Campaign Student THE FIRST issue of a new student bulletin, Campaign Student, has been published. It contains contributions from activists in the Labour Committee on Ireland, the Labour Party Black Sections, the Labour Women's Action Committee, CLPD, Labour CND, the Labour Campaign Rights, as well as from student activists in the Anti-Apartheid Movement. We reprint below Campaign Student's editorial statement: for Lesbian and Gay ON 3 NOVEMBER Birmingham city concil's ruling Labour group removed Murhpy from the position of vice chair of Birmingham's Race Relations and Equal Opportunities Committee. The decision, taken by 44 votes to 19, also removed Cilr Murphy from the committee itself. Phil Murhpy has been an outspoken opponent of racism wherever it has occurred including on Birmingham council. He had been threatened wii? group discipline several times before and just one month earlier was assaulted by a white member Labour group.
Speaking to the rightwing Birmingham Evening Mail Labour leader, Dick Knowlesexplainedthe deciDCCH Lakel because Clir Murphy 'doesn't Concell himself with anything other than the fact that he considers The oack connau moIc important than anything else. Knowles went on to say 'He doesn't appreciate that the problems of the white unemployed equally bad as the problems of the black unemoloved and that it is deprivation in our inner cities that is the fault. Understandably Licoe two glowing remarks editorials produced the Evening, Mail praising Cllr NEUWIC. 'brand of socialism' and his 'earthly common sense'.
The Mail argued in an editorial on 4 November 'those who mould opinion about relationships within the community must look first to those areas in which everyone is united, not seek divisions condemning as racist disadwhich all sections of society share. In vallanes other words according to the Mail Phil Murhpy got his just deserts for talking about specific discrimination Bat are prober like But are problems unemolovment shared black and white alike? Certainly in Birmingham the facts say no. As the report A Different Reality, drawn up INlen •the Handswortt revolt in 1985 explains black people suffer from discrimination in jobs, housing, and education as well many other areas of life. It is this discrimination based on race that distinguishes the situation facing black people from that facing black councillor Phil of the many poor whites.
As the report noted, research carried out by the Policy Studies Institute showed that the levels of discrimination in the 10b market in Birmingham were cities like WUISC tlall London and 'In Birmingham, black and Asa oo aooucals Welc over seven times more likely to be discriminated against than a white job applicant? It was these findings that Te0 Birmingham dubbed 'the capital of racial This general conclusion of the report is also borne out by the workforce of the city's principal employer, The conne se No conBuchensive statar sestvoluntary selfclassification survey carried out in August answered by 61 per cent of workers revealed tha mere 4.9 per cent were Afro-Caribbean and a further one per cent Asian or Afro-Asian. This in a city where the black populati one estimated at obvious explanation for discrenanci discriminatory emplyment HOLLO Ua Duol Tory and Labour administrations.
Since its return to power in 1984 the Labour group nas conne ue uc casile pressure to seriously tackle this and other issues of concern to the black community. But the Labour group has done little or nothing to meet their demands.
In employment they have now agreed to monitor annew ICCU LO CuSuIC that 20 per cent are black, but they continue to fill new posts by simply upgrading existing employees. It is this grounds of "racism' the poison that is concealed in the red rose.' Cunningham totally capitulated capitulating discriminatory practice that Phil Murphy was at the forefront in challenging at the time of the dismissal.
On the Race Relations and Equal Opportunities Committee have sought out compliant black politicians prepared to help that in 1985/86 it underspent its budget by per cent. According to the city's own accounts this was largely 'a result of the lower level of expenditure than ex pected on information and training, publicity and pro motional activity.
Despite repeated decisions by the district party to increase budget status of the Race Relations Committee unit these changes have been DOCKCO This even involved group officers writing these commitments out of this venr e mantesle overuuc heads of the district party TORY PARTY leaders stepped up their racist campaign against Labour-controlled councils this week, beginning with & statement in parliament from environment spokesperson Nicholas Ridley. Likening councils such as Brent, Haringey and Lambeth to Poland or Hast Germany, he said 'ratepayers" were living in fear of the 'knock at the door in ihe middle of the night'. Ridley went on: "They are afraid that chance remarks might lose them their jobs and their livelihood on the .' The same nighi, Tory Party chairperson Norman Tebbit, speakine on the same theme at a public meeting in Ilford, claimed that: 'People like Bernie Girant and Diane Abbolt are..
Replying to Ridley, Labour's shadow spokesperson John 'only to one-lenth of one per cent' of Labour councillors! In fact it is the example of left councils like Haringey, Lambeth and Brent which shows how Labour can build the alliances it needs to defeat the Tories. U'nlike the Labour front bench these councils have responded to racism, anti-ga! hysteria and attacks on jobs and services — by fighting back instead of That is why those councils, like the miners are the target of Thatcher. Their record, including at the polls, speaks for itself. They have built support for Labour by fighting racism, sexism and prejudice. Kinnock is leading the party to disaster by conceding the Tories case.
officers. The response of black party activists has occitaniu The Birming ham Black Section held a lobby of the Labour group on 3 November and has established a campaign to win Phil Murhpy's tatement. It is organising a petition and a further lobby on Monday 1 December in support of this demand. As samennen explains 'What is 3 at stake Las the refusal the group and therefore the city council, to take a lead in the fight against racism.' The District Labour also passed an emergency resolution on 12 November condemining the Labour group decision an lemanding Phil Murphy' immediate and uncondireinstatement.
Behind all this, however, there Is also growing recognition that the Labour March. Ridley's accusations, he said, applied group's reluctance to tackle racism head on is based on an unspoken fear that to do would damage electorally.
In the midst of right wing attacks on authorities like Brent and Haringey which have adopted antiracist measures the response of Dick Knowles is to deny the problem exists. But as the Black Section statement says racism not go away. As the date of genera draws nearer the Tories will exploit it to the full. It may not be as blatant as Peter Griffiths in Smethwick in 1964 when stickers appeared all over the constituency saying 'If neighbour vote Labour want nigger but the message willoc same. . Removing councillors like Phil Murhpy merely ac comodates to that view. He must be reinstated now.
Human Rights in February