relieved by her speech.
For the working class, this coin has another side. Labour's plans are acceptable to the ruling class precisely because they contain nothing that grabs the capitalist bull by the horns or pledges the Government to defend workers' interests.
In all of the areas where Labour managed to tip-toe down to the water's edge-Prices, housing, education, persions, North Sea oil-they were not prepared to get their feet wet, adopting the most pathetic and hankrupt half-measures.
In other areas-such as Ireland and NATO-they were more daring: hut only because they are marching hand-in hand with the Tories, adopting their policies lock-stock-and-barrel.
Over the next twelve months Britain-along with most of the capitalist world-faces an immense economic crisis. The coonomy will go into sharp decline, while prices and unemployment mount at an ever-faster pacu. The capitalists will use every trick in the book to ensure that the working class bears the cost of the crisis, and capitalist profits suffer as little as possible.
But you would never guess it from listening to Labour's siren songFancy phrases about overcoming the economic difficulties," "promoting national Industrial expansion" and redistributing wealth" abound. But search as you may through Labour's rap-bag, not even the tenunant of a policy capable of achieving such aims can be found. "Nationalisation" canne to have disappeared from Ebour's vocabulary.
Workers were correct to vote Labour, hut bow they must rely ony on their own struggles. It is only vision sets last Tuesday waiting to hear if the Queen would proclaim the introduction of socialism, must have been immensely Not only was there nothing in Labour's plans for the coming year which caused Her Majesty to falter or blush, but the capitalist press found much in them that was to their liking. The Queen's speech, was, in the words of the Times, 'moderate and reasonable through these struggles and the organisations that arise out of them that the workers movement can osist the capitalist offensive and unplement the socialist measures necessary to solve the crisis. Labour is incapable of doing Us.
No foun of wage restraint-*voluntary" or statutory must be accepted under capitalism. A united wages offensive should be launched to exlend the gains of the miners settlement to the entire class, The workers' movement must use its own strength to beat capitalist inflation: by demanding a sliding scale that will protect all working class inconses against price rises, and by taking industrial 300 Bass action to monitor and regulate prices.
Unemployment must not be toJerated. workers morement must insist on work or fal may.
Every firin rejecting this and declaring redundancies should he taken over by the workons. who shoukl insist on its immediate nationalisation Students in Newcastle and squat ters in London who have taken over empty affice blocks and property bought up by capitalist speculators Have shown how mass, direct action can be used to counter attack against cupitalist profiteering.
This example must he taken un everywhere in the country, in reply to every failure of the capitalist sus tem to meet hasic social needs and every attempt of the capitalist class to force the hurdens of the crisis an to the backs of working people, Labour's Parliamentary schemes produce only smiles from the ruling class. Measures like These will make them shake with fear and anger, for such measures threaten their privilege and power and haid out the pronise of a real solution to the crisis—a socialirt solution.
Labour's rag-bag
On PRICES the only clear commitment is for selective subsidies on certain foods. This can only reduce the cost of living by 1% in a year in which it is expected to go up by 16%, It will, of course, maintain the profits of the big capitalist food firms, On HOUSING there are no plans to launch a massive outana programme to provoi adequate homes for all, onty the pathetic ing. -Flents are to be frozen, but anly for 9 months and whils the Housino Finance Act will be repealed, rent rises provisions for nationalising development land may reduce land casts and undercut part of speculators profits; but hausing will still have to bear the costs of the im mense profits made by the bullding industry and the big finance houses.
The Government is pledged to oppose all forms of RACIAL DISCRIMINATION at home and abroed?, but there is not a word about translating this into action. All the vicious racist less-the Immigretion Acts, the Aliens Acts, the Pakistan Act-will remain in affect The real outlook of the Government is shown by it attitude to NATO: it will "give full support to the maintenance of North Atlantic Alliance', Vast sums will be spent In maintaining a modern and effective defence system to bolseer up this rotten imperialist alliance, which beck up the colonialist ventures of our NATO ally, Portugal, in Southern Africa, On IRELAND, the Labour Government totally the Tory-concocted Sunningdale deel-already continue to deny the right of asif-determinetion to the Irish peonie, British troops will be kept there to do the dirty work. On NORTH SEA DIL, only vegue propos ais ant made. There is talk of the Govern want boyag a majoricy slice of the di dritling opsrations and setting up a state Company to our Mid sai do the del produnid. But even if this is done, it will be mowungless ae long as the big ail monopolles have i stransfiold over refining, disOn TRADE UNION RIGHTS, the Indus trial Relations Act is to go, but there is no commitment to proteet the right to pinket, so viciously attacknd unclet the Tory Government. Phase 3 in to remair in effect until a 'voluntary' deal on mer restraint it worked out with the union How much longer do the Sheewsbury treat the Shrewsbury meen with the same