same ayan dant 2, 4, 6, 8 - We don't warmongering including the spending of billions Trident stationing Cruise missiles across the country - has met with little support in The on disarmament going to this year's Labour Party conference are evidence of that.
Since the first atomic were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Labour leaders have thrown themselves behind each move to step up the nuclear arms race. CleAttlee, Labour prime minister from 1945 was one of the first to welcome the use of the bomb against Japan.
'Square Leg' on in Europe, in Britain the government has been carrying out civil defence and internal security manoeuvres to test the state's preparations for war. These manoeuvres have been code named 'Square Leg'.
The ruling Labour group on Lothian Regional Counci caused a stir recently by refusing to go along with these manoeuvres.
Immediately three leading Tories rushed to the Court of Session to get an interim interdict (the COLONE equivalent of an injunction) forbidding local government officials obeying the Labour council's instructions. So much for democracy in local government!
But the Lothian Council was warmly welcomed at a recent meeting of Lothian Against the War It was during the 1950s that the debate over disarmamenl Labour only a minority mament, icaders (even the "left') formed a block against any immediate practical steps.
The differences were between this block and those rank and file Labour Party members who favoured Aneurin Bevan. gener the Tribune Group 'lefts', only disagreed with party defence was a sham — ing class survive a nuclear war.
Operation Square Leg, he said, was designed to test out the establishment would go in the Tom Fenton, chairperson of Lothian Region Party, took up when he said that the real pur pose of the exercise was to accustom British people to the possibility of war.
LAWD is a new organisation but has more than 50 active members. was agreed to make the sole basis of support opposition weapons other like opposition to could be raised as the movement gathered support.
meeting decided to organise transport to both the Glasgow demonstration on 25 October and the London demonstration the following day.
merely suspended.
conference calling for water British nuclear He led whole section of the left inLa coalton with Gaitskell and the 'multilateralists' — who argued that British disarmament had to wait until there was a full negotiated disarmament between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. Then, as • WOK would not the IN a noisy colourful this theme Led against The was calling for support nuclear for the plethora demands NATO resolutions to Party conference The tacking the Cruise and missiles in Britain.
CND Glasgow Over a dozen Labour Party banners were carried on the march and constinow, multilateralism simply meant 'do nothing'. 1960 those who 'unilateralism' were backed by powerful trade union forces - the and General Union, the Tailors & Garment Workers, the Fire Brigades Union, and the construction union, the AUBTW, together with most of the constituency Labour parties. With support of this kind it was relatively easy to make unilateralism into official party policy. ine right wing were horrorstruck.
the demonstration of Labour atsiting of Trident away as demonstration, Manchester by conMissiles' ried the slogan: '1, 2, the large won't die want to radiate.
Against the I MIS Aneurin Bevan: he called opposition to NATO 'an amo. tional spasm Gaitskell announced that he would 'fight, fight and fight again' to get the policy changed. A massive banner. was this contingent which carmost popular in Thatcher's war, 5, 6, 7, 8 - we don't chant was taken campaign Was launched Campaign for Democratic Socialism. Large subsidies up by the whole march and at times even drowned out bingo callers on Blackpool's promenade.
the CIA were made available to overturn the 1960 conference decision. By 1961 they were successful.
With leaders like these it is not surprising that when a motion in favour of abandoning all of Britain's nuclear annour was adopted by the 1973 party comerence l was cynically ignored by the Labour government.
Today the fight is on in the Labour Party. The immediate demand is a commitment to cancel Cruise and Trident and backing for a campaign to this end but past shows it would be foolish to expect enthusiastic support from those who lead the party now.
Colin Barnett of North West TUC called for ference to organise such a labour movement con. campaign theme echoed in the
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demonstration, 2,000 people march-
missiles on Sunday in Blackpool.
DISARM NOW!
want to radiate ON PART YOUNG
WONT DIE FOR TRIDENTR CRUISE
DIE FOR TeN MATCH