From Tony Banks, Tooting CLP IT IS too soon after the event to make a full assessment of Labour's 1980 conference, but fow can doubt its significance.
Overwhelming support was expressed for unilateral nuclear disarfrom the EEC; abolition of all pay beds, private medicine, and private education, with a call for a no. cuts policy in local government backed by industrial action if necessary.
The party conference has a good record in recent years of passing socialist resolutions but then seeing them ignored or watered down by a Labour government.
Change 1980 might yet prove to be the year conference began to change the situation. Mandatory re-selection of MPs and the election of the party leader by a franchise wider than the PLP were crucial victories in the sustained campaign to secure accountability of leadership to the rank and Tie.
It will now be up to activists in the constituencies to ensure that Labour's representatives in parliament franchise, Bill Rodgers, the Gang of Three's NATO connection, has come up with his own version of a three-year rule that Labour Party ferences should be held every three years.
Reform of the House of Lords amounts to 'red dictatorship', according to the Tories Yet the proposals of the Labour left aren't so revolutionary. They are a terrifies the rich is pect of a victory Benn, and above all a government led by him.
True, the last thing Benn wants is revolution. But after the caperence Callaghan government, and if the Tories were to be brought down by industrial action, new Social Contract wouldn't be so easy. A Labour government could well have to try a much more radical gramme of retorm.
Terrified The ruling class is terrified of even the mild reforms the present draft manifesto.
While it can rely as much as ever on its old friends in the Parliamentary Labour Party THE idea of democracy is not so appealing when it is being raised in Britain rather than Poland - for the have filled the political correspondents and Labour's right wing with despair and anger.
and the TUC leadership, decisions at Blackpool undermine some of the Dances inal con- friends in line and let the rich rest easy even with the Labour Partie ofice.
Labow always been two The PLP has rules and privileges enshrined in its standing orders. As early 1907 Ben normal dockers' leader, fought Keir Hardie and lost over the principle that MPs should obey the pros the conference lon: When the Labour Party conterence declared women's suffrage, said he would rather resign than carry out the decision the Richard said, the party's constitution is designed to give the illusion power to an faithfuls.
pro- Cabinet Witin the cabinet is an government. As Tony nas been at pains to explain, a Labour cabinet in from Labour MPs and the party at large, shaped by Behind parliament lurks tion.
ference the keep Checks and these Whitehall The have to PLP and the Party has. parties in its own itself to majority.
Tillet, the Mutiny The blocking for i crisis.
Hardie Crossman army of PLP the inner party in Benn is detached with its policies Whitehall and big the effective government of the capitalist state which binds the cabinet and PLP through a well-oiled forces, system of threats and corrupA party leader who was for Ireland. directly accountable to conwould throw the whole system in confusion. It would be a direct threat to th supremacy of the PLP and Benn bourgeoisie would open a split between leader to stop conference policy being ly. applied, or even split the PLP destroy тог already powers the House of Lords could be used to cause a constitutional Gang of Three Williams, Owen, and Rodgers.
Eventually we would see economic destabilisation and finally mutiny by the armed happened this century when the Liberals tried to bring in Home Rule The Labour Party right wing has to try and restore the supremacy of the PLP, keep open its options for thwarting conference, and stop The first target will be the leader's accountability. The PLP elects the leader annualAnnual election b conference would be a disaste the right. Basnett has hinted 'permanent' leader Their next line of attack is the concentration of power in the leader's hands Trade union leaders have been floating the idea of 'two — one for conference and one for the PLP. Guess GM COOKSON (Socialist Challenge)
Michael Foot who would be prime minister?
who chooses the prime minister - your friend and mine, Her Majesty the Queen.
To keep Benn out, the right can either try now to put and hope that he has enough time to solidate his position before the new procedure operates Or they could aim for a com promise left candidate, suct as Shore or Silkin We can be sure that these ostensible champions ot the Polish workers will do everything in their power to even the mildest extension of democracy Britain Photo: LAURIE SPARHAM
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the ' will quit, quit, and quit again' brigade
mass media and other friends of the City, that is. The decisions of the Labour Party conference, particularly over the extension of the leadership