Lobbying. Parliament

The reports we have received about the coming lobby of Parliament on February 21st indicate that it is going to be successful. There have been a number of lobbies of Parliament and the point must be crossing people's mindsas to what good these demonstrations do. We will say quite bluntly that if the lobbies stop short at. the point of merely advising how best Labour can save the capitalist economy they are no good at all. If however they have as their aim the stimulation of struggle it is another matter. We have noted before that the Government's incomes policy has been forced through with very little resistance by the working class. With the single, put heroic, exception of the seamen's strike no large body of trade unionist have fought the Government. We have also noted that the overwhelming blame for this apparent apathy is to be laid at the doors of those people who have constituted the traditional left leadership in this country. But we must qualify this by saying that many have supported the Government or been slow to resist. it for good intentions. We do not believe that every M.P., every trade union leader has been lost to the cause. This lobby and other such action is to a great extent a struggle for these people's consciences. But this is more than merely saving a few people for socialism: if a bloc of M.P.s would really oppose the Government, if trade unions leaders would call upon their members to fight the wage freeze the whole political situation in this country would change. Wilson knows this very well and this explains most of. his manoeuvring. Let us make 1967 a year when his bluff was finally called! ;