The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-05-04
Before the British Election

bank rate to $50, necessitated by
the drain of gold to New York, has
dealt further blow to industry;
and the crisis is not yet solved. This
binders any rapid naturalization or
reconstruction.
The international policy of the
Conservative government also raises
opposition from a section of bour-
geois interests, particularly with ref
erence to the cutting off of the
growing Soviet Union market to the
benefit of the United States and
Germany.
Thus the Baldwin Conservative
government is rapidly losing ground.
Unless it is able to come out at the
last moment with a strong and eff
fective program tits election pro-
gram is still to be announced), it
is likely to fall heavily at the cleo
ton. Its main hope lies in the
chances of the electoral system,
and the mutual cancellation of Lib
eral and Labor votes, which may
once more secure it's return to power
on a minority vote.
The general election is taking
place in the face of gathering new
wave of working class discomfort
and revival. 1t is in relation to this
situation that the preparation of a
new Left bloc government takes on
special Importance.
The new trend has been brought
to the front by series of important
recent manifestations and documents
notably, the Balfour committee
report, the Melchett-Turner report
C"Mond" report), and the much
doomed Lloyd George "pledge" and
campaign.
The Melchett-T Turner Report of the
big industrialists and trade union
leaders in coalition, with the express
approval of the official leaders of the
Labor Party, calls for a policy of
full-scale capitalist naturalization,
and in particular demands National
Development Fund and liberal state
credits to reorganize and reequip in
dustry.
On this basis are visibly growing
the preparations for some form of
new Left Bloc (''Labor" Government
or Labor Liberal GOVERNMENT to re-
place the Baldwin Government and
carry through a program of state
aided naturalization. The Labor and
Liberal Parties are in the same posi-
ton of being simultaneously rivals
and allies in the endeavor to voice
this demand and in the similarity of
their programmes. Each accuses
the other of Stealing" its pro-
gramme. Up to the election the
rivalry predominates. The future
line depends on the results of the
elections: if, as is probable, no party
obtains an absolute majority, there
are abundant signs of the likelihood
of some form of Liberal-Labor Coali-
ton, either openly, or, to begin with,
as a Labor" Government with
Liberal supports To the special
questions of the Labor and Liberal
Parties and their programmes it will
be necessary to return.
The working class in Britain, as
many signs show, is awakening from
the reaction after the defeat of the
General Strike and advancing to a
new wave of struggles. 1t is the OBJ
ject of the bourgeoisie in this cleo
ton to head off the gathering work.
ing class advance and canalize it into
safe channels of capitalist rational
ization and industrial peace thru
if necessary Labor Government
or Labor-Liberal Government.
The task of the Communist Party,
which for the first time enters this
election as an independent party on
an independent revolutionary pro-
gramme against all three capitalist
parties, is to fight to expose this
maneuvre, to express and lead the
gathering wave of working class
struggle, and to raise the banner Of
"Class Against Class" against all
three capitalist and imperialist
parties, the Conservative, Liberal
and Labor Parties, sss