Miners' leaders scuttle democracy

Uncorrected machine reading. This text was read by machine (Apple Vision OCR) from a scan of a newspaper page, and the page was cut into articles by machine, at the headlines found by their type size. Nothing has been corrected: expect misread words, text from a neighbouring article, and titles that are the machine reading of the headline, some of them only fragments. Quote from the scan, not from this page.
How this article was cut and titled: headline found by type size in the OCR geometry (split_tabloid.py); 1-5 of 7; machine-segmented newspaper page; uncorrected Vision OCR.

page 16 of the scan

FOR months the right wing of the Labour Party, their friends in former buddies in the Social Democratic Party have moaned and groaned about the decisive role the trade union bloc vote plays at Labour Party conferences.

'Undemocratic', they all shout. Decisions made SMOKe filled they cry. *Union leaders have too much power', they insist Well, this Monday, these super democrats were given the opportunity to display their wrath.

*At the conference of the of:

Miners a proposal was put Fleet Street and their forward that the delegates should have the right to decide who the party should vote for in the contest for the deputyleadership of the Labour Party.

That proposal was defeated. Instead it will be left to the union's mational executive to decide who to support ine • of Labour's conference.

Were there any screaming neadines complaining this manoeuvre not to allow lc Hallullal ference NUM vote on the issue, a body Walk! tative than the national executive?

Press No, there was not a single such headline, there was no press Statement from Denis Healey complaining about 'left wing wreckers' even Roy Jenkins failed to use the ., occasion to attaçk the concept of the union bloc vote.

The reason if simple. Had the conference of the miners been allowed to vote, they would have endorsed Tony Benn. Just as had the conference of the Transport and General Workers Union been. allowed to take a similar vole couple • weeks Arsed tony blah. ago, would have enAnd Tony Benn being deputy leader Tne is, for the Labour right, too high a price to pay for democracy either in the party or in the unions.

Fight Whatever the effect of the decision at the miners' COnCrete on Benn's bid to become deputy leauel, one lessons clear: the fight for democracy in the Labour Party and the trade unions is one and the same struggle.

And it is the left in the party and unions who are the chief exponents, • as well as ine main benetr •ciaries, of that struggle, Andrew Pluto Press (usual price f2.95).

Complete the form belon Socialist Challenge, PO Box 50 12 months: £14 6 months 10 issues for t? unly.

£17.

Other air mail f24.

Delete as appropriate.

Name...

Address For multi-reader institutions double the above rates.

Printed by as End Orse Til ta, London Condon Mi