[LAST Saturday, Denis Healey got loudly heckled and…]
Socialist Organiser1981 1981-09-24Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 6 →
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LAST Saturday, Denis Healey got loudly heckled and booed by exasperated workers on the Labour Party jobs demonstration.
Soizing the chance to present himself as a martyr, ho set about denouncing the crowd and rousing further uproar. And he followed that up by naming Jon Lansman, secretary of the Rank and File Mobilising Committee for Labour Democracy as 'leading' and orchestrating' the booing.
Healey spared no dotail. Lansman had been just to the right of the platform, raising his arms as a signal. And he had done the same thing at the Labour Party's earlier Cardiff rally _ from Immediately below the platform.
At last, after all the dozens of anonymous, unchockable accusations from the Healey camp about 'bully-boys' and "Intimidation' by the loft, the right wing was raming names!
And It rebounded in Hoaley's face. Straight away Jon Lansman Mas able to prove that ho was not even present in Birmingham or Cardiff, let alone 'orchestrating' anything.
Healey had to apologise, though he still blustered that this "does not alter the important facts. There was an organised attempt at both rallies to provent me from being heard. It was carried out by supporters of Mr. Benn."
But this is back to the usual style _ no names, no dotails, no possibility ol chocking. What evidence does Healey have of thi booing being organised" o! aimed to silence him?
More likaly, the booing was 'organised', or rathe provoked, by just on person Donis Heale himself, first by his contin ued insults, over the years to the labour movement and secord by his caleu lated attempt to taunt th crowd.
Jon Lansman tel Socialist Organiser:
"Healey has not ave properly retracted his ac usation against me. Mor important, ho is trying ' submerge the limited n traction ho has mar boneath renewed goner accusations of organisi disruption. In short, ha still using smear tacties.
"It is utterly hypoeritic for him to pose as an inji ed claimant for free speac when he has the enti Floot Street press pushi his case and denounci Tony Benn.
*''He is trying to divi aftention from the ma Issues _ which are pa policy and the impleme shion of that policy.