losing farming land on the subcontinent. The loss of such wealth could some of its political grip on the Such a blow struck at the buy Coca Cola. problems as thone he faces in the Jammo-Kashmir and the Pun- economics. The predominance of jab are both areas of vital impor- tance to Indian politics and sikhs in the Punjab and muslims in Kashmir makes the majority in There have been repeated calls for an independent Punjab, around the Punjah capital and sikh holy city of Amritsar. Last year alone thousands of people ment to declare the arca a both states hostile to hindu India. resulting in fighting especially were killed, forcing the gover- neighbouring Punjab. determination. The main problem for a broad alliance of those in Envour of withdrawal, including those who do not support self has been the insistence by Time To Go that it must, in the words of one of its Icaders, "hegemonise" the Charter wasmade the precondition of participation in the Time To Go To Go leadership which has done much to divide and, in some cases Year of Action. In Scotland, sup port for the much discredited It is this, logether with the bureaucratic methods of the Time hold back, the process of building troops going on to the streets in demonstration for withdrawal, called by a broad alliance of 10th anniversary of British the north of Ireland, to prop up the tottering Orange State, a forces including the Com- munist Party, the Troops Out Liberals and a lew Labour MPs, attracted less than 10,000 20th anniversary there is to be Called by the Time to Go Cam- Workers Party, the Young Movement, the Socialist people. This August, on the a march followed by a carnival.
Time to Go in the first place. If, as is likely, the biggest tumout is for centraliscd authority of the Delhi government would strengthen the hand of the masses elsewhere in India. It is for this reason that socialists should support the right of the Kashmiris and Punjabis to self-determination, while look- ing for the future not towards a patchwork of isolated capitalist statelets on the sub-continent but a socialist united states of India, based on froc association of Jonathan Jones sovereign peoples. Kashmiris distinctive language, Now in Jammo and Kashmir, the two states directly to the north, there has been a resurgence which began in 1947 when the British cynically backtracked on their promise of a Kashmir state, Kashmir's capital, the pic- in the struggle for independence and rode roughshod over culture and religion by making turesque city of Shrinigar, sitting ou the shores of Lake Dal at the demonstration and that there would be no political input to the them a part of India. restricted zone. It is ironie that most of the ac- tivities on the ground have been organised by people who, while not giving political support to Time To Go because it puts withdrawal, are prepared to work with any other forces towards that The same problems are emerg- ing in relation to the demonstration on August 12. The first organising did not take place until March 9 committee for the demonstration and then only after an emergency movement for preconditions on paign around the slogan of: "For British Withdrawal from Ireland, to attract a much larger tumout for withdrawal movement'. Their would not now support troops out the Time To Go initiative by a Time to Go', the organisers hope both events than the traditional belief is that those forces who and self determination will be mobilised by the slogan "Time to The AGM of the Labour Com- mittee on Ireland (LCD cndorsed small majority and after much criticism: The LCI also committed itself to building the largest pos-
the music rather than the march, having no rally and no one calling for Brits Out will make the event While continuing to press for a Even at this late stage, there is David Coen indistinguishable from a Christy Moore gig at the National, and proper rally and to ensure that there is some political input to the camival, the LCI must make a big effort to ensure that on August 12 there is a massive demonstration for Troops Out and Self Deter- still time to ensure that happens. surely less political. camival other than the music and Worst of all, plans have been laid for the march which make or- ganising a rally impossible. When pressed, they conceded that it was essential to have speakers at the camival, though who these will be is, at the moment, a matter for A combination of a small demonstration and low key speakers at the carnival would be a sctback to building a withdrawal movement and it throws away the opportunity to speak to new for- ces, which was the rationale for what the bands might say. resolation to the LCI AGM and laid-back attitude of Time To Go Council members to such urgent matters as the preparation of much secondary to the camival in sustained pressure on LCI mem- bers of the Time To Go National Council. The late start in setting up an organising committee and the publicity material, has fuelled the suspicion in the LCI and elsewhere the minds of the Time To Go or- ganisers. Matters were not helped by the announcement that there was to be no rally at the end of the that the demonstration is very SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 14 April 1989 to co-ordinate this with the Troops sible withdrawal contingent on the August demonstration on the basis mination for the Irish People and Out Movement and the Irish in Many of the problems in the relationship between the Time to Go initiative and other elements of the Year of Action flow from the Conception of how to extend the ward by the leadership of Time To There is agreement on the need of troops out and 'self-deter- influence of the traditional withdrawal movement put for- Britain Representation Group: of troops out
A TE gaining hand: as a the of State and the US ambassador, to spell out terms. The US repre- with a strong bar- result of recent decisions by the sentatives came deputy Secretary Benazir stands Defence, Beleagured firm supporters of the old regime of THE MASS mobilisations by Rushdie issue are simply the latest aspect of a fightback by govemment of Benazir Bbut- Fundamentalist forces in par- fundamentalist muslims in Pakistan over the Salman General Zia against the
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 14 April 1989 fers any mote radical cconomic, • The army back to the bar- racks; the mullahs back to the • No help to the mujahedin in • No discrimination against It would not be too surprising if Bhutto herself and the bulk of her PPP supporters were to welcome left campaigns on such demands as a counterweight to right wing Ahmad Shuja This does not mean uncritical support for anything Bhutto says or does: but socialist demands and tactics should make use of and maximise the present process of democracy and not assist the ullra- right efforts to topple the govem- A strengthened mass move- be necessary to combat the threat tion to be done, and no advantage in a premature showdown which No existing mass leadership of- military or foreign policy than Bhutto. While it works to ensure that this alternative is built, the left should continue to fight for even fuller democracy, and raise • Full rights to national minorities and minority provin- human, degrading and oppressive laws imposed under Zin's martial vantage themselves of the new democratic rights to organise politically and in the new trade ment of workers and peasants will of a right wing/military come- back. There is much basic reor- ganisation and political prepara- will see the workers and op- law. In doing no they can take ad- • No US bases in Pakistan! pressed once more the losers. unions that will spong up. slogans including: and US pressure. women in jobs! Bhutto: far-reaching reforms have angered mullahs believe that liberal, modern. In the last week of February a decided to start a campaign to get that the installation of a woman as head of state is 'unislamic", and Socialists should fight this in particular were very hurtful to punishments and had sentences passed retum home. Wornen will be given suffocated by social, political and months of only the second election unacceptable to the mullahs, who • commuted thousands of The last two pronouncements Bhutto has also promised to release all political prisoners, opponents of the previous regime. sence, and made immediate arman- These measures, though not yet religious oppression. Within in the country's 41-year history, This "breath of fresh air' is quite united convention of ulamas (religious scholars) was held in Rawalpindi, linking three of the largest muslim sects. It declared counter attack by the mullahs and, while preserving their own politi- cal independence, ride with Bhut- to in ridding the country of in- death sentences to life imprison- • promised that all laws which specifically discriminate against the mullahs who believe in 'eye worked with Zia to subject Pakis- tani women to barbaric oppres withdraw cases pending against against oppositionists in their ab- changed the climate in a country secular ideas lead to godlessness. working conditions, she says. completely fulfilled, Pakistan is enjoying freedom than ever before. women will be abolished. gements for political rid of 'woman's rule. equal treatment on set aside the eyes of the mullahs and their right • permitted student unions to suffering and torture they have been asked to compromise with Bhutto has inherited a bankrupt economy. Just before the election lion loan, in exchange for a goverment would now play right democracy, and would love to see ship imposed on the country. ces, Bhutto's first speech as Prime (thankfully) 'unislamic" in the after Isracl and Egypt - as well as would follow Zia's economic, much so that she has retained Zia's Yaqoob Khan. There is to be no only the left but also many of Bhutto's own supporters, who believe that after eleven years of the torturers and work with their the interim regime hastily signed position groups realise that any or- ganised campaign against her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) into the hands of the right wing cut throats who hate any sort of Much to the dismay of these for- radical reforms, many of which are Among other proposals, Bhut- • lifted the previous ban on It was agreed that Benazir foreign minister Sahabzada nationalisation of any sort, and couraged. This has angered not an agreement with the Internation- promise to impose austetily However most of the left op another fundamentalist dictator- Minister announced some very Pakistan has the third highest al- location of US economic aid - foreign and defence policies - so al Monetary Fund for a ES55 mil- foreign investment will be massive military aid. ficers refused; they bad nothing to took power at that stage. Even Zia bad promised elections in 1988, terfere with the interests of the A mansive 41% of Pakistan's budget is caten up by the armed forces: all in all the country spends ministration and servicing the 517 parison it spends 0,57% on health and 1.7% on education - in a country where 40% of all deaths eases and the literacy rate is only True enough, Benazir Bhutto publicly declared on taking office the powerful armed forces "won't tally obvious to her in the period between winning the election and Army chief of staff General Mirza Aslam Beg joined with the figurehead President of Pakistan Gholam Ishaq Khan (Formerly a minister in Bhutto's father's goverment, but kept on as a close advisor by his murderor Cieneral Zia) and 'unexpected" guests- the USA's deputy Secretary of ticular had done well under Zia, tion nearly come true: they now fear a possibic reversal of their 'achievements', Some rushed at once to army chiefs as soon as the election results were declared last November, begging them to take The somewhat chastened of- guin and everything to lose if they hefore the August air crash killed him and most of his top army generals. And the officers also knew as well as Bhutto that whoever came to power in November would not be able to in- 87% of its money on defence, ad billion foreign debt. In com- are caused by water-bome dis- that she cannot cut military expen diture - for the simple reason that allow it. This point was made bru- and seen their dream of islamisa- army or its American masters. Page 4
Wealth tax not Poll tax UP D ASSOCIATION TENANTS YOUR goverment that Thatcher has introduced. The response of working class and on local THE POLL TAX is one of the most swingeing attacks on the
ASSUCIATION SUPPORT TAX to the John Hars/IFt. countenance any action that goes outside the law; whether councils or trade unionists or movement has been pathetic other attacks facing the work- the building of a mass non- strength and direction following the leadership of the labour on this issue as on the many ing class: They have refused to it be non-implementation by Nevertheless, the campaign against this iniquitous tax con- tinues to grow apace. In England and Wales new groups are being Formed every week. In Scotland the campaign has achieved new the successful unity conference paymeni campaign.
Page 5 A radical overhaul of the way Rate Support Grants are axsensed needs to be a key plank of any proposals, The government's tem, but in practice mabes it easier to deny support to Labour poses this and talks of more ac- curately reflecting need in Rate Support Grant assessment, hut in practice the control that local authorities require is over how they spend their income, not where it comes from, and there in no particular reason why all taxa- tionally, as long as local people agreement on these issues amongst activists campaigning against the politax. The key issuer the tax by councils and trade unions, building opposition to the register and developing massnon- socialists should une the debate goverment financing but around moveto 'Noods Assessment' sup- posedly simplifies the current sys- had the ability to determine how Of course there will not be within these campaigns will he fighting for non-cooperation with around the poll tax to develop dis- cursion not only around local the whole question of taxation Terry Conway: authorities. The Lahour Party op tion should not be collected na local needs were addressed; campaigns. more generally, bear the slightest relation to the wealth of the people living in the duction of ratecapping, the fighr. scen by many socialists as an im- portant part of the battle to protect we fought under the bannerof No cuts, no rent increases and no rale Funded improvements to services through massivo rate increases such as Walthamstow and Ealing in London did so on the backs of working class peopic. The issue for high rate increases is being way which is in fact only another manoeuvres used by councils do We are already secing the effect of in the period before the intro- against rate rises was correctly working class living standards: increases'. Councils which has not ceased to be relevant. Fur- ther, in the last year before the im- position of the poll tax in England and Wales, the debate about going used in the Labour Party and trade unions as a supposed alternative lo making cuts or confronting the government; a supposed third duced a first demand must be made that local authority debts are written off so that the financial not now impose too high a burden. this in boroughs such as Brent and Haringey being forced to make cuts and put up rates in order to pay for their refusal to fight in Before new taxes can be intro cut in living standards. previous years. as many taxes as at present, their arguments do nothing to deal with the fact that taxation under the designed to shift resources inm poor to rich. Their two taxes will It is not possible to deal with the crisis in local govemment merely by addressing the question of finances al the level of the local state. We need rather to look at taxation in a much more com- prehensive sense: to attack the fact that both local and national slightly progressive, to point out that taxes on profits and uneamed ment and low wages. Socialists argue for a steeply rising Wealth tax as an alterative to the present Any comprehensive solution to issues as the proportion of local "a good local tax over hundreds of years". Ar a tax on the value of a present system is deliberately taxation are regressive, or only ing class people face unempley- ing has to take into account such authority spending that goes to pay debt charges - much of which had been incurred long hefore the imposition of rate-capping. In terns of property taxes, it is non- sense to claim as the Association of London Authorities document An Alternative to the Poll Tax does that rates have proved to be property, rates do not necessarily income are pathetic, while work- the issue of local authority fund- merely perpetuate this fact. system of taxation SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 1/ April 1989 to call a national demonstration, April (when collection started in This hardly matches up to the realism' is not only apparent this groundswell, the Labour Party is making the weekend of April 8 one of local activity' against the poll tax and the TUC have agreed but not until July 1 in Manchester. for a national demonstration at the beginning of Scotland) for which many se- By July registration will be well under way in England and Walcs: ax will he collection in Sontland, so the moment when local cam- passed. However, it in vital that the lahour movement responds to both these calls, that we attemptto sible, and give the leadership ax little excuse as possible to argue through their failure to give dire- tion to the mass movement, hut also through their altemative to the tax itself. The document Local Services localchoices localtaxer produced by the Labour Party for fax: Apart from the obvious draw- hack of seeming to propose twice lective mass action will have that they have tried to give a lead. The shallow response of new last years annual conference proposes Iwo local taxes - a local income tax and a new property tivists have lobhied consistently. paigns most need the boost of col make them as successful as pos held in Glasgow on March 4. 10 but no-one is interested. response demands In
solidarity activity and build links UNTS. A clear task is to build s movement to call for the end of all US Aidto El Salvador, Affiliate to the El Salvador Solidarity Cam- paign al 20 Compton Terrace, Will McMahon SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 14 April 1989 the next twelve months and that it the popular organisations for n final offensive and producing the catalyst that will set the process in political developments it is clear that the left must step up its with both the FMIN and the political leadership of the whole opposition to the ARENA govem- ment, its war against the people. and the US aid to the Salvadorean regime. The FMLN's stated belief is that un insurrection is possible in is a question of binding together Whatever the result of thenc The issue is whether the FMLN is able to translate its majority on the question of the elections into a majority on the question of how to overthrow the present system i.e. whether or not it can take the working class areas that is laying level via both the development of street level organisation and the at- lempt to rempond act for act to the Thus the elements clearly exist for an insurrection al some pout, presidential palace and other Movement for Peace, Work and Land) which is a movement in the basis for insurrection at a street repressive activities of the army UNTS) and the guerrilla forces on the immediate tactical question. Ar the same time the FMLN has been demonstrating a capacity to operate in urban areas which at one point led to a rocket attack on the buildings representative of state development of the MPTI. (The labour movement (principally the power.There has Democracy under the gun: army in a Salvadoran refugee camp London NI. and the police motion. majority for the FMLN's position and developed a united front between the movement and the guenl- sion aroand the clections live comes to appear as the only serious one will development of the mass created a popular imminent and attempts to strike the first blow. This is not the perspective of a coherent alternative for How far this perspec- la struggle. The discus- 1932 massacre, only this time on a scenario, although not on the cards in an immediate sense, 15 a real possibility if the army leadership feels a Life and death struggle 1s crated minority but a the El Salvadorian D'Aubuisson and the right wing of ARENA. They are committed to completely destroying the labour movement and popular organisa- tions, and to a reenactment of the grander scale. This type of Democrats which would opcrate to hold back the 'total war position on the far right of Salvadorean Despite all the publicity given to the now president Freddi Chris- tiani, it is common knowledge that the real power still lies with tive. In the next period the US has to hold the hardliners back until, at least, intemational attention is sible result for US imperialism would be the construction of a new centre right alliance based on the Christiani wing of ARENA and the fragments of the Christian tion outright it became inevitable that the United States would switch horses and begin to present ARENA as an acceptable altema- focussed elsewhere. The best pos- only party that could win the clce- oligarchy Payment: French francs preferred. Cheques to PEC, CCP No 2322 42T Paris. Bank transfers to PEC, BNP Robesplerre, Account 230179/90. Important: All politics. A fortnightly review of news and analysis published under the auspices of the United T Secretariat of the Fourth International were a product of the FMLN's elections were legitimate and the ability for the new government in the short term. From the moment that ARENA appeared to be the are two armed powers within El ween one third and one quarter of the country is under the control of the guerillas and the population Secondly, the FMILN's transport strike was a total success and demonstrated yet again that there Salvador capable of enforcing But none of these factors will stop ARENA claiming that the US winning international respect- tenvion that existed in El Salvador Pinally, two other key factors politico-military strength. Bet- within it obviously played no pit. ballot boxes, within the wealthier Salvador, for in- cally difficult for the poor to vote, and intimidating given the social In addition, the position of the stance, as well as near to army bar- racks, meant that it was both physi- Surface Mail: 1 year 200FFIE18; 6 months /20FF/€9.50 policy on a nationwide scale. International VIEWPOINT during the clection period. bank or postal transfers must also be notified by letter. Air Mail: 1 year 245FF/E21; 6 months 135FF/E13 2 rue Richard Lenoir, 93108 Montreuil, France Subscribe now! Pieto Gigi/IR. position when the clections went refusal of ARENA and the Christian Democrats to respond to this offer significantly increased support The for the FMLN arcas of San while masses ARENA 'wins' boycott. El Salvador Elections ahead. stay away Subscription and correspondence to: movement, the UNTS, to call a There were several reasons for proposal for a postponement to enable them to take part received people of El Salvador. This offer ship of the radical trade union overwhelming support from the below 10%, In effect, the party of the oligarchy was voted for by the oligarchy and the legitimacy of the ARENA govemment within El such a low tum out. The FMLN had the effect winning the lender- recent tum out was equal to the much lower is open to question) elections in carly 1988. There are registered to vote. Even if the council elections, ARENA can only have won 12% of 2.8m poten tial voters (based on the 55% that ARENA appears to have won) and the figure is more likely to bo is possible to register a number out for the election. According to than the 30% for the town council 2.8 million eligible voters in El Salvador, but only 1.8m are period that has elapsed since, it The first thing to note is the tum reports from San Salvador, this ap pears to have been lower Chow turning point in the political whether the elections in El Sal- vador represent a qualitative situation is still an open one. However, despite the short QUESTION as to International Viewpoint, of important political points. Salvador is non-existent. Subscription rates: Page 6 THE
solid, and though patchily, effective broad op Industry, if not the City, is increasingly an- comfortable with the goverment's economic performance. The director general of the CBI made a post-budget public attack on Thatcher, presiding over the 'locust years" - fex- ment. "I must warn you that the locusts will not easily be kept at bay. Last year the CBI said that the priority should be investment not consumption. This was regarded at the time as politically naive Clearly the govemment is in some complaining that she was complacently cessive consumption and under invest- and self interested. Unfortunately it position to the Tories, is growing. tumed out to be right." Are 'we' losing our grip? FEATURES Less immediately dramatic or newsworthy, Transport Secretary Paul Channon is looking but increasingly recognised as central to transport safety, are the planning problems facing the govemment. Uncomfortably for the There is a 'common sense' saying in politics that parties never win elections, That may be so. And given Labour's pathetic performance, even the terminal optimists in the movement are having to admit that Labour's It's all too tempting then to proclaim every hiccup in the government's perfor- mance as heralding a shift in Labour's fortunes. If only it were that casy. But asters and scandals is looking as long as best hope now is probably a Tory dis certainly The list of unpopular measures, dis an NHS waiting list. But unpopularity but governments lose them. Thatcher's problems are mounting up. aster,
difficulty but is it possible that all this patch for the government? They have a of it contentions and unpopular. But this amounts to is just a temporary rocky packed programme of legislation, much is partly by design: when better to deal with difficult business, but in the middle of a term of office when an administra- tion might naturally be expected to be low in the polls? Especially when they have a stash of moncy put by for tax cuts And the rest? Can it be put down just to bad luck (Pamella now included) in are more than mere scandals, but are at- the number of unpredictable controver- Well no, not really. Because many of them sies that have emerged recently? later on. nation's policy makers, these are again being felt first on their own home basc. London com- Thatcher: outliving her usefulness? "Thatcherism" is coming close to hitting those it relies on for its support; the middle class and revenues and sell-off roceipts which O steered their course, with only minor a frighteningly little lasting damago has been done to Tory standing, as they've But now the govemment is beginning have kept them in credit are close to run- ning out And the latest on the list of and policy problems have come and gone over the last ten years. And to look as though it might be sailing a bit too close to the wind. The North Sea oil privatisations don't look such a good deal to potential shareholders who are all also customers faced with bigger bills. But perhaps most importantly. changes of tack, into a third term.
publicly, to the direct consequencies of pursu- tributable, and increasingly are attributed So it could just be that Thatcherism (al- though, importantly, not conservatism as such), is outliving its usefulness to the British ruling Sections of the media now are at last waking op to the fact that Thatcherism's not all they've speculated that the Prime Minister needed a holiday. Peter McKay, writing in the right-wing London Evening Standard under the beadline *I'» that woman again" concluded that the govemment is running out of steam - and Sunday Telegraph columnist recently anyway, he argued, it has alrcady gone too far, Most importantly, he speculated, she might ac- ing Thatcherite policies. cracked it up to be. than they would have done before the advent of muters driving to work now travel more slow- ly and a lot less pleasantly around the capital the motor car - at around 11 m.p.h. Under- ground passengers have heen driven to direct action- with impromptu sit-ins and lobbies when yet more rush hour trains are delayed or cancelled. And perhaps most sensitive of all, the govemment faces a serious challenge from its own 'natural" supporters in Kent where opposi- Faced with marauding middle class masses taking to the streels, even goverment ministers tion to Channel Tunnel plans cannot be ignored. from the proposed "development'. Cheating - by making sure that the track goes underground in Tory areas and who are unfortunate enough to represent con- stituencies in this danger zone have had to dis those sections of the working class who have ing environmental alarm bells In the case of saw his predecessor Leon Brittan's majority cut water, these are being heard loudest in the Tory heurtlands, across rural Britain and into the neat county towns. So much so that at the recent by- clection in Richmond, the young Tory hopeful Rising house prices and mortgage interest rate rises are begining to hit home. Record levels of homelesness are not just a minor em- barrassment to some Tory bleeding hearts, but an ever-growing financial burden to central goverment and source of frustration to the Working ciars opposition to the government's Water and electricity privatisations are ring govemment's friends in the building trade. felt some gains from the last ten years. from over 19.000 to just 2,500.
That, of course, is the Tories" bottom line. If a place on the City payroll for what looked like The challenge, as always, is for Labour's Jane Wells I were a govemment minister who d given up a jah for life l'd be getting more than twitchy. leaders to apply the political commitment and drive necessary to shape and advance the grow- ing tide of opposition in the working class. The present performance of Her Majesty's official opposition makes it less rather than more like. Pade 7 tually be starting to put voters off. I might even be getting out. ly that they will do that. only surfaces in nasty inner city Labour stron- gholds - might just work for the govemment. But they have had to back-track —by going for the marginally more environmentally accept- able but significantly more expensive option. And pious monetarist homilies - that all this is really a sign of prosperity and we jolly well with many Tory supporters, whose first instinct Proposals to 'reform' the NHS are in trouhle of a tax-funded, free health scrvice remains ought to be gratcful - are starting to grate, even ing NHS workers in opposition to the government's plans. The public's basic support too, as some professional groups are now join is not idenlogy, hut self-interest. plans for public sector housing is gathering Effective campaigning - particolarly in London's Tower Harlets - against Nicholas ing Action Trusts", has recently resulted in the Transport has recently and dramatically risen aspoct of policy here presents difficulties for the government. A weaker government might have. dals, injury and even death attributable to their politicians and policies. Only now, on the ropes force too, as estate ballots reject Tory sell-offs. Ridley's other great housing initiative, "Hous to the fore of public concem. Almost every been brought down by the series of safety scan- over Lockerbie after more than three months, SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 14 April 1989 scrapping of half of the proposed projects.
un A TUR FEAT