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Shopping Sat EWCASTLE: SC on sale every Sa tside Be Polytechnic bet36391.
OXFORD: SC sold Fri SHEFFIELD: on sale SOUTHAMPTON: SC on sale Sa = 10.30-12 - 12 noon at Above Bar Post Of MASO: Son Sale Marker sa STOCKPORT: SC sold every an bre 483 8909 FEESIDE: SC on sat-Saturnin 11-1 every centre Thur/Fri Poly Sil British 1.30-6рm: and Saturday YORK: one avery. own centre from !
eelr930-11 University 12aturday at coney street. ll London BRENT: SC sold Willesden Junction HALINGS Ealing HACKNEY: SCe meetings, a Box 36. Sit 10 30 1. 0 use Worth, shopping centre SLINGTON bloway Road ere and Highbor 3am arr SAMBER SC evenings and Thur mornings outsid NEWHAM: SC PADDINGTON Rd Mkt, Upton Par) old sal tall 5 Fri 6.45am at North Wembley BR Station. he Other Bookse 328 Uppe • Sister enterprise OMisland High : The Bookshop, 328 Reading Matters, SOUTHAMPTON. October Books. Ood: Community Books. Walm ow Koa Co guest of honou Thursday 6 May envi. Murray Street, Camder vicivamara Koom. 1 I WAS astonished to read Eileen Murphy's article (SC, 8 April) attacking me for something! never even said!
For the record, I said 'The widely-held view in the mining areas is that the 1842 Bill was a gain for the working class won years ol struggle'. I do not share s Despite heavy editing I think this was clear from my letter This is the argument that the Socialist Challenge supporter at Welbeck pit had to take up and after Mary Zins' visit to the face where he works. We have have when serious socialist miners who are neither Victorian paternalists nor women's rights put this argument to us. It is also argument Militant redany seize on wuch lic want to discredit positive action policies in general It is no answer to play down the terrible conditions suffered by women underground work, slide over this to surface work.
My letter attempted to give serious political answer to this question. I tried to deal adequately with the complexity of the the movement for the exwomer ITON underground work. There was considerable working class support for this While the movement was influenced and led by the middle-class who had no concern for the real interests of women mineworkers it not just simply a part of the bosses' ideological There was, as far as I can tell, a considerable working class component which genuinely believed this was ine way lo aciena lne li of mineworkers and strike a blow against the bosses.
I can see no point in trying to pretend this section of the movement did not exist, or that it was really all a conspiracy to secure lobs tor men.
What we have to do is explain wny the solution bosses' view is very one sided, not to mention 20 years out of date. and drawn trom one small right-wing area of the NUM.
For instance Nottinghamshire recently gave full backing to by workers wollcI for Ine same coal allowance as other surface workers. Yorkshire about to call an overtime ban on the same issue and also fighting get cleaners incorporated into NUM/NCB agreements.
Eileen's remarks do nothing to help women NUM members fighting for equal rights or NUM members taking up fight for women's rights in their union.
JACK LAVIN Mansfield Editor reserves letter over 400 words. Write to SC letters, c/o PO Box 50, London N1 the right to cut any
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IVERPOOL: SC on hile fame ans MANCHESTER C
mon Sat pro to prieston prior
1 06 082 soul local ac 12-2pm osa
"Streatham Paperback Centre, Brix
terests women