The Labour Coordinating Committe has launched a campaign to win the coming ballots on trade union affiliation to the Labour Party. JOHN ROSS asked PETER HAIN, vice-chairperson of the LCC, to explain the aims of the campaign.
think the critical issue for the Labour party over the next few years is to winner ballots political attilation under the Tebbit/King laws. And it can only be done by really building at a rank anc file level. Simply to rely or the union bureaucracies, or on the national party bureaucracy, will be totally ineffective.
nere i diso all chulmous opportunity to inject sollalist al culcal back into the workplace. Because here is a vehicle to ballot issue will be live in workbide LIC autumn and we have to prepare for it now The ballots can't be won just at a declaratory eve — - simply by parading around senior figures in Ine party to spread the message. It requires organisation and intervention by local activists.
We've charter as an initial rallying call with launching sponsors. raise the ISSUe of the Dalots a us slage well before the Bill becomes We want to prepare the ground, more support, to get the discussevel oing also at trade level also union branch level as to what action should be taken.
Then when it comes to the autumn and after we'll be in a position to move Associated with that, we need leaflets and material which will with arguments and with ways organising. we hope to use the period of the next six months or so o one or a maor na tional which will focus campaign plan for the next stage. Crucial I think the crucial area is for every Labour Party general committee, everv ware to oscuss now it will actually reach out to local workplaces including those to which they've never reached out before and which way may not eyen be affiliated to the Discuss how the local parties should campaign at that level. the crucial area for debate and dIscussion.
The arguments have to WOR arguing positively for Doncies and for socialsi argument rather than hoping to win them by default.
Since the actual question on the ballot paper may be something like 'Do you want your union to retain a political fund' rather than 'Do you want your the Labour Party', there may Peter Hain be a desire among some sections of the unions to try and play it safe and the advantages representation rather than specifically BOUT rentendon COI workers. I think that arguwhile Sull some sections of the trade unions will actually lose in the end because the Sun the Daily Mail will make it an issue of Labour Party affiliation.
I think from the left's point of view that will be all opportunity lost. Battered by recession, battered by the loss of confidence and demoralisation in the labour ment, we have lacked opportunities mechanisms through which to actually argue a soclalsi case allu the ballots presents us with As for campaigning lets take the miners. It's significant Arthur Scargill is one of the launching sponsors. would see the job really being cone on a union ov unloa Each constituency DESS should think about different tactics. It's going to be a different form of intervention in the pits compared intervention in hospitals. I think all these sorts of differences will have to be argued out But these are early days and what's important at the moment is that there is the beginnings of a debate around this issue • DUl clear perspective that it has got to be a rank file Because otherwise just don't think it'll deliver the goods.
We will also be sending people to the Broad Left Organising Committee Conterence. leafletting and hopefully getting decencil with the organisers to actually sup port the initiative. I think that ing to be in an extremely weak position politically if the Labour connection cut out of their unions.
We're on the eve of a important by-election for Labour in Chesterfield. After a disastrous general result, the press want to write off the Labour Party as alternative for government. phenomenal amount of Nowadays there's ecla manloulalivl witness the last yoar, ly lasl ycal.
would suit all sorts of people to be able to say that left policies aren't VULC Tony Benn back in will willlicis Getting View from nual conference.
Look at the pressure being put on the Greenham women Twelve months' ago the media were relatively sympathetic Now there's a concerted effort by the Tories, backed ur by the press, to discredit and slander the women at the camp Nuclear defence is an important aspect of the Tories' policies they are running a military for the