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enormously government's moves.
Livingstone's
Lords, either THE DECISION by the court appeal under Lord Denning that the raising of a supplementary rate by the GLC to. pay for its cheap fares is illegal poses a massive challenge to Ken Livingstone and all his supporters. In effect it is their last chance to show that they can push policies in the interests of working people through in the absence of a Labour government to back them up.
Until now, it had been thought that the major challenge to the Labour GLC the new year when Heseltine's new bill went through. That despite some concessions made by Heseltine last week in the Com.
have deprived authorities of the ability to make firms pay a major share of the cost of pro-working class high spending programIn effect, the passing of the legislation will mean either that councils implement the cuts, put up household rates alternatively, united fashion, start a massive campaign of mass action to defeat the crunch has earlier than expected however. If the Appeal Court decision is upheld by the fares in the London transport area will have to go up 60 per cent (at least) or the GLC's finances will be thrown into chaos. Either way, a major plank of Labour's GLC manifesto will have been torn up, and it will be a matter evicted.
cidental factor local for that mobilisation will be here. come is exactly what is needed.
the courts and the Tories. of time before Ken Livingstone is The class and political character of the appeal court decision hardly has to be pointed out. Leaving aside the inthat Lord Denning.
Master of the Rolis, has a unique belief in the 'creative interpretation of the law, the decision shows the ability of the legal system to defeat progressive social change. It is another vivid indication of the inevitable confrontations with the apparatus of the bourgeois state which any progressive government, local or na. tional, will inevitably be faced with.
Ken Livingstone has always said that in a decisive confrontation he would appeal to the London labour movement for mass action to defeat the Tory attacks. Unless the House of Lords overturns the decision of the Appeal court, the time The Northwold branch of Hackney CLP has passed a resolution calling for the GLC to publicly declare its intention to defy the ruling and to call on the transport unions to refuse to collect the increased fares, and to call for wider industrial action to back up the fight. This There is no doubt that cheaper fares are enormously popular. It is a measure so obviously in the interests of working people that it is good terrain to take on A fight on this issue can motivate and mobilise the whole labour movement.