New council leadership: right wing coup

THE NEW COUNCIL LEADERSHIP: A VRY RIGHT WING COUP

ON TH#® face of it, the triumvirate of Dykes, Woods and Fitggerald, which now W/omprises the new leadership of the Labour Group in Camden, may seem very similar to the: Councillors who were in office prior to the May elections. All three Councillors, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, have been prepared to accept the twin principles of democracy and accountability in the past; they were prepared to follow the Party's policy during the Rate Capping campaign; and they have each played an active role in the development of the Council's strategy over the past four years:

However an examination of how these

Councillors secured their authority

tells a completely different story. ~ ~t is accepted within all levels of

“ene Party that thé elegtion of Labour Group Officers and Council Committee Chairs should be open to-a wider franchise, and not left entirely at the discretion of Labour Councillors. Branches who are not represented by Labour Councillors; the Womens Section, the Black Section, the Trades Unions and the Constituency Parties, each

“need to be involved in the elections and the subsequent development of policies.

The previous Labour Group, both CLPs, the Branches, and all levels of the labour movement in Camden, accepted that the elections should take place within the context of a joint Labour Grdlip/Local Government Committee meeting. This practice is already followed in a large number of Labour controlled authorities: Brent, Hackney, Islington, Lewisham and other London Boroughs all accept the néed and the validity of such elections.

In Camden, a joint Labour Group/LGC meeting was held for the first time on May I0th, and elections were held for all the Labour Group positions and Council Committee Chairs. The elections produced a politically balanced Council, neither left nor right achieving an overall majority of positions within the new Group.

However, at the Labour Group meeting which was held on May I2th to endorse the recommendations of the joint Labour Group/LGC, it became clear. that neither the hard right, nor the centre Councillors who had failed to be elected to their prefered positions of power, were prepared to accept either the principle of democracy or

‘accountability. Unlike the majority “of Party members, and unlike a large

minority of the Labour Group, these Councillors refused to endorse the Party's recommendations. —

There were no reasons given fgr this refusal. They simply overturffed, or attempted to overturn, those gecisions , that they did not agree with.

In all,. 12 of the decisions that had been made at the election werg ghallenged, and in 6 instances, the eentre/

“right alliance overturned the democratic

decisions that had been made by. the Party. Kate Allen, the first woman Leader of Camden Council, was replaced by Tony Dykes; Satnam Gill, one of the three newly elected Black Coun¢eillors, was replaced as Chair of the key Policy and Resources Committee by Julie Fitzgerald; Kevin McDonnell was replaced as Vice-Chair of both olicy and Resources and as Assistant Chief Whip by Janet Pope; Tom Devine was replaced ~ as Vice Chair of Housing. management: by Gareth Smythe; and Gloria Lazenby was

replaced as Vice Chair of Leisure by Dave Horan. Perhaps the worst insult was reserved for Satnam Gill - having been replaced as Chair of Policy and Resources, he then stood for Chair of Camden's Race Committee, the first

Black person ever eligible for this position, and was defeated.

The voting throughout these bogus elections was entirely in line with a slate that had been decided in advance by the right, and there was little variation on the centre/right's overall majority in the new Labour Group, of 2.

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NEXT MEETING FOR SUPPORTERS OF "LABOUR BRIEFING" IN CAMDEN :

Tuesday lst July,. 8pm .

Camden Town. Hall Committee Room

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NEWS INTERNATIONAL AFTER THE DEAN MUST NOW PULL

Twe to one against~Murdoch's paltry bribe and Brenda Deal's

What. a superb vote !

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It is worth remebering that 4 of the

new Labour Councillors - Cane,Kirk, Green and Shaw - should not even have been representing the Party in the May elections after their disgragéfub record during the Rate Capping campaign, and that other right candidates had only become Councillors by appealing to the Regional sxecutive after being deemed unsuitable by the Party. However, the most depressing asoect is not the behaviour of the right - we have come to expect a total disregard of the principles of democracy and accountability from the right - but the behaviour of the careerists and cynical opportunists who

now comprise the public leadership of the council, and who have been prepared to kick the Party in the teeth in order to attain power. é 7 STsVE TAYLOR (Hampstead & Highgate)

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VOTE : OUT FLEET STREET !

attempted sell-out. The strikers have made it absolutely clear they want to fight

for jobs,+ynot pay-offs .

With the vote behind ¢

» it is necessary to break the disastrous way in’ which the

strike has been run so far . Dean's strategy of relying en. public opinion and boycotts has failed. Action is now needed to win . Fleet Street has te be brought out in support of News International strikers, and against the attaeks on working canditions in the other papers that have eccured since Murdach opened the way . That

is the only way to put pressure on all the

pickets with enough numbers te close down Murdoch'.s

newspaper barons and build effective scab operation at Wapping « With

30 000 workers from the whole of Fleet Street and support from other unions, Wapping

_ could be picketed:to a standstill .

At Sogat conference, pressure will be on Dean to mobilise the whole of the union behind the strike, and to provide a leadership that goes for victory . But the rest

ef the labour movement must fulfill its responsabilities.to create effeétive solida- “rity . TGWU members driving News International lorries must be disciplined, aleng wit the NUJ members who. are working inside Fortress Wapping » The EEPTU - whose leadershi consciously helped Murdoch set up his scah operation - must be expelled'from the TUC

The failure of the TUC to act on its resolut Tories! anti-union laws .

The Labour Party can also step up its suppor This can be done by encouraging members to Pp the country, and giving financial support to Withers who has just ‘been selected as PPC in the Labour Council must maintain its boycott libraries , and party members should support Support. Group such as the pickets at Wapping Bidborough Centre with the 'Redskins' band.

CAMDEN PRINTWORKERS SUPPORT GROUP meets every Monday at 6.30pm

at l02a Cromer Street, WC 1, phane: 837 7415

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NEXT MEETING FOR SUPPORTERS OF LABOUR BRIEFING IN CAMDEN :

ion is another consolidation of the

t for the News International .strikers . icket Wapping and other depots around the strikers . Scab NUJ member Malcelm Stevenage should. be expelled . In Camden of News International titles in the

the activities of the Printworkers

and the: Benefit on July 4th in the

FRED LEPLAT. (Holborn & §t Pancras) 7 Le their offices

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TUESDAY 1 JULY

8pm, Camden Town Hall Committee Room

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