looks ahead When we launched our fund drive, last year, Socialist Action had two aims. To bring out the paper more regularly and to deepen our coverage of the anti-Tory struggle. labour movement, bringing out a regular paper arguing for class-struggle policies was seen as vital.
As a result of our growing support - both financial and political -we are now able to take a major step towards this goal. Starting with the next (March) issue, a number of staff writers will be joining the Creating a team of full-time writers will, we hope, allow us to turn Socialist Action into a real tool in the fight for socialism. It will allow us to give more in-depth analysis of the issues facing the labour movement, get on-the-spot reports of workers' struggles and beef up our fight for class-struggle policies.
Our new editor - replacing Andy Scott - will be Terry Viney. Terry entered politics over ten years ago in the mass campaign to get the US troops out of Vietnam. A member of Ravensbourne CLP, he has since been involved in a number of campaigns and is author of the Socialist Action pamphlet on "Stalinism". He joined Socialist Action three years ago.
Joining Terry will be a number of other comrades in different areas of the class-struggle. ular attention to the fight-back developing on the shop floor against Thatcher's attack on jobs, living standards and union rights.
Liz Easton (Wood Green CLP) will concentrate coverage of women's rights in the paper. A long-time member of the women's movement, she played an active role in building NAC and the fight against the Corrie Bill.
Jane Ansell (Finchley CLP) has been active in the fight-back against the cuts for some time. ched by the Tories on the social services and the fight-back that is now underway.
Finally, because Socialist Action has always prided itself on its internationalism, coverage of Ireland and other international struggles will remain prominant. team of staff writers with particular responsibility for this area.
for Socialist Action. become an even more useful tool for all those fighting the Tories and will be key in pioneering a real class-struggle left-wing in the unions and Labour Party.
With Thatcher's growing attacks upon the Terry's views on the role of Socialist Action are clear: "What we need in the labour movement is an open, fighting paper which can champion the demands of all those in struggle - and give them a real perspective today in the fight for socialism. 'That's what our aim must be and, I'm sure, it will meet with a growing response".
George Hold (Peckham CLP) will be paying particShe will be concentrating on the attacks launTim Robinson (Lambeth CLP) will be joining the Setting up a team of professional staff writers is a major step forward We hope that, in the months ahead, the paper will Mass applause greets outcome of Labour Party conference.
A split now looks inevitable. At a secret meeting held after the special Labour Party conference, the "gang of three" plus Roy Jenkins - is sued the embryo of a new party manifesto. As Shirley Williams confirmed, only a "miracle" could now stop them walking out.
Within a few days, they had managed to gather around them another nine MPs who have a running battle with their Constituency Labour Parties over the question of party democracy. Some of these -like Neville Sanderson - have shown their concern for democracy by running witch-hunts against anyone on the left who doesn't share their views.
TORY PRESS The step towards splitting from the party has, of course, been heartily greeted by the Tory press who have turned their pages over to the new Ramsay MacDonalds as an election platform. They have used their red-baiting attacks as a stick to beat the Labour Party.
Speculation is rife on a deal with the Liberals whose leader -- David Steel - has already approached the dissidents. The press is full of talk about the "demise" of Labour and splitting away of a miniscule group into the wilderness.
CONTEMPT The three - plus their Tory backers - have tried to portray the shift towards democracy and class-struggle policies in the Labour Party as a "conspiracy". It is due, they claim, to the infiltration of "Marxist currents" out to destroy the traditions of the movement.
Such red-baiting tactics show a contempt for the thousands of union and party members who built Labour and have defended it, over the years, through thick and thin. The shift in the party is not due to comic-book "infiltrators" but to the fact that the rank-and-file are sick and tired, year after year, at seeing democratic decisions by party conference overturned by a tew unrepresentative MPs.
They are sick and tired of a few MPs selling the movement short. As Tony Benn put it: "The real problem is that 90 percent of the public know as well as we what has been wrong with the party: that we say one thing in opposition and do something else in government".
FIGHTING It is this mood which has become doubly reinforced under the Thatcher offensive. As the Tories attacks on jobs, wages and social services escalate, millions of workers They want that party to champion their interests and - when returned to power - to implement class-struggle policies. The mass turn-out T.U.C. says ABORTION in November against unemployment is a sign of the fighting spirit building up The attempt to democratise the party - to make Labour leaders accountable - is a step in this direction. The labour movement wants a leadership that will abide by conference decisions and not, when returned to power, contemptuously ignore them.
No-one wants a repeat of the last Callaghan government, whose proTory policies - implemented against conference - alienated millions of Labour voters and allow. ed the Tories to get back into office.
FEAR It is this attempt to turn Labour into a fighting party - a party rep. resenting working people - which frightens the Williamses of this world and their Tory backers. Both Williams and Owen have pointed out that a Labour government cannot be bound by conterence since its role is to rule in the "national interest"
But just what is this national interest Labour MPs are supposed to protect as against the interests of working people? Just what is this idoi Labour MPs are supposed to bend their knee towards instead of representing those who put them into power?
In a society dominated by the banks and monopolies, the "national interest" is clearly what serves to bolster their interests and increase their profits. The national interest is, in this sense, a fraud, a cover-up for promoting the aims of decided, at its last conference, to begin a campaign in the labour move movement for positive legislation on abortion rights. The aim of such a campaign will include "de-criminaising" abortion and ensuring adequate facilities are provided. CONFERENCE A major step towards this campaign will be the labour movement conference called by NAC on March 14. The aim of the conference is to begin now to win support for making abortion rights a plank in the Labour Party's manifesto The fact that the 1977 Labour Party conference voted in favour of a women's right to choose - and th that the TUC mobilised massively to stop the Corrie Bill going through - shows that there is growing un-
----- pull-quotes -----
KEEP IT LEGAL KEEP IT SAFE