'special case', The iwo arguments go together.
HE TAUNT particalar category.
than the supposedly something, but they do nothing.
party or the goverument?
PATHETIC JESTER away old man, white hairsill hecome a pathetic jester. it transcends the limits of Labourist politics.
MOHECT words.
struegle. The relationshio between the two seeking to institutionalise.
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Socialist Challenge 5 October 1978 Page 2 government that the unions are as loyal defenders of the "mational interest' as anyone else. But this or that group of workers is a This is a load of rubbish, of course. And unless militants begin to understoo nattocre is no such Ening as a Bamona materest 10 a society divided on the basis of class, the houses will always have the No, it is not the workers or those who fight with them who are Ine moroos ne the know-nolaines, It 4 those who helese tha! they can deceive workers all the time who should be classed in that It 6 the leaders of the Litour Party who know that their goverament is wrong, but refuseto fight back, who are even worse know-nothings, For they do know When Callaghan shouts: "What's your alternative, then?!, the do-nothings stay silent. It is this silence which has now become What did Tony Benn feel as the conference rejected Callaghan's , interference policies? More to the point, what will he do? Is he, the firm believer in the authority of Labour Party conferences, going to defend his Cynicists and apolitical manoeuvring cun go so far and no further. Does Been realise this, or is he totally hypnotised by the Parpect of a peacetel transition to the leadership of the Labour As for Foot, he is displaying clear signs of political aod physicul senility. A Falstalfian figure, he now appears parhetic. One could almost hear some of his former friends shouting at him: "Get thee Where Bean evades, Foot justifies. Where Bean resorts to manoeuvres, Foot is blatunily apologetic. The difference in tactics is explained by the fact that one hopes to become the leader of the Labour Purty, whereas the other has already lost the battle.
Il is obvious that a broad-based fighthack against Labour's policies is urgently needed hoth in the unions und at the base of the Labour Party itself. But this fight can only he successfully waged if defeat Callaghan and the "do-nothings' camnot simply he fought on the terrain of the Labour Parly. A contest will be necessary in the broader arena of the class demonstrated by the Ford strike. It is one whied we should he SIR TERENCE former Hrilish Arms officer in India and Malaya and now boss of Ford UK, made a speech last week in London to the World Planning Congress Or. to le more precise he made two speeches, GEOFI BELE explains.
The first speech had been staried. Copies that speoch attacked "government interference" industry negotiations. He termed such Bar before he rose to speak Sir Terence changed his mind In the second speech — the one be actually made — all criticism interference the goverument ations was dropped. Instead the Ford hass took up a more familiar anion-bashing theme.
So instead of Sir Terence attacking the government tor Insisting on a rigid pay policy, he arracked Ford workers for striking against A such a chance m lEne such an extraordinars example double enough. Sir Terence then went on to attack the unions on the grounds of morality.
He said that union decisions to make the walk out at Ford ollicial represented the -breaksolemn What's more, society Beckett, 2300 million. la bour alone Beckett he called 15,000 And while including produced this a species of have suffered For rose by 36.5 per cent. pay negoti- SamE period estimates that that policy: tour years.
thunk, wast't the fabric af society' pronuscs bas actions renowned for its threarcood the whole fabric of + integrity:
April 1977 can be cited: the least, such Capitated is in risis. The leaders of the Labour Parm and the trades saion righteous pontificating appears 1 estimated tha: Ford UK will make a profit of something like This profit comes from the of the workers on the shop floor. In Ford Uk there actions are 57,000 of them, If you work it but, that means that this year bosses and shareholders of over they have wealth, the workers themselves dramatic we have Between October 1974 and October 1977 the basis wockly rate of a "B' erade Ford worker - the largest single caregory In the relail price index shot up by b4.& per cent Bringing the comparison up Ford workers will have experienced a 20 per negotiation, ele. tent decline in the real value o WELL MUCH DUS BIH Faced with such facts, it is hardly surprising that Terence Beckeit resisted the not very strong temptation to discuss thie merits of the Ford workers' enough claim and instead wandered off into the realms of morality and had a unique actually af Hemy Ford Il in Nobody's making a consumer buy anything. He (sic) hays of his own free will. Now getting screwed. And we built lois of lousy cars, no questor aboutin, can't deny it."
Or if Beckett wants to talk ahout the evilness of arbitrary as he did when condensing the untons for breaking promises - there is You will kilow that the new Cortina is one of the best selling cars we have ever built. In order to improve the supply situation advised your shop stewardsofour intention to runt Hour instead of the present t hour instead of the present Indeed, Che speed-up of lic assembly line wilhout consultation is a world wide practice of the Ford Motor Company, there whose EK chitirperson now has the cleck to prattle on about Ford consultation, When the Ford bosses aren'1 droning on about the need for and Henry Ford 1, with his suppor:
good conduer — their lavourite is to attack their workers for not working hard For instance, Henry Ford 1 salusion which would permit his crip byces to work intherain: head down corrosion and to limi the electroanalysis, was to prevent ros Cer socialism will he inhasels more someratic chan what pride sacalism' in the LiSR and Fasten Eerupe hate discredign sculise In the eneset the million of morter Ihrimehoat he wine Me an apposed le them and will afie full support in all iles fiaiting for socalise armurio Rust-proof meta, are being developed, we are finding ways to preserve wood..
The point is, if there is no reason why we could not do the same with the human bods There is co law agninst 3. The greal problem is to get people in the mental attitude where they are walime to try and do it...
with those elsewhere and to say how much more quickly a car if produced in Belgium, than Britain In diflicuit to establish the exact truth of all this, but there is some evidence. For instance the most productive Ford planEs in Eurone are those Hordcaux in France, which alle happer HILL automated, lt is also true thar fewer unofficial strikes in Ford Germany than in Bur if Ford manageiient HIS TO ELLISS SEA BLAE sons they have an easy option -FORTE MINCEMEAR tave been asking Tor che full ligures on productivity, em ployment. and rale throughout Ford Europe. Just as One management have refused to make public suct When shop Hour warkers at Ford bowes latter's unwillingness to discus real facts aboul the Sunsor omic Brlish worker is understandable