Nowhere has that been more dramatic than during DESOILE massive support from the rank and file of the party both for the demands of the strike and the methods of the Scargill leadership of the NUM, the "dreamleadership proved to be a nightmare.
Neil Kinnock and the majority of parliamentary leaders paid lip-service the just demands' of the miners whilst in practice, lining up with the geoisie to stab them in the back. But this isn't all the Kinnock leadership has of office.
At last year's annual they steered through policy statements on defence economics, the full implications of which beginning to dawn on parThev won new enabling legislation' for a constituency-based witchhunt, mounted. direct attack on reselection. Taken together, such MOVe beer to form the Patter onder innock.
under Kinnock.
Elected party eater 'soft left' ticket, reality is forcing him LItU the arms of the right.
Before Christmas he pre principles or demon principles or acme cratic socialism'. Whilst the witch-hunting intention of such a document was removed by the national executive, the document itself is still in draft. Potentially it forms the basis of a future attempt to redefine memberbath Letter -not a Bit. net know that sound!
coming through the bor and dropping onto the hall + Described by The Times an 'anti-Tory" coalition of senior coals on all parties politi the newly-formed Employment Institute's vicechairs are Sir lan Gilmour (an ex-cabinet minister under hatcher. alice outspoken "wet'), Shirley Williams, shadow cabinet member Michael Meacher.
Its 100-strong board of trustees includes Denis Healey, Jim Callaghan and Lord Harold Wilson.
Its Charter for Jobs aims return to Keynesian economic policies to overcome rising unemployment.
Labour's new defence - IS predicated on 'full support for NATO It specifically rejects short-term reduction spending, commits Labour to building up the navy and strengthening the Central front (Germany).
These contradictions lay the basis for a future assault on That is one of the reasons why the NATO discussion paper Tony Benn and Eric Heffer has produced such a storm at the national executive.
Most recently of all, Kinnock has thrown his cap into the ring on the issue of the TGWU re-ballot. By supporting Wright he has strengthened the hand of the right wing within the unions the government.
None of these moves should be regarded as a Uh-oh! It's a real letter all right - from Granny. She wants me to take her to Greenham Common. She wants to march on Enoch Powell series of own-goals by an INCO leadership. Far from it. They are part and parcel of a conscious attempt to present the parsafe, non-radical ingly unpopular Thatcher They are aimed not at challenging or changing so-called popular opinion on the major issues such as defence unemployment, but at pandering to it. By so doing, Kinnock and company hope to persuade the ruling class that another term of office for • Labour won't be the disaster the bourgeoisie fear.
Unfortunately nock still faces two major type of deal at the next Sadly for him, there is no indication that the left will roll over and die in time for such schemes to come to fruition. The main obstacle reintroducing the management the Wilson-Callaghan era capitalisn of preparing the party TOT promise' on coalitionism, is the strength of the left within the labour movement. That is why a new battle over ideology is along with a policy fight. place the opening on a scale of the anti-Tory alliance.
To wage that battle it is necessary to take on the 'Bennite" left to demoralise it, and reduce influence across the The shape of that fight was outlined in May's edition of Socialist by Patrick Seyd, in an article entitled Bennism without Benn'.
Quite simply Seyd argues that a handful of MPs, led by Benn Skinner, have gone over to the 'ultra left'. They must WIL Militant and other • Trot-
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under Kinnock