HOUR
PATi
that if anybody thinks they can do a better job they can get on with it."
Not standing candidates in 1986 will be represented as a refusal by the left to take up the challenge made by Kinnock and as not a serious opposition.
if the right to annual elections had been used in the last 2 years, the "media would not be able to exploit a challenge to the extent it could in 1986. However, we cannot allow the bosses' propaganda machine decide our tactics: democracy and the political importance of the situation must be the crucial factors.
There will be those on the left who feel such a challenge would be tac. ically unwise because if it was lost by an overwhelming margin we would be weaker than if it had not been carried out. This is little better than taking the soft left argument we'll lose, so we won't fight"; and "hard left" gloss on it: "if we lose, the left will be weaker, so we won't fight"
Weighed against losing an election must be the opportunity such a campaign would give to eft. It would be impossible to assess in advance the level of support since his would largely depend ficacy of the campaign itself. campaign would need to be at least as good as that of Benn
Leader in 1981, reaching
CLPs, Union branches,
Section, etc., but more importantly.
it would need to remain organised after the campaign.
Others will say that the issue is
"policies, not personalities", or that a challenge would deflect trom the policy issues. But one without the other is pretty meaningless. There's a strong battle on policies to be had; # we're strong enough to fight it, we're strong enough to challenge leadership too. Fighting for policies alone isn't a soft option. And better way to fight for policies than repesenting them to the movement through leadership candidates who support them?
And Kinnock himself has made the two inseparable. He has made it clear that he will only implement those policies with which leadership which does not argue convincingly for a set of policies is neither going to win popular support for them not carry them out. Equally those who say organising the Lett would put pressure on Kinnock to carry out policies underestimate his commitment to ignoring the decision- making process of the Party. At the end of the day accountability means standing an alternative candidate.
The Left must begin immediately to discuss both the policies should be lought for and whether to challenge Kinnock and Hattersley next year. An urgent part of that discussion would be how to ensure that a candidate unlike the last 2 years.
THOUGH the two composite resolutions on Ireland again heavily defeated at this rear's Labour Conference, there nas been some erosion of the position of "unity by consent".
that to call for a United Ireland and oppose partition is Incompatible with the Unionist putting a veto.
ample of the right wing stitch up. The only speakers called from
Ireland: this after the usual vicious proorganise the
Imperialist rhetoric from Alex Kitson.
The withdrawal:
on the ef-
The to oblivion.
for Deputy doubt the all into
Women's motion, though some abstained trade unionist united Ireland delegations, union much too late to swing key votes.
LCI trade union year period of LCI work in the CLPs.
the been going on for 16 years.
what the distance of the venue from
A he agrees.
which is forthcoming,
Organising for
Irish solidarity
By BASIL HINTON (Vice Chair, Labour
Committe on Ireland)
were
Many CLPs have now come to realise have
The debate on Ireland was another exlaboration with support the floor after the keepers".
movers were both Party spokespersons on
"power sharing resolution was lost on a show of hands and the resalution on contitacks nuing the dialogue was defeated by almost
900.000 to over 4 million; the trade union block vote again bulidozing everything inbureaucrats were ald/Thatcher delighted that only the NUR supported the unity
Though LCI members together with a
Ken supporter from Dublin worked hard in lobbying the efforts these came
Much more work needs lo be done by the new department after the 5
Kitson brought out the old red herring of withdrawal leading to a bloodbath and civil war, Ignoring the fact that both have
The ICI fringe meeting attracted about
70 people: a good attendance considering the Con-
Socialist Viewpoint, No 8, November 1986. Page 7 ference Centre and that a coach had to be hired to transport them to the meeting-
Mary Manning spoke of the 15 month long strike at Dunnes Stores in Dublin, linking the struggle of the majority in Ireland with the struggle of the Black majority in South Africa. She said they are prepared to go on for another 15 months
Jodie McGuiness, a Sinn Fein Coun cillor from Derry, said they want to bulld a United Socialist Ireland, but that the SDLP degenerated to the point of colthe Unionists and even the RUC and UDR as peace They would again accept the British imperialist solution to the Irish problem.
Dr Maire O'Shea outlined the evils of the Prevention of Terrorism Act which at:
political activists both Irish and British who oppose British rule in Ireland.
She said that British occupation in the Northern 6 Counties is to get Ireland into NATO with its nuclear bases. The Fitzgertalks trade Southern neutrality for vague moves toward Irish
Livingstone said, rather ap: propriately for him, that Sinn Fein is more socialist than the British Labour Party. He pointed to the possibility of a hung parliament after the general election, with Ulster