The election of Bill Morris as the first black leader of a major trade union in Britain is a development of enormous importance.
Right winger George Wright was heavily defeated in a postal ballot conducted by the Electoral Reform Society. Morris won with a clear 14% lead, taking nearly half the vote. Bob Harrison and Pat Reilly, the other candidates, took less than 20% of the votes between them.
History of racism The result is a big boost for black people, particularly in a union with a huge black membership, a history of racism in various sections, and a Yerous of integrating blac people into its structures. But although I could not find evidence of the use of racism by other candidates, there were rumours that suggested otherwise.
Morris, supported by the Broad Left, fought the election as a Wright' battle. Wright's politics were clearly revealed in his professed desire to do a deal with the non-TUC of Democratic Mineworkers. The result is a devastating blow his machine, which is centred on the appointed Regional Secretaries. It is likely to stem the hard right for some time.
Right wing
manoeuvres Manoeuvres by the rightwing failed to swing the vote -even though some branches were persuaded to spend huge sums, sending additional propaganda for the Wright campaign to members' homes.
Morris, on the other hand, had the advantage of formal support from the majority of the union's national officers. His campaign was an effective one, but the key factor was rank and file hostility to the EETPUype business unionism that Wright so clearly represented But despite the importance of Morris' victory, his record leaves much to be desired. This includes proposing to drop policy of quality circles' at the last TGWU conference, as well backing Ron Todd's sell out of the dockers. His first statement following the election victory concentrated on future cooperation with Kinnock-hardly an encouraging sign.
years 'The North East Thames RHA made an attempt to be honest to the public, which is to beadmired... The debate about priorities and rationing is at last ›ecoming public!
Her position starts out by accepting the inadequacy of the NHS, accepting that rationing of health care 'must take place, and winds up effectively echo ing the government's own logic in imposing. arbitrary restrictions on health spending - to the lowest of any advanced economy.
By making her 'realistic assessment' that varicose vein operations are not going to be available on the NHŠ, she is virtually urging people who need treatment to go private. ation' on which services should be axed and which resourced within a rationed budget, Ms Hogg dresses up cash limits in new clothes - but also opens the door to some extremely unpleasant possibilities. health services enjoy little or no positive publicor media profile, and attract little of the active support that has been so fre quently tapped by fundraising charities in appeals for premature baby units, scanners and There is no reason to believe that in any public 'debate' on rationing of health care, these services will not again lose out.
Though the defeat of the rightis certainly cause for celebration, Morris' policies will have to be fought. Given the TGWU's enormous influence in the TUC and Labour Party, the politics of it's Genera ecretary are of importance to workers.
No left swing Morris' does not swing the Bill Morris IGWU to the left, but rather leaves it more or less where it has been for some time - a union with a soft left leadership, within the veneral framework of new realism, but which chalinges new realist projects on occasion.
4 pilot project in Oregon, USA long these lines, urging the general public to vote on health priorities' produced some frightening results.
The NHS could well be an early focal point of conflict be tween an expectant electorate and the timid conservatism of a Kinnock government.
Instead of cutting back the aspirations of the labour move ment and restricting the debate It does, i however, provide the potential for a stronger development of the left in the union. This would have been considerably more difficult had George Wright won the election.
PHOTO: Jez Coulson (IFL)
to ways in which we share our inadequate resources for health care, the left must elaborate and win support for a comprehensive package of demands to be Labour government.
This should begin with a £6 billion cash injection to reverse ten years of cuts and closures, with the reopening of closed wards and services in acute hospitals and a major investment in community care services for the elderly and people with mental illness.
It should lead on to a planned expansion and democratisation of the NHS.
The 57 opted-out Trusts must be disbanded and returned to NHS management, GP fundholding should be scrapped (with GPs given back the right to refer patients to whichever hospital they think best), and William Waldegrave's unelected, unrepresentative health authorities abolished.
Elected authorities As an interim measure towards an elected structure to plan and run all health services, local councils should take over responsibility for the purchasing of health care. The Not has Corn made tho The • has been made un.
mistakeably clear in the last few years: a fighting policy outlined by the Labour move ment could turn this into electoral defeat for the Tories and a real rallying point for pressure on a Kinnock government. No. 4 June 22, 1991 Page 5
AFTER THE CUTS... 2 waiting up tol 5 years