Tories have since spent considerable time and effort soflening up their targets before declaring open season on press freedoms.
Norman Tebbit, then chair. of the party, masterminded a skulful campaign to denigrate the 'left bias' of the BBC and demanded redress at every opportunity: In the favourable climate thus created, the spectacular police raid on the BBC studios in Scotland to seize untransmitted matcrial in the Zircon case took place without any significant ripple.
This was followed by the Spycatcher aflair, where the farcical flight of government lawvers from courtroom to: courtroom created a convenient diversion from a far more sinister set of rulings.
Tn an unprecedented and so far untested extension of the contempr laws, the judiciary has granted government requests to gag both the BBC and Duncan Campbell. The injunction served on Campbell — ordering him to return GCHQ documents, to name those to whom he had passco the secret documents, and forbidding him to publish anything obtained from GCHQ employees — applied to al olber journalists.
In the case of Spycather, the injunction forbidding onc newspaper to publish certain matcrial also extended to all newspapers. The fact that any injunction can be extended to other unnamed parties on the ray so of a judge shows to what extent the judiciary 1s
Tories declare open season
prepared to rubber stamp the government drive towards more effective censorship.
To assume control through the courts is only one aspect of Thatcher's strategy. She also. wants to deal with material that falls outside the ambit of state security. The appointment of William ReesMogg - former vice chair of the BBC and ex-cditor of the Times — to head the newly: AFTER BEING rushed through parliament immediately before last year's general clection, implementation of the pall tax is due in Scotland Irom April 1989.
The process of compiling 4 isl of those cligible is currently in full swing. In Strathclyde region, which inclaries half of the country's five million population, the chief registration officer has taken on an army of 1000 temporary workers, mostly culled from the young unemployed
Rates were casy to administer; insofar as every proporty hada Iegal owner or tenant who was liabic. The poll tax, on the other hand, demands the compilation oFa register of the emire population over 18 years of agr
This means forms being completed hy a responsible person in cach household — sually the owner or tenant — who is legally bound in include every person liable for the tax. These are then to be collected and sent in within 21 days. Fines for now collaboration are an initial E50 and E250 therealter.
This process has led to a weiter of protest, buth spontancous and co-ordinated In Glasgow alone there are now 29 anti-poll tax campaigus meeting regularly.
Their composition is extremely heterogencous including activists from tehants" and community associations as well at a wide range of members ul political parties from the Liberals leltwards.
created Broadcasting Standards Gouncil is the first step in a precise plan to regulate the media
Twice beaten as a Tory candidate, Rees-Mogg holds perfect credentials. In 1985, he pressed BBC governors to view the programme Real Lines in advance and called vociferously lor its banning for the sole reason that it inciuded an interview with an
In Pollockshields, for instanor, it includes the Scottish National Party (SP), the Carrantunist Party (CI), the Labour Party, the Socialist Workces Party (SWP), the Workers. Revolutionary Parry (WRI), and the Scottish Labour Action Committee (a left split from the Labour Courdinating Committee).
Mcclings are attended by up to 100 people and the whole area is regularly Icafletted with a news bulletin giving. up-to-the-minute news on the
In gencral these campaigns deliberately try to remain as Ilexible as possible. Over the registration period they have all followed the Labour Party in advocating the maximum frustration of the process hy sending back lurms with queries of all kinds.
They also clearly stare that the most effective means of opposition is a mass campaign of non-registration and, come next April, nou pavment. This is where they diverge Tram the radership of the Labour Party in Scotland.
The Scottish TUC and the Labour Party have called a demonstration in Glasgow on 17 September againsr the poll tax. No duubt, like Tast September's rally for a Scottish Assembly. they will do little or nothing to build it.
It will therclore be essendal that the anti-poll tax campnigns
IRA supporter.
He will undoubtedly link arns with Marmaduke Hussey (current chair of the BBC and another Thatcher protege) to ban anything they — or the Tories — dislike as a piece of intolerable subversion.
Already the controversy surrounding Tumbledown points to the harsh time ahead. I a play which challenges the Tury version of events has to be cut, Thatcher's dream — that one day all political opposition will be branded "subversion? = is JIM BOUMELHA arund Scotland mobilise to CILSUTE TES SUCCeSS.
The SNP must also be pressurised into reversing their sectarian slance of last year. A freble turn-out on 17 September would he used as an excuse 1o ditch finally any not payment
Meanwhile, Tahour Party activists must also mount continued pressure on regional councils to cad all collaboration with the process. The Latest scandalous example of such collaboration was a Strathclyde regional tarang list special supplement in May advertising dozens of temporary positions to be filled frun August to January for cullecturs nE the tax.
The unions must also be called on to instruct their mombers not to apply for thesc positions. It will also he essential to campaign now to ensure a position ol non-collaboration is taken by unions acruss the boand with the impending attempts to collect fines for not-registration or non-payment be deductions from wages and henchits
Opposition in Scarland to die pall tax is overwhelming. The Lahour and trade union leadership must be forced in rakr the line of mass non-payment. The mushrooming Benn-Heller campaign groups must make building thie anti-poll tax campingn a central priority, thus giving an example in action of the kind of pulitics they would pursue as Labour laden @ TONY SOUTHALL SOCIALIST OUTLOOK SOCIALST OUTLOOK no B July/aptember 1988