The dorpnstration advertised in last week's Bulletin took place last Tussday, According to the Daily Workey, some 2,000 leaflets wero distributed outside the Royal Albert Hall to crowis attending a boxing match, Uarlier there had been. a March from the Royal ilbert Hall via South Kensington tube station to the Iraq Tmbassy. Thedamonstration had been called to protests against the reign of terror conducted against Communists and left-wingers by the new Iraq regime. A protest note was handed in at tha limbassy.
ee
After criticising the Maudling budget, the Sconomist, in 2 leader entitled "Half Speed Ahead" has somo more harsh words to say about their govermental allies and concludes with these words:
"In generel therefore, the verdict on this budget mist be very mixed, Some of the reliefs made in it are directed at the right places, But the continuing reasons for Britain's stuntod growth are lack of adequate 4xports, lack of an adequate incomes policy, and lack of adequate internal demand, Nothing has been done in this budget to solve the problem that exports, at the present sterling exchange rates and under the present British tax system, are uncomfortably unprofitable things for British firms to inereaso,. Nothing has been done, except & little ineffective back—-scratching, in the egalitarian nature of the tax reliefs, to make it moro likely that am adequate policy of wage restraint will be enforced upon the trade unions, Something has been done to encourage the growth of demand in the long-term, bt there is certainiy too little to encourage it in the short, There is still: 2 residual assumption that caution about expansion now will somehow make it easier to expand the economy more robustly, at a later date, without tdding these problems of cost inflation and export stimulation - which is almost certainly the reverse of ths truth, Ae the ship of state chugs puffily through sut— marine infested waters, there is wafted down to us, from a bridge which nowadays seems perpetually enshrouded in mist, an immediate instruction which those on tho passenger deck can be excused for finding a little nerve-recking, a little muddled, a little insecure, 'Damn the torpedoes!’ loudhails Captain Memidling cheerfully, 'Er = half speed aheat:."
Whilst for a Marxist analysis of the budget one must look else where, the above quotation servas to indicate the disdain which is felt for the Maudling budget in circles whose support the Tories would normally consider as beyond doubt,
1546 According te the Financial Times of 8/4/63 the biggest con=
flict in the labeur field since the 30's is in the offing: en
April 8th union and employer organisations in Norway announced
that threatened strike and lock-out action affecting over 140,000
Norwegian industrial workers would start from April 20th. The
announcement followed the breakdown over the week-end of Govern-
ment-arbitrated talks between the two sides.
Seon after the announcement setting a date for the stoppage
a Government spekesman said the Prime Minister would call a
meeting on April 17 of his so-called "contact committee", repre=
sentatives ef union, employers and farmers' organisations te
discuss the "new situation." In addition to the Prime Minister
Mr, Gerhardsen, the Minister of Finance, Mr. A Cappelen and the
Minister for Wages and Prices, Mr. Karl Trasti, will attend.
Today, too, it was learned that the conflict may be extended
te a further 70,000 workers, The Board of Employers' Associat—
ions has been empowered to call -a lock-out for firms whose cont-
racts with their employees expire during May = among them are
impertant concerns such as Norsk Hydre and the major pulp and
paper producers. <A final decision will be taken when the Board
meets again en April 17 after the prolonged Norwegian Easter
holiday.
The failure of the Government-mediated talks came a5 a surp—
rise to the public -in Norway. It had been understood that the
gap between union claims and employers' coffers was not large.
Even now people are sceptical about the possibility of the Govern-
ment allowing a labour conflict which would be the biggest in
Norway since the 30's. It is believed that the Government will
enforce a solution. This whole situation illustrates the class
nature of this social democrat "paradise" for workers.