Brent suspense

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ON Wednesday 27 April the Labour Party NEC will be finally deciding on whether to let us go ahead with reselection.

Brent East and Brent South are the only two constituency parties in the country with sitting Labour MPs who-have not yet reselected The decision on Brent South is likely to be uncontentious, but not so for Brent East. Although the report to the organisation subcommittee on April 11 from the national officer who has been "supervising' the parties for the last six months was favourable, there are 'many other issues involved.

Brent East has gone over the NEC guidelines' limit of three years since the last general election - despite the fact that part of the responsibility for this rests with the NEC itself, and despite the fact that the constitution says clearly that every CLP has a mandatory duty to carry' out selection. The NEC is taking legal advice on this.

The NEC will also decide on whether to take disciplinary action against the organisers of a left caucus which met last September to discuss who to put up in opposition to Reg Freeson, the sitting MP.

Last Thursday the GMC of Brent Last agreed, with only one vote against, to call for the NEC's co-operation in taking immediate steps to start the selection procedure from an EC meeting on the 28th - the day after the NEC It was also agreed to organise a lobby of the NEC meeting and we are asking other CLPs to give their support - with trade union, YS and CLP banners where possible.

However, Freeson has now started pulling other rabbits out of his hat. He challenged the right of the CLP to take legal advice on the issue because it was done on the chairperson's initiative rather than through the EC He is also arguing that Ken Livingstone (thought to be the left's choice to replace him) cannot be a valid candidate since he speaks at WRP public meetings. Livingstone's response to this was that he speaks at meetings organised by all sorts of people (including the Tories and the CBI) and this does not make him a supporter of theirs.

While this is formally true and we defend his right to stand, his close association with the WRP and Labour Herald is a liability and a matter of concern to the left.

On Monday 18th, Livingstone was a speaker at a Newsline 'public' rally from which Brent East Labour Party members were excluded*. While continuing the struggle against Freeson, we should also demand explanations from Livingstone.

*Lobby the NEC, 9.30am on Wednesday 27 April at Labour Party Headquarters, 150 Walworth Road, (nearest tube, Elephant and Castle).

* After being refused entry, SO supporters left the hall shortly after 8pm. Ken: Livingstone informs us that he raised the issue with the meeting organisers, and they agreed to let us in - but told him they had gone out before 8pm and found no-one there. mittees should discuss general support, and active support in the event of sackings. Trade union and Labour Party branches and wards should pass solidarity resolutions and raise cash.

The workers at Cowley are prepared to fight. Let's rally the movement behind them.

*Rank and file control of the strike!

*Open the books of BL!

*Bring out all of BL - *Appeal for supporting strikes to the whole trade union movement in the event of sackings!

Donations to the Treasurer, A. Brown, 4 - Knott Oaks, Combe, Oxon., OX7 2PJ.

WITH A future Labour government still little more than a glint in the eye of Party activists, already the manoeuvres to lay the basis for an incomes policy are underway in the union bureaucracy.

The Scottish TUC saw NUM and SCPS delegations get their heads together to reword a composite motion and thus avoid specific opposition to the 'National Economic Assessment', which is the current code word agreed by Labour and TUC leaders to cover future wage controls.

But an emergency GMBATU resolution enthusiastically welcoming the TUC/Labour Party programme was pushed through. In such manipulation workers get a taste of things to come: the fight for a Labour government must be coupled with the fight for trade union democracy and independent policies to defend living standards.

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THEMRACIE MAESTROIS BORE Socialist Organiser no.128 April 21 1983 Page