Morning Star has been itself from him and move closer to Tony Benn. Last Monday's Morning Star column by the paper's political correspondent Ambrose significantly conclud'While the position of the left members on the (national) executive has not changed their distance from Mr Kinnock and his entourage has inbecause he has moved to the THE LIAISON Committee for Defence of Unions (LCDTU) conference in London on 12 January attracted around 460 delegates. Peter Heathfield told conference that 70 per cent of NUM members were standing firm on the position taken on 6 March when the dispute began He gave a firm declaration that NUM would 'crawl back deteated' and called on the labour movement 'redeem the pledged at TUC and Labour Party conferences'. He called for a major series of rallies throughout the country, culminating in a demonstration in London Despite reports earlier in the week in the Morning Star that there would be a call from the conference for industrial action on 20 February, this failed to materialise. Conference callfor support for the regional demonstrations.
Glasgow on 25 February and for the week of action between February. Sunday February was named as the day for a ¡anona demonstration In London. which conference called on the TUC and Labour Party to support.
The LCDTU will be writing to the Mineworkers' Defence Committee to coord late with them on bulloing tae demonstration, in response to a proposal from Ken Livingstone to work together on such an action This demonstration will have the support of the NUM and can be a major focus for all those who support the miners and who want to see the implementation of TUC guidelines. The build-up for this demonstration will need to start immediately.
The lack of a clear call for inIOUS dustrial action, and the move away from 20 February (a weekday) to 24 February (a Sunday) was criticised by a number of speakers. miner's wife spoke of the hardship suffered in the coalfields and said: "Today, I'm not asking for money but for more. I'm asking for an end to this dispute.' She went on to call for a national one-day strike. taken up by Tony Benn in his speech, in which he talked of the need to prepare for a 'general stoppage'.
Dave Temple of Mechanics criticised the conference statement for its lack of reference to industrial action: thing, but we need the trade unions to support us and join with the miners in industrial action.' for a day of national action. But as is usual at LCDIU conferences,