situation in the Labour Party came last week.
ingstone, in his column in Tribune, on the Labour Coordinating work with Labour Left Liaison — the left umbrella organisation including the Campaign for Labour Democracy, the Labour Committee, the Labour Party Black Section and other Labour Party campaigns.
Vladimir Derer, Secretary of Labour Left Liaison (LLL), has replied to the Livingstone column, in a letter sent to Tribune, pointing out that the conditions do not exist today for the unification of the hard' and 'soft' left — a proposal made by Livingstone — but welcoming joint work. JOHN ROSS looks at the issues involved.
IN A letter to be published in Tribune this week the secretary of Labour Left Liaison (LEL) replies to the column by Ken Livwhich we print on this The first was a public attack by Ken LivCommittee (LCC) for refusing to discovered 'undemocratic practices'. What about Roy Hattersley? Wasn't he guilty of the most incredible undemocratic practices in Sparkbrook? Are the LCC uw vallalslll for his expulsion? And if not why not? 1 TETS recent annual abeliğ; wil Lewor Co-ordinating Committe decided by 68 votes to 48 not to work witn cae newiy lorne a bour ren biason. As witn an' denision whieh is more intuence by sectarianism than policies, it was a wrong decision Fortunately the closeness of the vote means that it is likely to be with the National Union become academic as the Lett in its broadest sense is brought together at all levels within the party in order to support the demands of women and black sections as well as to defend the ains made by the Left over the ome with the decision of the Right-wing caucus on the National Executive Committ walen nas auready deciaet ignore cne decision or cn' party conterence nm • Reproduced Tribune, November 1986, vol 50, number 48.
the Labour Coordinating Committee decided by 68 votes to 48 not to work with the newly formed Labour Left Liaison. As with any decision which is more influenced by secthe guise of widening the selectorate, make it even more difficult for parties to remove reacThere is also the very real danger that the Tories improved position in the opinion polls will be used to try June Hulaleird disarmament.
The LCC's decision is particularly sad given the more positive signs coming from the Campaign Group of MPs with its decidemands of the Commitee Black Sections. The decision to make the Campaign Group open to any MP who wished to join by dropping "invitation only' wicu Calbee suchecIment when it was used to exclude some comrades in •Cucuoc oJ o CIolu but most important has been the decisior of the Campaign Group MPs on Sawyer and Eddie Haigh the NEC Tom against the right for chairs of the vital home policy finance subcommittees of the NEC.
Among left wing parlamentary candidates there is strong pressure to end the divisions on the leti within the PLP so that we can maximise support foI the next Labour government to stand tirm againsi the pressures which will undoubtedly come Washington, the Common Market, the International With a general election likely in the next 10 months, vanol groupings which comprise the Labour SCIE need to stana back from the sectarianism and splits oi the last two years consider who benefits from these decisions. It is certainly not the Tribune Group of MPs or the LCC.
Tribune Group to agree an open ballot for the shadow breakdown of the previous year's joint slate. This caused the defeat of two left decline in the votes of the other lett candidates But an analysis of the VOLC CONN SnOWs why the Tribune Group did NUL Walll all UCI More than 20 of them did not vote for Jo Richardson even though she was on the Tribune siate.
Given all the struggles in the party to win support for a ministry for women wito lur cabinet sialus dile Jo's lifelong work for the Tribune Group, we can only assume that a substantial minority of Tribune Group Ivir s are memoers ol lna organisation order cementas WILI their local activists while soDe uc cocacucs ll the back in the privacy of the voting booth.
Monetary Fund and the civil service as those groups seek block socialist polcies.
If the split between the Tribune Campalgr Groups continues, the next PLP will see the broad left majority that will . exist a the beginning of the next parlament walec from the soggy end of the CB DUHe Group centre-right absorbs enough to oke COnITO again.
The problem with the LCC decision is that continuing divisions on the let outside parlament will lead All Ulll divisions within the PLP left. Unfortunately many comrades are still allowing their bitter experiences with Mililant and its undemocratic tactics in the Labour Party Young Socialists, the National Organisation of Labour Students some local councils to affect their attitude to Labour Lett Liaison. Indeed, many of those left wingers who have become active in the party only since 1979 have spent much of their time in alliances fighting Militant and have no experience of LalC broad leti Coalliol. which were mobilised to fight the dire policies of the governments.
Militant is no longer an issue which should divide the lett. The accumulation of their "tactical' errors the redundancy notices, the refusal to appear before conterence, , ana now inel decision to take the chair of the discredited Black and Asian Advisory Committee (correctly described Dennis Skinner as 'scabbing') will leave them HOTE so alec discredited than any polic UI CADubUo COul Those of us who learned the value of lett unity ir the struggles against the Wilson/Callaghan govern. ments need to remind those in the party who have ant doubts thạt the enemy of radical socialism in Britain is capital and its political wing, the Tory Party, rather than parts of the lett with whom we might have tacuca banceHcıl The only way to build Labour support is constant campaigning for radical DOnCiC and Labour Left Liaison has a major role to play in that struggle precisely because it is based on those groups in society who have been the subject of Margaret Thatcher's most ferocious attacks.
common work on agreed YUaN. The campaign for Khan and Scally provides a model. Untortunate joint work was rejected by the LCC - which, as Ken Livingstone said, is purely sectarian. Regardless of this decision the Lilk welcomes work with individuals or groups who wish to pursue coals such as defending reselection opposine expulsions, securing the demands of LeID Black Section and other campaigns, we hope this will develop.
Vladimir Derer, Secretary, Labour Left Lizison