whiff of scandal (the Pamella Bordes revelations), in- competence (Paul Channon's catalogue of fiascos and cover- ficial Secrets laws, censorship and back-room pressure - 50 first time in years it is suffering the threat of humiliating by- chance of success if opinion polls did not show a massive 70% ups at the Transport department), and authoritarianism (repeated efforts to gag the press and media through new Of- strikingly rebuffed over Death on the Rock). Thatcher has been forced to intervene in contravention of 'market' pres- sures to impose a more expensive route on the Channel Tun- nel rail link, and the government has lost its aura of invin- cibility along with its predominant lead in the polls. For the Under such conditions, a coherent counter-offensive from the labour movement around a frontal challenge to the in- creasingly discredited notion of the free market, arguing for policies, could be making real inroads into sections of the Instead, the Labour leadership has emerged clutching the meagre fruits of its sweaty labours in "policy review' - let alone socialist - economy, but at making the market ing the new policies revealed a confused and pathetic package a planned, socialist answer to the huge social problems and yawning class divide consciousiy widened by Thatcherite workshops: a defeatist economic policy aimed not at a planned work', Neil Kinnock's keynote speech in Nottingham unveil- public opposition to the White Paper. SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 14 April 1989 newly shaken middle class. election defeats.
450 at Women for Socialism conference A TE UP D
Judith Parsons Women's Conference and the next they feel welcome, and we had to cause there were no candidates cluding production of a four-page newspaper and investigating the prospects for an anti-imperialist Women for Socialism will be organising at national Labour Socialist Conference. Member- ship is £5 waged, t2.50 unwaged. women in struggle, using our skills We want to make links with all to build wider support and rake the fight forward. There were a num- ber of black women at part of the conference and several disabled women were present - though more needs to be done to ensure leave committee positions open for representation of black women and differently-abled women, be- However 22 women did volun- teer for a whole range of tasks in women's solidarity conference. At last a positive answer! Look out for us. available. tonic, a women's organisation in against violence, pit closures, eluding the Socialist Conforence there were no arguments over whether the fight is best fought in- side or outside the Labour Party or elsewhere, We seemed unani- mous. Here were women wanting to get on now with any and all im- mediate, practical work against our common oppressors, and will- ing to work in all the organisations lear-gas. Palestinian women are active on