Rudely breaking the silence: Essex fire fighters continued their strikes against cuts by the Labour-run council dust over the last 18 years through privatisation and low pay. It has to be a priority to rebuild these public services and the morale and confidence of the workforce. I hope those on the Labour front bench won't forget who put them into power."
In the debates and discussions before the Election, Geoff Martin has also been among those most keenly advocating the idea of a new Labour Representation Committee to stand un for the demands and in excluding the unions from decision-making and breaking their remaining links with the Party.
Representation
A similar line has been advanced by Tony Benn. In an interview in March with the Welfare State Network Network's paper Action for Health and Welfare, he said:
"The Labour-trade union link is central. 'Fairness, not favours' works both ways. It was a big strug. gle in the carly labour movement to get Labour representation.
The trade unions will again have to set up portacar action com mittees to get Parliamentary fepre "If the Labour leadership go for state funding, the trade unions will "Seven million trade union people can campaign directly. For now they are all zipping their lips, but after the election I think things will be quite different.
in so we put torward toe iaca of refounding the Labour Representation Committee - out of which grew the Labour Party- and 1 think we should look at it again.
"I think we must refound the LRC within the party. It must be broad; it cannot be a congerie of left sects."
Benn's proposals are likely to FIRST come back into the centre of events as trade union conferences during the summer recognise the need to keep the link with Labour while fighting for the interests and demands of union members against a government pledged to Tory policies.
"Post Mayday Tension', with its false dawn of silence on the left of the labour movement will not persuade Blair to relent on his plans to gut the party of its working class roots: but nor should it fool socialists into believing that there will be NO DC Co By the May Day Bank Holiday -sust taree days arter toe ciccuon -the Morning Star had already concluaco toat marman's moncymoon is pointing to Labour's plans to hold down benefits.
The possibility to unite wide lay. ers of angry, but reinvigorated forces on the left in the fight for working class politics will become stcadily stronger as Blair's manifesto and Brown's budget emerge in their full gory detail.
Let's be ready for them.
E2/£1. Registrations should be sent to NSCG c/o 3 Blades tion deadline is May 24th.
• ELECTION