tion clearly Labour's unilateral nuclear would ever have made it to the rostrum.
FIVE composites comprised the Thursday afternoon 'defence Labour Party in Brighton. Two of them, Composites 30 and 34, formally reaffirmed existing policy - but their content Sost duurs different.
In the unambiguous words of Composite (C)34: reaffirms its commitment non-nuclear detente nuclear disarmament poncie including the removal from British soil and waters of all nuclea weapons and nuclear bases within the lifetime of the next Labour government.' According to C30, the statement that 'conference TenTATOS CHELICT non-nuclear defence policy rellall unspecified. Only Polaris is mentioned by name the government i ondemned for upgradin it to the detriment of conventin a capability.
both the strategy and timetable of non-nuclear defence policy is clear. All nuclear weapons nuclear bases will go, and they will go in the lifetime of single parliament • This is exactly the area that C30 leaves unclear, for an NEC This unclarity is no accident. Of the 47 resolutions and amendments on the final agenda, 24 reatfirmed Nonetheless, office lig directorate of Walworth Road produces ex duded composite wrase excluded phrase 'unilateral nuclear disarmament. Unclear The nearest the draft came was:
urges the party to continue to oppose the possession by this country of nuclear weapons and lne stallon ing of such weapons within this countrv..
Only Polaris and Trident specifically referred to the Walworth Road draft the event this draft bit the dust was superceded by C30 sup ported by TASS Chelsea CLP Unfortunately more concerned with welcoming Ine arms talks inal defending nuclear disarRESOLUTIONS FOR the 'defence' section of the 1987 Labour Party annual conference were the subject of intense behind-the-scenes lobbying before the debate ever reached the floor. If Walworth Road's policy directorate could have had its way, no resolureaffirming unambiguously disarmament policy ed a sentence that proved chubal assica ITASS. The composite reaffirmed Labour's com mitment to membership despite TASS's policy to the con trary. Throughout the TASS weTt lobbying to have C30 • wil nola Wit This probably the mair ¡casul for remarkable decision by the arrangements committee (CAC) on the day before the defence debate. The CAC decided that time permitted only three of the five defence composites to be debatec and that conterence C30, with the least suppor ting organisations, would be one of the two resolu tions dropped.
No sooner decision been taken WILD let support o CAC chair Derek Gladwin than the party leadership set up its own lobby te get C30 reinstated on the agenda. for reason the loca government Thursday morning foreshortened and all fis defence composites debated by delegates .... Mood On a show of nart conference overwhelmir carned boin (si C34. There was i doubt ine delegates nuclear disarmar:
delegate: did: hild dilu leadersho