25, November 26Th, 1977

Published by tbe Communist Party of Britain (,Marxist· Leninist) No 25 Nov 26th 1977 5p THE Labour Government stands isolated as the firemen· s first national strike gathers support from all sections of the working population in Britain. The Government's wage restraint policy stands discredited. The only support for the Labour Government comes from the equally discredited Tory 'opposition'. Labour and Tory leaders alike have been heckled by firemen everywhere in Britain. In Bournemouth one fireman told Thatcher that there was little to choose between the parties. The firm and principled of the strike. In Wembley a stand by the f\remen has won poster asking passing the admiration of everyone in motorists to sound their Britain. The 'backlash' hooters if they supported the encouraged and actively firemen was taken down when whipped up by the Government residents objected to the and the mass media has continuous tooting. turned into its opposite - so The National Association much so that the Government of Fire Officers reaffirmed is conducting a campaign to its instruction to its member$ entice the public against the not to cross picket lines at firemen's just demands. The fire stations. And London Government has the imposs Fire Officers decided to rake ible task of showing that a stronger action against those take-home pay of £4 7 is officers crossing picker lines. luxury living. The Government has Messages of support have shown the bestiality of cap been coming to the firemen's italism by its readiness to headquarters from trade allow people and property to union branches everywhere. burn. It is only the humanity Thousands of signatures have of the firemen that has so far been collected outside fire prevented some of the worst stations and in factories, tragedies from raking place. schools, and offices. In Already the damage to prop Battersea, £1000 was coll erty would pay for the fire ected in the first four days men's claim many times over The AUEW National Public support for the firemen grows to meet this latest Government attack on the working class. Piciure john Sturrock (Report). Committee clears the standing all their hypocrisy this is but a mimmum and industrial muscle. The regarding the need to correct members in the factory shall shorter working week has anomalies. The decision pursue direct domestic been on the agenda for a long decks for a wages fight calls for the direct mobili- improvement over and above time and now, when no-one sation of the membership to this. related to their actual is even predicting a reduction THE decision of the AUEW wage for skilled men from achieve the demand and an earnings. It has the merit of in unemployment, is the time to present to the Engineering £42 to £70 and pro-rata for immediate recall of the Nat- simplicity and is uncluttered ·tor employed brother to join Employers' Federation a other workers, the so-called ional Committee in the event with a long unachievable with unemployed brother in clai.m for a basic £70 weekly semi-skilled and labourers. of rejection by the employers. shopping list. The decks are an arrack on this monstrous wage and a 35-hour week is It rs a partial attempt to The claim should be cleared to attain by nego- capitalist injustice to our the first major· essay in the remedy the ahomolies in the understood as modest in the riation or, in the case of class. new collective bargaining differential problem caused extreme, for few earn as stupidity by the employers, The claim must be dis- period of national importance. by the absurd Social Contract little as £70 a week. The direct action. cussed at factory meetings It affects 3 to 3! million and Incomes Legislation. It achievement of the claim The struggle for a higher with fellow workers, at union workers in the engineering is the first clear rejection: would give little direct gain base-rate for all will help branches and in district industry and will undoubtedly no more income policies: except in holiday credits and those who have not, for committees to involve the be endorsed by all the unions The Engineering Employers overtime pay where worked. whatever reason, been able whole membership in the in the Confederation of Eng and the Confederation of · This has been taken care of to supplement the national fi!>;ht for a living wage, more ineering and Shipbuilding British Industry, are already hOwever for once again the rate, strongs~ .localities leisure for those in work and Unions. It lifts the minimum sounding the alarm, notwith- engineers have insisted that uniting with those lacking in jobs for_rhose unemployed. page 2 Increased THE WEEK WE READ that of the 2246 regis grants ore tered independent schools attended by 6 per cent of Britain's children, all of which are subject to inspec a nght tion, only 1299 (58 per cent) arc recognised as efficient by the IT seems that the bourgeoisie is Department of Education and not content with the cfrorts of the Governmc1ht in its r{ttnck on educa Science. That is why the private tion. Tncrcnsccl tuition fees. redu sector of education will have to go . ced facilities, staff sackings do not satlrfy thE' lhir.~t for destruc tion. AT the Bellman Bookshop (see The rcccntl\· published Hobart PUBLIC l>IEETINGS) a speaker Paper 'Payment by Degrees'. wri from the floor was denouncing tten by two uni\'ersit.\' lecturers, acts of individual terrorism and strongly condemns the existing going on to explain that revolu method of financing students in tion was made by the mass of higher education. They argue that workers. 11 Give the workers 'the direct grant system is ineffic-, ient- one woltld have thought it sticks and muskets •: . she began at which point an interjector sco iJlSUfficient - and pt·opose that ffed, "You're a bit out of date, 'education vouchers' be issued lady". The forceful reply was in which students would 'cash in' at stantaneous. 11 Maybe, but ('d a c0llegc. These vouchers would rather have a million sticks than not meet the full cost of the course one bomb, usually in the hands undertaken: the shm·tfall would be of an amateur, and often in the met by a loan repayable through a hands of a policeman in disguise!" graduate tax on future income- ,.,. ith interest~ Of course this pre supposes the graduate will find a job in the first plrtce: The idea is IN Washington Senor Carillo, sec that such a system would release retary-general of the Spanish finance for new resources and im 'Communist' Party was denounced fhis t'\ovember marks rhe .1;)rd Annivcrs.Jrv of the Albnni~ln Revolution. The establishment prove the prospects for young pea as a scab by striking maintenance of the dictatorship of the proletariat in Albania proved to be a trail blazed for workers piC' wishing to enter furthet· and workers at Yale University when throughout the world. The pic(urc shows miners.from Vnlias ncar Tiran;l. discussing the higher education. As the authors national newspaper of Albnni.:L (Picture \T.\) he crossed a picket line to give a no doubt realise. this will certain lecture. Senor Carillo said "the ly not be the case and even further opp01·tunity to speak should not be education 'economies' will cer denied." tainly resuli. Europe,Japan take up revolutionary tasks There is no douht thnl the pre SC'nt grant system is imperfect . 'MARXlST-Lcninist parties around own experience that the ruling capitalists. We must take full ad ,,·hen only a tiny proportion of all THE Government 1S policy of high the world are rededicating them class in their countries are bent vantage of these contradictions, fulP-time students receive the max unemployment has cost the com only on reaction. They will have selves to revolution . but always in the service of the imum, entirely inadequate, grant. munity almost £20, OOOm since no truck with ideas that colonia Recently five European Mar world and Japanese revolutions. '' What is required is an extension 1974 according to a book just pub list nnd neocolonialist exploitation xlst-Lenini!it parties - those of The stntement points out "The of the grant system, in whlch lished. This huge reserve army Germany, Greece, Italy, Portu by their ruling class is some kind theoreticians of the 1three worlds' every student receives a full grant. of unemployed which serves the of 'a Ilia nee' or 'dialogue 1 with the gal and Spa\n - mu together to have abandoned the struggle aga We will continue to assert that capitalist purpose of weakening discuss the sttuat raclng the so-called 'Third World'. Inst the Japnn·US Security Treaty education Is a right and not a prf workfng class organlsatfon Is worktng class ( ~Ju h· countries. Tho theory of "Three Worlds'', and the restoration of Japanese v\1ege. pa\d by us~ Out of this r.... ctillb came a they say, "strengthens the enem militarism, which are the weapons Joint Declaration* which points ies of revolution and of soctallsm of the Japanese monopoly bourge out that "millions of working peo lt supports the war preparations oisie for its oppression on the ple of our countries are unemplo of USA lmperiallsm and its im Japanese people as well as for its Greek election fraud 11 yed. Millions of worket•s have perialist allies, and "its propo aggression on the foreign coun C:nirf"~st-Leninist comrades Greek people is increased by the abandoned their countries in nents come out more or less open tries, they sing praises to such in Greece have denounced the el collaborationist tactics of revi seat·ch \f a~d minimum li- ly for the bolstering of NATO, the imperiaHst organisations as ections as a shabby trick to delude sionist parties and groups - those ving conditiCJ<~s.

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