changed by an election, ignoring the possibilities they provide for socialists to speak to a wider audience about what a government really acting in their interests should do.
The growth in strength and influence of the left in the Labour Party throughout the 1974-79 Labour government and for a few years afterwards is mentioned only in respect to its demise. Its growth is not mentioned and the only reason given for its defeat is that 'ultimately, the upswing in the left's fortunes was bound to be brought down by the deep pessimism in the working class. An "explanation' which begs more questions than it answers: why was this left unable to give a lead in the battles against the Tories? Why was a working class which had seen off Heath and Callaghan unable to deal with Thatcher?
The SWP's answer to how the Laughing all the way to the bankers: KInnock follows an Inglorious tradition consciousness of the working class will change and break with Labourism is a simple one - during the course of strike action, militants learn lessons about the state, racism, sexism etc and some retain these lessons. This is true, but not the whole story.
The main failing of these pamphlets, in line with the SWP's whole trend towards idealising 'struggle' and especially trade union struggle, is this. While they admit that when trade union struggle rises workers will turn towards the existing mass reformist altemative - the Labour Party - no account of this is made in their strategy.
The struggle inside the Labour Party is not something which has no affect on the overall level of class struggle or the level of consciousness of the working class. Indeed it has a profound impact. How, then, can socialists stand aside from it?
The labour bureaucracy in Britain is divided between the trade union and the Labour Party bureaucracy. But this is a division of tasks, not a fundamental difference of character. The fight against the bureaucracy has to go on in both wings of the labour movement, and especially in periods when the working class vanguard tums towards the party. A strategy which ignores the fight inside the Labour Party is only half a strategy. No. 2 May 18, 1991 Page 13
SOME PRAISE and criticism. working class. It aims to use the