Workers Victory! Polane Irish Cp Gets It Wrong

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*weekly in-depth reporting and analysis of major world women’s liberation movements. developments and events of particular Interest to the Introductory offer 10 issues £3.00 labour, socialist, colonial independence, black and 6 month 24 issues The workers of Poland have won hington and Brussels, who sufimpressive victories. They shook fered at the prospect of confronthe parasite cast which rules ting the biggest upsurge in Europe Poland. Gierek, allegedly suffer- since May '68, ing from a heart complaint, has been dismissed as Head of State. NO TO BUREAUCRACY This cynical manoeuvre should de- The revolt of the Polish workers ceive no one, It wasn't just Gierek was not just a flash in the pan, nor who suffered heart failure. It was was it a raw response manipulated the rulers in Moscow, was- by reactionaries who want a res— FRQmM PAGE 1JAMES GALLAGHER talist West. Indeed one of the causes of the workers! revolt was unfavourable trading terms with the West and excessive reliance by Gierek on foreign capital. They see Poland's colossal indebtedness to capitalist financial institutions as a major barrier to raising their own living standards, They know that the capitalist system of the West would mean only more exp— loitation and repression, SUPPORT THEM NOW The workers of Gdansk marched back to work singing the ''International", the anthem of international socialism. They were appea ing for the support of honest wor— kers everywhere to help them consolidate their victory. Irish workers can play their part. The Irish trade union movement could send "fact-finding" delegations to Poland; shopfloor committees could "twin! up with similar Polish committees; the statements and documents of the new Polish "unions! could be distributed widelyin Ireland, Support the Polish worker:; now! Learn from them now] interest in maintaining stability in Poland'', Why are these apparently curious alliances forming? The reason is that one of the main supports given in the world today to the struggling capitalist system is the fact that democratic rights are widely supressed in the non-capitalist states.

The last thing Carter and his friends want to. see is the workers winning greater rights in countries like Poland. They are well aware that such victories will undermine their propaganda describing communism as "totalitarian and undemocratic'!.

They are also aware that any return to capitalism would lead to untold misery for the Polish people. Their aim has been to subsidise the Polish Stalinist bureaucracy, with the hope that in time it can be won away from the USSR "sphere of Influence", An interesting recent example was the extremely lukewarm support given to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan by the Polish government. The new aid is a continuation of the policy of building up Polandis massive foreign debt. In these circumstances, revolutionaries should support the Polish workers! struggles. The revolt of the Polish workers _paises important questions for socialists everywhere. In a coun- . try which claims to be socialist the overwhelming majority of workers rose in a wave of discontent. How could this happen? More importantly, how is the conflict to be resol= ved?

This tension can only be resolved _by political measures, Either the Bureaucracy is overthrown or the -workers are reformed, Tne latter option might seem to be a bit of a joke. M. Rakowski, however, obviously lacks a sense of humour, The explanations offered by the sup— because this is exactly the option porters of the Polish government he endorses, can easily be discounted. The irish Socialist, published by the "Those who work honestly", he Communist Party of Ireland, offers says, ''are demanding stern the view that the conflict is of "an sanctions against the loafers, inteconomic nature! which "anti- roduction of rigid discipline for socialist elements! are trying to creating a situation in which the turn to political advantage, whole of society would respect No party which aspires toa socialist society can be revolutionary until it recognises the importance of socialist democracy and puts this into practice, We say to the Irish Communist Party not to let their support for a workers! state blind them to the political realities of that state; the corrup— tion and priveleges of the bureaucracy and the alienation of the Polish working class.

AIDEEN O'HALLORAN