within the Labour Party.
black section, the first constituency to what its aims were. LAMBETH black Vauxhall's black. you look at the party, you'll see one -or if you're lucky, two! -black people attending meetings. As a representative proportion of the BaCK population it's pathetic.
own experiences on the doorstep. we were concerned at black people's response to the party. •What does the offer?' 'We've been voting Labour ever since we came here brought in racist immigration legislation, Just like evervooov esewav are we to believe they'll be difIcicultues wasn't faced with black people sayıng they'd vote SDP or Tory, they just weren't out to vote at all. They were disenchanted.
We argued they should come in and change the party from within. The only way they'd be confident LAST WEEK the press gave prominent coverage to Neil Kinnock's statement that he remained to be convinced' about the desirability for black sections MARK WADSWORTH and LEO DICKSON are founder members of Vauxhall Labour Party's give full voting rights to such a section. They told Socialist Action why they founded their black section and enough to do that was by meeting in a caucus as party members.
We set up Vauxhall black section last October.
We meet once a month.
The number. coming along rise all the time. Our figure. meeting, was An average is between 18 and Most people at the black section never attend their ward meeting.
At the moment we've tended to talk about procedure, although we've discussed some local issues too. We spent a lot of time on procedure because we want to get it right. We wall o resolve our stalus within the framework.
The local government by-election in Vauxhall's Ferndale ward is an example of what black sections can do. This is the first time a black section in the has endorsed a black candidate. Irma Critchlow is a grass roots candidate, and were commitea to bring ing out the troops to see that she's elected We rights Vauxhall, with LWU delegates general committee and one to the executive. The constituency has sent a resolution to the national executive on this.
We were Vauxhall's greatly heartened response. We would have been quite happy to have voting rights except on consuluonassues leading members of the partv telt this was wrong — we should go all the way and challenge the national Party passed a resolution its March annual meeting, with a resounding majority of 334,000, supporting setting up black sections. And senior members of its executive have said if the NEC isn't prepared MOVe then isn't lust London. interesting developments SCULORI and in the wes Midlands, particularly Birmingham. Kinnock said 11 was just activists in Lon That's wrong. It's a national issue.
Statements like his undermine and pre-empt the findings of the national executive's OWI working party. They are doing. Neil Kinnock tolo us that he's worried about "infiltration', but he wouldn't elaborate This is not a left-right issue. Left, right and cencan play quite maverick card on the black issue. Our own MP, Stuart Holland has admitted that Vauxhall black section is strong. He said 'Now's not the time to doubt.' But our sounding the first the working , on !! April, tell us that there is equivocation.
The resolution to last Labour Party conference on positive discrimination was remitted. Part of this remit working party with NEC was setting constituency representation as well as • Action Group. Vauxhall's action is a parallel movement. We challenging the party to show its hand.
Apologies to Muhammed Idrish OUR article last week supporting Muhammed Idrish's campaign to stay Britair mistaken stated that his marriage UTUKI up after IWO weeks. It should have said 'after two years' We apologise for any confusion caused.
nulga Socialist Action 20 April 1984
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area. Almost 30 per cent of But population
party te London abou London
London will go it alone. Suppor There