ACTiON SociAlist ON 11 SEPTEMBER Tony Benn spoke at a Campaign Group rally in Manchester. Also on the platform were Eric Maynard MP; Women's Action Committee; Graham Stringer, the leader of Manchester council; left's candidate in the last AEU presidential election; Mike Wongsam from the Labour Party Black Section. Tony Benn's speech set Labour Party conference by explaining how the fight for a Labour government is inseperably connected to the labour movement defending now those it represents.
POLITICS is only LIUL about winning the next It's about here and now. It's no good saying to people at the Wapp ing picket line that it will when Labour's Delei in power. It wasn't alright at Grunwick, and we were in power then. The Labour never Love call ported the Grunwick strikers and Mrs Desai in the way it should have done.
The first lesson we have to remember is that if we're really going to represent une ocoDic we welc established to represent, we've got to fight alongside them now. we ve co to be on the picket now. We've got to support the Silentnight workers now; be at Wapping now, Greenham Common at now; with GCHO workers now, with the South Africans in struggle now we forget the 'now' then people won't be so interested when we come along as candidates polling day. They'll say when we had a struggle?' That's the essy simple lesson ne very simple lesson:
rediscovery of solidarity.
The rediscovery cannot climb into power on the backs of people struggling now by telling them to stop in case they interfere with our election campaign. That's got to be said, and it's got to be made clear.
The second thing we've got to do - part of what might be called the 'analysis' of socialism — is to connect the issues. We can't fight the issues in penny packets. We can't say the pensioners fight is different from the women's struggle; or that the struggle South Africa has got nothing to do with Pettifor from the Labour John Tocher, the the scene for the miners.
That is elementary. I'll give you a simple example Why does Thatcher support becalist sends her uranium. Where does go? To our nuclear power stations.
when it goes to America blacks in South Africa and Aucticall the first generation to have Peterloo Here in the Manchester Free Trade Hall we are just stone's throw Peterloo,. where the hussars cut down the people who what? The vote. WC11 demanding Engels wrote about the conditions of the working class fight of our predecessors - men and women, black and white - is part of our history. If we live just on the basis of daily headlines, what the polls say loudy and what Vincent Hanna has to say about it on Newsnight the time-scale of the newspaper he alliests we deny that come from the past.
are always telling us that the miners failed. Well, a lot of failures our history have been the foundations of great vic tories. I think if Len Mur 1cly would had nave been told alive the he Tolpuddle martyrs to go to Australia back!
The reality is that out of struggle people learn. Education comes from experience.
We have to build on experience. It is no good say. ing to people what we want is power. If you are out of work, your dad's waiting for a hip operation, or you're badly hous ed, you're not really interested in just helping someone else into office We must also look to the future. History won't stop on the day that Neil Kinnock steps into Number Ten.
What do you think is going to happen when he sends a minister to explain in words of one syllable to president Keacar that his maşies mustato Reagan imagine would say: 'Oh, thanks. Neil, I'd rather forgotten that. When would you like me to do it?' Pressure all. Look what they did ir new zealano out Ot AN ZAS, and began to pile the economic pressure on.
If you don't tell people happen they do vote Labour, they the real struggle begins.
and bob musk after polling day Reagan unleashes the full weight of America to destabilise this country, people say: "You never told us this was going to happen. We thought it was going to be more music and balloons You never told us that this country would be under most powerful country in And what do you think about.
We have to look at today. We have to look. at our past. We have to look at other parallel struggles Unless those gaps we won't have a correct electoral appeal • 100 truly representative -wuncu.
struggle. Unless the labour ore nucople of this country the truth. We've got to build on what of socialists:
that can only come from the movement and the people as a whole.
CORMAC
As a member of the British Labour Party 1 prefer not t think about Ireland..
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Solidarity solidarity is essential. We
Chernobyl they would close the power? And who took the
paramandalor pere cariet. We have a huge