class character of the Khomeini to US British • 98 CamGould making all the running for Labour to promote itself as the party of share ownership. The week ended on a considerably more optimistic note with the constituencies rejecting the right wing in the NEC elecThe week started to pick up on Sundav at the Camfor Labour ¿Party (CLPD)
Labour Left Liaison (LLL) fringe meetings. More than people attended CLPD meeting which brieted delegate. week's agenda. Six hundred attended the LLL fringe meeting in the evening to hear Diane Abbott, Audrey Wise, Eric Jo Richardson, Tony Benn, Dennis Skinner, Ken Livinestone ana olner NEC candidates speak. compares to 150 at the LLL meeling last yeal.
Later in the week 400 people attended a meeting on the left unity statement signed by members of the LCC and LLL.
In between times 280 people attended the Labour Coordinating Committee (LCC) fringe meeting with Bryan alle ouie speakers - and heard Diane Abbott and Robin Cook at tack Bryan Gould over his advocacy of share ownership as a socialist policy.
The first day also saw wide La Tons Benne Ken - a reply oy lony Dell, Livingstone, Alan Meale, and Ann Pettifor to the Moving Ahead document put forward by the party leadership as the basis for Labour's policy in the next four years. After one day of massively defend accountability. But the leadership's position was carried on the basis of the bloc vote - a pantern ual was lo De repeated all week. The electoral college system for the MPs was introduced by 4.5 million to 1.6 million votes. Pure One Member One Vote, which would have destroyed the union link, was defeated by 4.4 million to 1.8 million. Vote But the really electrifying vote, the turning point in the mood of the week, came with the NEC results Monday's session. The 'intended outcome in this nac already been widely leaked to the press as 'fact' by Kin nock's office. Bryan Gould was to come second in the constituency section poll, behind David Blunkett, and Ken Livingstone, - against whom a vicious campaigr had been waged ress, was to be defeated political comment on the Labour Party appears to be a daily bulletin for the right wing of the LCC, had already confidently predicted Gould would come second, and the New Statesman had predicted Livingstone's defeat. ine press, having been briefed on the outcome was already preparing to leave vote falling by 227,000 votes.
The CLPs had resisted the right wing drive to a surprisingly high degree. David hillnken was Cane only member of the "soft left' to come high up the list of those elected Bryan Gould's popularity, atter iganti media hype, aling bv the hour and the vote had been taken at the ena ol the week he would have been very lucky to have got elected to the decisive goal of the left to overcome during this year, was the continuing revelation. of deep sexism in the Audrey Wise wally. • below Gould and Meacher with her support in the partv should be in the top three sixth.
Left It was the left wing constituencies that three women candidates the straight seven Campaigl Grout candidates. Only didates - despite the that formally the LCC en dorsed Diane Abbott, Richardson, Wise.
formalv endorses candidates then practice delivers no say, was maker Margaret Beckett and Joan Maynard.
The great political explosion of the week came in the dominated by Livingstone's •remarks at the inoune rally the night before that any attempt unilateralism would lead to 'civil war' in the party. • This drove the right into a frenzy precisely because they knew It Was une hoping the left would lie down and accept unilatera. nuclear disarmament being overturned. Livingstone's speech gave due notice that wasn't going to happen.
The leadership ting the renationalisation of privatised industries shock and a quick demand although only after for a card vote. Strong support was also registered for moves outlawing job discrimination against Catholics in the North of although the resolution tell due to position by the TGWÜ The NEC was defeated over the issue of a national minimum wage with Michael Meacher being jeered for replying for the platform VOUS Votes for the NEC Constituency Section Last vcal Blunkett* 499,000 Benn* 490,000 Skinner* 430,000 Livingstone* Gould* Richardson* 364,000 Meacher* 482,000 Wise 279,000 Abbott 251,000 Dalyell 376,000 Women's Section 1,270,000 Lestor Jeuda* 3,801,000 Dunwoody* 3,820,000 Renee Short* 4,376,000 2,887,000 Anne Davis* Beckett 3,101,000 Clywd 609,000 Clare Short 2,180,000 Maynard 3,374,000 Bellos *elected demands for £120 a week.
Serious setbacks were the loss of support for Black Sections in the NUM delegation against the views Heathtie d and Scargill, and a narrow loss of support tol Black • Sec. tions in the NUR delegation. hese votes contirmed the shift to the right in the Another was Hattersley tion with Liberals, even the the session.
Overall the left gressed weve of . The big the ycal This year Change 466,000 -33,000 439,000 - 51,000 394,000 - 36,000 385,000 344,000 326,000 -38,000 321,000 - 161,000 238,000 -41,000 234,000 187,000 - 64,000 149,000 - 227,000 5,439,000 +4,169,000 +1,344,000 3,997,000 + 177,000 3,339,000 - 1,937,000 3,339,000 +387,000 3,064,000 - 37,000 2,677,000 +2,068,000 2,154,000 26,000 1,302,000 - 2,072,000 449,000
----- pull-quotes -----
LABOUR PARTY conference week in Brighton started on a gloomy note with Kinnock already having the votes to overturn accountability of MPs and Bryan