCISC

speculation about of the London-

CULUTC

Dublin accord following a series controversies about British conduct of Irish affairs. Commentators have pointed out that Thatcher failed to consult the government, failed to appease the Loyalists and failed to keep her promises to the Northern nationalists. Articles in the British and Irish press have conjectured that there is a conspiracy by the Tories to wreck the Anglo-Trish deal. In fact recent events reveal that the November 1985 accord has served Thatcher's purpose well. The current conviction that the Anglo-Trish agreement working trom

SECTOR

assessment what supposed Lo achieve first place. The unfree state The Anglo-Trish agreement widely thought to give Dublin a say in Northern affairs. But British officials had no such intention. By paying lip-service to the idea of consulting Dublin, the British hoped to get a firm commitment to increased security cooperation While against minster dithered about discussing Dublin's demands for reform of the security forces and the courts, it wasted no time getting down to the business of cross-Border London's deal security. Dublin has brought the South under closer British supervision.

and confirmed that it is little more than a satellite of Westminster.

British judges dismissed the appeal of the Birmingham against their conviction for the 1974 pub bombings, causing great offence to the Irish government. In rebuff to Dublin another British attorney general Sir Patrick Mayhew declared that he would the findings of the not divulge the Royal Ulster inquiry into Constabulary's shoot-to-kill policy.

Mayhew had already upset Charles Haughey's Fianna Fail government by relusing to cooperate with Dublin's extradition proceedings.

Then in the face of Irish criticisms of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the Tories decided to make legislation perthe anti-Irish manent. When Haughey launched his inquiry into the shooting of by a British Aidan McAnespie soldier three weeks ago, Thatcher told him to mind his own business.

The subsequent revelation about the release from prison and reentry into the Army of lan Thain, British soldier convicted the only of murdering a nationalist while on duty, further inflamed Irish feelings.

Yet despite all the insults the Irish government remains committed to a deal which gives Dublin nothing Westminster and everything. While Thatcher becomes daily more arrogant in her dismissal of Irish complaints, Haughey becomes increasingly servile in his concern to appease London When Taoiseach the Irish pleaded with the British prime minister to make good the damage done by the Birmingham Six and Stalker affairs. Thatcher issued a characteristically contemptuous reply: "Do you know, I was asked today how long the Irish problem been going on. nas thought 400 years. I was told 700 years, so you know, you have to take the long perspective. Most people saw this as a kick in the Haughey, but the man teeth for himself had a different assessment: 'She listened carefully courteously throughout to views I put forward; confirmed her view of the importance relationship between the and made it clear governments; that she considers the Anglo-Irish best agreement hope the future.* the next step While Haughey complains that British une

OTHERIST

abide Dy new

STISM

extradition, his government republicans rounding up Sinn MP former Fein Carron pending their removal to has stand trial in a Irish the Border. across Haughey's worries about the use of special powers such as the PTA against pcople in prevented him from using similar extraordinary powers and seizure at home. So far this year the Irish garda (police) have seized more arms and explosives in the South than British forces have captured in the North. embarrassed to was not not about his latest arms Monaghan on the same day that Irish nationalists were burying the was the latest victim of Britain's shoot-tokill policy, Aidan McAnespie, in a Monaghan cemetery. Haughey has made it clear that no matter how many Irishmen the British Army and the RUC shoot to kill, his government will still back Britain's war against the IRA to the hilt. 'I want to emphasise that our determination and resolve to do everything in our power to defeat the men emphasised, 'will in no way be lessened by the unfortunate events and difficulties of recent weeks."

West- Dublin's commitment to a deal British which ratifies Ireland and which confirms its own subordination to Westminster indeed success with for Thatcher. Loyal to Britain When the Anglo-Irish agreement was signed many people predicted Six that it would not last long in face of Loyalist intransigence. During the backlash which accord, many in the movement here argued that the Unionists would "veto' latest political initiative because it the Union. threatened accord had conceded nothing any substance to Irish nationalists South, North or strengthen rather than undermine the Union. This is why the Loyalist campaign against the accord was no threat to Britain. The longer the accord has lasted the clearer it has become that its aim is to bolster in Ireland, British rule Loyalist opposition has wilted.

The Loyalists rely on the link with Rritain to privileged access to jobs, houses and political power Catholic neighbours. that Westminster has always been able to rely on defenders of British rule. But it has also made Unionists sensitive to anything, like the which agreement, shifting the sectarian status quo, however slightly. Unionist MPs resigned their Westminster seats to fight by-elections accord ticket, Loyalist mobs took to the streets and paramilitaries arian rage on Catholics. Behind all the hot air, however, the protests by Were

DECLEY

ist standards. Since there was no basis to their claim that the accord undermine the Union, the Unionist alliance against it fragmented. Thatcher's refusal to ditch the deal always concentrated the minds more level-headed Loyalists, who began to talk of the need to come accommodation Westminster. Party general secretary Millar stated that and agreement was to break the Union.

the There was thus no alternative but the to submit. and only the need to save face prolonged the process of two accommodation. In July last year the two main Unionist parties published An End for to Drift. a document proposing TerusIng lu rules like Owen Diplock court Nor have Britain of search Haughey boast find in violence," rule story followed the labour Britain's But the of and aimed to talks with the Tory government.

and End Lames leaders an any James maintain their leading resigned, the scene was set for their secret This means resignees, them as dogged Anglo-Irish deal. Anglo-Irish Unionist like

BOOKS

British are on an snt- Protestant war in Ireland. vented their secthad to come Loyalveto over British initiatives.

down Loyalist would been another for Thatcher. of the Nationalist resistance with Official Unionist Frank the only reform for the security forces and arianism British rule oppression of

THATCHER'S HAND

Although there was no movement Molyneaux, authors of the report two British. The return of one of the Peter Robinson, to the Unionist fold in January coincided ever clearer. with Loyalist proposals for a new system of devolution to replace the More recent statements have even suggested that Dublin should have an official office in Belfast. The now hoping to launch yet another sham assembly in the North, which was always that there is no their aim, to cover up their colonial The fact that the Loyalists have with the fight a

STO TEETS

accord reveals that they have no and occupation, that the British state calls the shots in Ireland. The exercise in facing protest in the acceptable levels. conviction that it could not last, gad in forcing the Unionists back the devolution table, has success story stitutional defeated The Anglo-Irish agrcement was heralded as the start of a new era of devolved Northern nationalists. Many people took Thatcher's promises to reform the seemed outlaw eradicate discrimination at face value. But the establishment could never introist ghettos. duce reforms on this scale because based on the nationalists.

THE HUMILIATIONS BRITAIN

HAS HEAPED ON DUBLIN HAVE

NOT STOPPED IRISH PREMIER

CHARLES HAUGHEY SHAKING

ANGLO-IRISH AGREEMENT

GAME, SET, BUT NOT

MATCHTO THATCHER

Joan Phillips argues that the Anglo-Irish agreement has been a success story for Thatcher Thatcher wanted to create the illusion of progress, win over more nationalists to a moderate approach, and isolate the republican movement the better to destroy it. In the and a half years since Hillsborough the reforming face of the accord has yet to appear, while its repressive function becomes British rule in Ireland depends on the permanent subjugation of the nationalists. This means that cannot make significant concessions to the nationalists and the nationalists have no choice but Given to resist their oppression.

of possibility breaking the cycle of repression and resistance, Britain is forced to of containment. Throughout more than 18 years of the British have pursued a succession of political initiatives alongside military terror to try to contain the war within All parties to the accord aggeed that its central purpose was to isolate the men of violence, by strengthening the cause of connationalism. The government hoped to deliver Loyalists and revived moderate nationalists into a new assembly, and prepare the way for a new round of antirepublican repression. This strategy to have some success among war-weary nationalists, but it had no impact on the core of republican support in the national- The clearer it becomes that the Tories cannot deliver on their promises of reform, the more Irish nationalists will once again turn their backs on the idea of a British solution. In the mean time the reality of British repression which has come to the fore in recent harden the months only Can outlook of that section of the nationalist community which with any wants nothing to do London initiative. In this sense the Anglo-Irish accord can never be a complete success for Thatcher and she knows it. He British lies Thatcher's biggest success has been in selling the Anglo-Irish agreement in Britain, The Labour Party's whole-hearted support for the agreement and confusion among British radicals about the meaning of the accord have allowed the government to give its rule in Ireland an image of respectability and fairness. In the week that Thatcher did her deal with Dublin we wrote in Ins that the accord gave the British authorities everything they wanted" and gave the Irish people nothing but the promise of more intense repression. Our opposition to the accord was based on clear relationship analysis -ot the between the British state and all the participants in the Irish War, and on the conclusion which flows from this: that Britain can never be anything other than a force for barbarism in Ireland. If we are to build a movement in this country that can speed the day when the resistance is victorious, we must expose the truth behind Thatcher's.

Anglo-Irish lie. 11 March 1988 • 13

Shere Hite, Women anc Love: A Cultural Revolution in Progress The ivew Hite Report. Viking Press. [1495 Over a period of seven years Shere Hite sent out 100 000 questionnaires (each containing hundreds of questions), asking American women for their views on love, relationships and marriage. The 4500 anonymous replies form the basis of the third Hite report, complementing her earlier studies of female and male sexuality. The report consists of 900 pages of quotes (from one line to several pages) from these replies, Interpersed with SauStCal generalisations and comment from the author. The thoughts of ner restongents are marshalled under chapters such as The Major Problems In Love Relationships', 'Loving Men who are "Bad for You" "Extramarital Sex and Affalrs' and Women Loving Women'.

DISTORTION

Sections are Introduced by the statistics: 98 per cent of women want the men in their lives to talk more about their feelings; 47 per cent have to provoke a fight to get their man to talk; 91 per cent of divorced women say they made the decision to split; 82 per cent say their love relationships with other women are excellent; 93 per cent of women who have never maried say they love being single; 70 per cent of women married for over five years are having affalrs; 76 per cent of single women will sleep with a man on their first date. There has been much controversy about how accurate these figures are in relation to American soclety as a шлое. неʼс са was large, but not random. She says that it corresponds by age, class, race, etc, to the general female population, but the distribution of many of the questionnaires via women's rights and political organisations must have distorted the response. Further distortion will have occurred In the Interpretation of the replles. For example, Hite says '46 per cent of single women are waging a consclous struggle agalnst the hold stereotypes that say "you must have a man", have on part of their minds. Hites writes as If she had asked this as a specific question, which she didn't, or as if 46 per cent replled saying, 1 am waging a consclous struggle, etc', which 1 doubt.

PIGS

In fact Hite's survey is probably as rellable, or ss unrellable, as any other opinion poll. Certainly there are no real surprises here. Women are unhappy and angry with men, men behave llke pigs and don't listen, women get on better with each other. So what's new? What's new is the 14 e 11 March 1988

SHERE HITE: PILLORIED

THE HITE REPORT

WHAT'S

NEW

ABOUT

UNHAPPY

WOMEN?

widespread hostility with which the book has been greeted, reflecting the growing climate of moral repression. It is becoming unacceptable even to MAcor De eTnOW unsatisfactory and unstable are family and personal relationships in contemporary society. Hite has been pillorled across America on television and in the press, because the majont or ner respondents explode the myth of the blissful monogamous heterosexual marriage.

NONSENSE

Understanding the book's reception should not blind us to the fact that Hite's own analysis ic intonerent поперпар. She sees a 'cultural revolution in progress, clalming that 75 per cent of women are now financially Independent of men and are creating the 'biggest realignment of thought In two centuries or more'. She says that 'gender may be the basic, original split, that 'patriarchy...may be the system underlying all other systems, but women will transform the culture with our values" and create 'a new social contract.

BOLSTER

Her own statistics that 84 per cent of women put a loving relationship as the top priority in their Ilves, while 74 per cent complain that men do not, show how far from reality she has strayed. These are not simply the statistics of dependence.

They also show how widespread is the bellef that unhappiness and unfulfiiment in society are problems which are generated by and can be resolved in personal relationships. Hite encourages this belief. The very size of the book Is significant here. By relaying the replies of these women in such detall sne is claiming a privileged status for their experlence of relationships. This Is not ict lerrino wamen sheak. or giving them a voice. Whe s using mneir voices to bolster some very dublous Ideas of her own.

most of all the notion that the way to solve a problem Is to talk about your own experience of it.

Joanna Doyle reviews page Latin America Bureau. The Thatcher Years Britan and Latir: America. 13.50 ine resedren and information body, the Latin American Bureau, has produced this collection of essays on a number of key issues in the relationship betweeen Britain and Latin America over the last decade. The book provides a clear and informative account of Margaret Thatcher's grisly record in the region. i shows that far from simply providing a diplomatic echo of US aggression, Britain has been prominent in the supply of material aid to the most reactionary and repressive regimes. Thatcher has renewed large-scale military aid to Pinochet's Cs COUnter insurgency training for army officers in El Salvador and given official backing to the notorious

FLYING THE FLAG IN THE FALKLANDS

THATCHER IN LATIN AMERICA

AN IMPERIALIST,

NOT A POODLE

KMS (the British mercenary organisation). ne concus ons drawn in these essays however serve to obscure rather than illuminate the reasons behind British IntenTerence Loun America and its uncritical support for US policy there. The 'special relationship beween Britain and the USA. Reagan ano natcner s affinity for free market economics and their mutual abhorrence of progressive regimes are all cited to explain British conduct. The 'poodle" theory is popular too: Thatcher is Reagan's lapdog and will support him against good sense, international opinion and even wider British interests. Judith Hart, a former Labour minister for overseas development, gives Thatcher's support for the invasion of Grenada as a prime examole of such an irrational stance, lambasting Thatcher for ignoring 'the Queen's concern' over an ex-colony and for 'so cheaply yielding... British and Commonwealth international influence' to Reagan's marines.

DETERRENT

The reactionary consequences of this type of nationalism become apparent when the two main areas of British interest are discussed - Belize and the Malvinas. Britain maintains 1800 troops in Belize (formerly British Honduras) to ward off Guatemaa S CamO sovereignty over the excolony. Where it was quick to condemn the US military presence in Central America, this book now discovers that 'progressive opinion both in the UK and Central America supports the presence of the British troops. This is one of the largest forces that any Western bower nas in Latin America, and as its mobilisation during the recent disturbances in St Kitts shows, it will be used by Britain to protect its wider interests where necessary. For the moment it serves nicely as a deterrent to left-wing guerrilla forces in Guatemala and as a staging post for arms supplies to the Contras. The Malvinas conflict PuPs Be Laba saeneal Bureau team further problems. They are desperate to criticise Thatcher, but at the same time they support British intervention themselves. Iney ger round tis by criticising her for not peine imperialst enougn Hugh 'Shaughnessy casupates ner tor naving a poor intelligence network in the South Atlantic and for maintaining 'the garrison on the Falklands at derisory levels'. Jimmy Burns goes even further in painting out her failure to send a dissuasive force of nuclear submarines' in the months preceding the conflict

REMEMBER

British and US policy in Latin America are intimately linked. They are there for the same reason, to protect their own and the West's economic and political interests. Britain plays a subordinate role only because of its military and economic inferiority, but this was not always the case. In 1870, for example, Britain sponsored the war against Paraguay.

resulting in the massacre of 1. 5m Paraguavans Next time these authors anouee in some chauvinistic anti- Americanism. or see a positive role for Britain in this region, they would do well to remember that. lan Haden the next step

THE PRESENT

The March meeting of the RCP's Political Committee focused on the pattern of class relations which has emerged in recent months and the implications for our work. Here we summarise the main themes of the discussion.

The broad pattern of class relations which we have discussed in tos in recent years has been given a new shape in the period following the general election and the stock market crash last year. The Tories victory in the June election signalled the start of a new offensive against the working class, which was given added impetus by the experience of the October crash. Fortunately for the ruling class, conditions of continued political stability have allowed Thatcher to keep a grip on the economy. The prevention of an outbreak of international economic warfare has benefited British capitalists and allowed them to sustain their credit-led boom. The sense of optimism about the prospects for the British economy contrasts with the emergence of bourgeois pessimism about the state of the German and US economies. But British capitalism cannot avoid the approaching crisis for long. There are growing fears that soon international cooperation will give way to an economic power struggle - one which Britain is illthe next step

REPORT FROM THE

POLITICAL COMMITTEE

MAKING

SENSE OF

PERIOD

equipped to survive. As we anticipated at our December 1987 conference, the British ruling class has pursued its offensive at home. trying to press home its advantage while the going is good. Already this year the Tories have stepped up their attacks on a number of fronts. The trade unions continue to be the main target of the employers offensive, especially in the public sector. The Tories have thrown down the gauntlet to workers in the health service, education and the civil service. They have moved further in establishing a climate of censorship and repression. In many cases, such as education, the government has met only rhetorical opposition. In other instances Tory attacks are beginning to generate protest and even resistance. But it is a testimony to Thatcher's strength that only over the " NHS have her opponents managed to create difficulties for the government. The general election results now aopear even more important than at the time. Labour's defeat deprived the opposition of any political focus. This experience has exposed the weakness of the labour bureaucracy and thrown the omicial labour movement into profound crisis. The Labour Party has been forced into retirement and has ceased to play the role of an opposition party. Labour's paralysis has had

ON THE PICKET LINE

AT LAND ROVER

party page a devastating impact on the left. The Labour Party's defeats in 1979 and 1983 were followed by prolonged post. mortems. But to this day there has been no debate about the way forward after June 1987. The implications of Labour's election defeat are slowly entering into public consciousness. It is becoming evident that there is no alternative to the Tories in the parliamentary sphere. This revelation accounts for the conservative mood which pervades the working class. Even those who are forced to protest or struggle have accepted the realities of Thatcher's Britain. It is striking that the upsurge of protest during the past two months has not been paralleled by a shift in mood. Nor has it strengthened Labour's position or weakened that of the Tories. Struggles waged in the present climate inevitably have a fragmented character. The absence of any unifying objectives in the political sphere means that strikes and other struggles fail to generate any change in the wider public mood. It also means that struggles waged from such a narrow perspective do not put any significant pressure on the government. The labour bureaucracy has prevented the politicisation of various struggles on both industrial and social issues. The leadership of the Labour Party is convinced that any struggle which is overtly political will only expose its weakness, The trade union leaders have been so traumatised by the experience of defeat that they want to avoid political battles at all cost.

The union leadership is overwhelmed by a sense of its own demise and looks upon every major strike as yet another nail in its coffin. The TUC hopes to regain its influence through good behaviour rather than through mobilising its amembers. Whatever the inclinations of the labour bureaucracy, the capitalist offensive forces people to fight. Workers are drawn into struggles usually because they have no choice, rather than because they have a positive desire to have a go. The struggles of the past few months anticipate the pattern for the period ahead. These struggles invariably have a limited defensive objective. Even when workers spontaneously push forward in a militant direction, the labour bureaucracy takes advantage of the underlying conservative mood to hold back the struggle. In these circumstances there is a marked reluctance to face the facts. Workers are not yet prepared to look for new alternatives. Most working class people see the collapse of Labourism as a sign of their own weakness and a symptom of the Tories' invincibility.

Yet more and more people are forced into situations where they have to fight.

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PUBLIC

MEETING

FIGHT FOR LESBIAN

AND GAY RIGHTS

Monday 14 March, 7.30pm Colston Street Bristol

BECOME AN

RCP

SUPPORTER

Name Address Tel Postcode joining battle with the employers, while in others they will fight for relatively modest objectives. The conservatism and stability which prevail can easily blind us to the volatile nature of class relations. The hesitancy which now characterises most struggles could easily give way to more militant demonstrations of

GASS CHECE ON

provocations may well become a catalyst for outbursts of more generalised resistance. The retreat of the labour bureaucracy has weakened one of the most effective agencies for policing the working class. The shape of the new political configuration is not yet clear. Nor is it obvious how the ruling class proposes to manage working class dissent in the period ahead. The unique features of this period are that the working class is excluded Name Address Post code Phone Send to BCM JPLtd, London WC1N 3XX Movement Wednesday 16 March, 7.30pm *Loyalism myth and reality' Room S53, St Clements Building (Holborn tube) 'Which way forward for Irish solidarity?'

Labour and Trade Union Group Thursday 10 March, 7.30pm Mall Coach pub (near Littlewoods) Broadmead Bristol Sunday 13 March, 1pm 'Stop strip searches! "End British torture!'

Called by the Irish POW Campaign London and elsewhere Half-day conference Saturday 12 March 1.30- 6pm Quaker Meeting House Woodhouse Lane (Opposite University) Leeds Workshops include: • Women freedom fighters • Making the unions fight for women • Building a new opposition Tickets £2/£1 UB40 from access to the state.

and the Labour Party has no role to play. Whether or not these are temporary or permanent developments will become clear in the next couple of Given the unresolved and uncertain character of this unfolding political drama, it is vital that we actively engage the working class in a political dialogue. We need an accurate assessment of the mood and consciousness of the working class if we are to be effective in advancing our polical anterative We have to put forward arguments about the need to fight for anti-capitalist objectives, and, through gauging the response. sharpen our arguments. Only through this engagement will the party he able to work out the propaganda and tactics that are appropriate to the situation. Please send me tns for 12 months starting at No...

Irish Freedom

LONDON IRISH FORUM

London School of Economics, Houghton St WC2

BRISTOL DEBATE

Speakers: IFM, Labour Committee on Ireland, International Women's Week

DURHAM PRISON PICKET

Phone 01-729 0414 for transport details from

FIGHT BACK DAYSCHOOL

• The Clause, Alton's Bill and moral reaction Evening social. Creche and refreshments available.

11 March 1988 • 15

DON'T TRUST THE TUC - See pages 8 and 9 the next step -10 Revolutionary Communist Party Weekly

HEALTH

SERVICE

MARCH

SHOWS

ANGER -

AND

DANGERS

ins 50 000

WASTED

VOICES

Support our fighting fund pay for your tns 11 March 1988 HAVE you heard the one about the archbishop (Trevor Huddleston) and the agony aunt (Claire Rayner)? These were the people the TUC put on its rally platform on Saturday, to point the way forward for more than 50 000 marchers who had turned out to oppose Tory health policies. If this criminal waste of popular anger is the official labour movement's idea of a campaign, we might as well run up the white flag now and admit that Thatcher has won. No church leader, Sunday Mirror columnist or other middle class spokesman has ever defeated a government determined to force its policies through. The only body which can bring real pressure to bear on the Torles over the health service is the 50 000 who marched on Saturday away, disillusioned.

NEW TORY

TRAP FOR

JOBLESS

- see page 5 E1 40p

CONSE

HEALTH

them to succeed. organised working class. Most of the were working class people looking for a way to win. If all they are offered is another sermon about the Christian virtues of the NHS, they will soon drift There are already danger signs that

WHAT

THE

WITCH-

HUNT

MEANS FOR

LESBIANS

AND GAYS -

see page 4 the campaign is losing its impetus.

The union leaders claim that they have done their bit by calling Saturday's march, and are leaving it to Labour politicians, churchmen and other respectable dignitaries to talk the Tories into showing some charity. We should not hold our breath waiting for To tap the spirit displayed on Saturday and give those angry workers a voice, we need a new direction. Let's forget about looking to the TUC, the Labour Party, the C of E or any other dead Institution to lead the campaign.

Let's look instead to our own forces.

Health workers hold the key. They need a national campaign for united, all-out action to beat the Tories. The issues around which to bulld such action are the ones which can give every health worker a stake in the struggle - Jobs, pay and working conditions. A campaign on these class lines could inspire solidarity action from other workers. It would also send the respectable representatives of the middle classes scurrying off TUC platforms. But we should not worry about silencing these defeatist voices of restraint and moderation.