nightmares. It is delighting to see the Poll Tax dream, Thatcher's "flagship', create the deepest crisis yet for a government tbat, throughout the last ten Even the most dedicated Poll Tax cam- competence of the govemment's introduction of the Tax Into England and Wales. We we working day and night to reap the benefits of the massive upswell of opposition that has swept across the country, from Tory shire to Sometimes our most chenshed dreams paigners are now hemused at the seeming in- Brighton's Tory: ex-leader resigned, Sir Mar- SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 23, April 1990 show from Labour councillors Tory councillors cringing. timid opposition inner city horough. the opposition.
----- pull-quotes on this page ----- The Tories' nightmare, our
can attract hundreds of working class people: Poll Tax. The Labour Pruties and the tons hold the key to defeating the Poll Tax, even if making the running at present. There are a payers. At present public meetings on estates: all of whom are angry and defiant about Poll tien, and expanding the active base of the anti-poll tax movement is a much more dif- In fact, while Anti-Poll Tax unions must be built wherever possible, socialists should not allow this vital work to subsitute for the Fight to commit the existing organisations of the working class to a real struggle agains, the the Anti Poll Tax unions and campaigns are Tax. But ruming this into permanent organisa Trade unions preposterous levels of Poll Tax. The same In- dependent survey showed that 50 percent of overspenders", and that anomalies exist such actually El below the target! And of course. those saked would support capping even if it But the problem is how to devise a capping system that hits the Lahour councils while leaving the Tory councils largely untouched. It is difficult to see how this can be done, given as the fact that while Haringey's Poll Tax at E572 is presently the highest in the land, it is capping would represent a major political retreat from the principle" of the Poll Tax, that the electorate should judge and if neces FEATURES sary vote out a 'profligate" councils are meant cuts in their services. There are other factoms too, bul the rosult is: that the average Poll Tax is E370, at least £100 The penalty system in constructed so that if over the predicted level, and that the political ference as to whether the target figures for the Poll Tax bave heen overshot, There are at least councils overshoot the govemment targets, the whole cost of that 'overpend" will be bome sures that for every 1 percent "overspend' the flation With hindsight this was enormously stupid. Wage costs for councils alone in- creased by twice that amount. Inflation i con- complexion of the council has made lintie dif- by the Poll Tax payer. A gearing' system en 50 Tory councils that are above the target Penalties. siderably higher than 4%.
jobs and services. Unfortunately Thatcher has shamefully. Labour. Quite simpiy. Thatcher is relying on Labour councillors not to fom a united front with the anti-poll tax campaigns against the government, but to pass the cost of the workforce, and Already. Labour councils are cutting jobs and services. Newham, for example, has cut 500 jobs. By tie end of Lie year, when non- The final target of the Poll Tax is to cut one major ally as levels of non payment build up: That ally is the councilors, both Tory and through cuts in services, back onto the com- collection rites reach 20-30-40 percent, coun- going to be faced with number of reasons why this is so. поп-раутеп!. The idea of the Poll Tax is to squeeze people so hard that they squeze the councils, and that The purpose of the Poll Tax is to destroy the remaining elements of collective provision councils maintai. And along with olher chan- ges, such ar ringlencing housing finances so as to raise rents. it represents a huge esculation of the Tory's drive for a world in which 'there. problems may prove insuperable to begin The end goal of the Poll Tax is not simply population: thin is only a means in the end. is no such thing as socicty, there are only in- councils squeeze the jobs and services. to impoverish and financially dividuals and their familics. Pall Tax levels are on average 30 percent Tevels, while a further 36 percent blared both Poll Tax would rise by 4%. This is why the ing has only gone up hy 7 percent. It is known as making the Poll Tax "sensitive" to spending decisions, and was designed to make the provision of local services as costly and un- It hackfired. Tory as well as Labour coun cils - and most importantly the Poll Tax payers - are overwhelmingly blaming the government for the high Poll Tax levels. An opinion poll in the Independent March 17 showed that 48 percent of the population blamed the government for the Poll Tax higher than the targets, while average spend- the govemment and the councils equally. popular as possible..
delicits. Will they balance their bouks through The local govemment trade unions are cru- cial here. Their light may determine whether councils get away with this. At any rate they will be on the frontline: I seems that the NALGO bureaucracy has suddenly realised something has to be done, having just decided to spend 250,000 from the political Fund for a campaign against the Poll Tax in the run up to the local elections. But it is action thut is needed, firstly in defence of jobs and condi- Those inside the National Federation who argue that first you huld the non payment Lions, and secondly in solidarity with the com- Front line munity that faces the Poll Tax culs? Thatcher needs them to. So what of the opposition to the Tax? March has seen a huge mushrooming of the campaign against the Tax, given focus by the Poll Tax setting meetings in England and Wales, and the merging facts ahout the levels of non-payment in Scotland. The latter are tricly impressive and give the lie to those who claimed that the initial levels were no more than could be expected under the old rates sys Figures compiled for Struthclyde Regional Cooncil show that summary warrants have al- ready been issued to 352,745 poll tax defaul- ters, and that a further 10,428 are to be issued. Even then, a further 48,583 people are at least three months in arcars. There figures include 146,129 people in Glasgow who have been 1s- sued a summary warrant, an incrodible 30.2 If the Tories attempt to keep next year's billion for each further £30 reduction. But this: It is quite obvious that the Tories do not about to add a full percentage point to it, with atmosphere throughout the country is becom- ing noticeably more hostile to them. All the prodictions are that the Mid-Staffordshire by- cloction will show a maks desertion of skilled Poll Tax at this ycar's levels it would cost them around £3 billion, with an additional £1 means taking from the Chancellor's shrinking know how to get themisclves out of this mess. With inflation running high, and the Poll tax mongage rates crushingly high, the political voting runks. They are in big trouble! No way out workers and home-owners
Oval have gone on strike against being forced Teachers in Bradford have gone on strike. In But the Poll Tax is designed to put a campaign and then you have the basis for going to the trade unions and demanding not- collection are wrong There will he some workers who receive their redundancy notices from the council before they get their Poll Tax bill. And strike action against the Poll Tax has already taken place. DHSS workers at the to grass up claimants to the Poll Tax register. Lambeth, even the Poll Tax workers themsel ves have struck against the draconian condi- wedge between the trade unions and the local community. For example, the Tories will be SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 23, April 1990 tions a panicking management have imposed. of people in scrious arrears is added, a total of and Wales will reach similar levels, if not higher The tidal wave of opposition The question will be whether these people are organised, and whether the Anti-Poll Tax Unions can build solid support among non- pertent of the population! When the number 205,140 or 42.5 percent of Glasgow's popula- It is likely that non-payment in England creased the confidence of people passing the innumerable anti-poll tax stalls and defiantly thrughout the country has noticcably declanng 'Poll Tax! I'm not puying that!' Non-payment tion is reached! Of course, even if they did make this money availahle there is no guarantee councils will use it to bring the Poll Tax down rather Capping is in the air at the present. It is useful because all the goverment has to do is less!', Then it can sit back. I doesn't have to. make the decision as to what services are cut, but it might just be able to gain some credit for financial surplus, and by 1991 the Tories are going to need a nice big tax cut to stand any than use it on services. That is unless the say to a council No, you can't spend that much money! You must spend this much 'protecting the local population from Tories use their powers to cap the councils. chance of winning the next election. "protecting" Page 8
FEATURES very quick to calculate the Poll Tax cost of any wage cinim made by local government trade unions need to give ahsolute solidarity to the community as it faces the pressures of Poll workers and attempt lo whip up community oppostion to such claitus, To combat this the Tax
POLL TAX THE TORY GREATN Don 1 collect and non collection, together with fighting movement, possibly the largest campaign of their johs and conditions are attacked. What This in a strong basis for the trade unions to go to the community asking for support when would he disastrous is if the local government unions started to argue for higher poll taxes in "lefts" in the Labour Party. Lambeth council's "left" leadership argued for a preposterous level of poll tax on the grounds that services had to be defended". The fact is that services cannot be defended without fighting the poll tax, that poll tax represents a savage 'cur" in would also place Labour Parties well outside the radicalisation that is occurring on the Poll Tax, and which should and could revitalise a beleaguered left inside the Party, by Fighting for non-payment cuts. We are at the heginning of a real mass They need to he declaring real opposition to forcible registration and fining. Ultimately non-collection of the Poll Tax must be posed. This mistake has also been made by some Community support the living standards of local people. The Labeth stance order to protect their jobs.
Of course the Labour Party leadership has: other plans. They do not want the Poll Tax to civil disobedience involving the working class this side of the Second World War If the Labour Partien we to stand in front of this movement and argue for either cuts or high fall through mass action; and their alternative This is the fundamental reason for their poll taxes they will get short shrift. is not credible.
The anti-Poll Tax movement shows no Poll Tax. They have generally been small to bring them signs of retreating, and it is difficult to see a way out for the Tories, Suddenly people are heginning to think that they can win this one! That represents a huge step forward for all of us who have been fighting the Tories for ten Socialis must ensure that millions of working class people who are squeezed dry by the Poll Tax find a labour movement willing and mobilised to fight for them. The Tories are in disarray. We should add to their John Tuite problems. Their nightmare will be our victory. years and known very little except defeats. minontics, but licular, inside the National Federation, and certainly on a London-level, supporters of Militant have at last begun to seck a unified movement taking in the various different councillors have taken a principled stand on 'dented shield' strategy now has new meaning as Labour councillons vote for poll taxes be- Inside the Anti-Poll Tur campaign there are some healthy signs that the various cur- rents we beginning to work together. In par- strands that have so far been working around Both a national trade union conference quired. The left inside the Party is still half-as leep on this question, On anotlier level, some and a campaign inside the l'arty is rapidly re- the demands "Don'I Pay, Don't Collect". hind riot squad formations! be changed until two years after a Labour curred on some of the lobbies. Two things trouble, and dowplayed the role of the police, government was elected, and Peter Shore told tional demonstration - lost hy one vote on the NEC, on the excuse that they couldn't afford it! But they also said that the Poll Tax coulda't us on television that a Labour goverment They have concurred with the Tories in should be said on this subject. First, the media have deliherately exaggerated the level of to take the heat off the Tories. Second, given the ahjoct failure of leadership by the Labour Party and TUC to lead a fight, it is hardly The people who should be blamed are the tions loudest, the Tories, whose Poll Tax it is, the Labour and TUC leadership, and of course the Labour councils who have met behind lines of police, doom, and security guards. The hostility to the modest proposals to hold a na- condemnation of the 'violence" that has ne- very people who are shouting the condemna- SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 23, April 1990 surprising that some people get frustrated would fine those who did not pay.
Socialist Outlook Patrick Pottle interviewed The men who freed George FEATURES Blake face trial:
impending trial. about the The case for the
PP: No, that couldn't be further from the sidered the old traditional Quaker, non-violent bers of the Direct Action Commiltec Against Nuclear War, organised the very first Alder- I myself come from a much more radical background. The history of my family is one of political activism. My father was a member of the early British Communist Party, My grest- great grandfather was one of the icaders of the Chartist movement, and incidentally, was responsible for having Karl Marx thrown out of the English Labour Pauty. His son inherited some lands near Brighton and believed strongly that individuals should not have the right to own private beaches - of course then many beaches were privately owned - and he refused to pay taxes on his land and was imprisoned for As a result of the awful prison conditions lic encountered, he started a reform movement lo improve prison life. In fact, up to the 1930k beds in prisons were called Pottle hods, named stigated. So you can see that there is a long his- times in the 1950s for breaking into American was imprisoned many after him, as a result of the reforms that he in- truth. Michael comes from what would he con backgroand. He was one of the founding men SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 23, April 1990 helped Blake, a member of the Soviet Com- tory of involvement in the radical movement. SO: Many people on the left will have per- haps assumed that you and Michael were sympathetic to stalinism given that you monist Party, escape. Is that true ? and British military bases. March and George Blake marsion offence under the Prison Act 1952, -How we freed