Tween those fighting for the interests of the working class and the bureaucrats who will ally with ( ing class forces and pastes.
The moura!
pontes notning compared to the likely convulsions oi society over tha coming years on the road to socialism. The Labour Party will not be immun to undergo massive splits and recompositions as it is torn by the class struggle. IMG It could become an instrument for the most counterrevolution, as occurred German Social Democratic Party after the murdered Rosa Durg Crowned the German revolution in break With it wiesent break transformed beyond recognition into a different lype party fighting consistently for the interests of the workers in this country and internationally.
The road to constructing the mass revolutionary party to lead the masses to socialism may take many paths. What is certain is that the Labour Party figures prominently in all of them. But this whole process will not occur spontaneousis "he British ruling class has 300 years of experience of parlamentary rule to utilise against the working class to keep Britain an imperialist power. Socialists will need to draw on all the acumulated historical experience of the workers" movement, DOLA TRIS country and internationally, to claborale a strategy for socialism.
That is why the IMG and the Fourth International insist on the need to build a revolutionary party and now within the current struggle We have no illusions that our small forces will simply grow through individual recruitment into and proscriptions? the future mass revolutionary tional. What we do claim 15 tnat our programme contains the basic historical lessons of the Struggles of the international workers' movement to date. In that sense we do believe that we are nucleus for the future mass party.
On this point we have a crucial different with comrade Tarig and with other left or never joined revolutionary socialist organisations. We believe that all the of the workers' movement clearly shows the need to build a revolutionary organisanom in oroer to DEal IOr d revolutionary programme.
There is no evidence that working people will spontancously be won to revolutionary socialist politics. Nor can "talented" individuals substitute for the building of such a parly. Countless historic opportunities tor socialist ad. vance class leadership capable of consistentiy fighting for ple.
We will fight alongside Labour Party militants in the consistent defence of workIng people In this country and internationally.
In the course of this struggle two things will become clear: first, most of the present leaders of the labour movement will vigorously oppose taking analysis of world events Send me 6 months of IP for £11 Send me one year of IP for 12. Send me 3 months of IP for £4.65 Name.
Address.
end; second, that those who are serious about the battle for socialism need to organise now. This is burning practical necessity.
The IMG believes that it should have the right, as a genuine current of opinion within the labour movement, to be a current within the Labour Party. see no contradiction between this and building a revolutionary party and To keep up with a constantly changing world vou need IP's incisive socialist Start my subscription now! firm their adherence democracy' would be eligible to join.
ment. will come The ruling class has never hesitated to use means outsid parliament to detend its terests. Its biggest wernon ha DECI INE direc sabotage by cumployers. Wher mass trade unions ed the Saos by the infamous Taff Vale COISIOT the Tory government the the warse or conspuracy to anack Des Warren and the right to picket in the Shrewsbury /case the Labour LESTE.
the combination of ultra-right as ¡terpretation' of t When the courts have no been sufficient to oppose armed resistance The army refused, the Currac! mutiny to implement the Act Parliament. Army Direct disobedience to elected governments is stil on the armed forces. When in 1974, fo example, the Protestant bigots went on strike in the North of ment ordered the army break the strike. The army of ficers the orders Even before it comes to such the capitalis class has own means of economic sabotag government nationalised the steel industry blos me ele mal by refusing to hand over pro.
tranca personnei cooperating with the government.
To Socialist Challenge has never attacked the Labour Party for standing for Parliament. We have always campaigned for a Labour governBut we have no illusions that socialism parliamentary activity It is absurd to believe that the will obey the law where its fundamental InTerenea No means to resist that every single basic right been has been through action and opposition Take for CALDES Parlament seir. How were TENIS these achieved?
was through a debat in the Hous of Commons. settled through a Civil War betweer the armies of Parliament and those of the King. of Parliament were gainer through the armed defeat and execution of Charles I.
The reality is totally difTerese Pao grent Vote for refused to vote major Parliamen. was in 1866. Fift granted. It never would have Votes for • women wer gainco by the tremendou militant ampaig outsid arliament waged by th • Suftragette Huge on property, imprisonment, mass breaking of the lav Thes : the means by which right women to vote was achieved The "welfare state" set up a triumph socialism . But once again the Ly o coany de TRECEDOTH 1945 was achieved through TremendOn agitation prepare on already war by the mass like Chamberlain. A strike wav develop. Huge sale: vi sucial:
CICELON DE DOTACA DESAS !
-100k place among the troops, young people and every sec. ton or ine population.
The ICEI TERSONSTE Weilare state was accepted was expressed Quintil Hogg Tory Lord Chancellor, in 1943:
If you do not people evolutior SITE • correc FICH trollable social struggles -WEE fear of uncor if was any attempt return to the conditions of th 1930s that class the welfare ATERICU wia i was no longer in e position to resisi Nor parliament b ироп delend workers"
government or the courts and February is came out on strike An inimense wave of 'secon dary pickets" closed down the power stations: : 40,000 Birm worker: struck solidarity; 11,000 joined the picket line to close down Saltley coke depot. all this, the Parlamen reignty took place Law -Inings really are decided was shown even mor ment the right to put a stop to pickets and trade union The National Industria Courts set up unde ine industrial Relations Ac duly decided to put the law inIt ordered the imprison ment in Pentonville jail of five dockers engaged in secondary The result was a gigantic explosion, From the the arrests workers begar dozens of industries. Socks and consiruction site Ficc Street, factories. tho hour general strike Amid this opposition the pricked balloon. Like a rabbit out of a hat a totally unknows flunke the Officia Solicitor was produced by COCEICH Tocase Dete docker!
Open defiance of the law huge mass actions to defend those doing it, achieved what never could. From then on thi backbone of the Industrial Relations Act had been broken.
Socialist Challenge. 3. Pecember 1981 page, 11
EP Thompson and Dan Smith, Protest and Survive Published in 1980, this book is a series of long articles to counter the government's defence policy. It covers the questions of civil defence, Europe, arms expenditure. (£1.65) Peter Laurie, Beneath the City Streets A fascinating account of what lies in amongst the sewers, electricity cables and tube tunnels. Bunkers for bureaucrats in the event of a nuclear war. (£1.95) Peter Kennard and Ric Sissons, No Nuclear Weapons An inexpensive set of arguments against nuclear weapons. It explains the effects of dropping a nuclear bomb over London; contrasts the defence expenditure in the West with the plight of the third world; talks about Cruise missiles and who decid- ed to base them here; the connection between nuclear energy and nuclear weapons; the effect of the nuclear power and defence programmes on our civil liberties. With vivid illustra- tions (photo-montages) by Peter NAGASAKI 1945 IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN- when the advertising industry uses every lie and trick at its disposal to persuade the helpless public to buy all sorts of useless commodities in celebration of the birth of your friends or those you just feel compelled to buy something for a favour and purchase Books are not useless. So do yourself,
----- pull-quotes -----
STR Will Tony Benn defend the unity of the labour movement and oppose bans interests of working peo-
this struggle through to its INTERCONTINENTAL PRESS
THE Photo:
through ding the interests of the working class.
MICHAEL FOOT has threatened to introduce a new loyalty clause as a criterion for member- ship of the Labour Party. Only those who con- 'parlamentary
alone. JOHN ROSS looks at the primary impor tance of extra-parliamentary activity in defen-
clearly later in that summer o gave the goveri
beire over dem. • Scared tide the TUC nordered a 2