SINCE THE black sections were formed three years ago our major opponent on the left has been the Militant newspaper. In that time both the level of discussion about the self-organisation of the oppressed, and the manner in which it has strengthen the class struggle, has developed enormously. importance of self-organisation in the struggle for socialism have failed to find their reflection in thé LPYS.
The Labour Party black section, which is actively involved in building an alliance for socialism around the struggles of the working class and oppressed, has launched a major campaigning intervention into this year's LPYS conference. The main themes of the campaign have been to build the LPYS by uniting all those in struggle against or sacked miners. We see the need for the LPYS to support the key international struggles against imperialism such as the struggle to isolate apartheid, to get Britain out of Ireland and to keep the US out of Nicaragua. If the labour movement is going to do any of this it has to stop witch-hunting socialists and stop attacking the LPYS.
By our campaign we have demonstrated how much more importance the Labour left needs to attach to the LPYS. We have also been instrumental in uniting those on the left in the LPYS. To that goal the black section called a meeting in Birmingham on Saturday March 15 to work out our tactics for the campaign and develop the maximum unity around support for Black Sections.
The meeting LPYS representatives — some of whom supported journals such as and International. The discussion led to agreement to establish a campaign committee that would produce a bulleti poor to the conference and wond hold daily caucuses throughout the conference. Sponsoring LPYS branches will each have a vote and are encouraged to make a donation to the There is no doubt that this year's conference will mark a dramatic change from all previous LPYS conferences. those in the LPYS who support its policies to join the campaign committee. strength!
THE BLACK section's decision to stand a candidate for the LPYS place in Labour's NEC has shaped the whole debate at the youth section's Easter conference. with the struggles of youth, from the inner-city rebellions to the struggle against apartheid, the black sections' platform is a radical reorientation for the LPYS. It has brought together a left in the LPYS which is firm in its commitment to black self-organisation and endorses a programme of struggle to build Labour's youth section.
The response of the Militant leadership of the LPYS has been to stand a black woman candidate, Linda Douglass, on an anti-black sections ticket. Despite her platform this candidature is a partial victory for all those fighting for black representation in the labour movement. The LCC youth have indicated they support the black section campaign. It remains to be seen whether this commitment to black sections is more than purely formal. Only Socialist Organiser's 'marxist' pletely ignores this central debate at the conference.
Alongside the campaign bulletin the major fringe meetings will take up the theme of the leading role of black people in the fight against the government, building the LPYS through an alliance of all those waging that struggle and defending the YS from budget cuts and other measures designed to shackle Labour's youth to its leadership.
The black sections will have their own fringe meeting at LPYS comean.
Abrams, Amir Khan and others. Labour Left Coordination have an anti-witch hunt fringe meeting with a broad range of speakers. Youth Action's fre meeting will be on the theme of building the LPYS as an socialism with a black sections speaker, a youth from the Broadwater Farm nd a speaker from the ANC have been invited. 4 At the conference there will also be collections DuDICy 101 workers and the Justice for the Mineworkers Campaign.
been able to Yet the campaigns around the whether it is victimised black youth was attended by a number of Youth Action, Labour Briefing The Black Section urges all Remember unity