By Walter Wolfgang, CND executive member and vice-chair of Labour CND (in a personal capacity)
CRUISE AND Pershing have arrived in West Europe. But opposition to them, and to NATO's nuclear strategy is growing. So is the European peace movement. In Britain, more of the people who oppose cruise now support British unilateral nuclear disarmament.
Labour Party conference is opposed to all nuclear weapons and bases on British soil, and committed to a European nuclear-free zone. These are catalysts for nuclear disarmament world-wide.
In its Euro-election appeal to party members, *Labour Weekly* singled out the pledge to send back cruise and oppose the nuclear holocaust. Election literature must be based on these commitments — Labour's unilateralist policy as a contribution to a European nuclear-free zone.
The European Economic Community is a capitalist structure which benefits the multinationals. The EEC locks it member states' economies more firmly into the international capitalist order. Defence doesn't concern the EEC. But all Europe's NATO members are in the EEC, and defence *is* a concern of the European Assembly, a mere talking-shop with no practical power. A talking-shop can *talk* about anything.
Opponents of the arms race have already tried to use the Assembly; but Euro-missiles supporters have done it more effectively. Last November a resolution was passed supporting cruise and Pershing.
Some would like the EEC to have a defence role. They yearn for a European superpower, perhaps with nuclear weapons. That would be highly dangerous.
Labour Party members and CND activists have three tasks in the Euro-elections.
• First, they must ensure that opposition to Euro-missiles and advocacy of a European nuclear-free zone feature strongly in all election literature, as well as Labour's arguments for unilateralism.
• Second, they must get pledges from all candidates that they will use the Assembly to put forward these positions. If anyone says this isn't the concern of the EEC, point out that the Assembly has already concerned itself.
• Third, they must ensure candidates oppose any moves to make the EEC responsible for defence.
Task
This pressure can be brought to bear in many ways.
If your candidate hasn't yet been selected, that conference is the opportunity to make these demands, and then discriminate in favour of the unilateralist candidate. CND groups should publish candidates' replies to questionnaires.
Once the candidate's selected, the pressure must be kept up. Nothing should be left to chance.
Electoral support for a future Labour government and its disarmament commitment has to be patiently constructed. Strong advocacy during the Euro-elections can help build that support. We cannot afford to neglect this opportunity.
There will always be some who hide their basic disagreement with Labour's unilateralist policy by pleading electoral opportunism. They must not be allowed to do so.
There is widespread opposition to cruise. And Labour is in the business of changing public opinion and building support for socialist and peace policies. We must give a strong lead. Conviction politics will succeed, nothing else will.