[NIGEL WILLIAMSON, (Benn Campaign Committee). "Tony Benn showed…]
Socialist Organiser1981 1981-10-01Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 4 →
Read from the scan by machine and not corrected: expect misread words, and now and then a caption or a line from a neighbouring story. For anything you quote, read the scan.
Scan page 4
NIGEL WILLIAMSON, (Benn Campaign Committee).
"Tony Benn showed that he is the only candidate for the deputy leadership with a broad level of support in all sections of the Party. He actually had the support of over one-third of the PLP whereas Healey has a miserable one-sixth of the constituencies.
Mandate
I believe that Tony Benn has to stand again - he has a mandate to do so from 500 constituencies - but that decision remains to be taken and must be taken on the basis of the broadest consultation.
There also needs to be wide debate on the whole future of the Labour left, the Tribune Group, and the relationship of the Parliamentary left and activists in the unions and constituencies.
If this Conference convinces people of the urgency for us to regroup and organise, then, despite the setbacks we have suffered, this week can be used to advance the left in the Party." No party, Labour, Tory or Liberal cared about the estranged minority in Northern Ireland.
No party wanted to rock the boat. It was convenient and politically expedient to turn a blind eye and to adopt the policy of 'no policy' that one's predecessor adopted.
But it wasn't very pleas-