Keith Sinclair, delegate (personal capacity) The Kettering Conference of Trades Councils attracted around a hundred delegates from trades councils across England and Wales.
The motions that were passed covered a wide range of issues and included calls to affiliate to the Welfare State Network and to step up opposition to the Asylum Bill.
Support was given to Hull trades council's campaign against Project Work and a useful emergency motion on education was passed calling on trades council's to support FACE. This needs to be followed up by approaches to local trades councils by all education campaigns.
Over £500 was collected for the Liverpool dockers for whom Jimmy Nolan spoke. An excel. lent motion was passed calling upon trades councils to campaign for the dockers and build the May 25 conference organised by Merseyside County Association of Trades Councils.
The Socialist Labour Party held a fringe meeting with Bob Crowe from the RMT. Despite his efforts, there was little support. Delegates raised their objections to the timing, policies and the way the SLP had been launched. Other than from the speaker, there was a wide consensus that the key task was to kick the Tories out, calling for a Labour vote while raising demands such as the repeal of the anti-union laws and the defence of the welfare state.
Supporters of Socialist Outlook intervened in all the major debates. We also took on the practical responsibility of organising the fund-raising initiatives for the Liverpool dockers. Overall it was a successful conference.
However, the real test is Whether the resolutions that were carried actually make a difference away from the heady rhetoric of conference debates. What is certainly true of this conference is that the resolu. tions passed make it much eas. ier to raise campaigns in trades councils and through them in hundreds of trade union branches.
THE Ivory Coast has one of Africa's most brutal dictatorships, it is supported by French armed force. In the 1990s students and worker have started to build up democratic and socialist opposition KNOW RACIN BILL McKEITH spoke to two leaders of the UK branch of the exiled Party for Progress and Socialism. Previously known as the Ivorian Socialist Party, the party obtained between 30 and 50 per cent of the vote in some areas. Student leader HENRY new party to replace the TOHOU, General Secretary of the PPS/UK branch, looks ats the fight against the repressive regime, the tasks facing the opposition and the need for a discredited leaders of the PPS Socialist Outlook 102 • May 25, 1996.
and other organisations now co-operating with the regime.
Former political prisoner
NICOLE AKE, a member of the PPS/UK staff, describes the development of Ivorian women's organisations.