Labour's First Year : 1945-46
1946 1946 1940s 27 pages One other event of the past year is worthy of attention. In the debates on the National Health Bill, Aneurin Bevan boasted that, short of Syndicalism, no measure could have given the doctors greater control over their own profession. But it is notable that no parallel arrang...
| Institution: | MCR - The Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick |
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| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
London : Common Wealth Publications Committee
1946
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10796/435195AB-C7E2-43D8-9C8C-FE6122BB3214 http://hdl.handle.net/10796/1E46B1DC-C544-4C48-9A8D-44A185EB6E35 |
| Summary: | 1946
1946
1940s
27 pages
One other event of the past year is worthy of attention. In the debates on the National Health Bill, Aneurin Bevan boasted that, short of Syndicalism, no measure could have given the doctors greater control over their own profession. But it is notable that no parallel arrangements for consultations with the Nursing staffs of our newly nationalised hospitals have been made. The Minister's public eulogies of the nursing profession evidently do not imply that its members are intelligent enough to be entrusted with a measure of Workers' Control. If the Government's Nationalisation plans continue to reflect present trends we shall drift into Burnham's Managerial State. There are plenty of "practical" men among the managers who will in any case resent having to consult, humour and educate their working people. But the State is not Socialist in which managements are divorced by origin, education, function and outlook from their working people. Whatever temporary disadvantages and irritations arise from the use of democratic methods, the democratic way is the only way Socialists may choose. FINANCE Common Wealth from its inception has laid down a few fundamental principles, which it has never prentended [pretended] to have invented, but which it considers, alike with other Socialists, as absolutely essential elements of a Socialist policy. In the held of Finance and Industry these principles are centred round production for use, not for profit ; Common Ownership of the means of production, with compensation limited to small owners ; Socialisation of industry (i.e. Control not only by the State, but also by workers and consumers) ; Equality of opportunity in all fields and a National Balance Sheet for industry based on a maximum production programme, whereby possible "losses" in some industries would be offset against "profits" in others. We intend to test any financial programme with a pretence to Socialism against these basic aims. Admitting that the Labour Government came to power in an extremely critical moment with vast problems concerning the reconversion of industry, demobilisation, etc., it must also be pointed out that it inherited a firmly established Exchange-Control, which has proved the stumbling block of many a Social-Democratic Government, and the complete control of all raw materials and essential commodities. Examining the BUDGET first we find that at the most there is a change of bias in favour of the lower instead of the higher income groups. Nevertheless, Excess Profit Taxation (on profits 22
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| Physical Description: | TEXT |