THE HYPOCRISY of the Ls naval intervention in the Golf was completely exposed when the Iranis resumed their attacks on shipping in the Gulf at the end of August. Despite the array of Us military firepower, backed up
by British and French naval units to defend tankers going to frag: pors from the altacks of the Iranians, nearly all. the attacks on stupping are being cared out by.. the Iraqi Even more bizärre, the main
single event which provoked the Americans to up their profile in the Gulf was the attack on the USs Stark which killed 35 American sailors. by
the Iragi airlorce! For this
arrack, the Iramians got most of the blame.
The hasic facts of the Gulf
shipping war are simple and
straightforward. The tit for tat
strikes against shipping in the Gull were started hy the
Iraqis as a weapon against Transan oil exports: Whereas Tragi nil can go via the overland pinchne. all Iranian
against Where: the
TE FT 5026 801. сти
want to examine who gains by
the shipping war, we have to start with the basic fact that
withour Gulf shipping there
would be no Iranian vil
witle open for recruitment by genuine unions!
would be no Iranian vil
is lau US.
to the Iranian economy.
Hammond necds TUC protection because his mole on behalf of the employers in
Britain is far from finished.
Even now the FETPU is lighting mo recruir in non-electrical jobs ranging
from the Aberdeen oil
industry to London's
docklands light railway.
Despite his setback at the
mund knows still the dominant mood
among thost union leaders,
The 'Willis pian" for a
UPFRONT
with "icrrorists", and ran hold
its own in the region. So the
request to rellag and escort
Kuwaiti tankers was jumped
Women revolutionary guards march in Tehran
oconumy has been wrecked by the war. So Tragi leader Saudar I hussein is desperate
for a ceasefine. By stoking up the simation in the Gulf, he
Elculates that...
there toi da mine the negotiating lable
The retract 3138 1E1 SAIDU
important political event — the clashes in Meccu between
the clashes in Meccu between
Iranian shiites and Saudi sunni pilgrims and police, and the aftermath of the Trangare scandal in the United States.
The Mecca incidents strengthened the beliefamone the Arab states which have financed Trag's war effort that Iran was preparing attacks and subversion against them.
In the United Stares revelations at the Trangare hearings have put pressure on the Reagan administration to show that it's not sult un Iran, does not have any truck
bet huch has var ellori
"new -style trade union movemenr looks heavily to EETPL-type: schemes for individual memhers: cheap hollda›.. insuran cards — and seeks to sheritute expeasive
promotion vidcos, media
campaigns and PR work for
fighting the employers.
The prerequisite for the new approach is to avoid all conflies "n any-ning. Thi the only explanation for why even proposals for the 11X: women's department were replacer hva bland state
at by the Reagan administration as a tailor-made opportunity to do all those things at once
le is aimed at shoring up America's power and America's interess in the
What ot France and Britain? At first Tharcher a mtused to sond mine sweepers tu help the Americans, but then did a u-turn and sent the minesweepers anyway. • Thatcher alavs finds it difficule to refusr a mequest tram Reagan Chirar in France has cabruled tumself partly as.a response lu Frances traditonally pro-Irag. attitude, partly nut of a wish
war of the diplomats with iran.
tu deepen France's simmering
There is now a huge urmada of western barrleships in the Gull. Probably the us have nuclcar weapons on the ascult ship Guadnacanal. The scene is being set for a military clash with Iran, and one which has nothing to do with keeping the Gulf open 10 shipping. which conid only he achieved by putting pressure
on Iray lo stop the tanker war
Socialiss have no reason to support either Iran or Irag.
both reactionary tyrannies. in the war. But they have every
reason to demand that
and
stog their imperialist intervention in the Gulf. PHIL HEARSE
•damantone
Reagan, Thatcher and Chirac
from Norman Willis, vagucly endorsing the idea of women becoming more involved in
the movement.
So commiued is Willis to this new approach that he few in his Amcrican opposite number, AFL-C3O chief Lanc Kirkland, to address the
rillis le
at he
"posse cine
congress: he could of course tell delegates how exactly the Willis model of "business
unionism' has helped American unions to slump to only 18 per cent of the working population. Is thi the way of the future?
5