ON 16-17 NOVEMBER Socialist Action hosted a weekend of debate and discussion under the rubric of 'An Alliance for Socialism'. The conference was attended by over 500 people who came to plenary sessions and participated in workshops.
Last week, in a special issue, we published the key speeches on the general strategic issued raised at the conference, in particular the contributions of Tony Benn, Diane Abbott, Betty Heathfield, and the African National Congress. In the pages that follow we are publishing some more of the speeches and discussion that took place at the event. We are devoting this space to the ideas expressed at the conference because most of the issues broached are of keen importance to the whole labour movement. A new phase of development of the left has been opened up in the aftermath of the miners' strike which demands new strategic debates. The discussions at the Alliance for Socialism weekend are reproduced as La contribution to that process. win.
WHEN we look at the alliances that have been built up, people, women, lesbian and gay people, in other words sections of the oppressed that Kinnock and his triend. want to dump overboard in pursuit of their electoralist road to Number len. we realise that they have been forged •v te anlasuc suruggc or uneational Union of Mineworkers, and by the struggle of black youth throughout Britain. I think it's very important that the left should examine and try to understand what is happening When we look at the emergence of struggie in tne inner ciles and now black have stood up fought, we know something important about the wav that the political system in this country has alienated a section of the population. We can see how that section has moved onto the streets and fought against state oppression manifested through the constant harassment from the police and the aole queue During the miners' strike, a black yuuli In Hacknev told me that he would willingly give his last pound to the National Union of Mineworkers, although he said there was no way he would spend it trying to get into the sabour Partv. We haveto understand why. We have to consider the party's record on race.
Every time the Labour Party has been in government recently it's sold out black people.
1968 a racist immigration power In 1aW i passea Tories another in '71 but Labour government did not repeal it, despite making a manifesto pledge to do so. We also know that the Labour Party drafted much of what is in the Nationality Act. appalling.
We need to demonstrate to black youth that this movement is relevant to their concerns. and their demands. I hope that we're carule lal parucula also that we're learning how the constitution of the Labour Party is used against us.
we have heard the secretary of the party and Kinnock's other cohorts say that constituencies should relax the constitution so that no one is expelled becalise mev are memnerc ornal scan grouping, the UDM. I won't call it a union because it's not. We know that constitutionally vuu can't lember o we nave Lewisham East where Russeil Profitt stood firm on the principle of black uprisings of black youth said MARC WADSWORTH, of the Labour Party Black Section National Committee. We can learn from the miners and black people in struggle how to stand up and fight as socialists...and between black where two black we discovered something relaxing of the constitution there. and another for black legs. And we must oppose that.
which is raised against us, also understand the range of facilities available to our opponents. I want to talk about the media for a moment, about the way that the news media covered the uprisings and the miners struggle. we all coverage of Orgreave the way the struggle of youth in Handsworth was branded inter-racial strife.
to Handsworth during that struggle and made quite clear that we stand in this movement. What happened in black sections Wing on representation coming before any individual's parliamentary career and section delegates services were involved in his selection. There black.
different. The bootboys from Walworth koad came in and decided that the selection meeting was not official and ing black. could not be recognised. There is no again.
There is one law for black sections attempted In understanding the opposition we must the working Tories stand for.
know about the cameras were behind police lines. We all know about The black section leadership went united as Afro-Caribbean and Asian miorlalt.
We've seen the galvanising of two parts of the oppressed black peoples in this country, the coming together of the Afro-Caribbean and Asian.
Hattersley has said that what's goin constituency of Sparkbrook is extremist infiltration of the Labour Party. Work that one out if you can! He also says that you can't define "black'. The immigration have no problem defining The social security snoopers looking for so-called scroungers have no problem defining black. The racist 'boys in blue' have no problem definSo turn again Roy, turn Our opponents on the right have shift autenuol from black youth by focussing the oca cenze on and order. Will Bernie Grant condemn youth violence? But not will Margaret Thatcher condemn state violence againsi class? This is what the It is absolutely vital that we don't buckle under the sort of pressures that will be mounted against us as we begır to unify. What is happening in the black communities. not iust in Britair but also in Azania, is truly and hugely significant for the whole of the work- ing class world-wide. That's why in me the black sections we are concerned to build the international links to bring together the black family We've got to support the demands of people in struggle. We've got to support the demands of the oppressed. To those in the Labour Party who say we can't have black sections, well I've got something to tell them: black people in the party have voted witł their feet — 35 black sections in tw years. We've got black sections. What we're actually asking for is recognition. You're not going to give us black sections because we've already got them. And we're not coming to beg or crawl for the right to self-organise, because that is absolute and non. negotiable 6 We need to learn from the executive of the NUM.
They said to us: we'll support you. You didn't try to tell us how to run our strike and we won't tell you how to wage your struggle for black sections in the Labour Partv.9 I want to look at the role played by unions to date. The black community is watching and watching very carefully. They're watching our actions in the party and our actions in the trade uLUIN They see the way that the demand for black sections has been crushed for Lwo vedrs rulee Labour Party conference by the bloc vote wheeled out against us. Where were the organised contingents of white trade unionists on the Black People's March for Justice? Where were trade umonists the recent Anti-Apartheid march?
We have to understand that the labour movement is not going to be taken seriously until we re preparec to go out and prove that we are part of struggle. lal wal 'Alliance for Socialism' means for We need to learn from the executive of the NUM. They said to us: 'We'll support you. You didn't try to tell us how to run our strike and we won't tell you how to wage your struggle for black sections in the
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«Black people are prepared to organise on a huge scale in support of the working class" AN ALLIANCE of the oppressed and the working class has been forged out of the miners' strike and the