WHETHER OR NOT Neil Kinnock made the insulting comments about Tony Benn and Michael Meacher attributed to him by the press they would be in line with his hostility to the left of the labour movement.
Labour Parties disastrous defeat in the general election prompted them to embrace a candidate who had supported the left in the past and claimed to be able to unity the conference will mean the beginning of a war against the left.
The reasons for this lie in the response of the labour bureaucracy to the general election. They did not conclude, as this paper -une reason sol Labour's defeat lay Tour years waen the labour movement leadership virtualv abandoned the tield to the Tories, allowing the sealm workers workers to go down to terNo, the reaction of Len Murrav and the maiorit of the TUC leaders was to start talks with the Tories, to throw a question mark over the trades alliance with Labour and La regression to the Lib-Labism' which bedevilled British novener a me turn of the century.
NOW We co! bureaucrats are pulling out stops DUSE through their shift to the right through the Labour Frank Chapple's support for Kinnock signals that they are confident they have such an instrument.
Kinnock's election will the erratic unitarianism of - instead It Many on the left have voted for Kinnock in their trade unions.
But Neil Kinnock's election at the Labour Party will mean a sapping operation against the left policies adopted by abour conterence and a new round of the witch In these circumstances it is criminal that were those on the left who were hesitating and doubtful in their support for the only left alternative to Kinnock — Eric Heffer.
his ever applies to Michael Meacher Tony Benn who now find themselves the victims of Kinnock's tongue.
Is all the more shameful that there are have compounded this error, by calling for support for Roy Hattersley against Meacher.
This includes leading figures in the Communist Party like Hugh Wyper, secretary of the Transport Workers the Sunday accores nas the Sunday Times, been energetically working to reverse the decision o executiye to back Meacher.
A stop must be put to this back-sliding. Instead the LUCI substantial minority which exists in the Labour Party and the unions to win the majority of the movement against the JOI SHOUIE Tories. This will Lucal fighting against Kinnock and his backers among the trade union leaders.
The publication of the national Labour Briefing supplement starting from this conference, the formation of groups supporting it and their links with the Broad Lent aevelopments muc unions is a first modest step the lesson of the election defeat for the left is the of a fighting minority, which can begin to resist the Tory attacks on every front and ERIC HEFFER ON THE TUC AND LABOUR
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party. It is true also that the defeat of Shore and Hattersley signals the decline of the old PLP right.
No. 27 30 September 1983 30p SOCiAList ACTION