BENN: thinks he knows best Council they He continues: Since then we have been working in the belief that the best course was to get independance (sic) for Namibia believe that probably the best thing we can do in the circumstances.
This is regardless of the fact that countless statements from the Namibian liberation moverepresentatives ments have demanded an end to investment and African But perhaps Benn believes British government the SHOWS for the Namibian the people.
happened.
uranium tion contact They had oxide OVE attitude.
On LOVCENCHE occupation They need not have worried.
When the Cabinet did come to discuss the contract it ignored a memorandum from the Attor- Whitehall. ney General saying that there force majeure clause Secretary which allowed either party to Secretary, Preston Trades AT its annual general meeting month SLATE SUITE Association of Trades Councils and agreed to investigate the import of Rossing uranium througt Edmundson's of Morecambe.
At the same time it endorsed the decision of the North West Anti-Apartheid trade union conference last November to sponsor a tour of the region by of southern trade unions and liberation movements.
It was at that conference that campaign against the uranium imports got underway North West. The Anti-Apartheid Movement nationally had previously been aware that the traffic had been taking place but nothing had Collaboration between Preston Trades Council and North West Anti-Apartheid Moveestablished that the wal going to Springfields and that Edmundson's were transporting it.
At the Lancashire AssociaTrades meeting we were able to make with stewards British Nuclear Fuels Limited.
been under the Impression mal te urantum was from Australia!
Despite this - and despite the fact that there were plenty of other sources of uranium - the Labour Cabinet decided to go ahead with the for There is a massive divergence between Britain's stated policy Namibia SCal the Labour supports the United Nations in its condemnation of the South as "illegal". This position is far from adequate, but the uranium deal shows that it is still too radical for At the same time as Foreign owen con demns South Africa's 'internal What we need now is to translate the information have gained into action to stop the traffic. This means building a campaign inside the unions involved such as the TGWU AUEW, to stop the handling of the uranium and to isolate and black Edmundson's or any other firm carrying the stuff.
Out November's conference was set up a Trade Union BLISSOT Committee which has organised the current tour of the North West by Trom the South African Congress of Trade Unions, African National Union, Zimbabwe African People's Union and South West African People's Organisation.
The tour, sponsored by the North West excellent way of taking the issue of southern African solidarity workplaces and The dates for the tour are as follows:
Traction Preston stewards Tameside Trades Council Accrington Trades Council, 7 Apr Blackburn Action Against Racisn Blackburn Trades Council. 8 April Preston Trades Council, Preston Pol students Unior at 7pm 10 April Liverpool, AUEW Hall, Mountpleasant street 1Z ADrIE •Helens rade: Council. 14 ADrI. LrTs conterence blackood settlement' elections in Namibia, his government is in tact giving material aid to the South African mining industry in the country This holds a salutory lesson Zimbabwe too. Internal settlement' elections are to be held there next month. There are those in the British labour movement who call on the out its 'colonial responsibilities dealing with the 'illegal' Smith PICKIC If we are to learn anything from the Namibian experience it is that British governments -Labour Or Тогу can nothing in Africa except serve imperialist interests We only demand that they do one thing. Get out!
Socialist Challenge 29 March 1979 page 11