LABOUR'S BEST chance of winning the next election is by raising the political temperature, by advocating policies which represent a real alternative to the Tory Party. But the party leadership seems to want to take us into the polling booth wearing carpet slippers. To prepare the ground for this, the 1985-86 national executive committee has witch hunts on a massive scale and the dilution of party policy. More time, more paper, energy has been spent on a purge than at any other period during the nine year's I have been on the Labour NEC.
Victims of the purge: Amir Khan...
Unce you start a wilch hunt against a section of U1l ideological grounds the Tory press will ensure there's no end to it. 1ne media weeping tears of joy at the prospect ing non-stop internal enquiries The witch hunt has a chemistry all of its own, like the case of Khan and Scally where some people in Birmingham decided to take it a stage further. The same is true Central Fife, Scotland.
There have been scores of others who have been expelled in the wake of the The witch hen as Now Switch hunt been widened even further by a 200-page report St which the officers of the which party have been suspended.
presided over and more socialists trom the party. That is why delegates at Blackpool all USC selling body, and must support all the appeals and resoluuhons agallis expuisions.
Power This witch hunt goes hand hand WILO NEC's systematic dilution of policy. Once the purge had begun the right wing was able lo slall walchlig down policies. Several documents of that particular, which has the would allow the War II.
There are other doclast months that al c WCaK socialism. For instance public ownership has been dropped for more cosy terms like social ownership. Those decisions would not even have been contemplated al Labour conference a few years ago.
On crucial decisions on the expulsions there have been nine, sometimes 10, NEC members who have taken a principled posinon. by and large te milie have stood firm. But that's out of a total of 29 NEC members. Reforms With the exception of Eric Clarke of the NUM, on most issues the other l members from the trade have block voted for the right wing. There has been allassive right wing shift in the TUC ana ine trade union tion of the Labour NEC. The 'cuddly left' in the last months too supported the right wing leadership almost all the way down the line.
Alongside the witch hunt and the attack on policy, the NEC right wing are diso opposing denno cratic reforms demanded by women and black people, and they are planning turther restrictions on the rights of CLPs. The party should be made aware that the goal of the right, without any doubt at all, is to change the method of reselection before the next TONO lakes place NEC has set up a working party to prepare proposais on this.
of black candidates standing getting elected last round of local government elections. Black Section has given black party members the confidence to The ideas Black Section promoted, though they got defeated at conference, were good in themselves. I support them all the way down the The Black and Asian Advisorv Committee was set up as a counter-weight to Black Sections. It has acceptable munities.
Although the delegates ference the walty elections.
There tOTe the issue of ference electing the section of the national many five of us who supported the principle. We have managed to get that numbaer une tast NE gures NEC conference meeting. With odd exceptions, the same people pressing the witch hunt have taker a ine against women's role party and at their own conference. voting against it Twenty five has been found to be the acceptable age limit for a youth secunions. But the NEC want to reduce it to 2i. Ihe pro posals also envisage taking away the right 'LPYS conference to elect its own delegate to the national executive, ana generally bIpositive maication of lat trends I'm describing.
Campaign Group tant par in r tant part in this. have now been two wellpublicised meetings of the Campaign Group Left Liaison and Manchester, both with big attendances.
third is blanned this year in Scotland.
There is serious supfor the emergence of CamPouli locally.
Many people are beginn ing to realise that we cannot go into the nex: general with watered-down policies and expect to win. There are a CM COOKSON lot of people in the constituency parties who believe we nave lo oul socialist back on Labour's agenda Winning the election is about personalities; it's about putting over policies. somebody who has done close on 150 meetings this year, I don't think I can be accused of not campaigning. I believe we've got to get out into the areas. including Tory seats and others, to spread the socialist message. don't to spend my time on witch hunts — but on aevelopins poncies an campaigning The party a whole must spend more of its time usefully, driving the Tories out of government.
Miners