last two years. As someone who has been campaigning on the issue, I was delighted that the party took the stand that it did. This has really dramatised the whole question of the position of black people in the Labour Party. It took the issue a stage further than in a number of other constituency parties. where they were just carrying resolutions.
I was impressed with the tremendous unity in the party around this issue. At the GC after GC when the way members of the party began to see the queshon Of race. responsibility for action. question of the right of black people to be heard in the labour movement.
Another development was the increase in the level of black participation in the party locally. It became an issue, becarke cause something which black people who hitherto have not played an active role in the party coula see was tell alree concern.
people, women, opposition to missiles and so Is that the sam thing you're talking about?
I think the Benn argument is er. =portant. It's saying that there zie arge groups of people for speaks. whose only averte -a shange 1s at the level of the streets. That can only lead to frustration and bitterness. I support the idea embodied in the Benn argument. I would say that the key is direct involvement, for the grass roots organisations to emerge and force the Issue wrough in lne party.
That's where black sections come in. It wasn't a bureaucratic initiative to blacks around the flagpole of the Labour Party, it was a demand people who've been within the labour movement, could see little prospect of things did ourselves. I think that more and more over the next few yeas we will see those developments taking place.
But for a real change to occur we're going to have to see a clear-out of the leadership of the Labour Party. The things they represent, hold, are out of step with the community and the party. ase for the taking 1o I've been cons.
co one The doesn't appear to have...
wary working who is, getting tor movement further.
the views they within the Labour they would have emerged.
ple and arguing the -at zithin the labour movement and encourage those to grow, ment. disappointed with his reacWhether or not therefore the left should be urged to group themselves around him is an interesting question. If there was a groundswell of support within the Labour Party for Neil Kinnock those sorts of allegiances — which - would have been there. But as i see it a lot ot members are distrustful, a bit sort of softly-softly socialism he's offering to the British We are in a difficulty in terms of an alternative to Kinnock. I think the party is facing the dilemma about whether this is the time to become involved in a battle about leadership. I don't think it but at the same time I don't feel wholehearted support for the current leadership. I would want to argue the case for change, for a whole different team of activists in the party to take this As to whether Tony Benn has got it right, or whether we're moving towards a sort of Bennery without Benn: my view is that if there were other people Party that spoke with the socialist force of Tony Benn, But there isn't. I respect him greatly for his ideas, his analysis, and for posing the issues as parties he does, without watering them down.
The sort of socialist change we want will only come through mobilising peoquestions with them. It we ignore that we li never gel the socialist community we all want. changes just through working in parliaThe problem with many MPs is that they see parliament as the be-all end-all. Working with munities, working with campaigns, to get the debate and discussion outside parliament, that's important — rather than flogging away in the Palace of Westminster thinking you're making real changes.
A final question. I think Lewisham East's stand will encourage other consuluencies do likewise. message do you have for those constituencies, and how confident do you feel that there'll be other black candidates chosen to run in the next election?
I'm sure there'll be more black candidates chosen, the question is whether they'll be running in winnable constituencies. I hope that by the action Lewisham East has taken we've set an example for other constituencies.
One Lewisham is not going to create the transformation we need to make the party anti-racist. I look to other parties taking the same stand because it seems to me that by that we'll press on with our demands for change. Parties would do well to choose black socialist candidates to stand for parliament.
Lewisham in a siluation where we need support. We hope other will take strength from our tha1 they will pressure on the NEC to make sure that Lewisham East is not isolated. What put Black miners' support group take a collection at last year's Nottingham carniva Socialist Action 24 May 1985