Campaigners against the witch hunt of socialists in the Labour Party are celebrating morale-boosting victories in Brighton as the local tide of expulsions was stemmed during the latest hearings of the National Constitutional Committee.
Koa Pich, 1965 Partanich tary candidate in Kemptown, and Socialist Outlook supporter Mark Thompson became the first activists facing the inquiry to a void expulsion. They demol. ished the evidence concocted by Brighton's Labour council leadership and local LCC activists.
Eight 'trials' at the Brighton NCC since last September have resulted in expulsions - with long serving members being found 'guilty of membership of Militant.
The cases of ten others, induding prominent members of the Christian Socialist Movement, Jean Calder and Andy Winter, Socialist Outlook supporter Jon Green, anti-Zionist campaigner Tony Greenstein and national chair of Troops Out Richard Stanton, are all in the pipeline.
The Rod Fitch judgement gives powerful ammunition to the anti-witch hunt campaign because, remarkably, Rod actually found 'guilty of Milltant membership by the NCC!
Although suspended from holding office for two years, this Founder of witch hunt: Kinnock timely illustration of the importance of the left taking the fight and organising a genuine fight against it.
With the exception of high media beth, Liverpool and Coventry, the intentions of the Walworth Road bureaucracy remain unclear.
But there are hopeful signs that the Kinnockite ice age of suppressed Labour Party debate may be thawing.
The shadow cabinet bloc has trasmented since the general clection defeat, with the ultraTisne emoracing racological fads like "Clintonisation", and centre• eft bureaucrats like Gould, Prescott and Short seckmo to mercase thei prome With splits looming on the union block vote. all this can in -crease the respectability and tolerance of internal party debate.
The left is also in a better position to take ad vantage of these debates with growth of the Socialist Campaign Group Network and developments in the class struggle like the movement in solidarity with the miners.
The SCGN must prioritise this issue, and centre leftists like Gould and Prescott must be put on the spot as to where they stand on this question.
Brighton NCC hearings have been set for former councillors Ri. chard Stanton (22 February) and Fiona Roberts (28 March). MessSpringfield Rd., Brighton. Update on the national witchhunt can be obtained from the Campaig; Against the Witchhunt, c/o Ashby House, Loughborough Rd., London SW9 7SP.
Of those who remained, none called witnesses or took pains to of accusations against them. One Militant supporter said he had 'better things to do.
While the bureaucracy have oucht since 1983 to rio the Labour Parfy of Militant, it now appears that Militant is giving them a help. from Labour Party activity in Engready in hand in Scotland.