workers.
Living standards, publi policies are allowed to succeed. But more is For the Tories to win, they also have to remove some of the basic rights that have been ron py tac working class.
are deadly serious which, they say want to dismantle all the gains made by labour movemen: sime te Secooz Firit die Inflation Public services have been slashed, with a further budget to come this month. The plan to remove 25,000 jobs in addition the jobs accompanied by a deliberate campaign, against the unemployed. Dole money will be callously cut by allowing it to fall substantially against Living standards are also VAT has doubled, the cost of mortgages has reached record heights, increases have been forced through. will top 20 per cent this year.
But these are only the first steps of this government. To go further, the strength and unity of the trade union movement has to be undermined. This was the number one lesson of the Heath government for Margaret Thatcher.
The suspension of Derek Robinson, the British Leyland convenor, was complementary to the aim of the Prior laws to take away the most powerfui weapons of the rank and file membership of the effective picketing, direct democracy, and the closed shon.
The working class will be further divided on rarough the Nationate Bill is allowe peo fle Taclai Ines # ine allack ahead. Reactionary Women, who have made up the large majority of the new recruits to the trade union movement over the past two years; forced out of employment at a far higher rate than men back into the nome ministerial the promoted the reactionary attacks against the 1967 Abörtion Act.
The Whitelaw proposals on prisons and the huge strengthening of the police are part of the drive disciplihe and particularly black youth, who against the conditions of life which give them no future. Sid aios the Tor United States closed government. While other capitalist countries in West Europe have protested the stationing of the Cruise and under attack.
and rent and rate contribution to the war drive.
Inflation armies, of the black population.
the right are not losing control.
Ireland masks a are being for troop withdrawal.
The fact Through Tories have policies.
attack youth, are rebelling about saving jobs.
United Pershing missiles on their territory, the Tories welcomed these weapons, along with a commitment to boost Britain's In an astonishing precedent, Britain has acquired a new colony in Zimbabwe. But the comic aspects of Lord Soames' reign should not obscure the deadly seriousness with which the Tories are now leading the military forces of this white racist regime against the liberation which have the overwhelming support In Ireland, the Tories are trying to persuade worried imperialists in other countries that they The faltering attempt by Humphrey Atkins" to provide a 'political initiative' in the North of tightening security, reconsideration of some form of internment along with the maintenance of torture, and the barbaric conditions in H Block.
The Prevention of Terrorism Act continues to be used to intimidate the Irish community in Britain and to deter the growing sentiment the traditionally moderate been forced into national strike action against the provocation by the British Steel Corporation shows the extent of opposition to this government's The call by the Welsh TUC for a strike in South Wales against unemployment, which is supported by steelworkers, miners and railway workers, shows the unity that can be built if the steel union leaders declare that this strike is Not only is this the way to win active support from other unions, it is the only way to unify steelworkers in towns like Corby and Consett which are under sentence of death. For them, 2 per cent, 5 per cent, or 20 per cent of nothing is still nothing.
The defeats already sustained by the steel workers should not be forgotten. people in Corby initially refused to accept the closure plans. They fought, protested, They were left isolated by the same Bill Sirs who is now leading the steel strike, and they were forced to retreat.
Thousands of British walked out without brompuns leadership when the news of Derek Robinson's dismissal broke. Left alone, they witnessed the 'strike crumbling as Terry Düffy, the AUEW leader, refused to call the official action that would have had Robinson reinstated within a -week.
The message is not that the unions cannot fight back, as some who should know better are now claiming. The lesson is that the trade union leaders are terrified of centralising a movement against the Tory policies that would threaten •the existence of Thatcher's government and take on a socialist direction.
That sort of movement has to be fought for, giving those who feel isolated and powerless the confidence that a national mass movement is by their side.
Action Such movement is demonstrations like that called by the TUC against the Corrie anti-abortion Bill; through the 60,000 strong demonstration against the cuts called by the Labour Party in November and the mobilisation.of workers against the racist laws.
These disparate aims and actions can only be knitted into a common movement politically by raising the perspective endorsed by the Scottish miners last summer .