CP policies weaken Scots Miners

LORD Robens, Chairman of 'the Natior announced last week that 10,000 miners involved in closures during 1961. Of these still unemploved. In Scotland, where the economic' pits is going ahead Stainlist and right-wing policies In the Lanarkshire coalfield the Bads pit, West Calder, has closed in recent weeks. The miners there claim that only 100 out of 400 men have been offered other jobs in coalmining.

In Ayrshire, miners from Tarbolton, Kilmarnock, Irvine, Dreghorn and Maruchline are threatened with unemployment.

In Fifeshire, 1,500 miners are threatened by the closure of two pits at Kelty.

In Clackmannanshire the Glenochil pit has now closed. This pit was sunk only in 1956 and employed 800 men.

It was the scene of the four-day staydown strike in April which was only ended by the intervention of Alex Moffat, Secretary of the Scottish miners.

At Cowie in Stirlingshire, the pit is due to close in a matter of weeks. Several hundred miners will be thrown on to the lengthening queue for jobs.

REDUCTION

Robens claimed that closures in Scotland would result in the reduction of the yearly deficit from the 1961 figure of £19 millions to £6 millions in 1962.

The resulting destruction of jobs, families and communities, is described by Robens as a 'human engineering job', and necessary for big business.

Since the strike of the miners in the Alloa area was betrayed by the Communist Party leadership of the Scottish NUM, the only policy to emerge to fight against closures has been a demand now being pressed by the union for the calling of a Scottish Convention.

This demand has now been submitted to the Scottish TUC which is giving it serious attention.

PREVENT

The role played by Alex Moffat and other members of the Communist Party in the coalfield in preventing the emergence of a class policy for a fight against closures has seriously damaged the strength of the Labour movement.

When the miners at Glenochil and other pits struck in April they appealed to the Scottish coalfield as a whole to support them in demanding that pit closures be fought. They sought to defend jobs, families and whole villages and towns from the Tory attack.

With the Scottish miners mobilised, the railwaymen could have been drawn into the fight al Coal E ›ard, in 32 pits were 'only' 100 were closure of 'una fast rate, the results begining to tell.

and a turn made towards the whole of the Labour movement for a drive to defeat the Tory government's plans.

A united movement of the Communist Party, Labour Party Left wing, Young Socialists and Socialist Labour League could have campaigned inside the trade unions for a militant socialist policy and action.

The action of Moffat and his fellows had wide repercussions in retarding the fight against the right-wing leadership in the trade unions and Labour Party.

FORCED

Following the defeat the Scottish miners, sackings were forced through in the engineering industries in Glasgow and Lanarkshire.

Gaitskell was brought to Glasgow to flaunt his position to socialist policies and to thumb his nose at the trade unions which in Scotland oppose the H-bomb.

In the West Lothian by-election a petty - aristocrat poses as Labour whilst unilateralists are rejected for the Parliamentary panel as 'unsuitable' In the municipal elections in Glasgow left-wing candidates are rejected and Transport House nominees forced in.

In the ETU the right-wing leadership• intervenes in the Glasgow area-an old stamping ground of Byrne-to reorganize the area and defeat the militant wing.

CONNECTION

Communist Party members and militants who look towards the CP should reflect on the connection between the disastrous leadership of Moffat in a CP stronghold and the sequence of events outlined above.

They may object that the Communist Party was not responsible for Gaitskell and Tam O' The Bins in West Lothians.

The miners held the balance in April. If given leadership they could have mobilised the whole of the Scottish working class against Toryism and the Right wing.

For Moffat and the Scottish NUM to now sponsor a convention to combine all classes in defence of the Scottish economy is nothing but cynicism.

The consequences of their policies can only be to draw militants away from the main struggle which is to defeat Gaitskell and the Right wing.

Such a policy can only id the other employers in their ttempt to smash the trade unions.