Challenge Scotland Last. For more in 4.30-5.30; Sat 11.30-2pm Bytes Rd; Clyde Not, Hamilton Paul Youngson, 18 Forrest Crescent Wales 1-12.30 RT: every Sat in town centre ONTYPRIDD: SC sales every Sat England God, and Saturday 1985 Book 210 encitenham my. ge avatable trom COVENTRY: TrOm HUDDERSFIELD NOLSHAM SEE OR T OL ProN and at Metro Books at MANCHESTER a Gorton and Droylesden markets 1lam-12.30 Sats Booksho op. Tel: 061-236 4905 for ar-. MANSFIELD: Fri 3-4pm, Stockwell assons Shopping Centre ar 10.30-12 Saturday Whats left BADGES MADE: Glasgow SC orters have a badge-mi 30% S0, London SEx (Clasgow), good and fas 361-236-4905 STUDY conference on the struggle against imperialism AS Fed 1030-s at bounty County , London SEI. Organisec tre. Speakers Ken Gill, the High Commissioner of the Cuban and Ethiopian CHOOSICS Details trom:
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Socialist Challenge 14 January 1983 SHEFFIELD: SC Saturday.
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The kaos phone 483 8909 London BRENT: SC sold Willesden Junctio ALING: thur, balng on sale For phone HILLINGDON: 3C S at 11.30-12.30 in shopping precinct, HOUNSLOW: sold outside East tube, cvery wea sold Thur and Fri NEWHAM: Sat lam NEM BREY: SC sales Fin 6.43am ar ley BR Station Bookshops ber Bar hop. 14 Sandgat o The Public House, Lit Fullmarks, 110 CheltenBIRMINGHAM: Other Bookshop, DURHAM Durham City Co-op MILTON KEYNES: overt Books.
LIVERPOOL: News from Nowhere.
nariotte YORK: Community Books, Walm sani taking uk saluay le space on ou want taking up valua SOCIALIST Challenge Forum onn Koss Century British and foundation the boat the Did Bulls Head Wed 7.30 at the all) Birmingham week's report of the Socialist League conference photo was included in don. any on the pon Many of the peo ole nune onoto are not members of the SL. Our apologies to anyone to UNIS caused embarrassment. IN THE ISSUE of Tribune of 31 December appeared an article by Communist Party member Pat Devine in favour of proportional representation in British elections. This argued rather startlingly that, real problem facing socialists in the eighties is how to build a new political majority that includes the centre but is under the leadership of the left.
behind the increasing rhetoric of this type from an important section of the Communist Party.
Pat Devine's article in Tribune is in fact only the continuation of a series of articles which have been Communist Party magazine Marxism Today.
The political role of these openly to put forward the ment between the Labour Party EBC SDP/ Liberal Alliance This is the real meaning of Devine's phrase about the support of what is at present referred to as the centre This position was spelt out particularly clearly by leading Communist Party economist Sam Aarono issue of Marxism Today.
Narrow According Aaronovitch - in a round table discussion Stuart Hall and pro-SDP Guardian columnist Peter the problem with the Labour Party is that it is too narrow and coalitions broader torces ACO OVICE argues:
We have a set of alliances within the Labour Party which has proved itself singularly unable to construct alliances, both with ne itself and between the Labour Party and other groups within society. So, with all the changes taking place in the composition ol ine working people and so on, the Labour Party as BLUCLUIS nas progressively ited rom 1A100EY those changes which have taken place And that has meant that all these long term tendencies operating in British politics have lett it open for new forces to arise, not only the SDP but for example the nationalist parties.
Aaronovitch then goes on to argue that this set of alliances which is required must be wIder - than the Labour Party. Indeed, the Labour Party must seek to encompass all these forces fighting against Thatcher According to Aaronovitch:
I certainly don't see the Labour Party as comprising all te torces mal are required LO challenge Rally variant of Thatcherism ir the future. I think the tast of the Labour Party is to construct a historic bloc of forces • T dono went to progressive change ….. hanker after Party which somehow embraced all the forces within 'The support of what at preROBERT MOSSGEIL looks at the issues itself."
Aaronovitch then argues what tae role or tre Labour Party should be. '1 regard the Labour Party as having the potential for being geeping of forces which powerful could constitute magnetic force in British society, capable of helping to build a broad set of alliances against Thatcherism.
It might of course be thought Aaronovitch, and those in the Communist party who support his line, favoured reaching out to create an 'alliance' all those sections of the working class and oppressed who have suffered the conseand who have been repell.
them by Labour governments and leaderships But what Aaronovitch makes clear is that he is not talking of alliances the working class and op pressed but alliances them the SDP/Liberals. He argues:
think the associated the Alliance are very significant and i con t want to give the impression of any KEnO sectantal about them. I also think the nature of hatcherisn of forces who are prepared to challenge Thatcherism is about.
Aaronovitch goes on very specifically inthe SDP/Liberal Alliance in this alliance. He argues that, *1 think that the policies the Alliance is putting for ward, though very inadecontain elements which would certainly be in advance of the situation Sam Aaronovitch, leading CP theorist. He wants a political alliance including the 'centre' - by which he means the SDP.
got and, with couldn t massive CrISIS, fail to bring about limited This ive character be DIDELCOYO character the forces in the SDP is also theme of Eric Hobsbawm - another key Communist Party -contributor to Marxism Today Hobsbawm, in a major article in the October 1982 issue, claims that there are two types of socialist parts in Europe and that, *Both Gordon Maclennan, CP general secretary. Will he go along with the Eurocommunist proposals for a coalition including the SDP?
kinds of socialist party deed most Democrats An even more sophisticated gloss on this tion of a line for coalition government is put forward by Mike Rustin in an arti cle in the January issue of Marxism Today.
This of Marxism Today should be taken by Communist Party members and others in the labour movement. It is not an isolated example At the end of 1982 a major dispute took place in the Communist Party over an article by Tony Lane which appeared in September issue of Marxism Today.
Photo: MORNING STAR Entitled, 'The Unions: caught on the ebb tide it argued among other things that among shop stewards, observing the class clite which has the often takes it) of sharing in opportunity the expense account syndrome: the franchise of perks and fiddles has been widened. This, and other arguments, drew a hostile and thoroughly justified response from a number of Communist Party trade unionists.
The same should haporienLation Liberal, SDP coalition.
Labour Committee on Palestine News bulletin out now. FREE! For copies and information on membership contact LCP Secretary Penny Cole, 30 Foulden Road, London N16 7UR. We have available for hire •Beirut in 1982' (by Nunokawa Productions, Japan) 16mm 20min film (especially useful for LP & TU meetings), colour slides and a photographic exhibition on the 1982 war in Lebanon.
LCP OPEN MEETING 16 February, County Hall, 8pm. For members and all those interested in Palestinian solidarity work in the labour
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