day sessioenced in ofe of is My Miless The announced in one of its key articles: Alliance is seen as untouchable by many on the left. Martin Kettle suggests that, on the contrary, it must be seen as part of the left.
The Guardian, for WoOm •Kettle is a leader writer, has been pursuing a it declared in its editorial of 19 May that in the manitesto they nave put forward for the 1987 election the Alliance: 'ful. ly justify the ... too glibly dismissed the lett. to be lust what 1l says a real party OI radical reform it is absurd to claim that Labour now has any monopoly of radical reforming policies. ... the Alliance can fairly claim to be a party of the reforming centre-left.' line is pushed rightly forced to resign as editor of New Socialist for promoting tactical voting, ana by Frank Field - WIlU has also called for tactical What astonishing about such views is that they almost never discuss the Alliance's actual — or if they do it is Doncies with extreme selectivity. The Kettle piece in MarxIsm Today, for example, did single policy statement of the However, anyone who judge the Alliance now has formed. The publication of the Alliance's 1987 election manifesto gives ample opportunity study its policies in detail The first striking, and highly Dutciscu feature of the manifesto is biguous backing given by the Alliance to privatisation. It states: 'We opposed the das and or of British British Telecom although would not reverse it .. We supported the privatisation of Rolls Royce... We welcome the fact, British Steel is now operating profitably. We believe it should be retainsingle entity withstand competition and should be considered for privatisation.
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The manifesto goes Tony Blair, Labour front bench spokesperson pointed out that the Alliance's that £15 billion would be made in the next five years through the sale ot state assets in answer to questions from the Independent last Monday, the Alliance admitted that this £15 billion would incouncil house sales the sale of Kolls Royce from the sale of shares in British Petroleum, and as much as ty billion irom the "remaining. stages' of privatising British Gas and British Telecom When asked whether this meant the Alliance would sell the remaining per cent government SLAKe British Telecom it replied: 'That is one option' The Alliance also made relear existing proa gramme ot privatisation IN THE last months extraordinary attempts have been made to portray the SDP-Liberal Alliance as a would be carried through.
in the public Cobaner sector, and those 'in comDeluve environments could become future candidates tor riyalisativil Ian Wrigglesworth, Cululles spokesperson, COCALCU the position on privatising British Steel ULl television's This Week Next Week: British Steel should somelling look at for privatisation because it is a lighly competitive sphere, and could operate very effectively. • I see no reason in the private SCULUI why it shouldn't go into the private sector.
The second key feature of the Alliance manifesto is its position on the trade This is presented The manifesto states that coyly but precisely. the Alliance have: taken the lead in promoting the extension of postal ballots and internal elections and nave vigorously opposed closed shops Ne will also encourage the establishment of freely negotiated strike-free agreements especially the provision of essentia public services.
its conclusion the manifesto rather crypticalthe Tories, for having:
Tories, for having: voled .. against some of the measures to put trades unions fully under the control of their members.
What this means practice is simple. The Alliance have voted for every single piece of anti-trade union legislation put lorwalu Dy •the Thatcher government. Indeed they lave attacked the Tories for not being sufficiently anti-union.
The first 'Green Paper' produced by the SDP on unions, 1982, pecifically criticised the so the political levy. The the political levy. The SDP demanded the reintroduction of the 'contracting in' system first imposed by the notosious 1927 Trades Disputes Act and repealed by the 1945 Labour government.
During maners Owen consistently attacked hatcher for be'too soft' towards the NUM and the unions. On 8 July 1984, several months before Thatcher resorted to the courts, he declared for example: •Why should NUM funds which, if civil law had been under severe threat be left untouched!
The Alliance manifesto makes it clear that every piece of anti-trade union egislation passed by the GovernaCe would remain on the DOOKS InC these previous statements, further laws will be introduced.
If we from the core. of the manifesto, which