Brighton has been hailed by his finest hour. members a few moments in monger Bush, Blair set out what some nave maiwy dismissed as deluded fantasy. summed up Blair's glowing talk of nised that speech: it's the one l ore in tre puo when i'm pessed.
To string together a few platitudes current war is over is nothing new for social democracy: holday land - or in this case a word - fit for heroes" has been the stock-init has never meant anthing olier than a subservient commitment of the speech-maker to the cause of capital and the "freedoms" of the The problem is that the system Bush to defend is precisely the same system that creates inequal1. poverty, expo, 01g07, and which indeed also fuels the rustration and oppression thal art he breeding ground of religious tundamentalism Blair may be able to ally with Bush on Bush's agenda of stamping out terrorist cells, but if he thinks there is any common social Republican Party, he is suffering serious delusions.
Bush - the President representing big oil, the drug companies and •US multinationals - has not the slightest aspiration to tackle poverty, feed the hungry, tackle disease, or restrict the use of polluting fuels. Even if he did, he wouki probably start to apply these policies in the USA, rather than on a world scale.
Instead Bush and his big busi. ness backers see any attempt to solve global problems as a threat to the freedom of US corporations to mare pronts falled to notice this contradiction between his own vague "Vision" -which combines a few liberal and egalitaran nostrums with the vague concept of a benign global chosen "ally".
But he has been quite happy to take advantage of the moment and what he and his goverment have really been doing on all these questions.
far from sepking to restrain the excesses of global capital, Blair's government calls out rot police to beat anti-capitalist protesters, and acts as the most rabid advocates of neo-liberal policies.
Far from feeding the hungry, the British government and British ages with an eye-dropper, while gathering huge interest payments from developing countries.
Par trom promoung environmen tal policies, Blair refuses to raise proper transport system that could Oh God! Here he goes again reduce dependence on the car. dodges out of party politics, and focuses the media on the world stage, his own government's policies of privatisation and underfunding public services are running The left must build an anti-war allow ourselves to be deceived by ing our attention. the "home front" - against the poltinuing behind the scenes.
Outlook Al Christian it is sometimes said that there is a democratic delicit Europe, but whatever the democratic deficiencies of European fade into insignificance compared with a labour Pariy The Conference Arrangements Committee is firmly in the contro!
willing to do the bidding of the Millbank machine. Matters likely to be controversial are carefully time-tabled in obscure slots when TV cameras are turned off, only four rary"; motions and all meaning composited out them. ParCus random selection of spcakers produces a succcasion of carefully crafted sleep-inducing oncontributions.
The reduction of this vear's conference by one day can have no possible justification. Arms fairs and fashion shows continued as normal. But in a situation where there was more to detaic an us must cards the conference was curtailed.
Where war is being canvassed in first casualty was democracy. Even if there were no alternative to recall ing parliament on the Thursday of would have unthinkable for Millbank) to continue without the MPs.
An emergency resolution arising from the events of September 11, moved by the FBU, was taken on Tuesday morning, although many other emergency resolutions that had been submitted were ruled out of order, for undisclosed reasons. which continuca tor most of the day: snatched by the police and dragged exon zone war movement in this country and around the world", Extra help mas on hand this year for Labour's Conference Amangements Committee secking to gag atokward delegates Protestors brave rain - and police intimidation Around 5,000 people demonstrated outside the LP in Brighton last Sunday despite torrential rain, The demonstration, which had been originally called by Globalise Resistance, the Green Party, and the Socialist Alliance against new Labour's neo liberal policies, became, in effect a protest against the current drive to war and the impending military assault against Afghanistan. There were banners on the demonstration from a wide range of campaigns as well as from the trade unions. The most banners and placards, however, were from Globalise Resistance and the Socialist Alliance - which had its national banner as well as the banners of a dozen or more local alliances.
The police presence at the demonstration was massive - gone are the days when they walked along the side of the demonstrations trying to make conversation. Fully equipped riot police lined the route, glowering at the demonstrators with batons at the ready. Seven people in white overalls were away before the demonstration had even started. The confer. once centre itseif was fenced off, with three separate police cordons, a line of horses and an alr Green party MEP Caroline Lucas, told the rally before the start of the demonstration: "We have to be here to tell world leaders: "what you are doing is not in our name" Ellie Whiston from the World Development Movement told the rally: "I hope this demonstration can be the start of building an antidealing. In the event, Bill Morris, on behalf of the TGWU, agreed to remil motion, agreeing "trust" Blunkett on vouchers, and in return for a promise that the usc of prisons for asylum seckers would end, but not detention itself.
scems that the Home Secretary preparing cessions on asylum seckers, as part of an extensive attack on civil nocries, in Oringing 101ward in the next month or so a tion, asylum and anti-terrorism".
In the elections for next year's Committee, only candidate from the left slate - John Aitken of the TGWU - was elected: came top of the poll, indicating still is.
In the CLP section, both places ters, Yvette Cooper and Stephen with 121,000 Volts each, walkover.
Left candidates Jenny Rathbone and John Cryer got 52,000 votes respectively. But in the tutional Committee the left achieved SUCCUSS when Kosina Mickae ocal toe rixat wing candidate by 114,000 to 97,000.
The conference remained subdued throughout, almost as if clapping too loudly or coughing would be seen as a mark of disrespect for all those who died on Sepi-ember But the mood began to lift as the week went on, as delegates started