funds' threat if democratisation goes ahead.
bothering to consult his members? Duffy: "I will withhold TERRY Duffy, president of the Engineering Union, has been outspoken against the Labour Party national executive's attempts to democratise the party. Last week, having been 'defeated on the Commission of Inquiry, Dutty threatened to withdraw his union's £300,000-a-year contribution to the partying any rights with the EmployIt's about time that right-wing union leaders like Duffy were brought to heel by their own rank and file. What right has Duffy to threaten to disaffiliate trom the Labour Party without even, Labour MPs are usually the left Labour Bolsover in caused an enormous row. Cool The announcement on 24 June that 1,659.676 were out of work in Britain the highest number since 1930s - caused Skinner to lose his cool. He ended ordered out of the House for bad behaviour Socialist out exactly what happened.
'Prior, Minister "Unemployment", was trying to give the impression that the Tories were concerned about the unemployment Dennis Skinner explained. 'I've never heard such a pack of lies - crying crocodile tears for the 'A Tory government hell bent creating unemployment, as bad as in the thirties and shifting the balance of power against workers havMCil concerned unemployment! It's a load of tripeso I told Prior the truth.
that he was a liar.
muer of the House of Commons, the But MP for Derbyshire, Arms.
houses inside.
people plained. the black up getting Challenge found out.' for Fuss figures, about members were fighting cuts mass file Labour Party members about He also pointed an exwas unapologetic. He has little time for the traditions penditure , in- policy cluding the Sergeant at Arms, dressed in knee breeches and a sword, who escorted him out. 'What him? He is going to take me out?' Skinner scoffed when approached by the Sergeant at Skinner called the House of Commons 'a quaint old British to do this. club'. A club with 16 public Shady 'It's filled with bars,' he ex'I was breaking the silly rules of the club so I was practice in the House to insult working people, the miners, the steelworkers, the teachers but when you speak the truth about MP you're thrown constituencies.
He Asked what he thought the Labour Party should be doing unemployment Dennis replied that many Labour Party involved and unemployment up and down the country and that a distinction had to be drawn between the failures of the 'opposition' in Parliament and the activities of rank and • out that contrary to James Prior's assertion that he' had not made so much fuss when the Labour government was in power, he Labour leadership's cuts in public exand 'My record for dissent on many issues is unequalled,' he said, revealing that on one occasion he'd been the only member to vote against a Bill and had been unable to divide the House because you need more than one person against On the accountability of other Labour MPs, Dennis was reluctant to comment but he did point out that he was in favour of the executive's proposals to elect the leader at the party conference and that he supported moves to ensure the re-selection of MPs by local admitted that right-wing trade union leaders seemed to be trying to swing the VOTe against accoun tability, towards a shady compromise with the Parliamentary 'I don't support Duffy and I don't support Boyd and I didn't support the miners when they voted for incomes policy the Labour ment,' explained. Dennis. But he was not prepared to go further than this in explaining how the left could fight the right in the trade unions in the battle to make Labour MPs in Patia" ment more accountable Socialist Challenge 3 July 1980 • Page 3
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very well-behaved in House of Commons. last week Dennis Skinner,