Southampton Labour Briefing no. 7

CAN | LABOUR

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We enter the election period in & | difficult position. No amovnt of biuft can hide the fact that Labour faces an uphill struggle if we are to wins But it is only Labour that can offer a - socialist alternative to the possibility of another Tory government, and the threat it poses to the working class and oppressed groups in society.

abour will stand the best chance of Winning if it puts to the front its soc ialist policies and mobilises the sup port of ell sections of the community thet will benefit from them. This méans linking up with the mass popular cam paigns ageinst nuclear weapons —- CND and Greenham Common, It means supporting the People's March for Jobs and the many trade union campaigns against privat isation.

Through our canvassing and. leafleting we should get support for the Maye2d women's day of action for peace, and the June 5 demonstration in London that will greet the People's March. We must show by our actions rather than our promises that we support these This will complement putting over Labour's case on the doorstep.

In the campaign we must put forward an unequivocal commitment to unilateral nuclear disarmament, and the removal of all nuclear.bases from Britain.

- Other key areas of Labour's, policies that need to pe’-highlighted are -

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* 2 programme of nationalisation and expansion of the economy to return to full employment : re

< = commitment to re living stendards, and a policies: the defence o rights and the repeal o * to campaign for positive action for women's cmployment, health care, and the right to abortion

* to repeal the Nationality Act

and Immigration Acts, and to campaign against all forms of racism

* 4O peoiect civil liberties: by obtaining

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a commitment to a united Ireland, the banning of plastic bullets and the repeel of the Prevention of Terrorism

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x to adopt a socialist foreign policy that supports liberation movements in Central America, South

A PaAadg 4 4 ee Mea A Th +} Africa and the Middle Hast.

Within the must end, end be allowed to Labour. Labour con break the

Party the witch-hunt all adorted cendidates +

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Conservatives if it inspires ¢ go and persuade others to turn out in GE 1 ainst th

their miilions to vote a Tories and the SDP. We can da Southempton, end if we

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Southampton Lebour Briefing produced by members of South Lebour Party who are 3 supports of the policies of the

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POLITICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY

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if we cut into the bloated ‘lifestyles’ Does so. tTaie meen that @a full two-— of MPs, will that ensure tha : Gney better way Clalog ao Les the point complete— represent their working class constit— iy? No, a te their bureau ucnts? The LPYS seems to think so. Jus ratic oposeale, the LPYS plan to at the point that John Denham and Alan Pie ae pockets of the carecrist Whitehsad are set to get their paws on Preeloodsrs,-te stop them sellin ous, a fat salary and big meals, and betray is motivated by a deep suspicion of

the Southampton party, the Young Social- Farliament. This ists rush to the rescue. refiects the So ee the comrades are missing the rank and. real problem is how to

ZOU, le, 2 problem thet left Whe EPC Myencency' cocs 6 S been a ae on Lor year. sonal and administrative If Dennis Healey gets a retainer of p down on ths

£6000 a year from 1 Deily Ibxpress, we & radical UP can e should be asking why he wants to write time job. But thes for such a poison sheet, rather than gus bake trying to claw So rich pickings into the Party cotfers,

Comrades who nt : touch with local workers by tighte the purses strings are dealing with a political problem by administrative means. Worse still, their bureaucratic solution could damage the ability of into our own common redical MPs to campaign effectively. Against the LPYS

firstly, eet wing MPs (Tory or Le i otherwise} don't look plump and pink

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because of their huge salary, but because they have lucrative business intercsts

to subsidise their political hobby. Left wing MPs (and this would especially

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I O g s activists who tion oe be speaking for Labour) are: at power of the i iS ecause they re, the dagio

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secondly a eh pour MP does not. get seperated rom his constituents or local f pases peas Farty because of the champagne and fast Sa : Cars, but because he becomes. mosmerised by the power machinery of eens ter. Rather than pena ing a radical MP for entering Parlia shovld be : ing him or her through continual discus5 see 4 ie { Sion and political,debate in the local | | Party © Tt will | | sure that par i of ‘ 4 ; te ae all i { | i ‘ 1

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