THE CAMPAIGN to defend Clause Four enters a key stage this month. Labour's NEC on March 15 will announce their new Clause Four.
This is the culmination of the so called 'consultation' process. Labour movement bodies must make sure that they return their questionnaires to Walworth Road by 3 March.
The lack of democracy in the process must be exposed to win over those in the centre. Blair has no mandate for changes, despite John Prescott's claims.
Last month Prescott said 'Tony Blair... was elected on a mandate. Quite large votes voted for him to make sure that he wanted to continue the modernisation of the party of the party and in this sense constitutionally is one part of it". John is clearly someone who wants a "more concise" Clause Four!
1995 began with the Guardian - mouthpiece of the right wing Labour Coordinating Committee (LCC) opining "Blair Fears Clause Four Humiliation."
This was intended to send an SOS to trade union barons. Unfortunately they got the wrong end of the stick, and begun to name their price to do a deal.
A numher demanded that their privatised industry was a re-nationalised - a price too high for Brother Blair who steadfastly refused to make any spending commitments.
Blair acolyte Geoff Hoon MP was quizzed on Radio 5 about whether Labour's refusal to renationalise was pragmatism or a point of principle. Rrain_hoy Hoon replied that this was an 'unfair journalist's question"!
Union leaders, notably USDAW's Garfield Davies and MSF chief Roger Lyons, who have spoken out to turn thc tide back Blair's way, have had to repudiate their statements in the face of rank and file opposition.
Labour's Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC) met last month. Even they were not trusted to fix the conference properly. They were railroaded into accepting that the special corterence will have lust one "take it or leave it vote' on Blair's new clause Four. The CAC is not scheduled to meet unul tne morning or tne conrerencer Model resolution Clause Four campaigners should support the passing of the model resolution reproduced on this page. Whilst we should support the Clause full stop, there is nothing unprincipled in supporting those who demand a democratic vote at the conference.
This tactic (the "Gaitskeli get out") was best advocated by Stan Newens MEP at the launch recent Young Labour conference gave a flavour of how things might go. Diana Jeuda told USDA W's young delegates that they would end their career in the union if they voted for Clause Four.
Jeuda said last November "We mustn't let ourselves be in the position where whatever comes from the NEC is a take-itor leave it... people are going to feel bounced if this happens."
Honest Diana was speaking at the Tribune event to launch their re-write of the Clause.
The Tribune MPs' project has gone down the pan like a stool. Tribune newspaper is now a ference. staunch campaigner for Clause Four. It is said that Peter Hain accepts Neath CLPs pro-Clause Four line. The Socialist CamOMOV ballots must be opposed. They attack collective decision making and the union democratic? link. But where the right is victorious we must argue against postal ballots and for 'all members meetings to debate and vote on the issue. The NEC's cratic? ballot paper must be rejected for one which puts all the options.
The left must ensure that the detailed work of compositing done so? motions and winning CLP mandating meetings is carried out for all the regional conferences and conference. Pro Clause Four fringe meetings need to be organised at each conThe Blair road-show have Clause IV? been craven stitch ups. Audiences have been hand picked and only Blair's point of view has been put. Nevertheless, Clause Four supporters should try to intervene at these events.
Blair's guests may not give a fig for socialism and common ownership but we should at- on. tempt to expose the fix by asking questions on the procedure.
Prayer Comrades yet to join the campaign may be relying on the power of prayer to win the day. For them I have good news. The Christian Socialist Movement Executive has voied to retain Clause Four and for the April conference to be cancelled!
Lord Soper has said: "It does not matter for me that some of the words in Clause Four could be expressed differently. What tion? matters is that there is an absolute need to confront the capitalist system under which we Diane Abbot has discovered that three-quarters of Labour's reserve fund has now been spent. Defend Clause - Defend Socialism' do not have such resources. Genuine supporters of the campaign must join up. This is not a moralistic point. It is objective politics. We cannot hope to beat Hr wtoa cecoltrecinar (lnscriptions generate. "We regret that the NEC is seeking to confine voting at the Special conterence solely to the wording proposed by the NEC.
Conference should have the opportunity to vote on the new statement of aims and values and on the existing Clause IV.
The last two Party conferences voted to retain Clause IV. We call upon the Conterence Arrangements Committee and the NEC to allow special conference to vote on both texts.