Labour Briefing no. 49

With the threat of nuclear lation constantly present, Labour Party policy of unilateral nuclear disarmament is vital to us all.

Yet far from strengthening last year’s policy gains, this Conference Saw a dangerous series of manoeuvres in preparation for ditching unilateralism. It is vital that all activists understand what happened in Brighton — and what we must do in the coming months.

JOY HURCOMBE, Chair of Labour CND (writing in a personal capacity) explains the issues.

The Labour Party policy for unilateral nuclear disarmament has been seriously weakened by events at the Labour Party Conference. Delegates may have thought that the vote for Composite 34, the unilateralist resolution, gave a majority vote for existing Party policy. The resolution even spelt out a timescale for removal of all nuclear weapons and bases: “within the lifetime of the next Labour Government.” Unfortunately, delegates did not realise how quickly this commitment was to be set aside. Composite 30, also passed by Conference, looked harmless enough, with its opening line reaffirming Labour's non-nuclear defence policy. But in fact, it contained phrases which

have already been used to ditch unilateral nuclear disamament.

RALISM!

@NHS cuts

AIDS care

@ ANC ‘no’ to gay rights

@ Stop South African coal!

@ Labour Party Conference: moving rightwards

@ Features: childbirth, child

abuse | 4 1Op |

JOAN RUDDOCK stands waiting to confuse and compromi

Labour Party Conference

‘The NEC is now instructed to establish 2 working party to review the timetable and negotiating strategy through which the next Labour government will advance our non-nuclear policy within NATO.

This, together with the policy review, also agreed at conference, gives the leadership a free hand to overturn conference’s clear intention of reaffirming policy. Instead of a clear statement that our Party will remove all nuclear

will end up Thatcher's.

It has been clear for some time that the leadership have been considering major shifts in policy. An overwhelming vote for unilateral nuclear disarmament by Conference has sys tended to be a problem in what it leaves out, in what it takes for granted, rather than a help to elaborate or stick by the policy.

Composite 30 — floated by Kinnock’s office and given credibility by TASS support and by the TGWU, led by Ron ‘Todd — was used to destroy the policy which those unions and CLPs have fought for years to retain.

‘To clinch a highly managed debate, Joan Ruddock delivered 2 carefully worded spech which signalled that the CND lobby would not stand in the way of a policy review and that review ‘would, of course, involve the restatement of unilateratism in light of international events.

Trident, we are now told, is nat to be opposed. Of course the Labour leadership would never use Trident, but, since in the 1990s Trident will be a fact of life, there is nothing wrong with using Trident politically and demanding that the Soviets match our unilateral action. What we would do with Trident is left unclear, all that is said is that it would not be on station.

Clearly her contribution was approved of by the leadership, and was intended to confuse and compromise the unilateralist vote, ‘to tun it on its head” (Observer, Oct. Ath).

Ken Livingstone was right to warn conference that there are radical moves to shift conference away from agreed policy. Verbal attacks on him by Healy and the NEC hen-

were unable to stop unilateralism from before their very eyes!

Instead of a clear campaign to argue for abandoni nuclear weapons and bases, we look set for anothe down which the voters will reject because it will be as unconvincing as the last election campaign.

Last time, we tried to out-Thatcher Thatcher, statements that we would buy lots more conventional weapons to make up for the loss of nuclear defence ~ really convincing stuff to the voters who wanted nuclear weapons to match the Soviet’s nuclear force. The election defeat pro ved that if we accept the Tory agenda, then voters will opt for Tory nuclear policy.

Now, we could use international events to support our

policy. We could argue that the super-powers are talking because we put nuclear disarmament high on the agenda, because of pressure to end the nuclear arms race from political parties like ours. We could argue that if. the talks succeed, they prove that our policies are right. if they fail, we continue to play our part to act to break the Geadlock. The principles remain, unilateral action can be justified whatever the international scene.

Scargill put it well in the debate. The negotiations are “because of” not “in spite of” unilateral nuclear disarmament policies.

In the next few weeks, the Labour leadership will rush through a policy to ditch unilateralism. We know that muttilateral nuclear disarmament is supported by people who really believe in nuclear weapons. Our leaders want to take us down that road. They think that it will deliver the next election to us. It won't. The voters have one Tory Party, they don't need anoth

The issue is clear. The Left must fight now for no going. back on Party policy. All CLPs and Trade union branches should flood the Labour Party HQ with demands for the adoption of Composite 34. Labour CND urges all members to oppose all moves to ditch our policy. We cannot be so easily tricked out of this commitment, the most important one the Labour Party has ever made.

LABOUR— TAKE THE POWER!

PHOTO Leese Herbert

Labour Briefing No. #9 Oct Hih-27th 1987 page 2

Campaign round-up

Chapeltown

'No help from Hattersley

Superintendant

On October 27th David forced to carry _these Ae Reiger is first wih some. diseases, thai reading in the House of their children will die soon Commons. canis pin Many of the later aborto lower the tie limit for eee ee ihe

Councilor Garth Frankland

rec nted then wrote to the Chief Whip was recently appointed "the Labour Police Group,

community affairs of- Neil Taggart, asking for action. ficer for the Chapeltown —“Counctior Hannigan, Chat district in Leeds, which of the Community Division, at-

- tended the Police Forum and contains a large Asian (ctssed the situation with

Nek thom 28 weeks of (he Probieats “effessiaee the and Afro-Caribbean the angry youth. Meanwhile, pregnancy to 18 weeks. = population. Elis had a’ vanioad of police ArAvioncamethird nthe BY Aun Pott ‘As in many other inner parked round the back of the

Streatham CLP

private members. ballot, it city areas, relations bet- "esting lace Fooks likely thar this Bil wl EY es Se ae ae ae ae ene a good chance "of health service or obstruction iy Ok Gareresmet) Se ee ee becoming law. by doctors earlier in the Leeds tion. Local youth have passed

Aithough Alton’s pro- pregnancies (ee p-ll for a Leeds resolutions “ealing upon the ponalt are backed — predic- run-down on altitudes to aon pole and youth community 10, boyeot al

‘ectings that Elis attended have collapsed in recent "The" Community. Relations years, and since 1981 the Council ‘has. supported this Afro-Caribbean youth have call, as has Leeds North East been organising against Labour Party. police oppression. Local people are demanding Wher Supt, Ellis visited — that Elis goas now. Most feel nie rece Mr Sharma, pe should leave the police

leader of the United Asian 8 ee te

Organisation taped their So 'with Chapeltown

fably —- by Life, SPUC and pregnant women). If women Margaret Thatcher, reduc- had easy access to abortion ing the time limit by such a facilities the need for later large margin will mean that abortions would be cased his Bill will not have an easy considerably. Fide inside or outside — Many —_anti-abortionists Parliament. will be pressuring Alton to Nowoman prec stohave make a tactical retreat, ‘alate abortion. Those who realising that such a massive do have often been forced reduction in time limits will

be LS TO: Dyed Sate

} beyond their control. to go through Parliament. pares a 9 oe Ungpsreed visited

7 ‘About 6,000 terminations They may well argue for In the tape. Elis says thet thown golice station.

: fulimaney for the , made it clear that he wants lis’s defence is that the story quoting Hettersley_ at eeeeee ss dared not tell overall number of abortions. have been organised to coin- abortion rights will pee ngellonetcecgamasenc om pee neva, eval A oe reer ae eal Seaeemtntetied: Sesect siti Nevers | nea dp (peclisomteme = ee

NO sc ot abortions limit any reduction would the Bil, 20 years after the Abortion Campaign on Oc- | mecting in romt of alargeau- Local Labour Party activate carried out alter 20 weeks have a disastrous effect on passing of the 1967 Abortion _tober 31st and November Ist | dience including the Deputy have, ‘added a second demand

abnormalicies. Fhe more A campaign has been set Corrie Bill is being planned meets Mondays at 6.30pm at | {m8 the, comane soncesoee ane a until afier 18 Already a lobby of Parlia- reading. This campaign and London weet Women would be ment and.prese conference other aspects ofthe fight for

Protestors tell

3 BP Shares Offer racist cop: Resign now! Prepare to unscramble the | «wie. +» essen

Chapeltown se banners were put in front

Harehills police forum in banners were put in front

Lf = broiler chickens! pe eran

Indian community Cedric Clarke, who needed enraged by racist five minutes’ to call the

if This month huge, group. Today it consist of 10 duction and sale of coal which buy already functioning

i tnearaed profits are go. fiferent companies, each with helped, to defeat, the Brits companis cope Fina by meeting 0. order He an.

ing to be made by all sorts 0"", Gresior tt arsine complete with the blood of the & growing trend. British capital = Frankland, our local coun:

q of very. undeserving rid ih prof forcast. for South Atrcan miner Aled ine ‘uhing actos the | By Dave Walker ilor, had sent a letter to Pe ieies of cence, to tbe OES ne conor nec, acted by the US government's | Leeds N.E. CLP ee tment holding in BP, whichis “UCJ0"" DUS Tromcnt con. of money aneng op foreign Sing onthe arm industry ‘About fifty protestors ments made by _ Ellis. expected to raise some £7.5 fracu and tect government companies. tumed up at the meeting Frankland wanted to know ition to enable, ts rants and investctr fn 1978 i bought the plastics Socialist wwimebermers, emmanding whet action would, be Tor the rich and powerfal. okements the company. as, Europe of Union Carbide What istnesocaist answer1o | Biipetiown” 2 “Resign Authority against Elis

‘The Chair then asked Cllr

7 Te Ti a Po tier hemeM the company NaS “gin 1986 RP Nutrition pur- allthis? Public ownership under | your job”, and “Out, Out, He ‘ 3 Flanigan to tell the pro-

q pe esreee 2 ie a chased Purina Millsin the USA, democratic warkersconteol.ob- | ur’ |” Now Ta he stares has Westminster South CLP ins {ote of the earls vousy. st toe rtpone 6 testors how they should jevelo wit ig i iar oer ‘work out in practice? Those a chante) ete feal with their complain developed. ith bit Says tece Thacpenteny™ ln 1967 i'gomaed comping companies imated, in The mesting, attended deal with their complaint

~ Imefiean and Fapancic ine Saye Pace etenea sy contol of the Standard OW everthing from oi 10 beer | by local Councitors, Chees S8Fye"

i acral ivestone showing Managed (c-inte wicrais ol CO ig the Us for £45 chickens will take some | Supt. Stonley (elis's Te Uti eceive advice

r Fosdar interest sharcholders) and this manaee ition, having already bought unscrambling SOES), ells himself, and no mood to receive advice

Tis not surprising. Well decisions. tp 5% ofthe shares by I amelie sally in Britsin | Chief’ Inspector Cowman, and told Flannigan to shut the’ price of the shares can be taken into common | looked at first as if it UPand sit down, announced it seemed i Swvership, enterprises inthe ; ‘The Chair then said that

4 = Reaction Sense wouldn’t take place ot all

aa) ain tat nena Sp 2 Sfp part of the wold thud waneee ene Gould expect an instant 30% am idds nakes'cxcticu seme” one ghd or said tack at | <ap-7 a0; ste tind ib: open-toe retemeags Pati ifthe sold ataigh way, canton ta the Gi Sggpctistomacimse pro: Bot what abou Puriea Mats | meeting | SH0uny ave They could stay and keep Those who. hag. on can leak and aaname fallin cl rs, HCO tac way and Standard Ol? Assuming | started the,, protestors the perso Pe meeting ferment n il of per 10: Bence Ioana erhsmoney wavwpem ac: (ha a sonal Briain faced | went. in to, the meeting coe ee ereators ead ‘Stravagant standards. Gitieem. fields, lacing Sy. Te coapanc, with a capmalt Us, we coud | shouting “Resign Elis’ closed, The prateste eee hemi asics, animal et, Ge a being ened Sel ibe comanics tack at | But Elis, Stonley and they didn’ want Elle, st Hood | products ad othe, Othe aie Jo ool a niarkel", v2. eareniely bah. | Cowman didn't turn up til the meeting and he and his ed :

Riggs and coal f solitary factory rr sing the ions ovat: | 74s, when they were boys should go now. ak. one of the largest “'Farhemore his moncy mas £ fond, Standard OW alone & | Sregted with more, angty The Chai then announeObvionty the ale beng poracseior el nese sp igi US pach ate a Sn {10 bition vo | Ste Te Nera” ad that an. much aa he dges. The sare wil be Sold the "word, wit an toaling SSken Otel. (waht increasing ines onthe | and “Out of Chapeltown’, Segre tioee ort @ low incr ruc market aiuto 2m tone yea and one ts aE Ou Or usr ent working Gasand hep wrgg- | One of the protestors. WOult P one. Ge Heese ue. ome es of oveation oe Saved of eew capual BP hs ing commas iv ctber pats of | presented Supt. Es with # date ined for enower one

Prcctisfalcompany-orrather have been swelled by the pro- poured billions into the US to the world SL | STAs SSSe eS

Editorial

BRIEFING"

TASOUR — TAKE THE POWER

Take a lesson from Tebbit!

Norman Tebbit got it right.

His keynote speech to the Tory f Blackpool spelled out the recipe w! transformed Thatcherism into the dominant force of mainstream politics in Britain.

‘And by contrast he also put his finger on the reasons why Labour's leaders have so dismally failed to combat the all-round Tory offensive.

Thatcherism has from the outset seen itself occupy ing @ vanguard role, leading the employers, the ossessors and the well-to-do from the front. Having decided their next step forward, the Tories have set out single-mindedly to achieve it, by _bludgeoning, blackmailing and bribing sufficient people to impose their will

As Tebbit pointed out, the success of Thatcherism has so far been to capture the middle ground — not by itself adapting or toning down its own politics, but by dragging the “centre” towards the right

‘As he jeeringly pointed out, this approach has com pletely transformed the British political landscape:

“Even our opponents are being dragged behind (That her's) chariat, screeming and shouting into the new

tain.”

Contrast this bold, brutal, class conscious approach with the cringing, cowardly display by Neil Kinnock’s Yuppie roadshow in Brighton.

Hf Tebbit epitomises Thatcherism, red in tooth and claw, surely the wretched Bryan Gould, with his renun. lation of Clause IV and eagemess to base Labour's policies on the most backward prejudice of “public opiion’, sums up Kinnockism — yellow through and through,

While Thatcher's baying pack of Blackpool Tories howled their support for more and more traumatic, radical change, Kinnock’s timid herd of bureaucrats pro: ved themselves the real conservatives.

Dazzled like rabbits by the bright lights of the That cher phenomenon, their every “new” idea begins and

ends with accepting the current Thatcherite status quo. ular of public services.

‘@ Labour leaders will be even more tongue-tied in defending Social Security from John Moore’s threaten: ed “review” — especially since Shadow Chancellor John Smith has already announced his conversion to Thatcher's “‘low-tax”” philosophy.

So the rot goes on. At root, the problem is a basic political one. Labour's leadership, and their backers in the union bureaucracy, themselves comfortably placed in their well-paid niche in the system, have always rejected a goherent socialist answer to the crisis of

capitalism, Instead they have searched for reforms and

legislative policies which could marginally improve things for workers — but always within the framework offcapitalism.

‘Their problem is that British capitalism has since the mid 1970s been locked in a particularly severe ‘economic crisis: so policies which hinge on reforming it have also been thrown into crisis.

“The socialist overthrow of capitalism is one response: ‘Thatcher offers the other consistent answer. She embraces and epitomises the interests of the capitalist class in its drive to increase profits by increasing the rate of exploitation of the working class — and to cut taxes on those profits by slashing back state spending. ‘Though some old-style "wet" elements of the Tory Par ty and CBI flinched at this at first, they have now been crushed or convinced: the recipe has been seen to work.

But it only worked because Labour and the trade union leaders have been so weak. While the Tory leadership thrived on class confrontation, the labour bureaucracy has flown into a panic whenever workers have fought back against Thatcher.

‘The miners and printworkers were only the most ob* vious of a long list of workers cruelly isolated and betrayed by a TUC-and Labour leadership that simply longs for the return of the ““good old days” of class col-

while refusing to challenge Thatcher's

laboration, offensive.

Thatcherism has all but wiped out old-style collabora. tionist deals with employers and government; it has: also rendered irrelevant the ‘normal’ parliamentary processes and begun to demolish the structures of local government. Flushed out of their natural habitat, most, Labour MPs, councillors and union bureaucrats have been unable to survive the harsh conditions, and have now completely lost their bearings

Worse: their latest ‘'solutions’” serve only to cut Labour and the unions still further adrift from the most, oppressed layers of the working class, which should be their bedrock support.

For over ten million jow-paid: for the unemployed, im poverished and homeless working class men and women who have paid for Thatcherism, the appeal of @ genuine socialist solution — centred on the nationalisa tion of the banks and the major monopolies, and the planning of an expanded economy for social need rather than private profit — is still a potentially powerful rally ing call

Holy Grail

In place of the GouldiKinnock search for the Holy Grail of @ programme that offends nobody and that all will vote for, socialism is both more practical and more popular.

Military strategists argue that the best means of defence is often to attack: Labour leaders have since 1979 shown that a certain way to lose ground without ‘even a fight is to retreat even faster than the enemy advances.

‘Asthur Scargill — one of the few trade union leaders to defy this general line of capitulation and collapse — has repeatedly bemoaned the lack in the labour move ‘ment of a leadership “as dedicated to our class as That ‘cher is to hers.”

‘The contrast between the Brighton and Blackpool ‘events confirms how right he is.

Tory Party Conference

A mission for counter- revolution

It was not just the wallets fattened by tax cuts and Telecom shares that gave added sparkle to the eyes

By John Lister

the they

To judge from Brighton Conference

of Tory zealots in” have not done badly so far; Blackpool. the Labour Party itself, It was the mouthwatering having distanced itself from prospect of even richer Clause IV, is now socialist pickings to come, only by historical habit and ‘Of course the stage association rather chan in its managers as always kept political programme. things bowling along. However, Tory according to plan: there is representatives were offered never any real debate at even more juicy _titbits

during the week as Thatcher ‘openened up a new larder of red meat to satisfy the lust for profits

There will be more privatised share issues, to

these Tory jamborees, which have no policy-making role,

Privatisation

But it was the sheer pace allow Keith Best to win back of their leadership's the money he lost on his commitment {0 drive British Telecom conviction.

forward the juggernaut of privatisation and wind down the chintz curtain of Victorian morality that got the conference to its feet

There will be new openings for profiteers in the inner cities, new chances for landlords to make a faster buck, and new frontiers of

‘Thatcher herselt_ firmly promised sill more tax cuts not make anyone's blood Fonfereace: and the* maig The ‘Tory crusade ‘would anything more ideological

Social ‘Security: applauded matched only fo. its inst ‘local “government list sjstems of selection and. in particular against 2nd lay the basis for more

Tee-paying schools.

those inner city populations 7 The one debate where the

that had the nerve to vote

Labour in June. show of enthusiasm was Jess than convincing was on the transparently unpopular

Estates Poll Tax. The Conference

call on Nicholas Ridley to get the business over with as

It is ideology as much as quickly as possible reflects a

economics which calls Tor recognition that once the break-up of the Labour. Iegislated it will become a dominated Council estates new fait accompli for ‘a move to be backed up Labour to challenge, They

by Norman Tebbit’s new

plan= for a Rapid largely over before the next

Deployment political hit- Getiign

pears Pathetic Education figure of Michaet Heseine

education ran

theme of through so. many

rned-softie John _Biffen ‘enrolment of Peter

debates and was central to to the hard-line Thather's speech camp confirmed Thatcher's Not content with most remarkable revoluti

reshaping the political of all.

landscape, the Tories want The Conservative Party

toindoctrinate youth in their “has turned. its. back on

values. The Party's commitment to wipe out any colours firmly to the mast of ‘element of enlightenment or “‘counter-revolution” raised liberalism through the new by. Thatcher in the mid national curriculum is 1970s

conservatism and nailed its

Thoughts of the great: “I'm just an ordmary housewife: | lke

inarmite toost, 1 just don’t have fo live on it avery day. ”

the past will continue to fail in its task oF defending the

A labour movement that

ignores this, and clings on to the pathetic parliamentary oppressed and exploited and trade union tactics of — millions,

(PHOTO: John Haris

Labour Briefing No. 49 Oct 141h-27th 1987 page 4

Trade Union Briefing

ORGANISE FOR SOLIDARITY NOW!

st, dant of the 1984/85 Miners’ Strike, eee retreated in the face of the enormous odds stacked against them. inert ton en ee erg eee ie CoS ere oe eee es ae ae a ee Seek — a — eae [oe < See 5 ee eee Rae oe eee eee ar See oS ae ee = cere ci ae ee ce ee Seatoreuanee ee eee coon ee ae

ae ee oe Cs ee es Sere eee ees ane oe coe cee ee Se Ee Ge ie cease pers ceils ee oes Loam ee nee oe ne So See Se Se Saha

ish Coal have issued new share deal in CISWO (the Coal Indsustry Social Welfare Orga which automatically x) BC an. overall

majority. They have issued 20 new shares, 10 19 themselves. 5 to The NUM. to BACM, | 10 NACODS, 110 APEX. and the hist two to the USE nother important Lon. eessionvoneeded bythe NUM NEC meeting on September 6th was on the inuineworkers pension fund, The Execttive agreed 10 sit sith the UDM on both these important eommittees ‘despite opposition by Scargill, He relused 10 be Hominaied for a. seat_on either of the commitizes However, Mr Pet

Heathfield, NUM general seerettrs, and Mr Samny

Thompson, the union’s vice prevident, ‘will sit on the Sociil wellare committee,” (FT. 7.9.87)

These ill gotten vains of the LDM sill be put to xood luse in. the coming period ‘shen they will be campaie ing for recognition by tbe TLC and affiliation to the Labour Par

Till now the NUM has

and Black Community Groups and other organisations Prepared to fight and support

those fighting By Andrea Campbell Tower Hamlets Workers Support Group

A Steering Committee wav set vp to plan the Conference and Several open meetings have been hheld to discuss the format and content of the Solidarity Conference

“The Conference has now been called for the weekend of November 7th and 8th in Leeds Tewill not be a “ally” with major speeches, Tt will be a Weekend of workshops led by people who have been actively involved in industrial” action ‘and/or community fightback, the unemployed movement, ec

There will be plenty of time for discussion and report backs anda major discussion is Scheduled for Sunday on the future structure’ and future ‘work which the Solidarity Coaference shouldbe involved in.

Trade Union Briefing . bas given its support to this Conference since the call from Silentnight for a meeting of ac fivists” We do not see i a5 2 Substitute for the trade unions their structures, of their role We do see it as an important facus for discussing the role of the unions, and especially the bureaucracy in collaborating time and time agsinst with the ‘employers against the interests ‘of their members and against [ny effective action against the employers’ offensive

Tnereasingly. “bosses” trade unionism is being introduced into British manufacturing, with

Hammond of the EETPU and Jordan of the AEU fushing 10 Sgn nosteike one.ution agreements and undermine aational agreements. In the public ‘sector the large unions have fail- ‘ed to respond to the attacks on ‘wages and conditions and jobs Dosed by cuts and privatisation,

‘Up and down the country, however, are workers who Jo respond, often in isolation and in desperation. ‘The Solidarity Conference isa chance 10 15) 10, tint these forces to share the common experiences and 10 Sevelop a network of support ‘which will be able 10 publicise disputes as they develop and give whatever support 10 those isputes which we can.

Trade Union Solidarity Conference Leeds Trades Council Club ‘Saville Mount, Leeds November 7th, 11-6. November 8th, 9:30-4.30 £3 (waged), £2 (unwaged: ‘creche available Credentials and

10282 812864)

‘With the third tere of a Tory ‘government and more anti-trade lunion legislation scheduled 10 become lave — not to mention ‘ecent open threats 10 slash jobs ‘and. conditions further in’ the Dublic and private sectors — we fave no time fo waste. Support the Solidarity Conference — and help build the fightback!

Trades Unions

Against the MSC!

Trade unions generally have been slow to respond to the activities of the Manpower Services

‘Commission. ‘Most unions have en dorsed schemes, sometimes reluctantly, in the hope that their involvement will lead to improvements.

Others have never accepted MSC schemes, and have strong policies of opposition, at national or more often at local levels. The trouble is that these unions have never advanc: ‘ed their policies to other branches or at the TUC.

But the time for sitting on fences and resting on laurels is now over! The schemes have taken @ sharp turn for the

‘Noone should now be in any doubt as to the wus motives bebing the MSC. The Intoduction of the Job Training Scheme working for the Sole and. the proposed restructuring of the Communi ty Programme to make it a Denefitbased scheme are ‘simply the realisation of long term Tory plans.

‘The MSC is not intended to solve the problem of Unemployment. Khas become, and. perhaps has ‘always been. 3 cynical attack ‘on the unemployed. reflecting ‘the government's policies for low wage economy and non: Gnionised worktorce

MSC schemes have boon

the vehicle for 2 wansfer of finance away from the public ‘sector into the voluntary and ‘charitable sectors. Communi ty Programme projects have often been the only growth areas in inner city boroughs ‘decimated by rate-capping.

‘This «¢ undoubtedly part of the "softening. up" prepara: tions for privatisation, where ‘Small {and not so small) MSC funded organisations are waiting in the wings to take deer sepects of public sector Provision, particularly "child are and care of the eldery. Grants from the DoE for inner city “refurbishment” can be Conditional on use of MSC ‘abou

“The £35 milion Saatchi ond Seatchi propaganda _ cam: paigns have defined Unemployment not as 8 political issue, but as a per Sonal problem forthe. in Snidual — who must try harder to find jobs that don’t

By Maggie Arkwright Secretary, Trades Unions Against the MSC

Over 700,000 workers are now in MSC limbo of beng heither employed nor unemployed, only to discover that the “bridge back to work” more often than not leads straight back to the dole

Trades Unans Against the MSC is an organisation that ims t0 co-ordinate # ser0us ‘challenge to the MSC through the TUC. We plan to have mo:

On Thursday, October 1st,

tion to merge their telecoms operations. On the Friday morning, they told their employees.

GEC and Plessey workers

‘can only. speculate about ‘where the axe will land. Hard Secisions have been threstenfed before Christmas, with the new joint Company launched Ip January 1988,

‘So what ate the motives of

successfully argued against Fecognition but it will become increasingly more difficult if not hypocritical

Merger heralds

these two companies’ sudden

‘Short term, it is 3 cost cutting exercise. Goth make the same products (System X {just one, but the most sportant). Both nave failed to ‘win any significant exports. Orders from BT alone ate not enough 10 provide the vast ‘Smounts of capital required for

nologies,

‘The merger is designed 10 ‘cut out duplication — in pro ‘uction, administration, and to

Two complaints hav been made against Prendergast. One is that he failed to dissociate himsel from his union's decision

2 lesser extent engineering. The products wil then De cheaper: hopefully sell more, fand generate the desired pro: fis to compete effectively against multinational giants such as AT&T, Norther Telecom and Alcatel

‘Long torm, this could work to the advantage of GEC and Pressey bosses. If it doesn't

en the failing Company wil be handily separated from its Parents ~ easier tO scrap oF Sil off

‘The immediate impact will

is only here Jo emphasise spiti continued atis rank and : NUM

Of them if they are sitting round the table with the UDM.

It would be ironical if the

members not to Labour in the last e

“Unfortunatels sone of the maining leadership in

NUM are to be the firs

Secondly. when Kinnock

Notts NUM aren't as cont

said “there sho

+ their own members

this “scab. organisation

fone mining union ir

and ate whining for dispen

The obsious answer. and

tain.” Mr Predergast is

sition and for Notts 10 Be a

probably one already. used

ing. “He's

Special place and 10 be ev.

by Seargill, would be to take

chided trom the Nation

Uup the share option but 10

overtime ban. it the Notts rank

reluse 10 sit with the scabs Anyway, if BC have a built in majority . what's the point in sitting in at all — even if the UDM had never been spawned? ogooo0s0800000 As~ reported in the Yorkshire Post (8.9.87). the Sherwood Labour Party's _ investigation team has made a call for the expulsion of Mr David Prendergast. a Party member for 15 years

For those not familiar with Prendergast, he is also one of the “super scab’ leaders of the UDM based in Notts. He is the financial secretary of the UDM's Nottinghamshire section

By W. Head Yorks rank and file

‘On a lighter note, a joke heard at the well supported NUM Notts Annual Gala in Mansfield (5.9.87) is: “The pit cat has "NUM

learnt one thing duri 1 the relative isolation since he strike of “8485. it is th he teed to stand shoulder 20) shoulder. wsin or lose. with the tel of the NUM Those lads and lasses in Notts had it @ lot harder than most and in a lot of cases are still being victimis ed for standing fast by the Union. These comrades know the full worth of com: munity spirit and mutual aid. They are ready to support the union once again and I believe the majority will not be found wanting.

ira 10 the UDM for

big job losses

aimost certainly be massive Closures and redundancies.

Key to the situation is how the workers respond. Judging from past experience, the of ficial trade union channels will be slow and hesitating

‘Ata rank and file level a meeting of the Telecoms mon Forum takes place in Coventry on Saturday, 17th Gctober, This provides an ex cellent opportunity to. start planning the fightback

By 2 GEC worker

Speak

tions on national trade unions conference agendas and to then force @ debate and 3 policy of outright opposition at the TUC

‘This will need active sup port. with individual trade Siionists ensuring that_mo fons are adopted st branch meetings and submited tor ational conferences

Our demands are for full trade “union rights for Unemployed workers and for a programme of job creation and fraiing linked dvectly to per manent jobs, We stand for breaking all trade union hrks with the MSC

There is no doubt that the MSC is moving towards exclu: sion of trade unions. But there isaneed for a policy of opposi tion whether the” "trinartite agreement” of unions, employers, and government is tetained oF not.

‘Any policy “must beim plemented at branch level fn arena usually fo! removed from MSC proceedings.

“Trade Unions “Against the MSC is calling a conference for trade unionists an Satur day November 7th

This conference is essential it we ave to intervene decisive Wyin. the dott towards

‘worktare'” and government plans to organise the Unemployed outside the trade tinian movement

Demonstrations, lobbies and campaigns agenst. in ‘vidual schemes are certainly to be supported, but the target ig the government controlled MSC iselt which must be at tacked directly by jeint unions st.national level

‘This. crucial issue will only be' debated seriously at next year's TUC sve organise

dooepooooo0on

Trades Unions Against the MSC Conference November 7th Dr Johnson House, 40 Bull Street, Birmingham a Registration (£5) from M. Arkwright, 30 Pembroke Road, Londen E17 (or 621.4130)

Do you want to go back to the bad old days Open the doors to the bad old ways This is the first stage of taking us back

To poor cont

ions, low wages, the threat of the sack

Hf we don’t wake up soon it will be too late We're giving them the position from which to dictate Cause if we say yes to this latest demand ‘There soon will be no issue on which we can stand The argument is others will not respect non

intervention

Some men have forgotten the meaning of a Union Their policy is divide them and they will fall

But i

we unit

together they can't beat us all

Don’t let them do it, don't let them through Don't put the clock back, the choice is up to you When the time comes use your vote to speak Say No to the injustice of the Six Day Week.

Barbara Smith

North Yorkshire Women Against Pit Closures

PHOTO: Pete Cooner

Labour Briefing No. 49 Oct 14th-27th 1987 page

Trade Union Briefing

The AIDS crisis the government ignores

In May this year, government Ministers’ pledged that the life-prolonging anfi-AIDS drug, AZT, would be available to everyone who needs it.

Yet today, five, months tater, there are sill dozens of people with severe AIDSRelated Conditions (ARCS) who. cannot get AZT Because hospitals haven't ot the money to buy it.

Professor Michacl Adler, of the Middlesex. Hospital, confirms the shortfall in the ‘AIDS drug budget:

“We will only be able to treat 60 patients. A further 150 patients with ARC who would benefit from AZT wit not get the drug. We need another £800,000, Without ‘more money, we will have to ration the drug by the end of the year."

‘AL St Stephen's Hospital, Dr Charles Farthing faces similar problems:

“We have 110 patients with AIDS, but the government hasn’t given us enough money to buy AZT for all of them. Until the Riverside Health Authority recently stepped in with emergency funding, 27 AIDS. patients were not getting the drug because of a shortage of money. Ideally, we would like to give AZT to an addi tional “197 patients with AIDS and ARC. However, tuntil we know how much ex: tra funding the government is planning to allocate us, we cannot give them the drug We haven't got the money. In the meantime, we are r2tioning AZT amongst our patients.”"

country’s leading AIDS doctors point to the shortage of money for AZT as symptomatic. of the government's failure (0 develop a comprehensive and co-ordinated strategy 10 deal withthe AIDS spidemic.

“The government urgently needs a strategic, long term approach to. combat ting AIDS," according to Dr Tony Pinching of St Mary's Hospital

the headlines. Si are derided as greedy bullies.

‘Scabs are bussed in to riotous abuse — and hailed by the media as heroic individualists.

Militant union leaders, are denounced by manage ment, who claim they are “out of touch” with their

members. ‘Sounds familiar? It's all happening in the USA — in the Bit

fer strike waged by American football players against the ‘owners. who control the Na tional Football League (NFL)

The US medio, hardly 2 friend of unionism at the best fof times, have pilloried the Players and thet union Tepresentatives. Public opinion seems 10 be running against the stikers, who are characterised as overpaid ‘egomaniacs, coldly indifferent fo the needs of the fans who idolize them.

“The club owners are given unieaticted airtime in which

“Its policy of year by year funding is unsatisfactory and no way to plan anything. The present level of funds for AIDS patient care is way below what we need.”

Much the same view is shared by Prof. Adler:

“We are living hand to mouth and stumbling from ‘one financial crisis to the next. The government has

By Peter Tatchell

no coherent response to AIDS. Instead of allocating funds on an ad hoc basis, Ministers need to draw up @ five year plan and earmark the appropriate money for its implementation.”

‘The consequences of the government's poor strategic planning and funding are evident at St Mary’s. In the fiscal year 1987-88, the hospital received only half the finance it requested for AIDS testing and treatment and the expansion of facilities 10 meet increasing demand.

“AS a result,” says Dr Pinching, “plans for a new AIDS ward have been compromised and the development of a new out-patient clinic for people with AIDS hhas had to be shelved. In some cases, we haven’r been able to purchase items of ‘equipment we need. So we have had to make do with what we've got.””

Prof. Adler suggests that inadequate government finance is pressuring doctors to “‘shroud-wave” in a bid for funds. He also claims:

“We sometimes get the impression that the government expects us to compete for scarce resources against doctors treating heart and kidney patients.

It’s an allegation which rings true. In the current financial year, the government is providing only £8.5m in direct central fun ding to the blood transfusion service and the major hospitals which are bearing the brunt of the AIDS

epidemic — even though the Health Minister has admit ted that the total cost of blood donation screening, heat-treating Factor 8, and the testing and treatment of people with AIDS could be as much as £32 million in 1987-88,

‘This implies that the government does apparently expect health authorities to divert up to £23.5m from ‘other specialities in the NHS to cope with AIDS over the

This under-funding has also had an adverse effect on the recruitment of specialist AIDS doctors:

“As part of a general cost cutting exercise, there is an official DHSS block on the creation of new permanent speciality training posts in the NHS," according to Dr Farthing.

‘At St Stephen's, we therefore cannot _ employ more registrars and senior registrars in AIDS to meet the rising demand of our ever-growing patient caseload. Our AIDS team has only one junior doctor ‘on the ward. Most other specialist medical teams — many of them less busy — have two or three. This is particularly absurd in. view Of the seriousness of the AIDS epidemic and the need to create new teams of doctors to cope with it.”

"These financial and staffing problems at St Stephen's have prompted the AIDS team to get private drug companies to fund two of their doctors in exchange for 2 commitment {0 research the companies’ products.

‘At St Mary's, when doctors recently "wanted 10 create a new senior registrar in AIDS post, they were told that no new posts could be ‘established because the staf Ting guidelines of the Department of Health specify that there are already enough.

However, Dr Pinching is adamant: “The constraints on in-

“andielt Vigil for AIDS. organised by the Terence Higgins Trust. Trafalgar Square, London. Moy

26th, 1986

creases in medical staffing mean that we do not have enough staff to cope with the demand created by the government's AIDS education campaign and the needs of increasing numbers of people diagnosed with AIDS. Without more specialist AIDS doctors, it will be very hard for us to continue 10 deliver an optimal service to our Patients.””

The doctors also claim that AIDS research is being. “hindered and delayed”” by inadequate government finance. In_the six years from 1981-87, total government funding for AIDS research was a derisory 2.5m. Though a further £14.5m was allocated in March this year, most of it cannot be touched till April 1988 and 1989.

Consequently, Dr Pinhing reports that St Marys

“scraping around for research money. We've missed a number of research opportunities and been unable to fulfill some of our planned projects for lack of

cash."

Dr Pinching also criticises, the bias in government research funding towards AIDS cures and vaccines to the neglect of support for research into virology, immunology, drug monitoring trials and’ the investigation of behavioural and lifestyle factors which may influence a person’s predisposition to AIDS.

‘One of Dr Pinching’s coworkers at St Mary's, Dr Adrian Renton, has unearth- ‘eda possible connection between the quantity and type of fais a person eats and their likelihood of suc- ‘cumbing to AIDS. Unable to ‘get government funding for his work, he complains that both the government and the drug companies are reluc tant to finance this type of lifestyles research:

“avs ‘unattractive politically and economical ly,” he says.

The two other AIDS researchers at St Mary's, Dr Keith Nye and Dr LesleyJane Eales, have been plagued by equipment shor. fages and job_ insecurity

American Football strike

to bewail their betrayal by the Players whom they have helped so much. The tabloids speculate relentiessly: which fig. star will next cross. the picket ines?

‘The reality is that NFL owners a¥e multi-milionaires who reap huge personal pro fits from the game, For generations, they have bought and sold players like chattel True, players are highly paid. But the "averge NFL career lasts just 3.7 years, leaving players with 2 legacy of per manent body-damage and 2 shomly reduced fe expectancy,

“Jobs inside or outside the ‘game are hard to come by for eccplayers, the vast majority fof whom ‘are not household

The most publicised of the players” demands has been vee agency"” — the right of individual players to sll their Services 1o the highest bidder fat the moment the owners transfer contracts from club to chub). ln negotiation, the players have retreated on this Soman and are now asking

for free agency only for Players with at least twelve years in the NFL.

"Although this demand will affect only @ handful of suc: ‘cessful veterans — at smal financial cost to management ~ ithas Boon reacted by the in principle to their unaccountable, unrestricted power over the professional game

Less publicised but perhaps more erucial to the strikers are {their demands for better pen. Sone and medical benefits. In 3 country with no national health” “Service "and the level of these benefits can make the difference botween penury and relstive prosperity Or indeed between life af death

Of ihe 1.600 NFL players 95% have stayed on strike The scabs have been manly big. stars who increasingly identify with the the rookies and unsung teat Of the players” union

frustrated football players. fin ding scabs has been easy.

regular coverage will know thet black quarterbacks are Virtually nonexistent in the NFL. Given the predominance of black players in other pos! tons, this might Seem somethung of an anomaly

By Mike Marqusee Haringey Labour Briefing

The explanation © Smpe the quarterback isthe

rains” of the team, the pivot around which the whole Kumbering ‘machinery works. ‘and NFL owners and coaches Clearly refuse to accep! that Such position of leadership = con be filled by black people.

‘exigencies’ of the strike, however, have forced ther recruit a few young blacks a8 Scab quarterbacks. thereby maintaining the long American tradition of white owners ser ing. racist division by using

black workers as stnke break

‘This time the tick won't work: Gene Upshaw, leader of the players’ union and 2 former player himself. #s cur rently the only black person on the AFL-CIO. executive Tequivaient of the TUC General Council

He has accused the owners of racism, and claims that they find st difficult to negotiate on equal terms with a black man, whom they are more used #0 Seaing in's subservient status.

‘Upshaw was hammered in the media for this “provocative” statement, but the attempt by the owners 10 Chorecterise him as a gullible ex-player, goaded and misled by malevolent unnamed white ‘edvisors only proves his point

Support from other unions has been strong. in Philadelphia, —_truck-driving members of the Teamsters Union excted the stadium with a massive picket linen Detrovt. car workers joined the players with placards and ban ers. Mineworkers and others ave tured up at various

Despite their internationally.

discovered a genetic link with AIDS, funditig for Dr Nye’s post ran out in June and it was only the intervention of the medical charity the Monument Trust which has enabled him (o stay on

Il December. ‘Thereafter, the future of both their posts is uncertain. Unless. someone offers the 1wo doctors funding, both will end up unemployed.

set basic research equipment and materials,” according to Dr Nye.

“In the past we've had 10 borrow and scavenge or make things ourselves. Until a charity recently stepped in, we had to do without an im” portant piece of blood: testing equipment. That slowed down our. research and made it very laborious."

An updated and expanded

book AIDS: a guide 10 survival was published this,

‘grounds around the country 0 Show. solidarity with thew fellow trade unionists

The immediate stakes in the strike are much higher for the players than the owners. Ina Carver of only 2 few years. los, tng even hall a season's pay ts famajor sacrifice. The owners ‘with megabucks in the bank Can hang on. In all ikehood the players will soon retuth to ‘work with few tangible gains Bur in the long tun. the real issue raised by the strike who controls the game? wll not go away’

The NFL stoke is just part of what will be a sens of con Tests fought outside sporting ‘arenas over who is to reap the benetits of what goes. on inside

‘Channel Four has. already shown one instalment of

scab ball” The strkers arc asking everyone to turn to the ‘other side. American football Sddicts who are also socialists Should heed their advice. and write to Channel Four to tell them to get "scab ball” off British screens

PHOTO: John Cole

Labour Briefing No. 48 Oct 14th-27th 1987 pose 6

Labour Party Conference

ORGANISE THE RESISTANCE!

This year’s Briefing fringe meeting was one of the liveliest and vibrant of the whole Conference. Speakers included Eric Heffer, Sharon Atkin, sacked miner Paul Whetton, Keith Veness, Sarah Roelois, Leonora Lloyd and Angela Berrios from

Chile.

We reprint below the contribution from Graham Bash, representing the Briefing Editor Board.

We have called this meetin Organise the Resistance. Itis a resistance that we are obliged to wage on two fronts: resistance against the government, but resistance also within our own movement.

The threat we face from the government is not just ‘business as-usual — nor just more of the same as we've hhad over the past 8 years, bad as that has been.

Within minutes of winning the election, ‘Thatcher

os the inner cities, The Tory assault is now moving into the heartland of our strength.

Local authorities and Council workers, Council tenants, the ILEA teachers, the NHS, the whole of the welfare" state, youth, women, black people, and trade unionists stand at the sharp end of the fight against Thatcher’s Britain.

Till now, Labour local authorities have for the most part managed to maintain council services and jobs — with a mixture of sirugele, asin Liverpool and Lambeth, — fudge, and creative accountancy, Now the fightin every authority is For teal

What is at stake is local democracy, the role of the Labour Party in Iocal

government — and in a real sense the future of our Party as we know it

‘Thatcher has made her aim admirably clear — to wipe socialism off the political map, 0 drive Labour out af local government, to destroy the rem nants of the welfare state, destroy the post-war state education system, destroy public services, and destroy the power of the trade union ‘movement.

Faced with ‘the scale of this threat — with the Future of our Party and movement very much on the line — itis galling to say the least that we have to organise resistance not only against the government, the ‘employers, the state — but also against our own leaders.

Comrades, it is best 10 start the week with no illusions. This Conference is going to be difficult. The leadership has found the perfect scapegoat for our lection defeat. It’s called the Party membership — those of us who have stood by Party policy, those who have defended jobs and services and refused 10 make ‘cuts, those who have implemented our policies of, ositive action for women, lack people, lesbians and gays, those trade unionists who’ have struggled and refused to surrender their jobs and conditions.

Our answer is simple. For a start they're on this platform this evening. Our answer is Eric Heffer whose general clection result if duplicated throughout the country would have given us a massive overall majority Our answer is Jeremy Corbyn who doubled his majori. ty and now has the highest Labour majority in London. Our answer would and should have been Sharon Atkin, Had she been allowed to stand there would no doubt today be a Labour MP for Nottingham East

Our answer is the sup porters of Militant — and alt those comrades. who cam paigned on a socialist pro: gramme, refused to go on

the defensive and won resounding victories,

The agenda for the week is New Realism. Neil Ki has set the tone. socialist commitment we haves up for grabs. He says nothing is excluded

But what we are witnessing is not just an attempt to redefine our socialist com: ‘mitments. That’s hardly new — they've been doing that since before we had any.

We're also seeing attempts toredefine our working class base and orientation — to distance our Party from the trade unions, to weaken the historic link that created the Party and move us in the direction of European Soci Democracy.

Faced with this, we must restate some fundamentals. ‘What I'm saying is no profound new analysis, no brilliant new idea — but a simple restatement of some

‘Our way back to electoral victory and government is not by chasing the yuppie vote if we do so at the ex. pense of our working class base. Our constituency is that alliance of forces that we saw develop in che miners” strike —'an alliance of the organised working

class together with women, °

black people, lesbians and gays,

This is not a rainbow coalition nor a popular front, but a radical alliance Of the dispossessed under the banner of the labour

‘That alliance was there in embryo. It remains to be built, and the divisions re. main to be overcome.

The election campaig showed exactly how nor to do it. You cannot mobilise the employed, skilled work ing’class by telfing them thar they must pay for Labour's Programme.

Comrades, itis simple but it needs repeating. Those who must pay for our programme are not our own working class supporters, of

he middle class — bus the forces of capital

The only way to construs an alliance for socialism — an alliance of employed and

unemployed, men and women, black and white — is to construct an alliance that confronts the power of capitalism,

A second point needs to be added. “Our election defeat reflected at an electoral level the material defeats we have suffered as 2 movement over the past few years. But never forget, at the height of the miners’ strike, with no help at all from our Party leaders, we stood at 40% in the polis

Isit not obvious that if the miners had won, the damage to the government would have been so immense that we would almost certainly have won the General Election? Yet Kinnock and Willis disowned the miners, criticised, marginalised and weakened their struggle. And in so doing, they doomed us to electoral defeat

To turn the electoral tide, we must begin materially — physically — to stop Thatcher in her tracks. That means that the Party must ‘Support — and identify with —all those in struggle against the government, instead of running away from those struggles.

It means also that Labour Councils now in” the frontline against Thatcher ‘must stand by our com- ‘munities and workforces and defend our local jobs

This has not been the road of Camden, of Lambeth, nor now of Haringey and the test. Nor_ of Margaret Hodge, Chair of» the Association of London Authorities, who tells us de fiance is not an option. Nor is it the road of the ILEA with their compulsory redeployment of teachers. Again there is a simple truth. You cannot mobilise your workforce and com: munity to defend Labour authorities against the government to fight the break-up of Council services and the poll tax if you have spent the last year attacking the jobs and services of that same workforce and

Comrades, after our third successive election defeat, of course our movement is in crisis. But the strategy that we will hear this week is a disaster. Not only does it attack, weaken and demobilise the working class; but.even in electoral terms it is a failure.

People voted Tory not because they were attracted by industrial decline, decaying public services, unemployment and Cruise missiles — but because of the absence of any alternative.

came into the Labour Party almost 20 years ago — as part of a generation in the late 60s inspired by the struggles in Vietnam, France, Czechoslovakia and later in the early *70s in Britain itself. This was a period of upsurge — the working class was immensely strong

and our consciousness of that strength and the Knowledge that our move. ment was strong enough to

change the world — has left an indelible mark on us,

We must preserve that knowledge, that confidence in the future, as today, like ‘our predecessors two generations ago — we are having to learn to fight against the stream.

We are preparing for the future, but the key 10 that future’ is inthe’ struggle today.

We milstRebuild the left ‘on the basis @f those struggles unfolding before us, Around these struggles, in local government, the miners, defence of inner cities, " the struggles in Ireland and South Africa, defence of Party democracy and women's and black people’s representation in the Party — we can and must rebuild an accountable, democratic and united Left across the Labour Party and trade unions, This is the only answer to. Thatcherism. Help us build Briefing! Help us rebuild the lett?

Youth Briefing

Better vibes from Birmingham

Twenty coaches from Birmingham. that’s the aim of Birmingham's Anti-Apartheid Youth Committee for the October 24th A-A demo.

With the South African miners’ strike still fresh on everyone's mind the task of organising international solidarity becomes even more urgent.

The three week tong strike Succeeded jn bring ing out 44 of the 46 mines, Unfortunately, the balance Of forces in South Africa at jthe moment, meant that

this historic strike did not also bring an historic vie tory for the Black South African working class

By Carl Taylor

Birmingham AntiApartheid Youth Committee

Only marginal gains in death grants ‘being increased and ore holiday pay were won The bosses have not_made public the amount of money FReve lost ,bup sityhos been

estimated at about 17 milion rand 3 day.

The Birmingham A-A youth

jon to aise money for the tnke and to co-ordinate local

PYS street callactions (Warley East LPYS raised £33 in two hours)

The Birmingham Youth Committee has: succeeded in completely changing the Birm. Ingham A-A branch. What was once a boning, stagnant. and white body is now a large ‘tou of youth with black: ble beginning t0 come forward Band take the leadership

Hopefully this success. wil

fepeated. throughout the

country with the establish

ment of an A.A youtn section

indanuary 1868 there will be a national youth conference in Solidarity with’ the. struggle against. Apartheid. orgonied bythe AA.

Not “surprisingly, though, the Statist leadership of AA ate not overioyed at the pro ensute that we dont get 3 Vibrant “youth section” but father @ pat on the head anda few tahvtah speeches. before ting hore

With your help they won't be successful and you can help in that process. Fst, ty and. amend the, Brminghart AVA resolution to AA con fora youth section and most important Youth Against Apartheid ou of the October 24th demo

Labour Briefing No. 49 Oct 141h27th 1987 page 7

Labour Party Conference

The Women’s Saga

Labour Party Conference is a shambles and a sham for low-paid workers and for women,

New delegates get guidance, Major deci Gre voted upon will minutes of delegates receiving the information from andouts left on seats. in booklets,

Sometimes even these booklets and handouts fal to arrive,

ihe Conference, aended edominantly by male Gelegates;; with a male dominated platform; with only 88 women speakers 2

inst 172, male speakers fromthe floor endorses Labour's macho image.

‘Women had expected the 1987 Conference to confirm (by the NEC bringing. forward a Constitutional ‘Amendment) the resolution passed at 1986 Annual ConTerencer that there must be at least one woman on every parliamentary selection Shortlist.

Conference failed to do this, as the NEC did not bring’ forward the Constitutional Amendment, Women debate on Wednesday afterhave been let down and noon. This was despite the deceived by the Party that fact that the Emergency claims it listens to them, Resolutions clearly concern-

Giving alittle more power ed a parliamentary selection to Women’s Conference isa issue and should have been Sop. Ifthe Labour Party was taken under the Party FranSerious about wanting to chise debate on Monday create’ a socialist society it afternoon. wwould ensure that it gave The struggle to get ConTepresentation to women by ference to debate the issue, allowing women tochallenge first where it belonged under

white male MPs in safe seats in future elections.

Eight CLPs (including Edgbaston) had submitted emergency resolutions cortecting the NEC report and calling for the Constitutional Amendment to. be brought before Conference, From the first thing on Mon. day morning right through to the end of Conference on Friday the Conference bureaucracy united to prevent the issue of “one woman on every shortlist” being debated,

By Pauline Purnell Chair, Labour Women’s Action Committee (personal capacity)

‘On Monday morning delegates from the 8 CLPs were asked to see Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC) on Tuesday. However, we did not accept that and insisted on seeing CAC on Monday.

‘After much discussion we were told that the debate could take place under the Women's Organisation

the Party Franchise debate, and then under Women’s Organisation (where it was never taken) was strewn with deliberate obstacles and obstruction.

Incompetent

These were mainly of the white male incompetent type, deliberately laid to stop'“‘one woman on every shortlist” going through Conference.

False reassurances were given by CAC, time and energy wasting tasks were handed out by the CAC (like asking us to get the Con. ference serutineers together!) and misinformation and disinformation was regularly relayed to us. To say they were economical with the truth would be over-kind!

in the new, modern, efficient, yuppified Labour Party the CAC even managed to lose a tape recording of the vote on the NEC repor the part covering ‘woman on every shortl of course,

Representatives

AC one stage we were ask ed to meet representatives from the NEC, but low and behold in the vast Brighton Conference Centre they had difficulty finding a room we could meet in!

Voting figures were conveniently mislaid, and irrele- ‘vant meetings were set up by

CAC not only between us and the NEC, but also with Joyce Gould and the Labour Party’s all-male regional women's officers. That in itself shows what the Labour Party thinks of women,

All this transparent manipulation by men (and their female stooges) served to unite women delegates

Rostrum

who eventually took direct action by surrounding the Conference rostrum, stopping Conference proceedings and confronting the .conference with the issué, and

The debate moves

forward

Composites calling for unfortunately _muddied. an end to discrimination under the pressures of in employment in Nor- compositing, so that the

resolution contained a

them Ireland, and for the renegotiation or scrapping of the Anglo-Ish Accord coupled with a call for the next Labour govern- especially the TGWU were ment to —_achieve cast decisively against the withdrawal in the main. thrust of the lifetime of one Parlia- resolution

ment were rejected by Those campaigning for

ip support for the composite this year's Labour Party ‘vere reliably informed that

superfluous restatement of Labour's policy for reunification, it is still the case that the bloc votes of the AEU, GMB, EETPU and

ee the T&G delegation left the

However, solid gains final say on how its 1.3m were made on the issue of votes were to be cast to @ Britain's

in- phone call to Regional Of-

The composite on By Patrick Sikorski

employment — discrimina.

tion was lost by less than pill

one milion votes. ficer John Freeman in {2,438,000 for, Belfast.

3,370,000 against) after ‘The Orange Veto on any the NEC had called for change in employment remittance. practice — let alone con-

While the issue had been _stitutional arrangements

Ireland: the cause of Labour?

28th November Camden Centre Bidborough St, London WC1

Contact: Labour Committee on Ireland, 8M Box 5355, London WC1N 3XX

— is alive and well in the British trade union and labour movement.

On the other hand, remittance would have obscured the very real growth in union support for action to challenge sec: tarianism in the workplace and let the trade union and Labour leaders off the hook

The withdrawal com: posite was lost over. whelmingly on 2 show of hands. Resolutions calling for Labour to organise in the North, and describing Sinn Fein as “‘neo-fascist” were not taken.

Travesty

The debate was yet again 2 travesty, taking place as it did last thing on Tuesday, after both the leader's hour-long address ‘to Conference and the important Scottish devolution debate

Only two speakers (both in support of the motions not taken) and Labour ‘spokesperson Kevin Macnamara were taken from the floor,

At 2 fringe meeting, Macnamara had made a strong speech in favour of Irish unity by consent, and against the notion ‘that there was any __ i: partisanship on Ireland — excepting of course against “the men of violence’’. He also omitted

any mention of the Hillsborough treaty.

Taken, however, with his earlier statement against the Tories’ weak proposals against job discrimination and his Conference speech, Macamar efforts represented a valiant and honest attempt to keep the debate in the movement going and at least defy the Worst excesses of the veto.

But progress on Ireland can only be made now outside the confines of the Constituency Parties and the PLP. That this is possi-

ble was dramatically demonstrated by the overwhelmingly successful

Irish rally and social spon. sored by the LWI, LCI and LCC and attended by over 1,800 people.

They filled the Top Rank in Brighton to hear

‘speeches from Bernie Grant, Chris Mullin, Joan Maynard, Nadine ‘Finch,

Ken Livingstone, a relative of the Birmingham Six and Clere Short. Billy Bragg and others from Green Revue provided the music. The campaign in the unions against job discrimination and the debate on the context in which it flourishes in the North must be extended. Make sure your union sends delegates to the Employment _ Discrimina: tion Conference!

‘Women occupy the MPs’ seats — most of which were empty by the end of Conference

ye

Labour Party. We must challenge the Labour Party's necessity to hold women’s meetings in the Ramada Hotel in Brighton (where Kinnock and his friends at head office stayed during help). Their input was Conference) where a ham sincere and welcome, unlike sandwich costs £3.75 and a one woman MP?s husband glass of wine £1.20.

{an ex-MP himself —now a “One woman on every trade union leader) who shortlist” is ‘the _ only pushed in front on the Mon- challenge left to sitting MPs, day morning delegation to who under the new clectoral CAC and took up so much college party franchise protime with his “timportant”” posals agreed at 1987 Conmale trade union business ference can be reselected that CAC were tired, irra- without challenge on @ tional — and wanting their shortlist of one. The comJunch — when we finally got _plexities of the electoral col-

then taking over the MPs’ (empty) seats in the Conference Hall.

Unfortunately only a handful of women MPs gave their support (one woman MP ran away when asked to

fo see them over “one lege will see CLPs opting for ‘Woman in every shortlis”. the easy way out and shortlists of one, which will

Lobbying protect the male sitting MPs.

The ‘‘one women on every shortlist” issue is one we can this debate heard at the 1987 easily gain support for. It is Conference illustrates the an issue that will unite real status of women inthe women in the Party and in Labour Party, and as Con- the trade unions. ference delegates. All the The energy it will take to women delegates involved in gain equality, though, is a the action and the lobbying sad loss to the labour moveof CAC were in a constant ment. It could be used in Catch 22 situation. They had other directions — attacking, to take part in Conference the Tories. business on behalf of the The fact that women in organisations they the Labour Party have 10 use represented, and at the same up so much time and energy time fight’ for women’s fighting for equality within a rights to be socialist MPs. Party that_ professes to be ‘Women must challenge fighting for equality is and expose at every oppor- something that _ Kinnock tunity the manipulation and should be ashamed to ask of fixing that goes on in the his sisters.

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The difficulty in getting

PHOTO: Leese He

Labour Briefing No, 49 Oct H4th-27th 1987 page $

Labour Party Conference

Preparing our fightback

A lot of people on the left of the Party came to

ensure that the Left — with all its different views ~ gets its act together.

Brighton feeling very Sages disillusioned. Sein ts sane wuld be despondent

And the first couple of pou Pe fsspondent

days lent a lot of credence to that. Yet surprisingly, towards the end of the

‘socialism in Britain. Politics is not static. Like a lot of

fe ‘other things in life, it

week, the spirit began to Changes.

zene remember when | was ‘There have been many enromember when

previous attempts by Yory Young. tne

was right wing. And then

labour leaders to change /*9S "OnE W0O. AO time

the course and nature of

the Party, but the attempt family came from Clay has not succeeded any General Secretary. Within eee - than previous twelve months, the whole Henge policies and t SU,

think: more and more This had a massive im-

through it. As they've at tended Conference, gone to the fringe meetings, and

Labour Party Conferences. No blueprint could have been drawn up to have ac:

heard the alternative counted for that before it arguments, they have happened. But it did come to the conclusion happen.

that we've got to hold fast. ‘A good example was when Bryan Gould got up and talked about some new-fangled policy of

‘So when you hear these clever people who want to provide a:blueprint for the future based on devising a strategy for yuppie votes,

share-holding and invading femember that things

the private sector. Seangs rather He didn’t get past the Gramstically

first hurdle. The consti: "it only needs # couple of

tuency delegates in par- struggles of an, extra

ticular didn’t want to hear that kind of nonsense ‘We've got to get our act together on the left. We must make it clear there willbe. no changes to Clause IV, no shift in policy fon nuclear disarmament. he run-up to the next elec We must also understand tion to.start winning vic that tne left on the NEC tories long before it. Too has to be strengthened. many people think that the ‘There has to be more ae. Giection is all about winntivity in trade union bran- ing film awards from Monches, more concerted, treux to Calais in the camorganised activity. The paign ~ when we have to block votes of two big faise the political con Unions that wield enor Sciousness and the con mous power are based on fidence of the people. 2 fragile foundation, and “The means fanting with Could be won to the left if people who are engaged in the effort was made. battles with the class ‘The TGWU is onaknife- enemy tong before the edge, yet not enough at- lection arrives tention is paid to it. Those "Then once you've won block votes provide the 3 round or two, when you bedrock of the massive get to the Cup Final — the fight wing majority on the general election — you're NEC. So there's an able to win on your own organising job to be done, Ground, and not be playing there's an educational job Sway 19 be done, and we must

—Dennis Skinner MP—

The Party at its worst

‘The Conference has shown us many of the worst aspects of the Labour Party. itis a Conference at which we have taken real issues and

patliamentary nature to be Successful — and it’s time we had some victories! — for the whole character of the movement to be changed.

‘What we've got to do in

pri held over a long period of According to Kinnock, and with the move to the right on the NEC, we can expect mass expulsions in the near future and the moval of some of our basics like unilateral isarmament, Black tions

If that happens, we will put forward to the

electorate no policies and no programme. We must ‘come together in our trade unions and constituency parties — those that remain — and

i 3

unite with those who ere expelled to fight for socialism

Sharon Atkin

Organise for

next year now!

As expected, the 1987 Labour Party Conference-was the most depressing for a long time for the “left”.

The Party machinery is firmly in the control of the

boat” mood. It was noticeable that this changed as CLP delegates became more and

the Party generally in. the

‘We should understand, jeadarship's pursuance of the

though, that the “right” now encompasses not only Kinnock and the LCC, but also some of the socalled “‘hard left”, who have acquiesced to the leadership and appeared at Conference on all manner of fringe meeting plat forms ight across the political spectrum.

By John Wilton

the week wore on (literally)

and more disilusioned on the le Conference floor. ci The failure of the major trade unions, at the leadership's behest iwth notable exceptions like the NUM), to vote for anything connected with Clause IV, public owner ship. and the renationalisation

Party angry. shiny image Conference was being damaged, and did not know what to do.

delegates on the Conference the Thursday aftemoon ses oor appeared to be stil ina sion in support of their de pre-election “‘don't rock the mand that the constitutional

‘amendment be debated (in the form of an Emergency Resol more aware of what was be. Conference) ing done to Conference and Conference in its tracks.

‘and as agreed by 1986 Stopped the

Fifty to sixty women at the

rostrum in front of Conference share-holding yuppie vote. As was something the leadership could not legislate for in its CLP delegates became more well-ordered Conference, The

sadership on the platform, the jeneral Secretary, and the

apparaichniks were petrified that their

‘The strength of organised

action by women was clearly

of privatised industries, only visible andthe male Crease this cisifusionment. — Gominated leadership was ‘What is different though Aigo, the fale of the night powerless to do. anything

from times in the recent past when the “right” has control fd the Pary machinery is that the control it achieved at Brighton went hand-in-hand with measures that increased the centralised authoritarian "2 strangulation of the Party

The youth organisation changes. the abolition of Labour Weekly and Socialist Youth, the changes in selec: tion and reselection, along with other measures all gave more powerto head office and

wing leadership-controled NEC to endorse any resolution arguing for struggle, or campaigns against the Tory government by

should not bedi underestimated that there was

stil & significant lavel of sup: port amongst CLP delegates at the 1987 Conference for the or leadershin. However, the con-

tradiction between the socialist Labour Party many Tank and file delegates wished

bout feven in the yuppified Labour Party the rank and file stil have great power, if oniy they workers, realise it

‘angered many CLP delegates. _aftemoon,

This showed that

On that Thursday ‘women delegates id, and it frightened the life

‘out of the bureaucrats.

in the light of this, delegates

‘must organise for next year in

der to get their demands

heard. The Party loadorship and. its

Understand that rank and file members are not going to be

bureaucracy must

the Neder to see and the yuppified, marginalised and meekly ac: The last of these, under the share-owning, Labour Party cept the removal of all their

amoufloge of an extention of ~ Kinnock, Whitty and Mendel- power.

the Party Franchise, included on seek, grew 9s the week The other point to come out

Ne wore on of Conference is that the

ween Annual Conferences 10 "More and more delegates “softieft” lor is it the

alter the system of selection. ‘Any change has to be ratified atthe next Annual Conference, but by then a lot of selections could have been

realised modernisation of the Party was being used as 3 ‘camouflage to change the nature of the Conference. and in

‘democratic left” now?) intend to challenge Deputy leadership next year,

for the

the form of John Prescott.

tltimately the principles of the The “socialist left” (OK, if completed under any changed Party they want to use bole — we pa wil have this one!) should not

The unworkable nature of the electoral college agreed st Brighton will result in one of ‘two things. Either CLPs with sitting MPs will opt for shortlists of one ithe sitting MPI, or the NEC will use the electoral college as 2 first stage, which when itis shown to be unworkable (and the me: jor trade unions can be conVinced! will be ditched in

Despite numerous platform crawlers saying what 2 wonderful campaign Kinnock fought, the support for the Pr leadership was less fulsome

than at 1986 Conference. Glorious defeats do not in- ‘crease support, and as the tt leadership increasingly falls to

fovour of 2 straight "one deliver, so support will fall ‘member, one vote” system. sway.

The NEC can now authorise _Kinnock’s speech was un: this change without prior doubtedly the “low spot” of

the week. His reference to the election defeat as us being © defeated but not beaten” revesled 8 new concept Presumably Napoleon was defeated, but not besten, and in Scotiand the Tories were *Y defeated but not beaten?

recourse to Conference.

‘The Constituency NEC results were a further blow 10 the “left. The loss of Audrey Wise and Joan Maynard in the women’s section), and the failure of Eric Hoffer to get re

Hattersley. Gould is horrific, But sf the “socialist lat” is going.

be afraid to operate the Crawlers mechanism for the election ‘not only of Deputy Leader, but aso for the position of Leader.

if there is. going to be a

Deputy Leader contest the

fospect of 8 choice between Prescott, and

jst the Deputy Leadership, hy not challenge the Leader

‘as well? At least it will keep him busy!

’As Kinnock fails to make an

impression on the Tory lead in the opinion polls as time goes by, his popularity inthe const:

jencies will wane. Then he

should be challenged. Aftor all, what good is the system fand its supposed accountabil:

if ig not used? all policies are to be

elected, was a real blow, and °featd Ot Ot ae week reviewed in the next year gration that review and thet policy

every shortlist” incorporated into the selection procedures, as agreed by 1986 Con: were unsuccessful, but not through lack of effort

‘Whether the vote for Bryan Gould would have been lower if he had made the comments ‘about shareholders he made uring Conference" earier, Defore delegates had been

space in a Deputy Leade? Leader campaign? And given the sex of the people leading the fight on the Conference Noor at Brighton, why not put up socislst left wing women

‘the Prescott/Gould/Matters:

NEC (constituency section Gelegates. Indeed, they in IeY deputy leader contast, it eee a cps. tated the resistence to the could also be a wonderful op Fay” * SEE MSG leadership line within the portunity to get across the ‘oreconta Conference position of women both i the Meera closed session The dvect action women Labour Party end inthe wider ores ere” delegates took st the Siar of Sectorate

_SeEeE Seem ee

op enters

Neil Kinnock and his leas

ed from this year’s Party

in three important areas. @0n every Key policy quesdon Kinnock got his way. In any case, every issue, of policy is up for “review” by special policy committees, composed of members of the Shadow Cabinet and the NEC, @The results of the NEC elections have further increased Kinnock’s already very tight — grip on the Party machine. @The decision onthe method of selection of MPs hhas reversed, at one stroke, the democratic gains made by. constituency and trade union activists, since 1979. The chances of the political balance in the Parliamentary Labour Party being. altered by an influx of left MPs at the next election have been severely damaged,

These successes were not achieved without encountering resistance from sections of the left, including constituency delegates, some trade

union delegations, —camppaigns such as Black Sections and — most dramatically — “angry

‘women delegates,

But the lesson of the conference is that the left faces both an unfavourable situation in the Party as a whole

and a deep crisis of its own. The two key policy debates were on social

ownership and defence. In both of these, the framework was set for a considerable rightward move when the first of the policy papers emerge from the Party's “review” in the New Year.

The social ownership debate saw the clash of representatives from the left and the right of the movement.

‘Alan Tuffin of the UCW — representing the mainstream of the trade union bureaucracy and thus the Kinnock leadership — explained that the idea of renationalising the industries privatised by the Tories was fan impossibility: an incom:

ing Labour — goverhment would not be able to afford

His arguments were elaborated by Bryan Gould — a central political advisor to Kinnock — whose advocacy of wider share

‘ownership echoed the theme of accepting the economic framework set by Thatcher

The other pole in. the debate was represented by Peter Heathfield of the NUM, who moved an alternative composite advocating the renationalisation of all industries hived. off by the Tories and reaffirmed the Party's commitment to the principle of public owner: ship. “ALL questions of accountability, industrial democracy and so on, he argued, were dependent on taking industries out of the private sector

Eric Hammond _of New Realist plained that

the Tar right_exthe EETPU

Labour Briefing No, 49 Oct 14th-27th 1987 page 9

Labour Party Conference

ip team have emergference strengthened

ld be respecting the right an elected government 10 yout its mandate. It was to delegates to puss how STPU would be oppos privatisation of the elec ity supply industry given framework.

But Hammond's outburst

s merely a clear expres

n of the results of the ap-

joach of Tulfin and Gould

hy state-that_a Labour wernment will reverse fatcher’s policies tomor when Labour has ablutely no intention of ighting them today? “The NUM composite was mcried on a show of hands

t defeated by a card vote

397,000 10 3,869,000), fost constituency’ delegates ind some trade union elegations were clearly opsed to the leadership's jew economic “realism”, eflecting deeper unease out the drift. of Party olicy under Kinnock.

"The theme of eapitulating o Thatcherism was coninued into the defence jebate, albeit in a contradicory manner. The fact that

jayone, irom Dennis Healey 10 Joan Ruddock, is committed to a. “nonnuclear defence policy”? ndicative of the emptiness f such a plhrase rather than he level of agreement in the party.

By Dave Shepherd Hackney North & Stoke Newington CLP

Tr is important thar Con: erence reaffirmed the commitment to unilateral nuclear disamament. Above il, this reflects the continuing and overwhelming sup-

rt for the policy amongst cluding those who have supported the present leader ship. However, this commit ment is in danger of becom

paper policy, ritually referfed to at conferences but bearing ao relation to the ac tual policy and practice of the Party leadership.

Three decisions were made which undermine unilateralism and place a question mark over the policies of a future Labour government ‘@ Rejecting Britis withdrawal from NATO leaves Labour with 2 contradictory policy of pursuing a “non-nuclear” policy in a nuclear alliance.

@ Arthur Scargill’s argu ment that money currently squandered on nuclear weapons should be spent on jobs and social services was rejected. The position that it will, instead, be converted to spending on conventional Ndefence”” concedes the myth of the “Soviet threat"™ and therefore undermines of a unilateralist policy @Most imporiantly, the way that the Party leadership posed the question of “reviewing the timetable and negotiating strategy”” for disarmament left little cause for doubt about the direction of Party policy is away from disarmament and towards some kind of input — in the framework of NATO — into the arms reduction talks of the superpowers: a multilateralist position which is everything the peace movement has fought against.

‘The drive to the right was equally apparent on other policy questions. On local ‘government, for example, a composite which called for Support for workers taking action 10 defend jobs and services was rejected, in favour of empty phrases about opposing the Tories" plans “within the law"

‘Similarly, on education, a fiery speech from Jack Straw, the new Shadow spokesperson, contained not

Eric Hetfer: stil collecting money for surcharged councilors

‘one word about the long bat tle of the teachers’ unions in defence of education and their negotiating rights, let alone any reference to progressive anti-racist and anti Sexist education policies.

The Financial Times 2.10.87) commented that the debate in the Party is ‘now about “how much of Thatcherism... should be ac cepted.” When the policy papers start appearing early hext year the answer will almost certainly be: more or less everything.

The election of Bryan Gould to the NEC and the Joss of Audrey Wise and Joan Maynard amount {0 2 big step forward for Kin nock ip his attempts to achieve total dictatorial control over the Party apparatus. Gould will no doubt be playing 2 major part in the forthcoming policy review and other attempts to mould the Party in Kinnock’s image.

The vigorous campaign to reinforce the power of the Party centre, both in terms ‘of organisational control ‘and policy making, was a marked feature of Conference, © The decision to introduce the electoral college system for parliamentary selection ‘was accompanied by the effective abandonment of the ‘commitment to have at least one woman on every shortlist. In most “shortlists, ‘of one™ the sitting MP in ‘question will be a man. In addition, the NEC now has the power to make any changes it sees fit in the selection procedure ‘e The reduction of the age limit of the LPYS to 22 and the abolition of its regional structures is the beginning of the total disbandment of the LPYS and its replacement by youth structures effec tively under the thumb of the leadership and its supporters eThere was no resolution Of the continuing question

—wWe can turn back the tide

‘The membership of the Party is

from the there's a deep worry among our members about where we are going.

They've been bought off for the time being with the argument that there's going to be a “review” of our policies. This can mean anything or nothing. But 2 ‘number of us fear it will ‘mean a watering down of ‘our basie ideas, and if that is so, then next year there will be much more ‘opposition,

‘But there has been a move (o the right on the NEC, and more concentration of power in the hands of the Party leadership and so there may be less chance of raising opposition on the Conference floor. That's 2 dangerous situation.

The mood of the

‘of the organisation and Conference of Labour women. However, the decision on selection procedure does not bode well for the leadership's future auitude towards women in the Party. The leadership has moved a further step forwards in its atlempts to resist_ women’s demands, with their ‘dangerous’ — implications for the Kinnock Tine.

‘@ The rights of black people {0 organise autonomously in the Party Were again denied. Kinnock even aitempted to claim credit for the election of four black MPs. This was doubly hypocritical, given the role of Black Sections in getting black candidates put forward for selection, and the NEC intervention to ‘over-ride the selection of Sharon Atkin, and ensure ‘only “‘acceptable” black ‘candidates were chosen. If it wasn't for Black Sections, there would be no black MPs. If it wasn’t for Kin-

Black Sections supporters argued that black members were being denied the rights given 10 women and youth

Conference was one of “wait and see", but also of 1 great uneasiness amongst constituency delegates in particular, but also Amongst some trade union delegations. don't think anybody is particularly happy. The response (o the leader's speech was not particularly enthusiastic but for the moment, people are holding their Fire

“The left at the moment is in a bit of chaos. If you Took at the NEC elections, if T had got back on, that would have been a major defeat for the leadership. That didn’t happen. The waters were muddied.

Tse been watching on TY one of the new NEC members elected on the left wing slate — and if he continues in the way he's going, he won't be much ifferent from some of the others on the soft left who

Eric Heffer MP.

within the Party to have their own structures and conferences. This is a correct point to make. However, the leadership's refusal to give black people this right ties in with their attempts _progressively to remove it from women and youth. No cenIre of potential or actual opposition to the Kinnockites is to be allowed.

‘The potential for organis

ing resistance to the drive to the right was evident in a ‘number of ways. ‘@ Widespread doubts about the drift of economic policy were evident in the support given to the NUM composite ‘on social ownership.

‘Opposition to the continu ing wicch-hunts and expalsions was voiced by many in the closed session which dealt with the expulsion of Felicity Dowling, the report of the National Constitutional Committee and_the resolution defending Not. tingham East’s right to select Sharon Atkin.

@The overwhelming sup. port within the Party for unilateral nuclear disarmament was something that even this leadership had to

have got on and end up on the other side of the fence ‘So I say to the left of the NEC — just watch vehat some of those who have just been elected are doing Tn a broader sense throughout the Party and the country, what the left

programme. All the various Sections of the left must get together and say “these are things we believe in, we're going out to fight for

them.”” This is both for policy and organisational issues. We must do this to keep the party om a socialist basis.

The left must reorganise, mobilise and go the Chesterfield Conference. We must look outwards and mobilise our forces who have a socialist perspective and organise a fightback,

PHOTO: Leesa Horo

take account of. @More than 90 angry women delegates mounted protests on the floor against the abandonment of the policy of at least one woman on every shortlist.

This potential for resistance was no! realised. ‘The marginalisation of the left — which is the result of defeats suffered by the Tabour maverient over ‘the past years — was exacerbated by the crisis within the left itself.

Disarmament

There was no clear leader ship given to those who wanted to fight the drift to the right. On certain ques: tions — nuclear disarmament, for example — figures such "as Scargill and Livingstone did make a stand and give a lead

But Livingstone is still operating with one foot in the Kinniock camp. His high vote in the NEC election was partly the result of his being supported by the LCC as well as the hard left. Seated next to Gould on the plat

form of the LCC's conference rally, he made no criticism of Gould's Statements on share ‘ownership.

The left should certainly work with figures such as

Livingstone on issues where

is prepared 10 fight the Party leadership. But we cannot rely on the likes of Livingstone to” build an eross-the-board political

alternative to Kinnockism.

‘What is required is an allout root and branch opposi: tion to the new defeatism of the Party leadership: an opposition which bases itself On the class struggle and on socialist policies, and organises itself democratically across the Labour Party and the trade

There was no evidence of such- an opposition at this year’s conference — despite ample evidence of the poten tial for one, This is the task that Labour Briefing should be addressing in the weeks and months ahead.

Labour Briefing No. 49 Oct 14th-27th 1987 page 10

Local Government

A sell-out is not sensible!

In an interview in the New Statesman (18.9.87), even if “Nuclear Jack” that seems to have no other Margaret Hodge — leader of Islington Council’and Cunningham had taken over role than to be her “entry TNe Aessdisllon of Londen Authorities — vat at the DoE, London Coun- section” into. the local

forward the justification for co-operating fully with Se. pudetts ‘that hes Aeekd preter to eae eee upe

the Tory cuts under the banner headline of ‘Sell- ee nS ee ae ae oy

‘out or sensible?"". This marks the most honest Camden, Lambeth and examined’ andthe money

detailing of the collapse of formerly soci Hackney deployed to save jobs

‘council leaderships into the “New Realism” of Tn her interview in the NS, amongst our manual and

Kinnock & Co. Margaret Hodge has now junior officer staf.

In this article, Keith Veness, himself a former formalised the new non:

Islington Councillor, replies on behalf of those fee of fudge and com. @Most seriously, her

trade unionists and Party members who reject ae wious strategy makes the decisive nieone th : ‘Yet Margaret has failed to a oy. ae ‘ still that ' Probably the biggest sue- However, despite the suc- gee the inne bg flaws tn hey, Sd ,tHOSE they intend to basa, councilor,

cess London Labour cesses of 1986 in adding Eal- argument Briefing has had — even ing, Waltham Forest and é 5 % eee aa our sirugsie Brent tothe ranks, this uncil tenants will see ms broadalliance of the “hard” _@TThere is not one jot of Labour Councillors. voting for a left GLC — was the a ” for massive rent rises, trade Fee cries and. “soft” left has now evidence to show that those : get Gisintegrated into bitter war- who comply with the unionists will see Labour which aimed at putting fare and a profound government get treated any Staffing Committers sacking Socialist councillors into Sefeauisn on the’ patt ot Sete inane those who their members and GCS wi

determined to dismantle

tionary socialists, communi. le any united campaign against . tyraciviss: Idwing wade Theaboliion of he Lc, in Soverament and see INT “Soverament "and m0 Lea dershi po eg re Tray ir aah ong : eae

tions — along with quite 2 tantly) the return to office of pBcteeges to support those who attack chosk "of the" old Thatcher on June Ith has {hem ourselves is of only their standards of living and ma es @ “TTribunite” left — proved convinced many former lelts Services. The disaster athe

to be remarkably successful that Council services cannot kernel of this non-strategy

in the period from 1981 to be defended and that all we _@Her_ strategy of _re- will become sickeningly clear

1987. can do is mitigate the | ¢Xamining all our provision very soon. ace” Savi AS we | Workforce pay!

the leaderships of Lon- many of our former allies. refuse. see lected leaderships teardon's Boroughs. ing up manifests and dety- . ‘ are ing accountability to them,

The alliance of revolu Rate-capping eS Such a strategy smashes

ar et

‘After Ken Livingstone “The faiture of the Kinn- Produce the savings she sup- with the article that the two had won the leadership of 16 failure of the Kine, oe ear just the Opposite. Talor cosas facing. the eee the GLC and Bryn-Davies Scfear Thatcher has, “new realists” are the class demon the Couee t that of ILEA, the new left C'edlosically, produced a The” _mealt-on-wheels, * struggle "socialists around es fe oer + west da to win control in surge of support for them in ~ pensioners’ holidays and Briefing and the anger of break up local government, 1982 of Islington, Hackney, jE 2 * finch clubs provdly shouted Council trade’ unionists then te policies of Sheffield S Camden, Haringey. about by Councillors are in fighting cuts in jobs and Counsts leadership play ght Lambeth, Lewisham, tmost areas not respondingto CStairSns, into thet hands. : Southwark and Greenwich. Policies the numbers of Black and Because of severe restic4 ee jolene “ ‘most Ethnic elderly now increas- Defiance tions on the veer sai profound period of change where gverty left can- ing fast im inner London. programme’ she, Cone was i pag Pact jo os liding no houses. A ‘Part: i in which red flags were gidates fought on overtly | Under $s provision “has nership. Scheme’ including

flow, equal’ opmoccanny — @iites fowph on overtly 01/TStea on Dour the i _n the next few months we polices pose rough anc Saal polices, sch asin SOLIS parctime women nerd 10 ante wih tenants poles petiod Wrowsh noe Uninglon, Liverpool, Brad. Soere ancy sot'el re, groups, Bleck ae Ein See to chaos tought (8, and Lambeth the Son ct boing crptntations a the com poe gous ee Ge coe ewes woul mercy emit pep ce

ford/Ossie O'Brien type of FMT housing for single whose “dented shi” a a) persons, childless couples going to be needed to save

finance from the banks was set up to bypass government Festrictions. Houses are now being built — but not Council houses.

Ini than a year to sat

be totally unable fo take On Sethe frail elderly that them from the outage of | as supervieor atthe Coun: Women’s Committees, (ealisfron cur veyamsow thar owd sapporers. Gre. “Eccleshall ” Wood

police Monitoring, support Yet the failure of the “family-orieted™ ‘housing Sadly an era has passed | Sawmill For Bran wos told | To Leen aud Gay Groupe “Seventh Cavalry” view of dt has wrecked ao many and the ofd broad altence | in Apal dear a had fst ow

Ghd gighe of lock sad dn” Woomming.” Kianock Commmadics that won soch advances is | yeat to prove ta Recrostion

Etholeinitatives were some goverament hes split the Inany case, cheleftin Isl- dead. All we can now offer | Department bosses thet he

Ee ewes“ Cossdon iar eowemmeat C ngien ak te ace tmp ome captwta: commends | ote pee sais can

tp cance qpopiay amongst A tne when we face a tor pressed W Margaret practi" whose poliical fear tex | take she sa pay ts

De etre, ror ahmaaicataeg- Givhet de peetet Wir” Gatercd ter atten: = | or

Sitass inoue tis ca’ olf satatgon lcgslation. laiese creation bas boca a theokimeasin that i ey 60 | "This report, trom Shel

Toe teeta oF thc hasta bessiina Srcf bagitypent and unely k- wotwhh wate theasoey |. tell Cay Gonos Wuemel

Labour Party eg mevertnnio warecd at Soi“ bemiece Ut") Gategortnae who aol | fovea anaee wr Betsy,

the new approach evident

This woman is wante st oti, coael fey ema en For closing down a Home Helps Service. Sacsmimeraes Sele mae eames For not paying the workers. Seas Sei eee For saying a Labour Council doesn’t care for the Sitceneyes * S278 7 PY vorking tor Shot

reorganisation proposals: of. the financiers. In other Faced with 8 major financial Councilor Betts is clear: “The

jobs will simply not be words, it mesns making no at

Id ‘ crisis after 3 years of rate- Council is committed to the elderly... SSoping. the “teederstip's economic regeneration of the An open letter to. we've stayed working — ‘Council to end this dispute workforce pey. Under oe = Ss oats es

iat of toington because we won't operate ‘our dispute, but we refuse to _refuse to talk to us at all, working practices have been So far there is litle evidence of Council; handed out at your plans for 24 smail home _—hiit the clients to do that. until you get back from forced on bin collections, any organised opposition in-

‘on behalf of the Tories and ent to try to maintain the private finance.

Organisers, who tun the ‘our pay from 21st September negotiate with Islington Organisers

Labour Briefing No. 49 Oct I4th-270h 1987 page 1) i

Features

The politics of pregnancy and birth: An ‘‘invisible’’ | prosecution of violence | against women |

Many of the things done to women in the name of who had her third ectopic is, there are no opportunities “safer” childbirth are nothing more measures to fit in pregnancy (when the baby for medical interference in wih — soully male — dociors convenience: some are mplanis and sas growin the post-natal perio

‘nothing more than assault. Add in the cuts in the NHS, in the fallopian tube, before‘ “That's another _ reason nd it’s not suprising women are fighting back for a it reaches the womb where why Home Birth is frowned bigger say in what is done to their bodies. tases speretogrow)acow- upon. by the oe TERESA KEWLEY, a member of the RADICAL eee gs establishment — they are

When she asked foradoc- unable to take over th MIDWIVES organisation, looks atthe facts wad the sor tg comecand see her in woman's body, nor can they

experiences. the middle of the night interfere with the birth proMaternity services in this was thirteen weeks pregnant (because she recognised that cess if it takes place where country are in grave peril; and bleeding. However. he her fallopian tube had rup- the woman is in her own,

the Tory cutbacks are hit. refused to acknowledge her tured and was in severe pain) environment. ting hospitals very hard pregnancy because she had she ‘was told not to be a and wards are closing all had the temerity to diag nuisance,

bepse it herself with a home Vulnerable | 2 in Pregnancy testi she ha In the ones which remain Siveady had one child, had Doctor pen, the staff are under missed three periods, and But in hospital, women serious pressure and ellewts recognised the signs of Five hours later'a doctor are vulnerable and. are are not receiving adequate pregnancy inhherself. But the came. He said, “Aren't we treated as patients. They are care. doctor sent” her away being a little hysterical? frequently. given very little 4 Women are mot being without examining her Your scan showed that the information to enable them fetes to breastfed ei because she hadn't let fim baby was in the right place 10 make real choices about i fants because the midwives diagnose the pregnancy, so you must be okav.”" 1ow they want f0 give bitth. Technology can be life-saving; but has the medical profession | personally have had the probably wasn’t pregnant! (barely ableto walk)thenext women have to labour at a j sole care of twenty-two day; then she was readmitted certain rate or they have the the place of birth cests with mistreated. We will | women and sixteen. babies Agtay with a serious pelvic infec- process speceded up with ar- the ‘woman herself. How breastfeed in public. If the b during an eight hour shift — tion and the ruptured ex- tificial hormones. Many often do you hear women public don't like it, ask there if fone woman was in labour Later that night, in agony, topic pregnancy was __hospitalsdon'tallow women Say “I wasn't allowed to why they quite happily look and needed a lot of she lost her baby (and @ demonstrated ‘on to push-for longer than half’ havethe baby athhome—my at Page Three girls’ breasts attention. great deal of blood) and call- Uttrasound. an hour (2)s0 forceps are ap- _ doctor doesn't do it.” ‘And we will give birth ai

Two of the babies were ed the doctor out. His only _ Apologies? Certainly not. plied if the woman hasn't ~ Allowed? Whose body is home if. we choose. in the premature and needed extra remark was that it was “just This particular woman is “succeeded” in the allotied - it anyway? And why don position we find comin

nursing care. This is in a one of those things.” He of- aking the matter up with the _ time. . these doctors advise women table, And we will continue A large London Teaching fered no apology or sym- Health Authority: but : that they don’t legally have to trust our instincts — even Hospital where we have clos- pathy; neither did he send countless others suffer in ‘ to seek medical advice dur- if our GPs don’t ' ed a post-natal ward in the her to hospital to ensurethat silence. (Caesarian ing pregnancy and birth? bias Ee tolack of mid- the miscarriage was ‘Women’s instinctive feel- Midwives are trained in all it wifey sta complet ings about thei bodies are Onein ten babies are born Serer fe srained ia all 5 Politics This is not an isolated discounted and even ridicul- by Caesarian Section (one in Sebigg Cid maces Apologies? case fed. Doctors don't want to five in the USA). Freedom hints’ and cndite with My deep apologies to that Quite apart trom this, “Another woman. a single tnow about miscarriage of movement indented mont Gremttcticg wait _,dM¥ deer apologies 10 tha f there remains the problem of parent living on Supplemen- because they can't do much women; continuous The vast majority of babies don't treat women as foolish the “politics “of birth”. tary Benefit, lost her babs about them. But they arcex: moniioring of the baby’s in'thcomny aredeineed CometTeat women as foolish }

Women are, for the most and was devastated and tremely interested in labour heat

We means the woman by midwives irth and childrearing. Uf 1 part, unaware of their grief-stricken. Her Social and delivery! (Mind you, has to be wited up to a pecker ai cs ee rights, don’t realise that all Routine many years of personal ex medical procedures carried ee ae ‘out on them can be classified ee me ae as assault if they don’t agree Doctors are necessary, of through labour, and on 19

to have them done, and, un-

fortunately, trust implicitly course, if things x0 wrome, — sreastteediny tunately, rust imply but they don't need to sce” I know there are some es }

in “the hospital” to do wha women routinely in labour. cellent doctors out there

is best for them and their When they do, & great many but I'm sorry, sou're few

babies.

of them insist on interven- and far between! The medical profession on

tionalist procedures being

the ‘whole do nothing. to Se tery dispel this lie, Obstecries has Invasive techniques. lead become a speciality and a lo to more invasion — women _ Sisters, educate fof doctors are making a lot fften describe how they felt yourselves; don't be fobbed of money out of birth — by like a piece of meat, nol a Off. SO many aspects. af delivering women in privat human being. Some women birth are examples of hospitals (always by forceps find» vaginal examinations violence against women — or Caesarean Section, 50 intolerable {1 suspen we will ‘mot continue to that the women ean elaim on because they have suffered tolerate this travesty of their private health — in sextial abuse) but lots of “care”. ; surance — normal deliveries Ss chilies ae aaa \ do not count?) Soot know how she got Thatcher — midwives would } pregnant in the firs quite like a decent standard . tomy: helpful for the mother or tidy for the surgeons? The debste continues ace. cn in front ot of living: if we earned more, | Degraded piston: helpful forthe mother or iy forthe surgeons? The debe Thesuiieing womanjowto the hospital woulda be ‘Also, women are being Worker told her that it wasa once the stitches are in, they machine for the whole add to her humiliation. closing wards for lack of ' dominated and degraded good thing that she'd lost quickly lose interest again.) labour, despite the fact that staf within the Health Service the baby because. she The post-natal period, this procedure has r and the medicalisation of “couldn't cope with the one certainly the most difficuli shown only to increase the Lesbians | es ae Sees DEFEND k natural process has béen "Not true, incidentally: she woman, is seen as boring by Lesbians are treated as ex hailed as a.greal advance. had survived incest, the the medical profession and treme oddities or as objects Doctors are, for the most abortion of her father's they leave everything to the Perinatal of disgust how dare they in- OU! . past, only interested in child, two violent relation midwives Seminate themselves!!). In Viable pregnartcies, and in ships, rape, and was caring" Breastfeeding It has not improved short, women are labour and birth, Women for her slightly mentally single most in perinatal mortality rates one dominated, violated, and

who lose their babies in early retarded three year old son. a woman can do fos iota. Doctors keep quict assaulted during labour Pregnancy are largely unsup- _ Twodays later she slashed fant, is not even studied in about the slatistics which and all in the name of ported and uncomforted by her wrists medical school; at the fi technology z. their GPs, Nobody really cares about sign of trouble most doctors give birt We are beginning 10 fight

For example, a woman women like this. I know an Nobody back, as we are in other

went to her GP because she intelligent, articulate woman areas. where. . we are

Briefing Steering Committee

Next meetings

12.30, Sunday October 18th

and

12.30, Sunday December 6th

Both at Polytechnic of Central London, Marylebone Road Site, opposite Baker Street tube

A wider franchise

‘That groat company British: Betioicum, shorely tbe Privatisool. has shown its Strong faith In democracy by. participating in the ‘quaint electoral customs of the City of London.

‘The City is the only local ‘authority area where nonresident voters oan be ‘orested by leasing, at hominal rents, bits” and usces of property from an existing frecholder

BP has gone one better. As a Iumited company It has no ‘corporaie vote. but It nas Added some 200 voters to the registers of Grip plegate ward by leasing to ite staff at Brittante House their desks at peppereorn rents

‘Although the protests of th local Labour Party have been "rejected by Gullahan, it seems the

Garps of amazomenc wore heard

be exliverpoot Trot Derek Faceon

Who could have vied hi? was face era righ wing Ce Jn ‘Charcon, she Char ofthe Road Race. Commutce, founder tember of the Councl for Socal Democracy (se) the

Apparently he met Our Derek on Bota a Sunny Corts and they fot or the s home on we

wis Me Hatton seling out?

Later hie week Cle Dick Knowles, leader of Ba Cosette emcepeoee fone fn, was sed fhe ha ad ce’ time wth Comrade Derek over tes sod scones Not on your Me." aye Dick "You won't atch me aking 0 the tes of ham. | spene the sermon with Denis Thatcher inmead

local police "are In westigating the matter, eh they sy if you cant beat ster em. jon'em - We caught on: “we've got a

To boldly go carpet.” we explained pointing to what he was

where no standing on.

“qean see you've got a man. carpet,” said Our vietor,

Pity the poor male carpet Seller who chanced with his samples into the Brie ing office the other day — on one of the (many) osc: sions when only female Staff and helpers were present ‘Hello girls." he said: before casting nis beady ‘eye over the office

“Where's the guv'nor?” he

‘added. Caught unawares, the “girls” began, peasonably. explaining hhow to get in touch with the management of the unit block In which Brie ing resides.

“want to show him my carpets.” said the errant male, wafting his samples,

ss if we must have thought him stupid. “IT hadn't thought you might be interested in a better one, 1 wouldn't have asked if you wanted one. Now, ig the guv'nor in. oF if not_where is he and when's he getting back?” Faced with our insistance that wo hed s carpet, and our reluctance to provide 2 "guv'nor”, sample-man took his product away. ‘muttering. We got on with the work of producing the paper, and doing the ac founts. Perhaps if we work hard enough. one ‘day we too will be iucky enough to grow up to be a carpetsalesman.. J&L

i i 5

mutual funds

“The Kids also learned how to yead the Wall Streot Journal

(af you think we're going to ‘2ll you how to sign your child up for next sum ‘mer's camp. think again.)

Periscope goes West! Thanks to Dollars &

Sense for a Periscopeeye view of the States.

Letters

Opposing privatisation

Greg Bassett, Labour Briefing

Sie, “Your unilateral interpretation ‘of out Union's campaign on behalf of staff and patients the Health Service strikes @ Sour Had you the courtesy 10 con tact me | could have told you that COHSE had always. supported the Trade Union movement in. its opposition 10 Privatisation. Instead, you Essume I spend my time releasing right wing Statements and Grrving through picket lines Your imagination knows no bounds as your creative journalism decides which political partes 1 support without first ising me. For the record, 1 fulis support the London Bus sorkers' struggle against privatisation. Iam a member of the Labour Party and a trade tanionist representing “Health workers ina Regional Health Authority with £9.6 million deficit in their budget for this year. We are fighting vom Pettive tendering, privatisation Bnd. closures in hospitals throughout London. The" ma-

low wages and receive the pit tance of London Weighting It

provide extra funding for this land a whole range of necessities. Therefore, Sir, could | sugsest {hat if you want your papet (0 hhave some creditable journalism {you either contact the sender of {press release or, failing that. You have the choice of printing {he press release in full or ignor ing it. Any of these options ‘would be more creditable than inventing fairy stories to fill out

issue attacking and ndiculing the efforts of multicultural ccducation advisors and. the Black Sections movement which hhas done so much 10 give us black people “a voice in the Labour Party and Parliament

The remarkable efforts of the Black ‘Sections activists who hhave raised the vital issue of shite people's racism cannot be ignored any longer; they have been in the forefront of pro viding positive images and role models of successful black ‘achievements (Such as those of Bernie Grant, Keith Vaz and Linda Bellos)

Tilley would do well to stop sniping at theie efforts and learn rom the article published below bis, where Onmesh Desai rightly points to the alliances which ‘must be made to increase race awareness and eradicate and Samp out the ovil of racsm from white people's. diseased culture and minds

‘Onmesh rightly points out thar white people have learned land absorbed the vice of racism land must now begin the unlearing process by making Slliances with the broadest Dossible range of black people ‘This includes multicultural ad. Visors and. racism awareness

‘Similarly, Tilley sarcastically attacks our religious leaders in a manner which & more reminiscent of white racist trash. The Sel-oppression and self-hate of Mr Tilley suggests that even he asa black person might benefit from racism awareness training that lack led local authorities

Ts ange,

Kole Cui.

Condon WS

Repression in Mexico On Sunday 11th October, at 12.30pm, a six year old girl, Kirsten Lopez Luke, was kidnapped outside her home in Puebla, Mexico.

She is the daughter of a comrade who is the representative of the PRT (Revolutionary Workers’ Party) in the state of Puebla. Her father is also Secretary of the Human Rights Committee of the UGOCP — one of the main peasant federations.

Messages protesting her disappearance should be sent to: the Mexican Embassy, 8 Halkin Street, London SW1

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Labour Briefing No. 49 Oct I4th-27th 1987 page 13

Reviews

Turn left at Land

Turn Lefe at Lands End, Isaacs, Chair of St Ives Alan JP Dalton, Red Boots Labour Party, talks of the Publications, £2.95. campaign they spearheaded Available from Red Boots to try to save the Geevor tin at 3 Montpelier Grov mine, 1 remember my own London NWS 2XD (add holiday in Cornwall in. '86, 50p p&p). Any profits will and the surprise at the "Tin go (0 Cornwall County Miners Support Group” Labour Party. stickers all over the Lands End peninsular Political activists have It spurred me into visiting funny holidays. the mine and as the people

Wherever they go, they tere said, there's no other mamige to sift out a local employment ure Picket line ors protest the tourist industry and a march; wherever they have a drink, they find the local shop steward oF fey jobs on local farms. It a crew from Greenpeace. was ako ‘one of the strongest ‘Alan Dalton planned 2 orkplaces in terms of dream holiday for political inion organisation — and activists. He spent six weeks ow that" gone (00. walking. the Coastal path "The experiences of sup round Cornwall, talking to port work carried out by the the local political figures he S¢"Ives Labour Party were Imet on the way. Tura Leftat Very similar to those we cat Lands End is the result of | ried out across the country

By Dan Carter

journey. during the coal miners" This book tells you the Strikes things that don't strike most ~The most depressing parts

holidaymakers about Com- of the book outline the col, wall — the full day’s journey lapse of traditional Cornish fo the nearest hospital or jndustries fishing, tin dole office; how second mining, and now the China homes are upping the house Clay works. It is indicative prices out of the reach of of many parts of the country local people; and that the hat many trade unionists inlevel of unemployment is terviewed by Alan are now worse than most of South public sector workers, Corn London, wall’s isolation has acelerated its industrial and

‘A member of Camelford manufacturing collapse and and District Labour Party tourism hinders rather than asks how we'd feel at having helps any recovery in the

a 60-mile round trip 10 at- local economy. tend a General Committee This books allows those of meeting! us who only know Alan

Dalton meets Labour Par- Dalton from his work at the ty members, trade unionists, Labour Research Departpeace campaigners and Cor: ment 10 get through to a real hish nationalists. Lynne person behind the statistics

and economic tables. For alongside the stories unemployment, low pay and Tack of childcare are the Cornish pasties, the scenery and the sunsets.

My favourite story is the local rock musician who's become a Labour Councillor — “I think the Labour Party is the Party least likely to stamp on you" he says. The ook is welt illustrated and easy to read.

Holiday

It you've every been to Cornwall ‘on holdsy, this to recollect the pubs be vs the way and describes in ‘Good Beer Guide™ deta If you haven't been and you read it, I guarantee you'll want 16 go next summer — and will seta fot more out of it after eating this book.

‘The biggest lesson of the book is how both the history ng prgsent day realities of Bila Socata and. rage tnionism are. ignored by much of the modern labour ‘movernent except om the day of the Tolpddte Martyrs rally

As Alan concludes: “All of ws have to take s longer Snd deeper look at Cornwall ieyond. your “holiday season’ view. People work Sand live there and make i tice for when we g0 on hol Gay. What do we ome them in return? Firs OF all'we ould start 0 Eaten fo them, Snd that goes, especially, or the Keaders of the Labour Parey and the national trade

’s End

TURN LEFT AT

ia

GNi SGNYW1

Child

Abuse debate

CHILD ABUSE:

“the family” is the problem

“Ihave discussed the question of child abuse with six different New Guinea anthropologists who collectively have spent approximately 150 months in the field. With ‘one minor exception, none of them reported anything that could reasonably be construed as child abuse and they all agree that child abuse, if it occurs, must be exceedingly rare.”

Lt. Langness'

Dace! Games ses emer od rien funeremnociianeues Sateg by, amivonnoaist. tothe seat ote prasom basic finding is that child °f°Md abuse in their area abuse is virtually impossi- Safe" issues Bee Awecerecmans ofobu Pe oe Grae pibtany tos teer e The horrendous stories of TWch greater, | public towards chitdren ‘which Syne sicty of tas ors Terebeennekcchectne siuscreron oscars Sat cs te ees to es

the pathologically {KS i court cases tan ob restricted, isolated, Boars sendlesascuners iy

nd aliaged mstanes by soval unaccountable Workers always populer with ‘and anti-social form of kin: feaders of the Sunt As far 30 ship system now prev. oth Government snd med in the copitatst West oe caret oydin Better than conceding the in scapable” tthe tat the Sinus of cher ts not ust = ime perpetrated’ by © few ‘tolated deviants who must be tracked-down and punished. It {nd tried inthe witness box ‘And earlier this year, they wili Alarming. have" been angered at’ the Child abuse in Britain is grow venomous gutterpress at ng. at an alarming’ rate. The

Brieting readers will have been horned af last month's Old Bailey case in which an elaborate network of alleged Sexual abusers in Lewisham were let off when a nine-year

NSPCC’s register research Provides the most accurate figures. These show a 42 per cent increase in. registered abuse ‘cases in 1985_compared with 1984, and a 34 per Cent increase in 1986. cone pared with 1985. In 1986, 3137 children were placed on the NSPCC's registers: of these. the majority were physically injured in one way fr another, 87 of them “fatal ly ot seriously”. ‘The most dramatic increase has been in the number of sexually abused cases. in 1986 some 527 children were registered by the NSPCC as having been sexually abused, 8 137 per cent increase over the 1985 figure. 80 per cent of the sex ally abused children were Gils; 18 per cent were aged fess than five.

The NSPCC's report (Research Bristing No 8)

The sexually and emo tionally abused children wer Just as likely t0 be living with 2 father substitute as with their natural father

‘Natural mothers and f Dlcated in the injury cases (32 per cent and 31 per cer fespectively). Natural fathers were implicated in 31 per cent

Of the sexual abuse cases in natural mothers. Father Substitutes, thers. and

Cohabitess (but not visiting oytriends) were implicated mn

By Chris Knight (Department of

26 per cent of the sexual

Substitutes were implicated in 69 per cent and natural fathers Jn 55 per cont of these cases where the chad was. liv

‘with him. In most cases for

were cited by ‘socal workers as having created the Stress which previptated the abuse. Finally. whilst it is of ‘Course true that child abuse is

reported more

sssuredly give us only a frac Bone! glimpse of

book mentioned above.

farmly systems, but also modern ‘China,

together of the future wit

the kinship system, the revolu ton drew an. and even strengthened — the ancient tradition of extended fariies, ‘50 that the three-generational family became sean 2s 3 min collective. 2 small mutual aid Group andthe core of the Street committee or neigh Bovrhood committee. The state's education and welfare Services mesh in with such ex tended forms of kinship, and tly heavily on local initatives. i a child i il-treated by his parents’” explains a Chinese informant (p. 166), “the eighbours usually interfere Sometimes the neighbournood committee mes and criticises the parents". Its Because of this extension of accountability, limitation on privacy and local involvement Between families that, as. 2 Chinese informant explains ip 166) ment are very few in China, Gnd stil fewer ate brought to the courts. The main reason is that everybody is aware that children are not private proper: ty to be degit with at wil

Endemic. it is wel! known that in the West, abusive parents “tend

to have limited social net works" (Korbin, 9. 175). But ‘abusive parents” are. only one end of @ spectrum. Stress fh relation to childcare is endemic in our kinship system, which leaves women

wolated in the home. allows men to be totally unaceoun table in their “private Ives: and places impossible expec {ations of and burdens on the marital relationship. There 1s rho escape from Koon’ basic finding: tis the pathologically ‘isolated and private structure ofthe Western capitalist uclear family” which pro aces chid abuse a0.a Matter of course, the more horetying Feported cases being just the tip of a vast iceberg of hidden childhood suffering

Conclusion 't seems to be @ regularity in the cross-cultural record concludes Korbin Ipp. 175-6), that’ extended households Setertent 10 harsh and punitive hig rearing practees."" In Societies with’ an_ adequately Gallective "kinship. system, there 1s no need for 9 vast ar my of social workers, no need {or the invaivement of police, nie need Tor nine year olds to make speeches in courts, A child in potential trouble can just pap next doat. There are lessons here for us all

Notes 3h sil Korbi, Child abuse and" neglect: ‘cross-cultural

perspectives. University of Caitornia Press, 1983, 280

2. As above

3. Thanks to: Sarah Brown-of he National Chidren's Bureau for these statistics

Will nuclear war start here?

. The world is full of il ‘Secondly, Pakistan _con- could still survive tens of political hot-spots, but fees eres tinues to be India's main rival millions dead on both sides.

Source, ‘ot. nuclear that the former ore more “r-VedV' usage tne ncn eite, may therefore be weaker than

conflict? responsible’ than the latter. Pakistan's strategic allience _in the case’ of the superpower

"Attention has been Suefyanaccusation only lends with the US makes Pakistan a standoff in_ Europe, 1h

Sredibiity to the bomb tobbies Yoenjable power even a focused on Europe, but intra subcontinent whicn {2 'SS ect areca = GS"aer nck arectiy mole “"iweshold™ does not have this is implausible for @ claim thet ifthe noch has the jtgeifin an tndo-Pakistan wer, wide eadnancain the subcon — ee eon bomb then the south should “Thxaiy, 2 conventional war tinent. This. danger does not Norte aistatogic nuclear follow suit and thet anyone ,,Tniy..s conventons! we; \veigh neawily on the nuclear

exe Boeken the US who argues to the contrary is SMtWSEN thEss Ne Cost if bes of india and Pakistan

e over the nuclear winter

PHOTO. Themis Michookidou

and USSR — over the 2 Victim of colonial mentality. both" have the bomb the | Pesce movements in the

Preopoan heads, seit were ¢qOLcouse HNnOR sre more Pita to useit wil grow as subcontinent (which art jst

lo, the likeliest contenders tal and vertical profferation 1056", the war or even 10 tour of Baitai for the role of Sarajevo of through partial or comprehen. “lose face’ for example in Britain end Boi

Europe, must begin to make

World War Ill are in the Third sive measures on various j ing to realise this. others in different spheres. ee ee

car Tanhislorbay ootsd tacts. | LadoPeiiriat” convennionsl creator of e NWEZ in Soun | Wo: leading mesmbers of India already has the capaci- ty has manifested itself in war. genet of @ NEE in Scie | ag “Alrican” ational 2) Sete cer, ty tomake nuclear bombs, and three wars since 1947. Only Fourth, a regional nuclear The time to make such a | Congress of South Africa

“1 hope that in a liberated

i Pokistan ison the verge of ac- the middle east, wherd lerael war in South Asie would be public demand on the govern- ae ibe south Africa People will live a

ee ieee. Sete a we te ee nee es ee pes | eee

ot steady have ought each other four t ition to lesbian and ‘aveady have Sea ach ctr fois Somes gomape: ‘Deimereileer >) foe gil woe wi fa, thten, | Pome, eee ee ome Ae | area nuclear ets of hee e worse ford. By con. change | between the Tour, ormore yeors when both | 8y Tights. ‘word norma... Yell me, are lesnd’Pakision'more mney test US ond Soviet Woops superpowers. four. or more years when both | BAY TENS. adicated that bansand gays normal? No, its re bomb thon thor have not drecty fought with "“Howrendous as the damage ther into the tertving loge of | omosexuals can expect Iit- {hth human race on Siporpower colesgues tach other snce 1925 Sens ee eer oe ee seen” | ne mn expect hn te, hua race wold

ae sce iM. come to an end.””

an ANC4ed postapartheld @ Statements by Smit i Along the color line state. ce soo Mccian acee ie te Scily Smith, the ANC’s — iorgsennve remarks made by 7 representative in Britain, ANC representatives to a South

H said: African student delegation in

Serine ARC: We camel be 19h anus sre

s majority being equal people (lesbians and gaya) arein Tepresenatives suid they had Tre minority The majority must “wo pu'icy” on lesbian and gay rights, though hey. ""kept an

rule, ke ‘When asked if the ANC was open tind on the issu.

‘There is mo precise country until the crisis of il- Black women is about three | opposed to discrimination eget

che i ictan Diaby Legal Grags began to claim times “the proportion of | seuss anys and if t would MAREE gow ast conchemistry which cam elably (Gesands ofits among whe females cassiied as | ‘cram Bohs reine SO mt soa queso a end Bis ciplosion, even though the daughters and sons of heavy drinkers. far ater Sout Aca was (eee dentate ban explosion, en thowehy the Ge emperemiacieciass. "There is als growing | "Stiga an ote om sate ould restore and currently present AAsiong.ascocsine was den’ evidence of am une | chat” Suc rated 0 o>

Dhea Sih Black tusiclans, precedented rise in the | “"Mis watement comes ia the presion.. freedom of ast,

Too often, social discon- street people and/or pro: suicide rates of Blacks, | wake of carlie: comments by

tent and rage are channelled stitutes, no real social pro- especially younger Blacks, | Ruth, Momeati, 3. leading Chiara ENC aera

sading Of principles) away. from meaningful ~blem was said to exist. ee the civd rights era. Bet. | member of the ANC national OF FORPGD per of pro: aa ot ire puacly _ Migal drugs serve to dif- ween 1950 and 1977, for in. | Sevare Oost Mactan 5 er ee er Public protests into, DUEIY suse Diack collective action, stance, the annual suicide | "e510, ‘She protesed: inside South Africa have recent selfdestructive actin of and ecent data indicates the rate of Black males soared | "= cannoc even, bexin to {express the support for energy and dynamism of rug issue now receives less from 6.8 per 100,000 (011.4 | understand. ‘why people want ian and gay is franipulated. into. self. governmental and media at- per 100,000. HeeeanG geyviebis'The gays, Eatliee this year the Chair of defeating activity sorermgecause itz victims" Also’in these years, the | have no problems. They have he Rand Cay Oraaniaton of

Johannesburg, Siphiwe Alfred Machela, encountered problems in finalising rip to address gay organisations in Sweden. When

‘The struggle against illegal have become once more Black female suicide rate | sce houses and plenty 10 cat, { drugsizbenglostinmostof predominately Black and more than doubled, from | don't see them, sutherne. Cee ene oor immer poor. As Dr Mitchell S. 1.6 per 100,000 to 3.5 per | One lt pemenstng ween. he

pe this country’s major inner Reecathal, head of Phoenix 100,000. Nearly one half of | ven’ Rear aoe Us 0; Swine ‘Mandela, wife ofthe cites. Recent federally, Bouse, a'nerwork Of drug all suicides among Afro- | Me™," Siu", Atos, SEL imprisgned ANC leader Neon financed, studies Sich has treatment centres, tates: Americans occur today |. Tachionable in the West" Niundela, heard. “about these aa nee hom drugs “Inthe heroincrisis of the among young adults, bet- | “When quized about her reac- Pravin, she offered 10 help

Dr Manning Marable Stich as cocaine in the late in with ween the ages of 20 anc tion to ike Tonmation of ani sor things out and to seDd & h ine in the past late 1960s and agai the ages of 20 and 34. ~s “f personal message to the Swedish

} ; 1 guch as cocaine in the Pat! — Gack in recent years it was Within themore narrow age | gparhcd gay oteansaons in A personal view of | Cducated, white upper mid- the threat to the middle and group of 25 10 29 years, the | Soumn,, Airea, — Mompati Hy OI ie

upper middle class kids that suicide rate among Black | ‘sted: ig backing to days leveled a

in eas current affairs in "$25 conics, Blacks; por pressure OM state males i higher than that for | yon ug a favour ty Te, fmitaparind tugs i.

he onany, Hispanics, Biscks: Egisatures, and Congress. white men and women living | Qresncing separately and cam. <luding Tseko Son NEaH wh | the USA by Dr ew inconeneonic and thos Tae dange thay in urban ares orate cach ad ape SPE an al th Manning Marable — cducation have continued feel less of a threat, the Why, are Black young | (gay) issue is being brought up others charged with treason and Shuvor increased their col- resources won'tstay with the adults killing themselves in | to take attention away from the could face the death penalty lective drug dependency problem."” record numbers? main struggle against apartheid. = PON (os pes ee Whenever Ihave lectured The crack epidemic con- ‘another continuing social" You don’t nced an occu | Thess other problems can walt hs ishop Desmond as . Whenever Uhave lectured es gn poor urban com- problem for Black, as well pying army 10 wipe ut 2 | Neving. So ee ae ae na oe potrally uncheck. as other. Americans, is spirit of resistance am6ng an ee ee cl oie Wes fecent months, inevitably Ties virwally uncheck oF fiom. “There are an oppressed people. Yousttp- | iacgf'plky on feban and Vel, ving them both i pet Team asked the same — feroin addicts m New York estimated 6t0 9 milion con- ly pomp walimited supplies | ex of patey on lesbian aed Sona Bing question. heroin addicts tn ced that firmed alcoblics in the US. of cocaine, heroin, and | " “We don't have‘ policy on IM "5 UM eng general Essentially, it goes Blacks and Hispanics com- _ Blacks, especially those with other drugs into their | flower sellers either.” aude, the outgoing general something like this: Blacks and Hispanics com ower iors of income and neighbourhoods. You | | While Ceioed, E500 3 "Che, ed “The Black community is city’s addicts. eEiijn me a dipropor- burden them with an | women have special problems OWT? neg he ae in the midst of an un- Another 1982 survey of " tionate number of them. unemployment rate of 20% | and interest. Mompati 2s yen of lesbians and gays in the 1 OL a a Anat tee aependoncy, There's also evidence that ad higher. You give thom | Stdoygi"" Gam assis apante The Why aren't Afro-Americans based on material from over alcoholism is rapidly grow- poor schools, few health FY Me not ot going to single Sime month, Murphy Morabe, see eer (se curcets? What 30,000, treatment centres, ing problem for Black clinics, and reinforce white | them (gays) ou for special at- 8 1Sa0 the main tegal anti eee check on Black showed that 44% of all ad: women. Statistically, most corporate standards of beau- | temion and treatment.” Snartheid organisation, the 4 is Keeping a check on Black showed that 44 Joa were Black women aremore ikely ty and. materialism in the | | Didi She agrec es» peanle LS) sishwe Mahala of hi seal and Social condi. Hispanic, and ‘only 36% | nottodrink alcohol than are media and popular culture. ee ireetiom Sppresion’ _ ssured Siphive Machela of i tions which gave rise to the were white. White females. However, the Drug dependency, alcohlism 'm got going to comment DRO Tie Ssfaction a the riots of the 1960s are actual- ‘There was no recognised for and suicides are the in- | omihat,\'fephed Mompatl: | tittspartheid commitment of iy much worse today?” “drug. problem” in this ‘among evitable result. “een being Farther pressed, she Theta Gay Organisation.

Labor Briefing No. 49 Oct 14th-271h 1987 page 15:

International Briefing

BTR strike is over

The Long ae : March 7 fal

South Africa’s longest = labour dispute is over. ‘By Charlie van Gelderen

On ‘Ist May 1985, 800 Brent South CLP workers at the BTR-owned | ‘Equally remarkable was his

SARMCOL plant in Howick wore sacked after a strike | Ticism of Geoff Sevveme ®

‘BUM refused to mect the Saran exon by ma youth Sorof the-union MAWU tent on furierng”unomer {now NUMSA} Sid ivevdence he wos nein

aw NUMA. ced io ad. t0 fstly the scone of

thon mambore How

take BTA to court. After 39 days of hearings, spread over

olen e coeulomst nat

Tonststernent compete isenstvity to the ‘This is hardly surprising, The economic losses being occa: impartiality of the court was Sioned to BTR by the sustain

oY Ot ee om “the ed industrial action Soe NG gale Finally the court had

im particular, the union rais- Something to say sbout the ed opectons te the appoint. way Mawu reached its ment of Charl de Witt. A decisions:

{abour relations consultant, ‘A cisturbing feature which ee oreatanemc was disclosed by the evidence

is Delleved to be an academe in this case was the form of Aiveriten Corporation, ond-2 collective democracy practi aoe oe earning mansge, ed By this union... union activi Part-time fee earning manage- fy depends solsiy on the cot pressed himself in favour of 2 lective will of the members.

Bressed himself in fovou of ® This has the convenient effect regulation of labour isputes. that. no individual member con

Mine irpartaity ofthe presi. eheld responsible or called to dent of the court Pierre Roux, eccount for is action oF was algo questioned by the Maction

Union, Sarmcol hes conceded __ the opinion of the cour.

Yue sr denissal of, the collective democracy of the ‘workers was based on advice Kind | practised by | unions eee eine iaduetral ad. should. not be tolerated in Visor, Andrew Levy, who South Africa would presumably be called as __ BYR is one of the 10 biagest ‘companies ia Britain. It took te

Fight ii the middie of the over Dunlops 3 years ago, and

the midcle of the fast year socked 300" J = al Lavy eegerensinneminer Heogas tarsal Limb) | The three week strike of ‘etranshipment and temporary own sanctions. We should take Geared to management wine workers at Roehampton who | South African miners in By Steve Roberts storage in some European port 3 leaf from the book of the yas te be adcressed by altho ere on erie folowing the | August has = {Sealy Kotedamy” before Liverpool dockers and the Dum Bee a yetS aetiercarane company’s summary termine- | underlined the crucial Erm (2 consortium of BP. shipment — on another vessel.” nes Slofes strikers." Shore Powe Rou tion of the employees pen] ole that the mit Total and Gencor). import and subsequent reg, ies Dunnes | sttikers were ‘Some of the comments con- 085 agreement. + mining in- 7, years later the reason export of South African coal by SHOP astanis in lates Duy raeae Of the comets cor Concrete. support for the | dustry plays im propping forthe government's “generon- 4 European county o another, ecb tig Car Mars

{ainad in he judgement exe Numsa workers can be given | up the apartheid . iy" became clear when Chris Perhaps with anew “ceruficale Sched and remain in dispute

Strange for a union official! ‘The court also severely

‘Stop South African Coal! — conference, Sheffield

Tan Contin the “union's BY supporting the play The | economy. Fleunis, thea South African Of origin”

de: Tong horchehcn a crrendy | CrRmOmey, = a : it, their “management.” A

‘ Taig which has been ine: for Economic Aas emiig of South At

ROO ue woeny ie te ee > “ ican epresentative of the Eiverpo01

“'Ruerng 10 the ovloy- tui Briain, Ale ert | ied ge Somte “Atns Gel iota an cel wien citer drs er id

Bet cat REDE aieey play about their own lives | cemtral feline, i, Shel and Teal ave teen fg ahipmen rm port fence that, following an p=

Workers Union of South Anes thle own sugges. eis 2 Fp gel 3S geal by Be Uelenga. General

es gic tos coused story of solidarity and-survval. | But i they continue thet obl=tom ——siopying the remaining 21m _ Setetary ofthe Mineworkers

rest ness among, ihe Goto letof STIs network | an. increasingly important Wisc pemcatation of ime Weer Earope was the ShDment, Of Namibian and ithe effect of the dismissal sified, its tists of subs becoming the regime's Thay IN ce ecraag si of nen camngn inch South Afianeraium xa the

of the 890 employees all fil pages and pages. of second largest contributor to Sra 0. ibe’ the ail 04, Steffi on Sepember PT

of the 896 eeloyees at pooes and pease of "mo | aoort earnings and pro- Scaal 1, Sts, te O) To: Acowlrencaeg the The coferace wen on to

Aled Workers’ Unon — was March programene contains & viding 75% of the country’s. Faports- Navional Union ct Mineworkers adopt an lon programme Ua News Hac RTR A Te incr to tatw ap | ercopentenst ths powime panicoTgeelnpey oneng | Ser epee OE ra | cae

Doses Mawu disappesred from propriate ection in Support Of | SISleg eeeee eeeT areariccia 103 representatives from pits against all companics involied

Was allowed to start organi: ot further information con | of Mineworkers 10 block all bulk carriers with which it ships NUM “Presiden Sete waar ea Was alowed 10 Sar dan, tects SAWCO, clo 12 Mancx | South Afvican coal xpors into coal fo Europor. Amsterdam, seit’ opened the conference the international anti-Apartheid

nent stot FF, Tel. (0533) 712041 Since the early 1970s South Taranto, Ancona, Ai raranto, Ancona, Augusta (ta ; Aitan ‘coal production hat) and Carboncan rail. Sed'tontemning he fea of parson

Container leaves for Nicaragua | "v7 S2rS fom ce Other maior, ahpping | com. the South African authorities to

ies are BP (UK), Cetragpa tonnes to 172m tonnes making paris are BE (UKI, Cetraema ict Cyril Ramaphosa ated the @ Research imo santos

On September 23rd, the Nicaragua Campaign's Sth] largest producer after Australia Cobelfrct_(Belgiom), Carbocx

conference. The NUM collecied evasion. £375,000 from all over Europe

Container of material aid to Niaragua set sail on its| and the USA. This increase had Taye Nicaragua's Pacific coast. the coomny'sconrgy necds, and Kealeke (Japan) eee ae parkiament. he Somtants ofthe coviainer range trom wheelchairs] Seaune # mor” cport "Abo bal of South Atta's genta 'Eutope Lo op com to wellington boots, from saucepans to toolkits ans * ny. coal exports are shipped to EC Sictuy the import of coal stain oAciioa 25. tak aoe Be spans to toolkits and | "TA ategy was particularly coumircs Italy, West Germany, _Pctelv.the import of coal sais, African coal transhipments sid PUSeTS ied by a-range of different groups who| —2Meé, Europe. Tix Sou the Spanish state and Belem Soctyatmcan mines oho have NT EAE Sorated Gadde Wievasivce: walbyypany peopismrtne| quaitucy quid uimlac an ca lost their fives this century in ac- After the South African donated goods themselves, and by mary peop ne | thai they could simul oy Sanctions imposed by France dens, However, concluding mine the oe ofthe es Coe a a ee et | SE oA cod mmm RS sed Gemma COE) Ws speck, Sala tat ays thal ear Sp urgently newded materials in bulk. Part ef the container | Aiem hesca oan tive, dasielty remo the was rot suicen merey t-te suelo chs th vies Ta gece beng Sow Wormee’= Con |" Se a weiner Scene rat rere of mal socom "Wa mide son commen cee Nicaragu a. frter disincentive against SOa""itg those counties. unwonists should impose our thet and Europe gua. However the "South Aft ine Nicaraguan people are in the midst of a severe| "780M aay autores have responded by economic crisis, blockaded by the US and having to] jake “wr icacrpinas sane, increasing the secrecy surroun: Travel ban on Ramaphosa devote precious resources to defence against the at-| tions In 1971 thesouth African ing_the shipments of South tacks of the US backed contra forces fovernment announced spins Aftican coal South African miners’ leader Cyril Ramaphosa sis In response to the blockade, the Nicaraguans launch. | _ for the expansion of the coal in. Neither is the coal trade refused permission to leave South Africa for the ec anpanse to tha blockade, the Nicaraguans ounch | umn ai The pam pied Fars tone Kons | shetfield Conference. The en bash om which the Spec fo inomauonal soldat, of growing impor ‘ee coed on th alocton [Pc of South Aftcancoai_ | apartheid authorities were prepared to allow bit Io ave 8 08 he Sl Corp concer the| Spee mnciandcancty Semuneeen andthe com. | the country war on» peport of deinaid bomen A ‘of the loading terminal ai ‘Tics in the Far Fast Accepting such a passport would have enabled the need to be greatest, many of the goods are destined to] iawtirs'Buy'tp the north of Namerous methods exist 10 provide basic help to the people displaced by contra} Durban. circumvent sanctions: authorities 10 deport Ramaphosa to the Venda homeland piles = ee eee as an alien on his return to South Africa. Strang proiests For details of the Campaign contact N.S.C., 23] dismay among South African @semidivect shipments: from the British NUM and Trade Union Congress Bevenden’ Street, London °N1 6BH; or Tony| mine owners m 1976 when, out ditcharging part 5 cventually secured the necessary documents for Quickenden, 01.608 0414 Eris tout quota of 20m tonnes, another port price to discharz: | Ramaphosa to visit Britain, although, of course, tow late

Shell was allocated 3m and 3 of the remaining South African Turner “Sur were aligesied to coal cargo im another por. fo sind Set eet

{_Taken from NSC press reloase

Boe ia eee. i

Laboiir Briefing No. 49 Oct 14th-27th 1987 page 16

March for Civil Rights and Justice

Scottish Labour Briefing

jaturday October 3rd saw 2,500 people march the 13 miles from Broadwater Farm to Downing Street, and then on to a rally in Hyde Park.

‘The march was organised by the BW Youth Association, to launch the “Move. meni for Civil Rights and Justice”.

‘A wide range of organisations supported the march, notably a strong Irish contingent.

‘The main demands of the march, held on the anniversary of the police killing of Cynthia Jarrett and the subsequent clashes on the Farm, were for:

‘ean immediate public inguiry into the events of Oc-

tober 6th 1985 and the following massive police repression;

‘@the immediate release of all the 40+ youth still jailed in the subsequent “‘conveyor belt” show trials

‘AL the rally in Hyde Park Dolly Kiffin told the crowd that "We are going to go on and on, until the last drop of blood, because 1 will not ac- ‘cept that because Iam black Ido not have equal rights in this country.”

Stafford Scott of the Youth Association con: ‘gratulated the marchers for “standing up and being counted and demanding justice” and went on to attack the Labour leadership's vain search for the **middle ground”

“Any reasonable person knows that the yuppie vote and the working class vote

a2 i fog? 28

cannot go together,”” said Scott.

‘The relatives of the “Tottenham 3”, framed for the killing of PC Biakelock, also addressed the rally. Sharon Raghip, whose husband Engin is serving 30 years for the Blakelock killing, said “Engin, Winston Silcott, and Mark Braithwaite were made scapegoats by the British police... 1 am glad that there are people who know the truth and who are willing to come out and fight for it. We have the strength to beat the system."*

‘Other speakers’ included Annette Monnerville, lawyers Mike Mansfield and Tony Gifford, Diane Abbott MP, former Haringey Coun. cil ieader Steve King, and representatives from’ the Viraj Mendis campaign, Catholic Association for Racial Justice, AntiApartheid Movement, and Irish Freedom Movement.

By Dave Palmer Haringey Labour Briefing

‘The March succeeded in keeping the BWF events and the imprisoned youth on the national political agenda. As a locally based campaign, the “Civil Rights” Move: ment has succeeded in its initial objectives.

The breadth of the platform assembled in support of the Farm is important. It shows the direction in which initiatives organised against state racism and in defence

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of the democratic rights of black people and the work: ing class should, and can, develop.

Briefing will continue to fully participate in and support both Civil Rights Movement and all other cam-

paigns in defence of democratic rights and against state racism.

The objective now should be to take initiatives like the Civil Rights Movement into the labour movement nationally.

Printed by Press Link Internationa! (TU), London SE17_ Published by Labour Briefing, PO Box 457, London SW2 SUZ

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STRIP-

Alex Falconer, Euro MP for Mid Scotland and Fife, helped launch the Scottish Campaign Against Strip Searches at the Cowane Centre,

Stirling, on Saturday 26th September. The organisers we

pleased with the high tur nout — the meetings was well attended by repre: tatives of commu groups, trade unions, stu: dent

all over Scotland. Letters of support wer .ceived from many public igures including

Richardson MP, Gavi Strang MP, Carole Tongue MEP, Winnie Ewing MEP and Margaret Ewing MP.

Margaret Stewart added “1 am very encouraged by the response to Saturday's launch — a strategy for the future was decided. This turn will result pressure groups c ing for an end to this prac. tice, described by many as

‘institutionalised violence’.

B 4

SEARCHING CAMPAIGN

1 am hopeful that this launch is the start of a campaign which will grow

from strength to. strength.” degrading and ing practice,”" was: largaret Stewart, fone of the National

organisers described strip

method of inflicting pain without, leaving surface bruises.””

‘The launch had the twin purpose of informing those attending of the issues surrounding strip searching and that of planni future actions to be taken by the campaign in the coming year.

After a lively discussion, the group chose to bring out a factsheet to be

tributed nationwide in early November, followed by an “‘information road-

‘speakers and a video touring various groups throughout Scotland,