WHILE THE confrontation between Labour coun cils and the government grows, Manchester looks set to step into line with London, Sheffield and Liverpool. For the last few years a minority of Labour councillors have fought for the city party's policy of no cuts, no job losses. Twenty-nine of them have been excluded from the Labour Group by a right wing majority for persistently voting against cuts and rent increases.
ice right have had a policy law', 'creative accounting' and making cuts 'slowly while waiting for something anything!
turn up. Last year Clir Suberol leader, expressed the hope avoid the Home Office hitlist by keeping its head down.
A pro-Labour swing in this month's tions took away a third of the Tory seats in the city, shifted the balance among Labour councillors to the left. A slim majority SHOW supports city policy.
The Labour Party national executive, last Wednesday. voted for a report by Eric Heffer to renstale the excluded councillors for the Group Hieu follow policy. This victory is only the start.
Gorton Labour Party 'corporation' is not popular. The town hall is a creaking, archaic institution with ture of Borgia Palace. The city party's intention now is to throw that town hall open to peopie mu struggle — to bring trade unionists, VILU council committees and poncy bust open management clicontrol over the council Group by the party; and to deepen and organise the 's popular base. 10eg transform the council from a duil. grey agency of the state into a focus for As Councillor Graham Stringer put it: 'This is a victory for the whole labour movement - the doors are open for people to get involved — we want a lot of people to walk through those doors.' This should be an example for Greater Manchesten council. current strategy fight abolition is lobbying local business interests, rather than mobilising the working class.
YOUR СПЕАР POLICY Councils must defend services JUB CABAT FARES POLICY Westminster The view from