The Troops Out Movement and British Peace Committee ad hoc Committee has decided to mobilise for a demonstration on the British Troops, The projected date is either the 20 or 27 October. The intentions of the demonstration where stated in the aims of the ad hoc committee are that 'it is important that the forces of the Labour Movement and the Left are mobilised to demand that Labour immediately implements a policy for political and military withdraw from Treland. The main slogan of the demonstra tion is to be British Troops Our of The International Socialism Group, the International Marxists, Revolutionary Cornunist Group, London Communist Federation and South Bank Poly SU agreed to support the demonstration.
ACCOMMODATION
The attitude of the TOM to the slogan requires some comment. The main slogan or the TOM-quite correctly-has been Troops Our Now. It is wisnful thinking to believe that this does bet contier with the timeless British Troops Out of preind. The latter denies the principle of self determiration.
Res Weekly, 5 Seember 1974 Page 2 tion to the British Peace Committer and compromised Its own principled position. Their decision to do so i based on two serious misunderstandings.
The tirst is that there is a ditference between the building of i movement and any specific demonstration. The TOM assumes it is the movement, and that it will build itself parallel to the demonstration. In explaining our disagreements with the decisions of the last TOM conference, we pointed out that the TOM is not yet the movement and that the only way in which TOM will grow beyond being a small propaganda group, is through such ad hoe initiatives as this. But the TOM must link its own devejopment integrally to the ad hoc initiatives which it projects.
It is crazy to think that it will somehow prow in landem with these initiatives. In other words TOM will be built only Insofar as it wins away the base of organisations like the BPC.
The second etror of TOM is the way it views its relation with the BPC us a purely administrative one. It assumes that the two groupings have got different audiences. The TOM at this stage sees itself as outside the trade unions whilst this for support.
plement each ofber. But this iden of peaceful coexistence will be disastrous for the TOM. It will not working class which is forcing the its base if it does not move.
doing work on this question for a that our relative strength in the movement is greater. bullt.
The idea is that the two will comget at the base of the BPC by giving the main slogan. in over principles. On the contrary It is the best way of cutting itself off The collaboration of The BPC with the TOM is not created by the TOM being nice to the BPC and conceding political prusciple to it. It is the crisis of British imperialisin and the impact that has on the radicalisation of the BPC into action. It knows it will lose are supporting Of course, we want agreements with the BPC. However these agreements must be based on the relative strengths of the contending forces Ie is precisely because we have been 15mh in ireland.
whole period and the BPC has not REFUSED The central thrust of bur actions slould be based on this balance of forces which we have created through ing committees our previous activity and not on some spurious idea that by giving in to the BPC a wider movement can be
truggle which will be ward w nalned firm and to begin to work is to indicate the steps it is mecessary bion. Now it can give that bead agai