The 26 October CND demonstration is biggest step yet taken against the new round of madness. This is a useful moment to map out the future direction of the movement.
Cruise and Trident missiles are central to Tory policy. The commitments the l'ories have made on 'our' behalf are staggering. One fifteenth spends in government spends ycar will be donatea to tne Us government for the dubious benetits of Trident. t3.80 per person per week will be spent each year for the next fifteen years solely on the missiles.
Apart from the staggering economic cost there are HIVUS political and military costs. Cruise missiles, stationed in Britain, tie us hand and foot American global military strategy. These missiles, totally control, are designed for a "first strike' European 'theatre' nuclear war. They make Britain the number one European target in any war.
Aggressive Politically, Cruise has the effect of binding Britain ever closer to the new, aggressive United States. Since the nominious American defeat in Vietnam, a huge new wave of struggles against sion and poverty has swept the planet.
In 1979, nine US-backed Photomontage: PETER KENNARD dictators fell. the bean, the backyard Aucticall war rages in El Salvador, and Grenada has broken from the US camp. A workers' government in Nicaragua toward socialism. oi revolt threatens Us porations in Jamaica.
A of the Shakes ith the regime in Iran, lapse of the racist regime Zimbabwe, is Ol the accelerating march of US revolt and revolution.
Western capitalism, gering under the weight of in crens all thie economic stopped. the war drive is capitalism's answer.
The USA is gearing itself untervene wierever cut revolution threatens; a nuclear steel Union.
The ageing bureaucrats in the Kremlin are no supporters 1g- of world revolution. response to the Polish workers for social anc political rights is testimony to that.
Nevertheless, istence states In the Carri- despite bureaucratic of mities of monstrous proporcivil tions workers LIC capitalism The spectre " is forced to extend a protec nuclear Vietnam means bloody to wallulls. and the co- up by nuclear hardware, in vital part of the United States' expression offensive against revolution.
stạgcrisis Anc The new arms race ha been launched by the that both sides nOse that responsible not only face of the facts — the US has is being double the Soviet warheads, and a massive lead in the technology involved i 'delivering' those but would Their ficulty battle of the heories to the people of Viet Alam or Cub clear the USSR, to use the eloquent the ex- phrase of would have been effronterv to throw out maáness The fact that the Kremlin UVOL the most important backed because political suppose are equally fly NICHL.
Socialists number of ted to action to warheads also find dif campaign, show their broader issues. But it Vithout the existence o Kissinger, they bomber series e dominance has the case it has NATO which has always raisco une stakes ne uncer vine reason that capitalist coun are pansionist. Countries with a planned economy ike hussia s are nor capitalism Capitalism forever has to and seer market: • eTene exiStine ones against revolution order to keep up its profit It is no accident that the recent military COle was carried out while a NATO exercise was tak ing NATC immediately welcomed Tine coup. The Greet colonels coup carried out according to a NATO plan Imperialism will never satisfied until restored capitalism those countries which it has lost, particularly the back into the stone age' for opposition the of our own withdraw rulers. We place the blame for the present round of missile squarel) on the shoulders of Carter and Thatgoal.
Because the war drive is issue of popular politics and Thatcher's govern- class ment has made its military arallis.
commitments a central part of While the nissiles are a vital issue in th fight to throw out this governshould work with anyone who is commitstop the missiles. In the course of the will tion that who does finish missiles. there. Only the labour move- which ment has the power to stop nuclear the government in its tracks. withdrawal It is the fight for a commitSoviet Union and China Revolutionary devel.
Doment: around wore are nor eduvalent extending economic base Russia, costing it f10bn a year The Kremlin's aim is shoulder shoulder imArguments for Socialism TOnS " sometimes gives he done into dis because it gain diplomatic achieve thon bis its efairis to osi tion in its efforts peaceful existence with the US In order to keep stability in the stopping revolument from the Labour Party and the trade unions to end missile build-up, and to Western machine, NATO that should be our political aim. It is only action by thousands of workers that can guarantee for that particular We oppose the idea, very Sullici that Bishops and other middleworrlers are the vital components of the movement missiles The leadership of the labour movement.
But we are not there yet.
initiatives like labour movement conference against the missiles, schedul id for the new year, deserve our full support, they are only small steps along the road we need to travel. The main force in theciams is build Socialists CND. It is the main organisawill attract those wish to act on the includes grantee, unilateral and NATO makes CND a tremendously Britain — America's aircraft carrier and a prime target tons is a larg part of what detente is about CaSi Europe and elsewhere will defend perialist attack and property relations they TrOU aran Ineir privileges But thei attempt to Join with im perialism to preserve the status quo against revolu tion them vance tranSited Imperialis. pressure against the working It is in this framework of trving «edi imperialist that we should unders. tand between so-called 'socialist' coun tween China and Russia does not stem from the Socialist Challenge 23 October 1980 movement.
But it would be naive a best, irresponsible at worst, to imagine that building CND alone is the answer. There are already local groups which arisen fight the missiles. should back these campaigns to show the direction which CND should go.
Action There is a fight on for the soul of CND. Is it to build a campaign, directed towards the labour missiles? Or is it to follow the course. proposed by section. of the Communist party, toward a middle class movement for peace protest A movement which places Biass and the labour movement at the centre of its concerns will be best placed to tap the energies and en thusiasm of •01 working class youth who can be won to the campaign. The building of Youth against th Missiles groups shows potential.
Ine campaign organisea Manchester against the affiliated CND, and directed decisively at labour against the missile , is the best illustration so far of the direction that CND must go in. To do that socialists must be in CND, but at the same time lose no opportunity to demonstrate where we must go. It is these which •Socialist SCALETONA Challenge supporters will be fighting for at the coming CND conference.
urge capita. defence rkets and profits While there are many comole hate me tur TACTORS. fun.
damentally at stake is the vying of the for sor favourable treatment by imperialisin • Start oft the sino the start the wanted China and begin reduct Cold Wai More recently pre conditions for takin down the 'bamboo' tainthe threat of a world nuclear war bolico rom In peasan lo stop we need to break up im perialism disarming he capitalist class in Br tain and ultimately in the withdrawa from NATO will be a big step in that direction.