November Trade Figures - the Worst Ever

The figures given by the Board of Trade for Britain's exports and imports during November of this year are very grim for the Government. Although Mr. Crosland tries to blame the dock strike for the crash in exports (some £86 million down on the avurage before the dock strikes) this argument, even if true, would not account for the £40 million increase in imports. The basie reason for this position is that the people who run industry - and their political representatives - are unabi@ to modernise Britain. The Wilson .Government has tried to do this by imposing higher unemployment and a wage freeze and the result has been to make the position worse. Now voices are being raised in the Cabinet to try to improve Britain's trade position by exporting arms to South Africa. Everything indicates that the Government will meet the difficuities indicated by these trade fugures by imposing further sacrifices upon the British people, starting with the working classe The proposed arms deal with South Africa is part of the same policy. It shows that having rejected the socialist option the Wilson Government has no alternative but to go further and further to the right. That is why the left must fight the Government and work for the replacement of the present leadership. This latest set of trade figures should spur the left on3 under no circumstances should the left rally around Wilson. The fact that the Government is unable to improve the economic position of the country should be seen as an argument for fighting to replies Wilson all the more quickly. Gestures like that of the staff side of the National Whitley Council for civil servants in postponing their wage claim "until the economic situation improves" are pointless and harmfuls The bunch in power will only regard action like this as an encouragement to demand other sections make similar sacrifices. This winter promises to be a hard one for the workers of Britain. It should see the beginning of a struggle to replace the present leadership of the Labour Party and Government. People like John Dickens, M.P., who said that the talk. . of sending arms to South Africa was the last straw for support— ers of the Labour Party, could do much to stimulate such a fight if they were to support the call to fight to replace Wilson and co. That such a fight must be on the basis of a socialist programme is of paramount import.