and redundancies.
sophisticated government could cien fura the situation 1o ideological advantage hy deplaying the seductive logic of free WOIKEE nemploymen Whether eventual level of unemployment the rate wane and noice incresses could he beaten down by this painful roure would depend on how stern prepared to be and on the responses of capitalists, workers What is certain isthal neither the interim acceleraunemployment would be in the interests of the working class The left's counter to this grim SECTO DO VIRE XLI policies which would interrupt che chain of evente, Thus it is ENCE CONS CLEOSTEE could stem the ride of price rises at source by introducing a month boot frocze followed D' stringent price controls. In tbe context of a wages offensive such would force capitalists into bankruptey or evasion of the controls: in the ensuing crisis the government would acquire further intervention in the pri vale secior leading to ourright public ownership. Sumilarly it l recommended that the spillaver from higher real wages and levels privale into higher averted Over tation ol sweep mational t CUBEELE current left COMATHA barric......*.-.-.
AGREEMENT In principle a social contract is nouns more man an cconomywide agreement botween tie government and the trade union nwwement under which rules are drawn up to regulare pay sertlenocals within lower level bargaincommitment hy the government o a particular set of coonomi an ongoing of collective bargaining conducted at the level of the al this level falls by definition within the domain of politics are the policy of the state itself. Nevertheless a social contract spocies as more familiar ibodes o collective hargaining. In prin ciple it involves no greater smaller compromise of and action than any other collecagreement agreement may be more or less unfavourable to the unions.
voluntary of the terms, or, for that matter, to refuse to enter any agreement at all and rever reliance on bargaining, It is this feature of a social contrast which provides the linh with the experience and tradi tions of the trade ment. It is accepted that union PARC bargaining Industry level factors as prodoctivity, profitability and employ eeneral faciors such as the past, and perhaps movement of the cost of living.
BREAK WITH PAST Ai the contract introduces a break with the past. This is mol поста іпрове social regulation on the charac teristie anarchy of pay deter mination the associated income classes This is a feature of thai unions should not accept or and for the performance economy without a correspond ing extension of power to in Nuense national witholding of corporate econ mic strengch on the wages quid presents a major apportunity the bsuds of pay and infation with those structural issues - the investiment, the patter of production and consumption scale. direction and compositor of forcian trade, the character consequences innovation ally as the oulcome of privat eton and decision beyond the NOCO SINE COMO COICEES sed a social contract becomes a estrument for the assertion of :
for the national offers a level for of public trade welding together particular quid pro quo As cessions on CACINE normal collective into anticipated future, in the because of same time a social definite GUIDELINES conscious ander capicalism ans involve distribution both between and within The novel that Is privale democratisation ment policy. The front Redged afte Contract debated and Many ment, the the sention and of technical which ander capi foreign development economy. shifting the MILAUSEN progressive he risks in the exchang are precisel the gaining in general. The trade manoel redor steined be for leadership majenre. The process of match ing concessions on pay for cor policy may сая degenerate into a hard hended corporatist exercise in the mutual of demands cconomic sudes quo. Il is also progressive potential of a social contract will But reason in principie artempr to realise this poteatiai should not be made whatever Fi in office. The political value or a social con ract lies as much in the going a are real Thi must be arriving The risk Taccd. But to reject the principio condemin the working class to a permancal role of debant sut bourgeei:
found arty's 1973 Programame and unifesce These the role of tional Ecterpri Board, the corporal insustal EL policy formation and manage The policy to be stressed in the present context is that these iden of a fully programme • Labour 100k have beer negotiated and alliance mobilised They offered a method of pro Ing into the centre of nacionia political life as the conditions of extention working class power ut order k resolve the persistent failures at Bridsh capitalism in the apheres and in order demoralisarion which the left har alsered over the past tao pe tinuing necessity to develop thes Lheres into a hegemonic econo Duvid Pardy cated so different to eurs.
to procese serious chiess cal conclusion social-democeais Fabian brick* rendy quile strongTheir worked out Moreover it rejects cally the cupucity of the DUMENS.
capitalism.
capitalism ruptare from the tem', but that supposed to meun? MANY OF OUR readers will b outraged and angered by th Paria Partin and e Per Both suthors are members of th British Commenist Party. The itself part of a 116-pagr dupli ook-pamphit entitled Our of the Ghetto: The Road 1 Socialisr Renewal. The pamphlet not being sold publicy but (see News from Nowhere) in CP and left social-democratie circles We felt that some of the riches contained in the pamphiet should made avallable to a wider of the Communist Party iself whose reaction we feel will aot hi More importuntly we are of the opinion that Pardy and Prior aibeit in em extreme fashion, cRke the The new draft of the British Rod Its ultimate ing In the chey prostitule Gramas and distur Tenin us part of t alteriapt outflanh from ibe right. For the merit of Out of the Ghetto bes in precisely this facti it explores the ferrain of "Eurocomnumisa" lo Sown and Naly. uneanho num craus mugaeis of wisdom and brings them back to the insulsied Pelos prendes in peepted in of Punds must socin democral mn tis intelectuns would no worry then in the sliehiest. l for huilding socialism 'hrick In Macdowsla retratar and the neces to sons an utter contempt for ll urking cler of thb comnis anequivo- sion independent political working dess Iself. Purdy aed Prior ane both, lo their credit, exponents CPCB. And yet they fail to s he contradiction betmeen Ua ind denying workers demweruc to the oroletanal hoth le tradi tonal and white-collar sectors. Workers control is escluded.
Everyching can be left do unios and enlightened eco the reformist of Our of the Ghetto inhabit.
positium policies Nows quite logically out of their global analysis of Bridsi bellere deveop out SHOU without a solent political snwish straprohabilistic judgement inform ed by sober ansiysis of historica experience'. What on earth in SOCIALIST CHALLENGE, 8 September, 1977, page 9 GHETTO DAVID PURDY MIKE PRIOR The alm of Purds and Prio appears to be lo develup creative" reformis project on model of the Italian Com munist Party (PCB) for Britain. Why theo do they leave should be arguing for a Nutional Government TCHHT! crisis. And set Pardy and Prior refruin frum advocsting the need for a Labour-Tors coalition in breuthing spuce to better prepure estobillshing working class "hegenony'- Why do they shy away from such an Hanlysis Could it be that they are embur raseed because even right-wing sucial-democrais sensitive to tb mury of the inbou novement do not ial shoul te ings except priva aions with the like and the Editor of Th Tines, such irrelevancie Tore nord to explain this curious Trom Intermaily consistent document Since the strateny which the two CP members propose caanel in ny event be pet indo practice e CPCB (exeept Imsofur that belp to police a new verof wage-restraint nallonal scale and not isolated cases such as the took dispute in Birminghum earlier this year), why stay in the purly at all? Surely the should arque for the dissolution of the CPGB iato the Lahour Party awuy from leftist excesses. Their for staging la the CPGB & their major inconsistency and is in any case totally enconvinch Finally nalse agsim the vitel question of wh Purdy and Prior canmot circula : important document inside conference debatel doubt it woald creste an impordivide and force INM) supporters of the 'New Draft" to define clearty. The fact thar document such an this camnot be discussed sends to mauke a mockery of ull the party's claims to a treo and reply from the CPGB lenders to sach document is essential. byJAMES FRANCIS
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