CLAUSE FOUR is a grouping of Labour Party NUS and in left wing Labour bodies like CLPD. In a recent discussion Four argue that they should back Hattersley rather than Michael Meacher for the Deputy Leadership of the Labour Party.
of Labour Solidarity, quite openly a candidate of the right wing. In response to a recent letter from a constituency arty, he savagely attacked party policy on nuclear disarrament, the EEC and incomes policy. ateresting insight into the way the 'right of the left' is dereloping. Here we publish selected extracts of the Clause Four discussion article. 'MICHAEL MEACHER is the "left" candidate for Deputy. His campaign focuses opposition against the right and makes an emotional appeal to the Labour Left which is significantly not being made by Neil Kinnock. In this way, the knee-jerk left-right strife that brought the party such bad publicity (even among its supporters) is maintained.
•FOI many on the romantic/adventurist left, Hattersley-Meacher presents an opportunity to rerun healey-benn.
ssons appear to have * this time of crisis 'At this for the party we should be cmphasising our common purpose, rather than ighlighting points of difference. ing the as being made up of incompatible demenis is to welcome a further and more extensive spiTt. Lie oblivion for socialist and working class politie do noi "bump"
•He do not propright ving the "righi wing The not (pare or sullied) socialist embers who have made their presence felt in the article 26 supporters of Clause By any stretch of the imagination this is an extraordinary stance for socialists to take. Hattersley is, as a chair Nonetheless the Clause Four supporters' position is an party, but an alliance of various forces within the left and the labour movement. This must be recognised times organisationally. fact, NO L OVCenamoured of the division different within the Labour Party into a crude "left-right dichotomy. There overlaps contradictions that make such rigidity of analysis naive and sectarian.. "However. the real significance of the Meacher campaign is not what Meacher himself tivists the wider public. Indeed the evidence so far suggests that what Meacher himself says will be almost totally ignored by his supporters.
'In the Guardian article (by Meacher — eds) he talks about the need to put the "talk of politics of betrayal" behind us. The most enthusiastic Meacher groupies. Tribune, greeted. the election defeat with a centre page story.
Guilty Men" while the paper's columns have carried letters demanding the inclusion of Michael Foot among the alleged guilty ones and calling for an NEC inquiry into "sabotage' of the election campaign by the right. "Sadly, these do not appear to be isolated views and are promulgated by precisely those people th campaign will mobilise. It is surely the iob of an organisation like Clause Four to recognise this these allu nonsensical views.
'If we take Roy Hatthat his we must be clear that politics not wholly with careerism or attacking party Dolicy. rar trom it. He is deeply committed to the development of many our most neglected initiatives, where he does criticise policy does SO cogently coherently...
'Within the party a Vic. tory for Meacher would strengthen those elements says, but what he is seen to & of the Bennite and far left will be an obstacle to any attempt to save the Labour Party as a serious force In British politics...
Run Trail CAMPAIGN ATOM, the Oxford CND, discussed OUTTHE MISSILES Youth CND organised a successful lobby of the TUC despite the CND leadership's attempts to call it off Photo: JOHN HARRIS tack on CND and the mass