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FAHILY
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successtul defence by the Longannet miners or the five: dockers by the threat of industrial action. This does not mean that tenants, housewives and community associations should sit back and wait for the labour movement to do something for them. On the contrary only when they start to organise and fight can they then draw in support of the organised labour movement. The 50 Hackney social workers and Nalgo members who refused to implement government policy over squatters are a good example of strong trade union organisation and community action, etc. One of the ways in which we can carry on the family allowance campaign is to contact the government officials who are actually implementing it - obviously it is in their immediate interest to support it in view of the rationalisation of labour and redundancies involved.
With the increased intervention of the state in all areas of social life more and more strikes lead to direct confrontation with the state e.g. police and courts - the Industrial Relations Act. But no strike is in itself revolutionary or reformist, Nellie Gate says looked at in isolation, the family allowance campaign could be as reformist as the campaign around the anti-discrimination bill. Trying to influerice government legislation, when most of us don't believe in voting, when nearly the whole of the Trade Union movement walking through the streets did bugger all against the Industrial Relation act, is a fairly depressing and crushing occupation."
There are two points about this. Firstly struggles are revolutionary, reformist or reactionary according to the context in which they occur, e.g. fascism uses very militant forms of struggle. So revolutionaries are not opposed in principle to voting or using petitions, although we would never make these our primary methods of struggle.
To take up Nellie Gate's 'IMG's line on Women' - the IMG says: "the Womens Question is really secondary to proletarian struggle.? This is so bizarre and full of straw arguments that it clearly warrants a serious reply. However I must assume that Nellie Gate has read and digested very little of IMG.s analysis and strategy on the question of women (male chauvinism is actively fought against in the IMG and she shows her ignorance of how the MG operates in the cartoon which says that "IMG women are still waiting for a line from their men, which shows that backwardness on the "womens question" is not totally confined to the straight left) and tries in a few sentences to outline our ideas which have been put forward many times at conferences (Marxist women's conference in Birmingham), and in our literature, (Choice before us, perspectives for the women's movement), all of which seems to me to be totally unrecognisable from Nellie Gate's version of the IMG line.
The IMG does not say the struggle for the liberation of women is either subordinate or separate from the class struggle (if sisters or brothers would like to question this and provide evidence to the contrary they are welcome to do so - one of the characteristics of 'left bashing" at womens" conferences is a singular lack of concrete criticism). As Leninists we recognise that oppression does not stop at the factory gates; that as revolutionaries and not as militant trade unionists we must understand all forms of capitalist oppression and that we must struggle in all areas of society both at the point of production and outside it. We also believe that we must forge links between all sections of the working class, and that it is not enougn to confine agitation to boss bashing or Tory bashing but agitate over all examples of oppression as it effects personal, family and social life. As Lenin says (What Is To Be Done?): "This oppression falls on the most diverse class of society since it manifests itself in the most diverse spheres of life and activity... is it then not obvious that we shall not fulfil our task of developing the political consciousness of the workers if we do not take upon ourselves the organisation of an all embracing political arraignment of the ruling class?' This is how the TCS should be taken up. Not in terms of explaining to the women that it means the loss of their family allowance, and to the TUs it means rationalisation of labour under the current strategy of the government against militants, but explaining in a rounded way all the implications of the TCS to the working class and for women whose interests lie with that class. It is an excellent way of taking up the question of the family in the TU movement. This has already been done in Leeds in the Nalgo Action Group. We should not confine our discussions on the question of women to family allowances (though obviously we approach them initially on that but attempt to explain the wider political issues posed."
The coming national conference at Bristol must come to grips with these issues in order to offer a way forward. not only the campaign but a better political understanding of sisters in the womans movement.
LONDON WOMEN ON TRIAL The occupation was in protest against the Heath government's proposals to replace the family allowance system by the Tax Credits System.
Though what surprised many onlookers in the Post Office was the violence of the police against the demonstrators (one eye witness saw a policeman approach a demonstrator who was lying on the floor, and deliberately stand on her breast) it is the women who have been charged with assault, and/or obstruction.
The trial, which is starting at 10am Bow Magistrates Court, on July 11th, may continue for some time, so anyone who is interested should find out if they still have time to attend the pickets which will be taking place outside the court while the women are on trial inside.
As we go to press, the trial begins of six women and one man arrested when they occupied the Trafalgar Square Post Office at the end of the International Women's Day demo on March 10th.
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While women were marching in London on International Women's Day at the end of March, eight people were arrested in Lancaster for protesting against the tax credit system.
On the night before the march Polly McDonnell, Alistair McKie and Kingsley Dawson were picked by the police for flyposting six leaflets about the family allowance campaign on the windows of the shopping precinct in the town. All three were charged with five offences -but in the end only the defamation of public property charge stuck. The arresting officer, P.C. Hogg perjured himself in court by saying that when he picked up Polly, Alistair and Kingsley they were standing by a wet poster and were covered with paste. In fact when he made the arrest all three of them were running out of the precinct, nowhere near a poster. And other policemen testified that they were not covered with paste on arrival at the station. Despite that, they were each fined £60, ordered to pay £20 for each poster, and £7 for actual damage to public property. A total of £307. The Women's Centre in Lancaster pointed out that last year the Labour Party were charged with a similar offence when they flyposted the shop windows with Labour Party propaganda leaflets - in the same court they were fined 50p!
However, the story of harrassment in Lancaster doesn't end there. On the actual day of the march about 40 people went into Mothercareand began distributing leaflets about family allowances to shoppers. They had been there about a quarter of an hour when the place was invaded by about 20 policemen and five police women. Terrific scuffles ensued - several people were injured including one of the town's probation officers. Nigel Todd, who was kicked several times by a policeman. One woman who was there with her baby was forcibly restrained while another threw her pram plus baby out of the shop. Luckily the child suffered ng injuries, but it was a potentially dangerous situation.
Five people were arrested as a result of the campaign in Mothercare, and charged with assault and riotous assembly.
They were each fined £30 plus ElO costs and damages.
A total of more than £200.
None of the men and women involved in the arrests have the money to pay the exhorbitant fines. So the Lancaster Women's CEntre are alunching an appeal for contributions. So far they have raised £60 from discos, and other people's contributions. If you feel you can help in any way, please contact the "Women's Centre, 59 Grasmere Rd, Lancaster. (Tel: Lancaster 67648).
Rosie Boycott (Reprinted from Spare Rib) gay lib demo The Great Northern Hotel, Wellington Street, Leeds, was known for years as a Gay pub. But with the advent of a new manager some months ago, things began to change. After re-decorating the pub, the manager begar to refuse to serve gays and anyone with them. When the gays refused to move out, but instead brought along more friends to give them support, the police were called, and the 'offenders' evicted.
As a result a picket was put on the pub on Saturday July 7th and leaflets given out explaining the situation, and demanding that the ban on gays be lifted. As the picketers, including Gay Lib, Women's Lib, International Marxist Group, and Organisation of Revolutionary Anarchists, were standing quietly distributing their leaflets, the manager rushed from the pub, and physically attacked Martin O'Leary, one of the Gay Lib members. Martin pushed him off, but he cam back, and attacked him again, so other members of the picket went to Martin's assistance, and the manager retreated into the pub with a cut above his eye. Soon after this the police appeared, and after consultation with the managerlinside the pub, they emerged and arrested Martin, and one of the members of Women's Lib, charging the girl with obstruction, and Martin with assault! The police then informed the picketers they had best move on as they had no right to picket there and were breaking the law. Eventually the picket disbanded.
The Leeds comrades involved would ask you to take this up in three ways. (a) Write to Henekeys (the owners of the pub) demanding that the ban on gays be lifted, and informing them of the violence used by their manager. (b) Picket and leaflet any Henekeys pub in your area. (c) Send donations and messages of solidarity to:G.L.F., 153 Woodhouse Lane, Leeds2.
RICK HATCHER FA day of action Pushing prams decorated with baloons, posters and stickers.
members of WL, GLF, IMG and ORA marched into the shopping precinct in central Leeds on Saturday 7 July to hand out leaflets on the family allowance campaign.
The response to the leafleting was good, and more than 2,000 izaflets were given out, but the demonstrators found it difficult to sell pamphlets on the campaign to busy women laden with shopping, so they are planning to go round housing estates in the near future as a continuation of Saturday's activities, and hope to hold a public meeting to discuss family allowances and the tax credit system.
Prior to Saturday, the Leeds corarades have leafleted Post Offices, sent letters to Trade Union branches, put on street theatre at a local Labour Club, and won the support of the Yorkshire area NALGO action for their
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