Erect outcome of this fact.
The election of a Labour Government in February 1974 and its re-election the following October brought out all the political weak nesses of the British labour movement. Thi ruling class now bad an instrument at its dis posal which could wage an offensive against the workers without meeting an immediate class hatredithis instrument was a Labour Government backed by the major trade union leaders.
It was confronted with a working class which WAS HOT ACE AND SEONE DEEDS COROME issues, hut which had not faced up to the bis political ones.
trade union bureaucracy used their political hold over the working class to break up, dis rupt, and defeat the struggie of the working cas on cosoane цисяи.
The fashion in which an incomes policy was introduced by Labour provides a class illustra tion of the real political way the bureaucracy defeats the masses. Here the Labour Goverment utilised the very depth of the economic crisis and transformed it into a political weapon against the working class. In 1904, the Labour Government allowed wage increases.
were rapidly croded by inflation. The Labour leaders urilised this fact to claim that the struggle could bring no results and was therefore pointless.
Following this, Wilson successfully exploited the nationalist and chauvinist weaknesses of the ket referendum, Membership of the EEC was a vital question for British capital. A successful assault by the workers" movement could have had dramatic implications, But the Benn cam paign failed to dent the ruling class. It put na tion before class. The result was yet another de feat and the further political strengthening of t Challengelooked of British society rmist and centrist ged the analysis f this crisis and the Fered. In this final ele, JOHN ROSS esent crisis has also e old 'traditions' of ry left wanting.
/National Rank and File DELECATE CONFERENCE the Labour hureaucracy. Immed ately Tollowpaign around the collapse of the pound". It was paralleled by calls for a vatlonal government to deal with the crisis.
In this situation, Jack Jones delivered the final blow. He proclaimed that the Tories or a coalition had to be kept out at all costs. The workers should accordingly accept every sacrifice to keep Labour in power. The utter bankruptey of Labourism was once again revealed in all its nakedness. The campaign was successful. Incomes policy was successfully imposed without any mass resistance of the sort which had defeated the Tories.
Since the introduction of incomes policy of course important struppies have taken place While some of these have encountered repres sion, as outside Grunwick, that has not heen the main reason for the defeats.
Throughout this whole period the real trump card held by the bureaucracy has been polinics. Whether it he the nationg interest keepins the Tories out', "preserving democracy agains the siege coonomy", or, next in the list, "accept These Phase four to win thie election for Labour', it hus beet lie due guessons whieh Lie bureau cracy and bourgeoisic have utilised to deteat, disorient and demobilise the economic struggies. Any struggle, to be successful, has to comine not only militancy but also a political stra regy to fight the bureaucracy. To that problem economise sectarianism — the idea that "if you look after the little things the big ones look after themselves - has no answer.
REVOLUTIONARY STRATEGY The post-1974 period represented a trial of strength Marxism' and the realities of the class struggle. The traditions were found to be seriously wanting That is what explains the local nark which the struggles in 1975-77 have left on the far left. It is not that the coonomic defeats are final, nor that the days of mass trade union struggles are over. What has been decisive is the glimpse we have had into the future of the class struggle in dominated by little things bat by the biggest possible issues of the crisis of British society ind politics — Issues increasingly inserted in a LUTOOLAR CUBLES The economist strategy can provide no an swers. Nor can sectarianisin. Whar is needed is a strategy which attempts to both unite the left and take up the challenge of bourgeois politics by developing a strategy. The launching of Socialist Chailerg to contribute to reversing the processes of the last years.
But to break with economism and sectacianism requires a conscious break with the dominant tradition of the British lell. It means learn ing that big political questions are more impor tant than style' or tactics. It means under standing that internal democracy is not i luxury but a weapon without which a revolutionary party cannot be built. It mcans grasping that united action of revolutionaries and working for a united revolutionary organisation ist't an 'obstacle to building the party, but a vital par of taking forward the struggle of the working berween the traditions of "British Britain. That future will not be working class politica unized organisation the revolutionaries themseives class and the oppressed. In short, i mean standing the entire conventional wisdom of British Marxism on its head, It means a policy based, not on economism and sectacianism, but on polities and the fight for aired action and This is the real challenge facing the revalutionary left in Bricain in 1978. The class struggl nas already bezue to denver as verdice der di raditions of the British Marxist left. Bu whether the crisis which is already underway will be followed simply by collapse into a Dew cconomist sectarian ghetto for revolutionaries socialism in Britain depends on the actions of judged SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 19 January 1979 page9 The first small steps in attempting to develon a new straregy were taken in launching Socialist Unity, in developments in some trade unions, in the women's movement, among students, and in sone other fields. How far they succeeded in creating on alternative political and waitery tradition to that af economism ond sectarianism, how much they succeed in gaining roots for such a tradition in the working class and oppressed; how for they sicceed in trans lating tha policy into the building of a new revaintionary organistron will be the wardstick be which the activity of revolation aries daring the coming war will finally be
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 18 January 1978 page10
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RATIONS AO DUSTEIN