DON'T BE FOOLED by the bland words and gleaming smile. Tony Blair is the hard face of Labour. Not the Labour Party of the time of prosperity, but the Labour Party in time of recession.
Things are shaping up for a big fight in the labour movement about the tasks for a possible Labour government. As the Tories get more and more unstable, it's a fight that looks more vital every day.
Sensing this, the ruling rich are putting the squeeze on Blair. Even the Financial Times calls for a Labour vote nowadays.
Respectable.
Blair is seen as very respectable - but only for as long as he can keep working people from demanding higher pay, better public services and decent welfare rights.
Would Labour in office embrace radical policies to tackle poverty, unemployment, exploitation and oppression? Or will it slam the door on these policies even before the next election?
Blair wants to ditch Clause IV to give a clear sign to big business that he has no intention of threatening the power and profits of capital - ever.
That's why the battle to keep Clause IV in the Labour Party's constitution is vital.
If the Clause gets the chop, it is a warning that as long as Blair is in charge, working people, pensioners, and young people will continue to pay the price of the capitalist crisis.
Of course many working people take the opposite view. They correctly back Labour because they think it offers the only chance of defending health and welfare, of getting people back to work and of improving wages.
The fight over Clause IV is therefore a vital test of strength. It is a fight for a concept of socialism.
Defending the Clause will tell Blair and his team of 'modernisers' that working people want more than just a change of government: we want a change of system. 20BF • 5FF • $1 • 1DM • 1000 lire • fi DOREEN CAMERON (NATHE PRESIDENT) "If I want different principles I will go to a different Party. Clause IV must be retained. It is not a problem, it is the essence of our being. You cannot wither principles -you only abandon them." NICK NICHOLS (NCU NEC): "The Trade Union movement must ensure that Clause IV is retained. We can win this fight. The trade unions hold the key. We should drive this campaign through the trade unions and
Defend Clause IV we're Clause IV