Readers should note that from now on,.all business. and.editorial communications should be sent to ‘World Politics! C/O. 4. Dane Ste, Nottingham. This change has been, rendered necessary, .due to the fact that our comrades in London, who were responsible. for launching. the Journal, have taken on new committments. We have already built Up 4a production team in Nottingham, and .we. are, confident that regardless. of what happens in .the rest of. the British. ganemys 1987 will be a year of’ growth for ‘World Politics!. ‘ ) However, the extent of this growth will greatly. depend.on the | responSe of cur readers. ‘World Politics! will come. out. at the. fixed at the modest total of 15/-. Readers who have not already subscribed, should do so immediately. But, also, we want new readers, so please help us by soliciting new subscriptions from your friends and contacts, and by ordering bulk supplies on a sale or return basis. | orld Politics! is dedicated to the task of building a Marxist movement inside the existing labour and peace organisations. Therefore, our contents will present a Marxist viewpoint. However, we are determined that our publication will not reflect the sectarian rut, which has hindered the healthy growth of Marxist movements in Britain for so long. ‘World Politics? will not be simply a propaganda journal. We will endevour to carry articles on the current problems facing the British working class and on international events, in such a way that our journal will be of assistance to socialists in their everyday political work.
THE EXTENSION OF THE FREEZE, + By Brian Tyler. - -
To most of us, the extension of the wage freeze, mapped out in the Wilson government's White Paper, of November 22nd, came as no | surprise. By now, its details have become all ‘too well known, due to subsequent: government actions. - However, it’ will do no harm to summerise its. .contentss: 1 Wie Boe Pe EERE eG TS eS Referring to the first six months of 1967, the White Paper declares that, ‘Increases in incomes during this period will anly be justified in exceptional circumstances, where they can be shown to meet the | following criteria for excemptions, and even then only on a severely limited scale.' The criteria concerns primarily 'Productivity' agreements. However, for wage increases to be 'justified', there must be a real increase in productivity, which must be of such a nature as to be in the ‘national interest'. What is meant by ‘national interest’ has yet to be determined. Another okonbetonsentivaged concerns the very poorly paid workers, whose wages are controlled by government orders; i.e. those who are so poorly organised and paid, that minimum wages are determined by law. Many workers in such industries are paid above the minimum legal rate, due to local labour shortages. The gocernment has made it clear that where wages do rise in such industries, those workers being paid above the legal minimum already are not to be granted an increase.
concerned » there are not SUDDPOSeg
4 : hl
ame Weexiy pay,
of the workers are As far as the rest to any ss yn ases. any cuts in hours on the § to be any wage increases, <“-“\ eich the wage fecese is ta an@ any increased holidays. In other | ’ be maintained in full forcee
gs in a aifferent Ways voce price
: 1 a
eases may be justified, where there has been a marked increase ,
a
st of imported materials sr costs
cannot be absorbed, in the co Drie athes venacnls oe arising from changes in supply for seasons ioe od lak faaies 4 ay , Government, such es incres ation which are due to action by the ay icecdaaed cddtes Witch
large to absorb, such as
or where an enterprise finds itself faced
art of its total
4¢t is unable to restrain and ehigh 3 poet gieinte 3 th a+ it-in= ents orming ‘ 6 costes Of ‘Sousre eee in its defence of profits, the costs.* B even more blatent White Rink nditlahiel ‘There may also be exceptional circumstances, in which, without some increase in price, the receipts of an enterprise are not adequate to maintain efficiency and undertake necessary investment.' In other words, if the rate of profit for a firm slips, it will be justified in putting its prices Up. With prices rising probably more steeply than in the last six months of 1966, and with wees remaining static, most workers are expected to tolerate a cut in purchasing power. Meanwhile, the number of jobless in still rising; and at the present rate sf increase will soon reach the 600,000 mark, with every prospect of becéming much greater than this figure by the late spring. Also, in a recent speech
nwood reitorated the sentiments in the House of Commons, Anthony Gree expresse@ in a White Paper published on December 14th, which announsed that local authorities estimated expenditure over the next two years was considered to be too high tunder current economic conditions'. It has therefore been decided that proposed grants will tke out by £25M in 1967/68 and £47M in 1968/69. What this means in real terms was indicated by Mr. J.M. Whittaker, chairman of the Local Finace Committee, when he addressed the executive of the County Councils Association. He said that there will ‘either be a reduction in the services or 2 heavy increase in the rates’.
White Paper refers to price