Your letters

LETTERS ways been raised against the process of decision-making by referendum is the power wielded by those who have charge of formulating the all-important question.

Here the 1975 EEC referendum can serve as a good example. Not only was the question loaded in such a way as to provoke a 'yes' vote (*Do you think that this country should stay in the European Community?): it was also preceded by a government Statement which was as manipulative as it was untrue.

Going back even furthcr. it will be remembered that in France, De Gaulle was also an expert manipulator of the relerendum question during his lemm of office.

But come to think of it, is there any guarantee that even a substantial minority of party members would bother to vote? A result hased on a low turnout would cause a major credibility problem, not to mention now internal convulsions.

The policy-making techniques which currently apply within the Labour party are far from perfect, However it would be courting disaster if Lahour were to saddle itself with the sham democracy and arm-twisting potential of one-off members" referenda. Eric Heffer has written to us following our article on the Benn-Heffer campaign in Socialist Outlook: No.9, pointing out that a fringe meeting for the campaign did in fact

Let us unite to defcat our sexuality - surely a any proposal to that cf Jogical conclusion of the slogan 'Our bodies, Walter Cairns our choice' - somchow not a social demand, and therefore of little importance. Such a disLesbians made tinction can only he Invisible once more based on ignorance and prejudice, Dear Socialist Outlook.

And for whom were Having just read Valeric socialist feminists: Coultas" article British demanding equal pay. feminism ten years on education and nursery in Outionk No.9. I feelI provision? Straight must write to take issue women only? with the blatant Are the massive heterosexism that the ar- walls of hostility and ticle displays. prejudice faced by les-

Yet again, patronis- bian mothers to be iging ant-lesbianism is nored, and the disparaded in the name of crimination all lesbians "socialist feminism' face in terms of employthus playing into the ment to be discounted? hands of the largcly This is what seems to classlesy politics of radi- be implied in your article:

I detine myself as a As a socialist, lesbian socialist feminist and I Ecminist. I see the am a leshian (having capitalist state as the finally decided that enemy but without despite all of the losing sight of the difevidence to the contrary ferent institutionalised the two are not mutually power relationships within that capitalist.

I scc women's oppression as rooted in the All men bencfit from capitalist order, and patriarchy, and all male violence against straights benchit from women as a symptom of heterosexism within the incqualities of capitalism; and to get power between men and these groups of peopic women in our society, to relinquish the power not the cause of that ine- they have is far from easy - but some peopic

However 1 complete- have to try ly fail to see what Yours for a makes the demand for heterosexism-frec fertility control a vital socialism, "social' demand and the Rebecca Fleming,

Oxford. demand to control over

Heffer: point taken

take place at the NUR At the time of going conference on July 4. to press, the original

We are pleased this fringe mecting -was the case, and happy scheduled for June 27had indeed been canmisunderstanding that celled, and no new might have been meeting had been arcreated by the article. ranged.