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From International Socialism (1st series), No.59, June 1973, p.22.
Transcribed & marked up by by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.
The New Unionism: The Case for Workers’ Control
Ken Coates and Tony Topham
(Peter Owen, £4.00)
In this book the dynamic duo of the Institute for Workers’ Control seek to ‘define the kind of trade unionism which we want to see prevailing during the next five years or so.’ So it ought to be the most complete statement so far of their political strategy. In fact it is no more than a pot-boiler of the various concerns these authors have written about, often far better before – the alienation of the wage slave, the international firm, workers’ participation, control and self-management, and so on. That the book is a pot-boiler should come as no surprise. For until Coates and Topham openly declare their reformism they cannot openly declare their political strategy. From a past flirtation with revolutionary politics they know the basic truths: to win workers’ control and progress to self-management requires the revolutionary overthrow of capitalism and the smashing of the bourgeois state. This requires the building of a revolutionary party, and to build such a party involves a struggle for revolutionary leadership of the unions. A struggle against not merely Feather and Chappie, but against Scanlon and Jones. Coates and Topham have chosen an ‘easier’ road, to win friends and influence people, and very specific people – the ‘left’ trade union bureaucrats. That means directly fawning on them, and there is plenty of that in this book. But it also means skating over the question of the struggle for state power, ignoring the question of building a revolutionary party, and making none but the gentlest criticisms of Scanlon, Jones and Co.
To come out clearly for the ‘Parliamentary Road’ to socialism would disturb the little niche Coates and Topham have built for themselves. They are moving slowly to the right, but they still want to hold on to that niche. Its name is chronic centrism.
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Last updated on 25.12.2007