Red Miner no. 21

RED MINER

No 21 April-May 88

Workers of the world UNITE!

in this issue: AROUND THE AREAS

THE PRESS AND IRELAND CLAUSE 28

Bulletin for miners and their families

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RED MINER

EDITORIAL

Two e€évents in the last month, have shown the depths to which the TUC leaders have descended, First, we had their complete failure to organise serious solidarity strike action with the healthworkers. Second, we have had the sickening spectacle of Willis etal. grovelling at the feet of Ford’s bosses in Detroit.

Thousands of workers could have been on strike on March 14th. For example ASLEF at Kings Cross, Dunlop workers in Leicester and Massey Ferguson workers in Coventry all voted to strike but did not come out. The -reason - the antiunion laws. Their bosses threatened court action and the union leaders just as quickly backed off. This sane course of capitulation has also been adopted by the leaders of the seafarers union the NUS.

This battery of anti-union laws is intended to cripple the working class. They were designed to outlaw solidarity action, and in the case of the NUS, to prevent effective national industrial action by the seafarers.

Instead of running away from battles over these laws, the trade union movement must be prepared to confront these laws and smash then. Failure to remove these laws from the statute books will leave the unions increasingly weak faced with more bosses attacks in the future.

The “new realists" in the TUC have shown just what that means through their pathetic weakness in the face of Ford’s attempts to introduce wage cutting, union smashing agreements in Dundee.

The Ford Motor Co. pulled out of Dundee because it

Suited them. They were never interested in creating jobs, their only interest was in profits and setting a precedent for other Ford plants across the country. It is likely that they never intended to go ahead with construction of the plant anyway. The so called obstruction of the unions had nothing to do with it.

What was needed to counter Ford’s lies was a clear leadership prepared to put the blame for unemployment where it belongs, with the Tories and the industry bosses. Instead the hapless Willis bumbled his way over to Detroit and offered to lie down dead under Gavin Laird’s instructions.

And what a time to cave into Ford’ s _.! The rank and file have just shown their strength by stopping the manageneat’s package of flexible working proposals. This strength is exactly what Ford wish to undermine with their single union deal at Dundee.

In the wake of the Dundee debacle other employers will step up the pressure for nore Single union deals that sign away rights and conditions.

In the months ahead it will be vital for rank and file militants, not least in the NUM, to defeat the current "new realists" in the leadership. That means taking the arguments into the mass of the rank and file. At the heart of a fight for a new fighting leadership must be a committment to smashing the anti-union laws on the one hand, and to fighting for democratic, militant industrial unions on the other. That is the alternative to the prison house unions concieved of by the TUC’s new realists.

Red Miner is printed and published by Workers Power BCM 7750, London WC1 3XX

Regional round uph= “SOUTH WALES

Last month saw another two pits - pees era , ; é : NO LEADERSHIF closing in South Wales. Abernant in ——., og 4 ana In the face of this further onslaugh the West, once regarded as the ce wien “team aul EAnee ane mieten cin ‘sleeping giant' of the coalfield and Oe ane eee nee ay eee Area ‘ieadership'?? All that Dutfieid.

only opened in 1958, closed with the loss of 472 jobs. After an initial lodge vote to fight closure this was reversed only a week later, showing how little confidence miners have in the future of the industry - only 200 men opted for transfers. The pit was

Rees and the others can do is complain about now disasterous the closure: Wiii be tor the local communities’ They've done nothing to fight the closures ana it's they who are largely to biame tor the iow morale in the

making profits as recently as November ae ee se Ce BBhAS bS — ee and had large reserves of prime butgher dis id Ges Sway with —— anthracite left. The other pit to outehery Their talk of the OOS £01 close was Lady Windsor/Abercynon in unity is useless for resisting = & the central coalfield, with 694 jobs yl de aa ee eer Fai ee being lost. The 102 year old colliery ppt ot hat aight ay en was beginning to reach the =e , ;

managements's new targets, with one face producing the second highest tonnage/man in South Wales. The men Mmcemate toa ‘yak , cai voted not to put the pit through the reveur of Scargili, the dame; tesgane

However, tollowing the rebuff ot the rank and tile voting strongly 11

‘ see ty 2 i , For review procedure and the vast majority penis ; so the income Phtibgge rs took redundancy rather than transfers. = a 5 aoe ; . i At the same time Six Bells has been Amaia ager dln « Seorme: Bees wn fully merged with Marine and it's forced in desperation to suggest that.

‘a, > eee + re ' . surface workings closed, only 100 out ae +E6LErS SORE, +0: TRG Western of the 400 strong workforce at Six Mail attacking the Area leadership

d supporting Seca j 2 j fast." Bells accepted the offer of transfer ene aes *n igh ia Pais we Sis! to Marine. That took the total job COR PES 28 Se. SG Se oe © losses in just one week to cover 2,000, ans. ae articie. a eae the coalfield has now been reduced to idl ica ile election . ae ni il pits and only 8,000 men irrelevance and complaining amongst , dther ‘nings about the involvement o: : ‘ TR A+ ryic 7 ' ; +} As usual British Coal say that RASS Sh . Gene as on

K having =gdt’srid: of the * dss makersé campaign’ Aili this from someone whe sn't have t! itic i ity there will not be any more closures : ss He polit ad <alegr ely S name to articles! (Helio

for some time (really!), and has set 2 ae : ; . new targets for the coalfield. After ssa apes ; -_ ‘RES Sata Se giving 4 reprieve to Blaenant, Deep SPPot reais ——a oo JH DONBE shes Navigation and Merthyr Vale, all of msegagers white Wey Ft peeaqgee which are seen as giving ‘improved cena re

results', the Area Director now wants

annual output to rise to ~~S.'9n tons/manshift. To help achieve this 4 new coalfaces have recently started production (at Tower, Taff Merthyr,Deep Navigation and Merthyr Vale),and another 4 are planned to start production in June - at Betws, Marine, Oakdale and Penallta. They've decided to pick on Tower/Mardy as the example for other pits to follow, as with the opening of it's new face production is planned to double to 3,000 tons/week, restoring profitability.

Area President, Des Dutfleld

ELECTION FOR EXECUTIVE.

Given this crisis in the current leadership the election of a new EC member for the West of the coalfield (to replace Dane Hartwell) becomes particularly important. At present the contest is between Phil Curran, chair of Cynheidre, a Scargill supporter and Phil Bowen sec. at Blaenant, an openly right wing candidate favoured by Pontypridd. (‘There's also an outside chance of lan Isaac, a Militant supporter standing.) The election covers those two pits and Betws. Of the two dclared candidates miners should vote for Phil Curran. He was a member of the re-elect Scargill campaign, for which he may still be disciplined and organised the election meeting at Pontyberem. The Area Executive are so worried about this election they tried to get it rushed through the day before Abernant closed, which they thought would back Bowen. However in their haste they broke their own rule-book and so have had to postpone it.

DISCIPLINARY ACTION.

The Area executive have finally started their threatened disciplinary action against Tower Lodge for it's involvement in the Re-elect Scargill Campaign. They have been aided by lodge officials at Merthyr Vale who have complained to Ponty that the Tower men had 'not been made welcome’ at their pit during the election, and had no permission from the Merthyr Vale lodge to give out leaflets. As a result the disciplinary committee has been convened to investigate the complaints and in effect to act as a kangaroo court for the executive. The disciplinary committee originally set up to deal with scabs is now being used to act against a pit with a record second to none in the coalfield

TOWER’S RECORD

- Tower gave it's full support,

including strike action, to the campaigns to save Lewis Mert yr and Deep Duffryn and Played a leading rol

in picketting out South Wales pits at

the start of the 1984/5 strike. I

also has a fine record of supporting wider labour movement struggles eg. the Tower banner was on the NHS demonstration recently in London. Thic¢ record, together with the lodge's work to get Scargill re-elected is why the Area leaders have attacked Tower in particular, and it's possible they will pick on leading lodge members both at Tower and other pits to try and silence opposition to their own views

Finally just to show how friendly the Area leaders are with the loc management the Executive were offered 3 free tickets courtesy of BC for the recent Wales v. France International George Rees and Terry Thomas took up the offer, Des Dutfield for once took 4 principled stand and refused to go (Tony Davies eagerly filled his seatSignificant? ) Surely the least that could have been expected would have been to raffle the tickets to raise money for the sacked and jailed lads! However that seems to be a cause far less important to them than sitting in the directors' box on International day.

YORKSHIRE ===

HEALTH STRIKE

The planned national action called by COHSE for the day before the budget (14th March) went ahead Without any solidarity action from miners. The resolution passed at the panel calling for a one day strike was reversed at a_ special neeting called for by the Silverwood branch delegates.

A NUPE official spoke at the meeting telling how strike action was not needed and that the call from COHSE workers was not official. This in fact was not true as the call came from resolutions passed by COHSE branches.

@o2cH continued

Rank and File COHSE members invited to, attend by delegates fighting to win the strike were not slLlowed to address the neeting. Undoubtedly had miners recieved the call fron Area to strike there would h ve been even larger denonstrations in the areas.

In Sheffield 7,000 marched behind

factory, office and hospital trade union banners. It was the largest deno on a working day for years.

Miners branches were represented by banners and delegations fron the pits.

DAVY JONES MEMORIAL MARCH

The South Kirby branch organised the 4th annual David Jones Menorial March. This was the last outing for the branch having just voted to accept closure of the pit on geological! grounds. It seens that the coel boards bribe of £5,000 had an important effect on the men’s decision.

Delegations from Nott’s and striking seamen from Kent joined the 800 strong march led by Scargill and David's father. Both

Scargill and Taylor spoke at the rally - with even Taylor arguing for the need to fight the Board!

Scargill called for support for NHS workers but was careful not to make

VOTE BENN AND HEFFER

The Campaign group of MPs’ iong awaited decision to stand candidates for the leadership of the Labour Party is a welcome development. The campaign will be an opportunity for militants to Shatter the class peace that has been imposed from on high.

Whether you are a niner, a pensioner, a teacher, unemployed or on a hospital waiting list, one thing is certain. You cannot wait until i992. But wait until 1992 is the only answer Kinnock and Hattersley can give to those under attack from the Tories.

Hattersley remarked on 26th March

“One distraction is this nonsense that we can beat Thatcher now instead of waiting for polling

day"

On the contrary, far from being nonsense, that spirit, that deternaination to take on Thatcher now is exactly what the working class needs.

It is that spirit that Benn and Heffer’s Campaign must seek to kindle and to mobilise around if it is to serve a useful

purpose for it aocall for strike action which the working class. To do this would of course need an outgoing campaign and a fight with not only

Kinnock and Hattersley but also the

had already been stitched up at the panel meeting.

new realists in the trade union movement. Such a campaign is it would seem the thing which is furthest from Benn’s mind. He told the Guardian:

ab have a lot of things arranged, but I think it will be

a nies I have no desire to hot " eeet @ Continue

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What is needed is a campaign that goes much further than being simply a restatement of Benn’s left refornisn. We need a campaign which can blow open the debate in the labour movement about the programme the working class. needs. It must start by articulating the demands of workers in struggle now.

That means support for workers in Struggle evrywhere, whether in the NHS, NUS or TVam, opposition to all witch hunts, non-compliance with clause 28, for the recognition of black sections. Opposition to all cuts in education, the NHS and local government, non-compliance With the poll tax and so on.

INTO THE UNIONS

But this is only a start. Benn and Heffer cannot content themselves with just ‘supporting’ all these struggles. The campaign must be taken into the unions themselves to stop Kinnock and Hattersley finally severing the party’s ties with then,

For RED MINER breaking the unions from the Labour Party is necessary

for the building of a new, genuinely working class, revolutionary party. But such a Strategic victory in the unions

against reformism will be set back, not aided, by a victory of the

right-wing’s plans. | We say, against the plan to destroy the influence of the unions, denocratise that influence, democratise the block votes of the

unions so that they can represent the militant voice of the rank and file inside the Labour Party.

RED MINER has it’s differences with both Benn and Heffer. We are revolutionaries, they are not, we do not therefore support their programme. We do believe however, that a united front against Kinnock is the best way to defeat him and show to the working class that there is an alternative to Kinnock. We also believe that a united front against Kinnock is the surest way of showing up the limits of Benn and Heffer’s reformist politics.

BUILD THE CANPAIGN As we go to press the NUM has not

position clear on the leadership elections. One thing is clear only a vote for Benn and Heffer is a vote against new Realisn. Prescott the other Candidate in the elections is a thorough Kinnockite.

nade i¢*3s

The next NEC needs to be flooded with resolutions demanding a Campaign be launchedin support Benn and Heffer. For mass meetings at every pit and for the vote taken to be reflected in the block votes cast at Conference in the Autumn.

Left must challenge Kinnock

VOTE BENN AND HEFFER

Ciause 28, local government bill, represents the most vicious attack on lesbian and gay rignts this century. The Clause states that a local authority shall not;

a) Promote homosexuality or publish material for the promotion of homosexuality.

b) Promote the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.

c) Give financial or other. such assistance to any person for either of the purposes in a) or b).

First of we have to state that it is impossible to *pronote’ homosexuality, it isn’t a commodity that can be advertised like a tin of beans. What in fact the movers of this clause want to do is outlaw many of the limited initiatives taken by Labour councils in the past few years.

To understand why we have to resist this clause we need to look at the reasons behind the initial battles around Positive Images and equal opportunities for lesbians and gay men. A major survey conducted in London in 1983 brought home to many people the reality of the misery many young lesbians and gay men suffer.

The survey of gay teenagers Showed that 3 out of 4 had been verbally abused,! in 5S had been

beaten up, 1 in 12 had been sent to a psychiatrist, 1 in 10 had been thrown out of their homes and 1 in 10 had been sent to a doctor in the hope that the doctor would ‘cure’ then. Still worse 1 in 5 of those questioned had attempted suicide.

HAPPY FAMILIES !

The discrimination and lesbians and gay nen are subjected to is a result of Capitalist society’s disapproval and condemnation of any form of Sexuality that does not uphold the *normal’ image of happy family tite.

Lesbians and gay men are contin-

attacks

ually told that their sexuality is perverse. In schools this is reinforced strongly where ‘queer’

bashing and isolation are the norn. In employment lesbians and gays can be, and have been. sacked Simply because of their own sexuality.

which is part of the.

Me, FMeas these

Was

for reasons that

many people fought for policies hat would tackle prejudice and enge -ne discrimination and

millions of Some local homosexuality

attacks faced by lesbians and gays. authorities portayed

as valid and introduced equal Oppo rtunites practices so that employees could come out at work Without risking being blackmailed Or sacked. They also gave grants to lesbian and gay voluntary

Organisations which are essential nélping lesbians and gay men men

when they have been sacked, attacked or thrown out of their homes and to come to terms with the

negative images they have been fed throughout their lives.

This clause threatens all this. It is in essence a Bigots charter. it will ensure that lesbians and gay men are left even more isolated, it will lead to nore attacks, more sackings, more Suicides. All the limited gains made will be smashed.

STOP THE CLAUSE

The task of every trade unionist iS to ensure that it is the clause that is smashed. The NUM must make it's Opposition to the clause clear. It was the actions of groups such as Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners which began to tear awWay much of the age old prejudice many NUM members. have against homosexuality. And in the process making it much easier for gay miners to come out. (Yes they exist in the pits as they do everywhere else)

* Invite a speaker from Stop. the Clause to your union meeting.

* Support the National Demonstration on 30th April in London

EBAKER’S PLANS FOR SCHOOLS.

Kenneth Baker's Education Reform Bill, which is currently going through parliament, must be opposed by all workers. It aims to increase private education and run down those schools where parents cannot afford to subsidize their children's education. As usual under this Tory government it is working class people, particularly children who will suffer.

The Education Bill means three things. Firstly Baker, as the Secretary of State for Education, will have control over everything that is taught in schools. Secondly most schools wiil be organised to turn out unquestioning workers with few skills. Finally the Government want to save money for their Tory friends, while the poorer will have to pay more.

We are not against a national curriculum which allows all children to study all subjects or against preparing children for the world of work. Neither are we against parents having a say in education. But in reality the Tories are offering none of these. They want a divided education system. They want ‘to restrict a full education to a tiny minority. Whilst most working class children will be stuck with an education not worth the name.

It makes sense that all children in the country should have the chance to study the same subjects. But through the introduction of the National Curriculum, Baker wants to limit education for the majority. After the required amounts of English, Maths and Science there is little time for humanities and expressive arts. Of course such subjects will still be taught in private schools. Subjects like sex education will disappear.

This will lead to misinformation on questions such as AIDS and basic

contraception.

Just having control over what is taught is not enough for the Tories. They also want a way of checking on the kids that will help their friends in big business. The Tories tell us that testing at the ages of 7,11,14 and 16 is a way of helping children and telling parents which are the best schools. All children are individual and as such have different educational needs.

Asking the same question or every child of the same age will not help to identify those needs.

Testing will also make the priority of schools their standing in the national results league table! Imagine if hospitals were organised on the same basis and you were told to forget about patients who need particular care and concentrate on those who could be quickly cured and sent home in order to push up the hospital's ‘success' rate. This is what the Tory madness of bringing so-called market forces into education and health actually means.

The only people that testing will help is the employers. They want a system which will label children and make their recruitment process easier and less costly. From an early age some children will be marked down as suitable only for temporary, low paid work or the dole queue. Needless to say it won't be those who go to Eton or Harrow.

One of the most talked about parts of Baker's Bill is the plan for schools to opt-out from control by the local authorities. We are told this will increase parental choice. But what it will actually do is divide schools into those whose parents can afford to subsidize their children's education and those who can't. At the moment money for state schools is divided equally amongst the schools in an area. Once schools begin to opt-out there will be less and less money available for those who are left. In these schools classes of 40 will become the norm, buildings will fall into disrepair and there will be little money for basics like books and paper. Nurseries and colleges will be closed through lack of funds. Like the NHS, state education is already being run down. If the Tories get their waythose who can afford it will get out and those who can't will suffer.

Parents, students, teachers and other education workers are organising against the Education Bill. They are forming joint union committees in schools and parents' action groups. Make sure the NUM joins the ranks of this vital battle against the Tories.

To any miner who lived through the Great Strike the lies and distortions of the British media are ali 300 | clear. However in the month of March even the British press managed to reach new depths of gutter reporting over events in Gibralter and the North of Ireland.

Firstly in Gibralter 3 unarned Republicans are murdered as they go to cross the border into Spain. Eyewitnesses attest to how the three were shot in the back and then had bullets pumped into them as they lay dying on the ground. The British Government on their own admission pumped out a flood of lies in an attempt to justify their illegal executions. A flood of lies was accepted by the Labour front bench in much the same way as they accepted the lies about the miners during the great strike.

A few days later the security forces "find" a car in Spain packed with explosives. Of course if the Governnent say the IRA packed it with explosives and left it there then they must be telling the truth.

So what is the reaction of the British newspapers. The Star under

the heading "Their just deserts" told it’s readers to “Shed no tears... Three evil monsters have got what they deserve." The rest of the tabloids followed a similar vein.

Never mind trying to explain, or give readers some clues as to why there has been a war in the North of Ireland for over 20 years. Just denounce anyone who fights against British imperialism as “evil nen" (Daily Mirror), “maniacs" (Star), "terrorist godfathers" (Today) and “cowardly bigots“ (Sun).

THE LAUGHING ASSASIN !

Now strangely enough the British media adopted an altogether different tone only a few days later when a Loyalist gunman attacked a Republican funeral. 3 people were killed and 70 injured. Having read the condemnation only days before on Gibralter should we have expected a round condemnation of loyalist violence? Certainly not fron the hypocrites who write leaders in the nations tabloids.

"Take that you IRA scum" was the header in the Sun. Underneath Stone, (the gunman) was described as “the chubby protestant executioner". The Express meanwhile informed it’s readers of how the murders were carried out by the “laughing assasin".

Now while the actions of the IRA are always explained away as the actions of crazed nen of violenc who wish to maim and kill for no apparent reason, the British media asked it’s readers to show some sympathy and understanding for the man who lobbed hand grenades into a funeral crowd.

The Daily Mail told us that Stone was a ‘loner and a failure at school" (poor lad feeling sorry for hin already) and how Republican crowds "honouring terrorists was a constant provocation to the protestant majority..." and “... on this occasion the provocation was uniquely strong". What’s more in fine objective style the Mail went on to use the attack to explain how it “is the IRA which is the evil force which is at the root of all the trouble", and the Sun in answer

to it’s own question "Who is to blame for the horror of Milltown cemetery ?" replied, “We can blame tisted and evil Gerry Adans" Le parallel -in this country would have been for a Notts scab to attack Davy Jones’ funeral with guns and grenades, then for’ the papers to blame Arthur Scargill.

The final straw was the response

of the media to the killing of 2 British soldiers at another republican funeral. The Sun as usual

was the most crass with it’s headline of “String *’em up". The two

soldiers who drove a car at 4Omph. through the middle of a funeral cortege, and then opened fire with

handguns were described as. heroes. The unarmed youth who tackled the soldiers as “cowards", “animals" and "blood crazed madnen"

20 YEARS OF OPPRESSION

But consider this. The antiunionist population has for years suffered the effects of an army of

occupation which wrecks their hones at will, harasses the youth and dishes out brutal beatings which the BBC never record and the papers never acknowledge. In recent months the effects of that oppression have been heightened with the Stalker Affair, the continued frame up of the Birmingham 6, the shoot to kill policy, and the murders in Gibralter and Milltown Cemetery.

Many miners during the Great strike were appaled at the effect the media could have, - if left unchallenged, - in shaping peoples ideas about the strike. We all remenber the stories of cowardly evil pickets and heroic. strike-

breakers. Just think what sort of effect such a media barrage can have after 20 years, especially if it is accepted and repeated by people who call thenselves socialists.

The anti-unionist population in the North of Ireland have been oppressed for over 60 years. The IRA and Sinn Fein are the response to that oppression in much the same way as the flying pickets were a response to attacks on the miners by the board and governnent. The solution to the conflict is to end the oppression by getting Britain out of Ireland.

If socialists and trade unionists do not wish to be upset by TV scenes of grenades among the grave-

stones of Belfast or death on the Andersonstown Road then they <ai and should add their voice to

thoses in the Labour movenent who Want the troops out of Ireland to enable the whole Irish people to determine their own future. A truly mass movement in this country would give further confidence to the anti-unionist working class to continue to fight Britain. Such a movenent could make the political price of British Imperialism staying in the North too high.

One of the tasks of such a mnovenent would be to counter the lies and distortions put out by the British media. To this end union branches should send members on the regular delegations organised by the Labour Committe on Ireland. To meet those workers who struggle against British imperialism every day and relay to their workmates what is really going on over there. The next RED MINER will carry a member who is

delegations

report from a T.& G. on one of these

going in May.

WHERE WE STAND

ou.

Red Miner

The Red Miner is produced by members and supporters of Workers Power. Workers Power is a revolutionary organisation fighting to build a new revolutionary party to overthrow capitalism - at home and abroad.

Workers’ struggles

We support all workers’ struggles against the bosses. We fight to turn all struggles into conscious anti-capitalist struggles.

Reformism

The trade union and Labour leaders believe capitalism can be reformed, made better, but they do not aim to overthrow capitalism. They act as go-betweens for the bosses with the workers. Even militant leaders limit their struggle to the fight for gains within capitalism. For this reason we are for building rank and file movements politically independent of the bureaucracy and committed to transforming the unions into democratic, class struggle unions.

Revolutionary Party

A revolutionary party will be a workers’ party, a party that, built in stuggle, can learn and pass on the ‘lessons of the 1984-5 strike and other struggles. We starid for miners taking their place in the front ranks of building such a party as they did in the 1920's. Only by building a new revolutionary party can we create the class army that can fight and destroy the stinking capitalist system that threatens us with always having to fight to protect our jobs, conditions and organisations.

internationalism

We are committed to fighting capitalism internationally. We strive to build an international organisation of revolutionary parties. (Workers Power works with Irish, German, French, Austrian and Chilean revolutionaries in the Movement for a Revolutionary Communist International.) In particular we fight nationalist solutions to the crisis put forward by reformists like calls for

import controls. Such demands merely divide the working class.

We fight all divisions in the working class.

Divisions are fostered by the bosses to weaken us. We are implacably opposed to racism,

immigration controls, fascism, discrimination against and oppresion of women, lesbians, gay men or black people.

The oppressed

We support all struggles by people oppressed by the bosses of Britain, America, France, Italy and the other capitalist (imperialist) countries. Immediately in Britain this means we support the right of the Irish people as a whole (not just those in the North) to determine the fate of their country. We unconditionally support the republicans and socialists in Ireland fighting for this right and demand the immediate withdrawal of all Bri tish troops from Ireland.

Workers' states

The USSR, Eastern Europe, ete are workers’ states. Capitalism has been abolished. However, in each of these states a bureaucracy, based on the Stalinist Communist Parties, holds political power. This situation arose out of the international isolation of the Russian Revolution in the 1920's. The revolution degenerated at the hands of the bureaucracy headed by Stalin. The other workers’ states were degenerate from birth in that they were created in the bureaucratic image of the USSR.

Therefore we call for a political revolution in all of these states to overthrow the bureaucracy and realise the full potential of these non-capitalist economies through democratic planning. At the same time, in order to preserve the gain for the working class represented by these economies, we defend the USSR and = degenerate workers’ states unconditionally against imperialism which, through war, will seek to _ re-introduce capitalism in these countries.

Overthrow capitalism

The revolutionary party we seek to build will have as its strategic goal the overthrow of capitalism by workers’ organised into workers’ councils and armed so as to defeat the police and army that the bosses have used, and will use again, against us. We are for a socialist society in which all property is in the hands of the workers’ state and all production is directed towards the meeting of human need, not satisfying the profit greed of the capitalists. We stand on the old slogan of Karl Marx:

Workers of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your chains, and a world to win!