Never . wag it more necessury to fight for unity of the working class in Britain; dovaluation of the pound, with its deliberite aim of cutting tho stiundards of the British poople, is the li.test of a whole scries of neacures taken by the Wilson Government to solve the problens of British capitalion at the expense of the working clucs. On the other hand, rost trade union leuders, the overwhelning najority of Lubour Party officiuls and most Labour M.P.,s3 have failed to put up any kind of fight ugauinst the Governnent. Strikers at the Barbican, on the docks, in the pits and factories hive not only hid to fight their employers batthe Govern-ent, too, backed by trade union officials. On everymajor for®ign policy issue (notably Victnam) the LabQur Government has carried out policies indistinguisheble fron those of the Tories. Only a fool or a knuve would sey that there is any perspective of taking « single step along the road to socisulisn under the present Governrent. On the contrary, the nost likely outcome of the present Governnent's policies is that at the next chection the Tories will win an overwhelming majority and will then set about muking vicious attucks on the unions, largely using laws which the L:.bour Government has introduced, But unity of the working clacs must be based upon a principled programme of struggle, Lenin siid ull hic life that unity for unity's suke was no good. This applies nore than cver in Britain. The old tr ditional left has almost corrpletely abundoned opposing the right wing in the Lebour Party. The fuct that most left M.P.s, most supporters of Tribune ind left leaders of the unions, like Cousins, hive 11 decided to support the Government in its policy of devaluation (without w.ge inercuges to compensate for rising prices) is a @isuster, It shows that there is-no shiurp dividing line between them and fully-fledged supporters of Wilson, A workers' united front in Britain is neaningless unless its main pl.nk is to fight the present Governnent und to work to repluce the present leudership of the Labour Party and trude unions with people corz:itted to csoci:list policies,
re Eee ee Green
Naturaliy, this is what members of the Communist Party wnt. But bhis neans unity not with people who hive failed — to fight the Government Ton a fighting progranne, Whilet we should seek to bring into the united front as many of the truditional left us possible, we cunnot trim the programme of the united front so us not to frightan off there people. The Week is dedicuted to building a united front, with the necessary committees to org.nise the struggle, around the following programpre+-- ---~ (1) Irmediate abolition of the wuge freeze :nd anti-trude union legislation; Re-iter::tion of the principle of full freedom ofnegrtiations by unions; (3) A sliding scule of wages to compensate for increases in the cost of. living; (4) Abolition of poverty through increused welfire payments;