collapse of Labour's By PETE FIRMIN and JENNY FISHER rough, they went for the easy option. Indeed, Kinnock's main organised from the cheerleaders, the Committee, ordinating coln- week with "critical support" in their Bulletin: into the hands of the media and the ultra left by blowing up the wrong Kinnock Issues, then the Party will continue to be diverted." Wednesday Bulletin stated: nock was absolutely right... He said in public what many had been saying In private." against and: "enabl- resolution. But we also support the Kinnock leadership. Ken Livingstone, the LCC, said at the Tribune Rally on the Wednesday night that "we have to work with Neil Kinnock and build the structures counteract the pressures of the right on him. it 1s impossible that Livingstone and the LCC would not have noticed that Kinnock is leading the right offensive impossible to tupport both him an i impossible to support both him the NUM. They have made their choice. ; and LCC's statement on the Thursday that "the left is now more dominant in the Party in a way that we never have been before"? who they think the left are. That then, Is alliance aganst the miners, against their futures the inner city working class, against our class in general. But another there was shared total disgust for Kinnock's stand: an alliance of the hard left, the and oppressed, specially fighting at Conference for socialist policies. public: he walked off the platform, unable to stomach such a divisive at- tack on those in struggle.
morning 010 out the Liverpool Neither But again, never people to stick to class principles when the going gets. Labour Co- began the "If Neil Kinnock constantly plays Once he'd done just that, the .. our instincts say that Neil Kin- *The ICC supports the NUM's new darling of that allow the to ing the These statements appear naive, yet As Eric Heffer commented on the ference it makes you wonde the new unholy West. and alliance, who Labour in those and of course Of these, Eric Heffer was the most The NUM weathered Tuesday's be now? Socialist Viewpoint, No 8, November 1986. Page 13
speech, and a renewed attack on them on Wednesday.
Liverpool councillors reacted angrily to Kinnock's insults; the next
they challenged Kinnock, and the union leaders, to come up to
Liverpool, look at the books, and tes!
'dented shield" approach. The challenge was taken up.
The Lambeth Councillors reacted angrily: they saw that the attack on
was an attack on all resolute local authority fightbacks, and realised their fight had been knif ed in the back by implication.
Othe Black Sections activists, fresh from the success of seeing their vote nearly treble over last year's support; nor the campaigners for Lesbian and Gay rights, who were later, through their hard work, ticularly in the unions, to see their Composite passed; had had any illusions in the leadership which was against both their struggles.
You had only to look at the position of black Lambeth councillors to see the links clearly: cast adrift by the leadership in their ficht to defend jobs and services and in their fight against racism in the Party.
One major aspect holding back black, lesbian and gay, and women campaigners from identifying with the left has been the Militant, who are so openly against positive discrimination of all kinds. Kinnock tried to link his insults with Militant: taint a left policy with being "Militant-inspired" and through anti-Militant hysteria, knock down the policy as well.
But the effect on many was the opposite: a realisation that Militant must be detended if Left policies are to be won; and a greater willingness to ally themselves with the left, despite the left's imperfect record
The hard left is still strong; and was able to win on policy many times dur-
week, overturning NEC recommendations to remit or oppose. As well as the NUM composite, the trebling of the vote for black sections, the pasing of the lesbian and gay rights composite; resolution on "Reproductive Rights" removed MP's
Fused to get out of following Party policy on abortion, etc. At the very first session, Con-
voted for immediate dismantling of EEC food mountains as part of an answer to African famine, and for cancelling bank debts of the "Least Developed Countries" to the
There is a final category of Kinnock supporters: the polisters have produced fodder for the papers showing
Othe lead and Kinnock soaring to the top of the stakes in the "Best future Prime Minister" competition. So far so good. What is lacking,
-is any effective comDeen out campaigning for the miners If the Party leadership, had throughout 1984, putting the very good arguments in favour of doing so, how high would Labour support