If the National Union of Miners' negotiating team should ever get fed up with their present jobs the London Tourist Board would undoubtedly be eager to employ them for their frequent and regular safaris from the NUM headquarters to the Coal Board Offices, to Downing Street and on to the Pay Board has given them an intimate acquaintance with central London that few could match. The men in the pits have gained nothing from all this activity. There was a brief flash of silver as the Coal Board conceded that an extra 70 pence a week might be squeezed out, but even this faded when the Coal Board shook its head.
Aware that only the crinkle of green was likely to sound like music to the miner's car, the NUM negotiators got down to their homework and went off to see the Pay Board again on Tuesday, in the apparent belief that LISL Board's attitude was all a misunderstanding. But the Board quickly scotched such illusions when it treated the NUM representatives like adolescents trying to sneak into an "A' film, and told them they wouldn't be admitted without a note from the Coal Board The failure of all this street-walking by the NUM negotiators has led to widespread dissatisfaction with the way the claim is being pursued, Both Arthur Scargill, President of the YorkBut the action of the PFLP is not aimed shire miners, and Emlyn Williams. President of South Wales NUM, have stated the obvious: these talks are a waste of time, and such nonseusz shoeld be stopped in favour of stepping up industrial action.
These sentiments clearly reflect a rising mood of militancy in the pits The vigorous response of Leicestershire miners to the public scabbing operation of Frank Smith, their rep resentative on the NUM executive, is one of the surest signs of this. It is almost certain that the NUM executive will be forced to adopt Tougher measures, but it is not yet clear what these will be. Some areas like* South Wules-are talking about tightening up the overtime ban, while Scotland is discusing the idea of a two day a week strike. So far the only miners" leader to put forward the idea of a national strike has been Arthur Scargil from Yorkshire.
Proposals such as a tougher overtime ban or a partial strike are totally inadequate: only an all-out national strike can advance the fight for the miners" claim and put the Tories on the run. Only a total national strike that would stop all production and present all coat movements could seriously dent the Government's strategy.
But, more Importantly, the great power of the miners lies not merely in their ability to hit fuel supplies.
Weslera European finance to Israel. It could have been part of a serice of actions cosignad to provoke a shilt to the right in the Israch clections, thas making agreement berween Israel and the Arab states more dillicult. The PFLP is alone amone Palestinia resistanco omanisations in pan demning the imperialist pence now being cooked up at Genera. But acts of indivi dual tener will neither deter Sieff and others from putting their fortunes af the disposal of Zionist colonialism, nor prewat the imposition of tbe imperialist pence on thie peopler of the Middle Fast The brurageous militants of the PFL have every right to full solidarity hy the but in the impact their struggle could have on the whole working class. Vast sectors of the workers movement are waiting for some sort of lead to go into struggle against the Tories. A national miners strike, cog pled with the dispatch of miners flying pickels to every major industriai cencre in the country. would provide just that sort of lead The launching of such a strike must he the central concern of -NUM militanis in the weeks ahead. A campaign must be conducted throughout the NUM in favour of such a strike, demanding that the Executive calls an immediate strike ballet and contacts the AUER and ASLEF Execufives to work out coordinated action Preparations should be made for the munching of lying pickets squads and firm contacts established with local railmen and engineers, (An im portant step io this direction has beep taken by miners in three Wort Wales pits who have replied to the laying on of extra lorries hecause of the ASLEF dispute by hanning sil lotties from their pits.)
Delay will play into the hands of the Tory Government. If the three-day week is allowed to bile into working class living standards without any group of workers showing a clear way forward, de moralisation and confusion will spread through the ranks of the workers' movement. The time for determined action is now.
lhour masement of the amperialis poun tres. Indifference to the cause of tbo Talescap people of the purt of the kuropcan working class, goes the tum class plenty of opportunity to perfect a corror apparatus for use gainst the working class movement in peneral The increasing co-operalion between the secret police af different countries, the inter national witch-bunts ugainst subversion, the call for more stringent surveillance. ane all purt of the sume pattein. Any moves against Palestinian or Aruh organisa tions in Britain most be met with a mas sive respone: from the leitish Left,