THE decision by the April meeting of Labour's NEC to sack Sharon Atkin as parliamentary candidate for Nottingham East was a decisive escalation of a campaign directed primarily at the Black Section in the Labour Party.
The campaign, which has so far culminated in Sharon Atkin, did not begin after the now-notorious Birmingham meeting. Nor was it sparked off by the particular remarks that Sharon Atkin is alleged to nave made at wat meelng. tue party leadership's attack began in March, following the AGM in Nottingham of the Black Section. A resolution was moved at the March NEC during the report from the finance and general purposes committee, which threatened disciplinary action against the entire Labour Party Black Section.
It was alleged that black Labour candidates intended to run on their own manifestos outside the decisions and accountability of the party. But this was spurious. All the Black PPCs proposed To sane i e mass due manesius drawn up by their CLPs, as do all other Labour candidates.
The March NEC sounded a warning blast against Black Sections as a whole, not at some unfounded fear of black candidates having separate manifestos.
The March NEC was followed by the letter from Hattersley and other Birmincham Mi's attempting to tell Black Section members not to come to Birmingham to speak meeting. Birmingham has been the cockpit of the latest attempts by the right to prevent Black Sections getting more organised.
CIr Phil Murphy, suspended from Birmingham Labour Group, and also facing an NCC hearing to expel him from the party had already come under attack from the right when he was sacked as vice chair of the equal opportunities committee for being 'too concerned' with the problems of the black The NEC's decision in relation to Sharon Atkin was especially personally vicious, as she was both ill herself, and nursing a very sick husband at the time of the hearing. The decision to replace her as PPC, and refer her expulsion from party membership to the NCC, was taken not simply in her own absence, but in the absence of her lawyer, Keva Coombes. At the time of the vote he had left the meeting to get further clarification from his client, at the NEC's request. The decision to deselect Sharon Atkin was taken by 19 votes to 6. Only Tony Benn, Linda Douglas, Joan Maynard, Jo Richardson, Dennis Skinner and Audrey Wise voted against.
The fact that the action against Sharon Atkin had nothing to do with her alleged remarks in Birmingham is demonstrated by the totally dissimilar treatment of Frank Field. Reference to his comments supporting an Alliance vote in some constituencies was met by the moving of next business! It was only the same six who voted against this.
The Labour right is utterly opposed to the Black Section because it breaks up the clientism and paternalism which many prominent, white, male MPs depend on to keep their safe seats. The truth is that, especially in the West Midlands, the safest Labour seats are precisely those with the largest black communities - • wiien overwnemingly vote Labour. For Roy Hattersley this has been the making of his career: my Asians' don't want black sections, he has explained.
It is because the Labour Party Black Section is a total threat to this that the NEC is now set upon the course of trying to break it up. There should be no illusions that the attack is aimed at breaking the Black Sections.
Firstly by undermining its unity through a combination of threats and crumbs offered those most vulnerable to pressure. Secondly by an escalating political and organisational attack on its leadership.
Thirdly we will doubtless see increasing attempts to establish an alternative to Black Sections within the party. The first attempt with the discredited Black and Asian Advisory Committee has failed, now attention has turned to building up one or two carefully selected Black PPCs, who will be groomed as the party's 'acceptable' black face.
The attack on Sharon Atkin, Phil Murphy and the Labour Party Black Section is a straightforward attempt to break up the development of black self-organisation in the party. This must be resisted.
Socialist Action 8 May 1987