Southampton Labour Briefing no. 1

No Witch-hunt$ tfo expu

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The Labour Party should be poised to win the next general election by an overwhelming majority, elected on its most radical program ever. But the opinion polls show that the Tories who are actuelly putting into practice their most radical policies ever, are way out ahead, with Margaret Thatcher being considered a far more effective leader then Michael Foot.

The right wing in the Labour Party will tell you thet Foot is unpopular peceuse he is seen as @ man of the left, and because he 1 desl with ‘infi Now that he is taking ‘Nilitant', the argument Ss will be well. This is but © smokescreen for an extremely well-plenned campaign, not only against the 'Nilitent', but against «11 the policy gains made by the left of the Labour Party over the last few years. It is the right that is threatening Labour victory, by fudcging policies which they oppose. The Healeyites in the party are very busy trying to persuade those who hold the purse strings that the next Labour government will pose no real threat to

existing financial institutions, nor to traditional defence deals, particularly with the USA. In order to do this they have introduced tie

bureaucratic measure of the register, clearly one which paves the way for

witch-hunts and expulsions. This attack, seemingly aimed at o s and sectarian section of the Labour

Party, is in reality only the begin-- ning of an attack on the left a whole. The press are far more fright— ened of the broad-based militent left-wingers in the CLPs and the trade unions, who would probably coll themselves Bennites, than they are of the 'Militant’. Unilateral nuclesr disarmament end withdrawel from the IEC are the key issucs, supported ond fovght for by the majority of activists - and these are the policies that would force 2 Future Lebour government to tread « very different path from those taken previously. To put it another ways Tony Benn's statements cause the Daily Express for greater apoplexy than Ted Grent's ut pian ramblings.

! site the decisions teken ot ferences before Soptember ; the witch-hunt, vnion leaders in the party still used the block vote, either naively or cynically, to ensure that Confer ence ame Eo

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favour of the register. ence did not hunt

hunts » be ed bau, Party reaffirmed our policy against cxpulsions end witch-hunts ne fore Confer ence, ond it is up to us, drawing on the support of venk end file trade cnientses +o make sure thet expulsions do not take place here, If other constituencies do the seme, sny attempt at expulsions will fail. But we must ase our fight on the premise thot pto

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FORUM on the politics of Tony Benn Speakers: John Denham, PPC for Southampton, Itchin Alen Freeman, Author of "The Benn Heresy", and

Steve Jefferies, at the October Books Festival,

Sunday 14th November.

a Socielist Challenge supporter Socialist Workers Party Areyle Road Fit, Centre, Debate starts 4 pm.

any witch-hunt is en attack on the left os & whole; our campaign must have broad-based support among the youth of the party, and in the unions, We should note the success of the Labovr “ovement conference against the witch-hunt organised on 30th October by Hackney CLP, and aim to link up with their initiatives. We should also back the regional conferences being organised by 'Militent', providing they are genuinély representative, and not simply 'Militant' rallies.

It is vital to sée this fight as a political fight to defend hard-won policies, such as unileteral nuclear disarmament, ageinst the attacks of the richt wing, who ere prepared to disrupt the Labour Party, rather than come to power on such policies. We must not be sice-tracked into 2 simple ‘defend Militant! line: we must fight expulsions all the vay, end unity in action is our only hope of success,

Wyn Jeffery

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eoointroducing Southampton Labour Briefing

This is the first issue of what we hope will be a regular monthly bulletin, produced by supporters of the weekly socialist newspaper "Socialist Challenge". “Socialist Challenge" provides a serious and systematic analysis of the major political, industrial ond social issues in Britain ond internationally. We campzign in the trade unions for the return of a Labour sovernment

firmly committed to carrying out the radical socialist policies adopted by the L bour Porty over the lest few years.

“Socialist Challenge" supporters org=nise monthly discussion meetings. hecent topics hnve included Folsnd, Irelend, Central American, Women's Liberation, end how socialists should work in the unions.

If you would like further information apout our activities , we can be contacted on Southampton 39651.

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Solidsrity's struggle continucs.....

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As the left in the Lebour party faces the wrath of the Foot lecder-— ship for supporting Tony Benn against Denis the menace, the left in Poland is suffering the persecution and

banning of their trade union Solidernosc,

Foot, frightened by the press campeien which threatens to rob him of a Labour victory in the election, is prepared to suffocate dissent, Jaruzelski, in the shadow of the soviet Union and similarly efraid for his career, is determined to crush the Polish workers movement.

The imposition of state/party contrclled unions (Jaruzelski's register) is meeting stubborn resistance however, The new unions are being boycotted everywhere. At the October Revolution printing plant in Warsaw, which employs several thousand workers, 11 joined. At the URSUS plant in Gorzow, out of 5,000 workers, 90 joined: at the FSC truck factory in Iublin, 33 out of nesrly 10,0003 at WSK in Swidnik, 20 ovt of 9,0003 end «t Nowa Huta, where

called for November 10th, The stakes are very large ond. they are far from confined to Polend. The struggle of the Polish workers for democratic rights, for trade~union richts, and for a self-managed republic based on the socislisetion of the mecns production end their control by workers councils is o Struggle for socialism. It is part of our struggle. Victory for the Polish workers would give « powerful impetus for other workers victories( and oxtra-porliementary ones at thet!) & defect for them would be a defeat for us as well.

Inevedibly, the right wing in this country, inside and outside the Labour Party, are able to get away with slendering the Bennite left as being some kind of now stalinist eroup.

Our response cen only be to redouble solidarity with Solidarity, to expose the Lebour bureaucracy's reluctance

to give active suprort to those resisting the Polish bureaucracy, to demonstrate our commitment to

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See ' = ’ Ba onan ee San . r = 5 o ce ; the new 'union' hes offices and controls gt egles for democratic workers

the pent redio, 100 joined out of Now throughout the country, the pre-

parations are going on for the next

test of strength- the general strike

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control.

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