You Are Wrong
Socialist Organiser1982 1982-05-20Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 1 →
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BY THE time this Socialist Organiser reaches readers, a BY THE time this Socialist Organiser reaches readers, a full-scale British invasion of the Falkland Islands may well be in progress, backed up by bombardment of mainland Argentinian airfields.
What both sides want above all is a military victory — not in the service of any great cause, but for the sake of the self-promotion of each of the rival governments.
From the start, in fact, this war has been a reactionary war, a clash between two right-wing governments both striving for self-assertion and prestige. In this cause, hundreds of Argentine conscripts, British 'economic conscripts' , and civilians caught in the cross-fire may now be slaughtered.
A victory for Britain in this war - that is, for the British ruling class — will be nothing but a defeat for the British working class.
It will leave the Tories cock-a-hoop. If will strengthen their hand to stifle class struggle and rally workers behind the flag of British imperialism. The dockers' decision to cancel their strike on jobs, and the seamen's union vote to support an invasion of the Falklands, show that.
A victory for the British fleet will strengthen militarism, enabling Thatcher to step up her arms drive. It will assert Britain as a major world military power, ready and willing to back up its world-exploiting economic operations with brute force.
So in this war our enemy is at home. Our war is class war against the war of self-assertion by the British ruling class. Our war effort must be an effort to weaken, undermine, forestall and defeat the attempts of Thatcher and the military commanders to throw their weight around in the South Atlantic.
An international working class policy to stop such wars as this must start with a fight by each working class to paralyse the bloody armed fist of its own ruling class.
We must challenge and call to account the labour leaders who have supported Thatcher's war. We must campaign for blacking of all military supplies and all work for Thatcher's war effort. And we must mobilise tens of thousands on the streets to demand: withdraw the fleet now!
to Trafalgar Square. Organised by Ad Hoc Committee on the Falklands.
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Socialist Organiser no.85 May 20 1982 Page 2 RUMBLING OF
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ON THE STREETS ON THE STREETS AGAINST THIS
Withdraw the Fleet! Demonstration, Sunday May 23, 2pm from Hyde Park