Transforming the Socialist Labour League into a revolutionary party: 'Tories want workers on their knees to beg for work'

'Tories workers on their knees beg for work' John is a driver in London and a member of the Transport and General Workers' Union. He said:

days it was a struggle for a living. There were 12 of us and we were very poor: the big cities if you had a big family, you had such small accommodation that you either went in the army or into service. I went into service.

I started off as a kitchen boy and worked my way up to butler working for rich people and even Royalty. It was just slavery when I first started. I used to get 7s 6d (37łp) a week and I had to sleep in the kitchen.

I used to visit back to my parents and see how they lived. They never had anything. My father was a taxi driver and I remember he gave my mother 4s (20p) a day. was very young in the early hours of the morning-say one or two o'clock-to the local bakers, catch the night shift and buy six penny worth of stale bread. That was for the family and it really opened my eyes.

Later on, working for people you could really the difference in the people had to live.

I used to say to myself 'Is this fair?' That's how I came into politics. And politics came into the whole family. Any spare money we had went to educate the eldest boy. That happened in most families. He went into politics and was a Labour councillor for 25 years.

We all had to do our bit and go on the streets canvassing for the Labour Party. This saw was in the early 1930s. But In those days Labour was lent the party for the workers. The old leaders in those days were erntrue socialists. But it's miles was different today. This is what hen shocks us. I0S1When I was 16, I went on ing, a march from Fulham to meet the hunger marchers from OUT. Jarrow. That was another our. turning point to see all those aink people coming • towards you 1, if with pieces of old rags on their feet and covered in blood. nger But Then, another thing, we used : it. to have miners coming into find London. Anywhere you went you could see groups of them own singing and even though I was young I said to myself This rike, isn't right. Good strong men it it having to go begging'.

Now the Tories have unsing, leashed a vendetta against the ionworkers. There was always eise talk before the Tories got in that all the workers were 300d doing was playing bingo, buye to ing televisions and wanting Hoptwo cars. Tories said workers ther were getting too much and lon't they said they would put a gree stop to it.

It's the old vendetta against orm the workers- the Industrial i on Or knees to 1110 I came from a very big family and from the early In those days, especially in I used to go out when I Relations Act, rents and everything else. There was a period when they obviously felt the workers were taking too big a see way Jarrow hunger march That was another turning point to see all those people coming towards you with pieces of old rags on their feet slice of their cake. Now they've This is where I get disgot a policy to make them poor illusioned with these people again, to divide them and to calling themselves socialists break up the unions. because they're not socialists They want the workers down at all. If they were, they'd on their knees so that they can have got this government out go back to the 1930s and have before now. workers begging for work so The TUC leaders are the that they can state their own same as the Labour Party.

You've got these right wingers If they can get the unions who I call traitors to the workwhere they want them, which ing class. These are the people they're trying to do now, who are letting us down. they'll be wage-cutting and I think these officials have sacking men just like in the been spoiled so much with old days.

I've been a Labour man all high salaries that the money has gone to their heads. They appointed in the labour leaders. my life and I am very dis- couldn't care less about other people. They're way above They are the people. If they had stood together like true to lose their jobs. them and they are frightened socialists they could have stopped this government be- That is the reason why I fore now. support the League. It's the If Jenkins and his crowd only alternative. With these hadn't voted with the Tories right wingers holding the after the House of Commons power, we're never going to debate on the Common Market get anywhere. They've got to they would have been out now. be chucked.out. They would have been out a The League has got to organize to get these right year.

CRUSA wingers out and put a Labour If it came to it that workers' government in that will be rights were being taken away truly socialist. all the time and living standards If Labour doesn't follow the going down those people who League's policies, then there do not understand now will will be a break with them. understand then that there will There will have to be an alter- have to be drastic measures taken. native party come in and lead the working class. Nobody wants force, but if If these right wingers your standards are so low that you're starving, then you've half capitalist and support system, they might as well got to fight to live. The workers be whole capitalists. have got to organize. There's no doubt about that. They I've read the documents can't rely on the right wingers about the crisis and transin the Labour Party and the forming the League into a TUC. revolutionary party and I agree If we rely on them our something drastic has got to standards will be so low in be done. the end we won't have anyThere's only one thing I thing left to fight with. disagree with and that's prob- These people will do nothing ably because I don't under- for us. In my opinion the stand. That's when it mentions League is definitely the only 'revolution'. party which can.

A lot of people would be Somebody's got to organize worried by that because they the working class, especially think it means get up in armed the youth. If the Lories get struggle and start shooting. away with what they're doing, They think there's violence the future for coming all the time. youth is finished.