NOTHING COULD be more repellant and TWELVE of the six named in the majority report at the enquiry into Liverpool District have received their 'charges' and will appear before Labour's National Executive on 26 March. NEC is ploughing ahead It could not have handed the Tories their courts a better Haster Pre. sent.
The decision to defer the meeting March appears have been made in order avoid possible court action the no the that the 02 the grounds that the have not had time to prepare their 'defence';
The four not charged Sylvia Sharpeycouncil; Josie Greenn, aLer agent for Broad Green Paul Pauline SLOUTY Dunlop, , both councillors.
Of the twelve still on Whitty's hit list, four are councillors: Derek Hatton, tony Mulhearn anc Harry named in the report, only were agreed unanimously by the sixmember majority. But not all the four dropped are those on whom the malori y of the inquisition could not agree. Jose lal against whom disciplinary proceeaings were agreed o been membeds The has also been dropped.
proceeding judiciously in terms of the constitution, said •Neil Kinnock at the weekend in a Scottish TV interview.
He was questioned on me venooo ourse dller e speech to Scottish Labour Party conference in which Labour. Party The with its witch-hunt he made reference whatsoever to the issue. There was press speculation to the contrary. Last Friday's Glasgow Evening Times reported: leader Neil Kinnock is set to blast Militant tendency another hard-hitting But the running was left • 10 general secretary Whitty, who also Laliy addressed the conference Perth. 'Nothing threatens the unity of the party more than an abuse of the rules and democracy of the party,' he said, and called for 'discipline mixer with tolerance. It is clear that the tolerance to which he refers is that expected to excercised those members of the party beDoing the Tories' work: John Cunningham wants to stop the expelled councillors receiving money The investigation team consider that: there have been abuses and breaches of Labour Party rules and constitution and the resultant distortions of party organisation in Liverpool are of sufficient sider the evidence in respect of the above matters given to the team against the persons concerned ing disciplined and those who • oppose such measures.
'Tolerance' from the NEC as the decision to uphold the enquiry report showed has been out in advance. At the end of Whitty's speech gramme, principles and policy for distinctive and separate propaganda, possessing branches in the constituency. would therefore be ineligible for membership under Clause 11(4)(b) of the constitution of the Labour Party. The investigation team believe that there is evidence that there may be members of the party who are part of that organisation in Liverpool and the investigation team rec ommends that the NEC should consider their position under Clause 11(4)(b) in the light of the decision of the 1982 Labour Party conference, the January and July 1983 decisions of the NEC and the subsequent endorsement of those dicisions by the 1983 Labour Party conference We therefore further recommend that the general secretary be instructed to consider the evidence relating to possible membership of the Militant tendency against the persons named below and, where applicable, formulate charges against them to be heard by the NEC Paragraph 15.17 The following members should be considered under (a) or (b) or (a) and (b) above: Tony Mulhearn, chair, chair, DLP, Felicity Dowling, secretary, DLP, Josie Aitman. Tonv Altman.
* Roger Bannister, Dunlop, Derek Hatton, Richard Knights, lan Lowes.
Cheryl Varley, Richard Venton.
Those asterisked were agreed by four members of the team only. The remainder were agreed by the six NEC members signing this report.
Para 15.18 There may be other members of the party who have, to varying degrees, been involved or sup ported Militant tendency in the past. However, the investigation team believes it is neither pro vable nor profitable to add to the above list. The investigation team recommends that the NEC takes a decision as to disciplinary action if ap propriate as rapodly as possible.
It is important to ensure that the rules of natural justice and the constitution of the Labour Party are upheld in conducting these interviews and reaching any decision on disciplinary action.
delegates felt he'd made clear that Liverpool expul sions were now under way Any doubt was further clarified on Sunday by John Cunningham. Announcin! the decision to surcharge councillors, he pointed out 'If the Labou Party decides on a fund of this kind, it would apply to people who are members of the Labour don't see the Labour Party fundraising for people who are not members. ' Members of the Militant tendency DLP, Terry Harrison, vice*Paul Astbury, * Carol Darby, *Pauline *Sylvia Sharpey-Shafer, * Harry Smith,
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regardless of the havoc it is wreaking with Labour's election prospects.
Fairit Smith Do. On the