paper, especially as other Left jourals either disappear (New Socialist. 7 Dayr), plunge into deeper Jaunched by the Socialist launched at the successful recent Socialist Movement conference in Manchester, and is now being widely distrihuted throughout the bave been going on for more thun a year. The Socialist Move- it campaigns and sink roots lo cally and in the labour move. broad labour movement. socialist
INTE Geoff Ryan mid March. The project deserves If you want a copy of the paper, or information on how to become a supporting subscriber, or to make a donation to the Chestertield, Der- Dary Jones a fortnightly production from socialist, FREEPOST, PO Benn speaks at SM Conference where socialist was launched widespread suppon ! byshire, 544 5BR. project, write to: 118. Rox sponsors sought. The goal is for taken away for sale in cities around the country, and 50 Now the serious fundraising and promotional work begins for the project. Some £25.000 needs to be mised, and 500 supporting subscribers signed up. The pilot issue and promotional leatlets are being widely distributed and people there took nut bankers or- ders and became supporting sub- scribers to the paper. Yet the paper still feels "open, Endorsements for the paper expected Tony Benn and Eric Kemp from the Greens, Gila damentalism and Janet Davies from Plaid Cymru's national At the Manchester conference More than 2,500 copies were fact hoxes and information on how to get involved in cam- paigning throughout the paper. are impressive, ranging from the Heffer, to John Pilger, Penny very postive. not preaching to the wholly con Sahgal of Women Against Fun- reactions were Left. Tribune). or prove incapable of ment and social life which left sloganising of many far left So, what is it like 7 Does it appealing beyond a very narrow ground on the Left — to provide While promoting the Socialist Movement's radical politics, it aims to avoid the predictable tion on politics, the labour move- Statesman, Marxiam Today and socialist aims to break new a solid diet of news and informa- activists will find invaluable. (Campaign Briefing, Catalyst): papers
Council movement, which can ive organisations which serve as vehicles for the working class MARI only flourish if they are combat- Sam Stacey struggles in cuch locality Solidarity from Trades Councils, cruclal to miners for what they are — an attempt to against New Realism, what is at stake is the future of the Trades shackle the Trades Councils even further, roducing them to post- In thix new battle in the war boxes for TUC circulars. reversing TUC decisions, and to tions are on next year's Congress In addition, what is required is level, dennuncing these measures around the Communist Party of Thin is the first initiative or- ganised, and likely to be attended by most of the Trudes Councils opposed to the General Council decisions. Clearly this must lead towards a campaign in all unions to win them to a position of ensure that appropriate resolu Britain and the Morning Star, a political campaign SOCIALIST OUTLOOK no 29, December/January 1990/91 has been organised in Manchester What then can be done to on December 8th by forces policy. They constitute a kind of pre-emptive strike to prevent the strengthening of the Trades place, an unofficial conference The content of these mensures might serve as a focus for opposi- Council movement on a national fight these measures? In the first is to deny Trades Councils any effective national voice which tiea to TUC or Labour Party
retrieve the situation by one of the Socialist Movement bad ac- The difficultics of the day were further compounded by the toc which saw the defeat of three independents who have played a vital role in building LPS. This happened because supporters of Socialist Organiser, the largest political block present, put their own interests before those oF LPS as a whole. They then tried to resigning un elections in the National Commit- their supporters Will Labour's left meet the tually decided tion drafted by Socialist Outlook needed to link up with campaigns Both resolutions werc passed ing committee to ensure that LPS makes the maximum capital out of the current Tory crisis and the forthcoming General Election and LPS should merely aut as a clear: ing house for left policies coming argued that LPS inside and outside the party onis- sues such as Lesbian and Gay - so now it will be up to the steer- from CLPs, whereas the resolu Rights and the Poll Tax. supporters UPDATE of made, and most importantly. shakeup inside the party. 1 Labour wins, then expectations will he raised, not on the basis of of these fighting speeches were practical proposals for action en- Thatcher's replacement by Major, it is only after a general election itself that there will be a massive collaborationist policies but because working class people expect more from effect the challenge? Whatever TERRY CONWAY asses- providing a fighting alter- voice in the Labour Party General Meeting and the ingly likely, the need for Election seems increas- As an early General native to Kinnock has an organised socialist ses the Labour Party never been greater. Socialists' Annual
- has been much discussion as to Committee will agree to co-opl those who were defeated for the National places — an unusual but the role that is needed in the that all political forcer involved favour of another individual even Since the AGM itself there what went wrong. It seems that the first meeting of the Steering But in order for LPS to play months to come, it is necessary though she was not next in line: Amid much confusion and dis- may, the AGM agreed to this. in our view necessary step. These latter groups seemed lo uses this to build LPS on the The discussion on the General Elcction also saw a debate about the relationship hetween LPS and the Socialist Movement and its Socialisr Outlook supporters and many independents were positive about the prospects for socialist, Briefing and Socialist Organiser supporters were pessimistic and were clearly passed, but the dis- in some instances hostile. paper. Again two If the Tories win a fourth placement of Kinnock as leader Nor did anyone think that it was possible to launch the sort of campaign around the General paign for a Labour Victory' in 1979 - the relationship of forces tem, then there will be a fight in side the Labour Party - which will probably result in the re- and again the space for the left will be opened up. On these ques- tions there was consensus at the Election run by 'Socialist Cam- just doesn't cxist today. field for a daunting-looking agenda, running from 9.30am to 5.30pm - a clear sign that despite the horrors of Labour Party conference and the hold of new realism in the labour movement, there is a small but important layer of activists in The day was contradictory. 150 people braved it to Shef- the party determined to con- tasks facing the new Na- tional Committee. struct an alterative.
weakens, its behave in a responsible, not a sectarian manner and that LPS with the Socialist and a teaching hospital to go of Health officials have sccretly warsed that the implications for London and the South East could be another 2,400 beds to close strengthens, not relationship NHS faces new