The International Marxist Group has long been aware that the capitalist cless and ite пате тако а ксоп smeres in our scoves. Do i wes al the more tascinasing to read in the latest issue of The Economist (18 Januaryl, theoretical journal of the bourg Cowley comrades' pamphlet Leyland in Crisis: Cowley Under Fire:
*The extreme left is sometimes better informed about British industry than its critics give it credit for, and a surprisingly penetrating analysis of British Leyland hes just been published by the Internatonal Marxist Group (IMG):' Rare praise indeed!
Ere to is complimentso on its use of inflation accounting methods 'to prove that the 1973 profit of 628 million was mally a loss of t24 musion and our ICCoR nition that low investment lies at the root of British Leyland's troubles.' Our strange now friends continue:
*The IMG is no less realistie in some of its judgements about the labour disputes at Cowley than in its financial and'ysis. The fundamental change brought about by the transition from piece-work is, it says, that the annual pay review becomes the major wage negotiation; as a result, the shop steward's only sphere of barg aining now concerns the lavel of output and so he is in danger of being known as It was a series of such unsuccessful mining of the stewards, amongst whom the Workers Revolutionary Party (WAPI had a strong following, lost spring. Added to this, the WRP wee predicting at the outset of the three day week that six million peopie would be unemployed within a week, and twelve million shortly Agreeing with the IMG's analysis, The Economist comments: "Crying wolf like that is one reason why the WRP lost the men's confidence at Cowlay!
No doubt the WRP will sejze on. this as the ultimate proof of the middle class revisionism' of the IMG, especially as their own amonet is asmissco one sume article, But before Healy screams about our "betrayal" he should read on.
Not surprisinglv, The Economist industry nationalisation without compensation under workers control, with no rodpay. After all, it would put their mogezine out of business along-with the whole ruling class if taken up throughout, industry.
However, the comrades of the WRP should note The Economist's conclusion. Their perphlet is written off as merely a stale left-wing diet, whereas 'the IMG doctrine..is all the more dangerous for being based on plausible premises.' For 30p (plus 5p postage) you too can develop some dengerous ideas by sending for Leyland in Crisis: Cowiey under Fire from RED BOOKS, 97 Caledonian. Road, London N.1.