The Newsletter, vol. 9 no. 439

'together with as workers united at Morecame to prepare a calist together with adult workers united at Morecambe to prepare a socialist leadership to answer further betrayals by the re-elected Labour government. The 6th Annual Conference of the Young Socialists, held in the Winter Gardens, Morecambe, last Saturday and Sunday went on record for real socialist policies and forged a tremendous bond between Young Socialists and trade unionists willing to join the fight against the proposed anti-trade- union legislation.

Delegates and visitors to the conference had travelled, many of them overnight, through some of the worst weather conditions seen in the north this winter. But yet again, in trying conditions, the political strength of the YS produced the same discipline amongst the youth which scared the press and the Tories so much last year.

High on the agenda came the discussion on the anti-union law (see full report page three). This attack on wages and workers' rights, in the form of the Prices and Incomes Bill, is vitally necessary for the Wilson government, the pound and capitalism to exist. In the 17 months of the previous government Wilson and the right wing broke every promise they made to the working class before the October 1964 election.

They bowed completely to the international bankers in New York and Zurich who had thrown a financial life-belt to the sinking pound. The international capitalists had then demanded high interest on the repayment of these loans: Wilson, they said, must attack the wages and conditions of British workers to help maintain the strength of the pound. The most vicious attack now comes in the form of the Prices and Incomes Bill.

In this same period Young Socialists, who had already defeated the 1960 and 1964 on socialist policies and broken from the Labour Party, led successful demonstrations for higher pensions, against the Vietnam war January 26, against the anti-union law.

Before October 1964, they had warned the working class of the coming betrayals by the Labour government on these and other questions. by THE EDITOR Socialist work throughout Britain.

right wing between a number of highly and, this year, on K. mind t LARDUA HAS NO EXCUST NOW Forward elderl FORWARD WITH THE TOUNG SOCIALISTS members on Newsletter Reporter Young Socialists' Conference DUBLIN 1916 THE EASTER RISING full report on pages 2, 3 and 4 A section of the delegates applaud a speaker. TANKER DRIVERS TELL ESSORECRUIT THROUGI OUR UNION GIANT UNION TO OPPOSE INCOMES POLICY

By further exposing the right wing in demonstrations, they strengthened their own organisation with youth recruits and won support from older workers.

In the coming months they will intensify their exposure of the bankrupt right-wing leaders' subservience to capitalism.

The Young Socialists know that Wilson's greatly increased majority will certainly make no difference to the policies he and his government will carry out.

(A main banner on the platform did point out that with its large majority 'Labour Has No Excuse Now' to carry out socialist policies.)

That is why the youth laid so much emphasis and gave so much of their conference time over to a discussion on the anti-trade-union legislation.

Mobilise

The response and enthusiasm for the YS organisation from the older workers during the discussion was overwhelming. Many promised to mobilise whole factories for the-one-day strike proposed by a delegate from the Lambeth Trades Council against the anti-union Bill.

This whole question was linked directly with the discussion on nationalization, immigration, housing, pensions, the docks, colonialism, Vietnam and racialism—the socialist policies which the youth have campaigned for in the last six years.

Many of the contributions on these policy questions were notable in that they were based on actual experiences in Young

By continually turning out to workers in factories, offices and sites, tenants, old age pensioners and youth, the Young Socialists, with their Marxist understanding of the crisis of world imperialism, have been able to build and maintain their links with large sections of workers.

Alternative

In the next period they will take more and more workers through the experience of the new Labour government, providing a leadership and real socialist alternative in the big fights that will be waged.

In the process they will help build the revolutionary Marxist party which will overthrow the Labour traitors, their anti-union policies, the Tories and capitalism for good. "HE supply of oil to Rhodesia via Mozambique means the collapse of Wilson's policy of 'sanctions'. This policy was designed to put pressure on the Smith regime, without actually causing its downfall. ar of the collapse of imperialist 'law and order' in Rhodesia is shared by the leaders of the African states. Now the danger arises of United Nations (i.e., United States) intervention, aimed at heading off action by the African workers and peasants. lose so-called who for force to used British or UN troops are aiding the imperialists to maintain their domination of Central Africa.

at is why the resolution on this question carried at the conference of the National Association of Labour Student Organisations must be welcomed. It rejected a call for the African states to intervene and demanded instead the arming of the African workers.

campaign for this policy by the NALSO executive should receive widespread suport in the labour movement.

Page Iwo

Reporter OHNSON'S desperate last-minute attempt to save the stinking regime of Cao Ky by flying to Honolulu and sending Hubert Humphrey on a goodwill mission to South Vietnam has failed to elecit the kind of response he wanted.

Instead, the whole of the northern province of South Vietnam and the key cities of Da Nang and Hue have declared for the sacked General Nguyen Chanh Thu and openly defied Marshal I Love Hitler' Ky.

Thousands of Buddhists demonstrated in favour of the Mayor of Da Nang-Dr. Nguyen Van Man-when the puppet ruler of Saigon threatened to have the mayor shot after alleging that the National Liberation Front was behind the mayor.

Not the last This is the first time in the six-year-old war that a mayor of a provincial town has defied the central powers. It will probably not be the last.

The three-week-old demonstrations are getting bigger and noisier, despite the threats of Marshal Ky to send troops to Da Nang. So far the demands of the demonstrators have been confined to calling for a return of civilian rule and an end to US imperialist interference in South Vietnam.

However, behind the opposition there obviously lies a terrible war weariness and a sickening hatred of the imperialist - directed slaughter of innocent men, women and children.

Johnson has sent a frantic cable appealing to Saigon for a non - military constitutional government to be set up to prevent a complete breakdown of government administration and an irrevocable split in the South Vietnamese Army, which would signify the beginning of the end of the war in Vietnam.

Air base at stake Johnson, in fact, is riding a runaway tiger and there is little hope that he can extricate himself from this predicament.

What is at stake is not just the loyalty of 250,000 people, but the facilities of the biggest US air base in Vietnam.

Moves are now afoot for the calling of a national political congress to discuss the setting up of a constituent assembly.

These actions have been supported by the students of Saigon and other cities. Troops and police are joining the demonstrations in ever greater numbers and it is feared that Ky's regime will begin to crack if this process continues.

The only sanguine person in this critical drama is Dean Rusk. He still thinks that the downfall of the Saigon regime is not on the cards'.

Some hope! Some cards!

The collapse of the Ky regime -the most hated in the worldwould be a big blow to Johnson and a trenchant answer to the lie of the Labour government that the US is fighting against 'Communist tyranny' in Vietnam.

Now is the time for the whole labour movement to demand in one might voice:

Withdraw US Vietnam!

Call to re-register Lambeth Trades Council LEEDS TRADE COUNCIL passed a resolution on Wednesday calling on the TUC to re-register the Lambeth Trades Council. It was passed by 38 votes to 17 after being submitted by Leeds No. Il branch of the Amalgamated Engineering Union. (The Lambeth Council was disaffiliated by the TUC after its call for the January 26 campaign against anti-trade union legislation.)

IN WELCOMING the delegates to the conference and introducing the main resolution 'Socialism and Youth', Aileen Jennings, editor of the Young Socialist newspaper 'Keep Left', said: • This conference takes place after a decisive victory of the Labour government. We have to be clear what this victory means for us and the working class in Britain.

We say this victory means there can no longer be any excuse for Labour not to go forward to a socialist Britain.

The millions who went to vote Labour on Thursday gave a clear mandate to the Labour government to apply socialist policies.

Young Socialists face in the next period of the Labour government one of the most important political experiences in their lives. They are going to experience first hand in practice the bankruptcy and betrayal of Wilson, Brown and Callaghan and company.

In the press this morning Wilson said he believed he had a mandate to go ahead with any policies whether popular or unpopular.

We say the Labour government has a firm mandate to go ahead with socialist policies, not to continue the betrayals of the last 18 months.

We think in the next few months it will be shown that the Labour government intends to carry out policies of betrayal. Wilson is determined to lead the government in policies of disaster, crawling before national and international bankers.

The same economic crisis faces the next Labour government as has faced it for the past 18 months, therefore they will carry out their threat to attack the working class by introducing legislation against the trade unions. This is designed to tie the trade unions to the state, to make strikes for better illegal. Such a policy will split the labour movement from top to bottom.

We have already seen, not only on domestic policy, wages, rents etc., but also on foreign policies, that Wilson's policy is designed to get the maximum help of the international bankers. This can be seen from his support for the war in Vietnam. The continuation of this support will meet with opposition, particularly from the Young Socialists.

Infamous policies We will® fight to force the Labour government to break from Johnson's policies; we will continue our support for the workers and peasants in Vietnam.

We are perfectly clear that in the last 18 months the Labour government has carried out some infamous policies; they carried on where the Tories left off. In view of this, what did the majority vote for labour mean last Thursday?

Firstly, the working class in Britain is violently anti-Tory and quite rightly they went to the polls on Thursday and voted Labour to prevent a return ot the Tories.

Secondly, the middle • class voted labour because they support the Labour government's proposals to introduce anti-working class legislation.

But a victory of the Labour government gives us the opportunity to expose the right wing, to show clearly where Wilson and company stand.

We were the first to warn against Wilson's policies. In 1964 we explained the nature of this government and we reinforced our position at the Young Socialists conference in 1965.

Since then we have been in the forefront of the campaign against the right-wing policies of Labour.

We began last year with a big campaign on the question of old age pensions. This is a section of the working class the Labour government wishes to forget about, to forget that they exist.

We explained to the working class in demonstrations what the war in Vietnam is about; that it is • class war of American imperialism against Vietnam; that the Young Socialists stand squarely with the workers and peasants of Vietnam.

United on 26th This year, in January, Young Socialists united with young workers and trade unionists to take part in a lobby on January 26 to oppose any attempt by a Labour government to introduce legislation against the trade alist)

Jennings, Editor unions.

Whilst opposing the right-wing policies we have always supported Labour against the Tories. We have insisted on fighting for socialist policies. The Young Socialists is a movement of action. We are not just talkers, we mobilise workers in campaigns.

For us there is no question of colour or race. We are primarily concerned with mobilising youth all over the world to fight the common enemy—imperialism.

From this conference our thoughts go out to the millions of young people who are starving in India. This enormous continent, exploited by internaWe think especially of the Negro youth who fight the automatic weapons of the Los Angeles police-we must from this Young Socialists Conference give them support in their fight against capitalism.

Finally we give our support to the youth in the Soviet Union. The Soviet leaders now meeting in Moscow cannot reintroduce the cult of Stalinism. The Soviet youth have come out in protest forced it to buret racy hand hay made it clear they will not accept the policies of bureaucracy.

We say that the people in Poland, Hungary, Spain, America and all those who face witch hunts from capitalism throughout the world must be released from the capitalist jails.

We have been invited to send a delegation to a demonstration in Belgium which we hope will see the bringing together of youth from all over the world and which will show the absolute hatred of youth for capitalism. of YS paper 'Keep Left' But we have to recognise that the working class youth cannot organise without trained leadership. The youth must found their party and organisation on the policies of Marxism.

We say, as Marxists, that the working class needs a theory. It needs revolutionary organisation. When we say the Young Socialists themselves have to take on the responsibility of developing a Marxist understanding, we say this because if they are to go forward to socialism they have to build a Marxist party which can take the working class tn power. achieve what the older generation was unable to achieve-the introduction of socialism with common ownership of industry and wealth by the working people.

But the Young Socialists is not only concerned with political activity but also with recreational facilities. We are often refused premises on the grounds that young people are violent and attempts are made by the press to denigrate young people.

This conference is entirely different from the one held last year. We have developed as an organisation. But in the next period we will have to play the most important role in the class struggle in our history.

Vote at 18

We have gone a long way along the road in organising youth in this country and because of this we demand youth should have the vote at 18. We do this because we want the right to put up candidates at 18. If this Labour government fails to carry out socialist policies we will put up our own candidates in the next eiection. The demand for the vote at 18 would be meaningless unless youth can fight for socialism by putting up its own candidates.

Labour candidates during the recent election campaign have not been able to put lorward socialist policies. Only the Young Doclausts dave cone lils We have to be clear what our campaign and strategy is going to be. In the resolutions to be placed before this conference we have some important points to make.

We think the budget in May will bring severe attacks on the working class and will create unemployment in the interests of big business.

The Young Socialists have to be able to beat back these attacks, to furnish a new leadership for the working class. We are calling on all Young Socialists to go into the trade unions to campaign to defeat the legislation against the trade unions.

We say there must be a rejection of the incomes policy. The solution to this crisis must begin with the nationalization of the banks, no acceptance of sackings, united working class action for full employment and to make the employers pay for the crisis, an end to the war in Vietnam, withdrawal from NATO, an end to the H-bomb and the withdrawal of all British troops from countries abroad.

We must appeal from this conference to young people all over the world to fight against imperialism and for socialism. 9 In discussion on the resolution a Corby delegate said the Young Socialists would move forward as a result of studying the experiences of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia and the building of gration, I. Otello (Southall) said that when the Tories were in power the Young Socialists had called for a campaign against the Immigration Bill. The Labour Party, including Wilson, had oposed the Bill, but had strengthened it in 1964, and by doing so had strengthened racialism in Southall.

Coloured workers at the Woolf rubber factory there had fought against the employers, but had received no support from the trade union leaders.

'We must call on the Young Socialists to join the trade unions and build a new leadership to fight these betrayals,' he said.

Another delegate said that capitalism had used racialism throughout its history to line its pockets with profits.

Racialism was beng introduced now because British capitalism was facing another crisis. It was being used to attack the trade union movement and was connected with the anti-trade union legislation, he said.

It had been used for this purpose. Colonialism SPEAKING on colonialism, Richard Scott (East Leeds) said the employers had invested large sums of money in Africa and other countries, not to assist the population, but to extract wealth.

In 1917, the Bolsheviks had overthrown capitalism in Russia -this was a victory for workers throughout the world. But the capitalists were more determined to hold on to their gains.

Struggles in the colonies had developed and freedom had been granted. But this was on condition that capitalism was maintained.

Those who did not comply, like Nkrumah, were removed.

Struggles in undér-developed countries had remained isolated from those in the capitalist countries.

In Rhodesia, Wilson was carrying out sham opposition to the regime; in Aden he maintained troops; in Vietnam he supported the Americans.

Young Socialists called for the arming of the Vietcong and African workers in Rhodesiasuch action would strengthen the working class in all countries.

Foreign policy KEN MANGHAM (Wombwell, Yorkshire) moving the resolution on Foreign Policy and internationalism said the Young Socialists had to be clear about Wilson's support for American imperialism.

'We see to what extremes US imperialism is going to put down the working class in Vietnam. We support the Vietcong because they are workers who are throwing out the Americans,' he added.

The Young Socialists supported all struggles of the working class and their part in this struggle was the building of a strong organisation in Britain and by showing that capitalism could be smashed in the advanced countries.

Referring to the Easter Rising of 1916, Jackie Vance (Belfast) said that only around such a struggle could freedom for Ireland be won. Ireland suffered years of want, war, slaughter and oppress on against the Irish people.

The country was ruled by the banks and financiers in London. The only solution to the problems facing Irish workers and youth was the building of the Young Socialists in the struggle for a socialist Ireland. NATIONAL secretary of the Young Socialists, Dave Ashby, drew attention to points in the main resolution.

When the election results had been announced, he said, demonstrations had taken place in many parts of the country, and the Young Socialists fully supported those workers in Smethwick who chanted 'Griffiths Out'.

There was a feeling among many workers that perhaps the Labour government would do the job. But, during the election campaign, no programme was put forward by the Labour Party to change the conditions under which young workers lived today "This government has the power to compel you to pay taxes, to fight on behalf of British imperialism overseas, but you do not have the right to vote-this is the justification of this conference,' he said.

The aim of the Young Socialists was to build a revolutionary party to take the power out of the hands of the capitalist class. Young people had an indispensable role to play in building this party.

'We believe they will fulfil this role because this is a real youth movement,' said Ashby.

Many people had said if the Labour government was as bad as the Young Socialists said it was, how was it that workers had voted for it? What alternative was there? they had asked.

'When we talk about leadership today, we are talking about answering that question.' There was no alternative provided by the Communist Party.

Their secretary John Gollan had demanded the right to speak on television, where he said the Communist Party was a little better than the Labour leaders. He called for a new, peoples' Britain. But the Chartists had demanded this in 1848.

Chairman of the Party Stanley talked about a communist incomes policy.

'The only way the working class can increase wages is by struggle,' said Ashby.

Many Communist Party members would not take the line of the Party and would work together with the Young Socialists, he added.

"The more you are able to bring young workers into the Young Socialists, developing and training them to appeal to more young workers, bring them into the Young Socialists and take them through the experiences of the Labour government in the next few years, the more you will build an alternative leadership,' said Ashby.

THE oampaign against anti-trade union legislation and the document 'Socialism and Youth' were two of the most important sections of the 6th annual conference of the Young Socialists in Morecambe last Saturday and Sunday. Below we reprint excerpts from some of the major speeches on these questions and the discussion on the Young Socialists' socialist policies, for which they have campaigned in the last six We must not forget the youth in America who carry on a fight against Johnson and his policies in Vietnam. we think this movement can go forward to a much bigger strength.

We are conscious that the Young Socialists of the future will Dave Ashby, national seci etary of the YS, ums ip discussion on reso. ution 'Socialism and Youth'.

Immigration MOVING the resolution on immi-

tional imperialism, is today deliberately being starved. We say this is the responsibility of the capitalists. Whilst they reap millions of profits, millions of workers die of starvation.

We commemorate the thousands in Indonesia who were killed because they were communists. They were butchered at the command of international capitalism, but above all these murders expose the role of Sukarno. We have seen that this so-called anti-imperialist really served the interests of imperialism. Only a revolutionary working class can defeat imperialism.

It is in this context that we must think of the youth in Spain, who carry on a heroic fight for the right to organise, the right to strike, and we must assure them we will give them every assistance in their fight.

The Young Communist League has supported the Communist Party which originally supported the right wing of the Labour Party. They find a cosy alliance with the Labour lefts to keep the boat from rocking. When the right wing of the Labour Party witch-hunted the Young Socialists, the Young Communist League gave support to the rightwing.

But we want to make an appeal to members of the Young Communist League who are confused on the policies of the Communist Party in the last election. We appeal to them to consider these policies seriously and to repudiate the policies of Gollan and the Stalinist leadership. 'In the period a revolutionary party. Nowhere, especially at school, were youth allowed to study these things.

*Unless we are able to break from the idea of doing the best we can do for our boss, we will get nowhere. We must begin to build an alternative leadership,' he said.

Another delegate said the Young Socialist paper 'Keep Left' had a vital role to play in building the Young Socialists. Its circulation had to be increased to make it central to the activity in building a mass youth movement in Britain.

Sport and other social activities played an important part in the life of young workers and should be included in 'Keep Left'. The real importance of a national youth paper was to bring together the activities of all the branches.

SLETTER Apri NEW

ON SUNDAY MORNING fraternal greeting were given to the conference by representatives of the American Committee for the Fourth International and Spartacist, The Spanish Workers' Trade Union Alliance (ASO), Indian Socialist Party, Danish Socialist Youth Forum, Révoltes (France), Workers' Vanguard of Greece,, and the Socialist Labour League.

Speaking on behalf of the Socialist Labour League, its national secretary, G. Healy, said: 6 It is with great pleasure and a lot of pride that I bring to you fraternal greetings from the Central Committee of the Socialist Labour League. This is the first conference of the Young Socialists where the Socialist Labour League has intervened publicly.

Of course it is not the first conference behind which the members of the Young Socialists who are members of the Socialist Labour League have acted under the guidance and instruction of our organisation. We began the fight inside the Labour Party in 1960 and in 1963 and 1964 the overwhelming majority of Young Socialists in Britain had declared for the policies of my organisation. We won outright a victory against both the Gaitskell leadership and the Wilson leadership inside the Labour Party.

The Young Socialists who are Gerry national Healy, assembled here this morning have a great past because they alone stood up and warned the working class of the dangers which face them as a result of the betrayals of the right wing of the Labour Party.

No matter how powerful this right wing might seem to be, and they have now a considerable majority in parliament, the right wing cannot build a youth movement. They have failed completely to build a youth movement because the moment young people come into the Labour Party, at that moment they come out in opposition to the right wing.

The conference which was held last November at Malvern was a farce. There was no proper discussion, no decisions carried which could have any weight on the leadership in the Labour Party, at that moment, they come take away whatever rights the Young Socialists enjoyed.

The same applies to the Young Communist League which held a conference just over a year ago. At that conference no resolutions were permitted. Young Communist League branches were not allowed to put forward a single resolution on policy. The whole conference centred on a statement from one of the older leaders.

Therefore the Young Socialists must take pride in the way in

to a much bigger e conscious that the rialists of the future will hat the older generation e to achieve-the introif socialism with comership of industry and • the working people. Young Socialists is not cerned with political it also with recreational We are often refused on the grounds that ople are violent and are made by the press ite young people. onference is entirely from the one held last have developed as an But in the next : will have to play the ortant role in the class 2 our history.

ote at 18 e gone a long way along in organising youth in try and because of this d youth should have the 8. We do this because the right to put up 3 at 18. If this Labour nt fails to carry out solicies we will put up candidates in the next The demand for the 3 would be meaningless ith can fight for social. utting up its own cancandidates during the ection campaign have able to put forward olicies. Only the Young have done this. 'e to be clear what our and strategy is going to the resolutions to be fore this conference we le important points to nk the budget in May : severe attacks on the :lass and will create unnt in the interests of eSS. ›ung Socialists have to beat back these attacks, 1 a new leadership for ing class. We are call| Young Socialists to go trade unions to camdefeat the legislation e trade unions. • there must be a rejecre incomes policy. The o this crisis must begin nationalization of the acceptance of sackings, orking class action for ›yment and to make the ; pay for the crisis, an e war in Vietnam, with'om NATO, an end to mb and the withdrawal British troops from abroad. st appeal from this con› young people all over Id to fight against m and for socialism. 9 ussion on the resolution delegate said the Young would move forward as of studying the exof the Bolshevik revoluassia and the building of ionary party. Nowhere, at school, were youth to study these things.

we are able to break idea of doing the best o for our boss, we will ere. We must begin to alternative leadership,' r delegate said the cialist paper 'Keep Left' al role to play in buildoung Socialists. Its cirhad to be increased to entral to the activity in i mass youth movement ind other social activid an important part in of young workers and included in Keep Lett. importance of a national er was to bring together ties of all the branches. MOVING the resolution on immigration, I. Otello (Southall) said that when the Tories were in power the Young Socialists had called for a campaign against the Immigration Bill. The Labour Party, including Wilson, had oposed the Bill, but had strengthened it in 1964, and by doing so had strengthened racialism in Southall.

Coloured workers at the Woolf rubber factory there had fought against the employers, but had received no support from the trade union leaders.

'We must call on the Young Socialists to join the trade unions and build a new leadership to fight these betrayals,' i he said.

Another delegate said that capitalism had used racialism throughout its history to line its pockets with profits.

Racialism was beng introduced now because British capitalism was facing another crisis. It was being used to attack the trade union movement and was connected with the anti-trade union legislation, he said.

It had been used for this purpose.

Colonialism SPEAKING colonialism, Richard Scott (East Leeds) said the employers had invested large sums of money in Africa and other countries, not to assist the population, but to extract wealth.

In 1917, the Bolsheviks had overthrown capitalism in Russia -this was a victory for workers throughout the world. But the capitalists were more determined to hold on to their gains.

Struggles in the colonies had developed and freedom had been granted. But this was on condition that capitalism was maintained.

Those who did not comply, like Nkrumah, were removed.

Struggles in undér-developed countries had remained isolated from those in the capitalist countries.

In Rhodesia, Wilson was carrying out sham opposition to the regime; in Aden he maintained troops; in Vietnam he supported the Americans.

Young Socialists called for the arming of the Vietcong and African workers in Rhodesiasuch action would strengthen the working class in all countries.

Foreign policy KEN MANGHAM (Wombwell, Yorkshire) moving the resolution on Foreign Policy and internationalism said the Young Socialists had to be clear about Wilson's support for American imperialism.

'We see to what extremes US imperialism is going to put down the working class in Vietnam. We support the Vietcong because they are workers who are throwing out the Americans,' he added.

The Young Socialists supported all struggles of the working class and their part in this struggle was the building of a strong organisation in Britain and by showing that capitalism could be smashed in the advanced countries.

Referring to the Easter Rising of 1916, Jackie Vance (Belfast) said that only around such a struggle could freedom for Ireland be won. Ireland suffered years of want, war, slaughter and oppress on against the Irish people.

The country was ruled by the banks and financiers in London. The only solution to the problems facing Irish workers and youth was the building of the Young Socialists in the struggle for a socialist Ireland. NATIONAL secretary of the Young Socialists, Dave Ashby, drew attention to points in the main resolution.

When the election results had been announced, he said, demonstrations had taken place in many parts of the country, and the Young Socialists fully supported those workers in Smethwick who chanted 'Griffiths Out'.

There was a feeling among many workers that perhaps the Labour government would do the job. But, during the election campaign, no programme was put forward by the Labour Party to change the conditions under which young workers lived today 'This government has the power to compel you to pay taxes, to fight on behalf of British imperialism overseas, but you do not have the right to vote-this is the justification of this conference,' he said.

The aim of the Young Socialists was to build a revolutionary party to take the power out of the hands of the capitalist class. Young people had an indispensable role to play in building this party.

'We believe they will fulfil this role because this is a real youth movement,' said Ashby.

Many people had said if the Labour government was as bad as the Young Socialists said it was, how was it that workers had voted for it? What alternative was there? they had asked.

'When we talk about leadership today, we are talking about answering that question.' There was no alternative provided by the Communist Party.

Their secretary John Gollan had demanded the right to speak on television, where he said the Communist Party was a little better than the Labour leaders. He called for a new, peoples' Britain. But the Chartists had demanded this in 1848.

Chairman of the Party Stanley talked about a communist in-

ON SUNDAY MORNING fraternal greeting were given to the conference by representatives of the American Committee for the Fourth International and Spartacist, The Spanish Workers' Trade Union • Alliance_(ASO), Indian Socialist Party, Danish Socialist Youth Forum, Révoltes (France), Workers' Vanguard of Greece,, and the Socialist Labour League.

Speaking on behalf of the Socialist Labour League, its national secretary, G. Healy, said:

6 It is with great pleasure and a lot of pride that I bring to you fraternal greetings from the Central Committee of the Socialist Labour League. This is the first conference of the Young Socialists where the Socialist Labour League has intervened publicly.

Of course it is not the first conference behind which the members of the Young Socialists who are members of the Socialist Labour League have acted under the guidance and instruction of our organisation. We began the fight inside the Labour Party in 1960 and in 1963 and 1964 the overwhelming majority of Young Socialists in Britain had declared for the policies of my organisation. We won outright a victory against both the Gaitskell leadership and the Wilson leadership inside the Labour Party.

The Young Socialists who are Gerry Healy, national secretary of the SLL assembled here this morning have a great past because they alone stood up and warned the working class of the dangers which face them as a result of the betrayals of the right wing of the Labour Party.

No matter how powerful this right wing might seem to be, and they have now a considerable majority in parliament, the right wing cannot build a youth movement. They have failed completely to build a youth movement because the moment young people come into the Labour Party, at that moment they come out in opposition to the right wing.

The conference which was held last November at Malvern was a farce. There was no proper discussion, no decisions carried which could have any weight on the leadership in the Labour Party, at that moment, they come take away whatever rights the Young Socialists enjoyed.

The same applies to the Young Communist League which held a conference just over a year ago. At that conference no resolutions were permitted. Young Communist League branches were not allowed to put forward a single resolution on policy. The whole conference centred on a statement from one of the older leaders.

Therefore the Young Socialists must take pride in the way in alliance between the Young Socialists and the adult movement. That is why if today some older trade unionists hesitate before they fight, it is not because they don't want to fight, it is because they don't trust their leaders and they • have not yet reached the point where they can see a new leadership coming up. The big task is to demonstrate that this leadership can be built from the youth in alliance with the older trade union workers. This is an enormous task and great patience is required.

At the same time I want to address those older trade unionists who might look unkindly on the youth.• It is impossible to build a socialist movement in Britain without the youth in the vanguard. For the older workers it is essential that they place all their experience at the disposal of the youth; that they encourage and assist them to take up positions of responsibility in the working class movement.

Therefore, if there is a single message which the Socialist Labour League wants to bring before this conference it is this: unite youth and older workers together and fight together the great struggles that lie ahead against the Wilson government. 9 The US fraternal speaker said: 6 On behalf of the Spartacist and the American Committee for the Fourth International I wish to convey to the 6th annual conference the fraternal greetings of the American comrades. I also speak as a member of the Cornell Youth Socialist League which is

concerned with issues like exploitation, racialism and imperialWe are grateful for the forthright opposition shown by the comrades in the Young Socialists over Vietnam, because they have not been content with verbal action, but have demonstrated to expose the collusion of Wilson with US imperialism.

Youth must follow the lead of the Young Socialists. It is easy for French people to condemn American aggression in Vietnam and for us to condemn French actions, but youth all over the world must break with the policies of their own ruling class and struggle like the Young Socialists to build the basis for the decisive defeat of capitalism as a world system. > TONY BELL (Middlesbrough YS) moved the composite resolutions on nationalization calling for the nationalization of the basic industries, the banks, finance houses and the land, under workers' control.

'In order to increase profits and modernise industry the employers need to drive down the standards of the working class. They can only raise money from the backs of the working class. The role of the Labour Party is as an accomplice of the employers.

We call for Wilson to nationalize the steel industry, not in the same form as already used, where the nationalized industries have been used to back up private enterprise. We call for nationalization in which the employers are completely expropriated.' Bill Bolton Bill Bolton of stewards' committee Bros.:

'I am a member of Party and of Walton

, from eeches this movement can go Dave Ashby, nutional secretary of the YS, ums up discission on resolution 'Socialism and Youth'. which they have been carrying out their work this weekend.

I should like to say something about the months ahead. We are in a very serious political situation. For over 17 months of Labour government, it has not been the policy of the British electorate which has decided the policies, it is the policy of the international bankers, and they will come more and more into the open and interfere in the affairs of the labour movement.

When the White Paper on anti-trade union legislation was published before the election, it was a concession to international business. This White Paper is a A. Roa, representing the Workers' Trade Union Alliance (ASO) of Spain, said that ASO had already shown a good deal of what could be done if the workers got together to defend and protect their social and political interests.

'Of course we are still an illegal organisation in Spain, but through our Commissions and Federations of Industries we are going forward to establish freedom for the Spanish people. Over the last two years the most important demonstrations and strikes in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia have been led by militants of the ASO. DAVE TEMPLE (Bell Green) introducing this vital resolution and discussion, said: 6 The fight against trade union legislation is not new in the trade union movement but has gone on ever since workers got together to fight for better wages and conditions. Throughout the whole of history, employers have given nothing, but every improvement has been fought for by the militant fight of the trade unions. Police have been used with dogs to break up picket lines, the army used as scab labour on the docks by the 1945 Labour government. The press, mouthpiece of the employers, has spread lies and propaganda. The Cowlev workers have learned the lessons of what the press can do. Even the union leaders after cheir enquiries have said there was nothing more sinister than an 'Oxford de-bagging', but the press blew it up to discredit the workers.

Over the past 20 years no major struggle of workers has been defeated. Wage claims have been fought for and won. The working class is more confident than ever before.

In their crisis, British capitalists face the government with a demand that the trade unions be curbed because the crisis is so deep they cannot afford to give the kind of wages British workers want. The Tories have wanted to bring in laws for a long time, but have been unable to do so.

The unemployed demonstration in 1963 gave some indication of the strength of the working class. It gave such a fright to the Tory leaders that they were forced to bring in boom conditions and get rid of unemployment. This strengthened further the working class by creating a labour shortage. The Tories were forced to go into a General Election where they handed over power to a Labour government.

The Labour Party was founded to fight anti-trade union legislation after the Taff Vale case. Legislation is now proposed by those traitors to the working class. against socialism. The! whose jobs and powe to them by the grace ing class.

Against this legisla the rank and file of unions, the Young So Socialist Labour Leag working-class organisa prepare and organise full united strength o The decision to cal paign for January 26 tion was initiated by Council, but it was ta made a success by thi enthusiasm of the Yo think there is are h ists. If there are tween the Young Sor adult trade unionists 26th gave them their : working class will lis Young Socialists. The delegation from was the result of wr Young Socialists.

What a change from demonstration on Mai Trades Council was wi we have now been ren the record of the TL not know who Mr. thinks he is to wipe workers from the reco the fight against leg administrative action. going forward. We enough of patting thes on the back. The ful workers on the jobs used.

The Lambeth Trad

comes policy.

'The only way the working class can increase wages is by struggle,' said Ashby.

Many Communist Party members would not take the line of the Party and would work together with the Young Socialists, he added.

The more you are able to bring young workers into the Young Socialists, developing and training them to appeal to more young workers, bring them into the Young Socialists and take them through the experiences of the Labour government in the next few years, the more you will build an alternative leadership,' said Ashby. scandal and a shame for the whole movement.

The fight to remove this anti-trade union legislation is going to be a long and bitter struggle. So Young Socialists have been in the forefront of the struggle. But we cannot rest on our laurels, what we have done is only a small thing.

Lastly, let me say that we cannot win a victory for socialism in Britain without unity between the older workers and the youth. We must have the maximum unity established with the working class in the factories and the major industries. That is why the Young Socialists must be the most active trade. unionists.

This is the most urgent question of the day, to build an 'Our intention is to secure a united front in the workers' struggle all over the world and particularly in Spain. In the last two years many militants have been arrested because of their struggle to restore better conditions for the Spanish workers and I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to you to support some of them who are due for trial.' The conference carried a resolution unanimously:

'This conference's attention has been drawn to the re-arrest and re-opening of the trial of Jesus Gonzalez Quesada, Mariano Nuero, Antonio Nogues and Manuel Fernandez Montesinos Garcia, members of the Workers' Trade Union Alliance, because of their support for a petition for wage increases, rights of trade unions and attendance at the ICFTU in Amsterdam in July 1965. On behalf of the Young Socialists, trade unionists, students and British individuals we demand of the Spanish government that these workers be released at once.' The conference agreed to send this resolution to Mr. Solis, Minister Secretary of the Movement; Mr. Oriol, Minister of Justice, and Mr. Garralde, Magistrate of the Tribunal of Public Order of Spain.

Letters of support for the Young Socialists' Conference came from the Unofficial Portworkers' Committee Hull, the shop stewards committee, Northern Abrasives, Northern Ireland, Lines Bros., Ireland, and Short Bros. & Harlands, Beltast.

What they are asking us to do is to tell everybody we are going on strike, to submit wage claims to the governient. If we go on strike within three months, individual workers can be made to pay up to f500 or go to jail. Look what it would mean to a building worker who knows if he does not go on strike now, in three months it will be too late and the employer will be able to plan the work so men are redundant in three months.

This is directed against the car industry where men have been able to bump up wages by immediate unofficial action.

It means that now wage claims are political struggles against the state, and it gives the Young Socialists the opportunity to unite with older workers.

The 'Daily Worker' has said very little about trade union legislation. When we called for support for the Lambeth Trades Council, we backed it up with the organisation of the Young Socialists. We were able to unite workers. The Communist Party at this time, worried by the fact that the Young Socialists were gaining support from their rank-and-file, organised their own sectarian lobby and united with the police to prevent the Young Socialists taking part. They failed.

This conference must call for our fight to continue. For massive demonstration! No laws against the trade unions; Throw out the Wilson traitors! 9 Vivienne Mendelson (Lambeth Trades Council): 6 The decision to legislate against the trade unions is the most urgent task before the Labour government to solve the economic crisis to provide the necessary investment to modernise industry, to increase the rate of profit. They do not care how many militants have to go to jail, how many trade unionists' homes are sold up to pay fines, how many are blacklisted for fighting for wages and conditions. They have their agents in the Labour government and the TUC.

Wilson and Brown are not mistaken people who should be given a chance. They are people who have decided for capitalism and is calling for day stoppage against union legislation abor after the budget. Thi will be combined with demonstration seen in many years, to show t not stand by and allor unions to be broken. last demonstration, op the legislation has gro will fight against this. help of the Young Sor the comrades from unions here today, we this strike an outstandi We will and can legislation. We call fo mum unity with the Party, with the Doc Committe-now show really want to fight as trade union legislatiol for the one-day strike against the trade unions! 9 An AEU shop sten Liverpool:

I am a great adm Young Socialists and t Labour League, but I : disturbing that we mı side our own organisati the leadership. We pas stantial salaries, but sitting on their backsi for next year's Hono come out. There is a apathy in the trade many people think 1 socialist government enough. The Bill is ma ately vague, but of co be interpreted by judges or the House and they will not be of the working class.' Alan Winn (Normar Socialists) said attended Labour Part before the election and candidate some que legislation, but found h

JACK WILLIAMSON (West Hartlepool YS) moving a resolution on mining said the Coal Board had ignored the advice of experienced miners who warned that certain types of machinery would ruin the seams in some Durham pits. Now the pits were closed, thousands of pounds Constituency Party. union, the NUVB, ' Early Warning Bill vetting proposals. Her this hall, we have a u and trade unionist which will lead Brita to a socialist state. for a long and bitti but we can and must the legislation becom shall use it to knock in the coffin of car

NEW Page hr

given a chance in its 17 months. But 24 hours would have been enough to nationalize all the banks and land and ask the capitalists to take the first available ship to New York, but this was not done.' Shop steward at Shardlows, Sheffield, Ron Roberts:

'You should know and feel your own strength. You have heard from plenty of people who have told you that you cannot achieve anything. But many times we have stopped employers pushing us backward. You have very experienced leaders, such as Gerry Healy, Cliff Slaughter and others.

I was frustrated and dropped out of activity and now realise it was wrong. I saw the old age pensions lobby in Sheffield and thought about how the Communist Party did not hold lobbies like that, but the Young Socialists did.

I noticed them on various lobbies, and they came to our factory and 1 gradually began to get associated with them.

A lot of people are noticing you and are coming back into activity. You are progressing.

RISING 1916 tendencies in the Irish labour movement which held back its political development.

This applies especially to the question of the Catholic Church.

And so, after the brutal suppression which followed Easter Week, the Irish workers' movement was unable to rebuild its independent leadership.

Connolly's execution, insisted upon by the Liberal Prime Minister Asquith, left behind only the confusion of nationalism.

The Citizen Army vanished from the scene. Governing via an Irish bourgeois state, imperialism continued to exploit the Irish workers.

But the real traditions of 1916 are not dead.

They are continued in the building of a Marxist party which can best honour Connolly's memory by learning from his errors.

concerned with issues like exploitation, racialism and imperialism.

We are grateful for the forthright opposition shown by the comrades in the Young Socialists over Vietnam, because they have not been content with verbal action, but have demonstrated to expose the collusion of Wilson with US imperialism.

Youth must follow the lead of the Young Socialists. It is easy for French people to condemn American aggression in Vietnam and for us to condemn French actions, but youth all over the world must break with the policies of their own ruling class and struggle like the Young Socialists to build the basis for the decisive defeat of capitalism as a world system. > TONY BELL (Middlesbrough YS) moved the composite resolutions on nationalization calling for the nationalization of the basic industries, the banks, finance houses and the land, under workers' control.

'In order to increase profits and modernise industry the employers need to drive down the standards of the working class. They can only raise money from the backs of the working class. The role of the Labour Party is as an accomplice of the employers.

We call for Wilson to nationalize the steel industry, not in the same form as already used, where the nationalized industries have been used to back up private enterprise. We call for nationalization in which the employers are completely expropriated' Mining JACK WILLIAMSON (West Hartlepool YS) moving a resolution on mining said the Coal Board had ignored the advice of experienced miners who warned that certain types of machinery would ruin the seams in some Durham pits. Now the pits were closed, thousands of pounds Bill Bolton Bill Bolton of the shop stewards' committee, Andrew Bros.:

'I am a member of the Labour Party and of Walton Divisional Constituency Party. I, and my union, the NUVB, oppose the Early Warning Bill and wagevetting proposals. Here, today, in this hall, we have a united youth and trade unionist leadership which will lead Britain forward to a socialist state. We are in for a long and bitter struggle, but we can and must win. When the legislation becomes law, we shall use it to knock more nails in the coffin of capitalism. If man.' Philip Leary (Bermondsey Young Socialists) :

"The lobby of local MPs before the General Election was part of a national campaign. So-called left MPs were not prepared to against their leaders. The police were called in at East London when a question on legislation was put to the MP. We can see also that the Communist Party is not prepared to give any leadership to the working class. They called the police and tried to use force to keep us out of their demonstration, but we were able to win over a number of adult workers.' Ranjan Fernando (LSSP London section): Many people say the Labour government was not page

our NEWSLETTE Ap ril

which they have been carrying out their work this weekend.

I should like to say something about the months ahead. We are in a very serious political situation. For over 17 months of Labour government, it has not been the policy of the British electorate which has decided the policies, it is the policy of the international bankers, and they will come more and more into the open and interfere in the affairs of the labour movement.

When the White Paper on anti-trade union legislation was published before the election, it was concession to international business. This White Paper is scandal and a shame for the whole movement.

The fight to remove this anti-trade union legislation is going to be a long and bitter struggle. So far the Young Socialists • have been in the forefront of the struggle. But we cannot rest on our laurels, what we have done is only a small thing.

Lastly, let me say that we cannot win a victory for socialism in Britain without unity between the older workers and the youth. We must have the maximum unity established with the working class in the factories and the major industries. That is why the Young Socialists must be the most active trade unionists.

This is the most urgent question of the day, to build an alliance between the Young Socialists and the adult movement. That is why if today some older trade unionists hesitate before they fight, it is not because they don't want to fight, it is because they don't trust their leaders and they have not yet reached the point where they can see a new leadership coming up. The big task is to demonstrate that this leadership can be built from the youth in alliance with the older trade union workers. This is an enormous task and great patience is required.

At the same time I want to address those older trade unionists who might look unkindly on the youth. It is impossible to build a socialist movement in Britain without the youth in the vanguard. For the older workers it is essential that they place all their experience at the disposal of the youth; that they encourage and assist them to take up positions of responsibility in the working class movement.

Therefore, if there is a single message which the Socialist Labour League wants to bring before this conference it is this: unite youth and older workers together and fight together in the great struggles that lie ahead against the Wilson government. 9 The US fraternal speaker said: ‹ On behalf of the Spartacist and the American Committee for the Fourth International I wish to convey to the 6th annual conference the fraternal greetings of the American comrades. I also speak as a member of the Cornell Youth Socialist League which is A. Roa, representing the Workers' Trade Union Alliance (ASO) of Spain, said that ASO had already shown a good deal of what could be done if the workers got together to defend and protect their social and political interests.

'Of course we are still an illegal organisation in Spain, but through our Commissions and Federations of Industries we are going forward to establish freedom for the Spanish people. Over the last two years the most important demonstrations and strikes in Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia have been led by militants of the ASO.

'Our intention is to secure a united front in the workers' struggle all over the world and particularly in Spain. In the last two years many militants have been arrested because of their struggle to restore better conditions for the Spanish workers and I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to you to support some of them who are due for trial.' A. Roa The conference carried a resolution unanimously:

'This conference's attention has been drawn to the re-arrest and re-opening of the trial of Jesus Gonzalez Quesada, Mariano Nuero, Antonio Nogues and Manuel Fernandez Montesinos Garcia, members of the Workers' Trade Union Alliance, because of their support for a petition for wage increases, rights of trade unions and attendance at the ICFTU in Amsterdam in July 1965. On behalf of the Young Socialists, trade unionists, students and British individuals we demand of the Spanish government that these workers be released at once?

The conference agreed to send this resolution to Mr. Solis, Minister Secretary of the Movement; Mr. Oriol, Minister of Justice, and Mr. Garralde, Magistrate of the Tribunal of Public Order of Spain.

Letters of support for the Young Socialists' Conference came from the Unofficial Portworkers' Committee Hull, the shop stewards committee, Northern Abrasives, Northern Ireland, Lines Bros., Ireland, and Short Bros. & Harlands, Belfast. DAVE TEMPLE (Bell Green) introducing this vital resolution and discussion, said: 6 The fight against trade union legislation is not new in the trade union movement but has gone on ever since workers got together to fight for better wages and conditions. Throughout the whole of history, employers have given nothing, but every improvement has been fought for by the militant fight of the trade unions. Police have been used with dogs to break up picket lines, the army used as scab labour on the docks by the 1945 Labour government. The press, mouthpiece of the employers, has spread lies and propaganda. The Cowley workers have learned the lessons of what the press can do. Even the union leaders after cheir enquiries have said there was nothing more sinister than an 'Oxford de-bagging', but the press blew it up to discredit the workers.

Over the past 20 years no major struggle of workers has been defeated. Wage claims have been fought for and won. The working class is more confident than ever before.

In their crisis, British capitalists face the government with a demand that the trade unions be curbed because the crisis is so deep they cannot afford to give the kind of wages British workers want. The Tories have wanted to bring in laws for a long time, but have been unable to do so.

The unemployed demonstration in 1963 gave some indication of the strength of the working class. It gave such a fright to the Tory leaders that they were forced to bring in boom conditions and get rid of unemployment. This strengthened further the working class by creating a labour shortage. The Tories were forced to go into a General Election where they handed over power to a Labour government.

The Labour Party was founded to fight anti-trade union legislation after the Taff Vale case. Legislation is now proposed by those traitors to the working class. Pay What they are asking us to do is to tell everybody we are going on strike, to submit wage claims to the governient. If we go on strike within three months, individual workers can be made to pay up to f500 or go to jail. Look what it would mean to a building worker who knows if he does not go on strike now, in three months it will be too late and the employer will be able to plan the work so men are redundant in three months.

This is directed against the car industry where men have been able to bump up wages by immediate unofficial action.

It means that now wage claims are political struggles against the state, and it gives the Young Socialists the opportunity to unite with older workers.

The Daily Worker' has said very little about trade union legislation. When we called for support for the Lambeth Trades Council, we backed it up with the organisation of the Young Socialists. We were able to unite workers. The Communist Party at this time, worried by the fact that the Young Socialists were gaining support from their rank-and-file, organised their own sectarian lobby and united with the police to prevent the Young Socialists taking part. They failed.

This conference must call for our fight to continue. For massive demonstration! No laws against the trade unions; Throw out the Wilson traitors! 9 Vivienne Mendelson (Lambeth Trades Council): 6 The decision to legislate against the trade unions is the most urgent task before the Labour government to solve the economic crisis to provide the necessary investment to modernise industry, to increase the rate of profit. They do not care how many militants have to go to jail, how many trade unionists' homes are sold up to pay fines, how many are blacklisted for fighting for wages and conditions. They have their agents in the Labour government and the TUC.

Wilson and Brown are not mistaken people who should be given a chance. They are people who have decided for capitalism and BOUR HA Dave Ten ple against socialism. They are people whose jobs and power are given to them by the grace of the ruling class.

Against this legislation, we in the rank and file of the trade unions, the Young Socialists, the Socialist Labour League and all working-class organisations, must prepare and organise to use the full united strength of the class.

decision to call the campaign for January 26 demonstration was initiated by our Trades Council, but it was taken up and made a success by the work and enthusiasm of the Young Socialthere are people who think there is a difference tween the Young Socialists and adult trade unionists, 26th gave them their answer. The working class will listen to the Young Socialists. The enormous delegation from Liverpool was the result of work by the Young Socialists.

What a change from the pitiful demonstration on March 1. Trades Council was witch-hunted, we have now been removed from the record of the TUC. I do not know Mr. Woodcock thinks he is to wipe out 11,000 workers from the records or stop the fight against legislation administrative action.

YY C going forward. hav enough of patting these left MPs on the back. The full action of workers on the jobs must be The Lambeth Trades Council calling one-day stoppage against anti-trade union legislation about a after the budget. This stoppage will be combined with the biggest demonstration seen in London for many years, to show that we will not stand by and allow the trade unions to be broken. Since the last demonstration, opposition to the legislation has grown. People will fight against this. With the help of the Young Socialists and the comrades from the trades unions hene today, we can make this strike an outstanding success.

We will and defeat this legislation. We call for the maximum unity with the Communist Party, with the Docks Liaison Committe-now show us if you really want to fight against anti-trade union legislation. All out for the one-day strike! No laws against the trade unions! 9 An AEU shop Liverpool:

I am great admirer of the Young Socialists and the Socialist Labour League, but I find it very disturbing that we must go outside our own organisations to fight the leadership. We pay them substantial salaries, sitting on their backsides waiting for next year's Honours List come out. There is a tremendous apathy in the trade unions as many people think have socialist government and that's enough. The Bill is made deliberately vague, but of course it will interpreted Court judges or the House of Lords, and they will not be in favour of the working class.' Alan Winn (Normanton Young Socialists) youth had attended Labour Party meetings before the election and asked the candidate questions legislation, but found him evasive.' this campaign is carried out to its ultimate conclusion, we shall have a government which knows it must do what we want, and not what the monopolies want.' A T&GWU member from the Surrey Docks: 'We are up against corrupt union officials, and on my own docks we have had many examples of our officials going over to the employers. The modernisation of the docks industry means that a gang of 12 will be cut down to three and a Stacatruck, and new cranes of the type which killed one of our men at Tilbury. We have to fight not only these laws, but also our corrupt oflicials?

Mike Singh (Bradford Young Socialists):

'The Labour government tried to split the working class by the Immigration Bill. We must fight for the unity of the working class, white and coloured, as we will all be sent to jail if we go on strike. We must campaign around the factories and shop stewards' committees and call for the reinstatement of the LTC!

member of joint shop stewards' committee, Massey Ferguson: 'I would like to request that you get hold of as many active trade unionists and stewards who have got access to the ears of many people, to support by any means you can the fight against legislation.' Another steward from Massey Ferguson asked: 'Why don't they legislate against the procedural agreements which were forced on the unions, not against the unions.' A young shop steward from the Hendon District: "I came here for the first time and have been very surprised by your dedication and sinceritv and I know we have things in common. In our factory we are fighting for recognition. The employer will not recognise the committee and we are now in deadlock, and this could be serious. We cannot accept legislation against the trade unions. To accept it would be to do away with what our forefathers have fought for.

Chris Reid of Washwood Heath AEU, a worker from Tractor and Transmissions: 'It is obvious that Wilson is moving towards a corporate state. If he thinks that by doing this he is going to prevent the working class fighting for better conditions, he has another think coming, because we have to ensure that there is a total involvement in any strike.

It was not democratic for a bunch of workers at Cowley to fine men who had ratted on them, but it is democratic for the capitalist state to fine a man for fighting for higher wages.

i was a beaten man two years ago. I had gone through 30 years of frustration with my attempts to fight for socialism. Many workers feel like this, and they must be brought together with the Young Socialists.

'Be patient with older workers Try to do for them what you have done for me. Since the Blackpool Lobby, I am a changed

THE events in Dublin in Easter Week 1916 have long since become a legend. In this way, the struggle of Connolly, Pearse and their comrades against British imperialism has been sealed off from later struggles.

The canonisation of Connolly has well served those who have for 50 years betrayed everything he stood for: the interests both of Ireland and of the international working class. To grasp the lessons of the Easter rising, we must see the errors and weaknesses of its leaders, as well as their heroism.

This insurrection was an attempt to liberate Ireland from British rule, largely based on a workers' army, the Irish Citizen Army.

We must therefore see the rising and its defeat not only as a stage in Ireland's centuries-long battle against national oppression. It was also part of the struggle of the world working class against imperialism.

TWO Like such movements in more recent times, Irish nationalism combined two trends.

For the masses of workers and peasants it was a fight against the hunger and degradation caused by the rule of English landlords and capitalists.

For many middle-class leaders, however, it involved gaining the right for an Irish ruling class to exploit their 'own' workers.

At each crucial stage in the struggle the middle-class leaders feared that the rights of property were in danger, and compromised with the British state.

In the 20th century, a new element came on the scene. The unskilled workers of Dublin began to organise a powerful trade union movement. Led by men like Larkin and Connolly, they united to pull themselves out of the poverty to which exploitation by both English and Irish bosses condemned them.

The middle-class nationalists told them they had more in common with Irish capitalists than with English workers. The priests tried to set Catholic workers against Protestant.

But in the lock-out of Dublin transport workers in 1913, Larkin and Connolly were able to break down these obstacles. It was aid from English trade unionists which helped to fight the Irish employers.

In the course of this struggle the Irish Citizen army was formed to protect pickets against police brutality. Initially 'armed' with hurley sticks and staves, these workers organised themselves into, a disciplined fighting force.

ISSUES POSED

The following year saw the outbreak of the world war. The issues were sharply posed before both Irish nationalism and the labour movement.

Redmond, leader of the Home Rule movement, at once declared support for British imperialism. The Irish Volunteers, a nationalist fighting force controlled by Redmond, was in confusion.

The more radical Irish Republican Brotherhood within it, although refusing to support - the imperialist war, would not break away from the Volunteers. As in other countries, right-wing labour leaders tried to hold back any action in opposition to the war.

But for Connolly, now leading both the Citizen Army and the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union, the war presented a tremendous opportunity. He set out to prepare for armed struggle, with the workers in the vanguard, taking every advantage of Britain's difficulties.

Liberty Hall, the IT&GWU headquarters, became a munitions factory and a military training centre.

Connolly did not see simply as an Irish question.

'Starting thus,' he wrote, 'Ireland may yet set the torch to a European conflagration that will not burn out until the last throne and the last capitalist bond and debenture will be shrivelled on the funeral pyre of the last war lord.' CO-OPERATION Meanwhile, the Irish Republican Brotherhood had planned for a revolt, aided by arms from Germany. Early in 1916, Connolly decided to bring the Citizen Army into co-operation with these plans. The revolt was set for Easter Sunday, when both the Army and the Volunteers were to mobilise.

But, following the capture of Roger Casement, and the loss of a shipload of arms from Germany, the Volunteer leaders lost their nerve. On Good Friday, Connolly was old that they had counternanded the mobilisatio orders.

Connolly and some of the Volunteers in Dublin decided to proceed in any case. Fighting began on Easter Monday. Defeat was a foregone conclusion.

Why did Connolly push forward so insistently? It seems likely that he thought there was a danger of the war ending before advantage had been taken of it.

He threw the Citizen Army into a desperate effort to spark off a nationwide, and indeed, an international struggle.

REPUDIATION

Lenin, writing in Switzerland a few weeks later, firmly repudiated all those doctrinaires in the international socialist movement who condemned the Rising as a 'putsch'. In his pamphlet "The Discussion on Self Determination Summed Up', he. wrote:

"The misfortune of the Irish is that they have risen prematurely when the European revolt of the proletariat has not yet matured.

•.. Only in premature, partial, scattered and therefore unsuccessful revolutionary movements do the masses gain experience, acquire knowledge, gather strength, get to know their real leaders, the socialist proletarians and in this way prepare for a general onslaught.' Both Lenin and Connolly understood the relation bey tween the Easter Rising and the international struggles.

Both recognised the significance of action being taken against imperialism by sections of both the working class and the petty bourgeoisie.

Both acknowledged that even unsuccessful struggles of this kind were necessary preparations for future victories. As revolutionaries they knew that it was impossible to act only when success was guaranteed in advance.

But these parallels between the ideas of Lenin and of Connolly in 1916 are limited. Lenin was working and thinking not merely about particular actions, but about the reorganisation of the entire international labour movement.

Continued

TANKER drivers at the unofficial strike for by the management of a General Workers' Union. tinue the sto paige, Some oi ket somfrd press emingham desidedy on My day no con- he si drivers on strike at bromore bridge. ment; they say the recruitment of a new driver from a source other than the union is a contravention both of a national agreement and of a local verbal agreement between the union and a former manager at Bromford Bridge.

This local agreement has worked extremely well, say the drivers. Esso is reported to have rejected the workers' claim that their union must control recruitment. A special meeting in the day failed to produce an agreement.

All essential supplies to hospitals, emergency services and fire stations are being maintained. The drivers also agreed to deliver fuel to Hams Hall and Rugeley power stations, in order to avoid load-shedding and consequent hardship to other workers.

Some garages in the West Midlands are having to ration petrol; others are completely 'dry'. Industry was also affected to some extent.

This appears to be yet another instance of the general pattern of managements trying to undermine trade union organisation.

Night

work ban in Hull MASS meeting of over 2,000 Hull dockers decided last week-end to continue their ban on week-end and night working.

They decided also to suspend the weekly one-day token strikes for a further two weeks to give the employers an opportunity to negotiate on piece rates and fallback pay.

After the meeting, Harry Spaven, chairman of the unofficial portworkers' committee, told The Newsletter that it was still possible for a man to go home from the Hull docks with as little as f2 8s. after a hard day's work. As long as some men were receiving inadequate pay of this sort, there would be dissatisfaction on the Hull docks.

Earlier Mr. Spaven made some comments on the recent activities in Hull by the Moral Re-Armament organisation, which: had shown a film 'Men of Brazil' in a local cinema.

"To bring : this film into Hull when the port is in dispute can only be propaganda against the dock worker,' he said.

He added that the film represented strike leaders as 'thugs and con-men', and reminded him of the press stories whipped up about intimidation and terrorism on the Hull docks when the dispute began.

'The film won't break box office records with dockers, although it may with employers,' he said.

page For the masess to 'gain experience' there had to be a party to draw the conclusions in theory and practice. Precisely because of the unevenness of the struggles in different countries, an international leadership has to fight for theoretical clarity.

That is why the heroism of Connolly and of the young working men and women who fought with him against insuperable odds was not enough.

Connolly, for all his important contributions to socialist theory, could not carry through a consistent all-sided fight for Marxism.

Instead of building a Marxist party as Lenin did, he compromised with many of the Registered at the G.P.O Newsletter, S.W.4 as a newspaper Published by The [Soa Clapham High Street, London Printed by Plough Press Ltd. (U). r.O. 180 Clapham High Street, London, S.W.4 e main Esso oil depot in the Midlands have been on over a week in protest against the alleged signing-on new driver not recruited through the Transport and The T&GWU say they have a list of members who want to work for the firm. All trade unionists must be firm in resisting such nibbling away at the rights, living standards and security of employment which a strong union organisation gives them.

On Tuesday the strike spread to the Esso bulk depot at Hockley, Birmingham, where 12 drivers came out in support of accace on monday to con the Bromford Bridge men.

As a result of a further meeting on Wednesday it was recommended the strike be made official and support requested from the company's depots in other parts of the country. Strikers gave enthusiastic support to this development.

"The management seem to have the idea the lads were not solid behind this strike. Now they will see,' said one driver.

Anti-trade union jaw I'he Communist Party shop stewards' committee at Shardlows retused to support your January 26 lobby but was shamed into supporting the March 1 campaign and got delegates to support the lobby. The MPs said the Young Socialists did not gain anything on January 26you only scared them.

You are doing something and impressing a lot of people. Quite a lot of us were in the Communist Party but we can't write off Communist Party members or we would have to write off ourselves. If you want to get a one-day stoppage, you must get to these people who are led by the Communist Party. I know you can win, and I know you will.' Alan Jackson, DATA and Young Socialists:

'My union branch supported Lambeth Trades Council and we have a resolution on the agenda of our annual conference calling for support for the campaign against anti-trade-union legislation. We have seen vicious attacks by the press on the trade unions, as at Cowley, and this legislation is leading to a fascist state as in Germany!

Interests

Cliff Slaughter, SLL: It is now 60 years or more since trade unionists formed the Labour Party. Its purpose was, and is to represent the interests of trade unionists in the capitalist parliament. Now this group of men in privileged jobs with high salaries and political careers propose a Bill to legislate against the trade unions.

If anybody wants to know how Wilson and Co. will respond to pressure, we can see it now. What he is doing now is responding to the pressure of the organised trade unions, and of the banks. He responds by accepting their orders, and he responds to the pressure of the working class by working out his own strategy to hold back the working class.

We are out to put on that pressure so that other workers can see an exposure of the Labour leaders and see a new leadership built in struggle. The present leadership was formed outside the working class and fed into the labour movement, promoted by the trade union bosses.

Other speakers have drawn attention to the fact that British capitalism, being outdated, finds itself in a difficult position on the international market and must, therefore, get funds to invest in industry to modernise it. But they are stopped from getting money from the workers by the trade unions. It becomes necessary for them to break the organisation of the working class. It is the only way they have to prevent the rate of profit coming down.

But this is only a part of the explanation. This tendency towards the integration of the unions into the state is seen all over the world. Because of the traitorous character of the labour and communist movements, preventing a socialist solution, capi-

Italism has won of crises.

Automation makes private ownership out of date. The capitalists must introduce some form of planning and move towards the corporate state. There is no longer any possibility of trade unions winning reforms just like that. It needs a leadership which turns to the struggles of the mass of the workers and not only to the privileged stratum at the top.

Attacks on the working class are being supported by the Labour leadership. The outcome of the fight depends on the building of leadership which is steeled, internationally, in the fight against these reformist leaders and the bureaucracy. This fight against bureaucracy has been going on for 40 years.

F.I. unsullied Only the banner of the Fourth International remains unsullied in the battle against bureaucracy.

The fight against legislation is the fight for a new leadership which can overthrow capitalist state power and bring in the power of the working class. We work towards ridding the working class of parliamentary illusions. Parties serve classes. We must make it impossible for the Labour government to continue to carry out the decisions of the bankers.

We have confidence that thousands of workers and shop stewards can stop this legislation.

The vote for Wilson is not a vote for his policies. The Budget will carry even further the attacks of the bankers. The campaign to defend the trade unions can rally thousands of workers to defeat these attacks.

In the course of this a revolutionary leadership will be built to lead the working class to its power.' apprentices' strike, and I could not get back into the industry until two years ago. I went into the docks and was on the Salford Docks Liaison Committee. I have been fined for collecting money in support of other dockers on strike.

*I would say to the Young Socialists, do not fall for any sort of anti-communism because the gutter press will use it. Workers, Communists and Young Socialists should unite and kick out the anti-trade union laws.' Richard Scott (East Leeds YS): 'The Prices and Incomes Board was introduced at the Labour Party Conference on the understanding that wages of the lowerpaid workers would be brought forward. This is not so. Tory Aubrey Jones was brought on to it. The claim of the railwaymen was turned down, while highly-paid civil servants got a 19 per cent increase. The armed forces received a 15 per cent increase. The bankers did not attempt to hold these back as they did with the old age pensions increase.

The Territorial Army has been the subject of discussion. It is a loose organisation in which many workers have access to arms. Wilson wants to turn it into an armed police force to use against workers.' lization

A day's headlines owe have NYONE reading Wednesthought that Lord Robens, chairman of the National Coal Board, had had a change of heart. Lord Robens Opposed to Making Unofficial Strikes Illegal', 'Robens Attacks Call to Fine Strikers', they said.

But reading on, one found equally dangerous suggestions from the 'miners' friend'.

He was speaking at a hearing by the Royal Commission on Trade Unions and Employers' Associations on Tuesday. He is a member of the Commission.

Politicians speaking during the General Election campaign, he said, were talking through their hats' by advocating fines.

'One must look to the reasons for unofficial strikes, for which there may be good reasons.

"There may be bad management at low level, or, as in industries - says Robens like mine, conditi ins where men work in very dangerous circumstances. I do not think you can put all unofficial strikes in the same category, or that automatic fining is going to be the answer.

He suggested that penalty clauses for 'breach of procedure" should be written into collective agreements. If men did not fulfil their bargain, they should give up some fringe benefits, such as holiday pay!

All unions should be compulsorily registered with the Registrar of Friendly Societies. To be accepted by the Registrar, unions would have to agree to penal clauses in their collective agreements.

There is certainly no disagreements among the representatives of the capitalist class-whichever way they do it, they want to hogtie the unions.

Robens is saying virtually: Don't fine them, penalise them. It is the same side of the coin.

James Hamer, shop steward, AEU, Hawker Siddeley Group:

'Our factory has always identified itself with any sort of lobby and demonstration. I will play my part in making sure the factory will support a national one-day stoppage.

James Hamer I am a member of the Communist Party and proud of it. I have never been disappointed—l never have time. I joined the trade union movement when I started work and was in the

C. Burton, Plumbers Trade Union, Liverpool, No. 2:

'In 1966 there is a lot of discussion on legislation, but have no doubt that my lodge and its members deeply oppose this. We have a fight on our hands. Do not be disturbed by those who say you should not introduce politics into the trade union movement. We can't separate one from the other.' Chris Sames (Southall YS) moving the resolution on wages: 'In introducing the incomes policy, the Labour leaders used the excuse that this was to safeguard the incomes of the lowerpaid workers. We can see how hypocritical this was in connection with the railwaymen, when there was opposition to any increase above 3} per cent even though there was tremendous public support for it?

Tony Guard (Cardiff) moving the emergency resolution on Cowley, Oxford: "The most important aspect of the whole incident was the possibility and necessity of building a revolutionary leadership to take the power. Last month there were a number of press reports on what happened there.

The purpose of the newspaper attacks was to prepare the public opinion for the introduction of his legislation and force the government to bring in more severe legislation.

We do not put this resolution in any spirit of just stating our support. It is our intention to build a leadership for these workers. It proves the crying need for a daily paper, so we are asking you to vote for this resolution and make it a vote for a mass revolutionary youth movement and a daily revolutionary paper with a mass circulation?

YET another ET another large union, the " go on record against the Labour incomes policy.

Four resolutions to come before the union's conference in Torquay next month say that the policy has meant wage restraint without a corresponding control of prices and profit.

A planned growth of wages; they add, can be achieved only under public ownership.

A Chesterfield resolution opposes the proposed legislation to impose the incomes policythen Socialists bad eagle, socialls 1 Oung socialist. Can‹ Larn DetA Trades Council have been campaigning against this legislation, which is, in effect, an attack on the unions, since last October.

Alien

The resolution says that such legislation is 'alien to the traditions of this country. From Bristol comes a resolution demanding that control of pay must Nationa 94,000-strong Union, may government's be matched by a control of prices and dividends.

Fleet Street pundits say it is likely that support for the policy will be continued and that voting will merely reflect the feeling among lower-paid workers.

Recognise attacks

But many workers recognise now the attacks implicit in the proposed legislation.

They must seriously consider joining their brothers in the Transport and General Workers' Union in opposing the incomes policy and putting this into action by joining the Lambeth Trades Council campaign.

worth of machinery was rusting, and miners were on the dole. Only nationalization under workers control of the whole fuel industry could plan the industry properly.

London Airport MIKE DAVIES (Feltham YS) moved the resolution calling on the YS to resist anti-trade-union attacks on the workers at London Airport. There had been big struggles in the 1950s and more recently by the loaders, but these had been sold out. Now a convenor had been victimised for negotiating for a 37-hour week. The YS must organise against these attacks.

Housing & Rents JIMMY BYRNE (Wallasey YS) moved the resolution on housing and rents.

*Harold Wilson must have one of the shortest memories in the country. Not long ago he promised tenants that when Labour got to power he would give them protection against high rent increases, protection from eviction. Up and down the country councils are increasing rents by l5s. or fl a week. All this is part of making the working class pay for the crisis of capitalism in Britain.

In Wallasey rents are to be increased by 14s. 4d. a week. Young Socialists decided to intervene and organised the local tenants' association. We organised a mass demonstration outside the town hall of 1,000 tenants. After seeing this the local Labour Party decided to step in. But their demands have not been against the council, not to stop interest payments, but to have a smaller rent increase.' LIL BURROWS (Wallasey Tenants' Committee) thanked the Young Socialists for their help in this campaign. They had given every assistance to the tenants, publishing leaflets and helping with the distribution.

'We have realised there is no respectable way to fight the increase and we voted unanimously last Friday (April I) to refuse to pay the increase. When we receive our arrears notice and notice to quit we shall put these in our windows and hope that this will encourage the whole of the Borough of Wallasey to halt this increase,' she said.

JEREMY DE ROSE (Crawley YS) said that new towns, far from being a paradise, were company towns where employers decided whether a worker could have a house. The towns were isolated with little or no entertainmentparticularly for young people. There were great opportunities for building big Young Socialist branches.

DANY SYLVEIRE (Willesden YS) moved the resolution on the railways.

The YS demanded an end to compensation payments, the sacking of all ex-directors of private railway companies from the British Railways Board, joint committees to control the industry and the nationalization of all the transport industry. Docks LARRY CAVANAGH (Birkenhead) moved the resolutions on the docks and shipbuilding industries. The Devlin Report had criticised the employers on the docks for not introducing modernisation. They . had not introduced modernisation because they had not been able to smash the dockers.

Dockers and shipbuilding workers had a big struggle to build a revolutionary leadership inside the trade unions. They must support amalgamations only where these are aimed at strengthening the struggle against the employers.

Socialist Labour

NICK PECK (Stoke Newington YS) moved the resolution dealing with the attitude and relations of the Young Socialists towards other political organisations.

The Newsletter had been a big weapon in the fight to break the belief of the working class in social democracy and he called on the Young Socialists to fight to make The Newsletter the first daily Marxist paper.

In the discussion, BILL WEBSTER (Edinburgh) said that he had recently left the Communist Party after fighting to change policies, which had proved unsuccessful because of the methods used. What had impressed him at the conference was that the YS were trying to build a leadership for the working class. The slogans being advanced were far in advance of the watered-down policies put forward by other parties. It was his experience in the Communist Party which had led him to take up membership in the YS.