N o v e m b e r 1 3 * , 1973
FELIX
Page 6
Founding Conference of the Workers Revolutionary Party Present at the O d e o n , H a m m e r s m i t h , last S u n day were 3,000 trade u n i o n i s t s , youth', h o u s e w i v e s a n d students for the F o u n d i n g Conference of the Revolutionary Party in Britain. There delegates a n d members from a l l over Britain pledged themselves to fight u n c o m p r o m i s i n g l y to b u i l d t h e Revolutionary Party a n d take the working class to power. O n e of the first steps that the W o r k e r s Revol u t i o n a r y P a r t y , a s it w a s n a m e d , t o o k w a s to a f f i l i a t e to t h a t I n t e r n a t i o n a l Committee of the Fourth International as the Brit i s h section thereof. In h i s p o l i t i c a l report National Secretary Gerry Healy stressed "never u e i o r e in n i s t o r y n a v e we had a period such as today when the working class internationally is c o m i n g f o r w a r d to d e t e n d its r i g h t s a n d l i v i n g s t a n d a r d s a n d enteri n g i nto c o n f l i c t w i t h i t s Governments . . . • due to the rapidly deepening economip crisis". H e p o i n t e d o u t that i n such a situation the question of leadership is paramount and that b u i l d i n g of a revolutiona r y l e a d e r s h i p to f i g h t to take t h e w o r k i n g c l a s s to
;
p o w e r is the m o s t u r g e n t task facing everyone in Britain today. A discussion on the report took place w i t h many delegates emphas i s i n g the n e e d to remove the Tory government w h i c h w a s attacking their living standards urged on by the worsening e c o n o m i c crisis, a n d t h e b e t r a y a l s of t h e present T U a n d Labour leadership in every situation c o n f r o n t i n g the w o r k i n g class today. In t h e e v e n i n g a p l a y "Moscow Trials" was performed by S o c i a l i s t Labour League actors, musicians and sympat h i s e r s to s e t t h e r e c o r d s t r a i g h t f o r e v e n t s after the successful Ru s s i a n R e v o l u t i o n of 1 9 1 7 . The trials w h i c h were the most gigantic frame u p in a l l h i s t o r y e x e c u t e d m o s t of t h e B o l s h e v i k leaders as agents of a "Trotskyite - Zinovievite Terrorist C o n s p i r a c y " . O r g a n i s e d by Stalin they e n a b l e d h i m to d e s troy a l l opposition to the f o r m a t i o n of t h e S t a l i n i s t bureaucracy w h ic h usurped the political p o w e r of the w o r k i n g class and established themselves as a ruling c a s t e in R u s s i a n s o c i e t y . The betrayals of the worldwide Communist Parties w h i c h necessar-
ily o c c u r r e d from the p o l i t i c s of its K r e m l i n based leadership were also stressed. A party b u i l d i n g fund of £100,000 w a s a n nounced as complete after a n e x c e l l e n t c o l l e c t i o n at t h e c o n f e r e n c e . A s w e l l as the daily "Workers Press" the weekly youth newspaper "Keep Left" two new monthly papers have b e e n a d d e d to r e a c h o u t into s p e c i f i c s e c t i o n s of the working c l a s s to fight for the b u i l d i n g of a revolutionary leadership: " T h e Entertainer" and " M i n e r s N e w s " for the e n t e r t a i n m e n t s i n dustry a n d the miners. The establishment of this Revolutionary Party is a complete v i n d i c a t i o n of t h e c o r r e c t n e s s of T r o t s k y i s m a n d is o n l y the first of m a n y — they w i l l be b u i l t i n a l l countries in the w o r l d to fight for the international d i c t a t o r s h i p of t h e proletariat. A s Trotsky s a i d : "I a m s u r e of t h e v i c t o r y of t h e F o u r t h I n t e r n a t i o n al — go f o r w a r d ! " Students and workers e v e r y w h e r e in a l l p r o f e s s i o n s a r e u r g e d to t a k e u p t h e c h a l l e n g e to fight to b u i l d t h i s r e v o l u t i o n ary l e a d e r s h i p a n d j o i n the W o r k e r s R e v o l u t i o n ary Party.
OVEMBER 14th 1973 j A day w h i c h will pluck a t the heartstrings
s o t h e r e w i l l be a c l a s h
of t h a t s m a l l minority o f
plains:
relics f r o m feudalism the monarchists.
—
It i s o f c o u r s e t h e d a y that Princess A n n e w i l l p l e d g e her t r o t h t o C a p t a i n M a r k Phil-lips. A s has already been publ i c i s e d w i d e l y i n t h e gutter p r e s s a n d F e l i x h a s no qualms at repeating it; P r i n c e s s A n n e w i l l have " t o promise to obey e t c . " Mark Phillips d u r i n g t h e c e r e m o n y , but he is o n l y a C a p t a i n in his regiment whereas s h e is a C o l o n e l i n hers. What a precedent for insubordination! B a c k t o reality, howe v e r . . . N o v e m b e r 14 is a l s o t h e d a y of t h e little p u b l i c i s e d , s t i l l l e s s understood, still less liked N U S work-in. N U S have decided not to c h a n g e t h e date a n d the Windsors certainly.won't
but a s J o h n R a n d a l l ex-
" I f it m a k e s a n y diff e r e n c e at a l l , w e a r e p l e a s e d rather t h a n d i s p l e a s e d that the m u c h publicised Phillips W i n d s o r w e d d i n g is taki n g p l a c e o n the s a m e day as students are demonstrating about g r a n t s . It e n a b l e s us d r a -
Income before marriage I n c o m e after marriage
Rent
T y p e of a c c o m modation
m a t i c a l l y to d r a w attent i o n to c e r t a i n i n j u s t i c e s in o u r s o c i e t y w h i c h it w o u l d be a p p r o p r i a t e to b r i n g to the n o t i c e of a s many people as possible on November 1 4 t h " . H e w a s r e f e r r i n g to the d i s c r e p a n c y between the f i n a n c i a l s i t u a t i o n of a female student before a n d after m a r r i a g e a n d that o f a n a v e r a g e B r i tish Princess.
Married female Married female student princess Absolute m a x i m u m £15,000 p.a. of £ 5 2 0 p . a . . generally less Income almost Income more than halved, maximum doubled, £35,000 £320 p.a. p.a. £8.50 p . w . (aver£8 p . w . age quoted by London Univ. Lodgings Bureau) Bedsit; room in House: 9 rooms, Hall of R e s i d e n c e ; 2 bathrooms, i s h a r e d -flat acre grounds
GREEN-RED "REVOLUTION" Once upon a time m a n h a d no other means of t r a n s p o r t a t i o n t h a n h i s o w n feet. H e h a d to choose the easiest w a y through his environment w h e n h e w a n t e d to m o v e a r o u n d . O c c a s i o n a l l y he w o u l d have to remove s t o n e s , p l a n t s or t r e e s to facilitate his transportat i o n or t h a t of h i s g o o d s . This was decided by h i m a l o n e (or i n s m a l l s o c i a l groups) s o that the s a m e p e o p l e that w o u l d w o r k w o u l d benefit of t h e r e s u l t s .
c o m e s into s e r v i c e , it i l i a r ? ) . w i l l bring to a f e w a fasT h i s fits v e r y well ter r h y t h m o f l i f e , a n d i n t o t h e d e f i n i t i o n o f t h e b e c a u s e o f t h e n a t u r e of G r e e n - R e d " R e v o l u t i o n " our present s o c i a l sys- that I gave i n t h e last t e m , it w i l l b r i n g t h e m i s s u e o f " F e l i x " , n a m e l y privilege. This a l s o the s y s t e m a t i c s u b s t i t u means a disadvantage tion of man's abilities, for t h o s e w h o d o n ' t u s e s e n s e s a n d m e c h a n i s m s it, w h o w i l l e v e n t u a l l y b y i n s t i t u t i o n s , o r g a n i s c o m e t o d e m a n d its u s e , a t i o n s , m a c h i n e s o r a p k n o w i n g t h a t t h i s w a y o f p a r a t u s , t h a t l e a d to t h e reducing the privilege gradual atrophy of the gap is m o r e feasible formers a n d addiction to than the other a l t e r n a - or d e p e n d e n c e o n t h e t i v e , i.e. t r y i n g to s t o p l at t e r s, w i t h t h e c o n s e Concorde o n c e it's quent control or m a n i p brought into u s e . In u l a t i o n o f h u m a n m a s s e s o t h e r w o r d s , s o c i a l a d - a n d f i n a l l y l e a d i n g to d i c t i o n to t h e n e w c r e a - s o m e k i n d of e n s l a v e ture. T h i s m e a n s that the ment. "advantages" (if t h e r e T h e w o r s t p a r t of t h e a r e a n y ) of t h i s p l a n e s t o r y is t h a t w e a t l . C . w o u l d r e a l l y c o m e to t h e ( s u p p o s e d t o b e g o i n g p e o p l e w h e n its u s e w a s to b u i l d t h e w o r l d o f t o widely spread ( w h i c h morrow, etc. . . . ) are w o u l d be a long w a y c o m p e l l e d to co-operate. a h e a d ) t i m e b y w h i c h T h i s i s d o n e b y preanother similar invention packaged curricula, prew o u l d appear, d i s c r i m - d e f i n e d professions, inating the majority a n d monopoly of degrees repeating the cycle. That a n d qualifications, is, i n t h e m e a n t i m e (i.e. m o n o p o l y o f i n f o r m a t i o n always) the majority of a n d learning tools in u n i p e o p l e w o u l d suffer f r o m v e r s i t i e s a n d c o l l e g e s , discrimination a n d an monopoly of privileges unsatisfied need. T h i s for t h o s e w h o c o n s u m e happens because the m o r e institutionalized p l a n e is d e s i g n e d to c r e - " e d u c a t i o n " , fragmentate a n e c e s s i t y f o r a l l , i n g a n d s p e c i a l i s i n g (i.e. and its c r e a t i o n w a s l e n g t h e n i n g ) fields of motivated by profits a n d study, thus restricting by the s a m e u n c o n t r o l - our v i e w of the w o r l d , led - growth - m a n i a c - labelling taboo the mixm a d - r a c e - d e a d ing of s c i e n c e or techcircle. nology with politics, eco-
N o w a d a y s road builders, c a r m a k e r s , e t c . (i.e. scientists and engineers) are not c o n t r o l l e d by human d e c i s i o n , in fact, they are not c o n t r o l l e d at a l l , b u t they are e n c o u r a g e d to g r o w indefinitely by the artificial profit system. W h a t m a k e s things even w o r s e is that travellers or c o m m u t e r s a r e a l s o encouraged to move m o r e a n d faster b y t h e artificial profit system, either directly (travel agents, British Rail a d verts, etc.) or i n d i r e c t l y (faster moving means m o r e b u s i n e s s ) . In o t h e r words t h e s i t u a t i o n is c o m p l e t e l y o u t of c o n t r o l a n d there is n o rec o g n i s e d w a y of t e l l i n g whether w e have very l i t t l e, enough or too m u c h or too fast movem e n t ; w o r s e t h a n that, T h i s plane is no revoby d e f i n i t i o n , w e have l u t i o n a r y t h i n g , b u t t h e too l i t t l e , a n d t h i s is s u p - l o g i c a l by-product of p o s e d to a p p l y f o r e v e r ! c o n t i n u i n g our old and even worse, w e t r e n d s of b u i l d i n g w h a t d o n ' t o b j e c t to i t ! B u t e v e r c a n be b u i l t a s l o n g h o w a r e w e a t l . C . i n -a s w e c a n c r e a t e a d e v o l v e d in t h i s s y s t e m a t i c m a n d for it, a n d in the blind pursuit? absence of a humane L e t ' s l o o k at o n e of s y s t e m c o n t r o l l i n g b o t h the p r o d u c t s of the k i n d the " s u p p l y a n d d e m a n d of s c i e n c e a n d t e c h n o - of t r a n s p o r t a t i o n " w h i c h l o g y w e a r e n o r m a l l y b y t h e w a y is n o w rep u r s u i n g at l . C . garded as purely econIf
"Concorde"
(II)
ever o m i c
commodity
logy, sociology, etc., etc.
B u t even w o r s e i s that n o b o d y c a n b e h e l d resfor a l l this, ponsible moreover I can't imagine a n y b o d y (or a g r o u p ) so clever a n d destruct i v e to h a v e i m p l e m e n t e d such a system, a n d yet p a s s u n n o t i c e d . T h u s , it seems, that the only " g u i l t y " p e r s o n s that w e can find are ourselves for n o t s t o p p i n g s u c h situation; but are w e too impotent already? . . . . (famJ. AGUIRRE Civ.Eng.
DISAFFILIATION
MOVES
by B A T H UNIVERSITY S T U D E N T S UNION In a n o n - p o l i c y m a k i n g d e b a t e at B a t h U n i v e r s i t y last w e e k a m o t i o n to d i s a f f i l i a t e f r o m N U S w a s p r o p o s e d by P r e s i dent J o h n K i d d e y . K i d d e y s a i d that N U S conferences were too pre-occupied with Chile and Northern Ireland, " i s s u e s n o t r e l e v a n t to s t u d e n t s " . H e s a i d that not e n o u g h discussion was spent on education
and student
welfare.
N U S President John Randall spoke against the m o t i o n s a y i n g that the c o r r e c t t h i n g f o r B a t h to d o w a s to stay w i t h i n N U S a n d f i g h t t o get m o t i o n s o f i n t e r e s t t o it p r i o r i t i s e d at N U S c o n ferences. H e f a i l e d to p o i n t o u t the necessity for discussion o n issues other than
education a n d student welfare for the political c a n be lessons that learnt from these events. H e also failed to ment i o n that, i s o l a t e d f r o m t h e s t r e n g t h of the N U S s t u d e n t s a n d their u n i o n s w o u l d be o p e n t o t h e most enormous dangers. D i s a f f i l i a t i o n w o u l d efr fectively sabotage the s t u d e n t u n i o n at B a t h o r anywhere else.