vote on a number of important positions in the AUEW including the key one of the General Secretary, currently held by John Boyd.
But despite workers in the industry, the Broad Left group's campaign has followed a well-worn groove.
Almost regardless of developments in the class struggle the Broad moves into action only around elections.
It consistently fails to identify itself with struggles by AUEW members such as those at Laurence Scott or Leyland Vehicles.
It remains trapped in the framework established during LIlC 1960s, in the fight against General secretary Carron and the rise of Hugh Scanlon (now Lord Scanion). That framework depended on conditions of boom and strong plantmembers this month problems facing based organisation.
Its political limit was reached when DOOM became crisis, and plantbased smuggle was less aru less able to mobilise the members The Labour government of 74-79 signalled the end of this period, when the Social Contract turned out to be a new name for the old policies or wage restraint and unemployment on a scale that even the Tories had not dared.
The death knell for this framework was rung Scanlon '77 when he threatened the Heathrow engineers and the Leyland toolroom with expulsion for striking against Phase the deepest recession since the War and the betrayals of its leaders, the working class retreated.
Building on the political weakness and nesitancy or ine class facing situation for prepared, the right wing swept the board.
Boyd and Duffy put themselves at the head of the retreat and led it with a single-minded tion.
The result was a drastic curtailment of the activity of the shop stewards organisations and serious erosion the traditional Dast Broad left.
BL has not adapted to these changes, and so remains tied to a small and shrinking layer of older trade union acLIVISIS, It has not taken a new approach to the fight for leadership in the AUEW. It has not turned to newly radicalising workers coming to the fore in the plants and in the struggles.
This leaves the initiative in the hands of the right. Because militants are not mobilised around campaigns, around support Ior strug gles, around alternative policies, the Boyd/Duffy leadership has been able to base itself on the reluctance of the class to go into struggle without firm leadership and clear policies. Office The BL perspective is dominated by the fight for poșitions within the trade union apparatus. and so 1s based on the left leaders.
But these leaders are no more concerned than is the right stimulate struggles. While basing their bid for office on the needs of the membership for an answer to the attack, their first concern is for the trade apparatus.
une reduce the Ken Brett, Assistant General Secretary of the AUEW and Broad Left candidate for the post of general secretary question of leadership to Car acci ficial. Scanlon's betrayals nave no lessons for them The Gazette. organ of the BL concerns itself almost entirely with the question of elections, and in so far as it mentions struggles all, does so as a commentatol (sympathetically) leading a campaign of support Similarly, in asking for a vote for Ken Brett as General Secretary it does sO on the grounds that it will 'help to bring about a much needed change in the present unbalanced position prevailing within the union's leadership.' Hardly a call to action.
While of course we call for vote for tne right and will campaign for this we must also recognise that the BL perspective is incapable of securing fundamental change. secured by basing nhe fight can only for the leadership on the rank and file leaders of struggles.
The BL must be turned outwards to . these layers, who are seeking to struggle against the bosses often sive.
In this regard many members of the BL give support struggle, and played a ma Jor part in the campaign of resolutions against the leadership's back-stabbing up to the Final Appeal Court ana recall national committee. But on the Rule 14 Campaign the BI kept the issue separate from the elections.
Left officials will not culullas. this kind of leadership challenge. Process However on this there were differences in the BL. In South Wales for example, the BL did support the campaign and snould Ir and influence this process Many militants who at present are organised around the BL can and must be broken from the political line of its present leaders.
Harry Cutts, Broad Left candidate for nationa i pa-s