Reagan's for peace? The next thing we'll hear that Kinnock backing Wus Benn THE CHESTERFIELD bye-election will be the most important for twenty years.
It will be important because it will be the first bye-election since Thatcher's victory last June. It will be important because it will be the first opportunity to test Labour's surge in the opinion polls.
And it is even more important because the candidate will be Tony Benn.
This is not a question of the personality of one individual or his ideas. Tony Benn chose his words very well when he said after being selected, I am the standard bearer for Chesterfield.' The Labour movement as a whole is infinitely more important than dividual member. whether the Labour movement wins or loses its strug gles depends quite literally the future of democracy, peace, and social justice in What is at stake in Tony Benn's campaign is not his politics alone. forced to agree with all Tony Benn's views.
But what is at stake in Chesterfield is an attempt by the Tory Party and the capitalist press to wipe out socialism as a legitimate ' Labour in current editorial any inOn cess.' No-one IS and protection.' political subject in Britain.
The Sun said this is its on Tony Benn's selection, We wonder if, on his record, he has any real role in our democratic proThe Times was more sophisticated when it called defends the for, 'the eventual extirpation from Labour politics of the kind of politics known as Bennism. Labour must, ties, that is to say, discard the rag-bag of leftist, Militant and Trotskyite attitudes to which Mr Benn, from his position inside the party's left wing establishment has been willing to give shelter That, But all the phrases come down to the same thing. There is, unfortunately, no threat in Britain today from the Militant, Trotskyites, Marxists and so on - and the Times knows this.
But there is a threat of a which NGA, which wants all nuclear bombs and bases out of Britain, which defends democratic liberwhich opposed the Malvinas war and which opposes American action in EI •Salvador, Lebanon and a whole series of similar places in the whether he wanted it or not, is very largely what Tony Benn has come to represent for millions of people in Britain. And that is why the Sun, the Times, and the whole of Fleet Street will be running the most hysterical campaign in the last twenty years to make sure Tony Benn loses in Chesterfield.
And that's why Tony Benn must win. Not as an individual. Not as the 'darl ing of the constituencies'as the press so charmingly puts it. Not even as defender of particular ideas.
But because a victory for Tony Benn in Chesterfield will be a great victory for for every Socialist in Britain.
rived: newspeak.
what it actually says.
that the underestimate our strength or opposite.
agression, the long time.
Socialist Action 20 January 1984 LAST MONDAY night Ronald Reagan showed that one aspect of Orwell's 1984 has ardistortion language to mean the exact opposite of In his 'peace through strength broadcast Reagan argued: 'America's deterrence is more credible and it is making the world a safer place, safer now there is less danger Soviet leadership our resolve'. The truth unfortunately is the Because of the United States' massive armaments drive and world-wide military world is a much more dangerous place than it has been for a very for will The question on Tony to say, Trotskyist CIL-Wille has been witch hunt.
was elected leader.
was local its real causes lie in national polities.
The Daily Mirror ran the expulsions on its front June redone Militant plotters sackec bia to oust an MP Times editorialising Benn, linked this to the Militant 'the eventual extirpation Labour politics of the kind of posture known as Ben'Labour must, that is discard the rag-bag Jenast Villall allu attitudes which Mr Benn. Irom his position inside the party's establishment, willing give shelter and protection. SIX SUPPORTERS of the Militant have been expelled from Blackburn Constituency Labour Party. JOHN ROSS looks at the background to the new The expulsions are the most important witch hunt to be launched in the Party since Neil Kinnock Blackburn is the first CLP to have expelled individual supporters of Militant.
However while the initiative for the expulsions hunts to be pursued locally by right wing parties.
This was the meaning of the ban on sales of Mililant. It is also wny a new appeals committee been established NEC packed winders Neville Kenneth Cure, Michael Witch hunter in chiet John Golding has also been appointed as Neil Kinnock's personal trouble-shooter.
This is the mecnanism which was set up to create cases like Blackburn. The six Militant supporters will appeal to the NEC.
NEC can t appeals.
ported left.
sellllig has Committee.
by the wille with right ahead Hough, Roy Evans Hadden.
With majority the be confidently expectea to turn down lie As the sole charge against the six expelled in Blackburn is that they supMilitant such NEC decision would be a green light for right wing CLPs to go ahead and expell Militant supporters -well as otners on tic The secona Dnase Il generalised witch hunt is the role of the Labour Coordinating right CLPs have expel Militan this is still only a minority of parties. An expulsion of the left which had to be accompanied by disbanding whole series of CLPS vould still be too exper ive for Kinnock and Ha / out The role of the LCC is therefore to break the left inside the CLPs.
claims to speak for the left Photo. Militan Militant editorial board members leaving NEC meeting
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Reagan's 'thaw gimmickery
SOCiAliSt ACTiON