The figures of unemployment for December show a rise of 39,053 on the previous figure. But in Scotland alone the rise was 9,200 to 82,700, Thus an area with 10% of the population accounted for 25% of the rise in jobless. A glance at the new of pay offs and closures in the last few weeks shows how this has arisen. The Northburn Steel Company closes its 450-man works on February 17th. Babcockand Wilcox, Dalmuir, and Kelvin Electronics are paying off a total of 1,000 men in the next few weeks. In the past few months Murtees Watson and four smaller factories in Renfrewshire have closed, putting 700 on the dole. Singers (along with Brown's - the lifeblood of Clydebank), which halved its labour force to 8,000 in 10 years, is making more sackings. The one bright spot is that the Rootes car plant at Linwood has now returned to a 5-day week - but this has only been possible because of the 550 redundancies there in October. As could have been predicted, in spite of pious statements by Government spokesman about protecting the Development Areas, Scotland has once again suffered badly under the latest economic squeeze. P.S. since this article was written news has come through of 100 sackings at Beardmore's Forge, Parkhead (a subsidiary of Firth Brown abd John Brown). ‘Shop stewards are convinced this is the preliminary to the closure of the whole works which employs 1,550 men.
Yugoslav Press and the Tribunal
The first news about the formation of the Tribunal in Yugoslav press was favourable. The Slovene daily Delo even carried out an editorial, greeting Russell's action. At the same time, the same paper published a letter by the sculptor May congratulating Vladimir Dedijer for his election. The Belgrade literary review Knjizevne novine paid a special tribute to Russell for the idea of forming the Tribunal. Bertrand Russell's Appeal to the American Conscience was published by NIN, the leading Belgrade weekly, Vjesnik u_srijedu, the leading Croat weekly (350,000 copies), and several other weeklies and reviews including the Mnceyclopaedia Moderna. Russell's letter to Delo thanking them for their support was published in the paper in full with a favourable comment. The Soviet news agency Tass carried a news-item about Russell's letter. Vladimir Dedijer gave a whole page interview about the aims of the Tribunal to the Slovene weekly Nasi _razgledi and Nin in Belgrade, which were reproduced in part in the daily press, radio and TV. The situation changed in October when Mr. Josip Vidmar, the President of the Slovene Academy of Sciences, and the member of the Central Committee of the Slovene Socialist Alliance, came out against the idea of forming the committees of support for the Tribunal, with the argument that such committees are good only in the capitalist countries and not in Socialist countries where the desire of people is expressed not through individuals but by the political organisations, such as Socialist alliance. The student paper in Ljubljana Tribuna strongly criticized Vidmar for both his statements on the Tribunal, as well as on the character of the war in Vietnan. (Vidmar equated the struggle in Vietnam with the conquering of the world by Socialism on the pattern Christianity and Mohamedism did). The. students of Ljubljana University formed a Committee for the support of the Tribunal, despite Vidmar's attitude. In his articles Vidmar spoke in sneering tone about Russell and Dedijer, particularly about Russell's aristocratic background. Vladimir Dedijer also joined the public discussion on three occasions. The daily press carried the news-items about this issue. Several leading Slovene personalities wrote articles supporting the Tribunal (Matej Bor, the President of the Yugoslav Writers Federation), but they were banned in the press. On the other hand, the Yugoslav daily press, radio and TV gave a full coverage of the Tribunal first session in London, particularly Vecernje novosti, the daily with the biggest circulation in Yugoslavia. Ho Chi Minh's telegram to the Tribunal had a very good effect in Yugoslavia, as well as the interview of J.P. Sartre in the Nouvel Observateur. Sartre's interview was reproduced in full in the Nin and the Vijesnik u srijedu. The latter paper carried a full report of the work of the Tribunal, publishing the documents of the Aims of the Tribunal.
In the meantime the discussion on Vidmar's attitude i
é continued. The leading Slovene literary review Sodobnost in its December issue devoted a special number on the Vietnam war, and the work of Tribunal. Russell's Appeal to the : was reproduced. Feter Vodopivee publishea iticising strongly Vidmar's attitude on the Tribunal. ore eens ee
Several feature articles appeared lately in the Yugosl biography of Ralph Schoenman, written by Vladimir weineteare wien: ole sv ieee: of Russell and Schoenman was published in the daily Politike Express, as well as two interviews of Russell and Schoenman. Russell's interview was quoted by the Soviet and Bulgarian press.
The students of Ljubljana at last won their case against Vidmar. In Ljubljana a Committee for the support of the Tribunal was organised, headed by the Rector of Ljubljana University, five deans, many professors, Matej Bor, the President of the Yugoslav Writers Federation and other prominent people. The student paper Tribuna carried a facsimile of a letter of Russell (thanking them for their support of the Tribunal) on the front page, together with all materials of the Tribunal.
On January 3, 1967, Vladimir Dedijer gave a statement about the first six weeks of the work of the Tribunal, which was published by ell the leading Yugoslav dailies, radio and TV.