DELEGATES from fifteen Constituency Labour Parties and observers from a further eleven decided on Saturday 4 September to resist any expulsions of Labour Party members under the leadership's proposed tions.
Meeting at the invitaNorth Hackney Labour Party they endorsed Hackney's call for broad conference one month after the Labour COnference which now thought likely to pass the proposed register.
meeting in County Hall, London was packed although Hackney had had very facilities publicise it.
The main weakness, recognised by LOe organisers, was the small attendence Irom GUL London: Hackney had not had enough money to circulate out of London ParAttendence Les.
London itself nearly half of all London CLPs shows how opposition to the register is growing. Soul A fringe meeting is being held Thursday evening at Labour Party conference, and the organisers doocalle for backing from those attending the 'conference against the witch-hunt' on 11 September at Wembley The meeting heard Hackney North MP Ernie Roberts explain that the Labour Parliamentary Association, which regroups MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates, totally was against the new register 'We didn't take a for'register of organisaErnie went on to. plain how he had lived through the witch-hunts of the nineteen fifties, when CLPs were interrogated in 'Star chamber courts held the House of Commons' and disbanded. He said the present battle was not just for the right to organise, but the 'socialist soul of the Everyone recorded growing hostilities to expulsions The Chipping Barnet CLP explained that after his party voted against the peared in the wess appeared the press nouncing the decision. 'As a result' he said 'even the moderates support us.' Dominic Johnson Oxford explained why Oxford CLP was now opposed to the witch-hunts. A year ago, he said the right wing controlled the party and, many people knew, had kept socialists such Ted Heslin out of the Party.
The left in the party responded by building the Labour Party locally as an including Young Socialists. They campaigned in the unions to win support for their positions and, in the largest General Committee In Britain with over 200 delegate they had won a two thirds majority in March. register and began to put the screws on. This is the conference it being called, explained Keith Lichfield of Hackney North from the platform. C.Ps stiffen each others' resolve he said. by committing themselves to joint action.
Militant supporter Laurence Coates, Young who represents the Socialists on NEC, said the CLPs should not refuse to implement expulsions DU! should campaign by constitutional means for the readmission of those expelled.
Vital But as Alan Freeman Socialist Challenge said, 'You cannot retreat endlessly while proclaiming you are advancing. Our aim should be, through the conference on 30 October, to persuade as many people as possible of the position that Hackney North has taken, of complete nonco-operation the register Of course there will be many such Militant supporters and even people who now suppor register, who will become convinced of the need to resist once the first expulsions begin. The conference should be open to them; it should take delegates from everyone who is against expulsions.' Luton's delegate agreed, pointing out tha unions had votec ¡lally against witch-hunts but veristen it it became clea register. that the result was an NEC drive against the rank and Joe Whelan MANSFIELD SOCIALIST CHALLENGE sup31 August, of Joe Whelan, of the NUM national executive committee.
the Notts miners electing a left-wing majority healthworkers' picket just days before heart attack he described the elections 'as a historic moment struggle, right-wing domination.
Communist Party Socialist Challenge supporters sharp disagreements towards the military crackdown in Poland.
occupation.
workers of his generation revolutionary party political views and methods system they represent.
womens' sections and socialist societies. As Tessa van Gelderen representing London Labour Briefing explained, a Party facing disbandment would have to win the support of all its at filiated organisations, who would have to take decisions to back their local party often deals! pressure from their leadership. It was therefore vital to involve such bodies in Dhoto. MORNING STAR porters report the death by a heart attack on general secretary of the Nottinghamshire NUM, and a member Joe Whelan's death came within weeks of Speaking his - the reward for years of the stifling conditions of Joe Whelan was a leading member of the this that had many with him, especially over what attitude the NUM should adopt On the other hand he often disagreed with the CP's views on Ireland. He used the forum of the Notts miners gala in 1981 to denounce the local MP Don Concannon who is Labour spokesperson on Ireland and called 'for the immediate withdrawal of the British army of Joe Whalan was not some slick CP middle man. Like a lot of the rebel he believed a was needed. Unfor tunately he accepted the stalinist counterfeit as good coin. And this inevitably marked his The Socialist Challenge readers here pay tribute to Joe Whelan and to his long fight against the NUM right wing. We will do that by continuing the struggle in the mines and the factories for class policies to bring down the Tories and the grasing profit-seeking case, which they hoped owner London Parties would attend.
It was agreed that the conference should be open to everyone opposing pulsions, and that delegates should be taken all components of local GMCs including unions Observers shoulc be accepted from Labour lefts and campaign bodies Hackney North representatives argued