By John Parkinson.
FTER a month or so of telling us that the election Tony Benn as deputy leader of the Labour Party id be a boost to the Tories, the right wing and media have woken up.
Far from welcoming a further consolidation of the • left, the Tories launched attack after attack on * left in the run up to the council elections and followthe ballot victories. After all, it might catch on.
With this new surge of intelligence and realisation oding through the right, we should not hesitate to exhow the left has dealt with the complex strategic tactical issues at stake in the deputy leadership elecgiven that is a straight right-left fight within the king class.
The shock of choosing between Benn and IMF axe aker Healey was a bit much for the Communist Party, example. Anxiously looking over his shoulder at the statements of left leaders Moss Evans and Alan 1, CP members and TASS general secretary Ken declared to north-west activists that Benn's cansure would place at risk the gains the left has made. Certainly the left challenge has woken up sleeping es of the social contract. Thus Tribunite Michael Foot ; once more joined the ranks of the Healeyites. Ken Gill's sophisticated explanation of Tony Benn's egic failing was that Benn doesn't really understand ade unionists. He's not realistic.
Fortunately the lenge to Healey was not slow to jog Fisher's radical rtbeat at the Scottish TUC. In his stormy it belated dy for what?' demand of the Labour right, he must : resolved many late-night tactical arguments at CP ®in a swift about face, Scottish miners' leader Mick •Gahey threw his weight behind Fisher's position.
As the Communist Party grapples with itself over its ude to the Labour Party, the minds of many of its acmust be working overtime to explain how, a loyal opposition, it will become faithful if slow d hesitant followers.
The problems of realism are difficult indeed.
Sat/Sun 23/24 May Day 1 Formation of LP & developments to 1945/ Election of 1945 Labour govt and rise & decline of Bevanism Day 2 Rise of new LP left & Bennism/ Tasks for socialists in LP now Workshops History of LP women's sections/ 1931 LP split/ Labour League of Youth in 1930s/: LPYS in 50s & 60s School open to Socialist Challenge supporters. Admission by ticket only. Price £2.50 for both days or £2 single day. Limited places available so apply urgently to local Socialist Challenge organiser. All applications must enclose payment, cheques to "The Week".
at 'Challenge' 14'May grass roots support for Benn's
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