Part 2 - DW062 001 030 002

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(Cont'd from p. 1) cutbacks, and many of these disputes have escalated politically because of the government's response. The builders' struggle against the Lump led to the vindictive pro- secution of the Shrewsbury pickets - and a consequent wave of protest strikes. The dockers' battle to limit the effect of containerisation led to the lawsuit brought by Heatons again- st them - and a further wave of pro- tests. Occupations of factories, now relatively commonplace, were pio- neered on Merseyside, from the abor- tive attempt in the '60s to stop Weinstock's GEC "rationalisation", to the successful occupation and retention of the Fisher Bendix Plant - now Kirkby Metal Industries, a workers' co-operative. CONFLICT AT SPEKE It is against this background that we should examine the closure of Leyland's Standard Triumph plant at Speke. Firstly, like many such capital intensive firms of Merseyside, the plant and equipment was purchased with high Government Grants - and it has become almost traditional that such firms move the equipment elsewhere as soon as they are legal- ly able! In the case of Standards this was compounded with "managerial incom- petence" in that the new sports car, specifically designed for the US market, was designed with a hard- top in anticipation of safety legi- slation which was never passed. Sales were far less than expected. Then came the lengthy, months-long engineers strike, touched off by management's refusal to abide by laid down procedures, followed by the acceptance of closure by a demoral- ised and weakened workforce. IMPORTANCE OF SOLIDARITY While not subscribing to the idea of "Wall Street plots", it is difficult to escape the conclusion that the closure of Standards was decided well in advance of its an- nouncement; that the strike was deliberately provoked with closure in mind; that it was intended as a warning to recalcitrant workers in Liverpool and elsewhere who fail to accept loss of conditions and wages during a time of unemployment; and that, above all, further clo- sures can be expected. Already Courtaulds, Birds Eye and other factories on Merseyside have used the threat of closure to blud- geon away hard-won conditions In the case of Birds Eye, expan- sion was actually made conditional upon a decrease in the workforce! Under such conditions, the soli- darity of the working-class accross the country, the refusal to accept work transferral, is essential. It is precisely in these circumstances that the trade union leaders who are in cahoots with thelabour gover- nment have been most active in sabo- taging solidarity and encouraging the instinct for self-preservation which arises in conditions of mass unemployment. The experience of Merseyside pro- vides a positive example for those who struggle while also showing the need for workers' struggles to have a correct political leadership. JOINT STEW. COMMITE SITE 2 OFFICIAL PICKET LINE Picket line at Speke. LETTER TO THE EDITOR Your article in the last issue, headed "Birch sinks lower", showed how Reg Birch, leader of the GPB(ML), is edging his way back into the Soviet camp. The new Marxist-Leninist groups and parties in Western Europe are still without exception small. Never- theless in some countries they are already beginning to be a thorn in the side of the revisionists (i.e. supporters of the Soviet Union). It is clear that in the long run will become quite an obstacle to Soviet attempts to organise a 'fifth column' in the European labour movements. Britain is almost alone in West- ern Europe in that a Marxist-Leninist movement has so far failed to develop on any scale at all. The only would-be Marxist-Leninist group which seemed capable, at one time, of gaining any credibility at all among workers was Birch's group, the CPB(ML). But Birch managed to handle workers' struggles in such a way as to put ten people off Marxism-Leninism for every one he got interested. And even then the 'Marxism-Leninism' had the anti-imperialism missing and was thus doctored to be fairly harmless to the New Tsars and their local agents. Visitors to the Soviet Union often remark that they are tailed around by secret agents. In the case of Birch's recent visit it must have been a case of gloating over him! Is it possible the KGB even arranged an interview with this valuable servant of Soviet social- imperialism? Or do they prefer to rely on his patently individualistic and egotistical character to ensure that he will continue without further encouragement on his present course of sabotaging the development of a Marxist-Leninist movement in Britain? Maybe we shall find out some day. Revolution drags a lot of hidden facts into the light. When the working class holds state power in Britain, it's clear that quite a few names on the 'left' in Britain will be exposed as having played the role (whether conscious- ly, unconsciously or semi-conscious- ly is largely irrelevant) of under- cover agents of British and super- power imperialism. Perhaps one of the names to be dragged through the mud will be that of a certain tin-god in the present right-wing leadership of the AUEW -- Reg Birch! 2 REVIEW "WHY PAUL FOOT SHOULD BE A SOCIALIST" - REVIEW. The Socialist Workers' Party has attracted to it quite a few people who want socialism and who see it a a revolutionary alternative to the Labour Party and the "Communist" Party of Great Britain. Their motives for joining it are good, but the SWP is not the alternative that they seek. This is argued convincingly in the CWM book "Why Paul Foot should be a Socialist" thereby making a Marxist-Leninist critique of the SWP. The writers chose to focus their criticisms of the SWP on Paul Foot's book, 'Why you should be a Socialist'" the contents of which sum up many of the faults of the SWP. The book is divided into two parts. Firstly, there is the section "Left in Appearance, Right in Essence", which demon- strates the SWP's failure to ex- pose the true role of the Labour Party, its trade union politics, its failure to analyse who are the friends and enemies of revolutionaries in Britain today, and its failure to take account of the international factors for and against revolution in Britain. The book shows that the SWP doesn't really grasp that the state is an instrument of class dictatorship, and can never be neutral in the class struggle. The second section, "What is Socialism and what has Paul Foot put in its Place?" shows how he rejects fundamental ideas and policies of socialism, and 'in- cludes an assessment of his historical references, under the headings "Socialism in Theory" and "Socialism in Practice". The book concludes by briefly dis- cussing the various "left" alt- ernatives to the SWP and indicates that the only real revolution- ary option is offered by the Marxist-Leninist movement. This movement is still small and relatively weak, but its strength and unity are growing, and its politics and ideology have stood the test of practice around the world, and proved themselves well. "Why Paul Foot Should Be A Soc- ialist" can be obtained from our national address (See back page) for £1.20, plus 25p postage and packing. Editor's note Birch is getting worse and worse. Since we received the above letter, he has gone even further in playing the Soviet social-imperial- ists' game, and in attacking China. In their May 11th issue of "The Worker" Birch's party denounces Hua Kuo-feng, "China's Prime Minister" and accuses him of betraying "all Mao Tse-tung stood for", though he has simply continued policies Mao began. In that and other papers, Birch sings the same tune as the Soviet Union, accusing China of war-mongering and trying to arouse the US and Western Europe to attack the Soviet Union. This is all lies. China warns that there is a danger of a new world war, which is certainly true; it also warns that this war will most likely be launched by the Soviet Union, which is a rising imperialist power which wants to grab new markets and spheres of influence, as its involvement (direct or indirect, via its puppets) in Angola, Ethiopia, Zaire and Afghanistan shows. Women's hospital losing survival battle The above headline about the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson hospital for women appeared in "The Guardian," a supposedly "liberal" paper, on 25th April. Since then, a campaign in- volving many women all over the country has forced the authorities to delay the closure of the EGA again. Headlines like this are often used in the press to try to dampen supp- ort for popular struggles.

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