'The most macho Conference for years

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SEXISM is an explosive issue at this year's Labour Party.

As we go to press, the resolutions on women's rights - more numerous this year than ever before - have yet to come up for debate.

As in previous years, women will be demanding the right to elect the women's section of the NEC from their own Labour women's conference, to put five resolutions onto the Labour Party • national- conference agenda from the women's conference and to have positive discrimination on parliamentary shortlists.

Anger But in the "Labour Women's Briefing" fringe meeüng orgauised by the NEC, and in the conference itself, women's anger has exploded against sexism and bureaucrauc obstruction.

NEC Women's Committee Chair, Ann Davis, blamed "bad communication" for the lack of campaigning and organisation of women in the Party.

Women at the meeting called it bureaucratic blocking of women's issues.

The top tepresentatives' of women in the Labour Party, like Ann Davis and Joyce Gould, don't represent the real women activists in the Party, who are to be found in the women's sections and women's conference.

The women's conferences are the fastest growing and most radical of all the Party conferences. That's the real reason why there hasn't been a women's conference this year and why the, demands for greater women's representation are fought off.

The right wing have no basic objection to sectoral conferences electing their own NEC members (the youth do it) but will block it because they know that the women elected would be left-wingers.

In the conference hall itself, the chair is deliberatelv patronising, women delegates have been ruled out of order, and women from the CLPs are suffering sexist abuse, espec. ially from the male-dominated union delegates.

The right wing are sanctioning the sexism - it serves to keep the women, and therefore a large section of the left, intimidated, quiet and therefore in their seats.

Socialist Organiser talked to some of the delegates at conference. ANN CROWDER, THE CHAIR is abusing conference. He is using his position to divide the unions and the Constituency Labour Parties,. talking about 'us' and 'them' He keeps calling speakers to speak by name, so it's obviously pre-arranged. CLP delegates are ignored when they want to speak.

MPs have had much more than their fair share of peaking time. The trade union leaders are moving their motions, not the ordinary members from the delegations.

It wasn't as bad as this last year, or the year before that. At least then you had a chance of being called, whoever you were.

Women were trealed with much more respect last year. This year there is an iacredible hostility to women, especially from the trade union delegations towards women from the CLPs.

There are nasty comments when you walk past them, or the minute you get up to make a point of order.

ANN PETTIFOR, CLPDWomen's Action Committee I HAVE been coming to conference since 1977, and this is one of the most macho conferences I've ever been to.

The chair is very authoritarian. His attitude is to try to discipline delegates, especially the women.

I think it is because Sam McCluskie is in the chair. The Party at large doesn't seem to have become suddenly more sexist. There are more women's resolutions than ever before.

His style is clearly that of a trade union leader used to dealing with tough situations, and not with comrades holding a debate.

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ANN CROWDER, East Nottingham CLP delegate