dedicaled to rescuing socialism and Marxism from the dead hand of official ideology will not emerge emerge spontaneously. That is excluded given the deadening hand of Stalinism in Eastern Europe. It will demand the conscious efforts of Marxists in Eastern Europe — and throughout the world.
Poland understanding on the one hand that this would lead to a showdown with the bureaucracy, and on the other that it would place Polish workers powers and their objectives both in Europe and in the Third World.
But Solidarnose's leadership did not have such a clear perspective. This is what lay behind the tactical temporising which culminated prior to the imposition of martial law.
prepared an 'active strike' but Walesa temporised. When the Vatican concocted a deal with Jaruzelski to back fake 'independent' caught on the hook. Behind all this was the issue of te perspecuve or waut type or sociely lo create l Poland — a problem that confronted Solidarnose from its outset.
The problem could be put the following way. In Nicaragua the leadership was ahead of the movement. But in Poland it lagged behind it.
The intense and wide-ranging debate which still lives in press provides ample Solzarosc can and will rise to the needs of the prical situation in that country. That summer of 19%4'17 Poland was a beginning, and not the end. or the ise of the political morement of the workin2 tas: in Eastern Europe sundarose lives: Solidarnosc will rise again! That remains a perspective in Poland.
will not which made sense in socialist Western capitalist neared Solidarnose's left wing unions, Walesa was the pages of Poland's underground evidence that sections Wemble! decisions.
The core of the formal declaration of these decisions was that the strength of the whole should be used to defend unions facing attack by the Tories. That is exactly what has not been done as the NGA and the NUM could amply testity.
Eric Hammond gave the game away he said that the real thinking behind the Wembley decisions had been to wait for a future Labour government to repea the legisla There had never been general council that these anatoranus laws were golg to have le be taken on and defeated in struggle.
While speaking formally in favour of the continuation of the Wembley conference line Bill Keys of TUC employment committee, in reality totally accepted Hammond's framework.
Keys announced that TUC pond to the government legisiation is the most important issue we're dealing ycal. his argument for opposing Hammond. and upholdine WUIZVILLLI Wembley, was simply that •There can be no alteration or ine memdie poncies 11 we want to get rid of this ite future It reafСоПof the TUC on ACTE as as Union Act.
In words, the government tical. He in his not depar- that no fully UDON was accepted also single "nowhich the Norman Willis .
vigorously pursuing. No effective opposition to Inese wildlever Has come from the general council.
The GCHQ debate on the first day of congress was equally turned by Willis into an opportunity to conciliate with the extreme right wing. The call for a day of industrial action against any attempt to union members at GCHC was the minimum needed. But pride of place in the consciously given to Eric Hammond -with his announcement he would ballot EETPU power worker members on supporting the action.
Willis able to follow that up with the ringing declaration that If this battle is to be won Ene we need the electricians and engineers in this congress. The whole aim of the war the decate was se up was to aliow maximum AOW and EETPL. for unit! with the There is however one fact which does underly real TUC., . This is that the majority of the trade unions, and the general council, actually would like greater part of the 1980, 1982, 1984 repealed. The difference is illa the AUEW EETPU leaderships would not.
After all, why should they? Those Acts did not fall from the sky: They were precisely modelled by the Tories on the functioning of the EETPU and Hammond o Duffy Hammond not want tundamental parts of these Acts repealed at all. That is what underlies the sharpness of the intrabureaucratic clash.
is the forces which underly this that means that, finally, the TUC almost certain will split Because the AUEW EETPU really pioneering a new type of trade unionism in Britain. One far more directly tied to the employers and state than anything seen previously in Britain this century.
As we go to press it still seems likely that the TUC will try thi time round to find a way of avoiding split although that is not fully certain. But that will only be to put off further a division which the right wing is now openly trying to im pose on the whole movement.
Apologies For reasons beyond its control Socialist Action has not been able to maintain its usual coverage this week. We apologise to our readers.
*x e will however be back to normal next week.
the imposition of driver only operation.
The 'no' RAILWORKERS, and the entire working class, suffered a severe defeat last week when NUR guards voted 'no' to industrial action against Wrote followed a rapid build u of inustrial action in Glasgow, South Wales and Londor It showed the tremendous areas where the strikes developed and other parts of the country reasons for the 'no' vote. Socialist Action interviewed GEOFF REVELL, a member of the NUR executive, on his view of the ballot result.
uneyeness between the TONI GORTON, an NUR guard, looks at the Socialist Action 6 September 1985