LAST WEEK Denis Healer carried out a neat coup in the Parliamentary Labour Party. With the respect for reasoned argument for which he is famous, Healey didn't even bother to get his supporters to attend the discussion of defence group.
They just walked in seconds before the vote was taken and packed the elections which then took place.
As a result, Pat Duffy, Dick Douglas and Bob Brown were elected as officers. three are opponents of unilateral nuclear disarmament.
The ridiculous position of having unilateralism as its official policy and a defence committee in the House of Commons headed by people who totally unilateralism. The right wing also won the leadership of the foreign affairs group.
The parliamentary Party is not the only area in which the right wing is organising for its aims. The organisation committee of the NEC has got a new 'appeals and mediation committee discipline in the Party. This committee will report directly to the executive.
The new committee has a four to one majority for the right - the right wingers Neville Hough, Evans and Michael Hadden. Proposals by the NEC left to add Jo Richardson, David Blunkett or Joan down. The only member not obviously on the right is Alex Kitson. But he himself voted for the expulsion of the Militant editorial board.
This committee has all the sinister appearance of a Party 'purge' committee. The tactics of the right wing for the witch hunt nd Party policy are obvious. Healey, Hat ersley and co. are concentrating on taking over the 'commanding heights' of the Party apparatus. witch hunts of the type seen in Wythenshawe, or individual that of Tariq Ali, can be organised. Meanwhile the vice tightened on the Party as a whole.
Over Party policy it is the same. Healey is sewing up the right wing positions in the PLP. The next aim of the right wing Will De to get a change of policies on issues such as unilateralism at next summer's trade union conferences. Meanwhile Roy Hattersley is carrying pothe right wing is well organised and knows what it is doing. Isn't it about time the left took a leaf out of their book and got its act together?
The destruction in Lebanon after the Israeli invasion Labour's parliamentary All Party is now in the opposed to parliamentary to handle questions Kenneth Cure, Roy Maynard were voted that position localised expulsions such as will be slowly, inexorably on his campaign for incomes
involvement if Syria is atLacKcu:
Syria is dragging itself into a more complex mess by the minute. to be the mair force in Lebanor caracle of participating any future peace settlement for At the same ment's attempts to defeat Arafat or will this provoke future internal strife inside the country. Palestinians still sien the languard the fight agairs: Israel in the Sliddie possibhange in die what next week. Certain things remain clear however. the US and Israel attack Syria. we must come out firmly against this and any other US intervention including campaigning for Batish troops US F-16 Falcon fighter-bomber attacks in Lebanon
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Socialist Action 18 November 1983 banon