SOCIALIST ACTION has been sent the following iwo letters of resignation from the executive of' the Labour Co-ordinating Committee.
Neither Judy Sadler nor Barry #inter are in any way associated with John Denham, Chair Labour Co-ordinating Committee, Dear John, I am writing to inform you that 1 am resigning the Vow that I have a job, I must CULPE. cut down VII mitmenis. My unhappiness about the drift of the LCC means that it is no longer a prioritv for me and. on the contrary, I increasingly find that being on ihe executive is a political embarrassment.
I have always been in a 'minority on ne execunve Dar lave een willing previously to continue in In Is postion. I Have always wisneu le LCC to represent a broad sweep of ine en wao are rudame ally committed to the Labour ineretore not expected mr coincide completely with members of the executive.
However, the present can no longer be said to be representative of the left. cerome a very Hartow has become much too Labour leadership. Though I do not think the left has necessarily to take an oppositional position in relation to the leadership, I do feel the I.CC should be a pressure group exanink fose close to Kinnock were pera naiv geni to argue as thev did over ir? une mem ber-one-vote issue, this incident is illustrative of the close ties hotireen the LCC and the leadership practice only members of the executive were fored, whilst rumours on the issue spread).
I have also found myself increasmgly having disagreements policy. For example, I do not think the time is ripe for us to be arguing for small private SCLEUF. haven't won the arguments I was watching Dockor won comd a soie to the SDP and I heard him say cnaw, wnen nis fatherreturned from the war in '45. he "like many others failed to recognise him".
our pages.
LCC ExI have vIews (0 many years, supported the other executive widely more crucial that those has YIVus anu li closely linked wolels selected in- Chancl.
Decolt
over WuCH for Judy Sadler.
I can understand that a child might have some difficulties in recognising a father after so long an ansence •Du n, did "many others".. questions they raise regarding the present policies and tactics of the LCC, its refusal to oppose witch hunts, and its lack of independence from the policies of Neil Kinnock are questions of which very much merit being discussed on the left and echo points made in ingls economic planning and public control over enterprises yet. When it comes to there arguments for it to be a community trol, but in Thatcherite Britain we are a long way off from having to argue the pros and cons of this matter: it is at best an irelevance, at worse we are falling prey to the increasingly accepecutive is taking a position on the left slate for the CLP section of the NEC which is likely to threaten the place of those who have consistentiv. and for women in the Labour Partv. It is verv important that the number of women on the NHC is not reduced. but even sciousiv seek to represent women do noe one ano ule execuuvc Iul or-alsauvn. because it is part of a general trend within the LCC to circumscribe very narrowly who is a legitimate part of way it is at present, as it has done some gond work as an organisation of the left. I hope it does not become an of generations within he Labour Party (i.e. a section of establishment) but serves to swing the He obviously meant that many other children in similar circumstances had the same problem. To Paul Convery, Secretary. Labour Co-ordinating Committee Dear Paul.
Please inform the executive that after consulting with fellow memhers the ILP (Independent Publications), I haie decided resign from the executive of the L.CC (Labour Co-ordinating Committee). Put bluntly I see little purpose in remaining This is not simply because l have political differences with the ma¡ority, hut also because l am increasLon eredao e " hich the LCC 'leadership' conducts the I.CC's politics.
In the four years that I have been on the executive 1 have had many political disagreements with the positions adopted, but I never found that being in a minority was quite as futile and frustrating as it is today.
Notice of my growing concerns was given in my candidate's statement for the executive elections. I expressed worres about the wav the Lc C was being led in the aftermath of the General Too often public image presented of the L.C( seemed to be in advance of decisions taken by the executive, let alone the membership. I argued that it was important for the LCC to maintain itself as an independent socialist pressure group inside the party. I am not contident that progress has been made on either count.
Having called for a more organised and politically coherent left inside the party (something whịch Neil Kinnock expressly opposed in debates in Tribune the Leader, 1977/78) the ILP welcomed the setting up of the Labour Co-ordinating Committee. It offered the left a broac forum to meet, exchange ideas and argue out differences.
But today the LCC is becoming politically narrower democratic. Important issues are not decided at annual meetings but are remitted to the executive for decision (even with the encouragement of executive members). That was the fate foithe debale on "one member, one Moreover the executive is no longer the political cross section of the left that it once was. One indication is the fact that eight out of its Iwenty members belong to the same SCoRMaE Are you trying to imply that David Owen, in a caretully constructed party political broadcast, is incapable of saying what he means?!? political grouping, others seem politically close to them.
executive do presence of any other group, but when one organisation has such a prominence focating. Clause 4's representation is in excess of what is reasonable and Gecirane ecutive l made a caretul and measurec statement criticising this development and asking those concerned to show some restraint in the future. in anticipation of proposals from the then chairperson, rice-chairperson, inal we appoint immicalalely do caisting executive leading member of Clause 4 - 10 the post of Organising Secretary.
pecause or me restarte Dul ur hy some of us the comrade concerned honourable withdrew. elected Chairperson of the LCC, and the new Secretary is also a member of Clause 4. I have no wish to question the the qualities or the integrity of the tio comrades concerned, but i do oppose inis burener annedll growln in or group's influence.
4 members to reply to my comments Alter all it am wrong put the record straight. The group ha remained silent. I mar ne a suggest, that Clause 4 is not a hard. political tendency but nor is it entirely a bunch of organisation it does political coherence and rationale for its existence. Its origins in the movement, its battles with Militant. the way its key members advisers) office (as MEPs) surely indicate aspects of its polițical character? This political narless rowing of the executive effects the political agenda and priorities of the LCC: a consensus is presumed anc those who disagree simply appear 1o he awkward.
Too much of the organisational rather than political in emphasis, and opposing such practicies is becoming increasingly futile.
example adopted any specific policies towards defeated a motion from the ILP advocating Tories" the LCC financial support to the LCC youth committee. what does it operate I wonder, other than several of the Militani?
Those who l identity rent leadership of the LCC comrades are individuallv - have a political ap proach with which I am increasingly at odds.
course pragmatic and eclectic (for all its talk about campaigning politics). op party leaders, hisp to mo nage are partv leaders. and to manage in LCC's image so that it does not upse anvone. he preference seems lo pe Clause 4.
Having represented the ILP on the ship's views on noi oppose the carly LCC the effect is often sufto politics.
At the first meeting of the new exThis was Harriet Harman.
Peter Hain.
member disunity).
thing Now instead he has been At the first meeting 1 asked Clause they should iome individuals. As have some student seek inthe LCC generalized practice Line Lul nas nol uncomfortably should be.
outright opposition to the Youth Training Scheme. Yet has given political basis executive, comrades concerned tile members Finally, Clause 4) being opposed 1o as the cur and hardworking as they Hiako but have no The LCC has been set on a that deeply Illas Barry Winter.
What now seems to matter 1s the VOL for politivally fudged positions, whict The LCC leaderseek to please all.
"one member, one voic" is a prime example. At least th much as ! disagreed uith it — had a tirm position agains one member, one vote. The present executive, 'permisive' approach a it calls it owes more to acrobatics than Vacillation image consciousness do seem to he uppermost. An example of the latter is the much publicised appeal for lett unity. This appeal was sent 1o the left und to the media ai the same lime.
na sunported the appeal hecause I wanted to know just what its purpose was (so many appeals for unity are thin disguises for sowing Nonetheless the appea went out and many left groups and individuals replied. but the issue has heen dropped. I can only conclude that it was geared towards gaining some pres» püblicity for the LCC and not much else. Part of the problem these days is struggling to tind out lus what is going on.
For instance I learned recently that during the parly leadership contest the 1.CC office was given over 1o ee manarki campaien. eventhae maioril! executive favoured his election this may not hare heen unrea onable, although no decision was laten 1o devote lne lo the campaign. and two of the LCC's three elected officers were never intormed Had I felt that these and other matters could be usefully aired and resolved on the executive, then | would not he resigning now But ex perience tells me otherwise. Nor can I catalogue the full list of my concerns although this letter tries to indicate what I think is going sadly wrong.
1 have tried unsuccessfully to get the LCC to reply 1o fierce criticisn from one far left group which accused being witch-hunt against the Teft. But nothing has happened. Instead of the matter heing cleared up it has been brushed under the carpet Although 1 know of no desire hy the executive itself to support witch-hunts the situation (and perhaps the views of individual members) is more ambiguous than supporting n1y resignation from the executive the ILP has not decided to pull out of the LCC itselt But for the present at least we have no wish to be associated with the Cc pretering 1o be rank and can i thank those who voted for me in the past. I.et's hope it is not too late tor the LCC to sort itself out, and for the membership to executive more accoun. table. I don't regret my experience!
desire 1o prolong what has become the A the nir declared on her death-hed.
Yours in comradeship.
P.S. I would he grateful if you coutd let the membership read this letter in next circular. This resignation will he made public
Socialist Action 1 June 1984