year midable. fall below 1983.
in a serles culminating Howe's ing money those sectors of which order to increase profit. Cuts While been claw back European the difference.
But response Afghanistan.
Carter to Upper interests alone, Socialist Challenge 1 May 1980 Page 8 their first year of office.
servative prime minister.
The problems that the Tories faced when they were elected ago The chief of these was the imminent onset of a new international recession.
Gloomy forecasts started to land on Thatcher's desk. An absolute decline in industrial production was predicted for 1980, and a further decline in 1981. Unemployment was projected to rise to 2% million by the end of 1981. Inflation would rise above 20 per cent in one year and not 12½ per cent until The Tories' answer has come of spending in Sir Ăpril Tories' immediate aim is to bring under control and to reduce the enormously high interest rates which made borrowprohibitive. underlying strategy is to cut back the less spending another has been the attempt to £1000m Economic munity. Given the failure, albeit temporary, of last week's EEC summit to reach an agreement workers can themselves for even more radical cuts in public services to make up other deep divide the governments of the EEC as was demonstrated in the the was forced to admit to the Times newspaper: We made a mess of it.' And a mess it was. It took months for whip his allies into line behind the boycott of a sports competition.
The reason for the miners' victories in 1972 and 1974 and Heath's 'U-Turns' in policy alter the Pentonville dockers' case and Clyde work-in was the capacity of the workers leading these struggles lo umle ne rest or lne labour movement behind them.
These groups of workers were not seen as fighting for their own terests of the whole of the working class. The UCS workers were fighting against the 'lame duck' were forcuts Geoffrey The The _economy productive the rate of cuts have instrument the Comprepare tensions the Act government.
unions.
responded wing inside the society as a whole.
The against Action.
of removal plant will employers.
policies threatened to bring devastation to whole areas. The Pentonville dockers were seen to be fighting hated Industrial Relations whose provisions affected millions of workers. The miners were fighting against a hated This sort of unity is what Thatcher fears above all.
The Tories in the first year have used many varied weapons to weaken this unity. attacks on women's rights, and order campaigns' been encouraged by the Tories. Overt appeals are made to the "men of moderation' in the trade The employers by isolate and then remove leading trade union militants. The aim is disunite the working class, promote the cause of the right policy has born fruits. It has produced a division in the TUC General Council over the provision of state-financed postal balloting. Frank Chapple the electrician's leaders, has tell capable of openly campaigning the May The right dominates the national committhe AUEW of Derek from his position as convenor of Leyland's encourage attacks of the same type by other which have all have • unions and it Day of wing •and the Longbridge further
----- pull-quotes -----
WHILE in opposition, the Tories used the Centre for working class which had brought down the last Con- wing, and attacks on women, blacks and youth.
Policy Studies to draw up the most careful strategy for They well knew that they faced the opposition of a Thatcher has survived the first year through a com- bination of confrontation, encouragement of the right The result has been a stalemate. But for how long?