Thatcher in 1979 and our general election defeat of 1983. Shadow cabinet shadow minister went on TV slagging off the NEC, constituency parties, the labour and trade union movement. What is at stake in Birmingham is the fear of the party leadership that black sections could actually power base: that if black people are in a position where they can organise openly within the party, perhaps Roy Hattersley may not get reselected next time Amir Khan That's the issue behind all of these Once you strip away the fact someone's been selling Militant, brought the party into disrepute, behind each of these expulsions are key political issues: coalition politics, İreland, black sections. The purge, if it gathers steam, will actually open the way to a major shift to the right in policy.
And I have to say, very clearly, for anybody who may be in any doubt, I am ready to do everything to oppose tremendous break up their tain witch-hunts.
It was a tragedy NEC members suspension and can't do group of spreading to others.
different was there when tuency tion at regional conference.
mined not to do any enowly In Dudley they I WANT to congratulate those who have produced 'Witch-hunt news'. It snould go to every consultucncy parl. in the country. It proves that there are amount expulsions going on in the labour movement that a lot of people don't know "his heer bee possible to were struggling to try and stop them expelling members of the Militant editorial board. we were assured bv the then general secretary that there would be no further expulsions. Now we know that only five voted enquiry into Liverpool. Some of the others now realise that you can't confine it to Liverpool. It has now reached Sheffield.
that kind of thing to one comrades without the attitude where the right wing have been incorruption. started political life in the North East, and I the CunninghamPoulson affair blew up. My constiresolution to the Party should do its own enquiry into the North East. I moved that resoluIt was carried, and it arrived at the NEC, of which I was also a member. I tell you, comrades, they were absolutely deterNorth East. Were they closing ranks behind their friends and supporters?
consulacle. where are trying to save a right wing MP from reselection, they ruled that Joan Maynard couldn't disagree with the EETPU's delegates to that GMC. They are sending teachers. bank employees, and god knows who. Certainly not people working in the electricity supply industry. We were told that we not disagree with delegations. But in the two St Helen's constituencies Labour Party there, who have also been suspended, all the trade union representatives to those GMC's have been gone through with a fine tooth comb.
One law operates in one area, and a different one if they want to protect the right wing.
Anyway. what Liverpool's crime? That they were trying to carry out Labour Party policy and to defend people anywhere by attacking our own people. Who does it serve?
Comrades, sides in side and the workers' side, and you these have to decide which side you're on. There isn't any middle ground. District What swayed Jabour Party was that i could never bear injustice. The injustice going on the graphically described tonight. Comrades, I've often said this in relation to Ireland and I'll say it now. You can't keep justice or freedom for yourself if you are part of denying it to other people. proper way to deal with people we don't agree with is to try and defeat them out.
own goals.
Liverpool, We get there are only two society: there's the bosses' Tony NEC me to join the has been We all know that the them in argument, and not throw All we are really doing is scoring If, on the miners and we had had a united labour movement which went out to the country and said 'We stand with miners Liverpool Lambeth, today and every day until victory is won', then what a different situation we would have had!
We need to mobilise people for continued struggle and identify with that struggle. I want to see the Labour party a campaigning party. I want to see it identified with every struggle that is going on. I don't mean a witchhunt campaign. I mean a campaign in support of working people and not attacking them. I believe that is the way to win the next Labour government Making sure that people know where we stand on issues. Not only where we stand, but what we propose to do as well as attacking the Tories The witch-hunt won't end with the Militant tendency. Its purpose is to get rid of as many socialists as possi ble, in order if need be, out of the next election, to have that coalition with the SDP and the Liberals.
Benn said that at the last And I can tell you the leader, Neil Kinnock, shot three feet in the air. Now vou can always tell whee you've hit the nail on the head. People wriggle, don't they?
The message I'll leave you with is this: despite all the difficulties, we've got to keep up the struggle, because you and I and many more thousands of people, millions of people really, intend one day to help win socialism throughout the country.
Socialist Action 31 January 1986