LAST THURSDAY, Labour (sic) Prime Minister Callaghan launched attack on striking low paid workers.
This time his target were THE DECLINE in the NHS is graphically illustrated by one set of statistics the number of hospital beds in England and Wales.
The shocking decline reads as follows:
1949: 501,078 ACCORDING to Nye Bevan, the aim when the NS was introduced in the late 1940s was make free health Care *available to the rich and poor alike.
That has turned out to be a very false promise indeed. The graph illustrates the expenditure in private health services.
The simple fact is that if you can afford it, you can get high quality treatment as quickly as you like.
But if you are not so well off, this is the verdict of a recent strikers at Jim hospitals. Said Callaghan:
*It is not acceptable that sick human beings, whether they be adults or children... have proper attention 1974: 420,972 1978: 403.682 Not surprisingly, a rise in the number of DELUS followed the decline in beds.
Those figures are:
1956: 404,176 1976: 607,141 Independent Hospitals NHS Hospitals Private health as a proportion of NHS expenditure (2)
survey in the Financial Times:
*Poor people are even more likely than richer people to die [early] now than they were 30 The fact is that, despite the NHS, Britain spends especially small proportion of prouuel health.
In 1975 it spent 5.3 per cent - lower, for instance, than that of the USA (7.4), Sweden (7.3.), and West (6.7). London bidden to them.' Callaghan went on to brand the strikers as 'vandals'.
There is one adjective which should can used for- Callaghan's remarks: sick.
There are available which tell how many people have died, how many people have attention forbidden to them' by the massive cuts in government spending on the Health Service in the past five years.
But one observation can be Three weeks ago some 80,000 low paid workers through the streets of London to demand a living November 1976 mately the same number were also on the march.
They were protesting against Labour's cuts the National Health Service. Many of those who marched in November 1976 were the same as those who marched three weeks ago. has And since 1976 it has been low-paid workers doctor to the Daily Mirror.
an bedsprings.
The doctor was describing Germany nave Slee Sune Labour's cuts.
Sore have to discribe no figures demonstrations, fighting had "proper health service.
the job.
story. Since 1974 the marched cent, wage. And approxi- kers.
especially in training way to in the Health Service survives.
CALLAGHAN has accused the strikers of being 'vandals'. Listen to this description of an event in October 1977 as it was given by a "They literally ran into the hospital...and put the patients in wheelchairs. They broke up the beds with hammers and took away *They left beds overturned and blankets, mattresses, chairs and flowers were scattered all over the floor'.
Hospital in London was forcibly closed and when patients were physically removed from their beds.
Once more the reason for this piece of real vandalism was the cuts in the NHS demanded by the Labour government.
IF THE Labour government and the Whitehall planners get their way, the decline in the NHS will get even worse.
For instance, although there has been a marked decline of available beds in the London region, the plan is to accelerate that decline and to cut a further 21,814 by 1986 — just under a third of those now available.
And London are already forced to close their doors on occasion because shortages, Labour plans to cut 24,000 more jobs in the London NHS region by 1986.
The conclusion is as obvious as is the slanderous nature remarks: Defend the NHS.
That, for a start, means defending and supporting those taking industrial action now; industrial action aimed at securing a decent wage for the lower paid and at saving the NHS from collapse.
THERE Upper North National Health Service who fight against bookshop. occupied hos- Left pitals threatened with closure, country are others have gone on scores of DCEWCCH SONe have valuable taken strike action. They were then for a decent LICWS DaDCIS They are fighting for the the same today. They know that part of rebuilding a decent This health service is paying those who work in it a decent rate for One example tells the whole son, pated be of i compared non-manual professional worAnd the consequences? Last and year 8,000 fewer nurses took ur compared to 197 LOVCHICH That is why a living wage for British people' all those who work in the health service is not just the quick simple way to end the present wave of strikes; it is also the ensure the National Free to lican 'publications Provos.
instance, Socialist Flame.
sell Big Flame. what happened when Hounslow probably bulletin with an organisation, although many hospitals in Trotsky's of Callaghan's that Rising Unfree IS a bookshop Street, Islington, London, which goes under the title Rising Free. aspires to be a "libertarian' bookshops in this few and far They provide service for the distribution and purchase of journals and books which the monopolies in book and newspaper business refuse to stock.
includes newspapers glad like Republican News, which this week merges with the other Provisional Sinn Fein BECWS paper An Phoblacht (good luck and all the best with the new Editorial Board)
But Rising Free has decided not to stock Republican News for political reasons, on the basis that the Provisionals are fighting on a nationalist basis consider the and expressions of the will of the *was Rising Free also suggests that the Provisionals' ideology 'is a form of national socialism'.
This outburst came after the Christmas bombing campaign own. launched by the Provisionals in England, which caused Rising stop stocking Repubor any other which have previously given support to the Those who have offered such support in one form or another include a rather wide spectrum of the British for Challenge, Worker, and Big So what is Rising • Free's attitude to these papers? They don't stock Socialist Challenge or Socialist Worker but they do But when we pointed out to a Rising Free spokesperson that Big Flame also supported the Provos, we were told: "That's right, they'll have to go."
So Big Flame will soon be added to the censorship list. But that is not all. The same spokesperson added that the Islington Gutter Press would be looked at pretty closely, that local alternative paper has given regular coverage to the anti-imperialist struggle But the collaboration in the LOVCHCHES CHICS sion of Republican News is not the only feature of management policy at Rising Free.
They also said they would banning the the Committee Against Repression in Iran, because CARI had a dispute obscure left-wing the Spartacists on a recent demonstration. reckon CARI will go too', said the spokesperson Last summer Rising Free prominently displayed a poster advertising a 'celebration' assassination. seems that their peculiar brand libertarianism' is now almost indistinguishable from the methods of Stalinism Mac High places LONDON's homeless allowed a wry smile at the news Centre POInt, SEne unoccupied office block central London, may be listed as a building of architectural There is a particular irony here. It was the Centre Point scandal which prompted legisLa penal rate building kept deliberately empty and the rating of empty buildings.
But buildings listed aS 01 architectural merit are exempt from empty rates!
Friends in high places? Lady N know that College, Oxford, is ending its to learn of the chauvinism in the college's annual record for 1978.
It includes an obituary of Lady Julia Namier by Maxine Berg, the first recipient of a research fellowship (sic) in history founded by the Namiers.
Lady N, the obituary says known English academic circles through her marriage in 1947 to Lewis Namier (a well-known rightwing historian, ed.). But she had a past and a life of her Although born in Petersburg (Leningrad) in 1893 of wealthy parents, Lady Nand her first husband, a Tsarist diplomat, were enthusiastic about the revolution.
Both eventually fell foul of Stalin. Her husband was executed, and Lady imprisoned. She left the USSR in 1934.
And what of her life with Sir Lewis, the man whose biography she was to write? Over to Ms Berg:
*She played a part Namier's research by learning to drive and chauffeuring him about the country in his search for archives. Her aristocratic presence also made her success at many of the country houses, and she thereby cleared the way for Namier's access to family papers."
An ironic comment on thi wretched role is not to be found in the obituary.
Chairman Mac THE DELICATE palates of the Chinese masses are due for shock. The delights of Chinese cuisine are well-known. What is less well-known is that, while no-one starves to death, there is a shortage of food.
A recent demonstration by peasants in Peking demanding food illustrated this point rather aptly. So the comic operas staged by the Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding (SACU) in Britain will soon be needing a new script.
To get back to the story: the Chinese government has just negotiated deal MacDonald's Hamburgers. From now on the citizens of Peking, Shanghai, Canton, etc., will be able to enjoy Big and the odd quarter pounder. Milk shakes will also be available.
But where will the milk come from? Unanswered question And what about the peasants? They could alwaysorganise night raids!
Socialist Challenge 8 February 1979 page 3
suffered a sharp decline since that time.
anything else.
Despite the vicious union campaign which is being conducted by papers like the Daily Mail and the Sun and TV programmes like Nationwide, here is growing support for stal strik Rank-and-file anger greater than it was four years ago. This can be seen in the actions of ambulance -CTVeTS and hospital porters, sections of workers not well-known for being infiltrated by 'reds and Trots".
At the same time evel bourgeois opinion polls reveal a greater public support low-paid workers than other section of workers. This support is so far untapped.
The advantage gained by the rank-and-file vis-à-vis the union leadership and the government is of immense tactical importance.
This time the claims of water, local authority, and hospital workers are running together.
They have united 1¼ million workers around the claim for £60 and 35 hours. This was a victory won by union members at last year's NUPE conference. It was and remains the best way of winning the full The union leaders SaUnCR supporters of Labour government. They perfectly aware that an all-out strike would ruin electoral chances. However, the best way to avoid the strike is to force the government to concede the claim. all-out action THE LAST time public sector workers fought back against low pay was in 1974. Their real wages have An all-out national strike would get the workers the £60 and 35 hours they are demanding quicker than Not for our union leaders.
They are prepared to go along with the government line and be satisfied with a few crumbs.
They hope that these crumbs will satisfy enough workers to enable them to accept government deal.
At the same time it will divide workers from each other something which neither government nOr the leaders have been able to do so far.
The government efused to budge from its 5 pe ent offer. It then realised tha it was too close to election time to fool around and it has now offered a 10 per cent deal for for local authority workers and a any are h / package of up to 17 per cent for water workers.
This offer is being grasped by the union leaders. They hope that they will be able to divide stronger sections from the weaker ones in this fashion. Hence they favour strike actions.
But such actions sufficient to win the claim. Militancy alone cannot win the day. Public sector workers are scattered in tens of thousands of hospitals, depots They can be united by an all-out strike and by democratic - the organisation of strike commitunion tees. In this way the stronger militants will be able to help weaker sections. initially NUPE looked for ways of mobilising all their members for action and answering barrage of media propaganda. The workers infinitely more caring than the 10.30am 1 pm eagerly SeleCuVC are not and controlling services through strike schools and mittees, the worlers can win deciding should not go through picket lines.
leaders have the constant media and would also prevent 1. Rebuilding the Left in the Unions Sat 17 Feb.
The Minority Movement and lessons for today (Rich Palser)
Building left tendencies in (Patrick Sikorski, plus peaker Ford Group, STA, Workes CAN)
The organisation of workers' struggles (Pat Hickey, plus speakers public sector struggles).
callous hypocrites of the ruling class and its press; a thousand permanently times more humanitarian than the pathetic Minister of Health Ennals. By monitoring agreed by emergency compublic sector to scab. without a How, singh: life being put in danger.
The lorry drivers did it by should and the Was there starvation in the cities due to food shortages? Were millions committees, laid off as predicted? No, it was all a morbid fantasy of the Workers' control of hospi- public support.
ambulance depots manage- SeCtO 2. The Trade Unions and Eastern Europe Sun 18 Feb.
10.30am 2 pm The Soviet Venue: Starcross School, Risinghill Street, London N1.
Admission 50p per day, or 75p tor both. available.
ment taking the opportunity to close wards whole hospitals The emergency services code Fisher, Spanswick and Ennals must be thrown out. It is a management charter then. can further support be won for the strike?
Flying pickets can be sent out to get support from other public sector and industrial workers Through local trades coun- the cils and strike co-ordinating one-day area general strikes of the broad labour movement can be called to mobilise trade union and The general strike of public workers in London's What policy for the unions (Oliver MacDonald)
Repression in Czechoslovakia (Jan Kavan)
trade union group (Vladimir Derer)
The case of Rudolf Bahr (Gunter Minnerup)
Creche/accommodation | East End, called by the ILEA district committee for February, excellent example of this There are indications that the 10 per cent offer by Callaghan to the local authority workers will be extended in thenext week to the hospital ancillary workers There already an agreement between the union leaders and the government on basis for long-term comparability deals.
All the elements of a sell-ou are present, but the initiative is still very much with the rank and file. The strike spreads from day to day. Building now for all-out action can win the full claim.
EMERGENCT KHUN ...!!
----- pull-quotes -----
PRIVATE HEALTH SERVICES Estimated expenditure within. Photo: ANDREW WIARD (Report
700-year men-only policy in 1979. They will be less pleased
* TEMPORARY SOCIALIST CHALLENGETRADE UNION DAY SCHOOL
REFUSE RECEPTION CENTRE