Polaris.
I don't think so. It says a non-nuclear I know nuclear free Europe and an end to foreign bases.
But it doesn't say get rid of Polaris. underestimate. It does, it says 'a non-nuclear defence _renecl a half an hour.
VIeW of Militant? sion?
been will all change.
It says that we should put Polaris into Well in opposition you urge what the government should do. We're not the government, and what we've said is that we favour a non-nuclear defence the end of right. lucalls what you think, that there's a betrayal here, let's warn people about a betrayal there — but you The really important thing that's happened here this week is the re-affirmation of our position. And whatever mav be in the campaigr document, it was written by the office general desire to put something before conference.
It isn't a major document, it's never been through the Home Policy committee and went only once to the National Executive and was dealt with in But it neither replaces nor amends Labour's programmme. Even the old executive, which was very right wing, voted against asking the TGWU to remit their unilateralist resolution. So come on, get out of your gloom.
It's not a question of being gloomy it's question of trying to see what the trend of direction is What is your of the conterence decision confirm the expulsion of the editors I think that's a mistake. I've been opposed to it from the beginning.
Does it not disappoint you that the new leadershin which the conference and the party is being asked to unify around explicitly support this expulWell the views of individuals have known from une beginning. think it's a mistake, and in the end it things I was there when Michael Foot was expelled from the PLP and when Nye Bevan was expelled from the PLP, when my predecessor as Bristol MP Stafford Cripps was expelled from the Party — in the end these things are put achievement. and i think it wouid o foolish of people who were engaged in • campaigns for the democratic changes and for the policy changes, as soon as they've occured, to go around nit-picking and say it's all a disaster, it's all a failure, we're all going to be expelled. I fear it's the pessimistic line that Socialist Action takes. I don't know why you do it.
Well we do it because we think that there are people in the Party, in the leadership of the Party, who have seen over the past few years & stron! trend to the left with which you abov all people have been associated, and who want to stop, and say it's gond too far.
And the fact that in the present leadership, among others, were people who refused to vote for you in the deputy leadership campaign, who signified they were doing this as part of trying to stop the left. And we fear they may be starting this process of moving to the right.
But there's been a right and a left of the Party for years. But if you really want to know where the Party is now.
compare the ovation given to Michael Foot at the end of his speech, when it was in some ways the old Michael Foot, and the reception given to Jim Callaghan. After three years ago he was at this conference as leader of the party.
And if you can't look at that and see what's happened to the Labour Party, you're missing a very impor tant thing. Of course there are people who wish it had never happened and would like to push it back. The fact is that they are a minority now, and the reforms made DONC organisation well established. Don't be surprised if you discove people in the Party who want to push back. I ne difference is that once they were in a majority and now they are in a minority, I think a perInterview by Phil Hearse
Socialist Action* 14 October 1989