ment of black sections was racist. Nevermind what Ilight have been head at the time, what he basic values, people with different coloured skin should not be given Now he's busy thinksolution something like that recently suggested in a Guardian eloquently: constituency level, many parties multi-racial areas locussing men culolls on ethnic minority voters.
*Several have adopted informal mechanisms of positive discrimination to ensure better black Asian representation party committees. And a number of constituencies are going out of their way to select ethnic minority candidates • sometimes "all black" shortlists. All this has been done without recource to the up black sections.
This 'healthy political trend' of course, must go further. Why not establish a Labour campaign for black and Asian rights, like Paole Zion or the I SEE YOUR FRIENDS IN THE LABOUR, PARTY HAVE BEEN TALKING TO SINA FEIN AGAIN! WHO BHINKNEW PERMAPS THEY WILLIE WHITELAW Militant offer no more than a left cover for this sort of woolly-minded racist ideology. Their alternative for this year's annual conference debate on black sections? resolution on famine in Ethiopia, which advocates (can believe it?) reform tional Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
In their desperation to avoid supports ticibul of black people in the Labour Party, Militant -that bastion na tionalisation without compensation workers' control advocate fiddling round the edges of imperialism's most important institutions. Ted Grant, do be brief!
Both Kinnock and the Militant's anti-black section come for one reason and one alone. It should be addressed, head-on, by its real name: racism Racism doesn't simply mean those people who jorative names, or believe CCI to blacks THAT WAS TRUE! THAT WAS DIFFERENT! AND JUST WHAT WAS THAT APOSTLE OF LAW AND ORDER DOING? WHY y WAS HE TALKING TO "TERRORISTS"?
policy NEIL KINNOCK spoke for 30 minutes to Labour women last Sunday without making reference to the two hour debate he had just sat through — whether or not women should have more power in the Labour Party. His speech indicted the Tory government who 'after six years under the first woman prime minister' had made women 'less safe, poorer, (having) less access to care and opportunity and (being) less free than when the decade began.
Applauding the role of the 'women in the mining communities, the Ford the 'in Greenham and Molesworth, in Barking hospital, in profession, in not agonising, they are organising.' He pledged a Labour government to 'improve contraception and abortion facilities on the NHS', follow 'positive action policies in recruitLICLE training' 'establish MIDISITY women's right'. He was insistent that Labour, committed to Democratic Socialism, the next Heard no nev. he war me Only round of applause during when he said we specta single But it really wasn't enough for organisation showed that women knew that their demands would not be handed down from on high and that equality would only be secured if women won themselyes That proved again that the demands of the Women's Action Committee for greater represculation command majority supwomen. A new experiment was decided on conference. Next year will see take shauuw National Executive Committee reserved ol 1 his will demonstrate Inal women on the NEC have to represent women.
A challenge to the position of conference came from the Militant tendency in the form of a resolution from Berkshire East CLP that suggested women should Have parity with the LPYS by being allowed to elect one seat on the NEC and have one resolution submitted to Conference.
This argument was savaged by Audrey Wise Siona bour up for the National Committee. 'It's insulting lo suggesl flal do per cen of the population should he treated the same wav as the Young Socialists' she said. None of the places on the NEC were representative of women and this was the issue.
Referring to her experience unionist, Audrey Wise took on the trade union leaders, male and female, who were about the representation of women on delegations to conference. 'Clearly not enough is being done, she told the conference.
A l COHSE delegate had made this point when moving the resolution shadow elections. ‹Wil the NUM nave women on its delegation to Labour Party conterence this year? No woman has ever been erecicu the trade union section of the NEC", she remarked.
The regional representation of women was also used by Militant to try and undermine 80S -tion on the accountability Women's Committee. On a card vote WAC's position was carried defending committee being elected at national conSUCTELECE but allowing nominations to take place on a regional basis.
The speaker from Liverpool got a sympathetic response she asserted that it was capitalsiu Inal women lad to fight, not men. Other speakers Inea to play onthe danger of federalism and separatism to dampen support for demands counterpose the Women Against Pit Closures movement to the fight for self-organisation the Labour Party.
But when the Islington South Finsbury resolution was passed calling on Women Against Pit Closures to affiliate became clear that women in the party rejected the artificial divide being made between the battle representation the NoM and a compicnicl tary battle in the party. The presence of Sue Bence Ayelsham women's support group at the WAC rally on Sunday and the Briefing meeting Saturday drove this point home clearly. Solidarity The also clashed with the majority of conference over Black sections. The resolution passed not only affirmed support for black sections the British troops were let but went on to argue for an increase in NEC seats by five 'to be elected at an black sections'.
Outraged that the platform was supporting thi Militan: stormed to the rostrum fo make a hysterical speech denouncing positive action for blacks claiming that there were only three people from Liverpool in the black caucus, and that the tactics the timidatory towards MiliThe speaker claimed she had been beaten up, her daughter had • threatened and her house , petrol-bombed. wing in the conference loved the speech but after a card vote the delegate showed they had not bee fooled by these hysterical debated other issues from low pay and employment.
sexual harassment, the NHS abortion where the main resolution simply defending the Act was a on previous policy.
On South Africa the resolutions from Glasgow Pollock and the National Organisation Students urged the Party to back the struggle of the Liberation movement and to support the efforts of trade unions South Africa establish united tenerallul The results of the elec.
tions for the conference arrangements confirmed hegemonic role of WAC at this conference. All but one of the WAC slate was elected, including a Socialist Action supporter, with between WA c's failure to stand i 180 votes each full slate, however, allowed Carol Bevan, a Militant supporter, to squeeze on with 140 votes women яге clearly making left-wing policy but the Action Committee still has to work out how to use its base among leaders of the Party.
----- pull-quotes -----
tional financial
LA PIECE OF THE ACTIONS DIFFENT)
women make left
that there would be no pre- election pacts or deals.
Women machinists from Ford Dagenham: smiles of victory after their 17-year long battle for equal pay
Socialist Action 21 June 1985 SALMON Photo. MARK