'THE CAMPAIGN over the Labour Party deputy leadership is not about personalities, but about policy. theme of Tony Benn and his supporters and rightly so. It was inevitable then that Denis Healey should make his move on this front, and predictably his recently presented programme has a distinctly 'left' flavour.
He refers to policy, public investment' and growth of imports' - unabashed by the fact that he followed policies when he was chancellor of the Exchequer.
These policies are put ¡orwara in a context ol a priority of 'returning to 'rebuilding of our social SCIVICES Smartly to outflank his left opponents on other key issues, Healey calls GIOT moves to "restore the sovereignty Britain from the control of the Common Market and for 'genuine disarmament internationally, including the need to cancel the Trident system' notwithstanding the fact that he was a member of a working group of the last Labour government that prepared the plans for Trident.
Fraud The response to this Stenent o pollcy trom the Tribune left has been manoeuvre, cover and a fraud. Absolutely true. Healey's policy statement obvious demashe benn allempting to lulow the campaign off guard.
But the fact that Healey is able to carry out this manoeuvre at all is symptomatic of a weakness left's programme, and in particular the precise meaning of the 'alternative economic strategy' (AES).
For in the Tribune group, the alternative economic strategy involves more public ownership, comCUISON planning Sociali it Challenge 25 June 1981. This has been the constant 'our alternative economic calling for a 'massive increase in 'ceilings On the precisely the opposite maJor and so forth The problem is that the 'alternative strategy' according to Len colorill Murray, Tom Jackson and other right wing bureaucrats supported by the Communist Party means first and foremost import controls. Step At the Hyde Park rally in support of the People's March for Jobs, Icaullg members of the Shadow cabinet Foot, Healey and Stan Orme, hammerce away al ure locae that import controls were essential towards solving the economic crisis.
To be an accredited of the alternative economic strategy it ence to import controls, and Healey has now much claim to members of the AES supporters club as does Len Murray.
The left is finding itself programmatically outflanked by Healey because it's not basing itself firmly on demands with an anticapitalist thrust. would put the cost of the sis no l capitalsı class.
In particular, demands like those of a 35-hotr week will no loss or pay. and for massive programme of public works to mop, mould draw a sharp line of unemployment divide against the pro- capitalist Labour right.
nealey s change of line on the Trident system is another slick move. On the issue of nuclear weapons the key line of divide is that of unilateral nuclear Tony Benn does support this demand.
But Healey has exploited the fact that much of the left, even the BenAHTe left, conducts debates on this question within the tramework trying to define what is the most 'rationa" and 'ettec tive' defence policy, withthe foundaLIONS policy alliance NATO Even if Healey's new-found opposition to Trident doesn't yet match Benn's position for unilateral disarmament, it inserts an effective wedge into the left's debate Healey's position thai should 'restore the sovereignty of Britain from the control of the Market COTTON pinpoints the weaknesses of the Labour left's programme.
Almost without exception the labour left has opposed the Common Mar.
the not thesis that ICOICOCHLS alliance of capitalist states in the service of the multinationals, but because the institutions Common Market are challenge to the 'sovereignty' of parliament.
Once the key objection to the EEC becomes the defence of parliamentary sovereignty, then there are innumerable schemes short of withdrawal from the EEC which can lessen the instituthe Brussels LOTS bureaucrats to override the power of the British parliament.
Bogus The whole argument of the Labour left is a bogus one in any case, since the real power of the EEC in. stitutions to determine anything fundamental about the course of British capitalism is extremely limited, and because contrary to the dreamland myths OI the likes of Michael Foot the 'sovereignty of the ability of to make the fundamental decisions about the economy and even has been made progressively more marginal for decades Denis Healey, of has no intention of being member of a government which even begins to im. plement the programme Healey's move, then it will purely and simply because of the left's own political weakness. salutory lesson.
TONY
FOR