Kinnock's purge comes adrift
Fight back against the witch-hunt!
By PETE FIRMIN
THE intentions of Kinnock and the Labour right to expel leading Militant supporters in
Liverpool and ensure a more
Labour Group is compliant elected floundered on March 26.
Following a court ruling the previous day that those who had conducted the inquiry into Liverpool
District
Labour
Party could not participate in the National Executive
Committee hearing to decide on disciplinary action, 7 NEC members opposed to the witch-hunt walked out, making the meeting inquorate and unable to proceed. The neat dayt
Mulhearn, president
Tony
Liverpool DLP and one of the 12 up for expulsion, was elected chair of
"temporary the co-ordinating committee"
set up by the NEC to conduct selections and the election camapign in place of the suspended
DLP.
The right's intention of controlling the Party in Liverpool came apart because the left on the
NEC refused to sit back and allow the
EXPEL TIE
NO
NO
NU
WITCH HUNTI
DEFEAT TORLE!
I witch-hunt to go ahead with them | making up the numbers.
Whitty and Kinnock then had to set up another NEC to change standing orders so they could get through the expulsions they want, and they may even abolish the "temporary coordinating committee" (though it may be too late for this given the local elections on May 8).
Some of the fury of the NEC Right has now turned on the 7 who spoilt their plans and they clearly need to be defended against a backlash from those who want expulsions, particularly in the NEC elections at this year's Party Conference. Blunkett and the Tribune Group have now clearly shown their colours in denouncing the 7.
However, though these events have thrown a spanner into the machinery of the witch-hunt, they have certainly not stopped it. Whatever delay may arise, Kinnock is more determined than ever to expel leading Militant supporters and the expulsion of socialists (of various different affiliations) is gathering pace around the country. Court injunctions
NO HICH HUT 110
DEFEAT TUE Socialist Viewpoint No. 12 May 1986 p23 challenging undemocratic procedure will only make the right more careful to do things properly, and already documents are being circulated outlining the correct procedure for expelling.
For socialists it can only be wrong to involve the courts in the internal life of the labour movement, jsut as we do not acept the right of the state and the courts to determine how the unions must function. The fact that the NEC's intended procedure was so glaringly undemocratic that event he High Court declared it so is besides the point —what if it had not, would it still be a victory? The fact that consistent socilaists have fought for democratic reform in the Unions does not mean we welcome even those few aspects of the Tories' anti-Union laws which do increase democracy As a principle we oppose the involvement of the capitalist state and its courts in the internal life of the labour movement.
As with Union reform, the witch-
TORT TS
NO
hunt cen only untimately be beaten by a serious and consistent campaign withn the movement taking up the arguments and winning support for the right of tendencies to organise. Militant have not only by and large substituted court action for such a campaign but what campaigning bey have carried out have largely consisted of Militant rallies and a relusal to work with other forces opposed to the witch-hunt who may be critical of their policies.
Such a campaign is being built by the left opposed to the witch-hunt through Labour Left Co-ordination and its publication Witch-hunt News and around the call by Hackney North and Stoke Newington CLP for a conference against the witchhunt.This has now been called for June 21 and sponsorship letters are being sent out. Support for this conference and against the witch-hunt needs to be argued and built for in CLPs, Trade Unions and other affiliated organisations around the country. While the conference will be largely CLP-based because at the end of the day CLPs can refuse to carry out expulsions decreed by the NEC (as Islington South has done in the case of Peter Taafe), it is essential to build within the Unions if there is to be a chance of defeating the witchhunt, remembering also that many expulsions are being carried out by right wing constituencies on their own initiative. The determination of the right is shown by the fact that Stevenage CLP, which has only so far been prevented from expelling 10 Militant supporters by a court injunction, recently passed a motion of confidence in its Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Malcolm Withers, who is crossing the Wapping picket line to work as a journalist on the Sun at the same time as beginning fresh expulsion procedures. Obviously a conference alone will not beat back the witch-hunt, and Socialist Viewpoint supporters will be arguing for ongoing campaign from the an conference.
To those in doubt about the nature of the enquiry and hearings - sup:
posedly into unconstitutional behaviour, corruption and even criminal offences by the Liverpool
DLP — things should now be clearer.
Of course, Kinnock and the right declared even before the enquiry had heard any evidence that it would result in expulsions and those who supported the enquiry while supposedly opposing a witch hunt were at best naive, at worst trying to be too clever by half.
MY CORPORATE ECONOMIC PLAN PROVIDES A VITAL ROLE FOR LABOR. YOU WILL BE IN CHARGE OF KISSING MY FOOT!
KNORAKS
Some of the "charges" brought against the DIP are laughable, such as the complaint that it discussed international issues like South Africa and Nicaragua. These are supposedly not within the remit of a DLP, yet clearly are of concern to Party members and have been discussed by many DiPs around the country. Some charges are of a more fundamental political nature. Liverpool DLP is said to have committed the "crime" of deciding not just on broad policy for the City Labour Group but on detailed tactical questions. This is certainly not within the remit of DLPs as determined by the NEC, but is something that many DLPs (and local Government Committees in London) have spent years lighting for. Clearly the right recognise the danger involved for them if they are made accountable to the Party rather than acting as free agents. Other charges relate mainly to the conduct of DLP meetings. The majority report complains of the executive taking decisions and then bringing them back for ratification and of there being "unconstitutional" aggregate meetings. Yet over the period concerned Liverpool City Council was involved in a major battle with the government over ratecapping and was attempting to build mass support for this. The normal complaint is that the left control small meetings because of general apathy, here the complaint is that meetings were too large. Council Unions' right to nominate for job vancancies is supposed to have led to a high proportion of Militant suporters being employed. Unions should have control over recruitment and
Thatcher has shown the importance of political appointments. The GLC made hundreds but that was never challenged by the NEC.
Socialist Viewpoint No. 12 May 1986 p24
LABOR'S PLAN EXPANDS OUR ROLE. IT LET'S US DECIDE WHICH FOOT TO KISS!
It is more than likely that there is some substance to some of the Endings, though none would justify expulsion. But although the whole of the DIP Executive is criticised, only Miltant supporters on the EC are to be disciplined. Other DLP officers are somehow entirely blameless. Il "corruption" were the issue (and the enquiry team to their obvious disappointment have not produced any evidence of any) then what of those right wing councils up and down the country where real corruption has been rife for years? I it is a matter of "procedures" then charges cannot be imposed from outside but have to be con democratically.
The only real reason for the enquiry was as a tool for Kinnock to con sections of the "cuddly left" who formally oppose witch-hunts into believing that Militant supporters were to be expelled not for their political views but for certain crimes. Their real crime as far as Kinnock was concerned was that they, unlike him, were prepared to do battle with this government in the class struggle and criticised him for refusing to support them. He sees any left opposition to his watering-down of Labour's policies as a threat and hoped to use the confusion sown by their disastrous issuing of redundancy notices as cover for carrying out a purge.
For Kinnock it never mattered that his assault on Liverpool Labour Party almost certainly means loss of control of the council in one of Britain's most deprived cities (remember how he accuses the left of not wanting to win the election?). What matters to him is selling the image of a respectable alternative party of capitalism to the media.