Howe's "People's Budget"

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one go paying for one of Lord Denning's New! From the firm that brought you Rents" Act and the "Employment" Act Mind you, the same 60p per week has also to pay Now the budget has given industrialists another Ironically, in 1909 the original "People's Budget"

budget. A man on £40,000 a year for instance - Of course some people do benefit from the the forthcoming rise in electricity and gas bills - and make up for the drop in living standards as our wages £1,000 million hand out by cutting the National Insurance surcharge, and reprieved them from pay for old age pensions, introduced that year. steeply to raise income tax for the rich in order to of Lloyd George and the Liberal Party proposer (why is it always men who get such salaries?) - will be over £800 better off as a result of Sir Geoffrey's lag further and further behind inflation. there are similarly generous "incentives" • Dole goes For the unemployed, low paid and pensioners well as during 'boom' years - are notching up The banks - who make profits in a recession as effort to steer it a lay from socinem caused a These measures - brought in under pressure from This may give such a man added "incentive" - to up to a princely £25 for a single person, pensions up to £32.85 - significantly less in real terms than The speculators have had a field day with the two-year constitutional crisis when the House of imposition of speed-up being pursued by British carry forward the policies of rationalisation and ted £150,000,000 for a new cosmetic scheme to And the enterprising Tory cabinet has alloca- bargain basement sale of Amersham International and other 'hived off' property and concerns, and are boys. - and with the Liberal Party and its SDP boor We are still of course saddled with the House of capitalism. Or it may just give him the cash to blow single people earning between £120 and £240 a week On the other hand Sir Geoffrey's package leaves force 100,000 unemployed off the register into temporary jobs paying only dole money and "expen- tims have paid for fares and meals they will be worse ses" . But we can be sure that by the time these vic- licking their lips expecting to make a killing on the from naval dockyards - are doing fine, with soar- The warmongers - despite occasional squeals venom against socialists who stress the impossibility of overthrowing capitalism through peaceful Parlia- Yet Labour's right wing today concentrates its around 60p per week after the new increases in worse off. Married couples on average earnings gain off than on the dole - and subjected to savage ing military spending (£14,000 million this year And their idle utopian fantasies of £9 billion national insurance are taken into account. This is indeed a mighty incentive for all of us. trade union and labour movement; hospital consul- The judges have got their teeth firmly into the nothing to prepare the labour movement to fight the reflation schemes coupled with wage controls do And Sir Geoffrey has offered so many ways for us to spend our 60p. We could use it to defray the increased cost of 7 gallons of petrol, of 12 packets of put it towards our soaring rents, our rates bills - or, cigarettes or 30 pints of beer. Alternatively we could if we live in London we could blow the whole lot in already doing very nicely from three years of Tory crust of the middle class and the big employers - are The "people" Sir Geoffrey is aiming at - the top level of tax on top earnings has fallen dram- while the low paid are being screwed for tants are cashing in on opportunities for private gain opened up by the NHS cuts; and of course the Queen is doing nicely with a £280,000 hand-out But for the vast majority of people - working speak in our name, and build a leadership that will Budget" requires first that we ditch the people who The people's answer to Howe's "People's Geoffrey Howe's "People's Budget"

hand-out.

on a few days' luxurious holiday. The Tories are not content with putting anti-union laws on the books. They are also mobilising the physical force to suppress resistance.

Last week a new 'Home Service Force' was announced, to supplèment the Special Patrol Groups, Tactical Aid Groups and regular army and police.

This force, made up of 4,500 people with regular armed service experience, is designed for "our times of the "Fair comes Sir rule.

atically increased fares on London Transport. two years ago. exploitation into the bargain.

The increased takings.

sale of BNOC.

alone). tax at all on their profits. more. Most big firms continue increases in gas and electricity prices. with more to her entourage of spongers. IN the bad such SDP Michael O'H Bayliss wett Islington L class men and women, the Budget more misery and thore exploitation. елот to seer li awal Lords blocked them.

mentary reform.

Tory attack.

struggle for a workers' government: Front-bencher Roy Hattersley is reported to be pressing for Labour to vote against the renewal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act this year.

The PTA was introduced by Roy Jenkins as Labour Home Secretary in 1974, after the Birmingham bombings - and has since been regularly renewed with Labour support, and used as a dragnet for Irish people and Republican sympathisers.

The Act allows police to detain people for up to 72 hours without charge. Up te tricks old days when luminaries as alloran and Bill : members of abour Parties, {roi the end of 1981; these powers had been used or over 5,300 people. Only 9: had been chared under the PTA, and only 75 convicted 214 had been convicted or other charges followin! detention under the PTA.

Also 255 people hav been deported to Ireland -without charge, trial or con viction - under the Act.

Over the years there ha been growing opposition ti the PTA in the ranks of th labour movement. Last yea 35 Labour MPs voted agains renewal.