RAF UPPER HEYFORD
20 TFM HAS SEPORT TO BLOTOC Common were keeping up the struggle by invading the missile site (see back page). WHEN THE Malvinas war broke out it showed with all the implications nuclear free zone councils.
Last year the government was forced to call off 'Civil Defence code named 'Hard because of the refusal of the nuclear free zone participate. Under the existing legislation the government cannot force councils to take part.
Announcing the calling Home Heed Park Wille Tory Secretary Whitelaw stated that would bring in new legislatake part.
Towards the end of last year the Home Office circulated its proposals. They • powers for the Home Secretary to order councils part CIvil Defence exercises conscript local authority employees to take part in exercises • requirements to force local authorities to build and equip bunkers. • powers to force conorganise and train civil defence volunteers voluntary bodies.
in addition a quarte of the cost of building and equipping the bunker deficits abroad, essentially occasioned by the military expenditure. largest in relation to the economy of any country in In order to see the effects of this dominance of the foreign military Bal aLus note that the 1950s and 1960s were of course those of the economic miracles of West Germany and Japan and. after the withdrawal from Algeria, of the revival of France.
If, for example. in 1966, West Germany hac had the same outflow on expenditure as Britain then its actua £92m balance of payments surplus would have beer transformed into a deficit O11-01 lanthe case of Japan the balance DaVILICIL surplus in the same year would have become deficit of £300m. EvidentJapanese and West with these deficits the Ger man economies would have had to be brought grinding to a halt by deflaCLOSI in the wav that the British repeatedly was.
Finally, in addition to then constant subordination domestic economy to these military expenditures, certain these were also crucial in their r timing. It i scarcely possible to exaggerate for example the COISCOUCICC Korean war for the postCONSCRIPTION! That's the Tory answer to the would have to be • borne out of the rates. Councils refusing to carry out the plans are likely to have commissioners put in to carry out the plans and be charged -TOT -ine cost. Employees refusing to take part in the plans are liable to prosecution defence essential part of the Tory government's plans for retaining control not just in the event of a nuclear war but also in the case of civil unrest. Just how impor tant can be seen trom the scale of their proposals which can, and must be They will be coming before parliament in the The executive of NALGO already amining the proposals, they must be prepared to action and they must nuclear free councils and the other OCCLUES labou movement, to smash this bill.
vital that the government doesn't slip it through while anti-nuclear activists have their attention focussed on the struggle against Cruise and TriWar capitalist economy.
It was already severely hit by the general interna. tional economic quences of the war. rapid world war materials price increases severely hit the Terms of Trade. CADOE prices rose by only 26 per between December 1949 and June 1951, while import prices rose by 59 percent, and raw materia. prices by 115 percent.
-02 ace payments suffered negative swing of £700m from a surplus of E300m in 1950 to a deficit of £400m key engineering seetors were in direct conflict bet- CLLEHICCLI ween exports and armaments production To finance the war ef tort the LOVES ment hit directly at invest ment by totally suspending *initial allowances on new plant machinery and buildings. This removed directly £170m allowances for investment of indirect effects.
This shows just how total the domestic economy was sacrificed to its overseas military commitments and the international economic orientanon wese were designed to safeguard. And how dutifully prepared to play its role in keeping to maintain Britain's imperialist role