When Heath called the election last February both be, and the ruling class, thought they were taking a key decision regarding the development of the struggle in Britain.
But the reality was different. Faced with the miners strike the ruling class had only had three tactical options - and no strategic ones:
It could have granted the miners their claim. But with the working class. aligned behind the miners this would Just have opened a breach through WUCH EIE ELSEMIC EUBERAaUE have flooded, The ruling class could have attempted to break the miners'strike through repression: Civen the relation of forces between the classes this, at best, would not have worked and at worst could have led to a Gencral Strike.
Thirdly the ruling class could try lo use its political strength to detcat the miners by out-manoeuvring: the burea cracy. But Chis was defeated when the power of the mass of miners and rest of the working class forced the bereaucracy to call the strike.
REALITY
The reality of the election. despite all the tittle-tattle in the preis about 'options", was therefore very clear. Heath was already defeated when he called the election. Indeed the calling of the election was objectively the acknowledeement of the immediate deteat and was simply the hope of gaining a breathing space before the outbreak of still more decisive struggles. Even Heath had to openly admit he would give in to the miners. Of course Heath might have technically won a smail overall majority in the lection but the main fact was that any government elected In that situation, ropardless uf its political colour, would be a weak government.
Despite the fact their own ideology hid it from them, the bourgeoisie and Heath could only choose wether they wanted to be defeated by the working class in a *French May' variant - a sudden and explosive confrontation which w ould have been provoked by an attempt to defeat the miners by repression; or in an 'Italian' variant - a more long drawn out working class upsurge leading to a permanent situation of bourgeois. political instability.
Heath chose the Italian road but from the point of view of the ruling class this is not a fundamental 'option'.
The consequences of the crisis last winter have continued to develop since then. Far from the election of the Labour government satisfying either the working class or the bourgcoisie it is clearly a government with no firm base of support in either class. Labour has only brought about a very temporary lell in the struggle of the biggest battalions of the working class and it has brought about no Jull whatever in the struggle of the most oppressed sections of society or on political issues, tor example Chile, where its policies are most It is clear that If Labour is elected it will have to carry out vicious attacks on the working class which there is no possibility whatever of the working class accepting passively. By next spring at the intest we will be back in ihe middle of class confrontations on a higher level than against Phase Three or in 1932, Bat if Labour cannot satisty the ariented that they cannot take advantage of Wilson's weakness working cluss neither can it satisfy the even bigger if the Tories get in or bourgeoisic. No significant section of the ruling class helieves that the social contract will succeed in contaiting the working class struggle for anything olher than in the most short term.
Objectively it might appear the extraordinary bankruptcy which is the perspective facing a future Wilson government means that the position of the ruling class should have a good lection chance of defcating Labour at the election. But the problem is that the parties of the ruling class, the Tories in particular, are themselves so politically discredited and disclass The ruling class is indeed scared that the explosion of the working class on the wages frott might be there is a Tory-Liberal coalition.
The outcome of the election Is herefore clear. No matter which party is clected there is going tn he a fierce rise of class struggles during the winter and spring as the working class's standard of living falls and situation where the working class is undefeated. Obviously revolutjonaries are for Labour winning as this will take forward the combatativily of the masses ou all fronts. particularly the political ones, and wil see the masser very ripidly brought int conflict with a reformist leadership.
The really decisive strugales which will deterine the relation of forces are going to come affer the election, Firstiy will come the big wave of direct working class struggles a gainst inflation and unemployment, Then, particularly if Labour is elected will come a crisis within the Labour of its leaderships strategy of alliance calopuin with the ruling cla uccomes clear working class increases on all fronts.
In thin situation revolutionaries have to advance two essential themes and sloganc. The first & Prepare for the the organisations of the working class and the election. coming round of stragdes The dissSanon osno ArdiLInH CunnE class polifical formulac is Jeadieg to the mergence of the most cicius and extrer elements of boutpeois socioty. Tha scrupele apanst the developnient of the Buona soe ang ue perecas ausse the Powellite-Loyalist alliance which is now the political pirot of these moves. must become a key theane in the "Britain out of Treland noe', Withdraw British Troops from Ireland Now, must be the third central thrust of the election period, not only in solidarity with the frish people hut frov the needs of the Briteh working CANDIDATES Ar the February 1974 lection thie IMG stood three candidates. Thir was an extremely valuable way of putting forward a evolutionary political position and in particular of contrasting the possibilities schich lay in the mimers and other working class struwe ard ci utter miserable outoonto any olection walld leed to #c distributed over 50,000 cloction adresses, sold nearly 12,000 of our election manifosto and in three weeks in one constituency alone we sold over 1,300 copies of Red Weekly. We cunsider that this cope of impact would bo enormousiy multiplied ifa united front of the revolutionary teft in the election coukd he obtarned. Unfortunately, despite our efforts after the coction neither the IS aor the WRP would agree to this Given chis situation the IMG was laced with a difficuir choice. The important campaigns on Chile and the National Front M PC nave TUO Bna Le SUHDUr have cost a lot of thoney. To produce a 12, people and not strcapthen iL IFICRA pape newspaper will require a further 12.000 within a few weeks. Running candidates is P great experise - around 2600 per candidate for an effective Given our luited resources we were faced with the choice of producin a 12 puge paper or running candidates in the lection. As we could nor achieve a united front of the revolutionary Icft, and as we consider that the decisive sterlex, for expanding our intervention in which a 12 page paper os key, will come after ilie election the IMG has very toluctantiy docided that it will not run candidates in This does not indicate the slightest change in our politient position. We would still like to be able to run candidates We regard it as a secback that the revolutionary left has net boen ahle lo reach a unifod front to pur up candiates. We will still call for a vote for any organisation of the left, tor shampe me norke кеРовнюна:
Parry, which puts up candidates We simply think that the' allocation of our and to the production of'a 12 puge paper Troid the autamn onwards is the hest way, aven our limited resources, lo stropeben thie revolutionary left und build the ING. I we achieo this we will ensore that at future cloctions the revolutionary lett witl he well and truly represmied.
The Irish Civil Rights Association has annonced that it will Bo runnins canulidates in the coming election. I-rum the point of sew of the objective un port ance of reland in the clus strugale the ING would very much ke te süpport candidates standing for Withdrawal of British Troops from Treland ond for Self Determination for Ircland However the facties of the ICRA, standing in Labour marginals and calling for an abstention where their candidatos are not standing will bot belp Lie class strugele in Britain but neither will it help it in freland. Anyone who believes the return of the Tories would hein the struggle in Ireiand, which is what the ICRA position mounts to, completely Cails to understand the most clement ary facts about how it is the strigele of the British werkine class which is the only porential ally the frish people heve A set hack for that struggle, which 1s what the defeat of Labour would mean, would weeken the position of the Trish were lo ruvorse its tactics to stand in safe Lahour seats and lo call for a vote fof Labour where they are not standins the ING would support teir candidates. This however would mean a drastic Change of line by the Provos and their prasping of the importance of the clas strugae As long as the line of CRA remaias the defcat of Labour the IMG CaROL PON TREE BAL LUCETOL for the candidates of ICRA Red Books 97 Caledonian Rd., Landon N.1.
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