Keep the Tories out! Vote Labour June 18!

[p015] Keep the Tories out! Vote Labour June 18! THE TORIES must be defeated in the General Election on June 18. The working class must return a Labour Party majority to parliament. This will counter the plans of the employers, who urgently want the Tories back in order to ‘discipline’ the workers, stop wage increases, and impose unemployment. It is because of the deepening economic crisis that the election is called for June. The Confederation of British Industries, the employers’ organization, and the Treasury itself, have issued grave warnings that the present series of wage increases must be stopped, otherwise all the improve- ments in balance of payments will come to an end, and profits cannot be kept up. The Tories want government office in order to strike heavy blows at the working class. The working class has smashed the incomes policy, compelled Wilson to withdraw the anti-trade union laws and pressed forward in militant actions for wage increases to defend its standard of living against price increases. The Tories at Selsdon, announced their programme: increased unemployment; anti-union laws; ‘law and order’ through new repressive legislation: more use of racialism to split the working class. The Tories are the enemy of all the reforms won in the past by the working class. They aim to cut back on Keep the Tories out! unemployment benefit, national assistance and the health service and on education expenditure. They want to ‘solve’ their economic crisis at the expense of the workers. They want to defeat the working class in a series of strikes if they can, and re-impose the conditions of the 1930s. They regard the power, confidence and strength of the working class as intolerable for one minute longer. Voting Labour on June 18 is a necessary blow against these anti-working-class preparations of the Tories. It will weaken them at a decisive moment. All those sectarian groups, when they say ‘abstain’ are playing the game of the Tories; weakening the working class with the indecision of the middle class. But we must fight, above all, for socialist policies against the Tories. The prospect of beating the Tories does not come from anything done by Wilson, who has betrayed all socialist principles, but from the decision of millions of workers to fight against Wilson’s policies. This fight has to be carried through now. It is more than a wages fight. Wilson, if returned, would, undoubtedly, attempt anti- union laws. Ever since 1964 he has served the capitalist class’s interests, and he will do so again. So the fight for socialist policies, for socialist leadership, for the sacking of Wilson and his cabinet has to begin now. This fight is the responsibility of the working class under a socialist leadership. The Socialist Labour League, in May 1969, called on the working class to ‘refuse to be handed over to the Tories bound hand and foot by anti-trade union legislation’. The struggle of the working class actually defeated these laws. So the Tories now want to get back. It is necessary, therefore, to keep the Tories out: in order to weaken the employers in their attitudes, and in order to have the best conditions for defeating Wilson and his anti-working-class policies, and replacing him with a socialist leadership. What is a socialist policy for the crisis, an answer to the employers’ plans? We say that measures should be put in hand immediately to re-organize the economy on socialist lines. NATIONALIZE: To start with, the banks, building societies, finance and insurance companies and the land, together with the big industrial monopolies and large enterprises of all kinds, should be nationalized without compensation, under workers’ control. WORKERS’ CONTROL: Existing nationalized industries must be placed under workers’ control and all compensation and interest payments to ex-owners suspended immediately.

[p016] Keep the Tories out! Vote Labour June 18! Manifesto of the 12th National Conference of the Socialist Labour League THE TORIES must be defeated in the General Election on June 18. The working class must return a Labour Party majority to parliament. This will counter the plans of the employers, who urgently want the Tories back in order to ‘discipline’ the workers, stop wage increases, and impose unemployment. It is because of the deepening economic crisis that the election is called for June. The Confederation of British Industries, the employers’ organization, and the Treasury itself, have issued grave warnings that the present series of wage increases must be stopped, otherwise all the improve- ments in balance of payments will come to an end, and profits cannot be kept up. The Tories want government office in order to strike heavy blows at the working class. The working class has smashed the incomes policy, compelled Wilson to withdraw the anti-trade union laws and pressed forward in militant actions for wage increases to defend its standard of living against price increases. The Tories at Selsdon, announced their programme: increased unemployment; anti-union laws; ‘law and order’ through new repressive legislation; more use of racialism to split the working class. The Tories are the enemy of all the reforms won in the past by the working class. They aim to cut back on Keep the Tories out! unemployment benefit, national assistance and the health service and on education expenditure. They want to ‘solve’ their economic crisis at the expense of the workers. They want to defeat the working class in a series of strikes if they can, and re-impose the conditions of the 1930s. They regard the power, confidence and strength of the working class as intolerable for one minute longer. Voting Labour on June 18 is a necessary blow against these anti-working-class preparations of the Tories. It will weaken them at a decisive moment. All those sectarian groups, when they say ‘abstain’ are playing the game of the Tories; weakening the working class with the indecision of the middle class. But we must fight, above all, for socialist policies against the Tories. The prospect of beating the Tories does not come from anything done by Wilson, who has betrayed all socialist principles, but from the decision of millions of workers to fight against Wilson’s policies. This fight has to be carried through now. It is more than a wages fight. Wilson, if returned, would, undoubtedly, attempt anti- union laws. Ever since 1964 he has served the capitalist class’s interests, and he will do so again. So the fight for socialist policies, for socialist leadership, for the sacking of Wilson and his cabinet has to begin now. This fight is the responsibility of the working class under a socialist leadership. The Socialist Labour League, in May 1969, called on the working class to ‘refuse to be handed over to the Tories bound hand and foot by anti-trade union legislation’. The struggle of the working class actually defeated these laws. So the Tories now want to get back. It is necessary, therefore, to keep the Tories out: in order to weaken the employers in their attitudes, and in order to have the best conditions for defeating Wilson and his anti-working-class policies, and replacing him with a socialist leadership. What is a socialist policy for the crisis, an answer to the employers’ plans? We say that measures should be put in hand immediately to re-organize the economy on socialist lines. NATIONALIZE: To start with, the banks, building societies, finance and insurance companies and the land, together with the big industrial monopolies and large enterprises of all kinds, should be nationalized without compensation, under workers’ control. WORKERS’ CONTROL: Existing nationalized industries must be placed under workers’ control and all compensation and interest payments to ex-owners suspended immediately.

[p017] The mergers and rational- izations of banks and indust- rial firms going on at a rapid rate in recent years, supported and often assisted financially ‘by the Wilson government, make such a task easier. They have, in fact, become ripe for taking over so that they can become the basis for the organization of a planned economy in which the needs of the people, and not the profits of a handful of rich men, would guide production. TRADE: At the same time a state monopoly of import and export trade would be imposed. The inflow of luxury imports for the rich would come to an end. Trade agree- ments with the workers’ states (USSR, E_ Europe, China) and other countries in the course of economic de- velopment would be made. INVESTMENTS: The _§im- mense investment held over- seas by British banks, insurance houses, big corpora- tions and wealthy individuals would be brought immediately under the supervision and control of the state. DEBTS: All international short-term debts contracted for the defence of capitalism would be repudiated. All military expenditure incurred to protect the world position of British imperialism would be stopped and all troops withdrawn from foreign and colonial countries. In this way the balance of payments problem, which results inevitably from the international monetary crisis, would be shown to be a product of capitalism. Undoubtedly, however, such measures would cause a sharp aggravation of the crisis elsewhere and precipitate in- tensified struggle between the classes internationally. It is only by making deep ‘inroads into capitalist wealth and property that the source of the crisis can be removed. The idea that there is a solution of the crisis which leaves the capitalists’ interests untouched is an illusion. In fact it leads to the kind of attacks on working-class living standards and wages which the Wilson government has perpetrated and which would become even more vicious under the Tories. COMPENSATION: _ Foreign capitalist investments in Britain would also come un- der the control of the state. Any question of compensation payments would be considered only after the domestic pro- gramme to meet the crisis was paid for. Such compensation would, in any case, be paid only against guarantees of trade agreements and guarantees of no action by foreign capitalist governments against national- ized British companies in their countries. Such measures would neces- sarily bring to an end the activities of the Stock Exchange and all speculators and profiteers. The power of the capitalist would be broken. An immense example would be given to workers in other countries. Once the result of these measures were seen, workers would never again want to see the Tories back, since this would mean the return of the capitalists and land- lords. The carrying out of these policies would also neces- sarily mean the repeal of the anti - working - class legislation of the Wilson government. The Prices and Incomes Act must be repealed, as will all laws against the trade unions. The Immigration Act would be repealed. All charges in connection with the Health Service would be abolished. All the cuts made in social services, housing and educa- tion would be restored. HEALTH SERVICE: Mea- sures would immediately be put in hand to _ re-organize and expand the Health Service and all the social services. ASSISTANCE: An attack would be launched against poverty by raising benefits, abolishing the system of National Assistance with its prying and probing and en- abling all elderly people to spend the rest of their lives free from material anxiety. HOUSING: The whole build- ing trade and the massive technological means now available would be mobilized to deal with the housing crisis and make possible the organization of housing as a social service. Free from landlordism and the interest racket, a plan to end the slums, re-build the cities and provide a reason- able standard of housing for all would be put in hand as a matter of priority. Immediate re-housing of the homeless in the mansions and luxury homes of the rich. Sections of industry could be re-organized to turn over from war production and the manufacture of luxuries for the rich, to producing housing components and the basic equipment of living. SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS: A special attack would be made on sub-standard school buildings. A plan would be drawn up for re-building and expanding hospitals: and pro- viding special facilities now non-existent or deficient. Funds would be made available for medical research and to end the present shame- ful dependence on appeals for charity. INSURANCE AND _ PEN- SIONS: All increases in in- surance and pension charges will be cancelled. The funds will be re-coured out of levies on the wealthy and after- wards maintained by direct charges on production each year. Considerable savings will thus be possible in adminis- tration costs. RENTS, RATES AND TAXES: Rents, rates, taxes and interest rates will come under state control. Interest rates, severed from the inter- national finance market by the monopoly of foreign trade and control of exchange tran- sactions, would be lowered. This would permit mortgage rates on housing to be dras- tically reduced. Purchase tax would be abolished, income tax on low and middle wages would be reduced and revenue raised from the wealth ex- propriated from big business. All these charges would come up for. revision in accordance with the general needs of a socialist financial policy and would be freed from the manipulations of speculators and the banks. A genuinely _ socialist Labour government would thus be pledged to carry- ing through a policy in the interests of the working class, aiming at a transition to socialism. Such a policy would require and obtain the support and co-operation of the class and its organizations and deter- mined resistance to all those seeking to maintain or restore the old order. INDO-CHINA: All support for the US imperialists’ war in Cambodia and Vietnam must cease immediately, and relations must be established with N Vietnam. TROOPS: All British troops must be removed from N Ire- land and all overseas territories. NATO AND UNO: A socialist government would unhesitat- ingly sever all connections with NATO — counter-revolu- tionary alliance—and with the UNO—docile tool of imperial- ism. There must be no more secret diplomacy or participa- tion in summit meetings of the Big Four. Without this programme, domestic and foreign, there could result only large-scale unemployment, cuts in the welfare state and impoverish- ment. . The Socialist Labour League and the Young Socialists have always fought for such a socialist policy and to build an independent socialist leader- ship fighting on all working- class issues. Many workers will vote Labour with illusions. Basically they will vote in the belief that the experience of the last two years can be continued i.e., that no matter how treacherous Wilson is, militant union action can still preserve living standards. This illusion will be shat- tered by experience, as Wilson returns to the attack and the economic crisis plunges down- wards. Already many workers a @ Nationalization of banks, major industries, build- ing societies and the land, under workers’ control and without compensation! Cambodia! 86 e@ 600 @ Socialist policies to defend the unions and stop the rise in the cost of living! No return to the 1930s! Withdraw all troops from abroad! End all support for the US war in Vietnam and No to the European Common Market! For the Socialist United States of Europe! No return of the Tories! Vote Labour! May 25, 1970 Fourth International. Winter 1970/71

[p018] —as aviation, and the docks—have had to raise nationalization as the only answer to their future security. a strong, Despite the dangers in capitalism and war, the situation is favourable for the working class. shipbuilding, civil of depression The employers are forced to destroy the to attempt independence of the unions, but they must do so against confident and un- broken working class which will resist. The election of a Labour government creates the best conditions for this fight back and for the defeat of the capitalists. It is not a ques- tion, as the Stalinists main- tain, of ‘pressure’ to ‘turn Wilson left’. The task of socialists is to mobilize the maximum oppo- sition to the Tories, before and after the election, on all fronts, political and industrial. This means above all to fight for independent socialist policies; build the circulation of the Workers Press: build the alternative leadership: the Socialist Labour League and the Young Socialists. This is the essential pre- paration for the coming revolutionary struggles. THIS book brings together for the first time in a_ single volume Trotsky’s major writ- ings on Germany during the critical years 1931-1933. But they must not be seen as of purely literary or historical ‘interest. As the working class, ‘particularly in Europe, enters a new and decisive stage of its struggles, the revolutionary movement has the respons- ibility of establishing amongst the most advanced layers of workers the lessons contained in the rise to power of fascism and the destruction of the organized German working class. The material collected here reflects Trotsky’s insistent warnings of the dangers to the German and international working class involved in the emergence of the Hitler move- ment. What added enorm- ously to the dangers was the criminal and sectarian policy being followed by the Kremlin during this period, a sectar- ianism forced onto parties of the International, including the German Communist Party Thus the greatest signifi- ' cance of the German events analysed in this volume was Trotsky’s decision of 1933 to begin preparations for the new Fourth International. Des- pite the numerical weakness of his forces he decided that Germany __ proved beyond doubt the impossibility of reforming the Third Inter- national, which had been his perspective until this time. Above ail, Trotsky’s analy- sis of Stalinism stands fully vindicated. Seriwany 1931 1932 Leon lhetiky PRICE: TWENTY-FIVE SHILLINGS NEW PARK PUBLICATIONS LTD. 186a Clapham High St., London S.W.4. Telephone 01/662 7029 a Keep the Torles out!

[p019] —as in shipbuilding, civil The employers are forced and for the defeat of the This means above all to fight aviation, and the docks—have to attempt to destroy the capitalists. It is not a ques- for independent __ socialist had to raise nationalization independence of the unions, tion, as the Stalinists main- policies; build the circulation as the only answer to their but they must do so against tain, of ‘pressure’ to ‘turn of the Workers Press; build future security. a strong, confident and un- Wilson left’. a the alternative leadership: the Despite the dangers in broken working class which The task of socialists is to Socialist Labour League and capitalism of depression will resist. mobilize the maximum oppo- the Young Socialists. - th it a ; The election of a Labour sition to the Tories, before This is the essential pre- a rabh f c the workinn government creates the best and after the election, on all paration for the coming phi agi CTSOr & conditions for this fight back fronts, political and industrial. revolutionary struggles. THIS book brings together for the first time in a_ single volume Trotsky’s major writ- ings on Germany during the critical years 1931-1933. But they must not be seen as of purely literary or historical interest. As the working class, particularly in Europe, enters a new and decisive stage of its struggles, the revolutionary movement has the respons- ibility of establishing amongst the most advanced layers of workers the lessons contained in the rise to power of fascism and the destruction of the organized German working class. The material collected here reflects Trotsky’s insistent warnings of the dangers to the German and international working class involved in the emergence of the Hitler move- ment. What added enorm- ously to the dangers was the criminal and sectarian policy being followed by the Kremlin during this period, a sectar- ianism forced onto parties of the International, including the German Communist Party Thus the greatest signifi- cance of the German events analysed in this volume was Trotsky'’s decision of 1933 to begin preparations for the new Fourth International. Des- pite the numerical weakness of his forces he decided that Germany proved beyond doubt the impossibility of reforming the Third Inter- national, which had been his dD perspective until this time. Above all, Trotsky’s analy- sis of Stalinism stands fully vindicated, PRICE: TWENTY-FIVE SHILLINGS NEW PARK PUBLICATIONS LTD. 186a Clapham High St., London S.W.4. Telephone 01/662 7029 Keep the Torles out!