Socialist Challenge, 328/9 Upper Street, London N1.
01-359 8180/9. 01-359 8371. FLIGHT OF THE SHAH THE Shah of Iran other option.
to exile.
hated despot.
Shah's extradition to be page 5), institutionalisation of democratic sectarianism could be fatal.
developing a socialist press, trade Peru and FOCEP is extremely important.
THEY DON'T The Tories are exactly the same.
heman right.
atlaw unofficial strikes services.
effective pickets.
of course! contact with each other.
and the way in which society is still organised -means of production.
will no doubt be numerous others.
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Secialist Challenge 18 January 1979 page 2 Distribution/ Advertising has finally left. After a year of mass , strikes and clashes with the troops he had no His powerful advisers and allies in the Department had no choice but reluctantly to authorise his transfer The joy in Iran is understandable. The fraternisation between workers and soldiers on the streets of Tehran demonstrates the tensions which existed within the army. There can be little doubt that the masses of Iran have by continued struggle brought down a Ayatollah Khomeini has said that he will fight for elected Institutions and a popular government which will demand the government is not likely to last for too long. Bakhtiar himself has MeG sama. The stated that he does not see himself in office beyond the spring.
The tasks now confronting socialists are very clear. Agitation should concentrate on the need for a Constituent Assembly (see rights, disbandment of SAVAK, and public trials of the torturers and executioners of the Pahlavi dictatorship. The slightest display of Iranian revolutionaries should prepare not just to fight for democratic rights, but to take full advantage of them in terms of unions, and preparing powerful electoral intervention. In this regard the experience of The Shah's fall must be utilised to create a permanent base for proletarian politics in Iran — a base for the socialist revolution. LIKE FLYING DO THEY?* THE ONLY strikes the Tory press approves of are strikes that fail.
W nenever a strike becomes effective they denounce the tactics which could lead to its success.
All this makes their talk of democracy increasingly hollow. One of the democratic rights won by the trade unions was the right to strike. It was only achieved after decades of struggle. The right of workers to withdraw their labour is an elementary political and In reality the Tories don't like strikes. Full stop. Heath tried to - and failed. Margaret Thatcher is now talking about legislation to ban strikes which threaten essential On a smaller scale, the hysteria whipped up by the Tories and Labour Cabinet ministers against the lorry drivers amounts to the same. Merlyn Rees has asked the Attorney General to determine whether 'secondary picketing' is illegal. The idea is to differentiate the Labour government from the Tories, who tend to oppose all Labour is different. They oppose 'secondary picketing' but are presumably in favour of primary, legal pickets. And who decides what is primary and legal or secondary and illegal? Why, the law, The use of flying pickets by the lorry drivers has proved to be an goods are essential, such as supplies for hospitals. It forces other workers to confront the real issues posed by the strike. The solidarity of the dockers has been exemplary and should ensure the future support of lorry drivers in any struggle waged by dockers. Furthermore, the use of flying pickets develops an inter-union solidarity which does not rely on union officials to establish Shirley Williams, a member of the Labour Cabinet, was recently bemoaning the fact that in modern societies it is possible for small groups of workers to paralyse the entire economy. absolutely true. What it reveals is the growing contradiction between the technological developments which have taken place - with the increasing intervention of the state to shore up the capitalist ownership of the In these circumstances workers must use all the resources at their disposal to maintain their living standards and their democratic rights. The flying picket is one such tactic. In months to come there 4 January issue.
CUTTCH By Raphael Samuel (Ruskin College, Oxford) 1 HAVE supported Socialist Unity in the local elections, and the total would continue to do so it offered the choice) in a general election, because I believe it is important to register the need for a socialist alternative to the Talso believe, most fervently, in socialist and reunification, and welcome the albeit faltering, which Challenge has taken in this direction.
On trade union issues, particular, it seems to me that your paper has shown a realistic appreciation of the fact that the left in Britain is made up of a wide spectrum of and that it is possible for them come principled if limited platform, as seems to have happened in the struggle in the CPSA; in the Ford and Garners strikes; and in the support given by SCCUOTS OF the Wright in the AUEW elections.
Another welcome feature has been the discriminating attitude which Socialist Challenge has taken to the contradictory forces at work in world Communism, as in your championing of Rudolf Bahro, your coverage of the debates in the French Communist Party, and, latterly, situation in China From this point of view your Year certain retreat, and in place of discriminating analysis substitutes a (to me) very unsatisfacspecies of LOLY which Communists quite simply therefore, mies.
A manifesto, however brief, This is needs to contain a political argument; it needs to demonstrate, however schematically the necessity of the course i proposes (i.e., in the case of your New Year resolution, the functions of a Marxist party; and it needs to identify potential support it is appealing to.
class.
revolutionary socialists are:
communist sometimes Socialist timed.
Year resolution' economic indicates left to Bob trade unionism Britain.
complex and bases for regroupment.
Lip of the new aisclosed resolution particular marks a class.
labelling, in become "reformist' and by definition, ene- ways in The sectarianism referred to, the constituencies of the situation revolutionary Socialist Challenge believes that the two vital tasks confronting class struggle tendencies class-collaborationism in the labour movement. These should be non-exclusive brose-Dased in character grouping together militants holding a wide range of political views. * To begin to fight for the creation of a unified and democratic revolutionary socialist organisation which can, through an application of united front tactics, begin to be seen as an alternative by thousands of workers engaged in struggles Such an organisation should be based on the understanding thai:
The struggle for socialism seeks to unite the fight of the workers against the bosses with that of other oppressed layers of society black people, gays — struggling for their liberation. This socialism car only be achieved by creating new organs of power and defeating with all cessary means the power of the capitalist state. also needs to be very carefully themselves 1am not sure that your New succeeds on any of these counts. There is no analysis of world capitalism (though your editorial of 4 January interestingly some of the lines this might have taken), nor of organisation the specific threats to jobs, and working conditions which it poses in Barely a line is given to the Labour government, though its record, over the last four years, is surely one of the elementary socialist it (all in a personal capacity).
CLO CHeC which, in other contexts, Socialist Challenge has shown itself well able to address. It seems arbitrary.
Al the moment there are eighteen revolutionary socialist parties, groupings and leagues in this country quite apart from the major Marxis Britain, the the quite large number of Marxists and near-Marxists working (however mistakenly) in the Labour Party, and the probably still larger number working in no political party at all, but active women's movement groups, the trade unions, law centres, polytech nies, schools and universities, Together these represent a huge resource of talent and socialist commitment; it could clearly become a much more considerable force if Wdy. could be found of bringing them together, pooling experi and bringing that dedication to bear upon a wider ponucal cause But to do so requires a much more generous appreciation of the potential boundaries of universe in which the ISA - a SUDUEL than political group of disillusioned exSWPers - appear as a major constellation; and imaginative kind of political analysis than rather diplomatic choice of words which evades both the strengths and the difficulties which a socialist regroupment has to CHCUUHECE committee, Revolution Carl Brecker, Ealing, Hammersmith, Hounslow area committee of NALGO, chairperson of Hounslow Health Joint Shop Stewards Committee will be publishing the names of Neither int This means the right 10 organise factions and
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excellent tactie. It breaks the isolation of the drivers. It enables them to determine what is primary or secondary and to decide what
drawn up by the International Socialists Alliance and the International Marxist Group, was published in our This has renewed the debate on the need for a
Capitalism is in crisis. The leaders of the Labour Party and the trades unions offer solutions that are in the interests, not of the workers, but of the capitalist
contributions last week, we now print a further response to the appeal as well as a second list of signatories who have already shown their support for