It was determined by the recognition that British capitalism, with its archale industrial structure and chronic under investment, could only re-equip and survive through the general unification of European capital in the face of American and Japanese competition.
MULTINATIONALS
Both the United States and the so called Third Workd countries, with which the lefts are so keen to increase trade, are already dominated by American and Common MarKet multinationals. The Common Market is the only way open tor British capitalism. If British capitalist bosses believed they could on their own squeeze more plunder out of the countries of Latin America, Africa and Asia they would have done it long ago, without waiting for the advice of friendly Labour lefts. Thus the capitalist architects of Britain's fallen Empire have become the keenest supporters of the Common Market.
What do the 'left' ministers propose as an alternative to the Common Market? A clarion call for a United Socialist States of Europe which would inspire workers to struggle against their oppressors not only in Britain but in the other Common Harker countries as ael! Hardly! Instead we are told that. Hritain will keep and develop her Inks with all the other imperialist bodies that oppress the workers and peasants of the world, including the International Monetary Fund, which to the 1964-70 Labour Government, and NAIO, the most important military tool of imperialisni. self to achieve a fundan THE BALANCE SHEET THREAT TO DEMOCRACY people. on free movement of capital and of finis In two goneral elections last year the Labour Party plodged it Mental renegotiation of the terms of entry to the Common Market, In spite of the exertions of our negotiators, the results have fallen far short of out minimum The material effects of Britin's memberhip of the Comm on Market remain markedly unfavourable The protective system of the Common Agricultural Policy which will ensi dear Tood for bur people waco tri choaper cisembore, zoRa unchanged. The contribution we have to make to the Cominunity budgut in intrensically unfait, and will be only in part corrected be the system of relands recently screed Not will the pattern of Common Market expenditure be changed significandy to offiet our disproportionate contribut ion. On top of this we face the consequencis of an appalling tode deficit with the countries of the Common Market a deficit son in exoes of C2.000m a year Little has been sch ieved in aid or trade for the Asian Commonwealth countries although we gladly acknowledge the benofits to African and other countries that the Lome Convention will bring But the gravest disadvantagie ate political. The rights of our own people and the power of Farliament semali, at the end of the negotiations, subordinate to the non-alected Consuision and Council of Ministers in Brussels The Treaty of was designed to meet the goods of countries with very diffenet political and social traditions, continnes to be the Written Constitution of the UK. The right to decide policies and to make laws over a wide and rapidly growing area of our affairs, Market three years ago, has not been sostored to the Hritish Nor have we taken back the Common Marker's powers to lery taxes on our people, The power of future British Govern ments to infience the economy in the interest of the Britishi people has been gravely weakened. The strengthening of out ulustry, the struggle against poverty, die progress towards eq unlity and the maintenance of employment in the Unite Kingdom ar a whole and in the hand pressed regions, will a be made much more dissenit by the Comunon Market's rules Democracy in Britsin Is than tethered and will nemain so as long as we stay in the Conson Hacket Fronty ine years ago Britain dismanted a vast empire in the bellef that no conn try has the right - or the wisdom- to govem another. Now we demand for ourselves what we freely ponceded to the 32 memBets of the Commonwealth: the right of democratic sell-gover ament BRITAIN AND THE WORLD We do not believe that this principle conflicts with the int ernational cooperation diat we seck. On the contrary: our phility to co-operale and to work with the 2,700 multion poople who live in the six continents of the woold will be hindered not helped hy absorption of Britain into a regiona DO TEST EUROD To Western Europe we offer continued co-operation and alliance - as we do to our friends in ather continents What we deny is both the benefit and the reality of a special and exclusive relationship with the Connon Market, and what we reject is the underlying purpuse to cale a new single soute in Western Europe.
BRITAIN'S FUTURE Tlid voices and vested interest will now combine in sock ing to persusde is that we have no choice: that Britain outside the Common Market would suffer great danage.
Do not believe them! On die contrary, a far greater dange to oil legitimate economic interest, to the cootloted unity of the Ualted Kingdom and to the pructice of democracy in this countty arises from our continued membership of the LEt We know, whether in or out of the Common barket, that #ritein faces immense problerus, particularly in the next two yeum while the world economy is depressed and before the welcome flow of our vast North Sea of tims the side in our But we have no canse to fear the future. We shall castinue our salistantial trade with sue Conmon Market as we did bef are we juined. We shall resume our trade links with other courtries both inside and outside Europe We shall remsin an active member of all the organisations - United Nations, the Commonwenith, NATO, the IMF GATT, the DECD- tet an important in the world today. As democrats and socialists we bebene that Britain, freed from the restraints of the Common Market, can better serve the world community of which we ar part and the ains of our own people for a better and filler life. Peter Shore Michaal Foot Barbera Cistle John Silkin Judith Hart ******************************* RED BOOKS New Opening Blinded by the wealth and seeming omnipotence of British imperialism the leaders of British Jabour were infected by the deadly virus of white supremacy and national chauvinism, and mesmerised by the prospects of scats in the capitalist parliament. The sort of campaign against the Common Mar ket that the lefts now propose, the dreams of a sovereign Britain in which the real interests of the working class are buried in a mythical "national unity, is firmly in this rotten tradition of class collaboration Already the most right wing und virulently racist elements in British politics-Enoch Powell, Monday Club Tories and the fascist National Front-are able to jump on the chauvinist bandwagon of the 'lefts" to carry their poison into the labour movement The International Marxist Group is prepared to figlit with the Labour lefts against the Common Markeron the principled basis of excluding all capitalist forces from the anti EBC campaign. But we will fight just as hard to smash the influence of their chauvinist politics over the warking class. The only way to fight the international anarchy of capitalism of which the Common Market is just one more expression, is to canpaign for a pianned economy on a world scale. The power of the mutinationals and the capitalist class will not he threatened by appeals to Parliament, but only through the mobilisation of the working class to light For its rights against Parliament and all the institutions of the copicalist state. James Drake