lads, too of them now on hunger strike, have to wait in jail before we gain them They waited patiently for two months as one-day stoppages, demonstrations and lobbies failed to divert the course of capitalist justice', Worse, while all this was going on, three mose pickets received suspended prison seniences, and the Appeal Court firmly turned the key on John MeKinzie Jones for conspiracy and unlawfal assembly.
They waited patiently for the trade ment. But it never came. The bureaucrats. more interested in drattino new laws Cor sunnier days, proved happy to leave the "criminals, as LICATT cailed them, to not in prison.
Over the next few days - an the "Week of Action oe Shrewsbury opens with the London Conference on Satunday (replete with star trade union leaders), followed hy a mass lobby of Labour MPs at the Commons on Wed nesday - there will be many who will tell them thar with a Labour Home workers movement will have them out This is lakely to prove the cruellest illusion of all. The Labour Cabinet will the Shrewsbury lads are alleged to be. In 1926 a miners' agent in Monmouthshire was found guilty of breaking the picketing laws during the Arthur Jenkins, Roy Jenkins father. contempt it heaps on the ex-Councillars at Clay Cross, even as it repeals or amends the very Acts under which these working class fighters were imprisoned.
Let's tell them no more fairy tales. Only indefinite strike action can guarantee to force the Home Secretary, whether his underpants be red or blue, to pardon all those convicted at Shuewsbery and stop the trials.
Saturday's conference is an opport unity to make this clear, against the wishes of many on its illustrious platform. It must be repeated at Wednesday's demCommons know we mesa business, and take up the fight once again.
The one group of workers who could really get the struggie moving are the miners. Their Executive Failed to demand the release of the pickets before sitting the coal strike, degpite the plea from Jack Collins, executive menaber for she Keat Area NUM. Her the strength reve aled in the miners victory steams that other workers, especially in the building trade, would rapidly respond to a call furn the defeat at Slueambury indo Ray Jenkins (who as Labour's Home Secretary, can free the Shrewsbury pickets with a jot of his pen) should be familiar with the sort of "criminals national coal strike and sentenced to nine months in prison. That man was