to is disdaining to maintaining Labour Party's ability to acmeve a meaningtul and lasting socialist change, nor shal we encourage our supporters to develop these illusions.
ROGER COX Members of North Brian Grogan replies THE outcome of the Staffa dispute was a major test for Work campaign which was made the centre SWP's politics at its recent conference The SWP has a history of In leadership of the factory.
The stewards had backed the Right to Work campaign on previous occasions.
Convenor Dave Green, as well as his predecessor, were both members of the SWP. And Staffa workers, including other stewards, were claimed as members.
Undoubtedly, the initial decision was a result of SWP influence. But how do we explain that after 10 weeks only 31 out of 390 workers voted continue the fight?
The dispute still had official backing. Solidarity and finance were still coming into the strike HQ Blacking was beginning to bite and was extending. as the frenzy of overtime WHEN Sid Bidwell wrote to the Guardian Tariq Ali's /vo ventuer decision party ne showeo nimserod botta ny ocrite and racist hypocrisy car measured bi comparing the following two stulements the columns of the 19 June 1975 issue of Red Weekly, Mr Bidwell declared:
on the return to work showed.
No indicts the SWP for failing to lead a victory. The responsibility lies the reformist leadership of the unions — including that of the District Committee. The good work of individual members is no reason to cover over for this Our case does not rest on incidental factors like how many stewards were Line pact crucial times. At issue is what was offered for the attention of the strike leadership by the SWP The task of mobilising the majority of the workforce was neglected in favour of winning the active minority of strikers to support the Right to Work campaign.
Jim and Roger _pose physical defence of the occupation as the only alterthe Right Work Tory Party aemonstration The reason for leadership on ine spot was the need to mobilise politically lo aejena ine occupation through the labour vertent.
I believe all socialists, narucular y young SOCIOLIS should join the Labour Party and get into the mainstrean 'think the skyist groupings should assess une situatior carer. wihour romance me monie then help to take hold of the Party locally and na; tionally for socialist purpose Six years later he states: very Ali's application for memberThe presence of the deputy convenor and Jim Scott (the AUEW DC member), is beside the The central strike leadership was not helped to see its task as forcing the existing leadership of the labour movement to back the Staffa fight. This includes MPs.
As the campaign which forced the about-tace of local MP Bryan Magee showed, such an approach is what helps create a new leadership. Self proclamations, typical of the Right to Work, is not the same thing.
The f4m government grant which was the basis for the move of the factory drew in the GLC and raised the role of the Tories.
The GLC could easily have been involved, reinforcing a demand for the Labour leadership to act. Progress here would not only have increased the chance of victory, narrowea for manoeuvre of Duffy and but it would have also boosted the ship of the Labour Party will be given the utmost of close scrutiny.. • 1 woula noi mino • him on the basis of a of • probationar) status Would citizen Sid care to explain why comrade Taria s memoersmo wowla nove oeer acceptable in 1975 but is unacceptable in 1981?
ROB JONES London fidence of the inactive ma jority ana inspired the militant pickets. Ignoring such people is precisel) what maintains illusions The SWP members sit on District comitee. is evidence of a serious fight in the labour movement.
It is silly to suggest tha our objection to Right to Work collection sheets, use of Right to Work headquarters and so on is an objection to socialists making collections.
Socialists make a contribution to the fight by utilising the strikers' own material. To do otherwise is positively harmful. For Right to Work substitu tionism can give the righ wing more excuses for not supporting the fight.
On the evidence of the Staffa dispute do Jim and Roger believe that the Right to Work campaign which was for once, moderately influential, actually altered the relationship of forces in the labour movement in favour of the rank and file? We look forward to their or other comrades replies.
Socialist Challenge Scotland MANCHESTER SC sold 11-1pm Sat
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London District AUEW and Socialist Workers Party