THE atmosphere created by BL's actions, coupled with increased publicity of 'entrism' in the Labour Party risks leading us into a McCarthyite era.
Ordinary people in this country have never scandalous way in which McCarthy destroyed the lives of many people in the USA. It's time that ordinary that with the help of the capitalist press and an extreme right wing Tory government such developments could begin to happen here. It's got to be toucht through the unions, political parties and any olner ways opel to ordinary folk in Chris Smith MP 1 HAVE just refurned from a fact-finding visit to Turkey where trade unionists, elected MPs and councillors, people in the peace movement and prison for their beliefs. They are being tried for what they think, not for anything they have actually done. I have THE sacking of the 13 workers at British Levland's Cowlev Plant shows that the labour guard. This could be the start of a general witch hunt of socialists in British industry, orchestrated by the media. The labour movement must fight tooth and nal against anv drift to a West Germantype situation where socialists are denied employment on the grounds of their political beliefs. been horrified by what I have seen.
When I see the same thing beginning to happen here I become even more worried.
People have been sacked from British Leyland hecause thew hold particular views.
Members of the Labour Party are being attacked - and their membership is under threat — because of their particular vision of socialist progress. Such attacks are protoundly undemocratic and indefensible.
The labour movement is composed of many different viewpoints united in a common aim. 1 will defend the right of all in the labour movement to develop and argue for their own beliefs • be they on the left or the right of the party. And in the tace of recent attacks I will defend the right of Socialist Action to fight for their particular corner. The Labour Party should be welcoming an open discussion across the whole of the socialist spectrum and a dedication to fighting a cruel Tory government, it shouldn't be condemning Stuart Holland MP Stuart Holland MP THE hysteria about moles in Cowley is a smokescreen. ine real moles in British industry are those who have undermined trade union rights and pumped binons Into loreigi investment or property socculalloll British Leyland is in crisis because private enterprise failed to manage a successtul merger of the British venicles industry miteen years ago and because capital preters financial speculation to industrial investment Former BL chief Lord Stokes complained years ago of a capital strike -that the British stock 'LABOUR Campaign for Gay Rights wisnes to state its total opposition to all witch hunts, whether at the workplace, in the unions, in our movements or in our Labour Party.
GM COOKSON •Having had experience of what happens when socialist ideas meet the British media, we can express great sympathy. We Photo must not bow down, but double the attack!' market valued the then British Motor Corporation at less than one empty office block in central London Centrepoint.
It is capital not labou which has struck down Brusn Leyland Ove many years. The sacked workers should be reinstated.
Socialist Action 2 September 1983
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Photo: JUDE WOODWARD Jo Richardson MP
Henry Richardson, Secretary
Campaign for Gay Rights