Womens conference as an excuse for their position. Since when did the labour movement decide policy on the have also been difficlties about the democracy of the campaign with regional organisers being imposed on local camapigns with no priordiscus- sion with them. These weaknesses are not particular to the Benn Heffer cam- paign but of the whole Labour left. But coming out of Labour party con- ference steps are planned that will im- prove the situation. The Campaign Group has launched 'Campaign '89' on the basis of a twin track approach: campaigning within the the party for socialist policies and elected representatives to carry them out; and campaigning outside the party together with other movements 'through the Socialist Conference network' around issues such as the Poll Tax and Employment Training and towards the development of alter- native policies. It is pledged to take up the debate on policy into the unions in a way that was not done this time. Campaign '89 is also commited to or- ganising national meetings of repre- sentatives of the regional camapigns for socialism, trade union broad lefts Todd: dramatic intervention and other national campaigns.There remains some discussion about the exact na- ture of these meetings, but the iniative is un- doubtedly a sign that the Campaign Group in- tend to broaden their base over the next year and understand the need to turn to the unions. While there has not been a clear decision to stand for the leadership next year, this is being discussed very openly. The conditions of this debate are much better than last year, because it is earlier, because it follows a positive chal- lenge this year and because there are develop- ments within the soft left which were not taking place a year ago. The Labour Co-ordinating Committee (LCC) fringe meeting saw John Prescott attack Robin Cook for his position of non-payment of the Poll tax. The fact that Prescott himself was on the platform was an indication of the LCCs ambivalence towards the leadership challenge. Within this context, David Blunkett's message to the Tribune Conference on October 22nd/23rd comes as no surprise. He says 'It cannot be stressed to strongly that there is a need for those who reject the sectarianism of Page 12
FE A TOS USE RES Labour Women ignored basis of abstentions? Unfortunately while a very positive alternative to the NEC statement was put and debated, under pressure from the Womens Action Committee the mover agreed to remitt. WAC's line at the begining of the week had been that this debate was much less important than that on one women on every shortlist.
Once it became clear that other women thought differently they tried to take charge of the tactical decisions despite the fact that they had done no work to get the resolutions onto the left to regroup so that they are neither | manipulated by the centre-right or the oppositionalist left. Too many party members who yearn for a cohesive and positive left approach, existing groupings inside and outside the parliamentary party appear to have lost that role.
He argues that a new group needs to be set up, which is different from either Tribune or the Campaign group. Peter Hain, who has been arguing for left re-alignment for some time, claims that Tribune is no longer an identifiable left force. Rather he argues, it has been 'a forum through which the leadership can pull people
These developments, important in themselves, have even greater weight because Todd and the Transport and General Workers Union 'left' are very much involved in the Tribune mileu. It is vital that Chesterfield and the Campaign group have an orientaion to drawing these forces into joint activity at the same time as being clear about the need for a leadership challenge and the need to fight the witchunt.
the agenda. Finally their line was that it was better to remit to an NEC that had already shown its contempt for the women's organis- taion in its report than lose the resolution by millions of votes because of trade union op- position. This whole performance demonstrated the need for the much better orgnaisation of Labour women at future con- ferences. It is to be hoped that the Women for Socialism conference will provide the basis to begin that work in plenty of time for next year. Dani Ahrens The Chesterfield movement is in a stronger position than it was over a year ago and clearly many of those mobilised through the Benn Heffer campaign can be won to its banner. The key events over the next months include November Sth's Solidarity Conference, sponsored by Chester- field, which will provide a forum to discuss the lessons of recent in- dustrial disputes and map out solidarity tasks. The fact that Chesterfield has agreed in principle to organise a major conference next autumn needs to be built as a way of strengthening the trade union lefts. The December 10th conference on the Poll Tax will provide a vital op- portunity to bring together militants from Scotland now facing fines for non-registration with those from England and Wales, where aware- ness of the viciousness of Thatcher's flagship policy is beginning to be more widely understood. Febuary's Women for Socialism conference provides a welcome op- portunity to begin to establish a real WAYNE EDGINGTON national current of socialist feminists, and must be seriously built in the among les- Labour party, in the trade unions, bians and black women and in the many single issue women's campaigns. Other important iniatives include conferen- ces around Gorbachov, on democratic rights and on green politics. These initiatives give the left the possiblity to develop our own policies in response to the Kinnockite policy review and to begin to work together in action against some of the major attacks on the working class. Kinnock and his supporters have demonstrated their loyalty to the market and their inablity to put forward a strategy which will gain electoral support for the party, let alone defend the interests of the working class. The task for the left is to provide a coherent al- ternative to this dead-end. While this is no easy job, the basis has been laid through the Benn- Heffer campaign and the development of Chesterfield. It is a challenge to which the left must rise. Theresa Conway SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 10 November 1988
FOURTHINTERNATIONAL International The founding conference of the