Class action on Poland

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As Polish workers rise up against Jaruzelski's 'unions' , many socialists still oppose the call for the British labour movement te break links with the Stalinist state 'unions' and 'parties' . John O'Mahony Available from SO, c/o 28 Middle Lane, London N8 8PL. 30p plus 20p p&p. JALIST Challenge publ I a review of the issues resolutions at Labour conference to help e its readers. Of the Basoke CLP resolution, inating with supporters icialist Organiser, it said: bis resolution, excellent " intentions, suffers from азот flaw, however — lemand for the workers' ement to break all links tbe Communist Parties official trade unions in ere Europe. Not only is prong in itself, but it is a fire way to divide the tort for Solidarmosc in the trexce" le last point is a matter sessment. But why does alist Challenge say the land is wrong in itself?

Cartels re so-called Communist les are the apparatusating cartels of the burrats who run the totaliti Stalinist states. These is savagely repress the ing class, hold down | living standards, and ive them of elementary liberty — in the first i, the right to organise as ASS, even on the trade • level. le 'official trade unions' • no sense trade unions. ¡ are anti-unions, counter ins, agencies of the : for policing and coning the working class. | protect the monopoly hese official 'unions' trade unionists are issed, jailed and tortured ental hospitals by forced inistration of drugs. The of Vladimir Klebanov received some publicity Polish workers rise in Britain.

We don't even know the names of most of the martyrs to the cause of independent working class organisation who fall victim to the police state apparatus which protects the monopoly of the "official unions': There are probably countless lech Walesas and Anna Walentynowiczs who go down in darkness and silence. They disappear into the jails and camps and mental hospitals, or have their spirits crushed and give up.

Often they suffer this fate amid the indifference.of independent labour movements like our own — sometimes with our tacit collusion.

It is collusion for the TUC and Labour Party to have fraternal links with these anti working class state apparatuses, pseudo-parties, and police-state labour fronts protected by terror against the working class and the real trade unionists.

It gives them credibility. It must drive many working class militants fighting for a real labour movement — and perhaps real communist parties - in the Stalinist states to despair.

It miseducates the British labour movement about the oppression of the working class in the Stalinist states. It defeats and deflects the natural trade-unionist and socialist impulse to solidarity with workers facing tasks such as the pioneers of our own movement accomplished a century and a half ago.

Deny

Does Socialist Challenge deny that this is a true picture? Do they think that the 'Communist Parties' are parties, or communist, or socialist, or working class?

After the magnificent revolt of the Polish workers which created Solidarnosc -a revolt greeted by the leaders of the 'official rade unions' with the threat to have the workers shot down - can Socialist Challenge pretend that the official "trade unions' in the other states are in any sense trade Why do we not have a basic class duty to do every. thing we can, to use every weapon at our disposal, to help our class in the Stalinist states and to strike at their oppressors?

Socialist Challenge believes that the Stalinist states should be defended against imperialism: and attempts to restore capitalism. So do most of us around Socialist Organiser; we also believe that the Stalinist bureaucracies must be overthrown by the working class and replaced by workers' democracy. (Socialist Challenge advocates this programme for unly some of the Stalinist states, excluding Cuba).

We want the British labour movement, in so far as it can, to help the workers in the Stalinist states to weakene discredit, and overthros Socialist Challenge on the other hand subordinates the struggle of the working class to a mistaken view of what defending the Stalinist states against : imperialism should mean for socialists.

They increasingly see the world as two great camps. They view any call for the British labour movement to strike at the Stalinist states as undermining support for those states against imperialism.

Socialist Challenge initially opposed support for Solidarnosc's call last December for a working class boycott of Polish trade in response to the martial law: A large part of their international organis. ation called for massive subsidies to the Polish state that martial Some Challenge comrades actively supported a boycott, but the paper remained ambivalent. Now, by opposing the proposal that the British labour movement should refuse to recognise the CPs and "official trade unions' as working class organisations, it helps give them credence.

'Defence of the Stalinist states against imperialism and capitalist restoration' would be a Stalinist and anti working class position were it not firmly linked - as it was by Trotsky — to active support for the struggle of the working class itself to overthrow the Stalinist system. Despite its formal commitment to anti-bureaucratic revolution, socialist Challenge is increasingly unclear about this link and what it means for us.

After the recent Polish experience, only the most Latest issue of Polish Solidarity Campaign News - articles on resistance in Poland and solidarity in Britain and abroad.

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•Socialist Organiser no.104 October 14 1982 Page 13