Gerry Byrne

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puts the view of the Socialist Organiser Editorial Board. puts the view of the Socialist Organiser Editorial are your targets!

And after two weeks we have only a small proportion ter two weeks we have only a small proportion of that Published by the Socialist Organiser Alliance, 28 Middle sanc, tondon NS. trinked by hast nd Offser (TU. Registered us a newspuper at the diPO. signed articles do not necessarily reflect the views of the SOA. Glasgow Edinburgh North West Rochdale Manchester Stockport Wirral Liverpool Hyndburn Stoke:

Yorkshire/1 Huddersfie Durham Leeds Sheffield Hull Halifax York Here £1,000 is our target _ and af amount: £148.65.

This week's donations came porters, £5.70, including Mai Thwaites, £2; Gerry Byrne, £7.!

Thanks to all these comrades will be there at the end of the t targets. Rush donations now to: Group Target Scotland 25 0.sd Knives out IWS leaking out of Monday's eting of the Labour Party CC Organisation Sub-commit: indicates that the right wing • sharpening their witchnting knives again.

They apparently agreed to d out whether the five Miliit EB members they had pelled were still active in their al CLPs. If so, there was talk warning letters threatening urganisation or disbandment. Kinnock, amongst others, was enthusiastic supporter of this ve and continuing the purge. DO• swer, £20; Brent sup: McKimmie, £3; Jo ters. ist of you? The record ps have reached their 5Y the CPO. Signed arricles of the Socialist MANY women have looked askance at the left's support for Eric Heffer as Labour leader.

Not only is he anti-abortion, he is generally regarded as the main block to 'Abortion on Demand' being included in the Manifesto.

Instead we have a mealy mouthed committment to 'improve NHS facilities and respect the absolute right of individual conscience' (not our consciences, of course, but those over-paid consultants and MP's).

He is at least co-responsible for sabotaging any chance of the Party taking a stand on the equalisation of the age of consent for gays.

And, judging from last week's Socialist Organiser interview, he is equivocal on the question of women's representation within the Party.

Isn't it yet another instance of the left making a token stand on women's rights, while in effect saying 'women can wait'?

There might be some grounds for saying this if there was another candidate for leader standing with any better record on women's rights. Or indeed a woman.

•None of the other candidates has shown any great interest in women's rights at all, whereas Heffer did explicitly align himself with those fighting for change for women in the Party, whatever his personal reservations of some aspects of this policy.

And it's worth looking at where the women's movement in the Party arose from. It was out of the same dismay at the unaccountability of Labour leaderships and governments which fuelled the general democratic ferment.

It was out of the same realisation inat we coula not go Ior- ation that we could not go forward simply by passing radical resolutions without the mechanisms to impose them on an un_willing leadership or to push them aside.

This women's movement is indisolubly linked with the left, while often being its sharpest critic and the strongest bulwark against conciliationist pressures. It is a knot that should not be untied.

It strengthens both the womer and the left.

It should be clear too, that women have the most to gain from pushing through the democrațic reorganisation of the Party, and the most to lose if the right are triumphant.

Heffer is the only candidate who has stood out firmly against witch hunts and for the extension of the rights of the rank and file.

The hard right's candidates' record is obvious. But Kinnock on every crucial vote on the NEC (shortlist of one, endorsement of Peper Ton bell, he dair eter latchel has aligned himself with the hard right against • the democratic aspirations of the Party.

Heffer has always stood by the sovereignty of conference Kinnock has sneered at it. On policy, Heffer fought to retain labour's committment to nationalise the banks and against incomes policy Kinnock voted the other way on both.

It is not that women should ignore Heffer's "weaknesses on abortion, for instance; but he should be 1 made to square his committment to conference policies with his allowing his individual views override those of two-thirds plus of the Party.

But of all the candidates, he is the only one to have fought for the changes which would let that sort of accounting sort of accounting take place.