IT DOES not need Socialist Action to tell anyone that Neil Kinnock, and the right wing policies he fought for, won a decisive victory at Labour Party conference.
Whatever issues, and on some there was grave disquiet, the trade union delegations cast their block votes solidly and continuously to back Kinnock. Those union block votes are going to remain solidly locked in behind Kinnock until at least the general election.
But beneath the victory of the right some very significant developments were taking place on the left -defeat of Heffer in the NEC elections. fact was happening was that for the first time for many years the left was beginning to thrash out a common agenda.
Taking first the votes on policies these show three clear levels of support for the left with almost no overlap between the three categories (on two issues, lesbian but this was with the support of the platform so it does not really measure the left's strength.)
The first issues are those on which as yet the left has a majority or is very close to a majority. These are defence million votes; a ministry for women with cabinet status with 3.3 million votes; and the reinstate ment of Khan and Scally with 2.7 million votes.
The second category are a series of issues which all received slightly over one million votes - and which may therefore be taken as firmly established on the agenda of the left and of the party. These are the demand for women's conference to elect the women's places on the NEC — with 1.2 million votes; support for Black Section - with 1.2 million votes; the demand for the removal of all US bases — with 1.1 million votes; and the demand for NATO - with 1 million votes.
The third category from 400,000-600,000 votes, are those the left is fighting to get put firmly on the agenda of discussion in the withdrawal from Ireland with 402,000 votes; rejection of the frame up offence of conduct pre judicial to the party' dissolving the Black mittee with 620,000 Labour's trade union about the same if TASS had not remitted its motion. In addition the issues of South Africa and Central America are not enough as part of the agenda of the left - and Kinnock is making the running.
The left must respond to many struggles as they come up, like Wapping, policy issues at present confronted, the tactics which flow from the situation are clear:
• The left must consolidate the issues where it has, or is close, to a majority. This means as an immediate Khan and Scally.
• The left must begin to push upwards towards majority status the issues which it has firmly established on the agenda - securing the right of women's conference to elect the women's NEC places, securing issues of us bases a d withdrawal from NAthe demands Sections, • The third task is to secure firmly on the agen da of the party the issues which as yet are still fighting to be item for the left. The most urgent and important of these is clearly British reland -one million range. Fighting to get opposition to the trade union proposals back on the agenda is another task here.
The tactics for securing these goals are also clear. The 'Campaign solidate, clarify and organise its forces through Labour Left Liaison and Campaign Forum. These forces have to take the united front initiatives that will take up definite struggles as they arise and both push forward the key issues on the left's agenda.
Despite a week which saw Labour's policies at rock bottom there is no need for depression.
What was vital at this conference was a real political and organisational consolidation of the is what is vital for the future.
The next issue of Socialist Action will be dated they thought on the individual and help explain the signiticant What in gay rights the left won massive majorities reselection, with 3.5 British withdrawal from which range in support These British with 436,000 votes; and Asian Advisory Comvotes. Opposition proposals would have got consolidated but as regards goal securing the reinstatement of the constitutional fighting established as an indispensible withdrawal - to move support for this to up over the Group left That was what was began to be achieved. It TWO OF the most striking political developments going into Labour party conference were the increasing link up between the campaigns for the demands of women and black people in the party with the hard left', and the eruption of a major crisis in the Labour Coordinating Committee/ Tribune current — a crisis signalled by the publication of an article by Tribune editor Nigel Williamson Whatever happened to realignment' on the eve of party conference. A look at the constituency voting in the NEC elections Swine ni They show CUrE clusively that it is the hard left which is the bastion of right wing 75 per cent of CLPs did not vote for a single woman candidate. And 33 per cent of constituencies voting for the LCC did not vote for a single woman.
On black candidates the situation is not acceptable for anyone. Only 18 per cent of hard left constituencies voted for a black candidate. However that enormously exceeds the 2 per cent of right wing, and 2 per cent of LCC, consti tuencies that voted for a black candidate. Once again the LCC may put Russell Profitt on their slate but they just don't deliver any votes for him right delivered 2 constituencies for Profitt, the LCC 2, and the hard left 43. These figures speak for themselves.
Core The situation on the hard/Campaign left is very far from being acceptable as regards women black candidates. It is not good enough to have only of hard lett constituencies voting for a black candidate — nor only 53 per cent voting for two women candidates.
This has to change. But there is not the slightest doubt that it is the hard left which is the core of black candidates These figures, together with the votes on Sections and the demands of the Action Committee (WAC), help explain why the Black Sec tion and WAC have col laborated will the 'hard/Campaign left.
candidates Voting for a black candidate Voting for 2 women candidates Voting for no women candidates The three main currents in the party The white male right Total Voting for a black candidate Voting for 2 women candidates Voting for no women candidates The tokenistic ICC Total Voting for a black candidate Voting for 2 women candidates Voting for no women candidates The hard left Total Voting for a black candidate Voting for 2 women candidates Voting for no women candidates Criteria for groupings vote for the right. runners. However three of these voted also for Benn, 2. The voted for Benn, Heffer, and Skinner 3. The hardest current to identify is the LCC.
voting for Cook, Skinner, ie basically hard left constituencies.
clusively any - both pursue rents their people, re mains the neve of tokenism not WAC and the Section find working more fluence, equilale as regards its links the Because, far the weakest the situation.
the right wing against the Campaign ais with thp. The the Campaign group against the right wing.
SEll this has tremendous implications. An will How the three currents voted for women and black Right CLPs is relatively easy to distinguish. 137 CLPs voted for McCluskie for Treasurer, and 138 for Dunwoody for the women's section 158 CLPs voted for both Ashley and Kaufman the 155 above. The right's vote is relatively sharply defined at 137-155 hard left/Campaign Group is also clearly defined. 229 CLPs however voted also for Ashley and Kaufman and have therefore been subtracted. There are however 27 CLPs which also voted the straight Campaign Group state but substitute Blunkett for Heffer. Campaign Group/hard left support is therefore also relatively clear!
Only 53 constituencies might be defined as voting a relatively straight LCC position Blunkett and Meacher and not more than one of Benn, Heffer, and Skinner. Cook, who is the most distinctively LCC candidate Shese however, 13,000 came from constituencies voting for both Ashley and Kaufman, i right wing constituencies, and 227,000 from constituencies voting for Benn, Heffer and line of the LCC and 107,000 as its top limits. We would guess its real strength is 80-90,000 • wing against the Cam paign group in not only a simple political choice but an alliance with the most racist and sexist forces in the party against women and black people. Only an with the Campaign group represents not only a political choice but an with and black people. Such an alliance however means a break with the orientation the LCC has pursued in the last period.
But the choice the LCC faces absolutely evitable. Either it must ally with the right or with the Campaign left. There are no other options. Clause 4 Some forces within the LCC, such as the witch hunting Clause 4 group are irrevocable committed to with the right against the Campaign Group. But others, such as Ken Livingstone have made their reputa tions on the basis of linking with the fight of women, black people, the fight of the Irish people for their independence and so on The forces within the LCC will not be able to avoid the basic choice of allying with the right or the Campaign left. Women and black people in particular have big stakes in the outcome of that internal fight in the LCC over alliances.
% of CLPs voting for each current voting for black and women candidates Hard ICC Left Votes % 156,000 2,000 113,000 101,000 ' NEM 2,000 26.000 37,000 241,000 44,000 00m 125,000 25,000 This may be taken as the base the rena learns Heffer and Skinner. This arrives at with 244,000 votes - the distinctive candidates of the hard left. Three with 57,000 votes - which may be defined as Lived 207,000 votes. Of 57,000 may therefore be taken as the bas
THE LABOUR Party conference was successfully Socialist Action. 10 Oct 1986
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SociAlist AcTioN The left after