Pete Firmin, officer, Socialist Campaign Group THE LATEST meeting of Socialist Campaign groups from around the country on March 30 took some important decisions about responding to the latest events in the Labour Party, improving the organisation of the net. work and preparing for Party conference in October.
It was recognised that Blair's plan to put a bland manifesto out to a referendum requires a big response from the Left on those (like the new organisation, Labour Reform) prepared to defend the sovereignty of conference and participatory democracy, and a fight to try and win a commitment to certain key policies to go into the mani. festo, requiring a two-thirds maJority at Party conference.
This entails a fight in various unions, such as UNISON and the TGWU, around Issues like the minimum wage and repeal of the anti-union laws, committing them to a real fight with This can be linked in with the network's proposals for a campaign in the run up to the election around key policies in an outward looking campaign rather than locused solely on the fight in the structures of the movement.
It was agreed to proceed on both fronts, including a fringe rum around issues of the de. Tence or he weirare state.
This focus was also reffected in the discussion around the prioritisation of resolutions for Labour Party conference, with a decision to concentrate on six is. sues • repeal of the anti-union laws and the minimum wage • comprehensive education • pensions • the NHS • renationalisation of the railways • repeal of the Asylum and Immigration Bill These resolutions will be printed in a bulletin distributed to supporters at the end of April.
There was a decision to revamp the newsletter for mem. bers, making it longer and more oriented towards discussion, allowing for greater participation and debate among the reit in the Party.
Socialist Outlook 100 • April 6, 1996.