Socialist Outlook Publications • THE BOSSES' OFFENSIVE — anti-union laws and the new management techniques £1.50 • SOCIALISM AFTER STALINISM £1.00 • STRIKING BACK -Fighting privatisation on the railways €1.00 • MAASTRICHT: The crisis of European InteBookshelf gration £1.50 • THE FALLACIES OF STATE CAPITALISM - a debate between Chris Harman and Emest Mandel £2.00 • FROM MILITANCY TO MARXISM by Alan Thomett £5.00 • CUBA, RADICAL FACE OF STALINISM by John Lister £2.00 • MALCOLM X Fighter for Black Liberation £1.25 • THE COMING BLACK REBELLION AND THE LEGACY OF MALCOLM X £1.50 All the above: add 50p AN IMPORTANT step forward in reactivating the left in the Labour Party was taken in Sheffield on April 17 when 200 activists launched the Campaign Group Supporters Network.
Following a successful preparatory discussion in Leeds last June. this conference established a democratic structure for the Network, sentation from local groups. women, youth and black people.
The conference also took decisions on campaining activities on job losses, the trade union link, the Child Support Act, Maastricht, anti-racism, cuts in public services and the Nine Campaign Group MPs alienacd and made postive conf tributions. Attempts to wreck the Network by dividing the conference around proportional representation failed. Socialist Action supporters, lukewarm towards the network since its inception, for fear that their self-appointed role as spokespersons for left MPs might be underresolution.
If their vitrolic motion had been passed, they woald have witch hunted those on the left who support PR. If it had been defeated, given that the Campaign Group itself opposes PR, this could be used as a wedge between the MPs and the Net*Porusately, a ripaiicas Fortunately, a significant number of supporiers of tist past-the-post voted against this motion leading to its defeat. An alternative resolution, not supporting PR but calling for a debase was passed instead.
Having dealt with this diversion, the key task is now to translate the campaigning motions into action, to ensure that the Campaign Groups set up since Loeds take up the priorities of Sheffield.
Bob Cryer, probably the most the-post, sidestepped the debate on PR and concentrated his closing remarks on the need to consolidate the positive steps taken so far by active campaigning. Surely the rest of us can do the same.