'Labour Party Conference is in Brighton this week - unless they decide to change that as well. So read the Tory posters surrounding last weeks conterene Labour are desperatetoshow capitalism that it 1s safe. John Smith, instead of making promises on 'squeezing the rich antil the pips squak, is having lunches than you or 1 have had hot dinners. In addition, Walworth Road's purge on the left has dramatically gathered pace. The whole conference was stage managed to an unprecented degree.
Yet as Kinnock races Major to the centre ground, so there needs to be separate Tweedledum from Tweedledee. What was the big idea' which would galvanise the party, which all told would beunveiled in Kinnock's speech? Old style welfarism.
"Labour will modernise the Health Service. The Tories will privatise it, said Kinnock. And t was not just the NHS that Labour pledged to defend. On Friday, bryan Gould nounced a house building programme for the homeless And there were pledges on penAt the same time we heard garet Beckett on Monday that Il these pledges will be met as. the 'economy will allow'. The point is that the economy won't allow. Even the industries privaticed since 1979 are not going to go back into public hands.
Moreover, this week saw the confirmation that Labour policy will be for full European economic union. This gives a clue as to what Labour'sanswer will be to the massive crisis it will face if it returns to government after the election.
It will use the structures imposed on it by full integration into Europe to impose austerity measures and wage restraint.
Clearly, the Labour leaderunion laws as crucial.
even the agreed implementation of a national minimum wage will be rejected by a large proportion employers. It will need strike action combined with secon dary picketing to implement this miserly Where will the trade union movement stand then?
Other decisions taken at conweck were intended to stifle opposition to the Labour Party Proposals are to be voted through next year on the new Policy Forum.
They are designed to take power away from the unions and constituencies and give it to l'arty. A campaign needs to be launched to fight them. Nevertheless, it needs to be restated that although the power of the block vote has been reduced, it still remains.
Trade union dissent will find its expression in the Labour Party. The job of socialists will be to channel that dissent.
the left needs to fight both the witch-hunt and the demoralisation on the Labour left.
we should not but equally, wait for a possible Labour victory to start organising around policies which advance the lett and defend workers. The newly launched campaign Socialists for Labour gives us an excellent chance to raise these policies in the election campaign.