CALLING the general election for 9 June is a 'cut and run' tactic. by knows full well that by October both inflation and unemployment will be up substantially.
The Tories also know that Labour is narpoll last Saturday showed the Tories at 4e rowing the gap in the opinion per cent with Labour at 38 per cent, at a time when the opinion polls are continually over-estimating the Tory lead by 5-6 per cent. Gaining But at the moment Labour appears to be gaining more ground alliance than from the Tories. Despite the narrowing. of the the tavourites to win. very good chance that outright.
Labour's right wing has responded to this situation by deepening its drive towards coalitionism. conference at Woodstock produced 'unity' and substantial amounts unions - but at a price.
That price, Basnett and Terry Duffy, was 'a more realistic attitude towards parliamentary alliances'. simply, this means a coalition with the Alliance if the lories cont get an overall some kind of parliamentary pact if the Tories win outright.
Manouevres The price of such coalitionist manoeuvres has been spelt out clearly by Duffy - abandonment of Labour policy on disarmament and the EEC, and the acceptance of incomes policy. Any coalitionist manoeuvre must be fought bitterly at all levels of the labour movement.
The Labour left must prepare its election campaign along socialist lines. that must be said loud and clear is that more and better canvassing won't win a Labour victory on cherism must be put up front, but by linking up with mass protest actions.
Four days before the election, on 5 June, the Thatcher. She the SDP/Liberal in. Certainly, there must be a Tories are odds-on Labour will not win Last weekend's joint NEC-trade union of cash from the trade demanded by people like David majority, and The first thing Labour's radical alternative to ThatAnwar Ditta campaign was a signal of rising black militancy