women had identified with the miners strike enough to come to this conterence after it was all over.
The other interesting aspect was should have said the high degree o the high degree of support (actually critical support) for the Labour Party. Sound criticism of the Labour Party leadership was taken for granted, and when it came to dicussing what to do next, there was little hostility shown when women wanted to organise around Labour Party events (which isn't always the case at women's nferences).
Some c crete things were plann ed, like a lobby of Neil Kinnock wher he speaks to National Labour Women's Conference; and to demand of Labour Party Conference that it adopt reinstatement for all sacked miners and complete amnesty for all political prisoners, not only as a pledge for the next Labour Government to carry out, but also as a campaigning plank for the election campaign and before, to win people to Labour. Socialist Viewpoint, No. 6, June 1985. Page 11
Perhaps the most innovative idea, though, came from a resolution which put to National Labour Women's Conference, calling on the Labour Party to invite WAPC to affiliate.
The reasoning behind this is that the Labour Party has not had any new affiliations since the '40s, and if it is a working class Party it should respond to working class movements like WAPC. It's natural that the NUM be allowed to affiliate: why shouldn't WAPC? The idea of WAPC affiliating to the Labour Party should scare the Labour Party leadership as much as the idea of a democratic WAPC affiliating to the NUM scares them — so it should be an excellent debate to start having! Unfortunately, the resolution put to the May 4 Conference, which should have said that the Conference supported this campaign in the Labour Party, was badly written. The Chair accepted an amendment that said the Labour Party should affiliate to WAPC. This was passed, but then the Chair wouldn't allow us to vote on the original idea, saying i had on knocked out by ta amendment, which counterposed to the original idea. This wasn't true: they weren't counterposed, but there was nothing we could do. Proposals passed by the Conterence: This Conterence resolves: 1. That the East Midlands WAPC group which called this conference be a Stering Committee for the future, and that all groups participating in this Conference be invited to send delegates to that steering committee. 2. To support all campaigns fighting for
sacked and jailed miners. The Steering Committee to affiliate to NOM. PAS and support initiatives comin trom the national Rank and File Miner Movement. 3. To try and build for a national work. ing class women's solidarity Conference by the end of October
Lewisham East stands firm for