National Conference — can we make a real turn away from small group politics towards the of a new radicalisation which is affecting all sections of the mass movement, workers, women, the youth, black and gay people?
The IMG National proposes that the continue its main thrust te slogan or me unified slogan, Revolutionary Organisation." betieve that such a line adds up to an orientation towards the existing lar left organisations and their periphery.
Such an orientalion severel" distorts the work of the IMG in the mass -the movements (such liberalion movomcot), the wawwctake upcampaigns, our electoral policy and re-groupment party-building culs proletariss orientation, in two ways:
1) We have tended to tailor our programme to fil in with the political Laour dos nor include the call for a- example the SOCEINI Government, Common Ground' is ambivalent on DUE CIRRS POSICARIE SHE WAC BIRTUEG DE SEIE "Stalinist states' as bureaucratised NICHESS SAIICS.
2) Bocause the orientation of the IMG begins from the sentiments of the far left, we have failed to project an orientation with sufficient coergy towards the mass organisations and towards new activists and militants WIIU are emereine rin toc mass BUPCIUCUL.
As a result the IMG is orientated the towards TETALIVE orientated ALUNALUS forces, particularly the youth.
Comnittee IMG should towards the Labour Unified a number of ways:
struggle).
LULODEIEIOUS the womens Union elections. method bF 1970have LEWLSaUN, the Birmingham, teachers over pay.
DYCT pay.
the further socialist-feminist current.
5) struggles HOU U around the far left, and is WInTDE from amongst BaY In the present period thousands of forces Lion are coming forward in the mass struggle looking for alternatives to capitalism, and the rolten policies ol leaders. This new radicalisatiln can be seen reflected in 1) the re-emergence of the mass struggle in the unions (such as the FBU strike and the teachers' pay 2yThe strong support for far left candidales in national trade union the 38,000 in the last clections of the Transport Workers' Union; the 22,000 in the Engineering ments) radicalisation, in ihe vanguard WNSME Fouth of wan was tac oraca youte 3o Bca response to the racist campaign in the WAISE CHHTY involves thousands of young people •DCCI IUYCIYEE mobilisations aguinst the fascists (at anti-YNF and so cil) against memployment, and school students taking solidarity actions witk the 4) The continued radicalisation of women, reflected in significant strikes conditions and whoo recognition, the strengthening of the wownen's liberalon movereil and crystallisation of tbe The number of important involving black and IEILTIL F workers Grunwicks being the most outstand ing example.
the 5000 The way the IMG relates to these developments and its ability to fight to build a clear current in the mas movement around a class struggle programme will be the important lest in the coming period Our autbority to light for principled units will depend on TCVELULIODNY our ability to implant oursclves in the new radicalisation.
A prolétarian orientation therefore involves the IMG In making a turn towards the mass movement, Labour party, trades unions, social movethe youtl Such orientation wil be decisive if we are ti win a base amongst workers and youth. The recruitment of a serious number of workers and youth to the IMG over the coming period will bath be proof of the IMC s ability to relate present radicalisation, and will qualitatively basis tiacaren athe broadness of the Giveri radicalisation the IMG must combine LACUICS NJICU SDYOIYO intervention into the life of the mass orpanisations and social movements through:
*promoting centralised campaiens (anti-racism, abortion. troops out of Ircland, unemployment, solidarity with dissidents in the bureaucratised workers states, for democracy in the workers" move-oulaung anuca tronts to acrena the basic interests of the working class and oppressed (like the fight against attacks on democratic rights; against far wage controls).
autonomous DOI DCl most cliess bureaucracy an impossible At present method politica and relating struggle, tionary party. youth wan! buikding struggle our available it is such tlink our militants and perlod. (maKCs revo.
the existing leading forces to organise around building initiatives in the class educating and activists in Marxism, having debates with them, not existing radicals or ageing bureaucrats. Within this spirit Socialist Challenge must become a builder of the IMG, winning recruils and organising sympathisers for the organisation buliding the revoluThis appronch to the paper is ar honest and revolutionary one. It will not repel otber organisations who ta diseuss the prospect Rather it will show them the way IWHCE C OEnO ....... forward in relating lo the class To these organisations we should not adopt gimmicks, or compromise programme, opell discussions on the main political questions which divide us — with no pre-arranged agendas on cither side make these discussions meningful we must place them in the context of joint work in the mass strugele. Only that will create the conditions for a favourable outcome.
Our tendency has been formed becuuse we want to put forward an organised alternative position to that ol the esdershio. Howeser. wedo nol differences are of programumatic nature, bat revolve around the precise tacties that the IMG needs to adopt im the coming TENDENCY ONE
THE RULING class collaborationist character at the labour burcaucracs becomes more exposed, important new layers of workers are radicalising and taking a more critical attitude towards the trade union and Labour Party leaderships, In particular, the number of young workets who are prepared to fight for their rights is growing as more and more sacrifices are demanded of them, The radicalsation in deeply affecting the traditionally more conservative layers of the workforce too A number of white collar, public service and developing radical currents.
The leadership of the Fire Brigades Union together with their counterparts in the TUC) were able to sell out the firemen'sstrike, but they were not able to prevent the first strike in the history of the union This strike, like Grunwicks where Asian women went on strike, shows deepening mood of militancy developing within very diverse sectors the population. Today. strikes soon take on a political character and more often than not begin to question the capacity of the and doepens the radicalisation. This conflict between is at the heart of the class strugale but it does not constitute its sum total. The nature of the ruling class offensive also hos a social and political character. Youth, students, women, blacks, immigrants, have all, OnC degree or another, affected by and responded to the right class ruling class offensive.
The Labour Bureaneracy success in possible.
blatant and reactionary against the working class labour movement.
from taking ary measures?
such relative case?
most Hugh Scanlon, capital and class policies been Raciss An objective assessment of the class struggle in Britain shows that the capitalist class, through the Labour THS TO considerable unpicmcaung its antiable to make the workers pay for the ment, the cuts, austerity, inflation, and the usc of troops to break strikes, in a far casier way than it nagined Without doubt, the ruling class has been able to drive ahead with the most measures without meeting any rcal opposition from the Why has this been possible? Why hasn't there been massive opposition How can Callaghan The ruling class offensive has been successful due to the support and col laboration of the Labour Party and trade union leadership, Not only have these labour burcaucrats co-operated with the government, in some cases the leaders of the most powerful trade unions in the country (Jack Jones, for example) have become the architects of anti-working Themilitancy of the firemen showed that it was possible to win their strike. labour bureaucrats cannot tolerate. It triptiens them. onset thor das-to day routine, gets in the way of their AFCI and undermines positions.
This is why they called off the firemen's strike at the carliest possible moment without winnine a single For the bureaucrats any struggle seen as a struggle against themselves.
WEESUMUL. cannot stop the class strugel. They can divert it but they cannot suppress menis they of bo me many re.
ments Ines might make bosses and the government. Much to their consternation the class struggle keeps breaking out, often where they least expect it (the FBU, Grunwicks)
The labour leadership is not all-powerful but it does have a deep hold on the labour movement. It is this entrencled position of the labour burcaucracy and its commitment of total collaboration with the Labour government which ALLITES BASIL than anything eise for the fact that there has been no real fight back against the reactionary measures of the Callaghan administration.
But the fact that Labour bureaucracy cooperates ruling class, has no stomach for a fight, and preaches class collaboration is not new. It has been doing this For decades" But at the same time, particularly in periods of capitalist expansion, it has bee able to get econdinic and political concessions from the ruling class.
Today this situation has fundamentally changed. Because of the crisis. reforms are not there any more Just Approach a skin noThing The cap-in-hand sets bosses these days. this tha the past gains, let alone win new ones which will kad to explosions and exacerbate the divisions which already exist between the TANKAR CANO T HEELE To deepen these fundamentally change the situation so that the bureaucracy & no longer able to maintain its grip on the labour movement will require the mobilisation of millions against the ruling class and the labour burenucracy wTo susand Traiskyits projec building a class struggle left wing in the Labour Party and wade unions as part of our strategic aim for the working Lass Lo devcop lutionary socialist leadership. towards the Labour Party and trade unions and WOTH promote and win support for our class struggle programme and metbods The fundamental task facing Trotskyists today is to claborate and apply a proletarian orientation, which will allow us to sink roots, increase our influence in the lahour movement, the and win working class militants to the IMG. This is necessary to achieve our long-term goal of building a class struggle leadership in the labour movement and a mass revolutionary party.
Task:
It is only by agreement with, and carrying out of, this Fundamental task that alliances will he built which can strengthen the IMG. the The political resolution and theses on tactics submitted by a majority of labour the IMG national committee to the cannol coco maintan April big divisions and the IMG.
groups which This within them ramme and concentrate on work the IMG ALAN HARRIS Badges availuble from the Otber Book Shop, 328/9 Upper Street, London Nir BATTLE OF IDEAS Supplement 13 April 1978 page 3 national conference project Socialist Unity and revolutionary regroupment as important ways to build our organisation in the next period. Because these projects are not based on deepening and extending our work in the labour movement, they cut across a proletarian orientation and become an obstacle to building Ve can take important steps 1 vercome the plethora of left win presently exist, through general calls for unity, but b carrying a political offensave toward them. At the same time we must show by our concrete work in the labou movement, and by building the united front type coalitions on key social and political questions, that we are the mast able and dedicated class struggle equipped with the pros organisational concepts that can build a Deninist type party.
In the coming period we must eloping and giving leadership to the our supporters are doing in the labour movement. BEE LOOKIE TURNEDE SOOTHE ers we have in the LP and trade effective solidarity actions with strikes and other working class strugeles; take into the Labour them; work out ways and means to win the most exploited and oppressed layers of the working class wome blacks, immigrants and youth — to
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A offensive deepens and the