[page 1]
VAN
[page 2]
Two years have passed since socialists in the Women's Liberation Movement discussed together on a national level. These have been years of important discussion and activity. Campaigns like the National Abortion Campaign and the Working Women's Charter have gained in strength and experiences and have had to tackle many difficulties — often leading to intense debate throughout the WLM. Other areas of struggle have been spearheaded by the WLM— battered women, rape, delence of lesbian mothers and gay rights.
Women and other sections of society have received invaluable support and political ideas from the WLM: Trico, Grunwick, anti-fascist and anti-racist campaigns, support for the Irish struggle. Crucial steps have also been taken to develop support and unity with the women's movement internationally at the Spring conferences in Paris and Amsterdam last year. The theoretical discussions in the movement have generated important ideas. No serious attempt to develop a strategy ignore these discussions.
We hope that the pages of Socialist Woman can reflect the colour, variety and seriousness of these debates and activities. In time, we hope that the discussions in the movement will be taken up in this journal not only by members of the International Marxist Group but by other supporters of the WLM.
In this issue we therefore welcome contributions from the Women Against Racism and Fascism Group, Women and Ireland Group, and a discussion between IMG members and independent socialist feminists in the NAC. We are also pleased to publish a reply from Hilda Scott to a Socialist Woman review of her book, Women and Socialism.
Many readers have commented on the inclusion of articles written by men in our pages. We see Socialist Woman reflecting the discussions and actions of the WLM, in particular its socialist current. As such, its contributors should largely be women. However, from time to time we will print articles written by men outside of the WLM. During the discussions on domestic labour it was important to consider the positions developed by Wally Seccombe. This is why Socialist Woman produced his article in a pamphlet. In the last issue of Socialist Woman we printed a review by John Ross of Eli Zaretsky's book, Capitalism, the Family and Personal Life. We felt his positions would spark off an interesting and useful discussion. We do not feel that this detracts from our concern to contribute to and extend the discussions of women within an autonomous women's movement.