HOPEFULLY the debate in the House of Commons over Tebbit's union-bashing proposals will have clarified a few minds about the real nature of the SDP. The SDP MPs split three different ways on the most important question for the British ruling class -Seventeen of them voted with the Tories and against the advice of their own specialist policy committee. The SDP's spokesDerson or custraroa tions voted against the malentenis narlamen.
colleagues, four others did the same, a further five abstained.
Can anvone class that the most ing class JOSE perienced in the world is going to entrust future, in the middle of its gravest crisis to a party that crumbles at its fire test got anywhere near office?
And what of the Labour bureaucracy? Can anyone believe that voting for measures that will attack the interests of the bureaucracy in an absolutely unprecedented wav the SDP think can forge an alliance with it7 Eric Varlev describeo Jenkins as 'Tebbit's boodle. Healev called the SDP "Tebbit's troopers Mark. Two LORES Bill Sirs, arquably themost of the teph wind bureaucrats in the described them as minkorac - nace wora hardly the kind of overtures designed to woo ine how to deal with SDP an antiTory 3TTE coalition with the Labour right, were they?
In my previous letter 1 argued inat the absence of support of any ot ine signicant InsuTu tions of the ruling class even the mitonaire biess has now turned against the SDP) or of the working class Inot single bureaucrat let alone trade union joined them) the would party petty bourgeoisie oniv future could be as a junior parter to une tones Evidence is now emerging that this is the direction Roy Jenkin: wishes to take the SDP in Owen has publicly stated that participation in a 'reshuffling of the right would spell doom for the SDP. He wants to take the SDP in the classical direc tion that petty bourgeois parties go in. towards radical populism, a course which is one which is coomed to falure in Brtain.
Owen is alone however. Shirley Williams explained her hesitation in voting with Tebbit by sayInternational Viewpoint is Special introductory Zealand, Asia $20, Montreuil, France.
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