five so-called 'wild men' from Red Clydeside book, of Parliaments Lordly Ones except that they.
misery, despair and death.
wrote that he 'found the House full of wonder how he 'had to shake himself" when he found himself talking 'with men whose names were household words'. How nice for Kirkwood that he found them 'all so simple unaffected and friendly 'Uriah Heep' by Kirkwood, simply gently reproached him, and this 'pierced a link in my armour that had never been to Kirkwood's speech denuncing the poverty of the t5 note.
The kind-hearted Tory vote for you, but I should like to help these men if I may.
Tories like that around just so much nonsense.
saint, Keir Hardie who earlier had written: "The propagangot it dead right about the parliamentary Labour Party but he was, unfortunately for Labour, wrong about th class war. As long as they are waging it! THE 1923 General Election, which led to the return of the first ever Labour Government, took to Westminster quite a number of new Included among these were the David Kirkwood, one of these 'wild men' later wrote a erroneously called My Life of Revolt, in which he described his first experiences when he entered the Mother He told his readers that before he entered the House, he knew little of "The Great Ones, the Powerful Ones, the world they represented, were crushing my fellows down into poverty, But our 'wild red' soon lost his vindictive approach. He .. and tells He records how Baldwin, after being denonced as a pierced before'. He then told of how one Tory responding crofters in the Hebrides went up to him and slipped him a By told Kirkwood: 'I could not Kirkwood was beginning to understand that when you have Rail this talk about class war is But then he was only agreeing with Labour's patron da of class war can never take root in this country. Hardie Tory Party, who did, and still do, believe fervently in the
...Bennites, infantile leftists and infantile feminists' LAST WEEK Socialist Challenge carried an article by Alan Freeman on the Annual General Meeting Democracy, where the campaign decided to register and where, divide over the issue of registration, the supporters of registration secured a two to one majority on the incoming executive body.
cut the campaign off from the party rank and file, and that CLPD now risked being unable to provide alternative Labour's right wing VLADIMIR and leading register, replies.
ALAN FREEMAN accuses CLPD's Executive Committee's majority of running 'a scurrilous campaign'.
In fact this would be a more apt description of his article (Socialist Challenge 279) which abounds unsubstantiated allegations and factual inaccuracies.
Alan states that backing by the wing" the Manchester tantamount to support for democratic raould be very dif- control." tact it ficult to put the reforms BLOUUSCU ine Withington amendment to any such purpose.
Ironically pressure groups were given official recognition first time the Militant Tendency Report. Groups was always unrealistic to assume that once such groups became influential the Party would continue to tolerate their activities without making them subject regulation kind.
The SUBport for the Register from the trade union delegates at the last conference conthis. ine leil s failure to opt for a positive alternative to the Register (the Withington proposals) merely ensured the massive vote Tor the Register. of the Campaign for Labour Party after a bitter left-right Alan Freeman argued that this result would to the policies of DERER, a campaign founder advocate of it's decision to tacan does acknowledge that outright rejection Register necessarily appears to most trade unionists as carte blanche to groups to campaign for they please. To other Party members this creation of damaging , diviwithin SLURS LIC Such -YICWS may be irrational. It is equally irra tional however to ignore them. Choice The choice is between the NEC having completely arbitrary powers and a method of control by conterence. Alan's charge that CLPD has opted arbiter between irreconcilable forces The BUTCHOUS upholders of the Register oi conservative status quo are the unholy alliance of Bennites, infantile leftists and infantile feminists, which continues campaign Withington proposals.
The Register is not particularly popular anvbody. But the scenes at Conference which followed Jim Mortimer's speech - at least half of those present gave it a standing ovation - it makes it difficult to share Alan's view Brave the sister is that the decision to от me most unpopular ones the Labour Party has ever Nevertheless the Register is unpopular CLPs because was designed as an instrument to witch-hunt the Militant Tendenev n fact its provisions have proved pose.
The NEC was in too great a nurry to go ancad with expulsions. This is the reason why Clause II(3) of the constitution is being used instead. The Register, however, is not dead, as comrades like SOLIC believe. It may still be used against any grOuD which fails to register. To rely on the will the sent assumption that refusal to register evoke sympathy among the trade LIONS. SECSOCCEO celle knee decisions is te •known require elaboration.
To return to CLPD's position. A pressure group can only be effective while its members are in substantial agreement on its prucipal objectives, and if its demands are acceptable to The mater •OT people it seeks to win over.
continued presence of those deteron a radically difSUNCO ferent line can only be resolved either by the subordination minority or by a split. have advanced this argument the decision on the Register was taken, and to have named those hold ditterent Dosttions hardly amounts to a CLPD conference in London. scurrilous campaign.
CLPD supporters were entitled to know before voting which EC members supported proposals which would exclude delegates from affiliated organisations as well as other CLPD supporters attending meetings. They were also entitled know WHO wanted to deprive CLPD London ouEsee and the South East (the only ones able to be touch HQ) representation on the EC, as well as who wanted to prevent cull internal discussion within CLPD under the pretext that controversial contributions were 'personal attacks' Overall proposals amounted to the introduction of a Stalinist regime. Claim claim that those voted off the ing is ludicrous. The work recorded by those listed on the Secretary's statement (which passed itself. Harris speaks for tself.
Race none). The participa tion of those voted off innumerable ultra-lett jamborees cannot be quated with hard work in CLPD.
Alan also talks
CLPD's leaders the exception Harris, Bloxham, Jones, Gaebler and Race, and those who retired voluntarily, all those elected to the strong Executive Committee at the AGM have been reelected.
Alan's assertion aurned its back on LAW What we refused to do is change the nature of CLPD by turning ourselves into a propagan da organisation to be used by LAW and the breakaway MPs. ČLPD still support group OT Tribune prefer to fight expulsion and the Register are those which CLPD proved to be effective in the past. No system has dividual violence against the warders.
Alan Freeman's conclusions that our actions nave left us in a camp which is universally actested -THe Labour Party' is insulting, but actually we conced because who can object to a few fraternal or sisterinsults among comrades? We leave it to ultra-left critics to add the petty-bourgeois norms of hypocritical politeness to their depleted "theoretical' armoury. of Vladimir Derer, a founder of the CLPD INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY Revolution/Socialist Challenge Celebration Rally Come to the rally and hear speakers invited from Greenham Common Youth CND Women Against Apartheid Palestine and celebrate and help build all the campaigns fighting La music also avalaDle Friday, 4 March 1983, 7.00pm County Hall, London SE1 (Waterloo Tube