The Awkward Squad - a Socialist Worker Pamphlet by Martin Smith THIS PAMPHLET starts very promisingly. Visually it's much wittier than the typical socialist. The cover depicts the awkward squad as the gangsters from Reservoir Dogs with Mr Hayes, Mr Crowe etc.
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The story begins with the election of Mick Rix as the leader of the train drivers' union ASLEF and is a good general summary of the series of victories by left candidates in union Martin Smith, industrial organiser for the Socialist Workers Party, sets out to look at the reasons for these victories, what their impact has been, the relationship between union leaders and the rank and file and what italism mean -All Subs and bulk orders to: Socialist Outlook, PO Box 1109 London N4 2UU More info? contact: 020 8800 7460 sort of connection the unions should have with the Labour Party. ence bears this out. the FBU are determined to stay in the Labour Party and reclaim it. They want to reclaim it and give it to Gordon Brown. Ast Outlook What a break with Blairism that would be! these bureaucrats have saved the Blairites' skins. The account of FBU leader Andy justifies the pamphlet's El purchase price alone. and Smith describes this well. tributions from SWP members will be famil. has been made between the unions and the
really, really angry".
He is clear that the vast majority of the union bureaucracy is not interested in a split with Labour at the moment. The thinness of union representation at the Respect conferMick Rix, Billy Hayes of the CWU, Tony Woodley of the TGWU and Andy Gilchrist of
paper.
Smith cites a number of occasions when Gilchrist's handling of the firefighters' dispute will make it so?
Gilchrist was incapable of leading a fight against a Labour government in the week of the 2 million strong anti-war demonstration,
However readers who have sat through their union meetings and listened to the coniar with the content on the "link" they argue
actions. anti-capitalist and anti-war movements: "it's
139 e9 brilliant," we are told, and "people are
We may all want this to happen, but saying it again and again doesn't make it true. If you have seen any evidence of ways in which as Smith claims "the youthful and exuberant spirit of anticapitalism has permeated the ranks of the trade union movement," perhaps you would like to write a letter describing it, for the next issue of this
This relationship can be seen in France and Italy, where large union contingents participate in anti-globalisation demonstrations. It isn't happening here yet. Perhaps wishing
We would disagree with Smith's assessment on the relationship between the antiwar movement and the unions. There just hasn't been a big cross fertilisation.
The two train drivers who refused to move munitions set an excellent example. But there were only two of them. Unofficial industrial action over the war was very limited, and SWP members privately admit to being disappointed with the scale of the
Even though the demonstrations were the award SOLE new labour and the rank & file enormous, most people weren't mobilised by their unions to go there, preferring to g with friends and family.
Elsewhere in this issue you will see that the issue of a new political party for the working class is now a real debate. Yet eve though the SWP has contributed a great de to this process, it isn't mentioned in Smith pamphlet.
This is disappointing. The author has a detailed knowledge of the discussions in th trade union movement and must appreciat that there will be a big overlap between the way in which the anti-war movement reshapes British politics and how this will unfold in the unions.
We hope that a sequel is in preparation exploring this question.
page 23 of the scan
Tuesday 10th February Camden Defend Council Housing meeting in Camden Town Hall with Frank Dobson MP, Jane Roberts (Leader of Camden Council and Alan Walter War On Iraq Liaison. Supported by Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Muslim Association of Britain and national trade unions. Saturday 20th March We welcome letters of up to 400 words. Longer letters may be cut for space reasons. You can email us, or post to PO Box 1109 London N4 2UU socia st resistance February 2004 23 Socialist EDITORS:, Terry Conway, John Lister, Liam MacUaid. EDITORIAL BOARD : Mandy Baker, Julia Brandreth, Paul Brown, John Bulaitis, Andrew Burgin, Kathy Lowe, Pauline Roland, Piers Moystn, Karen O Toole, • DESIGN: Pete McGreal and John Lister SPONSORED BY: International Socialist Group, Socialist Solidarity