other Leyland plants." top bosses In Leyland Pat Lowry.
on a national scale, the House of Commons of this and a number Callaghan and Varley. But a cove lest British Leytand's credibility is seriously affected demand access to the company's books. are at stake.
Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper Streel, London N1.
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WAS THE closure of the Spoke factory In Merseyside deliberately engineered by the top brass of British Leyland? The Runcom Guardian, a local weekly paper, suggests so. The paper quotes top management sources as saying that the Speke plant is being used to set an example against It should be recaried that the dispute at Speke started when Levlend alemoted to raise production fmm 12510 17.5 cars per hour. The Runcorn Guardian claims that it is hichly confidential document which reveals that 2 203 TRT cars oroducad at Srake were uneaid in the showrooms when the dispute started last November.
The implications of these allegations are obvious. Local managera at opens ne to munco weekly That ine.
deliberately bypassed normal disputes procedures in order to provoke a strike. In addition British Levland Informed is local managers Inat they would be satisfied with nothing loss than an unconditional elations, was toponcary treatened the Speke management with disciplinary action if there are any more leaks to the press. The services of a well-known law firm (headed by Lord Goodmani have been bought lo prevent further leaks What these new revelations indicate is that Speke has to ge axed so that Michael Edwardes can pose as a strong and hard boss. This could help to get more public money from CAN SCHOES The whole way in which British Leyland is run is an utter scandal. The secret plans to axe warkers go hand in hand with ne not so-secre proes which nave been paid to notables in many countries. We have Indisputable evidence COT Watsh newspadors have already the racis are in the possession of -up has been carried out shop stewards and workers in belish Leyland must now They have every right to know what is baing cooked up, It is their jobs that The clearly defined parties of the left percent of the vote, divided this way: Socialist Party (PS) 34.7 per cent (of which 2:1 per CORE candidates offered positions on PS ballot slees 3; Communist Party (PCF)20.5 percent; far left 3.7 per cent.
The parties of the government Tory coalition right bold about 47 percent, SERIE Rally Republic (RPR) taking ner cent. the tilscardiar Baroi for French Democracy 21,5 per CLUE and other candidates some 3 per cent.
The remaining 4 per cent was divided among a variety otber candidates the ecologists (1.5 per cent) of whom about two thirds can probably be counted in the lett MARCHAIS For the first time since the CHISE BACH COTE republic in 1958, the outgoing He minority of the The Gaullist party suffered a sasht techne in its vote from ahaut 24 per cent in 1973, the the hasr clections. More President Giscard d'Estaing's projcct of creating a large iberal bourgeois' failed wtcerly.
His Union Democracys hostily patched coalition parties centrists and radical within this coalition Ciscard's own party gained only 12 per cent of the vate. While this is an increase sections here takine modest one for a party whose leader is the French President.
been unable to broaden their political instruments able the Gaullisa.
On the left, the result of the PS was disappointing. ir did succond a it cost of outdistancing the PCF, it Tell well short of the 27-28 per cent the streets the talk is concentrated on the public display of sectarian bickering by the leaders of the Communist and Socialist parties in the run up to the first round. This sectarianism and disunity could well lead to a defeat for the left in the second round. GILLES GIACOMIN reports from Paris.
predicted in the Left Radical achieved Showing of the Ps has retained its to lead 22.6 campaign against austerily.
for the far left, due 10 rightist advance made of - Including distrust of tional parties.
for Although STIE vote un clection.
CELIVE importantly, for French tbree the Republicans, and the Republicas.
is a strikingly parlies have crisis While night.
arianism previously of the vote that had beer polls. The discrepancy between the 52-53 Communists. per cent ine polls had predicted For the left and the 49 per cent garne! You chtirely froin the disappointing capitulating The PCF, on the other hand blackmail!
traditiona] share of the vote, which ma be considered a victory for the harry appareas. But tantalit VIDETOU! answer.
A low vote had been expocted the polarisation berween tbe PS and PCF. Its vote confirms the in last year: municipal clections, and shows sections power. workers towards their tradi To case victors agate tat right in the second round, it is essents that the elt take shens united reached between the PCF, PS, and Real one had much already been done.
The text of the agreement underlines the reckless of the adopted by WELL PCT, since it resolves none of the questions uround which the Union of the Left split Tast September. Yel now the PCF hails it as a great victory!
That *You are prisoners of the Georges Marchais is the master of the can preserve the unity of the left only by Communist These were the words the representatives of the bourgeons parties addressed to the socialist leaders round PS leaders found it difficult to Teal differences between PCF would have been to admi that the mass workers nare are split, not over principles but simply over the division ol there were Important differences and that they would "stand up to the Communists would have been Jeft and thus reduce its chances in the second round.
power almost Never.
threatens to limit the number of first round votes that will be TransFerred to lell candidates on the SeCONd round next Sunday. With such shim majority for the left on the rouad, the bourgecis parties could easily be handed a victary on Sunday NEXT The vote for the workers parties constitutes an appeal for unity in struggle against tbe evasions of the CP and said Alain Krivine in Mon day's Rouge. the daily paper of the Revolutionary Communist Lenge ILCR). French sectian of the Fourth Internationa] A statement of the CR's political burcau underlines the now absolute minority, and the right can be ousted on the second round.
no% depends on the uniled discipline of a class vote on the second round...
Thar is why we united all the organisations that took part in the far left lists in order to launch ETHI appeal Lor automatic and unconditiona withdrawa second favour of the ance to the working class that ran alicad on the find round.
But even if such withdrawale occur, the previous unneces sary divisions mean that I is not at all clear whether the workers will for crity can be mobilised strongly enough doring the mock before the second round.
THE FAR left Fole of 3.7 per cent represents main forces: WinE Self-management Front [FA], dominated by the Uniled Socialist Party PSU Workers Struggle [1.O]; an the joint sule For socialesm to the workers', consisting of the Revolution ary Communist League (L.CR].
LOU BURIS Workers Organisation JOCT], and the 11I9T Self-management CCA). The fieure aisa lucindes a number of Maoist groups.
The exact figures for each group were not mailable at the time of going to press, but it seems that L.O. which stood in every constituency, polled about 1,7 per less than its sole in the 1974 Presidential Howleader, Arlette Luguiller, polled 8.5 per cent in Ber construency The FA did not stand in nearly as muny seats. It seems to have polled neurly 3 per cent with its figure rising lo 5 or 6 per cent on The lude For sacialism, stood in 250 constituencies, In general it picked up about a many poles is bo though in Pars the too groups The interests of workers and capital.
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British Leyland behind closed doors
especially the workers, want a fundamental change in government. The mood in the factories is one of disappointment at the small size of the majority. On