terence the disastrous the last three years of course have all come together. Many party members sat through Kinnock's sabotage of the miners strike, sabotage of the rate capping struggle, support tional weapons build up, and launching the witch hunt with one thought: 'This may not be socialism but at least it'll work. It'll get rid of Thatcher and elect a Labour government.' Well now the truth is coming in. Not merely isn't it socialism, but neither does it work.
The last month has told a horrific tale. The stage managed Labour Party. supposed to be a spring board for a Labour elec: tion victory.
Labour in the polls. Every single opinion poll since party conference has shown the Tories in the lead — lead over Labour. The dreadful prospect of a third Thatcher government is now very real.
The Knowsley North by-election was an even worse disaster.
George Howarth was supposed to be a clever move to ensure Labour's victory by the left wing candidate Les Huckfield. Instead it turned into an electoral catastrophe.
Labour's majority in Knowsley slipped from over 17,000 to under 7,000. Its vote fell by nine per cent on the already abysmal showing of the general election. On the swing against Labour in Knowsley North there would only be 29 MPs in the House of Commons at the general election!
Instead of the witch hunt in Knowsley aiding Labour it resulted in the worst Labour electoral setback in this parliament.
There is no mystery whatever about why these disasters have occurred. cumulative effect of three year's of Kinnock's line for the party.
The event in this parliament which did most damage to the Tory government was the miners strike. By September 1985, in the aftermath of the strike, Labour had a four per the Conservatives - and the Tories were level with the Alliance. Then wing speech to the 1985 party conference and within a month the Tories had closed down Labour's lead to one per cent. This year, following Kinnock's 'I would die speech, the Tories overtook Labour.
In fact Labour now looks like a right wing party with a bizarrely left wing position on nuclear weapons - a contradiction the Tories and SDP are going to utilise savagely in the election cam paign. But for the last three years Kinnock has let the Tories set the agenda. Now, naturally, it is the Tories who benefit.
It is going to be very, very difficult to turn the situation around in the Labour Party general election. working against Thatcher situation in the economy, simple disgust at the consequences of seven years of Tory rule it is now clear that if Labour wins a general election it won't be because of the present policies but despite them.
Two conclusions flow from this. First that the entire labour movement must unite to fight to get rid of Thatcher. Second that many of those in the party who have been prepared to go along with Kinnock's line should rethink. The left in the party wasn't fighting for sectarian the practical way to go forward to fight Thatcher.
Many people believed the course of defeating Thatcher lay in following Kinnock. By now they should know better. If the present course is continued it can end in disaster for the labour move ment.
consequences of Neil for a conventhe conference was Instead the Tories have swept past with an average of a three per cent Imposing Kinnock's candidate shutting out the They are the the came Kinnock's right for my country are reaping the political cil going to be one of the central issues on the next year's political agenda. The have already chosen it as one of their central battle grounds in the run-up to the general election. The Labour leadership is still committed to a 'defence policy' calling for unilateral nuclear disarmament but stressing a build-up of conventional forces and NATO membership against the 'Russian threat — a policy which is entirely incapable of meeting the Tory onslaught.
line, while the campaign's membership presses for mass action against nuclear TURNER reports Blackpool.
ACTION not words was the verdict of delegates to CND's annual conference last weekend. For the third year running they rebutted the continued attempts by leadership divert the campaign away from mass action against nuclear weapons. This was retected Loe eac for a campaign to get rid bases and the strength of support for an emergency resolution calling lor a nanonal Caster march. It was also reflected in the election of Helen John of Greenham as one of CND's four vice chairs for the coming year.
The bases posite, moved by the Greater London Association of Trades Councils and seconded by CND, called on CND 'to vigorously campaign fol removal OT bases' and for a higher profile withdrawal. The vote on this was significantly up in comparison to at previous conThis shows that after Libya raising the issues of US bases can be an effective 1 way out of the impasse on NATO campaigning that has existed in movement number of years. however. Ill creased majority, CND's leadership is likely to attempt to derail the decision of conference A clear example of this was encountered earlier LOTS year. national council met after the huge.
SUCCESSI Grosvenor Square against the United States bombing of Libya. Delegates heard one report after another of similar staged across tne country Councalled for DEBATES ON the role of women within the antiTories and the SDP CND's leadership reCAROL weapons. in launch a national petition demanding the removal of US bases. When emerged, many weeks later, that had been 'translated' into a demand for the removal of only nuclear bases. CABERS QUITY* UCLEAR SARNAMENT VOT ALL DE BLAN
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Meanwhile, mains committed in practice to backing Kinnock's