DEMONSTRATIONS ON THEIR OWN AR is the result of the present mess capitolises is in and this is preciscly why the Labour government tried to bring in a similar measure (and will do so again if re-clected, though perhaps in the guise of another Incomes Policy). Indeed, it is precisely this political approach of the Councils of Action which distinguished them from the official Trade Union leadership and it is only through such an approach that most militants who come in contact with Councils of Action can be politicully educated (the existing socialist groups are too small lo do this on their own).
Now the Council in Manchester has always formity acknowledged that the struggle is a pulitical one. Experience has shown, however, that this purely formal acknowledgement is not enough because what has not emerged has been any real political discussion abour what we we doing and what we should be doing. For instance, a suggestion that at occasional, though regular, intervals political speukers should be invited to talk on some topic related to the TU struggle, has never been implemented. The general failure to act on the on the acknowledgement that the anti-Bill struggle was political has played an important part in some of the other mistakes that have occurred. And it has also resulted in occasional friction within the Council because conflicts of ideas which have ineviably cropped up have never been able to be clearly articulated at what are at the moment essentially business meetings. It is ouly natural that members of the Council will have different political views -most, if not all, of which will have some merit and be worth listening to. However,