Kinnock promising a rose-garden?
Labour Party NATURAL AN OF Re NO. RN72R007 SEALINK HAS SAILED TO THE CHANNEL ISLANDS FOR 110 YEARS SHERWOOD STOPPED T/T IN TWO ANING NEVER TRUST A IVE SEA • THE SHIPS BEERS OUT government force them back to work? The line of Labour Conference in Blackpool was, of decided by course, leadership in advance: *Follow up the unity-above- all TUC with a bland election rally presented for the *Put Labour's front ditching programme up any vestiges of anti-capitalist policy: *And bury marginalise all controversy. With massive manipulation by the chair and Conference Arrangements Committee, hiccoughs in this plan were kept to a minimum, and the media assessment was of a Labour "united Party never as behind the Leader, with the left out of sight. Kinnock's speech as Leader set out his plans for a Labour government in much the terms same Bournemouth last year. A two-year programme to reduce employment by a million; a five-year plan for "laying the foundations of steadily expanding investment and employment; a ten-year
MIR. THETHER? WHRT Is XouR ON THE - A RED ENTE FLEET (ANK) BAC Party By PETE FIRMIN, with additional material by the KEVIN LEE planning perspective"; a Investment Bank and a small dose of pre- "social collaboration with encourage investment. This is hardly even the beginnings of a socialist programme tos the econome have to In Kinnock's words, work our way to recovery", at worst, to create the wealth". The problem is it all ignores those who profit from the work of others, and who monopolise the wealth. Of condemnation of the Tories, but even the "left" icing on Kinnock's cake was far from radical — tough, easy talk before" againt US interference in Nicaragua, and calls for government sanctions against South Africa are hardly the sole property of socialists. Far be it from Kinnock to make the qualitative at as step of calling on the trade union movement to take against South African trade! The only commitments other areas: staying in "economic of US removal
WEYMOUTH NATIONAL UNION OF SERMAN remarks the working British ownership". More capitalism to "we have NUM course there was a ritual to prove This year, programme government. direct action were in NATO, no defence and Militant Socialist Viewpoint No. 14 November-December 1986 p7
PENAL ION OF SEAMAN WEYMOUTH M'GREGOR FOR COAL MEANS DOLE SHERWOOD FOR SHIPS MEANS HARDSHIP 15on (IFL) intellignece installations. The closing
were pure nationalism. Kinnock claimed to be willing to die for his country, but not of course for
class. What else could you expect froma Labour leader who barely noticed the miners' strike?
Unlike last year at Bournemouth, Kinnock did not need this time to attack any sections of the Party for conducting the class struggle. Last year the miners strike was still tresh in everyone's mind, together with the demand for re-imbursement of the
Tand re-instatement of the sacked miners. The rate-capping struggles in Liverpool and Lambeth had only just collapsed. Kinnock had
himself to the bosses as capable of fighting these elements, and lay the ground for the witch-hunt against Militant in Liverpool.
with those struggles more distant, the expulsions in the bag and the desire for unity even stronger he could concentrate on his
Ffor right wing
The witch-hunt of course had been completed on the first morning in closed session. Already certain to lose the vote for re-instatement the
supporters showed their
ELabour Party