Devon Labour Briefing no. 18

NO NUCLEAR 7 NONSENSE

In February 1986 the Ukraine's Minister of Power, Vitceli Sklydarov, stated that ''the addos of a meltdown are one in 10,000 years .... the plants have safe, reliable controls

that are protected from any breakdown with three safety lines". This sounds very similar to what we are being told by the British nuclear industry, yet a major disaster did happen, with horrific results. It is quite clear that no nuclear power is safe. How many more disaster such as Chernobyl and the Three Mile Island accident do we need to make this plain?

Yet this Tory Government, despite the risks and the growing public concern in the wake of Chernobyl, is pressing ahead with its massive expansion plans for the nuclear industry. Having just destroyed sectors of the coal mining industry it is intending to build another ten Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs) in line with the Sizewell Inquiry Report. These plans include one or possibly two PWRs at Hinkley Point, only

40 miles from Exeter. Remember, Kiev is not as close as this to Chernobyl: In the case of a major accident at Hinkley the citizens of Exeter would be exposed to a very serious health risk.

The case against nuclear power is overwhelming. Apart from

the occasional major disaster killing hundreds (and possibly thousands in the long term) and leaving regions inhabitable, we have an almost continuous flow of radioactive materials into the environment cue to leaks and "minor" accidents at our nuclear installations. We have high incidence of leukaemia around Britain's miclear plants, although the CEGB claim that there is only circumstantial evidence: Plutonium is used for nuclear weapons and with the immense secrecy surrounding the

nuclear industry it is hard to believe the present denials from

the Government and the CEGB that this is not still the case.

We have a problem which will probably stay with us for thousands of years - what to do with the highly radioactive nuclear waste.

Nuclear power is expensive it will probably cost over

£35 billion just to build the 10 proposed PWRs (this compares to £10 billion for the cost of Trident). are cheaper to run and employ more people and it would even be

cheaper to save the energy produced by nuclear power by properly

insulating homes and thus again creating many jobs. (We have enough coal to last us 300 years; coal still generates atleast

8C per cent of the electricity going into the national grid).

Coal powered stations

LABOUR— TAKE THE POWER!

Lf

W/

At least year's Labour Party Conference the anti-nuclear powe? composite 70 was passed with just short of a two-thirds Majority. Yet since then, John Cunningham, the Shadow Environment spokesperson, has consistently supported nuclear power, with the support of Neil Kinnock. Recently the Welsh Labour Party Conference gave a two-thirds majority against nuclear power and Women's Conference similarly showed its overwhelming opposition to nuclear power, demanding that

John Cunningham be replaced by someone committed to implementing Conference policy on this issue.

All of this is encouraging, but we still need a two-thirds Majority at the next Party Conference to ensure that the anti-nuclear policy is inserted in the manifesto. For this reason, Exeter LPYS has submitted an anti-nuclear power resolution to Exeter's GMC and hopefully this could become the local Party's resolution to national Conference. Exeter was one of the first Parties to oppose nuclear power, and it should show its commitment to this policy by choosing the

LPYS resolution.

Exeter's Labour-led City Council could also follow this up by joining with Somerset County Council in objecting to the , Proposed Hinkley 'C' PWR. They could also go further in calling for the closure of Hinkley Point 'A' , which is already Operating beyond its twenty year design.

Dave Parks, Exeter CLP.

END NUCLEAR POWER NOW

Support Labour Party Policy!

Support the Exeter Safe Energy Campaign. Contact Chris Hillyer, Topsham 5952.

ANTI-APARTHEID: Agenda for Action

As the crisis in South Africa intensifies Anti Apartheid activists face a busy programme of action (June is AA 'Month of Action') This is especially true in Exeter. Listed below are a number of events organised by Exeter and District Anti Apartheid that should receive the widest possible support:-

MONDAY JUNE 16th: ''10th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOWETO UPRISING ; "LOUTH AFRICAN YOUTH DAY"

1.00 PM : Handing in of sanctions petition to Tescos (Meet. outside Tescos at 12.45) 1.30 PM : Handing in of petition to Sainsburys

(At Guildhall, Sainsburys)

Over recent months Exeter and District AA have been leafletting and petitioning outside Sainsburys and Tescos

in Exeter. Sainsburys and Tescos are two supermarkets that have declared a policy of seeking alternatives to South African produce. However, there has been no apparent diminution of such products on their shelves suggesting that this declaration was more of a PR stunt

than 2 promise. Nevertheless, the fact that these businesses are prepared to make public statements of this kind, indicates that they are sensitive to consumer opinion and do not want their profit margins to suffer. Indeed this is evidence enough for the potential of Meanwhile the petitioning continues (meet

12-2 at the bavk entrance to Sainsburys on Saturday These petitions may help to convince these stores they cannot have it both ways and that their shoppe are increasingly aware of the disparity between ‘good intentions! and their actual practice.

SATURDAY JUNE 21st

Sponsored Walk end Cycle Ride to Trago Mills

E&DAAM have organised a sponsored wa to ‘Trago Mills’. Cyclists leave from Cathed

10 AM, walkers meet at Newton Abbot train station i 1] AM. There will be leafletting and a ‘pickric on arrival.

Yai Gre

Anyone who reads the ‘Exeter Weekly News’ will be aware of Mike ‘trago Mills' Robertson's rabid racist and proApartheid views ( , of his cut-price products are imported from South Africa). As well as being a fund-raising event, this action will therefore provide a long overdue protest against this champion of Apartheid.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 25th & THURSDAY JUNE 26th:''SOUTH AFRICA

FREEDOM DAY''

An all-day 'banner-making' vigil will take place on both these dates from 8.00 AM to 6.00 PM outside Barclays.

SATURDAY JUNE 28th

This is the date of the National AA demonstration in London: 'March for Freedom in South Africa and Namibia’ (Hopefully Exeter will have a prominent new banner for this event.) Coach(es) will leave Exeter at 7.45 AM. Tickets cost £6 waged, £4 unwaged. For these, or more information on any of the events ring 219738 or 7953]

Anti-Racism in Exeter

Although much of the furore following the now notorious

"T am a racialist'’ article by Trago Mills proprietor Mike Robertson in the Exeter Weekly News last October, not everyone has given up hope of seeing Robertson's adverts removed from the EWN. In particular, Chris Churchward has been pursuing a campaign aimed at persuading Exeter City Council not to advertise in the EWN while it persists in accepting Trago Mills adverts. At first City Councillors seemed impervious to the blatant double standard in the Council pledging ''to do all in its power to disengage from contact with apartheid" and continuing to advertise in a paper which provides a platform for racist and pro-Apartheid views. However, there is good news at last. Chris has had a letter from DWL Humphreys, City Solicitor, stating that in the light of repeated racist and pro-apartheid views expressed in the adverts the City Council will now be reconsidering using the services of ''a newspaper which indirectly and by implication appears to be giving support to racialist views’ (quote from Mr. Humphreys). The matter is going to Comittee.

So much for the political will to change. let's see the action:

WAPPING HELL!

On Saturday 24th May the Exeter Printers Support Group organised a mini-bus to Wapping.

My nervousness during the long journey increased on arrival. The side street where we parked was ominously barricaded by policemen and vans filled with riot shields, batons and helmets We were forced to turn back on foot and walk the long way round. | could fee] the eves on us from the vans. The policing methods there seemed typical of those used during the Miners strike and some of the recent peace demonstrations against

the Libyan bombing.

The enormous police presence by the main gates reinforced this, but the feeling of solidarity amongst the pickets instantly reassured me. 1 had been the only woman on the mini-bus from Exeter, yet already 1 could hear the voices of many women joining in the shouting. One small group of women were describing the last few weeks of the strike to a journalist:

"No, they don't care if women and children are there. They

st come in and club everyone over the head. They don't about the kids."

orries started coming in and suddenly everthing was particularly on the side streets where the police sence had increased tenfold. Men in riot gear on huge ses seemed to appear around corners from nowhere. Picket:s ed moving in towards the high fences and razor wire and 7 the shouts of "'scab'' were really loud. There was no y violence, yet the police were becoming more As we moved about the restless horses were ught onto the main road behind us and I found cult to stand my ground. Talking to the pickets 7 » way to relieve my anxieties. I spoke to a oman who had experienced police violence first hand

2 head wound from a police baton.

impressed that we had come so far and with the lack of solidaritv from some rs. They had obviously become disillusicred ruggle, continuous police violence and rent back down. Nevertheless, we were

1 the workers, and their courage return home feeling much strengaware that the struggle is not

w made a final offer to the printers of increased or those who have been sacked. This is

te and falls short of the printer's demands representation and reinstatement of

redundency totally inadeq for trade unio sacked workers.

The attack on the printers)is just one example of the Tory government's total opposition to trade unions and civil rights. This opposition has been clearly shown

in the destruction of the mining communities, in the recent sacking of the railway workers and is even as far reaching as the extensive police violence and intimidation towards the ‘hippy’ convoy at Stanehenge. The next Labour government must reverse all the Tory anti-union laws

and restore all civil and trade union rights crushed under Thatcher's evil rule.

Britt Holloway, Exeter CLP.

WOM

Alison Daun a

The weekend of 1 Conference “eld on the Isle of entirely ignored by preferring to devot Emma Parkinson, ti those who went calendar of socialist women. A selection of debates demonstrate the progressive stance of Labour Women.

llic although inaccessible Rothesay tunately, the Conference was almost ional media, with the Guardian article on its Women's Page to National Vice-Chairman. However,

Rite

bute.

7, 7 ce Tories ognise the importance of this event in the

shadow elections

The results of the Shadow Elections to the Women's places on the NEC were that the WAC slate of Abbott, Maynard, Moore, Morrell and Short was elected. 75 trade union delegates expressed their opposition by spoiling their ballot papers and the Militant boycotted the whole event.

This puts into sharp relief the core of the conflict which persists between, on the one hand, the so-called middle-class feminists of WAC and the CLPs and , on the other hand, the union women who see themselves both as underrepresented at Conference and as the authentic representatives of } class women. In fact, to judge by appearances, from being wholly accurate. The most interesti at this year's Conference was a detailed resol calling in the main for better representation the Labour Party heirarchy, but at the same

longstanding commitment to direct elections from Women's

Conference to the NEC. resolution was 4 it originated not representative

ul aspect of this onference hall that » NUPE's NEC

il] Kinnock. Men, it to undermine the power of women.

rumour

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and

n Seemed to catch WAC on the hop. They failed to use any of their best speakers for the debate and did not exercise their right of reply on a Shadow Elections resolution. The day was saved by Ann Pettifor on the platform who replied for the NLWC recommending remittance (which was refused) and then opposition. She drew attention to the underrepresentation of Trade Unions on the NLWC, to the fact that the NUPE resolution was the first on this subject from a TU with a majority of women members and to the fact that women's voice in the Labour Party is in fact growing. But this is a double-edged sword, as we can see. As soon as women's power begins to develop, men seek to influence it and to limit its exercise. In this case, at least part of the answer must lie in supporting the struggles of Trade Union sisters to ensure a) that women are adequately represented within the unions and b) that the hierarchy reflects the needs and wishes of the rank and file. As Brenda Dean has shown, having a woman in charge is not the whole answer.

The resolution fell but the debate will continue.

welfare state

Against the background of Thatcher's Britain, it was not surprising that the Conference was dominated by resolutions from the CLPs and the Unions alike on the future of the Welfare State. Although some resolutions concentrated on reversing cuts in social provision already inflicted, many looked to go much further thar the now discredited vision put forward originally in the Beveridge report. In particular, Conference called for an end to humilitating means tests, an end to rules on cohabitation which hit women hardest, for democratic control of the DHSS with trade union and claimant involvement and for benefits to be paid from the wealth of society as a whole. From there we moved to the often disregarded question of provision for people with disabilities which set the scene for perhaps the most stimulating debate of the whole conference. It was an occasion for reflection when an overwhelmingly able-bodied conference was told by a woman in a wheelchair that she had been forced by the pathetic facilities provided to use incontinence pads. The resolution called for an end to reliance on charity, a fully integrated housing programmed and a research and development initiative for disabled needs. The most powerful statement came from a Liverpool woman who emphasised the ability of capitalism to marginalise disabled people by classifying them as “unproductive individuals".

F The

racism

The racism debate brought together the pro- and anti- Black Sections arguments with a vengeance. Women's Conference policy has for two years been to support the demands of Black sisters for Black Sections within the Labour Party. This was reaffirmed. In supporting a pro-Black Section amendment to an anti-Black Section Militant resolution, Diane Abbott spoke forcefully about how Black Sections gave Black comrades a platform from which they could combat racism in the Labour Party. The parallels of self-detemnination in the face of oppression between Black Sections and Women's Sections are overwhelming. Diane Abbott also attacked

the Militants for saying that Black people should be "encouraged to develop''. The pro-Black Sections amendment

was carried overwhelmingly as was the now amended resolution. Its only remaining failure was an undermining of Black consciousness by dividing Black people into "black and Asians". Its demands were oriented specifically towards repeal of immigration laws, socialist policies to end poverty, an end

to all discrimination and organised opposition to the growing resurgence of the National Front.

expulsions

Women 's Conference opposed expulsions from the Labour Party by a two-thirds majority. Two resolutions supported by Briefing, WAC, the Militant and the National Labour's Women Committee — took a broad view of a purge of socialists and urged everyone: in the Party to stop diverting valuable resources of time and energy and instead direct them against the Tories and the Alliance. Allied to this is, of course, the need to support the Councillors surcharged for pursuing socialist policies. The most powerful contributions emphasised that we should look beyond the narrow Militant "threat" towards developing a Coherent socialist alternative where Militant can be challenged and debated rather than pathologised. Conference pledged its

Support. for the Conference against the Witchhunt to be held later this month.

These are just snippets from a busy two and a half day

Conference. Watch out tor turther coverage of housing, education, the NHS, privatisation, Northern Ireland etc. etc. in the next National Supplement.

RIN G E- events

fringe events taking place throughout the Conference are too numerous to mention individually, however there were two we found particularly interesting.

The fringe meeting organised by the SWAPO (South West Africa People's Organisation) Solidarity Campaign was one of the most stimulating and moving events we have ever been to.

The fight for freedom in Namibia was linked up with the fight for socialism in Britain and highlighted by Martha Osamore from the Broadwater Farm Comminity Defence Campaign.

She held the audience spellbound with her simple, vivid descriptions of the build up to the Tottenham riots and a political social analysis of the reasons behind them. Diane Abbott added to this and Ida Jimmy (SWAPO) recounted her experiences in occupied Namibia. Her description of giving birth to her son in jail, aided only by other women inmates, made us all feel humble.

The Chile Solidarity Campaign fringe meetiag again showed up the courage of women under oppression. Women have become the spearhead of the movement against Pinochet, as men are picked out by the authorities as potential leaders and systematically murdered. We were shown a horrifying video of the break up

of the March on International Women's Day by Chilean Women, with tear gas and water cannon. The Women's message ''democracy in the workplace and the home'' is gaining strength and will not be stamped out by jackbooted facists.

Both events stressed that help of a verbal and practical nature is required; in particular sanitarv wear and simple medical kits were cited by SWAPO. as one means of giving practical aid. Our sisters in other countries need all the support we can give them, while they direct their own struggle.

FEED THE WORLD (without meat)

Exeter LPYS entered a team in the recent Sport Aid Race Against Time. Our four runners completed the course with varying degrees of exhaustion and raised some money for famine relief.

As Socialists we realise that Third World poverty is caused by the world capitalist system. The direct destruction

of Third World economies which began with nineteenth century imperialism has been more subtlely extended by the activities of modern multinationals. Therefore while every penny Bob Geldof and his many friends can raise is desparately needed, famine relief charities are not actually attacking the

root of the problem.

The massive wealth enjoyed by Western consumers and the grinding poverty in Africa, Asia and Latin America are two sides

of the same coin. fund raising alone can never really help poor countries while they remain locked into an economic system specifically designed for their exploitation. This point can easily be illustrated by the fact that the Third World has to give the West £10 billion every year in so-called debt repayments while Sport Aid aimed to raise a mere £100 idllion, one per cent of the debt figure!

SuT NERS THATCHER , You're GOING TRE NRON GS WAY

Instead of pretending we are helping to relieve famine and feeling self-righteous we should support progressive, nationalist and socialist movements in the Third World and build links between their oppression and conditions in the West. 'Benevolent capitalism' is merely an attempt to hide rather than solve the world famine problem. Internationally, socialism requires confronting all exploitation and allowing the people of the Third World to build and

control their own economies after smashing the chains of dependency.

Socialists, then, should use Live Aid, Band Aid and Sport Aid as platforms to highlight the real causes of world famine.

At least some of the public concern can be channelled into developing an increased understanding of the international capitalist system. This should hopefully lead to more support for the various Third World solidarity groups

such as Chile, Nicaragua and Namibia, rather than just giving money to patronising ‘helping hand' charities.

We should also take every opportunity to stress that world poverty is our problem and not that of individual countries. Bob Geldof's recent descriptions of certain Third World government's as "'thugs'' serves only to cloud the issue © and is very dangerous. The real ''thugs'' are to be found

in the West, as the whole history of the West is drenched in the blood of the Third World.

Finally, there is one easy way in which we can help the

Third World every day, rather than just participating in one-off events, however large. The Western diet is largely based on the consumption of meat and this forms an incredibly

wasteful part of the capitalist dependency chain. Grain

which could be used to feed people is instead used to fatted cattle which are then slaughtered.

Whether or not you object to killing animals (which I do) it is im ible to argue with the fact that land and resources u create meat for one person could i y to feed at least eleven people. ticipated in the Live Aid, Band became vegetarians then farmers their resources into the production h we could really feed the world.

of useful

tarianism is painfully simple form of communication and protest

se people who are planning to

© m te

inst poverty.

ote for the anti- olution to National Conference are not going to eat any meat beforehand! Paul Giblin, Exeter CLP.

No Sell (Out)

Exeter City Council has yet of being attacked by the Shelter. Despite Labour maintain the present Council City Council is about to sel ’ only is this empty house being sold, bi has even been left:

empty for six months. With the ever-pres need for emergency accommodation we should be doing our utmost to ensure that such houses are kept in public ownership and use.

mat

t itself in the position

ign for the homeless, trying to increase or

ng stock, the Labour~led

ive-bedroomed house. Not

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Devon Labour Br

express their views on current local and national political issues and so further debate within the Party. It aims to support. the working cleass and various political movements in their struggle against capitalist, racist and sexist

oppression.

This month has seen incredible solidarity within two such groups. The sense of sisterhood seen at Labour Women's Conference, the shared experiences of individual women's struggles from many parts of the world has proved that the women's movement is alive, kicking and is posing a threat to capitalism.

The solidarity at Wapping of printers and left-wing groups throughout the country has proved that working people are uniting and building links to threaten rich bosses and the Tory government.

What we now need is a future Labour Government to turn these feelings and struggles into concrete socialist policies rather than the flimsy social democratic policies of the present leadership.

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Devon Labour. Briefing.

DEVON LABOUR BRIEFING all correspondence to: 19, Culverland Rd. Exeter EX4 6JJ.

tel:

Exeter 219796 or 79531