Last week's Sunday Mail carried a vicious red-baiting attack on the International Marxist Group, and other organisations of the revolutionary left, based on allegations about their supposed plans for taking part in miners pickets.
What the Mail puts forward as a statement from an IMG spokesman is nothing less than a lying distortion.
"best' traditions of British capitalist journalism. This latest attack is only part of a torrent of propaganda that the capitalist press has been chuming out over the past weeks in an attempt to isolate the miners" struggle and turn rankandfile miners against the militants ofthe revolutionary left, who are among their most dedicated and hard-working supporters.
These frenzied attacks reveal the deep-seated fears of the ruling class. They are afraid of miners pickets, they are terrified of the prospect that the miners' struggle might draw in and they are worried that the revolutionary left micht contribute to such a development and, in the process, extend the influence of revolutionary ideas among the working class. NUM leadership's restriction of picketr to six meant that the picketing got have been reinforced, and local T&G official Alen Law and two ADEW shop The following in an interview with Brian Dasies, a face worker from How long do you think the strike will About four weeks I should think. But even if the Tories win the election I don't think the miners will be demoralised.
You said you thought socialism was the What is the real position of the International Marxist Group on miners" pickets? In our opinion effective pickering is central to the victory of the strike. The 1972 strike showed that one of the most powerful weap ons wlich the miners have is their ability to choke off supplies of power to capitalist industry, mainly through picketing the power stations The experience of the 1972 strike alsoshows that only mass pickets can halt lorries. Already the weakness of the six-man picket line has been exposed at the Saltley Coke Depot.
The NUM leadership uses the ex cuse that mass pickets are not needed because they have support from the transport unions. But many lorry driversare not union members, and in an industry as badly organised as road haulage many union members are more alraid of their boss.
This should be the ABC of picketing. Why then have the NUM Ieaders tried to ignore it? Because they have capitulater hefore this red-baiting.
We feel that this decision in a very serious error. But it is not one that will hold up in practice. Rank-and-file miners will not be content to act as road markers for scab lorries. When the picket lines grow, as they must, the police will try to intimidate pickets and put the boot in. Unde these circumstances the miners on the picker lines will tum for help where ever they can get it. And we intend to strain every muscle to make sun that they get that help Yes, we will Join the picket min ers picket lines-at the invitation the workers on the line, to give then whatever help they need to wir their struggle, We are firm believer in workers" democracy. We do no believe that the organisation and con duct of a picket should be determined by us, or any organisation of th revolutionary left (although we hav our oRd ideas on these question which we will put forward). Bu neither do we think that these decisi ons should be made by a few full tute trade union officials, These de isions must be made by those wh will have to boulder the consequen cos the workers on the picket line:
It is easy to predict what wil happen in the weeks ahead. Just as in 1972, the strugee will develop and first hundreds, then thousands. and then tens of thousands of workers students, and others sympathene t the miners' cause will join thei comtades from the pits on the pleke Lines. The press will scream abou infiltrators" and violent plots, and a few bureaucrate will mutter fron bebind the safety of their desks abou "certain people Who bave bothing te do with the Naitenal Union of Min ers having been seen on the picke Linses."
But those who an actually engag ed in the struggle will, treal sacl pathetic statements with the laughte and contempt they deserve: for they