Knight amendment attacks lesbian and gay rights forth.
I'lie amendent is part of a growing backlash agaibst
Iesbian and gay rights, Thr
London Ecering Standard has been naming a campaign le the sarking of openly lesbian and gay tearhen education:
advisors, social workers as wrll as those appointed specifically to work on lesbian and pas rights.
The Till Knight amendment, and the suppurt which it has received front the government, shows that sections of rhe Trity right have decided that the tume is rigin for a frontal arrack va lesbian and gay rights. This attack is serious in its legal implications, and in giving cover for bigorry and violence ngainst Inshians and gays. It may well forexhadow muves to attack the provisions of the
1967 scyual offences act.
Predictably, the response of have precipitated mass apposition have been pur off bur other aspects of reform will go ahead in accordance with the wishes of the international Munetury Fund.
Another country in chormous dilliculties with its debt is Romania: Nicolac Ceauseseu has been having the Labour front bench to the attark has hern awful.
Initially, in effect they supported the amendment, as a useful way of disrancing themscives hoth from the issue of lesbian and gay rights in general and from left Labour councils who have actually done something about it.
Bue cbc 700-strong demonstration at the House of
Commans on 14 December, by showing the strength of feelings of outrage among many
Trshian, gay and labour movement activists has forced them to retbink their position:
It remains to be seen whether they will now electivcly oppose the amendment. But in the labour tovetuent the whole insue needs the strongest possible airmg Resistance to this new attack urgentlv needs to be bail
scrond thoughts about paying off the entire foreign debt at breaknerk speed as intermi opposition to has bleak regime continues to shout. In November 10.000 strikie workers from a truck lactory m Rraso noted, destroying che regional party headquarters m the process. Although this does not appear to have been
Tories
under
pressure
on NHS
AFTER SFVFN bitter years of uncompromising Tory government, came the unfamiliar sight of theo: swift and substantial retrcats within a month - both on the NHS.
Nothing could more clearly show the potential strogth and popular support of health workers and anti cuts campaigns.
November and December had brought a growing midia macty over NIS curbacks. running alnngside increasingly vocal complaints from top doctors,
Early December saw dus climax in an open letter from the presidents of three medical rovul collcers, and then a 1.200-strong petition to Thatcher from consultants and dodrors from over 160 hospitals across the country, including ovcr 20 prulessors. Organised by London Health Emergency and the Hounslow-based ITospital Alert, the petition called for increased Junding ol tie SHS• but also arced bcalth authoritics to resist pressure to make further cuits
Within days of this petition carme the first niaor Tory concession — an extra L70m 1o: be shared terween the healiti districts. The sam was totally indequate, but the concession has mercly encouraged doctors and campaigners to fight for TRISTA:
Concession pumber two. care in the aftermath of the brilliantly-orchestrated roke strike by 40 NUPE night nurses a Nonh Manchester hospital - in protest against Tory repeated elsewhere. students have also taken to the streets and bis image has taken a battering in the last few mocks and not just metaphorically!
Ceausescu?: ill-concealed contempt for the new leadership in the Soviet Union was plain throughout Gorbachev's rocent visit and drey, in turn, am biding their plans to serup their special dury payments for nighr shitt working
Seldom can any nor-nighr strike by so few sitkers have received so much and such sympathetic Mational media coverage.
Even the rabid Tory press. held hack an it rescrves of hysterical abuse — leaving die: mose vitriofic opposition to the strike to be voiced by the scab leadership of the Royal College of Nursing Is contrast, RON members at several hospitals have been evading the RCS no-strike policy by racity assisting mdastrial achon by healt unions. or — as at St Thomas's hospital — calling disraptive mass ranctings during working bours, which are rantamount to strike астіон
The Manchester strike. organised by a section of the NUPE leadership willing to fout Tom Sawver'& detratist 'new realist lime, but the right time while Crane-au winks cucr deeper into the mire. A new opposition with the parry and security organs which is more sympathetic to the Sovict Union seems certain! co crystalliss within the nest few months.
All m'all, Lie casr European regames appcar in for a ruugh ride over the coming months Cuts have put tremendous pressure on NHS staff and patients mod at the right time. Nurses had aready begun to forese Teal many ant-cuts campaigns, and had won a sove-week bvertime ban in Edinburgh demanding exrra statt
Oiler union offcials quickly jumped on the bandwagon, and threarence nurses" strikey cisewhere Within days, die Tories had embed down and dropped their wage-cutting sobene: 1 though they will seek new ways to take nurses pav for their own wage restructuring.
The Manchester strike couk! yet prove a turning point. giving the bicherto passive unions a fresh opportmity to: put cheruselves at the forefront of the fight to defend the NHS, and patting industrial action firmly back un the agenda.
Even belore the Tory climbdown, low-paid blood transfusion service workers — again dominated by NUPH — had wored to take action to andycars, Fronomic difficulties and the unwilguess and unreasing mability of the Soviet Union to intervene to keep these states on an yven keel seems certain to
Irad to social upheavals only paralleled in the recent past by the rise of Solidarity
SEAN ROBERTS defend their tied allowances:
The Tories have managed to provoke new mintancy among health workers al the ven want that their cast cuts ac having most impart on hospitals, and while the media
- reflecting public opiniii! — is srill highly critical of government police.
This gies than loc Luebur none for complacency
Important partial victories can be won. but Thather will seck revenge in the pritracted wat ou the Nils fee Socialiat Ortlook
7
A labour movement leilerslup worth ins salt would arends have launched a major cumpaign on the NHS.
including a Tatemal demonsiration and a 11C: day faction - which woud get masave support. In this loreth anniversary year of the
Nuts. it is still not toe late and essential we try to persuade them to do so
HARRY SLOAN
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK nd 5 January/February 1988