HOW DO we aid and Labour In the first of a for only further hurt Not any old blow aimed at Elic despotic 1 UICIS Eastern Europe aids Solidarity.
We know from our own experience that Thatchers and Reagans are no friends to working peoWhile mouthing supour sisters and brothers in Poland? With trade union leaders proposing no serious labour movement action, some people have been seduced by the idea of a campaign calling on imperialist countries to take economic sanctions against Poland and the Soviet Union.
series of Socialism, BRIAN GROGAN argues that such actions can the workers port for Solidarity, Thatcher is busy shackling the unions in Britain. Reagan is going still further and destroying whole unions.
COuLSC. SOcialists must stand for the ayerthrow of the bureaucratic rulers of Eastern Europe.
The events in Poland have shown that workers' rights are incompatible with the maintenance of a privilegbureaucracy. the other has to go. But the liberation of the class is not a task for Thatcher or Reagan.
Ever since the first successful capitalism with the 1917 overthrow POVE Russian Revolution, imhave occasi 1 UlCiSi hankered after winning back to the capitalist fold the growing number of non-capitalist countries.
Now, Reagan is once again mouthing threats of 'roll back' . His game is to try to leech off Solidarity's fight for workers' rights in Poland in the hope of crushing Sovie workers.
ecoHO INC is drive towards war.
At this stage, he is not contemplating a direct attack on the Soviet Union. To that extent, his sanctions are hearted. His main concern at this time is his war cry striving to win backing for sanctions Is an alempt to store up a fund of support for acLOTH against the Soviet Union in the future The result of Reagan achieving any success with his policies will be to undermine the growing anti-missiles ment.
In the longer term, re-imposition of capitalism in Eastern Europe would be a world shatter ing defeat, not only for the there for workers of the whole world. Socialists cannot be party. to any campaign which aids this sanctions do not affect the privileges OI the Polish bureaucracy. A call on the Western bankers to intheir stranglehold on the Polish economy can only increase the misery of the workers. Will even have the marginal benefit - as in the case of South Africa - of disrupting imperialist operaRank and file blacking is no solution either In the absence of any political being waged by the rank and file trade union leaders, sup port for blacking appeals are bound to be inspired imperialist propaganda.
The struggle in Poland is not economic. It is a . What is poluca struggie needed political and materia aid the workers' movement throughout the world Solidarity.
Socialist Challenge 21 January 1982• page 15
Socialist Challenge the 'peace' and 'calm' of Poznan.
nosc' badges.
withdrew it. RESISTANCE in Poland to the imposition of martial law is growing. Last week the Polish government organised a specially laid on trip for Western journalists to see for themselves But when they got to the Cegielski engine factory they found many of the workers wearing SolidarDuring the same trip a regional leader of Solidarnosc - one of the few to have publicly supported martial law - told journalists that he had made his statement under duress and It is clear that Solidarnosc crushed. Solidarity bulletins are circulating in several major towns.
The main leader of the resistance still free, Solidarnosc leader Zbigniew Bujak, has given a lon interview denouncing all those - East and West who blame Solidarnosc for 'going too far and causing the repres Every day evidence of resistance of the Polish accumulates. All this is taking place despite the fact that there are now 20,000 people in the detention camps.
SCOTICS dicates the need to step up the work of building a vast solidarity The left of the HOVCHICHE labour movement has been very slow to take up the campaign Britain something which has allowed right wingers like Formley and Terry Duty Frank Joe to present themselves as Tne real friend.
Ronald SHUS Reagan and Alexander these right wingers have nothing in common Solidarnosc, an organisation which militantly fight for workers' rights.
To begin to build a labour movemen paign important steps have been recently taken. Labour Party InternaCommittee passed a resolution supporting Solidarnosc and sponsoring a London labour movement rally Solidarnosc committees Glasgow, Manchester are organising demonstranons. And an appear to se up Labour Solidarity fund has beer signed by Eric Heffer, Ken Livingstone, Tony Benn and Ron Keating of NUPE. There also moves towards a labour movement Solidarity conterence Solidarity Solidarnosc is the most important international task ot the anour movemen today. As the resistance arows. renression wil tensify. Our job is to make the Polish WOLKCH. do fight alone.
See pages 6,7 and 10 for the latest news of the Polish crisis