Winters and 'questioned' and unceremoniously Hebruart meeting. At no time did the NEC ask the views of the local parties of which the Militant five were members. Had they done so they would have found no support for their expulsions — all three local parties were on record as opposing such moves. Both Islington South & rinsoury. Hammersmith Parties have not implemented the NEC's rewest to celete me mama ave on heir membership records.
South & Finsbury CLP)
Throughout the year the NEC was also preoccupied with keeping member out of the Labour Party. Tariq Ali. His crime? Having been a former member of the International Marxist Group, and disagreeing with Jim Mortimer on the relationship between parliament Hornsey party voted each time with a greater majority to admit Tariq into membership but the nationa party refused to accept him.
In a classic piece of witch-hunting pragmatism the NEC's report to conference this year has the answer you can't keep him out then let him in and expel him! It's surprising the party's election campaign was so dull when the NEC is obviously capable of such imagination.
The NEC report says that to test the authority of the NEC's ruling to keep Tariq out could be 'a long and costly process. However the authority of the NEC expel all individual membership of the Labour Party was clearly defined in the constitution. procedure expel Mr membership has now been initiated by the NEC'.
Having dealt with the Militant the talents of the NEC witch-hunters moved on, this time to Manchester Wythenshawe CLP. In April the NEC suspended the party officers, the GMC and its executive and put the Party's affairs into the hands of the National Agent in London. The reason given was alleged 'irregularities' at the Party's annual the left wing Party's refusal to select right wing candidates for the council.
With the distraction of the election out of the way the NEC witch-hunters were able to get back to the serious business of uniting the party through purges. The August NEC got its teeth into Militant again, this time banning them from using Party facilities, banning the sale of Militant at Party events of premises, collection funds.
Presumable the Party intends to implement this at national conference. Certainly it has given the green light to everv witch-hunter in the local parties to take action. Already there are moves NEC to expel Party members defying this rule in at least one constituency.
waste bins of most Party offices - has been used to start banning other left wing publications like Socialist Action.
numoct hunt. There would have been more but party's resolution out of order on the grounds that it referred to more than one subject (which could be said of cepted for the order paper). Could it be that the real reason was its demand for the reinstatement of the Militant five two the amendments centre around opposition to the bans on socialist papers, opunless they stand or campaign against unlikely at this year's conference, winning conference support for an end to future witch hunts and the ban on sales possibility. It would put a 'left' NEC in - 11 a difficult position to break the confight will be vital for the whole left.
Don't forget, there are only the European elections next year to distract the NEC from its 'real work' of expelling people!
• See page 7 for articles on the witch hunt in Birmingham and Manchester T&GWU The real reason was for its watching you' undel Concerned In the September issue of the paper Record David Buckle, Oxford district secretary of the union, wrote pleased to reproduce that arheadlines from were sacked from the British Leyland plant at Cowley in world in which big brother is 'thought police' who make sure that individuals do not think outside accepted lines Buckle, argues that trial by THE THIRTEEN BL workers sacked by the company for allegedly making false statements on their job application forms have been denied natural justice by virtue of a massive media I am a Justice of the Peace and I know that if their case had been tried newspapers which tried and found our members guilty would have been had had a chance in the McCarthyite atmosphere which has been whipped up. Many of our members in the assembly plant are now worried about speaking thought to be contrary to those held by becoming common in Britain, designed amongst other things to weaken trade unionism, then I smell fascism around Let me repeat to T&G RECORD readers what I told a press conference last month. It will be new to most of you because the press in the main does not care to report what the workers' representatives tell them.
First, the matter of the 13 lost jobs is a question of industrial relations to be resolved in the normal way — not a political football for the media to kick the members are said to have done but! do understand it. In the inter-war years it was quite common for job applicants to give false information in a desperate belong to the political party of their choice. Many are Tories. Nearly three years ago Mrs Thatcher advised the filtrate' (her word) unions, seek office saying we as a union should weed out height of hypocrisy that our members have been criticised for their political views. It is none of the media's business and it is none of our business to act as are all good workers. They were causing no problems. That is more than you can say for the havoc that this doc.
trinaire Tory government has been • 50 per cent of the BL labour force have lost their jobs since the arrival of Michael Edwardes in 1978.
• several BL plants have closed down completely including MG of Abingdon with the loss of 1,200 jobs.
• thousands of export opportunities the government's slavish adherence to Leyland wanted to give way, accept the basis of our arguments and reinstate the sacked workers they would not feel able to because of the massive political campaign the media has conducted and the difficulties the government would The media has denied T&G members any chance of natural justice If you want to put the business of false application forms into perspective take a look at Mrs. Thatcher's record.
public that the National Health Service was safe in her hands? But she has still got her job and not a squeak from the Socialist Action at Cowley of workers for their views is merely one example of increas evidence of thi CHISELOI socialist. In our view an employer i: not entitled to censor ideas or penalise ment of tine Corles story was gravely disturbing in assum Yet WEN few voices were heard in criticism. This is a new McCarthyite tendency to con with theople by demn association and, taken activity of organisations like which ought to be reversed. We would to counter and to give support to those who ar convicions.
Initial signatories (all in personal capacity)
en Cameron, General Secretary Fire Brigade Maurice ones, no rks. NUM, editor The Miner.
Clarke, NUM Executive Maynard MP Eric Heffer Mi Ingstone, leader GLC ront: Dohenn MI ernard Reagan, National Union of Teacher Ted Knight, Leader Lambeth Council.
Morrell, Leader of ILEA dustin Walker, Leader of Greenwich s. National E.C., AUEW field, Tribun c Peckham CLP , editor New Socialist secretary Political Committe Universits tuart Hall Universit • Ellery, Chair NUPEC 30 September 1983
Socialist Action 30 September 1983
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Havoc 'guilty before they had been
i Asian General Secretary Tobacco of Railwayme, General Secretary National Unio