problems of capitalism in Britain can best be landled by Tride Unionists like himself. This, in essence, is the gulf belween Scanion and Wilson. It is not a question of posing Socialism as an alternative to the crises of capitalism. It is a question of what is the best way of solving these crises. Wilson sees the problems being overcome by destroying the rights of the workers to defend themselves and by atfacking their living standards. Scanion answer, on the other hand, is to make British managenent more "efficient". Indeed, he told the AEFsponsored MPs in 1968 that the AEF executive would not be obstructive as regards mergers and rationalisation." (The Times, 12th May. 1968)
On the question of the "In Place of Strife" document. Scanion makes his position even dearer. After all the shouting and posturing, he asks:
"Does the Government believe that. the bill (in Place of Strife) will be a vote-catcher in the next gencral election and offset the justified resentment of the electorate at our economic mess broucht about by the Government's stubbor refusal to listen to the advice of their truest friends?" (The Times, 22nd April, 1969).
In other words, the balnice of payments difficulties are directly attributable to the fact that Wilson will not listen to the advice of Messes, Scanion, Feather & Co It is no surprise then, that as the general election approuches, su Scanion begins to show that he is not prepared for any embarrassing industrial disputes to interfere with Labour's chances of clinging to power. After all, what are true friends for?
And what of the people who support Scanlon? Certain elements in the Workers Control Tostitute, the "Tribunites", and the bureaucrats of the Communist Party, are all politically bankrupt. it is obsious. That they still have around them large numbers of good militants is a situation that must be remedied A serious effort must be made by revolutionary workers in the cagineering industry to intervene and explain to these militants the weaknesses and shortcomings of such organisations. It must be explained that these organisations are incapable of providing any sort of alternative to the Wilsons and Scanions. Such an alternative in the engineering industry cannot be built overnight, but must come as a result of carrying out struggles in the AEF for socialist policies and revolutionary ideas.