The Newsletter, vol. 9 no. 389

Gerry Healy, national secretary of the Socialist Labour League speaking at the meeting. Also in the picture are Cliff Slaughter (left and Mike Banda, editor of The Newsletter (centre). by Robert James None of the largest solidly working-class demonstrations seen in Britain, 3,000 Indian workers and Young Socialists marched through London last Sunday protesting against the imprisonment of pro-Chinese Communists in India and United States' aggression in North and South Vietnam.

Many went on from the eight-mile march and meeting at Hammersmith Town Hall to the Socialist Labour League meeting on Vietnam in the evening.

The unity between over 2,000 members of the Indian Workers' Association and hundrede of Young Socialists from London, the Midlands, Yorkshire and South Wales on two burning social demands is an answer to all those rightwingers in the trade unions and Labour Party who continually aid the capitalist class in its attacks on militant workers and youth throughout the world.

YS PLEDGE Such unity of immigrant and white workers is also a reply to those people who are attempting to split the working class on racialist grounds.

At their conference in Morecambe, in February, the Young Socialists pledged their support for the revolutionary struggle of the Vietnamese people against the U.S. imperialists. They promised Mr. J. Joshi, secretary of the Indian Workers' Association —a fraternal delegate at the conference-full backing for the Association's protests against the jailings in India.

Last Sunday they showed • their determination to carry out their conference policies.

This was further illustrated by the fact that, after a gruelling march on a hot Sunday afternoon, they sat attentively through the rally at HammerINDIAN WO BIRMINGS GREAT, BRITAIN 939 Members of the Indian Workers' Association congregating. Don't take a partisan position. Don't say you are more left than anybody else?

This, he said, would spread disunity.

Secretary of the Young Socialists, Dave Ashby, was given a tumultuous welcome.

He explained how the YS Conference had voted unanimously to join the demonstration when invited by Mr. Joshi.

'We did that because young workers joining the Young Socialists are fundamentally A section of the Young Socialists contingent on the march.

POUNDED opposed to the plans of the banks internationally to subject millions and millions of people to the wishes of big business,' he said. The YS had fought to support all workers against imperialism throughout the world.

While forming up for the march certain people had said the Young Socialists had joined the demonstration only to disrupt it. This was nonsense.

Despite what had been said (Cont. page 4, col. 6)

participating in class war. We hope the Vietcong will hammer the daylights out of the Americans. We are for the defeat of the Americans in Vietnam. We are for the complete rout of the Americans, and of all British troops who take part in colonial wars for their masters.' This was said by Gerry Healy, national secretary of the Socialist Labour League to a large audience of predominantly Young Socialists, workers and students at the New Ambassadors Hotel last Sunday at a protest meeting against the war in Vietnam.

Healy went on to say that the only reason that the Americans were in Vietnam was to stop the people of that country gaining their freedom, to stop the extension of the revolution and to keep the people enslaved.

Because of its support for the war in Vietnam, Healy said, if necessary the Labour government should be brought down in Parliament.

'They disgrace the name of socialism. It is better that it should be brought down. They divide and weaken the working class and help the Americans to crush the colonial people.' PROUD OF YOUTH He stated that the Socialist Labour League was very proud of the Young Socialists who, under the leadership of the SLL, had beaten the right wing and Transport House. It was nonsense to say that the right wing should not be thrown out of Parliament.

'They did not ask for a mandate to support American policies and to raise the cost of living. These people came to power under false pretences. If people go into an election and put certain policies, and then after being elected adopt different ones, should not people have the right to recall this STERLING STILL Callaghan's Budget Day national Monetary Fund and looms nearer, the Labour government gets more firmly pean banks, to be repaid in May. under the thumb of the bank- is dominated by a subservience ers at home and abroad.

On Friday, rumours of a week- for Johnson's Vietnam war to the end devaluation of the pound coming retreat on steel nationalicaused a drop on the Paris zation. market to below 2.79 dollars, The Capital Gains and Corthe lowest since the November poration Taxes, foreshadowed by crisis. The Bank of England has been supporting 'forward' sterling -borrowed for between one and three months-for some time.

Fear of the effect of sterling devaluation on world trade as a whole prompted U.S. and European banks to provide their 3,000 million dollars in November.

U.S. measures to protect the dollar by holding back short-term capital export to Europe are partly the cause of the present problems for sterling.

'Hot' money, withdrawn from London in November has still not returned. Moreover, of the British £844 million gold reserve, about £360 million is borrowed from the U.S.-dominated Intergovernment?' he asked.

Talking specifically to the youth Healy said: "The real defence we can give to the Vietnamese people fighting American imperialism must be concentrated on building a leadership in this country.

-adu have enormous responsibilities. There are thousands of young people in the Young Socialists now -there will be tens of thousands tomorrow. The youth are moving more and more towards politics.' BUILD THE PARTY The big struggle in Britain was to fight within the trade unions and the Labour Party to change the present disastrous policy of the Labour right wing.

'Everyone of you has a mission and a purpose for living, to build a revolutionary party and prepare to expropriate the lot. Every capitalist when we take power will have a chance to do an honest day's work, provided he It was the youth in Vietnam, the Soviet Union, the U.S. and Western Europe, he said, who were leading the fight. The only reason that the right wing had remained in power was because of the ignorance of many workers about them.

He appealed to the youth to come in to action on the side of the Vietnamese people and help the Socialist Labour League build an alternative leadership.

Cliff Slaughter, Editor of the Fourth International, theoretical (Cont. page 4, col. 7)

SHAKY another £200 million from EuroEvery aspect of Wilson's policy to big business, from backing Callaghan last year, are now known to have been drastically scaled down to avoid frightening the investors. It is social services which are likely to suffer the heaviest cuts on Tuesday while 'defence' expenditure soars.

Callaghan's Budget, therefore, will mean an attack on workers' living standards.

In the present boom conditions in industry, this implies deflationary measures which will reinforce those of November in raising the rate of unemployment.

The whole labour movement must prepare to fight the coming Budget and demand a complete change in Labour's leadership and policy at a special emergency conference of the Labour Party. smith and later attended the Vietnam protest meeting.

The Indian workers began the march at Waterloo Bridge. Behind IWA banners and posters demanding the restoration of civil rights they went to India House, then to Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly and Hyde Park Corner.

They were cheered as they approached the Albert Hall by over 300 Young Socialists who were waiting with their own red banners to inject into the march more vociferous demands.

1,000 JAILED At the Hammersmith meeting, R. Palme Dutt, a member of the Communist Party political committee, said it was 'shocking' that 'at this time, after independence, we have to call on a

Congress government to release Indian political prisoners and fighters on behalf of the Indian workers'.

This Congress government, he said, responding to the U.S.-inspired anti-Communist offensive in Asia had thrown over 1,000 foremost Communist leaders into jail.

Reg Birch of the Amalgamated Engineering Union gave a 'word of warning' to the meeting. 'Seek not in this struggle, in this sacrifice, and in the courage and persistance of this fight for political freedom, to exploit it. FOLLOWING his failure to witch-hunt Young Socialists out of the labour movement, the Labour Party's assistant national agent and 'youth' officer Reg Underhill has turned his attention to the National Association of Labour Student Organisations.

At the Association's conference at Wortley Hall, Sheffield, on Wednesday, he said the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party would view Newsletter Reporter seriously a move by NALSO to drop its ban on organisations proscribed by the Party. It would probably have to reconsider recognition of NALSO.

Mr. Underhill had a stormy reception during his speech in which he said: 'NALSO has got to learn to put its own house in order.' Conference passed a resolution deploring the action of the Yorkshire reyional oflice of the Labour Party in instructing the NALSO executive to disaffiliate the Sheffield University Labour Society. The Society had been accused of following an anti-Labour line, and a rival body, the University Labour Club had been set up and recognised by the Party. Regional officer H. Simms was at the conference.

Conference also supported a move to draw up a new constitution which would exclude bans or proscriptions. This was referred to the executive.

This can hardly be seriously from 'World Outlook'. tionary party because he has been smoked out.

vir uy arvs vnu nana la ine 150/8 FILE THIS WEEK Hansen's Lie Swing to Right in elections A CLAIM that the Electrical Trades Union ballot to exclude Communist Party members from office should not have been held and was void was dismissed in the High Court, last Monday.

Mr. Justice Lawton dismissed the claim by Alan Courtney, former secretary of the Camden Town, London, ETU branch and the present secretary, Peter Rafter, who took the action on behalf of themselves and the ETU branch.

The judge also dismissed Courtney's claim that he was wrongly disciplined by the union (he was banned from office sine die and fined £20). The union was awarded costs, except for those of the second and third days of the hearing.

Mr. Justice Lawton said the action was another unhappy episode in the history of the defendant union.

In 1961, he said, the union was run by a cabal of Communists, and following claims by some union members, including the present general secretary, that these Communists held their office through fraudulent ballots, Mir. Justice Winn heard the case of Byrne and others v. He found that the union had been managed in the service of the Communist Party of United Kingdom and the ideas of that party.

Byrne then took over the secretaryship from Frank Haxell who, along, with Frank Foulkes, forfeited their union positions or were expelled from the union following the High Court hearing in 1961.

Some Communists later that year attempted to emasculate the new executive committee by so amending the rules that their authority would be lessened.

Events like that made the president of the union apprehensive of the Communists and their ways. One of their instruments was the 'dominated' branch.

Few members took part in branch activity, said Mr. Justice apathy Lawton zealots of one kind or and because of this another, not always members of the Communist Party' attended these meetings and gained control. Conferences and branches could be dominated in this way. This was due to the apathy of members—in one ballot, out of 270,000 union members, only 30,115 votes were cast just under 21 per cent).

Courtney was not a member of the Communist Party but had been since 1958 a member of the Socialist Labour League. He was considered by Foulkes and Haxell as a 'deviant' but had claimed he was on the side of those attempting to unmask wrong-doers.

He had acted within the rules to do all he could to get rid of the Executive Committee of the union. other her union a Contess med in London to discuss what amendrules revision rene 196confarence nounced by the union.

Soon after that reeting, said his Lordship, a document was circulated and the executive committee believed thai it was under attack from the Communist Party. It decided that the best defence would he a prohibition against members of that Party becomug union officers.

This could have been done in three ways: at a biennial rules revision conference, which would have taken time; at a special delegate conference, which would probably be dominated by 'zealots', would not, in all probability, represent the real ovinions of the union's members, and would cost money and time away from work and family; or by a ballot of the members. They decided on the oaliot and sent out a circular to tnis effect.

Courtney, who was Minute clerk of the Camden branch at the time, did not approve. He felt there must be discussion amongst members and that it would be wrong to take a ballot of uninformed members.

"I am satisfied that he held these views,' said his Lordship adding that Courtney had not attacked the EC on the pretext of making trouble because he liked to or because it would suit the Socialist Labour League.

The branch decided to call a special meeting to invoke the appeals machinery against the decision to hold the ballot under Rule 39a.

The general secretary wrote to the branch saying there was no appeal under Rule 39a section 5, which excepted from appeal any EC decision under Rule 22. This rule empowered the EC to determine specific matters concerning the way ballots should be held, but did not apply to the • EC decision that a ballot should be held. The secretary's argument, therefore, was not valid.

The Camden branch convened the special meetin branch moves disturbed by the as the ballot machine was working and a telegram was sent by the general secretary telling the branch not to hold the meeting.

The meeting was held, and so was the ballot—42,187 votes were cast in favour of disqualifying (Cont. page 4, col. 5)

MERSEY SEAMEN STRIKE Newsletter Correspondent issued to the executive of the National Union of Seamen, 120 crew members on Merseyside took unofficial strike action against the new hours and pay deal, on Tuesday.

On Sunday Liverpool seamen gave a warning to the leaders of their union that unless the implementing of the agreement was delayed until the annual conference of the NUS, strike action would be taken.

After a protest meeting held on Tuesday, which passed a vote of no confidence in the union's national secretary, Bill Hogarth, and the executive, pickets were sent to other ships and another meeting was arranged.

PICKETING

On Wednesday eight ships were idle in Liverpool and nearly 1,000 men attended a watertront meeting at Pier Head. They set up a 12-man strike committee and picketing began.

Paddy Neary told the meeting there was support for the action in London, South Shields, and Greenock (Glasgow).

In spité of soft soap talk from the union leaders about 90 per cent of the members receiving increases ranging from 9s. 10d. to £3 a week, seamen claim that since they will be forced to work a 56-hour week at sea, they lose an agreement for a 42hour week which they had already won and which was to have been implemented on April 1.

is being read by mor and more workers because it takes up the problems of the working class against the employing class and against the Labour government without a trace of compromise or collaboration with the enemy.

Besides the fight of the Newsletter and the Socialist Labour League on these issues, our paper is rapidly becoming the recognised spokesman of revolutionary Marxism in the international Trotskyist movement.

We have taken up the cudgels on all the struggles of the international working class and oppressed peoples, and in the course of this we have denounced, with detailed explanations, the policies of all those self-styled Marxists and Trotskyists who have in fact betrayed Marxism, whether in Belgium, the U.S.A., Ceylon, or anywhere else.

Our gains in this direction have now provoked a bitter and hysterical reaction, which will, we think, help to educate the movement in the real politics of the so-called Unified Secretariat of the Fourth International', which operates from Paris and publishes a duplicated weekly called World Outlook'.

An article appeared in the March 26 issue of this paper under the title "The SLL yields again to imperialist pressure', written by Joseph Hansen of the Socialist Workers Party (USA).

Hansen was the principal architect of the phoney "reunification' of 1963, though the Socialist Workers Party is prevented by repressive U.S. laws from itself participating in such an organisation.

Our readers will be amazed to learn that The Newsletter and the Socialist Labour League have capitulated to imperialism over the war in Vietnam, and that, in particular, we 'accept Wilson's view of the reality as not inaccurate...

Hansen bases his case on the supposed neglect of the Vietnam conflict in the pages The Newsletter. From this, without saying anything about the activities of Socialist Labour League branches and members in the lead in protests against the war all over Britain, Hansen concludes that whereas revolutionists everywhere have sought to rise to the occasion, voicing and mobilising the most effective, possible opposition to the warmongering course of American imperialism', the Socialist Labour League has remained a 'singular exception'.

Protests

In every major city in Britain, Socialist Labour League members and supporters in the Young Socialists have initiated and organised protest demonstrations and meetings on the war in Vietnam.

Wherever other organisations have acted, they have found themselves joined and outnumbered by these Young Socialists, even in traditional centres of Stalinist strength like Shetheld.

In the universities, the same is true.

The Unified Secretariat's small band of supporters, however, has spent most of the last few weeks joining in the universal clamour around the fake-left against the Young called 'yielding to imperialist pressure! - especially since Hansen himself says that the demands in that article were 'correct.

The following week Hansen can only say that the report of a public meeting addressed by Slaughter is not quite as prominent as the article of the week before and repeated the same (correct!) points.

The next week, says Hansen, Vietnam was still on the front page but farther down the page! The reader may carefully note how imperialist pressure is gradually forcing the issue down the page until it finally disappears.

This item was, in fact,. a declaration by the International Committee of the Fourth International, of which the Socialist Labour League is a member. Of this declaration, Hansen says it was 'not too bad' and ended with good 'slogans' Up to now you see, im perialist pressure only affected which part of the page was devoted. to Vietnam, and not the actual content of the campaigns led by the Socialist Labour League.

This pressure business is certainly very subtle ... desperately searching for something to justify his case, Hansen notes that in this declaration the earlier demand for demonstrations against the American bombing is dropped'.

In fact, the declaration is worded, In every country and particularly in Britain and the USA, the workers must demand: Hands off the Vietnam revolution! Withdraw all U.S. and British troops, warships and military aircraft from South-east Asia immediately! Stop bombing of North Vietnam! ...

It is the issues of March 6 and 13 which come up-for Reporting the founding of the Walloon section of the new Socialist Party' in Belgium, 'World Outlook' deliberately misled its readers.

It presented a picture of an advance for militant socialism in Belgium, influenced strongly by Marxism.

Our article showed in fact that the policy of the revisionists has led in Belgium to control of the Walloon section of the new party by a right-wing demagogue who succeeded in conducting a political witchhunt against the Trotskyists and suspected Trotskyists.

Hansen's purpose of lying about our attitude to Vietnam was to cover up this latest disaster for his own policies, coming so soon after the Ceylon debacle of last year.

Hansen hates the Socialist Labour League and its leadership because of our insistence on the building of independent revolutionary parties.

Distortion

Now we have begun to actually do it and not only advocate it, whereas the group supported by Hansen crashes from one crisis to the next.

The Trotskyist movement's formative years saw a relentless struggle against the systematic campaign of unprincipled lies and distortions projected by Stalin and his faction in the Soviet Union.

This technique of the big lie is the last resort of all revisionists when they are confronted with a real revolutionary movement.

Marxists should consider very seriously the fact that Hansen in the 1960s ends up with the same techniques as those who were Trotskyism's bitterest opponents in the 1930s.

All this will surprise no one who has followed our criticisms of Hansen and his supporters. Hansen now plays the role of a consistent opponent of Trotskyism. He concentrates his fire upon those who build the revolurevolution.

In imperialism has the military not be to seeing this happen. latest proindicate is safe (i.e., North Vietnam exists as a willing to see the status quo goes on to state that: imperial(and begins) on the Asian will quite increase their support to the South Vietnamese and La new in whic the slightest Under the Soviet bureaucracy would be obliged furnish diplomatic, and military ous! Apart the hardly original that 'the Asian states' would defend if severely start to finish.

• the world has been to further the world but to bolster their matic positions against U.S. imperialism its allies in subsequent of 1954-style 'negotiations'. Here again we see the forces' eliminating the enough to eh to waste on this enough mushy deal in For the suggestions that "socialism (a workers' Not only internationally but also in the field of U.S. domestic politics, Hansen and the Socialist Workers Party leaders have betrayed the fighting class traditions of Trotskyism.

"The Militant', organ of the Socialist Workers Party calls in its issue of March 29, 'U.S. troops should be kept in Alabama.' This is how they campaign to carry forward the Negro struggle in the USA, whose government is murdering thousands in Vietnam!

They advocate that the troops of the capitalist state be used to protect the Negro fighters!

Every class - conscious worker knows that as soon as the movement reaches a level where it threatens to actually win, to fight for workers' power, then all the forces of the capitalist state will be brutally unleashed against the workers, black and white.

Warning

It is certainly 'yielding to imperialist pressure' to advocate that the Negro fighters can be protected by the armed forces of the capitalist state.

Who does this state represent? Is it not the instrument of the capitalist state of the USA? Can the Negro struggle throwice shis capitalist state, successful without overwithout a struggle against the capitalist class? Or does the Socialist Workers Party leadership think that the American capitalists and their state power can be forced to play a progressive role in this day and age?

The warning sign was given in 1963, when Farrell Dobbs, on behalf of the Socialist Workers Party National Committee, sent a message of condolence to Mrs. Jacqeline Kennedy after the assassination of her husband.

In this act all their politics were revealed. The sympathy of these men was aroused by the death of a millionaire-President of the greatest capitalist power on earth, so far had they travelled from the revolutionary politics of the real founder of the Socialist Workers Party, Leon Trotsky.

All their politics, the politics of Hansen, are in line with this disgraceful capitulation, and it occasions no surprise if such people find The Newsletter and Socialist Labour League such a thorn in their sides that they must resort to the most outrageous lies and slanders.

state?) can be achieved in South Vietnam through broad national government' and 'neutralist regime (debatable), that success for the revolution in South Vietnam would lead to revolution throughout South-east Asia look Peking's relations with Sihanouk or Aidit's with Sukarno), that U.S. withdrawal 'by stages' (on the Algerian model, doubtless) is permissible (criminal), and that 'an irresponsible military clique (in the Pentagon) . have deprived . .. Congress • from (sic) deciding ... (U.S.) foreign policy, and are ready precipitate the United States into a nuclear war.' (Stalinist drivel).

But it is not really necessary to plough through this unwholesome mess. The whole method tionary petty-bourgeois revolu- is clearly wrong. tionary philistine, buffetted powerful forces he does understand and therefore cannot resist, isolated from and unable to build a movement of working class, seeks fixed points of support in a rapidly changing world. Unable to base himself the working Cass and its struggle for socialism, he adapts himself certain apparently powerful social groupings.

Thus the theory of irreversible forces', the idea that the war in South Vietnam is a 'misunder- standing' U.S. the notions of dividing imperialism into 'cliques' and of a withdrawal "by stages', are an adaptation to the bureaucracies the workers' states and to imperialism, and a rejection of dialectical materialism and the struggle to build a new revolutionary International. They pave the way for hailing some new 'negotiated' sell-out as a victory.

Recent events, however, in the worldwide struggle against imperialişm, in Britain and Spain, Selma and Moscow, give us confidence that a new revolutionary International, the Fourth International, will be built, and that under its leadership the international proletariat will sweep away imperialism, colonialism and Stalinism, together with all their bootlickers and hangers-on.

Morecambe, the result of a bitter four-year struggle led by the Marxists against the strongest social-democracy in the world.

Hansen and his 'international' supporters have built nothing in all their sections all over the world which could have filled one corner of the conference hall. This conference passed an emergency resolution precisely on Vietnam and this was reported in the issue of The Newsletter (March 6) which Hansen says, by sleight of hand, contains no 'article' on Vietnam.

The Newsletter of that date also quotes in full the main resolution of the Young Socialists Conference, which condemns the Wilson government's support for the Vietnam war and calls for the withdrawal of all troops from South-east Asia.

In the Young Socialists Conference, and our report of it, there was, in fact, a model of how to carry forward the struggle against imperialism by The Vietnam war has continually been reportec in the pages of The At the same time member of the Socialist Labour League have initiated and organised protests against the war which has brought nisery anc uffering to the peasants and workers in South Vietnam at 'he hands of the mperialists. building a working-class leadership based on socialist policies on domestic and international issues.

Our issue of the following week (March 13) devoted its lead article to the Young Socialists Conference call for an emergency Labour Party Conference to sack Wilson and change to socialist policies. omits to mention that this same front page article puts the same demands which he called 'correct' a month earlier.

How does Hansen explain that a leadership (in the Socialist Labour League) which has 'yielded to imperialist pressure' has, in fact, dealt with Vietnam in every issue since the crisis blew up, and that its demands have always been in accordance with what Hansen calls 'correct policies'?

In reality, of course, Hansen resents not only our constant criticisms of his own policies and those of his friends, but also he considers that we are too harsh on the so-called left wingers of "Tribune' and the Parliamentary Labour Party.

The latter capitulated to imperialism long ago and yet they receive none of Hansen's wrath.

"Tribune' of March 13, for example, carried a full-page interview with Harold Wilson and did not even ask him to comment on Vietnam!

In their editorial of the same date, they called on Wilson for a peace initiative in order to undermine the Chinese position and help the Russians to escape from this dilemma with their reputation intact.

In this way they hope that the Vietnamese people will once again be carved up by the big powers.

We would certainly be capitulating to the pressure of imperialism if we did not speak up sharply against such treachery on the 'left'.

At this point it is easy to explain another criticism raised by Hansen. He is especially worried that in some of our articles and speeches we lay primary emphasis on 'No Secret Diplomacy' in the settlement of the fate of Vietnam.

Yes, there is a big difference between us here.

All our campaigning work in the latter period has been concentrated around the betrayals of the Labour government. These betrayals give us the opportunity to break the working class from its social-democratic "representatives, the Labouk leadership.

The fight to support the Vietnam revolution is part of this same struggle. We lay the stress on Wilson's economic, military, political and diplomatic conspiracy with U.S. capitalism to drown the revolution in blood, while parading as a man of progress and reason to his followers. clear lead for independent workers' action on Vietnam, which we have always stressed.

Instead it speaks only of the 'slow defensive reactions of Moscow and Peking', and-ends by simply noting the 'growing uneasiness' of Brezhnev!

This complete absence of a class line is typical of Hansen and his tendency. The same article refers to Johnson as a 'psychotic president'; this kind of characterisation cannot guide the workers in their struggles, because it diverts attention from the fact that Johnson's actions are the consequence of his capitalist interests and standpoint, and certainly do not result from any 'psychosis' on his part.

Hansen alleges that we are collaborating in Wilson's conspiracy to conceal the true character of the war, and he refers to Wilson playing the role of 'crawling lickspittle' to Johnson.

Only a few weeks ago we in the Socialist Labour League were being called sectarians because we said Wilson's government was a capitalist government and was betraying the working class. World Outlook told us that Wilson's was a 'left social-democratic government.

No wonder Hansen is casting around unsuccessfully for something to hit the Socialist Labour League.

Hansen was, in fact, rankling from our article in the Newsletter of March 20, which simply took apart an article Dear Comrade Editor, Comrade Robert James' otherwise excellent article on the fake fight of the 'lefts' over Vietnam in The Newsletter of 20/3/65 omitted to mention one group whose pretentions to 'Marxism' and "Trotskyism' make their outpourings even more despicable. I refer, of course, to the fissiparous Unified Secretariat of the Fourth International'.

Their new English journal 'World Politics', included, in its edition of 8/3/65, a statement by the United Secretariat under the heading 'Hands Off the Democratic Republic of Vietnam!' in which it is difficult to find a trace of Marxism.

Firstly, it ascribes the U.S. aggression against North Vietnam to a mistaken belief: 'Such a belief (that bombing N. Vietnam will defeat the Vietnamese Revolution) merely reveals how little the American rulers understand the real feelings of the anti-imperialist forces in Southeast Asia and how abysmally ignorant they are of what has happened in South Vietnam.' This remark could hardly be more wrong. The U.S., with 27,000 troops and an unknown number of Central Intelligence Agency agents, diplomatic and other staff in South Vietnam, and a huge fleet off the coast, has apparently made this tremendous investment not in a real, if desperate, attempt to stop a revolution, but through some sort of 'misunderstanding' (a not unfamiliar theory).

Next, after pointing out (not in criticism of the National Liberation Front) that the struggle in South Vietnam has, both in its initial peasant-rural stage, and now its partially urban stage, developed in advance of slogans of the National Liberation Front, the writers remark: 'Even if the Kremlin and Peking wanted to sacrifice South Vietnam for the sake of an overall deal with Washington, they are powerless to stop the revolution.

Socialists for daring to organise a conference at Morecambe against the wishes of Transport House.

We understand very well that the kind of politics engaged in by Hansen and his friends measures everything in terms of column inches; but we must inform him that The Newsletter is not just a weekly commentary, it is an organiser of thousands of workers and it will be judged by the success of that active movement.

But we can expose best the lying and unprincipled character of Hansen's attack if we take up the point where he thinks that he is strongest, i.e., on The Newsletter's treatment of the Vietnam dispute. Hansen gives a completely false picture.

First he says that on February 13 the article by Cliff Slaughter did not have enough space on the front page. examination next.

According to Hansen these contained no article on the question of Vietnam, even though the struggle hotted up more than ever in those weeks. In fact it is here that Hansen really shows his hand.

Our issue of March 6 was built almost entirely around the Young Socialists Conference at Morecambe.

Hansen sees this conference as something entirely separate from the struggle for solidarity with the Vietnam revolution.

His 'fight' on Vietnam is entirely a question of writing articles, but for us it is above all a question of building the real movement to smash the imperialist governments which carry through the colonial wars.

That was the significance e Young Socialists Confe ce of 1,000 workers Yes, we did this while all sorts of fakers devoted themselves to relying on this same Wilson to intervene against the American government.

Finally, it is just a lie that we omitted all mention of the struggle in Vietnam; in this same article we wrote: 'In Vietnam, Wilson supports the American. bombings which protect the corrupt Saigon regime. In nearby Malaysia, British troops are reinforced for the same job.' And that article included in its final policy demands: 'Withdraw all troops from South-east Asia! Break the alliance with the U.S. imperialișts!

Hansen's only remaining complaint is that on March 20 we carried only a 'routine' article denouncing the 'sham fight' of the Parliamentary lefts in the Labour Party. He All his promises of negotiations are designed to cover up the reality of this underhand secret agreement with U.S. imperialism.

The demand No Secret Diplomacy' goes to the root of this question.

We need not mention The Newsletter of March 27, with its front page almost entirely devoted to the Vietnam war and notice of a public rally on the question in London.

• To this meeting, there came a large number of young people who had already spent the best part of the day in demonstrating their solidarity with 2,000 Indian workers on the march against the imprisonment of pro-Chinese Communists in India.

The reason for Hansen's tis en's scandalous lies is his own politics. The lead article in the issue of 'World Outlook' containing his article gives no

Ap ri Three

'E are publishing in this issue of The Newsletter some of the constituency results in the recent General Election, which provide a very good indication of the swing to the right that took place.

The most important indication of this was the result of the elections in Colombo Central, where the United National Party increased their votes considerably.

In the agricultural and plantation areas where the party of Mrs. Bandaranaike was traditionally strong, there was a noticeable swing to the United National Party.

This is reflected in the results from Galagedera and Hewaheta where, in the latter, one of Mrs. Bandaranaike's Ministers, T. B. Ilangaratne, was defeated and where his wife Mrs. Tamara llangaratne was also defeated in Galagedera by the UNP.

COLOMBO CENTRAL (3 Members)

Registered voters 93,468 M. Falil A. Cafoor (UNP) 68,372 R. Premadasa (UNP) 64,438 P. Keuneman (CP) 41,478 M. H. Ishak (SLFP) 32,132 P. B. Tampoe (LSSP-R) 4,559 D. A. Piyadasa (MEP) 2,520 N. Shanmugathasan (CP-China wing) 2,427 In July 1960, Sir Razik Fareed (SLFP), Pieter Keuneman (CP) and Dr. M. C. A. Kaleel (UNP) won by 6,679, 1,177 and 2,451 votes respectively. P. B. Tampoe is secretary of the powerful Ceylon Mercantile Union.

KOTTAWA

Registered voters 45,877 M. D. H. Jayawardene (UNP)

Chandra Gunasekera (LSSP-Opportunist)

Robert Gunawardena (United Left Front) 8,095 In July 1960 Mr. Robert Gunawardena (Ind.) won by 364 votes. Robert Gunawardena was a former leading member of the LSSP who helped found the Youth League in the late 50s. He has operated as an independent left MP for some years. In the recent election the opportunist LSSP joined hands with Mrs. Bandaranaike's party to split the vote and let the UNP candidate in.

Dr. Colvin de Silva was defeated by the United National Party in Mt. Lavinia.

The coalition obviously opened the door for this defeat. The Newsletter insisted that such would be the case when the Lanka Sama Samaja Party joined Mrs. Bandaranaike in June of last year. The opportunists, as usual, are now paying the price for their opportunism.

Such is the bitter lesson which is learned over and over again by the working-class CEYLON GENEI Parties UNP 203092SLFP (Mrs. Bandaranaike) FP (Federal Party) 217,986 LSSP (Opportunist) 302,095 CP (Moscow wing) 109,744 MEP 110,388 (Philip Gunawardena) LSSP (Revolutionary) 8,142 These results only cover the major parties in the General Election.

important Some important election results

HEWAHETA

• Registered voters 22,478 M. A. Daniel Appuhamy (UNP)

T. B. llangaratne (SLFP) 9,219 In July 1960, Mr. R. S. Pelpola (SLFP) won by 126 votes.

PANADURA

Registered voters 43,789 Leslie Goonewardene (LSSP-Opportunist) 20,033 Lady Jane M. de Fonseka (UNP) 16,005 In July 1960, Leslie Goonewardene (LSSP) won by a majority of 5,078. Leslie Goonewardene was a leading member of the Pabloite International Executive Committee. He was recently expelled and is at present secretary of the LSSP (Opportunist) wing. right Newsletter Correspondent movement, particularly Western Europe.

In Ceylon the political situation, however, remains very unstable.

The United National Party rules with the support of the Federal Party. Although they have taken into the movement a renegade Marxist Mr. Philip Gunawardena, it is very doubtful if such a conglomeration of forces will last the full term of office.

In short, the opportunities for constructing a revolutionAL ELECTION 'otes polled Seats 1,579,181 1,226,833 political BULATHSINGHALA Registered voters 30,141 Mangala Moonesinghe (LSSP -Opportunist) 13,023 Fonseka (UNP) 10,433 Malalgoda (Ind.) 344 Samarakkody (LSSP-R) 278 S. Ratnayake (SLFP) 258 L. Dharmasena (MEP) 77 In July 1960 Edmund Samarakkody (LSSP) won by a majority of 2,631.

GALAGEDERA

Registered voters 23,033 W. M. G. T. Banda (UNP) 10,133 Mrs. Tamara Ilangaratne (SLFP) 9,559 Mohamed Busary (Ind.) 191 P. B. Herath (MEP) 83 In July 1960, Mr. K. Abdul Jabbar (SLFP) won by 2,059 votes.

ary party on the island still most promising.

Although they suffered a decline in votes which affected all the left parties, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary) need not in any way be pessimistic about the future.

They must continue to turn more and more towards the plantation workers, and strengthen their base not only in the town but also in the countryside.

It is not the parliamentary road which is decisive in Ceylon today but the mass base of the revolutionary party, provided firmly by the principles of the international Trotskyist movement.

Many of the lessons of the opportunist past of the LSSP have yet to be learned, but we are confident that this process is well under way.

By understanding what happened internationally within the world Trotskyist movement in the fight against Pabloism from 1953 onwards and by combining this with the lessons of Ceylon itself, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (Revolutionary Wing) can look forward to a bright future.

BORELLA

Registered voters 37,542 H. Mohammed (UNP) 14,910 Mrs. Vivienne Goonewardene (LSSP-Opportunist) 13,218 Prajapala Gunawardena (MEP) 374 D. C. Abeywardene (Ind.) 100 In the bye-election of January 1964 Mrs. Vivienne Goonewardene (ULF) won by 422 votes.

Mt. LAVINIA

Registered voters 56,366 D. S. Jayasinghe (UNP) 24,652 Dr. Colvin R. de Silva (LSSP-Opportunist) 21,363 S. Siriwardene (MEP) 248 In July 1960, Dr. Colvin R. de Silva (LSSP) won by 1,100 votes. He was a member of the Pabloite International Executive Committee. Recently he was expelled for joining the Coalition government.

MORATUWA

Registered voters 44,955 Ruskin Fernando (UNP) 18,059 Mrs. Kusala Abhayawardene (LSSP-Opportunist) 16,020 Meryl Fernando (LSSP—R) 1,048 In July 1960, Meryl Fernando (LSSP) won by 1,350 votes.

Imoudu addresses a militant BENEATH its apparent calm, Nigeria today is seething with class conflict.

The end of 1964 saw the dock workers cripple Lagos through strike action. Workers in the Tiv district rioted against ornwing nawantry l Thin ugamon gruwug purerly. 1us was followed by the Enugu strike of 300 steel workers.

The strike wave reached its climax in the successful railway workers' strike in January this year. * few weeks later, a Lagos government spokesman belatedly announced the bankruptcy of Nigerian Railways.

Hatred

Hatred against the feudal Dynamic Party reached a climax when supporters of the National Convention for Nigeria and the Cameroons burnt down 50 houses in the Afikpo Division. Two people were killed and nine seriously injured.

Simultaneously in the Owerri Division, a schoolboy was shot dead and four anti-riot police wounded in a running battle with villagers.

In the Eastern Region, the Dynamic and Delta parties dominate the political scene. The Western Region falls under the

NIGERIA

By P. Desai meeting during last year's struggle by the Joint Action Committee.

grip of the Nigerian National Emir, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Democratic Party with Chief has created a spurious concept of Akintola as feudal premier.

The workers in the country Nigerian National Democratic are led by the now disintegrating Party supporters in the south are Joint Action Committee, formed busy inflaming tribal rivalries during last year's June strike. with the slogan of a glorious This Committee's inability to Tha 7il-iet carry the strike to a higher level of organisation has resulted in an uncontrolled faction struggle.

Wahab Goodluck, one of the strike leaders, stood as the election candidate for the Stalinist-inclined Socialist Workers' and Farmers' Party of Dr. Otegbeye.

Michel Imoudu, another Joint Action Committee militant, made attempts to form the Nigerian Tahair Dantry Lavuul rally.

Alhaji Adebola, one of the Joint Action Committee's cochairmen, pulled out of the Committee after accusing Goodluck of having 'made all efforts to transform the Joint Action Committee into an arm of the Socialist Workers' and Farmers' Party.

'Adviser'

He then formed a new movement called the Supreme Council of Nigerian Trade Unions. A month ago, Imoudu accused Adebola of maintaining links with the Nigerian National Yoruba unity. 'north for the northerners'. His 1 1c LIKISL movement, corroded by corruption, is waning. Youth branches of the Zikist Youth Movement are closing down. The United Progressive Grand Alliance leaders, realising this, are feverishly crying out bourgeois unity through a fusion of different political parties.

Disintegration

In the last few months, the Grand Alliance leaders of the south have constantly demanded the release of Chief Awolowo, making this their national issue of unity against feudalism.

The constant harping on this theme is to win over the workers. But they cannot offer the workers any other measures for social progress.

Under the present bankrupt nationalist leaders, the disintegration of Nigeria into a myriad of tribal and regional divisions is inevitable.

The only alternative to this depressing prospect is the unity

Allen against conviction on charges of sedition by a Nigerian court will be heard on April 1, the Secretary for Commonwealth Relations Mr. Arthur Bottomley told Mr. Trevor Park, Labour MP for Derbyshire S.E., in Parliament on Tuesday.

Mr. Park asked for representation to the Nigerian government to expedite the hearing.

Mr. Bottomley said the hearing had been fixed and Dr. Allen had finished his hunger strike against the delay in the hearing (reported in last week's Newsletter) on March 25.

Lengthy documents Questioned about the delay Mr. Bottomley said the documents of the case were lengthy and the matter had been 'further complicated' by the fact that Dr. Allen's original counsel had withdrawn from the case.

He repeated his statement, made at the end of last year, independent Nigeria by a powerful workers' party, embracing all sections of the working class and poor peasants, whether they be Yoruba, Ibo or Fulani.

THE BRODSKY AFFAIR In The Newsletter of March 13 in the article entitled 'The Brodsky Affair' by Jean Simon there was a mis-translation which made it appear that the judge in the trial was a Professor Etkind. In fact, it was the professor who was being questioned by the judge.

that he was satisfied everything had been done by the British authorities and the Nigerian government to help Dr. Allen.

Mr. Park failed to mention the three Nigerian trade unionists, Sidi Khayam, Jonas Kiomasekenagh • Abam and Olushengun Adebayo, who were charged jointly with Dr. Allen with plotting to overthrow the Nigerian government.

Assistance needed The Newsletter repeats the appeal issued last week for members of the British labour movement to give every assistance to these men and vigorously campaign for the release of the accused as part of a struggle for the defence of all class-war prisoners.

Young Socialists and members of the Indian Workers' Association demonstrated correctly last Sunday how this campaign can be carried out when they protested against the imprisonment of pro-Chinese communists in Kerala and elsewhere in India. VOSKHOD 2 and the exploits of Colonel Leonov, the first man to float in outer space, show what is possible in a nationalized economy.

In October 1917, the Soviet Union was one of the world's most backward countries. In March 1965, the United States of America, the most advanced capitalist country, had to admit that it was years behind the Soviet Union in space research.

These triumphs are rightly hailed as a glimpse of what socialism will achieve. But so far as the Soviet Union and the Stalinist countries are concerned, they must be seen together with the suffering of the working class in those areas.

DISTORTIONS

So long as the working class of the Soviet Union remains separated from the working class of the rest of the world by the theory of 'socialism in one country, so long as these workers remain shackled by the bureaucracy, imperialism will be able to impose the distortions on the Soviet economy that cause space flights to go hand in hand with hunger.

When Stalin died, Khrushchev revealed the terrible state of Soviet agriculture. In a speech made in 1953, he stated that the cattle herds of the Soviet Union in that year were actually smaller than they had been in Tsarist Russia in 1914.

His remedy for this was to offer higher prices to the collective farmers.

AGRICULTURAL REPORT Last week, five months after the deposition of Khrushchev, his successor, Leonid Brezhnev, gave a similar report on the state of agriculture.

In the last ten years, he stated, agricultural production has only risen by 10 percent, instead of the 70 percent foreseen in the plan. The targets of the plan have only been fulfilled in three of these ten years.

This was not caused by weather, he stressed.

Brezhnev's remedy, like Khrushchev's is to g rant concessions to the coller tive tarmers.

An enormous sum of money, equivalent to the total agricultural investment for the past 19 years is to be given over to agriculture. Compulsory deliveries of grain are to be reduced from a total of 65.5 million tons this year to 55.7 million tons.

On top of this, Brezhnev announced a rise in the price of grain. This, he claimed, will enable the Soviet Union to buy from abroad the extra grain needed as the harvest foreseen for this year will not be sufficient.

Thus, the Soviet workers are being made to pay for the results of the policies of the bureaucracy. This price rise for grain follows the rise of 25 to 30 per cent in milk and meat products, brought into effect in 1962.

WORSE SITUATION

These measures, together with the cancellation of the debts that the collective farms owe to the Soviet state will not solve the agricultural crisis. The bureaucracy is only strengthening the peasantry at the expense of the working class and thus laying the basis for an even worse situation in the USSR. Democratic Party and accepting the aid of foreign interests.

Imoudu himself, however, after the General Strike of 1964, entered into relations with the Nigerian government as 'adviser' on labour relations.

There is also tremendous unrest amongst the peasantry. Skirmishes, unreported in the world's press, often occur between landlords and peasants.

In the Aba Division, a certain Chief Akpan and ten of his household have been shot by the local peasants.

The most powerful feudal and struggle for a socialist

Iwo pamphlets which contain the reports from Ceylon by the representatives of The Newsletter. G. Healy covers the developments leading up to and including the formation of the Bandaranaike-LSSP coalition government and the subsequent split of the LSSP. M. Banda covers the period up to the downfall of the coalition. Together, these accounts constitute a searching analysis and a devastating exposé of revisionist politics as practised by that rump which calls itself the Unified Secretariar. Illustrated and packed full of documents-resolutions, conference CEYLON The great betrayal By G. Healy CEYLON The great betrayal Two peports from Gaylon by G. Hoaly * Com Price: 1/NEW PARK Park Publication decisions, statements and correspondence.

CEYLON The logic of coalition politics By M. Banda PUBLICATIONS Ltd., 186A Clapham The logic of.

Coalition CEYLON politics Price: 6d.

LTD., High St.,

Workers' Union have refused to make the EADERS of the Amalgamated Engineering strike of 800 tool workers, at the Cowley Pressed Earlier this week the executive of the union instructed the freeze 3, 1965

resume normal working pending the committee of enquiry set up by the Minister of Labour to look into their claim.

Bus workers from the six garages have shown great resolution and complete solidarity in the struggle. But their urgent need now is to break out from their isolation by seeking a link-up with other centres, in the Midlands and beyond, where busmen are showing their want of confidence in the enquiry and continuing strike action.

Their claim for increased pay and better conditions is completely justified. But when the charade of this enquiry is duly wound up, they will get only what they can force the employers to give by their unity in militant action.

CONTACT Without delay the committee representing the six Black Country garages should seek contact with other garages where bus workers have shown that they are ready and willing to fight against the employers' miserable offer and the desire of union officials to avoid any sort of determined struggle.

Black Country busmen say, 'We feel that we have been conn leaders o do our claithe union icauers In their disillusionment with the conduct of these so-called leaders, some busmen are talking of handing in their union cards at Transport House in London, in the event of an attempted sellout.

While it is easy to understand their feelings of bitter frustration, this is not the solution. They can gain nothing by turning their backs on the union.

But by fighting in collaboration with militants in other parts of the country they can build, in the course of struggle, a new and resolute leadership which could turn the union into a powerful fighting force.

Railmen

threaten go-slow Newsletter Reporter productivity payments is met, crews on the Southern Region lines of British Railways will stage a work-to-rule from next Monday.

This decision was taken at a mass meeting held on Monday this week. The men have agreed to the work-to-rule unless railway chiefs are willing to negotiate their demand.

On Tuesday this decision was to have been considered by the executive council of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen.

This latest action by the Southern railwaymen is likely to cause some alarm amongst leaders of ASLEF, who are doing their best to hold the railway workers in check.

No results They have been conducting talks with the Railways Board for four months and no results have so far been produced.

Mean while, the Board officials are attempting to split the rank and file by granting increases to some grades and not to others.

Last autumn the men called off a go-slow after the Board agreed to talks on a national level to discuss a demand for a £3 3s. a week bonus for train crews.

With the rising cost of living railmen have decided that they cannot wait much longer. But all that their union officials can offer in the way of so-called leadership is appeals to 'be patient a little longer'.

By MICKIE introduced by the Transport and General Workers' Union in an attempt to keep the wages of all men at the firm down.

One thousand five hundred of the firm's workers were laid off this week and if the strike continues and the toolmakers make a determined fight on this issue, it is expected that attempts will be made to lay Pressed Steel provide the car bodies for a large number of firms such as the British Motor Corporation, Rootes, Jaguar, Rover and Rolls Royce.

Idle

By Thursday this week Rootes were expected to be virtually idle, with 3,000 men laid off during the day. Another 3,000 will probably be laid off by the beginning of next week.

The men's claim, for a substantial wage increase, lodged in November Last year.

Union officials are m subt anxious to isola the strikers from other ing workers are prepared to challenge the package deal.

The AEU leadership have seen these strikes as a red light warning. They can be expected to side with the employers in further attacking and selling out the Midlands workers.

One way in which they may try to defeat the strike is by splitting the car workers on the question of the men who are laid off. But engineering workers must ignore these attempts and give every support to the Pressed Steel men.

Foremost in these struggles are the apprentices who plan to strike for their demands of higher wages and better working conditions in May.

These young workers are planning to lobby the National Committee of the Amalgamated Engineering Union on April 27 in Blackpool.

ENGINEERING WORKERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY MUST JOIN WITH THESE APPRENTICES IN A MASS LOBBY AND SAY NO TO THE PACKAGE DEAL AND WAGE FREEZE! Newsletter Industrial INTERNAL truck drivers at the three Joseph Lucas factories in Birmingham — Shaftmoor Lane, Formans Road and Great King Street-returned to work on Monday Their unofficial strike action against the package deal agreement involved the layingoff of more than 6,000 workers in the car component industry.

At the Butler's Ltd. (Small Heath) Lucas subsidiary factory, storemen members of the Transport and General Workers' Union decided to continue their strike in support of a claim for a pay increase of over fl a week. They claim that they were promised an increase of this amount, and were offered instead an increase of four shillings which they have rejected.

The Lucas truck drivers lodged a claim for an increase of 12s. last December, and in this case also were offered 4s. by the management.

One shop steward summed up the indignation of the workers at receiving such a miserable offer when he said:

It would not buy a packet of cigarettes' CRITICISM There was also strong criticism of the attitude of two trade union officials, Frank Briggs, general secretary of the National Society of Metal Mechanics, and C. Gallagher, assistant general secretary of the National Union of Vehicle Builders.

Briggs accused the Lucas drivers of 'industrial anarchy' in coming out on unofficial strike. He declared: "The Lucas management have indicated their willingness at least to concede a pay increase. The whole issue should have gone back for further discussion at York."

Gallagher supported and considered that such action was 'not in accordance with the best traditions of the trade union movement'.

Moss Evans, of the TGWU, retorted that the claim had been through the whole of the negotiating machinery, and that the reporting back to the central conference at York was merely a technicality.

OFFICIAL

Failure to agree will now be formally reported next month. The strikers have made it plain that when this formality has been observed they expect that the union will declare the dispute official.

Clearly it is not for union officials to make statertents which tend to split the solidarity in the fight for better pay and conditions for all workers.

An offer of 4s. is ludicrous and insulting, against the background of a sharply rising cost of living. wrote to the management asking for recognition which the management is reported to have refused.

Last week the management sacked two men.

On Sunday the men held a meeting with the full-time TGWU official, Wilkinson, who said he would write to the firm, and if he received no satisfaction the matter would be placed in the hands of the Minister of Labour.

However, on Monday another worker was sacked. After discussions with the TGWU officials the men walked out in the afternoon and the factory came to a complete standstill.

At a meeting called on Tuesday afternoon an official is reported to have claimed that the Transport and General Workers' Union would give their full support to the strike.

NOT OFFICIAL But the strike has not been declared official and the union has not yet declared supplies to the factory as being black.

The role of the full-time officials has really been shown in their actions at another factory in Middlesex, Rockware, which was involved in a dispute of sacked workers some weeks ago.

At a branch meeting this week officials stated that they had negotiated a settlement. However, a 'handful' of men would not be reinstated.

Those who will be allowed to return will have to wait three weeks before they could start work, it was reported.

The steward, V. Shurma, in spite of the fact that many rank and file members stood up and condemned the settlement, gave the officials his full support and thanked them for what they had done.

The lessons of the Rockware strike are that the Transport and General Workers' Union members in this area must unite to campaign to build a leadership that is going to fight in the interests of the workers.

Donations can be sent to Duratube workers at the following address: Duratube Action Committee, 18 Featherstone Road, Southall, Middx.

SLL meeting

SPEAKING at a meeting on Sunday, March 21, in support of R. King Murray, the Labour candidate in the Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles by-election, Dr. Dickson Mabon, Under-Secretary of State for Scotland, issued a call to Labour supporters to make this 'the memorable by-election of 1965'.

But although the poll in last week's by-election was slightly higher than at the General Election last October, the Labour vote dropped by over 2,000 and the candidate lost his deposit. Even at the General Election R. King Murray only polled 7,007 votes compared with 9,336 in 1959.

DISASTROUS

Following the disastrous defeat at Leyton and the enormously reduced majority in Nuneaton, the Roxburgh by-election underlines yet again that important sections of the working class have no confidence in Labour Printed by Plough Press Ltd. (TU), r.o. 80 stapo as thied Street, London, S.W.4 Published by The Newsletter, 1864 Clapham High Street, London. S.W leaders, who have completely failed to come forward with policies which offer a solution to the problems of workers.

In these towns, a major part of industry is centred around the woollen mills, employing mainly women. There is, therefore, little opportunity for young workers to obtain industrial training.

Amongst male workers, the very high unemployment rate is masked by 'the fact that they migrate in large numbers over the border into England in search of stable employment.

PROGRAMME

Because they have made nationalization of industry a central feature of their programme, the Young Socialists came under a sharp and vicious attack in the Roxburgh constituency last year.

When John Robertson, then national chairman of the Young Socialists, visited Hawick at the beginning of 1964 at the invitation of local YS members to assist in building a strong Young Socialists branch in the Roxburgh constituency, a fierce witch-hunting attack was launched against him.

Officials from the Scottish Office of the Labour Party pressurised Young Socialists in Hawick into making allegations against Robertson. No concrete evidence to support these allegations was produced.

EXPELLED

Finally, after the Young Socialists Conference at Easter 1964 Robertson was expelled from the Labour Party.

At the Scottish Labour Party Conference held in Largs last week-end, the Roxburgh by-election was not a subject for discussion. But Miss Sarah Barker, who played a part in the enquiry into John Robertson's activities in Hawick, launched a further attack against militant trade unionists and members of the Labour Party who express their opposition to right-wing policies.

If the policies of the Young Socialists had been fought for by the Labour Party in Roxburgh there is no doubt that a strong Young Socialists movement could have been built in the months between January and October 1964 and the recent election result would probably have been different.

of Harland and Wolff Limited came out on strike on Friday, March 26, after the firm was reported to have sacked the secretary of the Joint Office Committee, Leslie Clark.

The strike, which is 100 per cent, has been made official by the Draughtsmen and Allied Technicians Association, and is being backed by the Northern Ireland Committee of the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions.

Clark was dismissed after a workmate had stopped him to inquire about a previous night's union meeting. The firm claim they have warned Clark before about discipline.

The draughtsmen are now asking: Can this latest action be connected with a wage claim made by the union for a new minimum rate at 30 years of age of f24 Is. and a 15 per cent increase IoT others?

At national level DATA are pursuing a claim for a new minimum rate of f22 10s. at 30 years of age.

A work-to-rule has already been operated by the Harland and Wolff draughtsmen but at a mass meeting on Thursday, March 25, it was agreed to bring out on strike 50 workers in a key office.

The signs are that this will be a bitter and protracted struggle. DATA have been in the forefront of big fights in the past year and it was the only union to refuse to sign the "package deal".

This is the union which the ruling class picked on for their test case on trade union rights -in the Rookes v. Barnard case.

The Harland and Wolff draughtsmen must see the struggle for the reinstatement of the Joint Office Committee secretary and their wage claim not just as an isolated fight.

They must involve other sections of workers in order to take part in the lead in a campaign against the package deal.

From page Communist Party members office and 13,932 against.

Courtney was charged with breaking the rules by calling the meeting. He was summoned before the EC which disqualified him from holding office and fined him £20.

His Lordship said the rules did not specify who could initiate proposals for an amendment to the rules, but as the executive committee was likely to know more about the need for an amendment than any other section or members and was empowered to do anything it deemed necessary to be in the general interests of the union, the implication was that it had power to initiate proposals for amendment.

The EC did make a choice acting in its powers and the Camden Town branch was not deprived of any rights by the decision to hold the ballot.

The ballot was validly held. The amendment to the rules had been made. His Lordship gave judgment to the union.

of the branch by calling the special meeting. They were entitled to do so under the rules. The union had no power to order them not to hold the meeting, so, Courtney claimed, it followed that the disciplinary action was wholly misconceived.

His Lordship did not accept that argument.

In calling the meeting, Courtney had acted in a manner which entitled the union to take disciplinary action.

by previous speakers, there were differences of opinion. 'While, on the one hand, you have 900 Communist Party members in the south and east regions, supporters of the pro-Chinese Communist Party, in jail, you have a section supporting Moscow continuing to exist legally.

*At one and the same time, the same Indian government which imprisons Communists is being sent aid by the Soviet Union to prosecute war against the Chinese?

It had not been pointed out that the 39 members elected in the Kerala elections belonged to the pro-Chinese section.

'When we defend the Indian Communists, we don't do so apologetically,. We support them unconditionally in their struggle?

He said he was impressed by the slogan shouted by some Indian workers on the march Workers of all lands unite.' This unity was the greatest need of the working class throughout the world and was why the Young Socialists also supported the workers and peasants of Vietnam.

In this struggle, he said, 'we in the Young Socialists call on everyone not just to seek reassurances, but to be honest and open and prepared to fight'.

He called for a tremendous show by the working class on May Day. It was an important and vital development in the labour movement, he said.

Completely ignoring his Communist Party colleague, Reg Birch's advice, Palme Dutt said: 'When the last speaker [Ashby] referred to pro-Chinese Communist Party in India, is he not aware that this phrase is used by the Congress and millionaire press?' On Monday, the Daily Worker added to the Communist Party members' call for 'unity' by referring to the massive contribution by the youth to the march in these terms: • Also on the march were members of the Midlands and London districts of the Communist Party, and some Young Socialist branches' (Our emphasis.)

strike and bonus payments. Our Midlands Correspondent Steel factory, official.

cash ofier.

workers down to a virtual wage treeze.

agreement between all six unions concerned with Pressed Steel before wages claim could be settled.

This clause, claim workers at Cowley, has been sections of car workers.

After the recent strike at the British Motor Corporation over a wage increase, it has become obvious that engineerN yet another factory in West Middlesex-Duratube and Wire Ltd., Felthamimmigrant workers • are joining a trade union to organise against their poor wages and conditions.

Many of the 75 workers employed there, almost all of whom are Indians and Pakistanis, live in Southall.

In February, about 40 joined the Transport and General Workers' Union and now over 50 are members. The union

magazine of the International Committee of the Fourth International, said it was no wonder that the national press was able to say that Wilson had managed to reassure his critics on the left.

Those lefts could not even fight Wilson on the question of getting an extra 12s. 6d. on the pensions in the winter, so how could they fight him over the war in Vietnam?

The weapons used in the war, he stated, were to ensure the continuation of imperialism.

It is also being used to experiment with all kinds of chemical warfare, just as the atom bomb was experimented with in Japan?

But in spite of the tortures and murders being committed, in spite of all the blood-letting, the Vietnamese people continued heroically to support the Vietcong.

'All the bombing has not made the slightest difference. After generations of oppression, these people have discovered there is no other way forward.

"They, like young workers who are fighting all over the world, are discovering that only the struggle against capitalism is worth anything. They are part of the world revolution?