ON 20 SEPTEMBER the Campaign Group of MPs, meeting in met with Labour Left (LEL) - the umbrella organisation taking in many of the main campaigns in the Labour Party including the Section, the Labour Women's Action Committee, the Campaign for Labour CND. This meeting followed discussions between paign Group of MPs and the campaigns in the LIL around the way forward for the left. It decided to . launch Campaign Forum Alliance for Socialism. This will bring together the Campaign Group of MPs, ( the LLL and left-wing figures and groupings in the trade unions.
The political basis for Campaign Forum was created by the cooperation of the left during the miners strike. But two crucial steps were taken to its creation during the spring paign Group became the first group within the Parliamentary Labour Party to formally endorse the demand for constitutionlly recognised Black tions within the Labour Party. Second the Campaign Group embarked on an editorial policy in its newspaper Campaign Group News of giving space to the major campaigns within the Labour their own views. The Campaign Group also went on to endorse the slate for the women's section of the NEC decided upon at the shadow women's conference.
These decisions by the Campaign Group itself followed its own policy in supporting the miners strike, launching the Justice for Mineworkers paign, supporting British withdrawal Ireland, and demanding British withdrawal from NATO.
These decisions by the Campaign Group, taken together, represented a radical departure in the way groupings within the parliamentary party related to the party membership as well as important steps in policy. mentarians in the past, of course, had agreed to participate in struggles, campaigns, outside parliament. But it had alwavs been on terms wnich iney dictated. They 'condescended' to place themselves at the head of movements.
The Campaign Group had already started to break with this tradition in the miners strike - during which they participated as one part of the enormous movement which supported the The Campaign Illici. tioned, as Tony Benn put it, as parliamentary wing of the miners support movement.' This began to change the Campaign Group's relation to the entire party.
paper like Tribune, and the Tribune group of MPs, picking out selected individuals who it chose to 'represent' the movement. It paid no attention to who the key campaigns and organisations in the party themselves think can them.
For the campaigns in the party what is important is both policy and empowering. all people, women, or all party members, working. itself. That demands for the rights of women's conference, or the creation of Black Sections, have become so crucial. They are not 'arid', 'constitutional' the very heart of whether the Labour Party exists for the benefit of an elite of parliamentarians and 'leaders' the benefit of those who created it.
The Campaign Group, through its role in the miners strike, began to open itself all progressive opments in the party. tions of the bartv make token gestures, 'politics of style', the Campaign Group endorsed the policies which campaigns in the party demanded. began to function as a real part of an 'alliance for socialism' in the party. It was this which opened up the way to Campaign Forum and is why Labour Left Liaison sought a working relation with the Campaign Group. It meant the Campaign Group was now working as it had with the miners. holding its Chesterfield, withdrawal Liaison allowed ine Forum.
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with the key launching Campaign Forum. campaigns of women, the black communities, and those demanding British from Ireland. was massive political step forward which Campaign Following the meeting in Chesterrelease Left Liaison. Tony Benn's comment is carIne LLL's statement declares: 'A major new umbrella group was launched at a summit of the Labour left in Saturday September. The immediate priority of Campaign Forum. will be working for the election of a Labour the of a 'Campaign Forum is potentially the socialist umbrella group since 1981. For the first time in Labour partv's history it brings activists, Forum will provide a Tools organsa tion like the Labour Women's Action the Labour Party Black Section, the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, the Campaign Group of Labour MPs, and left wing groupings distinguishes Campaign Forum from previous initiatives like the Labour Coordinating Committee and the Rank and File Mobilising Committee is the central role played by campaigns for the rights of women "The decision to set up Campaign Forum arises from joint work between and the new umbrella organisation Among the issues championed by the LLL have been, opposition to the divisive and Black and Asian Advisory Committee. It has succeeded in winning near unanimous left suppor for the candidates for the women's section of the NEC that were adopted at this year's national Labour women's 'The new group will oppose all expulsions, call for support of the conthe Black Section, support British withdrawal from Ireland, demand the removal of all US bases from Britain, and defend reselectoin of MPs at the party conference in 'Campaign Forum will be launched publicly at major ralalies of the Campaign Group and Labour Left Liaison Following party conference Campaign Forum will be supporting the formation of local Campaign Groups and regional rallies and promoting the sales of its new newspaper Campaign Group News — which already outstrip those "The structure of Campaign Forum — An Alliance for Socialism, will prorepresentation of the three wings of the left in the party the Campaign Group in parliament, Labour Left Liaison, and leading trade unionist — and will also draw upon the experience of a number of prominent Pet Committee issued a of the statement: "This is the first campaign clearly identified with the left which has not added women's rights to a shopping list of demands but instead has made support for women's rights a corWadsworth, chair of the Back Section, said: •What is clear is that when Labour wins the next general election there will be at least six black members of parliament. It is a virtual certainty they will be closely associated with the Campaign Group of Labour MPs as a result of its decision to support Labour Party Black Sections. However it will have to be a Campaign Group that is relevant and black perspective in politics. This new initiative can ensure this happens through joint action based on support for the right of black people Labour Left Liaison and Campaign Group speakers will be sharing platforms at Labour Party conference in ONE OF the major parts of the newly launched Campaign Forum is Labour Left Liaison (LLL). This is the liaison body of the main camAnn Pettifor of the Labour Action (WAC). Its secretary is Vladimir Derer of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD). Other campaigns in the LLL include the Labour Party Black Section Labour CND.
Since its creation during the summer Labour Left Liaison has been receiving major press publicily. The New Statesman devoted our pages to its creation politics followed by an exchange between Vladimir Derer, Roy Hattersley and Michael Meacher. Neil Kinnock engaged in an attack on Labour Left Liaison in his speech criticising liaising, and Sorteming in Manchester on the left.
The public meeting held on 22 July in London by Group News, and supported by the LLL, attracted 700 people to hear speakers the Group, Women's Action Commit tee, Labour Party Black Section, and Campaign for Labour Party Democracy. It received widespread national coverage in the Guardian, Telegraph, Financial Times, Observer and other papers. than 800 people attended a similar meeting September. Labour Left Liaison will have a major impact at Labour conference as most important parts of Campaign Forum.
JOHN ROSS looks at the politics of the LLL and the reason for the political impact it is making. Committee ly, and increasingly strategic line for the Labour Party strategy for socialism in Britain.
As Neil Kinnock, porters, seeks to work with, that September paign Group Campaign the LLL plicitly being spelt out.
Campaign The first The "prototype, on an More huge social on • 11 NUM to the women's movement, and gay movement, one of the alliance of the miners reality represented the 'model' LLL, which make up its support movement -unions, Lucill that reinforces existence. What it has socialist strategy for socialism in Britain. socialism can be However it is equally dangerous, socialism in Britain.
tal lask lacing sociausts struggle of every type only just at its beginning THEPROCESS that led to the creation of Labour Left Liaison represented in reality a sea change in the entire orientation ot the Labour left. Labour lLeti Liaison is the first attempt to create what might be termed a strategic left within the Labour Party. The LLL did not aim to bring together 'all the left' on the existing basis. On the contrary it set out to change the basis on which the left was constituted. It is based implicitexplicitly, on a one that is not just looking to the next election, although it is totally commited to winniga, bullo remoulang me ch tire Labour Party and embarking on a and his supmanifestly lack any strategy for socialism, it is going to be the forces assembled in the LLL, Jogether with currents in the Parliamentary Labour Party and the trade unions the LLL will be the strategic driving force of the Labour Party. This is why the campaigns in the LLL have come together with the Camof MPs in Campaign Forum. It is therefore worth spelling out what that strategy is - both as it is implicitly inscribed in the demands of and as it is increasingly expoint about the LLL is that it is based on a class struggle left. It was the impact of the miners strike Fi enormous scale, of the alliances the LLL represents was the movement generated around the miners strike. The ties of the to the black community, to the lesbian unions are exactly the social alliances the LLL is about creating. It was the that in of the The LLL differs from the miners strike of course in that the campaigns CUTe wee organised first through the constituencies and then went into the unions for But that does not alter the political core of the matter. None of the key forces in the LLL are content to remain in the constituencies. All are out to link developments across the entire taking in the CLPs, the women's sections, black sections, the youth section and all othe parts of the party. What the LLL is in fact constructing, and by that helping define a political strategy, is a series of social alliances across the labour moveThe second feature of the LLL, one characte strategic left, is that it realises that while struggle, as with the miners, is an absolute precondition for success by itself it is not enough. The British working class has been struggling for its entire lacked is • and any political organisation to embody that strategy.
A first crucial point in the strategic vision of the LLL is that Labour has to create, to consciously build, a majority The idea that introduced minority of the population is absurd.
ultra left delusion, to believe that there already exists today a majority for Capitalism in Britain today is not held up by a 'small handful of traitors'. Creating that majority for socialism, a long hard fight, is the most fundamenThat fight for a working majority for socialism will take years of - and we are still The first element of this majority for socialism is Labour's traditional support — with, to be blunt, its tradiTTAK (Top) Ann Pettifor, mem Committee and chair off Armagh Priso Wadsworth, tional core in the white male mai working class.
But that core of Labour's tr tional support is still vital. The ide creating socialism based on 'an allia of the disposessed is pure nons The struggle for socialism cannot confined to white male sections of But definitely take them in.
Politics rests on power from w the working class, women, the bl communitv and others are exclu Any strategy which does not inc winning over the white male section
Socialist Action 26 Sep 1986