RIGHT FROM the beginning of the miners strike only one force could save the Thatcher government from defeat. It wasn't the leadership of the TUC and Labour Party.
Every instrument of the capitalist class has popular press have poured out lie after lie on the handful of honourable exceptions. simply as a propaganda machine for the governWhat has startled some people even more has been the police and courts have acted as hired bully boys and thugs — as every serious survey has shown. The courts are whatever decisions the government requires for its day to day tactics. Just work out beforehand what ruling would suit the interests of Thatcher and you will know in advance what the "justice' today in this strike.
What the miners' strike brings out into the open is simply what Marxists have always claimed. That our society is the dictatorship of capital. graciously granted by the courts and state, provided that no fundamental interest of capital is policy or interest of capitalism then the pretence of democracy is more and more openly abandonThen the 'neutral' cover is replaced by the iron hand of repression and state violence. The But despite all this Thatcher still does not have the mechanisms to win this strike herself. gress, and at the time of the NACODS threat to strike the government has been sent spinning.
Labour leadership the strike would have been But what a total contrast between the total mobilisation of capital behind Thatcher and the miserable wetchedness of the leadership of the courts have hammered out their lies, brutality Neil Kinnock and Norman Willis been!
Just let the police attack a picket line with the leader of 'Her Majesty's Opposition' on it. Effective action at only 13 power stations would win meetings at every singie one personally with only that number involved! Send a general council For while Thatcher has mobilised her class for war, Kinnock, Willis, Sirs et al have left their class completely disarmed. No ringing declara tions of support for the miners from them. And in the case of Sirs, Hammond and others there is The shock troops of Thatcher have been met by the TUC and Labour Party leadership by a But if you threaten a really basic with no open denunciation work movement' has not broken the strike in the key If TUC guidelines continue to be operated the miners are going to put the lights out gain victory. If the NUM holds the solid core of the strike together, as it is doing then only a climbdown by the TUC can win for the government.
PAUL DWYER looks at the new GLC commissioned report on the situation in the power stations.
has failed. Even the figures Presented With mat core areas of the strike are decisive question or unc power cuts are still on the account for almost 20 per (CLUD)
CULS The CEGB at present is predicts that power despite the attempt of the notes, 'apart from running reportedly using the lightSome llls The use of the light-up burners demonstrates faced by the CEGB. The basic fact is that normally 75 per cent of electricity in the UK generated by. coal. The whole electricity supply industry the coal The • not to • nol 1181 ahea operational minimum durMoving coal to the power stations on the level required will a huge operation. In the peak month, February, it would shifting about Fast-dwindling coal stocks at Ferrybridge (above) and Drax (left)
630,000 tonnes week, and require 2, ,400 lorries travelling about 2.9 million lorry miles. determined TUC would make this impossible.
Power stations which have voted not to accept new supplies of coal Station Tilbury West Thurrock Fiddler's Ferry Aberthaw 'A' and 'B Didcot Thorpe Marsh Skelton Grange Eggborough Ferrybridge 'B' and 'C' Drax 'A' and 'B' The central failure of the back to work move. ment is that it has failed to bring any significant pro1I precisely the key areas for maintaining the supplies to the power stations. The movement Yorkshire, and the Norin totally failed East. It will therefore almost certainly be necessary for the govern.
ment to start the task shifting coal before the end of December For the trade unions the answer relatively simple. The GLC report lists the 13 power stations which have voted not to accept new supplies of coal (see table).
According the report if stations totalling about three quarters of the Capacity Cumulative Capacity (MWso) (MWso)
SE 1308 1308 SE 1240 2548 NW 1880 4428 SW 1706 6134 SW 1820 7954 NE 8896 9344 1720 11064 NE 2214 13278 NE 2500 15778 capacity decisions accept failure electricity result stock "Therefore, although peak demands this winter may be lower (or, indeed higher) than last year the refusal by at most six to eight large power stations to take delivery of fresh of coal or oil supplies / They are weak vacillating, cowardly. prepared to betray any working class would mean that peak de mand could not be met.
The task facing the TUC is a simple one. It is direct efforts backing up the workers in those power stations which have agreed to observe the TUC guidelines This, rather thar equivocating about support IOl NUM, is what the general council must do in the next wechs The crunch situation is already coming at Didcot - where industrial action by workers prevented coa deliveries four weeks ago, but scab coal is now being accepted by a number workers.
But the situation clear. There are so few power stations which need to knocked out of the grid that victory easily achieved by the TUC if it Well, victory himself can make all ap peal to workers such as at Didcot If the TUC does not win the strike it is because because they are unable to They do not wall lo not The task of the move ment is not to let the TU( off the hook. To force the delivery by the unions of Congress decision:
weeks ago, afte he NACODS sell out, w Socialist A That still true can stop NUM'.
The fight of the entir movement has to be tr stop that treachery now.
•GORMÄC Precisely! They are still in opposition but already they are behaving....
GOVERNMENT
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A For a TUC...
up its pressure to get TUC Congress decisions on support for the miners reversed. The reason is sim- ple. Despite government propaganda the 'back to
are to maintained. supplies can be maintained