The Newsletter, vol. 8 no. 356

THE sudden descent of the John Bloom meteor badl damaged some of capitalism's favourite fairy tales. For example, the story of Jack the Giant Killer has for many years fascinated the lower middle class.

Small shopkeepers delighted in the exploits of the Little Man Who Got to the Top.

Undaunted by lack of capital, the rags to riches hero, armed with 'drive', "imagination' and other such qualities, planted his five beans and reaped a millionaire reward Bloom's rapid ascent looked like the beginning of a tremendous career. Understanding that domestic appliances were overpriced at a time when the market was about to expand, he substituted a series of gimmicks and gambles for capital.

Survived scandal

When the Rolls balloon was soaring in the early '60s, financiers icii over cach ulner in tie rush to lend Bloom cash. Direct selling : to the public, huge advertising campaigns, giveaways and trading stamps kept the Rolls shares rising.

The millionaire press even allowed Bloom to survive the scandal of the Holford murder trial.

All this was fine while the consumer goods boom lasted. Unfortunately, for Bloom, modern capitalism doesn't allow such things to continue for ever. Bloom's efforts were affecting the profits of the established firms. The giants did not allow Bloom to eat their breakfast with impunity.

Bringing the power of largescale capital to bear, they cut their prices and stepped up publicity expenditure.

Last year about £50,000 a week was being spent to persuade the housewife to buy a new washing machine.

Empire crumbles

Now the real world of finance showed its face. As Bloom's shares slid back, vital loans became harder to raise. Unlike the land of make-believe, in capitalist Britain business is business.

For the sake of a mere £1,500,000 the Rolls Empire has crumbled.

Despite all the week-end stories that something might turn up and save the day, the decision to liquidate Rolls Razor was confirmed.

Another legend of more recent origin has been shattered by the Bloom collapse. New thinkers' in the labour movement have pretended that the nature of capitalism has changed.

While the monopolies took over larger chunks of the economy, the system was becoming more stable, they said. The Labour leaders told us that the old profit motive no longer dominated. •Capitalist anarchy could be peacefully planned without the necessity of taking ownership away from the capi(Cont. page 4, col. 2)

SUMMER BREAK The Newsletter will not be printed in the next two weeks during our summer break.

It will appear again on August 15. Order your copy immediately.

••I• 180000• the Executive Committee of the Union of Post Office Workers to call out 120,000 postmen on an indefinite strike as and from midnight on Saturday, July 25, is absolutely correct. It will enjoy the support not only of Britain's ten million trade unionists but the vast majority of people who use the mails. Even the Tory wages. Tomorrow they will telephonists to continue for press is hard put to be joined by dockers fight- much longer. defend its government. wages but also for the 40- gaining from such a situation With a worsening trade position and an economic crisis in the offing, Cabinet ministers are staggering between one extreme decision to another. One day they talk of peace plans and the next day they shut the door almost in the face of the General Secretary of the TUC Mr. George Woodcock.

Only way This latest decision of the postmen is the only way to bring them to their senses. The Tory Daily Telegraph of July 23 denounces the strike call as 'a challenge not only to the government but also to the nation' . Whose government and whose nation may we ask?

It is a Tory government of rich idlers and parasites and a nation owned and controlled by the monopolists in the interests of profit.

The postmen are today in the forefront of the working class fighting desperately for Thousands of postmen marched to Hyde Park during last week's strike Nigeria House an improvement in their allows the position amongst the ing not only for increased The government are, in fact, hour week.

There are still two problems facing the Union of Post Office Workers which are very urgent.

Bitter split

The first is the position of the telephonists. In one exchange after another they are now working exhorbitant hours of overtime. Ever since the strike began they have had no real lead from their union.

The result is that those members who are new to the service and who badly need money are, in fact, unconsciously engaged in strike-breaking, with a bitter spit developing between them and the more union conscious members.

Unfortunately all this is the result of lack of preparation for a serious struggle in the first place. This has been our main criticism of Ron Smith, and his recent action shows that we were right.

Had he sharpened the issues up with the government in the beginning then the postmen would have won by now. It will be quite serious if he 'Union met and rejected the since the money they are losing on stamps they are more than recovering in increased charges for telephone calls.

This will also be the case if they continue with the telegram service. The union should therefore think again and decide to make it a complete GPO shutdown. to Trotskyists.

Luke-warm The second problem is what we believe to be the luke-warm assistance which the UPW has received.

Although the union has expressed satisfaction. anyone in his right senses knows that the money so far raised is just not enough to help the postmen out of their trouble.

In any case they should not be subject to the conditions of a loan. It will be extremely difficult for the UPW to repay such a loan. What has been given already, should be immediately turned into donations.

The TUC has provided £50,000 but as Mr. George 4, col. 4)

The telegram read:

Molinier and Pierre Frank:

organisation. connected with him.'

protest AFTER picketing outside the Nigerian High Commissioner's office students and trade unionists handed in a letter (printed below) from the Socialist Labour League protesting against the imprisonment of Dr. Victor Leonard Allen, a Leeds University lecturer and two trade unionists and a teacher. Dear Sir, The Socialist Labour League, representing trade unionists, Young Socialists and Labour Party members in Britain, demands that the sedition trial of Dr. Allen, Sidi Khayam, Jonas Kiomasekenagh Abam and Olushengun Adebayo end and that these men be released immediately.

We give full support to the struggle of the Nigerian trade unionists for increased wages and demand that the Nigerian Prime Minister, Abubakar, ceases witch-hunting trade unionists.

Yours faithfully, G. HEALY, National Secretary A PARTICULARLY embittered strike is now in progress at the Valona garment factory, Moratuwa, Ceylon. The trade union in the factory has been organised by Merril Fernando, MP, one of the leaders of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary Section).

The owner of the factory is a member of the right-wing United National Party who was defeated in the parliamentary election by Merril in July 1963. He has called in the police to deal with the strikers and after a baton charge a number were injured.

A public meeting was held on July 8 to protest against the police brutality at which Bala Tampoe, Prins Rajisooriya and Edmund Samarakkody were scheduled to speak.

The Continuing Committee of the social-patriotic wave.' Trade Union Organisation has decided to carry on with Prins Rajisooriya as its secretary.

Tribute This is a blow against the coalition and a tribute to the work of the LSSP Revolutionary Section in the trade unions.

Prins Rajisooriya first came was accepicu. into the organisation as Secretary of the Ceylon Federation of Labour. Since he is one of the leaders of the LSSP Revolutionary Section, the right wing The continues so to this dav. who capitulated to Mrs. Bandaranaike, removed him from the post, hoping that he would be unable to play a part in the revisionist course.

Continuing Committee set up by the trade unions who support the 21 demands. organisation with its paper 'La Commune'.

No. 356 B/0SL. FILE By The Editor Price A MAJOR condict oven les in te Pree Transporters dustry employers.

ports.

travelled overnight to join La series of actions and decisions last week-end dockers in the country demonstrated their determination to wrest a substant Pierre Frank himself as a founding member of the Fourth International in 1938. launch the independent Trotskyist party. This led to a sharp crisis Pivert. The purpose of this alliance was to disobey Trotsky's united in fighting the right wing, Molinier and Frank were engaged resident in Paris, the following resolution concerning the activity of On Friday, July 17, over Port employers' offer. 22,000 dockers staged a one- The strength of the token strike and success of the lobby of the day token strike in the Mer- delegate conference is an indicaseyside, Hull and London tion of the bitterness which dockers feel over their wages.

The strike came in answer to Coachloads of men from a call from the Merseyside area Liverpool, Birkenhead and Hull committee of the National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers London dockers in a demon- Union which has, for many stration outside Transport months, been in the vanguard of House where a national dele- the fight to improve the wages gate conference of the Trans- and working conditions of Britain's port and General Workers' registered dock workers.

But the unity being shown Concerning A Statement by the Political Committee of the SLL PIERRE FRANK, the member of the Pabloite Unified the member of the Secretariat, who recently visited Ceylon, has been describing This is done in order to convey the impression that he was a close collaborator of Trotsky and that he carries on Trotsky's tradition in the international movement at the present time.

In this connection, the following information should be of interest In the autumn of 1934, the French Trotskyist movement of which Frank was a member, acting under advice from Trotsky, entered the French Social-Democratic organisation, the SFIO. The purpose of the entry was to organise a struggle against the centrists and the right wing and to win over left-wing elements, especially the youth, to the programme of the Fourth International.

By the summer of 1935, France, according to Trotsky, had entered a pre-revolutionary situation and this in turn led to the launching of a witch-hunt against the youth and the Trotskyists who had entered the SFIO, by the right wing hend d by Leon Blum.

After analysing the nature of the situation Trotsky called upon his supporters, including Pierre Frank, inside the SFIO to prepare to inside the French Trotskyist organisation.

Raymond Molinier and Pierre Frank who worked closely together, opposed Trostky and formed an alliance with the centrist Marceau instructions by capitulating to the demands of the right wing. September, 1935, both Frank and Molinier were preparing to give up the publication of 'La Verite', the paper of the French Trotskyists who had entered the SFIO in order to placate the right wing and continue their alliance with Pivert.

Each concession that they made to Pivert weakened the struggle of their comrades inside the SFIO against the right wing. precisely the time when the French Trotskyists should have been in preparing a split inside their organisation. Trotsky described their activity as 'a betrayal'. On November 29, 1935, Trotsky telegraphed the International Secretariat about a letter which he had received from 'Frank letter reveals centrist demoralisation stop consider rupture preferable to concessions.' In December 1935 he proposed to the International Secretariat, 'Com. Raymond Molinier continues formally to be a member of the Plenum. I do not think his political attitude allows him to be kept formally within the leading body of our international Politically, Molinier has gone over to centrist positions. Organisationally, he has created a bloc with the centrists, against our tendency. He has not consulted the IS on his "turn".

He has allowed himself to pose ultimatums to our organisation, relying on the methods of quasi-capitalist "launchings". His activity becomes increasingly demoralising. I propose on the decision of the IS to invite the Central Committee of the French Section to recall Comrade Molinier. At the same time I propose the setting up of an international control commission, concerning the activity of Com. Molinier and eventually of other comrades Also in the same month Trotsky wrote to the Central Committee he French Section concerning Frank and Molinier:

• It is capitulation before the social-patriotic wave. Who does not understand that is no Marxist. The approach of war has given (provisionally) the social-patriots a powerful weapon against the internationalists. Hence the exclusion of the Leninists. Hence the cowardly capitulation of Pivert. ... Hence the fear of unstable elements in our own midst of "isolation" and the tendency to stay at whatever cost beside the centrists and to be distinguished from them as little as possible. There is no other political content in the attitude of Molinier and Frank. They are capitulating to Eventually, these deep-going differences came to a head when Molinier and Frank broke away from Trotsky and founded their own In the winter of 1939 Pierre Frank came to England to organise a struggle against Trotsky and the International Secretariat.

Some months after the outbreak of the Second World War he was interned for a short period in the Isle of Man as an alien.

The police later released him and he worked in Britain for the duration of the war, returning to France early in 1946. Immediately on his return he applied for entry into the Fourth International and The activities of Pierre Frank recently in Cevlon where he supported the centrist United Left is quite consistent with his Right from the early '30s Frank was always 'a demoralised centrist'. He was regarded by Trotsky as a demoralised centrist and Naturally Cannon and the Socialist Workers Party, who in the past have treated Frank with contempt, know he is a political imposter but they remain silent about his role because he now supports their Political Committee of the Socialist Labour League, 20/7/1964.

now seems inevitable. In major ports throughout the ial pay increase from the between members of the 'Blue' and 'White' unions is causing serious concern amongst the employers and the Transport and General Workers' Union leaders.

Undoubtedly, without the action which took place, the offer made by the employers may well have been accepted.

The Transport Union has no intention of fighting to establish a decent wage. They have attacked the 'Blue' union in leaflets distributed this week on Merseyside and in London. Their conduct in the wage negotiations is also highly suspeot.

The port employers' first offer was made on July 7. Between that date and the delegate conference the amount was kept a close secret from the members of the union.

After the delegate conference on Friday it was reported that this first offer of 6s. per week was rejected by the delegates and a further offer of 10s. was also thrown out after discussion in a meeting which lasted one and a quarter hours.

Where did the second offer come from?

CHALLENGE

Since no employers were present and no adjournment was taken, many of the dockers are suspicious that the union leaders were sitting with this offer in their pockets from the beginning of the conference.

At mass meetings of dockers in Liverpool and Hull over the weekend, the employers' offer of 10s. a week on top of the basic rate and 2t per cent on piecework rates was declared totally unacceptable.

Both incetings agreed to prepare a national fight to secure their demands of £15 a week.

They also voted to support the action of London members of the NASD, who are placing a ban on all work done from 5 p.m. Friday to 8 a.m. Monday until the strings attached to the 40-hour week are removed.

This Sunday a rank and file national delegate conference sponsored by the Merseyside Area Committee of the NASD is meeting to decide on the next steps to be taken in the fight.

They are not prepared to sit back and allow the TGWU to negotiate a compromise of a few shillings increase to their claim.

They have declared that if the TGWU leaders refuse to fight they will establish a national committee of dockers from both unions to continue the struggle for £15 a week.

Delegates from Hull, Manchester, London, Birkenhead, Garston, Glasgow and Southampton will be at the meeting on Sunday.

HIDDEN OFFER

This week mass meetings in Liverpool, Hull, Manchester and Glasgow have endorsed this stand.

Such a fight will bring dockers to the forefront in a challenge to the Tory government and the 4 per cent guiding light of Nicky. The resistance shown to the postmen's claim by the government and the tougher line they are showing in the steel industry and the building industries clearly indicates that a major class struggle with the dockers is inevitable.

Dockers should be under illusions about the struggle which they will be engaged.

They can give a lead to the working-class movement. To win they will also need the support of the whole of the labour movement.

They should reject the poisonous gossip leaflets being distributed by the TGWU which only aim to (Cont. page 4, col. 5)

opposition to Trotsky and Trotskyism. MAURICE TARLO has resigned from the Communist Party. He was legal adviser for some time to the 'Daily Worker' before joining the legal department of the ETU under the Frank Haxell regime. Recently he was the subject of a court action for the recovery of certain sums of money. Shortly afterwards he went bankrupt.

He said in his letter of resignation that he has 'no quarrel with the policy of the Communist Party.

The question is: Did he resign or was he pushed? Maybe we Shall have the answer before long.

M Minister in Ceylon's history to enter a fifth RS. BANDARANAIKE is the first Prime consecutive year of office. She owes this entirely to the leaders of the Lanka Sama Samaia Partv. Page However, any illusions that 1964

Mrs. Bandaranaike would make any concessions to the working class, in exchange for the gallant display of chivalry by. Dr. N. M. Perera, have been quickly dispelled by the Throne Speech made by the Governor - General in the opening of the fifth session of the Fifth parliament.

While making vague promises to bring down the cost of living through the setting up of a State Trading Corporation to handle imports and the pegging of prices, the Governor-General revealed that one of the primary tasks of the government would be the setting up of workers' advisory committees in all institutions by means of administrative regulations.

The main function of these committees in the words of the Governor-General: 'will be the maintenance of a high standard of discipline.' Thus, any cut in the cost of living will come not from curbing capitalist interests in the commercial and industrial sectors, but rather from an increased exploitation of the working class!

Language and citizenship Apart from this measure, the policy of the coalition remains substantially the same as all previous capitalist governments in Ceylon.

The Sinhalese Only Act will remain in force. Lip-service will continue to be paid to the "reasonable' (?) use of Tamil.

Negotiations are to begin with the Indian government on the "settlement of the problem of persons of Indian origin who are not Ceylon citizens according to our citizenship laws', said the Governor-General.

What this means in effect is that the citizenship laws of Ceylon — the most reactionary in the world, more so than South Africa —will continue to remain in force threatening the present existence and the future destiny of not only the Indian, but all national minorițies on the island.

To negotiate with the Indian government while such laws remain on the statute books is nothing short of blackmail and nobody should be surprised if the Indian government refuses to negotiate under these terms.

Recognise

Commonwealth There is, therefore, no hope for 700,000 stateless Indian workers under the so-called 'socialist regime'.

In the field of foreign policy, the Governor-General served but the same distasteful stew as before:

'My government continues to recognise the value of the Commonwealth Association.' The government has little choice in the matter so long as the dominant and most lucrative sections of Ceylon's economy remain in the"hands of Sterling companies.

Since there are no measures for nationalizing the tea and rubber estates in The Throne speech, the link with the Commonwealth will continue and so too will the myth of Ceylon's independence.

The Immigration and Emigration policy of the ultra-reactionary United National Party government will continue to be operated by the coalition.

Religious and Racialist The Governor - General's statement was followed by a speech from Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, which was a combination of religious revivalism and restrained racialism.

I will work for the betterment of Buddhism and all other religions, she said. This is probably one of the reasons why the enormous areas of Temple land held by the Buddhist clergy and worked by share-cropping tenants have not been touched.

"The Sinhalese and Tamils,' she continued, 'must be treated satisfactorily.' No mention of equality of races here.

The real purpose of the coalition was revealed in her concluding statement: "Those workers who belong to trade unions of different political parties should not act openly or secretly to bring about clashes among trade unions. ... Our task will be made easier if the people are prepared to help us by working honestly [sic] in accordance with the salary they get . ..!' (The average wage is between five and seven shillings a day!)

Dr. N. M. Perera, the new Finance Minister promised the Bandaranaike: I w I!! work for Buddhism' Jack Gale analyses a recent Communist Party document on Trotskyism workers nothing but blood, sweat, toil and tears.

"The next budget will be a "Dukvindina"* Budget — where not the poor only [sic] but everybody will have to share the burden of development,' he said.

So much for Dr. Perera's socialism!

One of the most shameful speeches on the Throne speech, came from Dr. Colvin R. de Silva - leader of the Centrist wing of the ISSP and one of those who was not expelled by the Unified Secretariat for supporting coalition.

In an unusually terse speech he got up to say that he had sacrificed his legal practice (he is a leading criminal lawyer in Ceylon-and one of the wealthiest) for the sake of the coalition.

The proposals of the Coalition, however, did not go unopposed. Many opposition parties proposed amendments to the Throne speech-but it was only the Revolutionary Section of the LSSP who openly proclaimed no confidence in the coalition government in * Bearing sorrow an amendment gretted:

(a) that in relation to Ceylon's political status, far from declaring even an intention to break Ceylen free from British imperialism's hold upon it Your Government has abjectly affirmed Your Government's subservience to British imperialism in Ceylon by declaring Your Government's intention to preserve Ceylon's links with the Commonwealth.

(b) that though Your Government professes to be socialist in intention Your Government has shown no intention of taking steps against capitalist vested intérests in this country in the plantations, in commerce and in industry.

(c) that in the field of commerce Your Government has clearly revealed its intention of leaving the export trade in the hands of British imperialists and Ceylonese capitalists.

(d) that while purporting to take over the import trade in essential goods Your Government has in fact decided to leave the bulk of the import trade in the hands of the capitalist class and the imperialists under the guise of Ceylonisation which gives cover to foreign capital to operate in Ceylon in association capital.

(e) that no positive steps are to be taken to stop the continued export of dividends and capital by foreign investors.

And that in relation to the pressing problems of the wage earners and the trade union movement and the people generally:

(a) Your Government has not given indications of any measures which will guarantee the two million wage-earners and salaryearners in the employ of capitalist companies and individuals security against victimisation, retrenchment and various forms of exploitation and oppression under which these workers continue to labour today.

(b) Your Government has given no indication of abandoning its wage freeze policy in both the public and private sectors while demanding more and more work and discipline from the wage-earners in the so-called national interest.

(c) that despite the long continued and growing demand for workers' management in all Government and State-controlled enterprises as the only means of putting an end to bureaucratic mismanagement, corruption, wasté, inefficiency, nepotism and exploitation of the workers in these enterprises, Your Government merely seeks to set up advisory committees assist the existing managements.

(d) that whilst seeking to create the impression that the working class is to be drawn into the sphere of Government administration and management Your Government has made no mention of the organised trade union movement and the Joint Committee of Trade Unions.

(e) that Your Government has failed to recognise and grant the political rights of public servants, employees of state corporations and teachers in government schools.

(f) that Your Government has made no mention whatsoever of the acute and widespread problem of unemployment and in particular has failed to provide avenues to the educated youth of the country for the proper utilisation of their talents in the development of the country.

(g) that no mention has been made about the problem of acute landlessness and the need to provide land to the landless either by a liberal policy of expeditious grant of crown land or by a vigorous policy of village expansion by compulsory acquisition of private land.

(h) that despite Your Government's claim that it stands for democracy Your Government has given no indication of repealing the Public Security Act which has been utilised time and again to deprive the people of their liberties and fundamental democratic rights whilst empowering the use of the police and military for strikebreaking and other attacks on the people.

And that in relation to the problems of the minorities:

(a) Your Government has failed to give any indications that Your Government will grant the language rights of the Tamil-speaking minorities by making legal provision to make Tamil also a State language.

(b) that Your Government has intention of repcaling the notorious and oppressive Citizenship Act introduced into the Statute Book by Mr. D. S. Senanayake on behalf of the Ceylonese capitalist class in order to undermine the working class movement in this country and also divide the working class and create communal conflict among the people.

(c) that Your Government has no intention of granting citizenship rights to plantation workers who remain in a category of so-called 'stateless' persons.

This report on Ceylon • in The Newsletter recently, Gerry Healy wrote: "The split (in the Fourth International) arose over the Pablo theory that under the pressure of international events an irreversible leftward process had begun inside the Soviet bureaucracy. This, it was implied, could lead to a section of the bureaucracy breaking away, assuming the role of a revolutionary leadership and re-introducing democracy inside the Soviet Union.?

To the Stalinists, beset on all sides by the Sino-Soviet split, the pressure of the masses in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe against the bureaucracy and the growing dissatisfaction in the ranks of the Communist parties of the advanced industrial countries with the policies of peaceful coexistence and peaceful roads to socialism, the Pabloite theory that a genuine revolutionary leadership will emerge from the bureaucracy itself is a welcome straw to clutch.

It is not surprising then that the 'confidential' docu ments on Trotskyism recently issued to some members of the British Communist Party should be not only hostile to the Socialist Labour League. but extremely friendly to Pabloism.

VENOM

These documents are ful! of lengthy extracts from the publications of the Pabloites, but contain only one extract from any League publication —and that is an attack on Pabloism which is described as containing 'special venom'.

No account is given of the real political causes of the split between Trotskyism and Pabloism, which is presented most favourably to the Pabloites as 'a conflict between the Trotskyists Old Guard (Healy. etc.) and the new, morc flexible Trotskyists in control of the Fourth International'.

These 'new and flexible Trotskyists' we are told:

'... produced internal material showing a very considerable breakaway from the old immediately recognisable Trotskyist formulae and instead were attempting to react to the objective situation in a new language that ordinary people would be able to understand.' In other words, Party members are being told that there are some new Trotskyists now who are not so hidebound as the SLL. To underline this, the Pabloit: version of the differences between the two is quoted in the CP document as follows:

"Those who refuse on the pretext of programmatic purity to enter along the only road which gives us the possibility of instructing and leading broad masses, want to transform our movement from a Party in building to a sect (Healy)';

and "Those who combine integration in the mass movement with an implacable intelligent and efficient struggle for the penetration of the vanguard with our complete programme, are taking the practical road which leads from the Party in building to the Party as such recognised by the masses (Fourth International line)?

And to make sure that there n be no mistake about lose side the angels are on.

ere is a reference to:

• .. the gangsterism of Healy, his complete dictatorship and control of funds, the obvious lack of principle of the organisa tion' id two paragraphs late:

•mes this:

"The Sixth World Congress took place in 1961 at a time when Pablo had been imprisoned by the Dutch authorities for his activity in aid of the Algerian revolution.' The choice is obvious-the "gangster' Healy Or the 'revolutionary hero' Pablo!

DEMANDS

There then follows, in the main document, one and a half pages summarising the policies outlined at the Conference of the Pabloite International in 1961 and a further half page extract from a Pabloite article concerning demands on the Communist parties.

Then comes an extract from a Pabloite article on nuclear war written in February 1963 This takes up two and threequarter pages of the docu. ment and, according to the compilers of the document, shows 'how far the Fourth International has moved on this question' and how it 'differs widely from the other Trotskyist groupings. This article contains comforting references to 'the de facto alliance of the Soviet bureaucracy and the colonial revolu tion'.

Then follows six pages of lengthy extracts from the Pabloite 'Re - Unification' Congress of 1963. This begins with a quotation from Pablo's "Thesis on the Tasks of the Fourth International':

"The de-Stalinisation in the USSR is decisive in regard to the end-of the ideological monolithism of the Communist parties, for the irreversible process which has begun of ideological differentiation and regroupment, hence for the renovation that has begun of the international Com munist movement.' This assurance that international communism is going to be 'renovated' from within Stalinism is extremely useful to the harrassed Communist Party leaders. After all, doesn't it mean that a Trotskyist organisation is not necessary?

CORE

The Stalinists are also able to quote the documents of this conference on the Yugoslav conceptions which have been 'enriching Marxism' concerning, amongst other things...

'the general way of tackling the problems of the construction of Socialism in the framework of one country, especially an underdeveloped one.' Here the very core of Trotsky's struggle against the reactionary theory of socialism in one country is swept aside in one sentence.

How reassuring for the Stalinists to have such 'new, flexible Trotskyists' around!

Why should their members go over the theoretical basis of Trotsky's fight against Stalin if the theory of socialism in one country 'enriches Marxism'?

In any case, according to the Pabloites, the whole problem of international revolution is to be solved by inevitable developments within the Stalinist bureaucracy:

'Should a revolutionary socialist leadership resume power in the Soviet Union in the not too distant future, with the consequent establishment of socialist democracy internally and revolutionary solidarity abroad, the process of fusing the colonial revolution with the workers' states would be tremendously speeded up?

So Trotsky's struggle against Stalinism is now only an academic question from the dim past, bearing no relation to the really important developments of today, which not determined by what Trotskyists do.

According to the documents of the 'Re-Unification' Conference, where there are large Communist parties, these will be decisive and elsewhere socialism will come through a fusion of the Social-Democratic left wing and 'the best elements among the old Communist Party militants'.

The following passage, which the Stalinists must be delighted to quote, implies the complete liquidation of Trotskyism:

'The re-establishment of Soviet democracy in the USSR on a higher level..

would end at one stroke the main objection against communism held by class conscious workers in the imperialist countries. It would lead rapidly to the disappearance of the bureaucratic Stalinist leadership in the old CPs which would split in various directions, principally into a leftreformist wing and a genuinely revolutionar!

socialist wing.

'In countries like France and Italy, where the Communist parties, despite their opportunism, continue to control the mass movement, this would mean the rapid development of a revolutionary mass party which would put the proletarian conquest of power on the agenda at the first favourable objective occasion.

In countries where the Communist parties are weak secondary forces, it would favour the emergence of a revolutionary socialist mass movement through the fusion of the left wing in the Social-Democratic paities-attracted by the reborn Soviet democracyand the best elements among the old CP militants.

'In this way the crisis of revolutionary leadership could eventually be overcome and new objectively revolutionary situations would open the road for the victory of the proletariat.?

SYMPATHETIC

Following this, the Stalinists devote a further half page of their document to another extract from a Pabloite publication quoting their assessment of the 'gross sectarianism' of the Socialist Labour League which has 'sacrificed years of patient work'!

Finally, after 15 pages of full and sympathetic quotations of the writings of the 're-unified', "new' Trotskyites, this Stalinist document turns to the work of the Socialist Labour League.

After admitting that: 'For most people in Britain who have ever heard of Trotskyists the Healy organisation would be the only one they knew,' less than one and a half pages is devoted to the SLL.

Not one quotation is given from any of our publications. The policies of the League are presented as if they were simply criticisms of the "ReUnified Trotskyists' and not as a fighting programme of action at all. They are put in such abridged form as to be meaningless.

Policies which have been fully developed in The Newsletter and 'Labour Review' as well as in numerous pamph lets are crushed down to literally six or seven words.

The League's tactic of fight. ing in the Labour Party is given one sentence-that is, as a criticism of Pabloite entryism which 'reduces his cadre: to an appendage of socialdemocracy'.

Not a single word is devoted to the fight of the League against the right wing Our perspective of building an international revolutionary movement receives precisely four words—as a criticism of Pablo's theory that the epicentre of the Revolution has moved to the colonial coun tries which we say is a 'total perversion of Marxism'.

Nothing at all is said about our emphasis on the importance of building parties in the advanced capitalist countries. Our position on the colonial revolution is presented in one curt sentence as a criticism of Pablo's position on Algeria.

GRIST

All this takes up half a page of the document. A further half page of the section on the Socialist Labour League consists of extracts from attacks on the League by James Cannon of the American Socialist Workers' Party.

Here, Cannon speaks of "Healy fantasies' and declares:

It's all grist to the mill!

'Instead of advancing to meet the leftward moving stream in Britain Healy is taking the opposite direction into deeper isolation.' Obviously, we cannot expect a full, accurate presentation of the policies of the SLL in a document de signed by Stalinist hacks to wall off their members from Trotskyism.

The policies of Pablo and of the 'Re-Unified Trotskyists', on the other hand, not only present no danger to these Stalinist leaders but positively help them in guarding their membership against Trotskyism.

This is particularly so now that this leadership is in acute crisis. At such a time a form of 'harmless Trotskyism' can be invaluable to the Stalinists.

At one time, the 'Re-Unified Trotskyists' called for international conference of all the CPs . . . that would include the Yugoslav communists and all revolutionary Marxist tendencies, the Trotskyists amongst them'. Such a conference is not so impossible as it might at first appear — provided that the right sort of "Trotskyists' are involved.

The Soviet bureaucracy, having been forced to rehabilitate Tukhachevsky and many of the victims of the purge trials of the 30s, having been forced to denounce Stalin and to reveal that the Kirov assassination (which sparked off the purge of the Oppositionists) was a Stalinist frame-up, are in a difficult and illogical position.

The question of the role of Trotsky in these events clearly arises.

"SAFE'

A 'safe' brand of Trotskyism which presents Trotsky as a revolutionary hero of the past, but whose teachings have no relevance to the present, whose theoretical works need not be studied and whose present-day heirs are 'extremist sectarian gangsters' could be assimilated by the Stalinists as a last desperate attempt to stave off the crisis in thei: own ranks.

The biographer Deutscher has already presented such a Trotsky.

Lenin's warning in 'State and Revolution' is very timely today.

'During the lifetimes of great revolutionaries, said Lenin, 'their teachings are received with the most savage malice, the most furious hatred and the most unscrupulous campaign of lies and slander. After their death, attempts are made to convert them into harmless icons, to canonise them so to say, and to surround their names with a certain halo for the 'consolation' of the oppressed classes and with the object of duping the latter, while at the same time emasculating the essence of their revolutionary teaching, blunting its revolutionary edge and vulgarising it.?

PRESIDENT Lyndon Johnson's Civil Rights Bill may be aimed at extending the franchise to American Negroes, but it can do nothing to uly 25 Thr

Rhodesia remains unchanged in spite of all the publicity put out by the national press that the African Commonwealth leaders and Sir Alec Douglas-Home had reached a suitable compromise.

The attitude of the Tories towards Ian Smith and his white minority government is much the same as it was before the Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference.

Home has committed himself to nothing. The question of independence is—as it was previously - left entirely to Smith.

Hopeless farce

Home has expressed the hope that the Southern Rhodesian Prime Minister will attend talks in London in the future, but it is obvious that nothing will be finally decided until after the election in October.

The Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference has been proved a hopeless farce. Nationalist leaders of the African and Eastern countries have merely bowed before. the wishes of the Tory government.

"The Observer' (July 19) ran an article describing a 'secret campaign' planned by 33 African members of the OrganiSmith: to attend talks with Home sation of African Unity at their Cairo conference this week.

This plan which included the recognition of a 'Government in exile, is nothing but a complete betrayal of the interests of the African people in Southern Rhodesia.

Recognise minority

The setting up of a government in exile is merely allowing the white minority to continue governing Southern Rhodesia without leading the Africans to overthrow Smith's extremist rule.

These nationalist leaders are, in fact, recognising that the white minority rule will continue.

Kenneth Kaunda, Premier of Northern Rhodesia said he hoped Smith would 'change his mind about the possible value of a conference which included African leaders'.

According to the 'Observer', the African Commonwealth leaders regard the position in Southern Rhodesia as negotiable'.

But whatever talks take place they can only strengthen Britain's business interests in the country.

The African leaders have suggested that, at any negotiating committee set up, Britain should be the independent chairman.

Not impartial Such an idea is ludicrous since British businessmen in the City are far from impartial about the stocks and shares they have in companies in Southern Rhodesia.

Since the Tory government represents such interests, the last thing it would be is impartial.

Amongst the white minority there is considerable dissension. Smith's majority is perilous and Home is probably counting on the fact that a more moderate man may become Prime Minister in the future.

It this should happen the Tories no doubt hope that independence can be obtained for Southern Rhodesia with at least some sham of democracy.

IN the hope of making some kind of conciliatory deal with the left-wing rebels in the Congo, Moise Tshombe, ordered the release of Antoine Gizenga, former Lumumbist leader who has been imprisoned for the past two years.

Ishombe has learned many of the vicious stab-in-the-back tricks of the imperialists and the release of Gizenga is one of them.

As the British Tory government freed Jomo Kenyatta with a great blast from the trumpets of democracy, so Tshombe follows in their footsteps. With loud proclamations of unity with the rebel forces, he has released Gizenga.

And like his imperialist doubt, attempt to use Gizenga as a bargaining pawn to utterly crush any opposition to the Congolese government.

Behind this facade of unity Ishombe prepares an onslaught on rebel troops in North Katanga.

CONFERENCE

Newly-appointed Minister of the Interior Munongo visited Katanga a week ago. On his return to Leopoldville he announced plans to regain control of Albertville by 'peaceful' means.

- Munongo also talked of getting the rebel leaders round the conference table for negotiations.

But whatever deal is arrived at between the government and the leaders of the left-wing forces it can only be a very poor compromise for the workers and peasants of the Congo.

These are the people whom Tshombe wants to keep firmly to heel. The men who work in the mineral mines and in the sugar plantations are the ones this man wants to suppress by forcing the rebels into submission.

The crisis in the Congo has SUKARNO STEPS UP deepened in the last few days with the big advances made by rebel forces in gaining control of Baudouinville, 350 miles north of Elizabethville.

In the central Kivu province all white people in the Uvira area have been captured.

These actions came after Central government planes took part in reconnaissance flights over Uvira last week.

Meanwhile government troops are reported to have halted their retreat and have now moved into a counter-attack on rebel forces.

EXPOSED

The Congolese army-swelled considerably in numbers by the return of the Katangan gendarmes who were given extensive army training in exile-is now threatening the strength and position of the left-wing forces.

Tshombe's role has become fully exposed. He is not the smiling, handshaking liberator, the press portrayed him to be when he returned to the Congo after a year's exile a month ago.

His return to take hold of the reins of government was no doubt carefully planned by the imperialists-Britain, France and Belgium.

Now Tshombe is Prime Minister and he is endeavouring to shackle the Congolese people even more firmly to big business.

In this pursuit there can be little doubt that if the sections of the. left-wing forces refuse to give way, the Congo will once more face a bloodbath like the one four years ago when the United Nations moved in, in the interests of the profit makers.

SINCE the breakdown of talks in Tokyo over the Indonesia-Malaysia skirmishes, President Sukarno has stepped up his 'crush Malaysia' programme.

It is understood that welltrained, regular Indonesian troops are now making regular raids on villages in Sabah and Sarawak (North Borneo). The reason for what "The Times' (July 20) calls their 'skilful and daring tactics' is, ironically enough, because until a year ago, Indonesian officers were allowed to attend the jungle warfare training centre in Malaya to be trained by the same. British officers they are now fighting.

Although all the British newspapers play down the increasing success of the Sukarno programme, the British government and Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman are extremely worried.

THREAT

Sukarno has ordered Indonesian ships to sink Malaysian fishing boats and frigates in the Straits of Malacca because of the amount of rubber being smuggled into Malaysia.

His line becomes tougher every day, which means the threat to British interests in natural and industrial wealth in Malaysia becomes greater.

Tunku Abdul Rahman who was in London this week decided to return quickly to conclude 'certain negotiations' after visiting Washington, Ottawa and the United Nations.

Across the Atlantic, he began weapon-hunting in Canada for reconnaissance aircraft and in the U.S. for helicopters for which the Malaysian and British security forces have been calling for months.

It is believed that the 'certain negoțiations' discussed on his return to London will also be for arms... and men.

Although, as the capitalist press says, troops are a 'second priority, any move to send more British troops abroad to fight for British imperialism must be fought by the British labour movement.

CALL-UP

The greater the number of commitments abroad - in Cyprus, British Guiana, Aden, etc.—the greater is the need for the British government to seriously consider reintroducing conscription. Harold Wilson may decide to carry out this anti - working - class move, if elected in October.

The Newsletter has said time and time again that he will not hesitate to do so.

We call on all members of the labour movement to begin taking a stand now, for themselves and the workers and peasants of the countries where troops are stationed, to oppose any form of call-up and to demand the withdrawal of all British troops from abroad.

25 964

HOME AND SOUTHERN RHODESIA NO policy on Southern World News Round-up over FOLLOWING increased American aggression in South Vietnam and threat of it spreading to North Vietnam, the Chinese government has stated that 'it will not sit idly by while the U.S. extends its war' in Indo-China.

This statement, which was issued on Monday, comes after many months in which the American troops have tried to crush pro-communist opposition in South Vietnam and Laos.

Whether the Washington administration was actually bluffing or not when it threatened to extend the war into neighbouring North Vietnam, now remains to be proved.

Bluff

Certainly answering the Chinese government will mean landing more armed forces in Indo-China. But Johnson, who obviously tried to bluff this question of taking the war into North Vietnam for the sake of his election campaign, does not want to make himself unpopular by incurring any more war costs.

China has called this bluff and Peking has charged the United States with 'grossly violating the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Indo-Chinese states' American troops have, in spite of the glossing over by the national press, received a series of defeats at the hands of the rebel forces in both South Vietnam and Laos.

Dilemma

Peasants and workers in both countries have little sympathy for the puppet governments which are propped up by the United States.

The threats that were made against North Vietnam have now landed Johnson in a dilemma. With Goldwater, the Republican presidential nomi### PARTITION A STEP NEARER IN CYPRUS UMOUKED landings of both Greek and Turkish arms and men in Cyprus have only heightened the crisis on the island still further.

As Turks land their arms at Masoura and the Greeks unload theirs at Limassol, it becomes more and more obvious that the United Nations and the imperialist powers will settle for a partition of the island.

In this way, the United Nations will count on the forces of either nationality to keep their particular part of the island in order.

Since union of Cyprus with Greece-Enosis-has met with such fierce opposition from the Turkish Cypriots, the British government may now agree to a partition on the grounds that part of the United Nations force remains on the island to 'keep the peace' as it was supposed to do in the Congo.

This will make sure that the military bases on the island cannot be diverted from their main task-protecting imperialist interests in the Middle East. HYSTERICAL cheering and a shower of gold confetti A vote for either Johnson or Goldwater in the forthcoming elections will not win them better jobs, wages, houses, etc., and the coloured people know it.

With the ever-increasing crisis of American imperialism abroad in South-East Asia and other trouble spots and at home, with automation and unemployment going hand in hand, the atmosphere amongst all sections has become extremely tense.

The frantic antics at the Republican Convention and the nomination of Barry Goldwater is an expression of America's crisis amongst the upper middle classes.

This, too, has heightened the tension which was broken last Sunday in Harlem by the most militant demonstration against segregation since 1943 following the killing of a 15-year-old Negro schoolboy James Powell by a police lieutenant.

Powell was shot dead on Thursday, July 23, after allegedly pulling a knife on the police officer who was once awarded special recognition for his "bravery' in shooting, but not killing, another Negro.

Last Sunday, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) held a protest rally at which speakers slated the police-who stood by, hands on truncheons and pistols -for brutal and violent actions.

A clergyman called on the meeting to march to 123rd Street and demand the arrest of the boy's killer.

Police barred the way to the station. Reinforcements were called in. And a running battle began in Harlem's main street Lennox Avenue.

'Warning' shots were fired over the heads of the crowds and one man was shot dead.

Many others were injured and the hospitals were jammed with people including Jesse Gray, leader of the recent rent strike. He was suffering, like many others, from a cracked head— he was hit on the head by a policeman weilding a truncheon.

An investigation is to be held into the killing of the boy and CORE are to hold another meeting.

But neither of these the Negroes.

As Hella Pick, "The Guardian's correspondent reported on Monday: 'New York's civil rights leaders are up in arms protesting loudly against police brutality; but are also seriously disturbed by their growing inability to control Negro crowds in New York and confine their protests to peaceful demonstrations.' Do-gooders failing But as The Newsletter has also pointed out on numerous occasions when reporting the Negro struggles in the United States, all the do-gooders and dog. collars in the world cannot

Knee, calling for strong-arm methods in South-East Asia, the Democrats do not want to lose face by backing down to the stand taken by the Chinese government.

Western analysts claim that judging from the experience of the war tactics in the area the Chinese government's statement suggests that troops are already massed on the country's border.

Desperate

And while the American government faces this further crisis in the Indo-Chinese war, rebels attacked Cai Be a South Vietnamese district capital.

Over the week-end several Americans were injured.

American imperialism is desperately trying to maintain a foothold in South-East Asia, and South Vietnam and Laos are the last hope. For this reason American soldiers carry out some of the worst atrocities against captured Vietnamese fighters.

The actions of Johnson in recent weeks have been those of a man desperately seeking a 'solution'. It remains to be seen whether he will withdraw the U.S. troops as the defeated and demoralised French government did 10 years ago.

SANDYS SUPPORTS

FLOGGING BRITISH GUIANA-Governor Sir Richard Luyt called for a surrender of all arms on Tuesday. Anyone caught with arms or ammunition after July 27 will be flogged or imprisoned-Luyt recently reintroduced flogging. Also on Tuesday, Duncan Sandys supported flogging and imprisonment of Guianan MPs.

Mr. Bob Edwards MP wrote to Sandys this week claiming there was 'massive American intervention in British Guiana'.

greeted Senator Barry Goldwater's victory last week. The victory of the right wing of the Republican Party was overwhelming as Goldwater received 883 votes to the 214 of Governor Scranton, his nearest rival.

In his speech accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Goldwater put forward the main lines of his policy.

'Communism,' he said, 'must be made to give way to the forces of freedom, and continued to explain that 'the sanctity of private property is the only durable foundation for constitutional government in a free society'.

The third main plank in his platform was the 'enforcement of law and order' that he said Johnson had neglected.

ATTACK WORKERS

Each one of these policies constitutes an attack upon the working class. Goldwater intends to pursue this internationally by stepping up the wars that the U.S. is fighting to make 'Communism give way, and nationally by stepping up the use of the police and national guard.

The breakers of 'law and order, that Goldwater wants to discipline are the Negroes who are fighting for Civil Rights, the strikers of Florida and Kentucky and all workers who do not believe that their interests are protected by the police.

These policies, in fact, represent the blind rage of the middle class in America who are inexorably being ruined by competition from the giant enterprises.

The ruling class itself, although agreeing with Goldwater's i ims, are not prepared to support such an outspoken and direct attack now.

They see the future of their class not in an open and all-out confrontation with the working class. Thus, these sections of the Republican Party crițicise Goldwater for his 'extremism' but at the same time call for unity in the party now that Goldwater has won the nomination.

Goldwater's nomination for vice-president, Bill Miller, the national chairman of the Republican Party, will continue to unite the party behind the new presidential candidate.

Miller, who shares all Goldwater's views, is an experienced in-fighter within the Party and it is widely believed that he played a large part in winning Goldwater's vote last week by manipulations and the handing out of offices in the Party.

This combination represents a real threat to the working class of America.

Although Goldwater is unlikely to win the presidency this time because his methods do not enjoy the support of American big businessmen, his rise indicates the depth of the crisis in American capitalism.

As this crisis deepens, sections of the ruling class will turn to Goldwater.

There is truth in the words of Governor Brown of California that in Goldwater's policies there is 'the stench of fascism' harness the now physically aggressive Negroes into a peaceful fight against the world's most vicious armed police force.

More votes and peaceful demonstrations mean nothing to these people now.

A fight against the protectors of big business is not a peaceful one. Neither is it a straightforward fight.

The militant struggle of the Negro must be linked now by a Marxist leadership to that of all American workers, coloured and white.

against the root cause of bad housing, unemployment, low wages and police violence . . . the capitalist state.

This politicalisation of what is at the moment an emotional reaction against oppression, must be carried out before the American working class is dealt a crushing blow by Goldwater 'extremism', Malcolm X 'nationalism' or American imperialism.

SWP incapable

The Socialist Workers' Party in America is completely incapable of giving any leadership to such a struggle.

Its complete betrayal, through revisionist and opportunist policies, of not only the working class of America, but also that of Cuba, Latin America and Ceylon has been consistently exposed in the columns of The This 'party' has no political answer to the crisis of American imperialism and therefore has no answer to the gigantic problems facing the. working class of America.

Through its action, or lack of it, this 'Party' has completely capitulated to American capital as manipulated by Johnson.

Would this 'Party' do same if Goldwater won presidential election?

The question is rhetorical!

SUCCESSFUL STRIKE BY DUNDEE ERECTORS DiGHTy members of the Constructional Engineering Union, involving erectors and one plater, struck work on June 9 when an attempt was made by the contracting firm of Neils, of St. Helens to victimise the plater.

For some weeks the men had been in dispute with the firm over wage rates. They were engaged on the erection of oil tanks at the North Carolina Power Station, Dundee and were being paid time wages only.

The men disagreed with the amount of time allocated to their job since they could not make any bonus. - After six weeks of fruitless complaints, the men asked for a site conference within seven to twelve days. The conference did not take place.

The men then decided to apply 100 per cent safety regulations on the job. At the same time, by the unanimous agreement of the men, it was decided that the plater, who was the shop steward on the site, should be replaced by an erector, since the erectors comprised the vast majority, and the plater was elected deputy shop steward.

Confidence

There was no question of any lack of confidence in the plater by the rest of the men, but the employers evidently took the change-over in shop stewards as a sign of weakness and seized the opportunity to propose the transfer of the plater to a site in Aberdeen.

The rest of the men opposed the transfer and struck work for the reinstatement of the plater, the only one on the North Carolina site. After three days they agreed to return to work pending the decision of a site conference on June 16.

The . erectors were adamant that they would not do the plater's work and it was suggested that the foreman would be put on the job.

Again the erectors insisted that if this took place, they would "black' the site and the shop steward and local CEU official were instructed to convey these sentiments to the works conference.

Their determination and unified action resulted in victory and a decision at works conference for the plater to be immediately reinstated on the job.

Loscoe tenants T has now been announced in 'The Times' and in the 'Sunday Times' that thousands of workers are to be laid off at the Steel Company of Wales works at Port Talbot.

The management has refused to confirm the figure of 7,000 — predicted by The Newsletter during the strike earlier this year-but told "The Times": 'From comparison with American and continental firms, we find they are managing with between five and seven thousand fewer men than us.' Mates affected The sackings, reported the 'Sunday Times' would not affect 'either output or efficiency' A firm of industrial efficiency consultants, headed by Mr. William W. Allen, has been brought in to carry out a thorough time and motion study.

Sections of workers to be attacked are the craftsmen, ancillary production workers and craftsmen's mates.

Negotiations with the trade union leaders on this have already been under way for some time. These have obviously been successful for the management, as a spokesman told the 'Sunday Times' that 'the position of the mates . . • is already appreciated by the unions'.

It should be noted that Allen also did the survey on the refinery at Fawley which resulted in the abolition of the craftsmen's mates.

Conspiracy

One of the most important 'A number of interested parties, including this newspaper,' states the 'Sunday Times', 'had decided not to reveal the long-term rundown envisaged for Port Talbot. This was to give representatives from both sides the chance to broach the subject undisturbed by outside pressures or attention?

The 'outside pressures' • of course, are none other than the workers in the SCOW works, who are threatened with the loss of their jobs.

Warning

At the time, only The Newsletter warned that the management had provoked the strike in order to demoralise the workers so that the speed-up measures could be introduced.

At that time, too, we stated that the victory or loss of the Amalgamated Engineering Union men's strike would affect every steelworker. This has now been confirmed.

Once again, this confirms the important role of The Newsletter in the workers' fight against the bosses.

This fight can only be won by rank and file union members breaking through the inter-union rivalries, maintained by the union leadership and forming inter-union committees to fight the bosses. Industrial A LETTER The Communist Party and the Electrical Trades

to form an Association A NUMBER of tenants from the village of • Loscoe, Yorkshire, have now joined the Labour Party in order to force Labour councillors to act on their appalling housing conditions. Recent heavy storms have brought rain through leaking roofs and plaster crashing from ceilings in a number of houses.

Several tenants attended the Featherstone . Labour Party meeting last week as members. A housewife told The Newsletter that the Labour councillors had said that they were sick of hearing about Loscoe housing.

One councillor was forced to withdraw this statement after protests.

The tenants also objected to proposals to build a new public house, insisting that it was housing accommodation that was wanted. They also strongly denied the claim of some Labour Party officials that everybody in Loscoe refused the offer of houses in nearby Featherstone.

The fight will be taken a further step forward this week when a meeting is held to discuss the formation • of a Loscoe Tenants' Association.

Derbys. tube workers' wage strike MAINTENANCE men at the Chesterfield Tube works, Derbyshire, came out on an unofficial strike last week after rejecting a wage offer made by the management.

Later it was reported that the firm threatened to close down the plant if the stoppage continued. talists.

The washing machine itself became the symbol of permanent affluence.

The Bloom story shows once more what nonsense this is. Take-overs and mergers have resulted in huge concentrations of power and these will be used to extract larger profits from the labour of the working class. The contradictions of capitalism reach a higher level.

As the election draws nearer the illusions of the boom fade away. Stability and security can only be achieved by smashing the power of the monopolies and nationalizing the basic industries.

One more question by the Bloom crash.

If this is what a few medium-sized monopolies can achieve, what could the real giants do to 'new thinker' Harold Wilson if he bothers them?

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things to come out of the 'Sunday Times' report is the admission of a conspiracy of silence by the management and the press, in order to prevent the strike this year from becoming too militant-and above all to prevent the workers from putting too much pressure on the union leaders and preventing them from selling out. Bloom RUMOURS are being circulated by an official of the Scottish Transport and General Workers' Union that The Newsletter is associated with Moral Re-Armament. A statement to that effect was made at a recent meeting of dockers.

Dock workers, who are regular readers of The Newsletter, have followed closely the reports on dockers' struggles throughout the British ports.

The way in which the paper has exposed the collaboration of TGWU leaders with the dock employers and the support given by The Newsletter to "Blue' union men in their demands for a basic £15 a week and a 40hour week with no strings attached, shows dockers that such rumours are completely false.

This attack on The Newsletter is in keeping with the leaflet issued on Merseyside by C.10 and C.11 branch secretaries of the TGWU. It is a deliberate attempt to divert the attention of the dockers from the 'new deal' proposals.

DENY STRINGS

Officials of the Scottish TGWU deny that there are any strings attached to the introduction of the 40-hour week and are incensed by The Newsletter's exposure of the port employers' aims to increase mobility of labour, continue compulsory overtime on Saturdays and the way in which union leaders have collaborated with the employers on questions of decasualisation and wages.

There is growing support in the Clyde docks for the demands put forward by the Merseyside area of the National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers and the only way they can get to know of the leadership given and action taken by the "Blue' union on Merseyside, is through the reports in The Newsletter.

Attempts by union officials to slander and discredit The Newsletter will cut no ice.

Dock workers in Glasgow have already replied to the collaborators of the employers by increasing their support for the paper.

Sales of The Newsletter on July 18 at the dock gates in Glasgow were almost double and in expressing their support for the paper many dockers also spoke of the need for joint talks and action with the NASD.

Postmen oppose the present leadership Members of the Socialist Labour League, who are also

THE Communist Party has now issued a statement explaining its attitude towards the latest attempt of the right wing of the Electrical Trades Union to bar Communists from holding positions in the union.

Dealing with the anonymous document which the right wing are alleging came from the Communist Party and which they are utilising to gain support for the ban, the statement says:

'We gather that the principle proposition of this document is that there should be annual conference, which would be the policymaking body of this union, and that the executive council is expected to carry out the decisions of this conference.

Certainly Communists believe in this principle, but so do most trade unionists, for it is a very old established principle in the trade union movement. Most large unions embody it specifically in rules.' We are pleased the leadership of the Communist Party have become convinced of the importance of this principle because during the 14 years when they were in the leadership of the Electrical Trades Union they resisted every attempt to apply it in practice.

On a number of occasions Trotskyist members of the union brought it forward to rules revision conferences only to have it rejected out of hand by leading members of the Communist Party.

The only time they gave it support was in the last days of their control over the union when it became clear that the right wing was winning. We can therefore rightfully ask how it is that they have become converted to this principle so late in the day?

We do not seem to recall either that they have proposed similar principle lor other unions in which they have members working. In fact this is the first time that we have seen a public statement from the Communist Party advocating that the annual conference of our union should control the executive council.

The strength of the right wing in the Electrical Trades Union today is attributable in the main to the policy of the Communist Party in the past.

When it had the opportunity to alter the rules and make the annual conference the highest body in the union it was not interested. Communist Party members ran the ETU like any other reformist union.

Now that CP members, Trotskyists and other left wingers are the main target of the attack Cannon, Chapple and right-wing executive council, we are glad that a change of heart has taken place, but it will require much more than this to defeat the right wing.

It is necessary to establish unity in practice between all those inside the ETU who

Woodcock has said this a a fle bite' so far as the cost of runnir such a strike is concerned.

Again, we agree, but then why does not the TUC ask all its affiliated unions to levy their members. The total levy from approximately 10 million trade unionists would be more than adequate to meet the situation.

The prominent Labour leaders are still insisting that this is an industrial dispute which cannot be interfered in by the Labour Party. This is al ot of nonsense.

Already Wilson has seen Home, but why stop here? Should not this be the occasion for massive demonstrations in all the main centres organised by the National Council of Labour?

The postmen's strike can inflict a most serious defeat on the Tory government and the hard-faced businessmen who stand behind it.

However, this is no time for complacency. Rather it is a time to consider preparation to bring the massive battalions of labour all in behind the postmen should this intolerable delay in granting their wage increase go on much longer. It is 10} per cent or else! members of the ETU, will continue to fight with all those who oppose the Executive Council on the proposal to impose a ban on Communists from holding official positions.

We do this on a matter of principle since we believe that despite our differences with the Communist Party, its members in the ETU have every right to hold whatever position the rank and file consider them suitable for.

There should be a united campaign against the present executive council whom we are sure can be defeated if the rank and file stand firm.

Two members

split and divide dockers from one another and one port from another.

Dockers should also be on their guard against the attempts to sabotage their fight, which are being made by the Communist Party.

A Communist Party spokesman declared that the claim should be left to the TGWU. The London Docks Liaison Committee, strongly influenced by the Communist Party, is strenuously holding the London dockers back from linking with the northern ports. (Summer issue)

Editorial-Ceylon Medical and Veterinary Workers

Docks See need to involve all BEHIND the bright red banner of the Union of Post Office Workers, over 2,000 Glasgow postmen and sorters marched through the city on July 16, bringing traffic to a halt, in protest against the Tory wage freeze. The march culminated in a causing all the trouble snake-like procession around the country!' Head Post Office building On being pressed by the memaccompanied by roars of 'Bevins bership for quicker and more Must Go'. positive action, Failes replied Good temper and orderliness with a sham appeal for unity of the marchers disguised their behind the National Executive, manl fanlium real leeungs or anger and frustration at the way in which their wage claim has been rejected by the Tory postmastergeneral.

Although the anger of the postmen is justly directed against the Tory government, there is also a growing resentment against the inadequacies of the present leadership of the UPW.

This was most sharply expressed on Friday, July 10 when reports came over the radio that London, Birmingham, Manchester and Preston postal workers had walked out.

In Glasgow a meeting of the back-shift was held at 4.30 p.m. and a decision was taken to follow the action of London and other towns.

CONFUSED

However, the men were persuaded to await a 'phone call from union headquarters and reluctantly went back to work. Meetings at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. were confused, with union officials refusing to confirm that London and Birmingham were out and saying that anyway, 'Scotland didn't matter'.

Finally, after 11 p.m., with the night shift refusing to sign on, the executive councillor and Communist Party member, W. Failes arrived and launched an attack on "hotheads' and 'wildcats' 'who are All-out support IN Birmingham, 1,500 postmen took part in a rally followed by a march through the city. Digbeth Hall was full to capacity well before the rally opened. Dozens of banners were on display, with such slogans as 'Our First Strike For 73 Years —Why?' and 'Postmen Will Not Be Stamped On Or Licked'.

They were supported by telephonists, telegraphists, postmen drivers and Post Office engineers. Representatives of Birmingham Trades Council assured the strikers of support from the Itrade union movement as a whole.

A striker told a Newsletter reporter: 'Our action is 100 per cent justified, only it's rather late in coming. We should have taken action in April instead of letting ourselves be talked into waiting for an enquiry. It was something put across us by the government and the union leaders.' Asked what would be the reaction if any politicians intervened to "settle' the dispute, another striker said: "It will be all right so long as they settle it on our terms. We're sick and tired of being stalled. "Petty officiousness' in THE one-day strike had 100 per cent support in Coventry and was preceded by an overtime ban and work-to-rule.

"The men are all out for action; they are determined to fight to the bitter end, one representative of the postmen told The Newsletter.

'We're in support of the unofficial action taken at London and Birmingham,' he added.

There is great indignation at the Coventry office at the Fourth International Crisis of Post-War Capitalism-Peter Jeffries Through What Stage Are We Passing-1924 speech Germany 1921: 'The March Action'-Pierre Broué 40 pages. Illus. Price 2/6. Available from: New Park Publications, sections .. 3 amiries m 1h.- lam mare -f - raising ine bogey or a sput in the union engineered by wildcats.

Thoroughly confused by Failes' performance, the men began to trickle back to work and the opportunity for positive action was lost.

CONTEMPTIBLE

Only after the event is the full consequence of Failes' contemptible action realised. It iS reported that Newcastle 'phoned Edinburgh for guidance, and Edinburgh in turn 'phoned Glasgow. Appeals for guidance were also received from Greenock, Paisley, Ayr, and Kilmarnock.

The failure of Glasgow to come out stopped the strike from taking place throughout Scotland and prevented what would have virtually been a national stoppage. The initiative was lost to the Postmaster who responded with drastic cuts in the public services.

Many UPW members now recognise that a token strike and the vague promises of guerrilla strikes are inadequate forms of action and that it is necessary to involve other sections of workers in the telephone and telegraph services in positive action together with the postmen and sorters, around what may prove to be one of the toughest of trade union struggles. in Birmingham This worker spoke of postmen putting in as much as 85 hours a week, starting work at 4.30 a.m. and getting home at 10 p.m. 'You don't walk, you stagger home,' he said.

Wolverhampton has taken the lead in militant action in the Birmingham area throughout the week. Mr. Albert Williams, representing Wolverhampton, said not one single individual had turned up for work either in Wolverhampton or Willenhall.

He declared: 'We have been called irresponsible, but we feel we have achieved a tremendous amount by this industrial action. Things ain't what they used to be and they're never going to be the same again.?

Strikers listened in silence while Mr. Albert Sampson, national organiser of the union, nervously said: I'm not going to cane you for your unofficial action, but don't do it from now on. We have got to project ourselves back into the public image as responsible people.

He admitted that it 'shook him rigid' when workers in some quite small branches came out in response to provocative notices.

Coventry petty and bureaucratic attitude of the postal authorities in asking the postmen to explain their absence on the strike date.

"This petty officiousness, said the spokesman, 'is similar to the threat of loss of pension rights that have always been made in the past when action has been threatened by postal workers.

"They are not going to tolerate it any more and have their standard of living driven down further.' OUT NOW-Order your copy incorporating LABOUR REVIEW Contents include:

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