THE overwhelming rejection of Tory policies north of the border, with Labour winning 41 of the 72 seats at the general election and 71 per cent voting Tory parties committed to some kind of home rule -means that Scotland now offers the firmest base in the United Kingdom socialist fight-back against Thatcher.
Thatcher constantly talks of her mandate for the harsh policies she is introducing, but Scotland is the achilles heel of the argument.
Her mandate does not extend to Scottish legislation, committees in parliament (which are currently rigged to reflect the UK Tory majority), devolved fairs (including education, local government, health, justice, social work and housing) governed by separate statute.
In view of this and the need to defend Scotland against another 5 years of Conservative government, it is important that all sections of the labour movement unite behind.
campaign involving MPs, councillors, trade unionists and towards the establishment of a Scottish Assembly and resist attempts by an unelected Secretary of State to impose Thatcherite policies on Scotland in defiance of the wishes of the Scottish electorate.
Seven separate resolutions in support of urgent action on devolution have been tabled for annual conterence, underlining the priority attached to this question by many Scottish constituency parties, and providing fur'ther evidence that a vigorous campaign what large sections of the movement in Scotland want and expect.
The attraction of the argument as a focus for Labour's Scottish fightback is not just that it is easily understood, hard to answer and politically very government. Its because it gives Scotland much public justification for the campaign extra-parliamentary which will probably be necessary to extract any concessions in any area of policy from an aggressive right-wing government with a massive majority of seats at Westminster.
voters, parliamentary initiatives are to succeed they must be seen to be going hand in hand with moves in bodies such as the Scottish FORTH:
EY DE BORDERS DUMFRIES & for antifor or to the administration of afcriminal cals for a force progress MPs Scotland, centred around this issue is mandate well as COIL LO damaging to the important too the movement in more clear-cut resistance campaigr Given the traditional legalism of Callualsil if any CALL di parliamentary for Carrick, Cumnock and Grand Committee (SGC - — a committee of all 72 Scottish MPs). If Labour councillors, as the democratically elected representatives of the Scottish people, are seen to be repeatedly challenging an unelected Secretary of State, we can erode the legitimacy and consent the govern ment needs to exercise authority ir make the Secretary of State's job difficult, if not impossible, provoke a constitutional crisis and raise popular pressure for a change Back up To succeed, action in parliament will need to be backed up by local authority and trade union pressure as possible challenges the Secretary of State's authority. If the campaign is to bite sanctions of some sort — or the threat of sanctions — may be necessary to establish much more clearly in the public mind the link between supporting Labour and getting an Assembly, and the link between the Assembly and the policies Labour could implement there to improve people's daily lives.
It is envisaged, therefore, that the will revolve around the • an Assembly as a defence against Thatcher and as a means of implementing socialist policies It is consequently a mistake to view a devolution campaign as in any
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