misea expulsions in davance The LCC and Tribune's line of support for the enquiry but opposition to expulsions is of the same value as their 'support Kinnock and the miners' line at the last party conference. comes tale forces them to choose, the LCC and Khan Tribune are on the wrong side It is a mistake for those who have good cause to reject Militant's politics - like the failure of Liverpool council to fight racism the enquiry. directed at Militant's racism or its pro-imperialist politics. I is directed against Liverpool city council's defiance of the Tory government. A successful attack on Liverpool by FOr Kinnock would tersley prosecute their attacks on black sections and on the fight for women's representation in the Labour Party. The These are the reasons why this; and every other witch-hunt, placably opposed socialist.
RIGHT When it Kinnock tion recently.
• to give evidence to sucn an enquils adaptations to been help him Hatexpulsions must be imby every single Rafique wingers in Roy Hattersley's Birmingham Sparkbrook constituency took a further step towards stamping out all opposi• A special meeting of the general management committee on Tuesday 10 December voted 25:12 to expel county councillor Mohammed Rafique.
Ostensibly his crime was publicly to claim that a selection meeting for the May 1986 district council elections had gerrymandered. He says that Labour Party members who intended to vote for him were physically excluded from the room.
Inis is not a simpie extension or tue of Amir Khan and Kevin Scally. Until recently, Ratique was part of the network of 'godfathers' committed io maintaining Hattersley's position as Sparkbrook's MP.
opponent of black sections, boasted of recruiting - Pakistanis to the party to shore up the right wing votes. Rewarded with a seat on the county council, which is faced stand against another Hattersley sup porter, Councillor John O'Keefe After his defeat at the selection Rafique began making loud noises about black representation and the need to review his position on black These comments eventually sealed his fate. But Rafique did not go Up to a 100 party members from other Birmingham demonstrated outside the special meeting which expelled him. Chants of 'witch-hunt out' and 'racists out' greeted delegates as they arrived. Placards demanding the reinstatement or evin scally and Amir Anan expel ed two weeks previously were also in Nor will the matter rest there. There Is growing support lor a broad-vasee for the relistatenicit to discuss their expulsions was held at the beginning of December. and tur ther activity is planned in the new year.
Commenting on Khan and Scally's Anne Pettifor of the Labour Party Womens' Action Committee said: It should not be surprising. that the right wing of the party are using tne current lalk or expulsions com ing from the leadership as a bandwagon for attacking and expelling comrades with whom they disagree politically. That is why expulsions and witch-hunts are so dangerous.
Tribune has • carried an article opposing the expulsion of Khan and Scally from the Sparkbrook party, and a resolution will be considered at the January meeting of the LCC executive, calling on Sparkbrook to rescind the expulsions and Labour's national executive to contirm this action. But wil it pass? The unsavoury fact is that the LCC and Tribune have made no small contribution to creating the condition in the party whereby socialists face exI hope you realise that this is the kind o internal wrangling that alienates editorial staff of the "Sun"!!