sections within the union, this is not true nationally: the left only increased its presence on the NEC from three seats to five out of 26. PARTY political broadThe improvement in the casts in the May council fortunes of the left needs to be consolidated by a confer- elections reminded everyence of the whole left in the one that education is still a CPSA that will democrati- key issue. cally decide tactics to ad- But the political leader who vance the struggle against emphasised the need for mass the right wing. public campaigns against government cuts in schools Contact: FACE do St. Giles County Middle School, Hayes Lane, Exhall, Coventry, CV7 9NS. Telephone: (0589) 789104 with the words "Remember the poll tax. It can be done" was not even pretending to represent the working class.
It was just another example of the Liberal Democrats appearing more willing than Blair's New Labour to galvanise opposition to Tory policies.
It is becoming increasingly hard to find real differences between the Blunkett/Blair education agenda and the Tories' current drive towards further stratification of the system and shifting resources from the deprived to the most privileged sectors.
The development of Fight Against Cuts in Education, the new alliance of parents, governors and teachers which brought thousands to a national demonstration on Cuts struggles could embarrass Blunkett and Blair March 25 shows that there is a growing public awareness of the need to save what remains of state comprehensive education.
This view is not shared by the Labour leaders, or by the right wing leadership of the NUT. General Secretary Doug McAvoy was left adrift by a majority of his union conference voting to ballot on strike action to limit class sizes, and he is now looking for means to override the deSOCIALIST OUTLOOK Union Special, May 27 1995, Page 3