Witch Hunt Tips Scales at Clpd Conference

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(CLPD Executive, in personal car Ents vote to strike on grants

December

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IRELAND Labour Committee on Ireland: Labour Movement Conference.

Saturday February 27, 11an to 6pm, at The Theatre, 309 Regent St. Open to delegates and observers. Details: 1 North End Road, London W14..

Bloody Sunday Commemoration demonstration. 31 January in Coventry: called by Sinn Fein.:

Help build the London contingent for the march. Mobilising committee meetings: South London - 4 January 1982, 18 January 1982, 8pm Room 2, Lambeth Town Hall, Brixton. North London - 5 January 1982, 18 January 1982, 8pm Camden Labour Club, 4 Carole St, NW1. Further details, phone 274 3951. Called by Smash the PTA Campaign. LABOUR LEFT Leeds Labour Left meeting Sunday January 10, 7.30, ai •Leeds Trades Council club. OXFORD Socialist Organiser Christmas bazaar, with cakes, tombola, bottle stall, darts and Father Xmas.

St Michael's St. Entrance WOMEN Women's Fightback day school on new technology. * What are the problems, and the possibilities, for women? * Have the unions given any thought to women when negotiating on new technology? * How can women organise to control new technical developments rather than be pushed around as victims?

Saturday Feb.6, at Lambeth Town Hall, near Brixton tube. Send sae for more details and registration form to New Tech Day School, WF, 41 Ellington St; London N7.

Action Committee for a Woman's Right to Work: National Organising Conference. Feb.20. Contact: 181 Richmond Rd, London E8.

Women's Fightback rank and file women trade unionists' conferenci March 27. For details, registration forms, etc, send sae to WF, 41 Ellington St, London N7.

New issue of Women's Fightback - 10p plus postage from 41 Ellington St, AT ITS Annual General Meeting on December 12, the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy was faced with the need for a fundamental re-think.

The strategy outlined in the statemert from CLPD secretary Vladimir Derer, and favoured by many on CLPD's executive, seemed to suggest that the Left lies low or 'treads water' for a year or two, until after the next election. But the Bermondsey affair and the right wing witch-hunt launched only a few days before the AGM probably tilted the scales, and resulted in CLPD being committed to a much more upfront, vigorous campaigning style than might otherwise have been the case.

Witch-hunter Hattersley Vladimir has long been one of the most respected tacticians on the Left, and many of those who found themselves opposing him were doing su, reluctantly, for almost the very first time.

But the AGM could not endorse phrases calling on CLPD 'to initiate moves that would make unity possible" and for the Left to adopt a "low profile". The secretary's statement told us this may be "particularly difficult given the latest attacks". But as one delegate exasperatedly pointed out, it is now downright impossible.

Instead, the view which CLPD will expound over the next year is that "there can Students on the march igel be no unity as long as Labour's parliamentary representatives insist on their right to sabotage Party policy, and no peace as long as the right wing organise to reverse the democratic reforms"

It seemed somewhat desperate when one speaker opposing this claimed that CLPD was not an organisation of the left, but also enjoyed the support of the centre and the democratic right, which must not be alienated!

Only two weeks earlier, Roy Hattersley had called for the expulsion of CLPD from the Party!

The executive was also defeated in its attitude to the establishing of a new left umbrella organisation. CLPD's delegates to the forthcoming meeting to launch the new organisation (set for January 23) will now argue for a full 'open conference of the Labour left'.

Style

A further radical change in CLPD's campaigning style is that it will now support and campaign for specific candidates: In the past CLPD* . has merely published the names of all paid up members who are seeking election to Party office.

As these include Neil Kinnock, this has caused considerable confusion among some of our suppgr THE RECENT National Union of Students national conference in Blackpool showed how much has to be done to get a fighting, campaigning union leadership.

While there has been a growth of militancy and a radicalisation among students in response to the Tory government's offensive, the NUS leadership, dominated by the Left Alliance, blocked the development of any real campaign to stop the cuts.

An emergency motion from Central London Poly for direct action against the cuts was defeated by the conference, largely due to the Left Alliance. The conference, however, did vote overwhelmingly for a acity) orters!

But CLPD is now mitted to campaign 1 left slate of candie for the NEC, and on initiative of Wood G CLP will make an appe Tony Benn to chall Denis Healey for deputy leadership & this year.

High among CI priorities over the year must now be the against witch hunts purges, but CLPD will be campaigning on a l ber of other issues: P ownership; shortlist one; local govern democracy; PLP d cracy; positive discri tion for women; and tension of recorded vot like NUS preside Aaronovitch who fight for direct ac ainst the cuts.

• Direct Locally Socialist O iser supporters should to commit their unio lirect action, and 1 possible to initiate action.

We should help to and build for, a na conference of sti unions in support of • action, for early next ti EVERTON WILLI CIVIL servants pla stage half-day later this week when their officials, Ted is put on trial in Edint Ted Elsey, an offic the Inland Revenue Federation, appear Edinburgh Sheriff's on Thursday 17th ch under the 1875 Cons and Protection of Pri Act that some year was used against Shrewsbury bu worker pickets.

Elsey's 'crime' is tl followed two membe management in his ca

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