Socialist Challenge,328/9 Upper Street, London N1, IS THE British ruling class reaily losing its marbles? Has the sustained effects of the economic crisis and the grim realisation that Britain is no LEOEC HARA OCEHE rate imperialist power finally driven them to despair? It is questions in the affirmative, AUSLLSICLCEEIHYSEIT old ruling confidence appears evaporating. This is expressed not just within the judicinry, the army, the police and the intelligcoce services, but also in the Tavoured ruling sarty of British capital → th OSCTIYC L.
Party, to give it its proper title.
ACIM JOSOn S OUDurSt agalnS the Scarman report on Grunwick is merely the Intest indication of the dedinine political quality of Me SteuRE sCan's TCEInEK were in the immediare interesis of the British ruling class. If anything MMS D UC SATaI Wa defended these and showed hin self to be a shrewder chan Joseph. Even The Economist, which canrr oe accusco ora pro-union hias, commented: "But above all the report provides an abjective acoount of why Nared up: to autboritarian management paye SM WCEIO TEC nCYIECI Asian Tertier and navised ward to weel accept the report before the mass picketingre commenced PROVOCATIVE petty Why then Coilc BE atruck on Scarman and re-echo the remarksof Ward and his advisen З0оП LOIEEHH KONCIE BRIG the National Freedom' (NAFF)? And are the a sora simuas mina uaaas ask Thatcher to appoint Ward as her advisor on industrial relat answer hes In relatianship of loroes within thi Tory party isself.
overthrow of Heath, the party ba risted rapouy mgnswarg vumber of Heathites bave lef parlaibent and are seeking their fortunes COSCW nEIC. lights another interesting feature of contemporary Tor)
Some of tbe more talented and younger ruling class careerists are not being attracted ta Tory politics orto Parliament, buttothe City of London and to the multinationals. There has dedine Hs 1he qunlity lesdership over the last tew years: only a rhoroughly philistine and frustrared party could have electHOSESIET preferenceto Heath.
And yel despitcall this, thereis a pertain logic to Thaicher's victery in the leadershlp stokes. It helpedi to move the Tory party inexorably well to the right and thus renew it appealto those lavers of traditionthird.
answer these class 10 be Unionist politician insensitive, women then did Keich Joseph with hs provocative Association for LT311S areally Influenced b the Since the politics regularly been a noticcable of Tery 25S CLCI hope of winning them Scatland and Wales.
The interests uf workers and capita *Even hough the skull of Josaphathus W38 huge, vou can soo trom its shape A DOI IEU CHRWIO NAIK HIL DUR not much room for a brain." supporteis wno acr disaffected with consensus politiesand wanted a hard line with the It is no secret that Thatcher is the pro country after bouboements of NAFF. In fact, a NAFF ideologue, Robert Moss, is mne of her speech-wrilers and sh ias graced a numher of NAFF But he "social" occasions. ln that sense loseph's remarks are designed to stress Thatcherite thinking am TSALCT LO BE MOre TenDoT WICK CEN OLIN sectors of the population, those inho need by baetshs Bally Mall agitational paper tor middle-cinss/perty-bourgeois lay- who ers, embodyinga right-wing populisin which is tboroughly nasty.
The hig question is whiethier this extremely is all bot air designed to win votes or whether it is an indicanion of what Tory policies will be after the bex: clections, even chough Geofirey Howe is begining to lose All the indications arechat the only Union ne ORES WUETe0IWHa1 vigoar is the Union of England The ecoDome ine pomc Cr0s co0. lead chem to unleash a political sur abr pro-Moscum ETHY banas.
ECHAHUS SELSDON offensive agRinst the trades anions. esnecially if Labour's parbamentnry strength is deci mated in Scoiland. Thus a lot will depend onene polan map orsu the next gemera elections. Joseph Is certainly ou af touch with immediare malin class interests at the prescot Lime could well be floating halloon for the future. In whic case the sooner it is punctured by mass action to nationalise Grus SHORT-SIGHTED The British trade-union leaders gat bered STETE Gardens in Blackpool are, alvavs, provina themselves 1o b STOLT SULU O68U Joa's decision to back the 12 mouth rule could well prove to be the last straw which will ensure more warking ciass abstencions in The next elecrions. Forif the Torics NEO LEITSS KICOAUIC offensive, we have to rocognise that the grounds for thi coetiCente hase bace brenared by the retrograde policies of the Labour goverticient. The usterly reaction art character if these policies and WANT TO KNOW MORE? If you agrve sili rlienc pr nelples atid adar to le Imsalved ap wovirle b Sacinhise-Chalhinice sup puctersür yodrares J0i lor the form bielene wod ende Tami Intersred, in sor infurmaliun about aud vities in'my atea 1 wugld libe seditanal interature nd vaciese sop ter cover cos, Loadnn NC "In contraat, the testh of Thabchosaurus were long and strong and as sharp a knives. They wore a great help In killing and stricoinc the mest off tne THATCHOSAURUS the decision of Foor and Bena to endorse them by scaying in the Lore ans oemeaiss tradi Ional Labour upporiera in th sousands. Il is hardly surprisi tar Lanour Pary mem nersn Labour's policies give them litcle TOOL LO maDOUYTe The cals Ibes can butflank Labour is by a sharp moveto theright.
Forir ia the Labour goverumeut which is loday interests of the British ruling ciass.
tas o the ed aly ord t BELIE early zonbernenanAeSSALerI secepted wage-restraint Labour could not stay in power. This was always an incorrect argument Today its reverse is true, It is owly by lighting Labour's policies thai the trade unions could possibl keep Labour ln power, The TUC in Blackpool failed dismally co de Lhis. The problem is that its failure Socosowinmarei marecithCil to combar the Tocy dinosaur when they return to power. Jones cocaron, rootand benn wul sav a lot to answer for over the next CENTOTCER
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