The hue and cry about the "workers' courts" is surely one of the biggest election stunts that the Tories and press have pulled since the Zinoviev letter. Unfortunately, it can be amply demonstrated that the present Labour leadership are directly responsible for the state of affair inwhich the Tories and the press dare try tricks like this. First, it needs to be said loudly and clearly by the left that there was n nothing wrong in what the workers did at Cowley. On the contrary, their action was in accord with age-long traditions of the working class. Exactly a century ago, the "Sheffield outrages", in which trade unionists took violent action against blacklegs, triggered off an anti-union witchhunt which is only paralleled by the events of vodaye The people the Tory press are rushingin to defend and paint as martyrs were known among the workers by the dirtiest word in the English working class vocabulary - scab, The employers and their spokesmen have always rushed to defence of scabs and shed crocodile tears over the undemocratic! and painful treatment accorded to them. There is nothing new in all this. What is new is that after a long period in which they merely sniped at the "growing strength of the unions" the Tories now feel confident in coming out into the open. Why is this? Why in the 1966 general election do we have this scare, this attempt to stampede middle class elements back into the Tory camp, whilst in the 1964 election this issue assumed only marginal importance? The answer is very clear: because the Wilson Government blazed the path by concentrating its fire on the unions,
The Tories are now quitesure that any reaction from the Labour. leadership will be half-hearted and weak, They knew in advance that Mr. Gunter would talk of "not hesitating to take unpopular measures action" to deal with the unions. Thus once again we have the lesson drummed into our heads: every time the Labour leadership take a rightward step they push the whole political bandwagon over with them, How, then must socialists meet this smear campaign against the stewards? Any attempt to go half-way to the Tory position merely. strengthens their ae We agg ea the workers at Cowley taking their moral sanctions against scabs because sanctions are a vitally necess Ww of the workers in building and defending thetr a ec as hypocritical the charges of "mob rule” and inhumanity" - what about the hundreds of "kangaroo courts" in which, behind the scenes, active trade . unionists have been victimised. What about the speed-up, which is taking place in all large factories, which particularly penalises the older workers? And as for the Labour leaders, Mr. Gunter might tell us about "kangaroo courts" which decided to close down hundreds of pits, displacing thousands of men in the most brntal manner? The whole left must stand firm and fight hack-