THE struggle for Labour Party has been a long one. It is unlikely to be totally resolved this year. But with the Commission of Inquiry and mass press coverage (albeit in the sonalised form of a leadership struggle), it was bound to reach something of a climax this year.
The Mobilising Committee for Democracy has the task of ensuring that the influence of the rank and file on the party's policy determination is not put in jeopardy by the rearguard action now being waged by the parliamentary leadership union bureaucracies. It is therefore fortunate that une precedented degree of left unity The inclusion of Militant and the Labour Party Young Socialists sees the burying of the sectarian hatchets which have divided the campaign for party democracy in the past. Defence The strength mobilising committee's aims was recognised by the six members of the commission who made such a firm stand in defence of the rank and file (Allaun, Atkinson, Benn, Richardson).. It can that the managed to ignore so completely the wishes of the rank and file as expressed in the various evidence to the inquiry.
Ninety • per Tavour of mandatory reserection, members were against it. Eighty-six per cent of submissions were in favour of giving the final say on the party manifesto to the National Exdemocracy in the perLabour and certain trade represents mittee. inside the of the support behind the lalk chisedi Heffer, Lestor and only be regarded members cent of submissions were in and yet six