Fighting Talk-but No Conclusions

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82, meeting for the first time on January 23rd, was bound to be a tricky proposition.

Though it had been in preparation since the Brighton conference, this gathering of representatives of the left in the PLP, the CLPs, local government and the unions coincidentally took place very shortly after 'peace' was said to have broken out in the For anyone who might have entered into any deals at Bishops Stortford, or who felt constrained by the alleged existence of such deals even if they hadn't actually happened, the meeting threatened to blow it all apart.

And for those who had come to the meeting looking for a lead against the right wing offensive, the question was: could the confidence and optimism that came to a peak with the Deputy Leadership campaign. last summer be resurrected in the aftermath of the defeats at Brighton and the four months' silence since then, the simmering witch hunt and the right's coup at Bishops Stortford?

The result was as follows: carefully worded, anodyne press releases stressing party unity; and in the meeting, fighting talk within prescribed boundaries, leading to no decisions.

Flagrantly Tony Benn set the tone with a reassuring speech denying any deals, but it was his press release that told the true story of a tacit pledge to public silence.

Only three speakers explicitly called for the left to mark time or back-track: Tony Saunois of Militant, Ron Leighton MP, and Pete Willsman, who spoke as a CLPD delegate but flagrantly departed from his mandate.

And there were plenty of good ideas: at the end of the meeting someone had counted up 33 different suggestions for action by Yet we were exhorted to confidentiality; to a silence that can do no good if the aim is to continue campaigning to democratise the party and fight the right wing - and whose only purpose is to curry favour with those in the party who want to gag and bind the left.

The real value of the IN LINE with the Law Lords' decision, LT plans to axe bus services by 10% and close seven tube stations and three branch lines. meeting was as an indicator of the state of health of the movement. In no way did it reveal a mood of retreat or demoralisation. On the contrary, it showed a desire to extend the fight into new areas, such as an offensive for trade union democracy (though the main emphasis was on those unions controlled by the hard right):

Speeches emphasised the need to support and organise confrontations with Tory law (especially Heseltine and Tebbit); there was tremendous applause for Steve Longshaw's brave speech from Laurence Scotts: Ernie Roberts wanted a one-day general strike to demand a general election; and the meeting sent solidarity greetings to the rail strikers.

Peter Tatchell voiced his conviction that if he were to be endorsed as Bermondsey's PPC it would be as a result of winning a fight, rather than a concession from the right after a decent lapse of time. And nobody made any distinction between defending Bermondsey and defending Militant.

Reg Race and Les Huckfield both spoke quite fiercely against any 'deals'; Hackney councillor Ron Heisler wanted a time limit for the dropping of the witch hunt and the endorsement of Tatchell.

Seventy five people represented 33 organisations, including trade union broad lefts.

Lever reports

Thus, a major question for the meeting was:

would Labour Liaison give a lead, try to forge some campaigning unity of the left at least on those question where there is general consensus leg against the witch hunt, for early publication and open discussion of the Manifesto, for a united left approach to the NEC elections), and stand by in readiness to mount a leadership campaign? Or would it just be a talking shop serving a limited purpose of exchanging views, ideas and information but making no practical mark on the functioning of its components?

Norman Atkinson, chairing, stressed the latter: it was simply 'operation link' schools top jobs.

Iam hoping that the GLC Labour group members and left wing Labour MPs will take up the call for the 'Can't Pay, Won't Pay' campaign.

From the date that the new fares come into operation, we should urge that London commuters refuse to pay the increase, and leave their name and address with the transport The difficulties of achieving common action were emphasised, rather than the possibilities and past successes such as the Rank & File Mobilising Cttee.

Tony Benn thought it should meet 'from time to time' • and he put forward the sophisticated rationale that we were the Labour Party because we represented its policies, and if we would be 'minoritising' ourselves.

But in face of the mood of the meeting for action, it was agreed to get together again in a month's time. If that meeting is a repeat of the last one, it probably won't be recalled again in a hurry. If it does decide to act, it could launch very powerful initiativea indeed.

SPEAK HERE its tom. tarpinire? ROC HA staff.

If this is done in cooperation with the transport unions the campaign could succeed and make it impossible for LT to prosecute 'fare dodgers'. They can't prosecute millions of people!

[Valerie Wise was speaking in a personal capacity].

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were to form an organisat- ional unity of any sort we