Communist Party rejects defend democratic rights call

National Socialist THE LEADERSHIP of the British Communist Party has rejected a call for unity of working class organizations to defend democratic rights.

The Socialist Labour League and the International Socialists have received a letter from CP general secretary John Gollan refusing to join in a common statement pledging to support any working class organization subjected to repressive action by the Tory government and its state machine.

The Central Committee of the Socialist Labour League initiated a campaign on January 20 this year, aimed • at warning the left and the working class of the great dangers of oppression. We declared:

Heath and the Tories, behind the mask of an anti-inflation campaign, are in fact taking a definite step towards Bonapartist dictatorship in preparation for massive state repressions against the working class and the Marxist movement in the coming struggles.

The future of every party and political tendency based on the working class is inseparably tied to the successful preservation of basic democratic rights. The attack on these rights is part of the ruling-class strategy to ultimately illegalize and suppress every form of political representation of the working class.

Soon provocation will be heaped upon calumny to create CP Dear Comrades, The SLL and IS have held joint discussions on the threat posed to the left by increasing police repression, infiltration and developing counter-insurgency techniques. The inspiration for this growing menace clearly derives from the general Tory attack on working-class conditions and organization.

Both our organizations believe that this problem is one in which both the Communist Party and the IMG have with us a shared interest and concern which, on this subject, transcend our differences.

IS and the SLL have prepared a statement (copy enclosed) which we intend to publish in Workers Press and 'Socialist Worker'.

We invite you to join us in this declaration, if necessary amended by agreement, and to consider simultaneous publication in our respective newspapers.

Yours fraternally, Labour League Jim Higgins National Secretary International Socialist MAY DAY will form the main topic of discussion at a mass meeting of CAV workers this morning at Acton, west London.

But behind the arguments for and against joining the TUC's 'day of protest and stoppage' against the pay laws will lie a deep-going crisis of union leadership in the factory.

Although the shop stewards' committee has voted against supporting directives from the engineers' and transport unions to come out on May 1, the factory has been racked by sectional disputes sparked by CAV's use of the pay laws to 'freeze' piece work prices.

The calling of today's meeting is seen by some stewards as a tactic to get the right-wing leadership of the stewards' committee off the hook. The Conway Hall meeting on April 16. On the platfurm: Duncan Hallas (IS), Gerry Lawless (chairmail), Gerry Healy (SLL' national secretary) and Tariq All (IMG secretary). the conditions to arrest, tain without trial and militant trade unionists, ists and communists.

The Socialist Labour pledges to defend unres all such victims of Tory sion whether they belong Labour Party, Communist International Socialists or 18 and 30 per cent.

headquarters creed that before that unaltered.

The only said, would methods had November 6.

The effect put a block methods of section by factory.

to deto jail League ervedly represInter1) A joint declaration on behalf of the Communist Party, International Marxist Group, International Socialists and Socialist Labour League should be issued which says that:

A) The four organizations pledge themselves to jointly defend the democratic rights of the working class against the legislative attacks of the Tory government which seriously affect the trade unions and the working class as well as groups on the left of labour movement.

B) We believe the threat against democratic arises from: i) Raids carried out by the police, the purpose of which they do not feel obliged to explain. These raids generally lead to large But a significant number of workers will back their unions' directives regardless next Tuesday and the discussion provoked by the mass meeting could well backfire in the right wingers' Over the last four years, piecework 'drift' at the CAV factory -part of the giant Lucas combine -has amounted to between Following Heath's announcement of a total pay standstill on November 6 last year, Lucas in Birmingham deall prices agreed date must remain exceptions, it was ›e jobs where new been adopted since of this has been to on long-established pushing, up rates • ra dha~ national Marxist Group.

We are prepared to discuss with all working-class political groups and parties to support this struggle now.

In the Workers Press of February 24, Gerry Healy, the national secretary of the Socialist Labour League, wrote that PROPOSALS quantities of documents and addresses being taken = iway under conditions in w hich the work of the organiza ition can be disrupted.

ii) Holding. suspects for lengthy periods before they are brought to trial.

Mili) The secret decision to arm the police.

iv) The use of telephone tapping, tape recording and letter opening by the police to illegally incriminate those on the left who are under surveillance.

Tv) Planting spies and provocateurs within the working class movement. This is based on the so-called theories of counter-insurgency developed by Kitson, Calvert and Clutterbuck with the support of the Tory Cabinet.

We (CP, IS, IMG, SLL) believe that the fight for demoYet when the shop stewards met just over a week ago they first discussed the issue of May Day simply as an item of correspondence.

There was no recommendation from the stewards' executive committee. A steward who moved support for the unions' directives had his motion defeated by 24 votes to seven.

Later in the agenda the matter was raised again and it was agreed to hold today's meeting.

The convenors have made clear that they will report the defeat of the motion to back the stoppage to the mass meeting, and one has already stated he believes this will serve to dissuade large numbers of workers from striking.

Technically speaking, of course, there should be no question of a vote this morning since unions represented on the stewards' committee have been instructed to call their members out. cratic r ghts must become an integral part of the struggle of the trade union movement and the working class to expose the operation of the National Industrial Relations Act and all activities of the Tory government through laws which are directed against the democratic rights of the working class.

In the event of an attack involving democratic rights by the Tory government, or its agencies, against working class organizations, we will together organize such public campaigns as are considered mutually necessary to protect these organizations and their membership from such attacks.

The fight to end all bans and proscriptions in the trade union and labour movement is an essential part of the struggle to defend democratic rights against the attacks of the capitalist state.

CLAIM hour for was lodged "the responsibility for defending the rights of the working class rests with the Labour Party, the Communist party,. the IS, the International Marxist Group, the SLL and others on the left.' He went on: 'What is now needed is a meeting of all these groups and parties to issue a joint declaration that, as an for an extra 5p shipyard welders with employers integral part of the defence of the basic democratic rights of the working class, they will provide the staunchest support for each other in the event of any of our organizations being singled out for attacks by the Tories.' Our warning words were proved true on April 14 when police raids took place all over Britain against Irish people and members of the International Marxist Group.

In accordance with our declared policy, the Socialist Labour League participated in a joint meeting with the International Marxist Group and the International Socialists on April 16 in the Conway Hall, London. This meeting was the start of a campaign to defend the left and the labour movement against police attack and oppression. Speaking at the meeting, SLL national secretary Gerry Healy said that the deeply-held differences between the participating organizations represented the movement of class forces.

But the responsibility to wage the ideological battle in order to develop a revolutionary consciousness within the workclass had to be protected against police and state interference and that was why joint defence was necessary.

It was following this meeting that the Socialist Labour League and the International Socialists wrote to both the Communist Party and the International Marxist Group.

CP's April Dear Comrades, Thank you for your_letter enclosing draft statement on Tory action and measures aimed to undermine working class democratic organization and intimidate working class militants.

We believe this is a tremendously important problem. Our Party has consistently campaigned against these new dangerous authoritarian trends and to safeguard democratic rights and institutions, and will continue to do so.

Precisely because of what is at stake we believe that only the involvement of the organized Trade Union and Labour movement can be successful in reversing this authoritarian trend.

The disruptive policy and actions within the organized Labour movement which you have pursued will, in our opinion, make your proposal counterproductive in what must be the aim— the involvement of the Labour moveFor these reasons we do not believe that it would be useful to join with you in publishing the statement.

Yours fraternally, John Gollan, General