LESBIAN AND GAY oppression is the only opCommittee, personal capacity. SURE to be of the inside the party.
The party leadership front bench spokespersons in the PLP have found it irresistible to make pronouncements perore me pubnicalion the NEC working-party report. The launched a campaign vilification against the Black Section steering committee, labelling them 'self-seekers', 'careerists characterising the movement as 'petit bourgeois deviation. These facts taken together with the extensive media 8 metress coveralt Uvel the past nine months, guarantees that this debate will the highlights of the coming week Yet the extent to which of black question sections is less a matter of debate and more a matter of fact is quite apparent. Inside London most of the black sections have been formally recognised have delegates onto their GMCs. The movement is now fi f process of breaking out of London and turning into a national phenomenon.
More people in the constituencies being convinced of the case for this year no col eighteen CLPs and two resolutions have been submitted support of black sections with only CLP resolution against. This compares to just three CLP resolutions last year.
Why then is it impornoisiest and most impassioned debates at Labour Party conference this week is that on black sections. This is already clear from the ferocity of the preconference struggle tant that Labour formally adopts a change m its col sitution allow for delegates from black sec tions onto GMCs, regional Parties and the Lawoul NEC?
There are two points here. The black communiof Labour's natural constituencies in elections. This point is proved repeatedly and was again emphasised during the last general In the face of mass desertions of votes trom the black comto Yet despite this proven loyalty it was the Tories that made special errorts to court the black vote with a poster campaign.
This cynical manoeuvre was made for the purpose of allaying tears of infiltration of the Tory Party by hordes of known racists. theless it snows now much importance winning black votes by th Tories as compared with Moreover one will see the parties presenting tew token blacks candidates so as to give the im. pression that they are colour blind. But the public has at least the impression that black people can get selected for posts both in side the parties and as can didates.
The Labour Party however notorious for titude. Now that these be stone red by the torthe eyes of the black comwill be Blackpool. A vote against a rule change will be seen as a snub for black people.
There is another reason why a rule change has to b supported. Unless black sections elect their own delegates as of right ont formulating bodies of the party from NEC. then sons just bores sec.
HOLS BuSi becomes Labour Party's own form of tokenism.
would give black members the right to organise independently, but no means of influenc. ing Darli decisions or policy Therefore the black sections will become little more than useless as regards the mass of black people The essence of black sections is that they are a mechanism wheres the concerns of the black community can be brought to bear on the This is why Kinnock nas very astutery laken til position of supporting black sections 'in principle' but being opposed to rule change. This gives the appearance of giving way to the demands while preserving the status quo in reality. , It is a ruse to win over tue sell in tue party.
The left should beware this kind of astuteness or Kinnock's part - it is not only directed against black people.
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munity held firm with per cent of the black vote
all policy