Southampton Labour Briefing no. 5

Despite what ‘Sir Robin Day' end the well-paid scribes of the Tory press may > Labour did not lose Bermondsey ause its cendidate was too left wing.

Geseger = the defeat -has shown the feilures of Labour that must be reversed if 2 perty 18 to win the next general clection.

Labour's defeat in Bermondsey can be

put down to a number of factors. Firstly a section of the party leadership did not want teter Tatchell to win. Evidence

of this was the pulping of his election leéaticts, the cencelline of his first

press conference, and the timins of the expulsion of the 'Militant' editorisl

board for the day’ before polling. These events during the cempaign hed been s—tisured by bichacl Foot's disown of Tetche]1 in parliament last year, and the attempts of the NEC to

candidate on the Bermondscy

These ‘own goals’ by the NEC provided the Tory gutter press and the right wing candidates with the opportunity to carry out & political and personal smear

cempeign against Peter Tatchell.

Labour cendidate should be ashemed of hoving refused to fight in the imperial-—

st war in Victnam, or of being Gaz.

those who would have voted Labour re did not do so beceuse of this, netretes the need for Lebour to mee for Gay Rights and arainst wars such as the one fought in Vietnam. But the reasons for Lebour's defeat

oo beyond what happened in Bermondscy . itself. We have to accent that 1 Labour voters have been disillusioned by the last Labour government, end will only vole for us if they can see tne Farty putting forward a clear Socialis alternative to the Torics. It was in se when Labour was orgenising messive arches end compaigns egainst unenploy-—

om that support for tne Pories fell and that for the Labour Farty increased. The Tories were only able to recover

when Labour failed to oppose Thatcher's ar in the Atlantic.

Victory in the as election will Hou be achicved bya retreat from the policies adopted by lest three

conferences. What the right are siminge

es

2 XY Wey

ie.

ee \ us \ ) ; oh oe j if { ee pee ee = for is « fudging of the policy of uniees nucleardisarme eas and a return to ae policies of pay restraint and cut e time the right ere eee to divide the party by expe supporters of socialist nolicies are giving crecibility to the spr / Liberal A Labour's

p indistingvishe ‘ble from It means that insteed of SS | the water workers and CND + = tLe

resourses are own momborshinp. we will be isole hundreds of thousands of COND 2 ae vommon, end Yromm trade vnionists fi chting uncinployren oe pey- his would mean MASSiVs

cntion by working class voters. ‘Ic will only reverse the defeat mondscy if we so into the Pleo as i the

Tories, our agoinst our succeed

RG ir o

ated

SUPEO

2 OL

Dr + dw

on the a

eas These

policies are the Victo

s00UL

Tucker

Me ire Lie

crepe Rm RT a om ee coat ee ae eas.

Briéfing is of members about our contact vs on Soton

Labour

c number

produced monthly of pouthampton

like more

ke ola cis 985 Sls

May DAY 1963 There will be festivel and social i y pouthempton Trades Council BLL LIONS, Ssteiis, -fiim including Reg hace . in the evening as pe ALSCO 6

sunday Tickets £1570, including

SLL/CLPD - which geinst the

year's LP confercnce y Domocracy

Prior to last £ bs rrefercnee

the Cam m for Labour Par (CLPD) gave notice of its Pp for a 'democratic' register, thereby Signelling its melts: ess to organise an effective campaign ag the expulsions which would logics follow from the NEC'c version.

At the end of January this a the AGM of the CLPD voted, by a nerrow majority, to apply to the NEC for

registration, thus laying the ground~ me for the N&C to expel five members

u at

nest

ra, ally

TO &

oe 5

of the 'Nilitant' editorial board, on the eve of the Bermondsey by—clection.

embers of Southempton hLebour Left (SEB) attended the CLID conference and voted for régistration. This thard core' of SLL (no metaphors ebout rottcn applcs to be found here!) com=~-

prised individual mombers of CLPD, and were therefore under no obligetion to represent SLP's outright opposition

to registrati end concomitant expulsions. However these comrades occupy important Labour Party positions

and therefore reasons their action end their opinions on the role of the

CLPD should be sought»

* Is it SLL policy to support registration?

* It was SLL policy to oppose Is this still the case, and by 1 mcens? Does the SLL support CLPs refuse ment cxpulsions?

at who %O imple

* How do they reconcile their argument (SLL No.1) thet CLPs should abide by

LP conference on Ses matters with the denial of ecces constitution of those

Should this top down ‘democratic! entralism apply to their activities as individuel members?

*As representatives ond prospective representatives of SLF's policies, how will they counter the suspicion that the alacrity with which they oppose the register and expulsions will be somewhat lacking in view of their personal beliefs as manifested by their CLPD voting?

ILP

* The precursor to = SLL, seat Tn

proposed the idea of a reg aes. as this a means of 2 ee es ne ure

nd politics of the ‘Militant' through ‘exposing’ its organisetional structure?

expulsions.

witch-hunt?

* If so, cen we therefore bleme the SLL's Aine ty +4

Mlb S secra ria WL. me ntelia by or tNe witch-hunt end its repercussions? If

not, were the ILP/SLL ever so slightly naive in not anticipating the speed with which the right wing seized upon their jolly jape?

questions are not necessarily rhetorical!

In accordance with the forme+ of the SLL's ‘sixth form review', a Red star will be awarded to the fret

complete entry — possibly for om goelea,

mreth Narbed “Bennite and infantile leftist"

(V.Derer, CLPD Exec,

seen em ea Sm me teen oe ne om

The witch-hunt has sterted. After months of deferred decisions oe: chong—

ing tactics the NEC voted on 23 Feb to to expel the five members of the Mili.

tont Editorial Board ag members of an organisation ee @ to affiliate to the Party. Th tance with which the NC have exemined 4 VS 204 removing the oo Cant se geegeoe a8 72 clear sign of the .olitical. img pe

g they cA iene to it, and shows " is not the supposed constitutional off cnees that heve put their heads Dilock,

a4,

Islington Central CLP have already announce d ee they do Re intend to

Lt others rol

expel Peter ‘laffe, and the rs involved, Homme remith North and Nornood are expected to do the se All CLPs as ours, that have a policy of op expulsions now have 2 duty | CLPs, who will comc under kes from the NEC, and perhap with suspension. if allowed the Militent essenticel part

NS 6

Stop at

Beard. 1, isan OL

right wine's efforts to roll beck Peins of the left, and i will a

to isolete and intimidate all

out for socialist policies. It ill behoves anyone on the Icft

Stend back while the Militant are

expelled — they may be next.

Hache

tO

rd Correll