THE right wing of the Parliamentary Labour Party were exultant last week atter the results of the shadow cabinet elections. The right-wing saw eight of its slate for the twelve places elected.
Pro-NATO warmonger William Rodgers received a handsome 116 votes, while the leading candidates of the left - Heffer and Benn - were voted out. The Times pointed out that 'the four so-called left-wingers who were elected - people like Shore, Orme and Silkin - 'can certainly be classified as the kind of left winger that the right feels comfortable doing business with'.
It is clear that the PLP right wing, in league with other 'moderates' in the centre . of the party, hope to marginalise Benn and the left advance which he represented at the party conference.
This process of trying to head off the challenge of the left had already been set in motion with the election of Michael Foot as party leader. Foot did not associate himself with the left at Blackpool, nor did he break with the Callaghan camp. 'Manifesto' group THIS weekend sees two important conferences of the Labour left: general meetings Labour Co-ordinating Committee (LCC).
Both these organisations poles important our left. important The LLro. wiich launcace unt Kankl Committee, is a united cam question f democracy; the LCC wa rounded to ugal or a campaigning Labour Party unions is cru both these objectives inside the Dalli At •both erences socaust carena supporters will be proposing motions on the importance of this question.
resolution TrON tance policythe annual Campaign •for Democracy (CLPD)
bodies diseassing Labori conterences delegates. undemocratic the block vote is a spect of the strength of th ight win At the LCC conference the resolution from Socialis Challenge supporters points for the mass campaigning o the Labour Party, and proDoses a senes or ootecove — around the 35 hour week, worksharing with no loss of and a woman's right pay, work we souls fought for.
At the CLPD ference, Socialist Challenge Michael Foot, right, looking to the future — but does it include Tony Benn? supporters will also be argutive of the democracy fight should be that the Labour conference should decide Dolll leader manitesto ported against those of the right-wing, the highest and most cemocratio the party is the annual con ference: it should have the power to decide The resolutions to the LCC conference reveal a number of problems if the campaign is to go forward At least two resolutions pro pose inal ine el snould on the basis of support for the Alternative Economic Strategy. Against LIS resolutions IrON Socialist oronnise sup counterpose the evolutionar socialism.
While Socialist Challenge obviously poses the AES and supports ine conent or me socials Organiser resolutions, feel that it is not appropriat for such resolutions DUL united around a mass cam paigning approach, it is no! necessary to have a position on the AES adoption of th , as the basis for LCC will mean simply tha the LCC will be reduced to that those socialists in the Labour Par a wno co not agree will l AES will not participate i thẹ LCC.
The LCC executive ha to make up us anne. ene the LCC can be a small an exclusive pressure group, can seriously organis forces to fight for a mas campaigning Labour Party proposal which way they want to go There is no reeason why thi
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resolution from Hea Richards stresses the impor