Which way for the Left? ict way

Scan page 10

PART PART Vladimir Derer, secretary of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (writing in a personal capacity) continue the debate on perspectives for the Labour Left with a reply to Gerry Byrne (Socialist Organiser no.61) 'linking of the finds demo- Gerry Byrne is no exception. She that cracy and poliey questions for the first time (!) in the minds of a whole mass of Labour Party members' was one of the important advantages of the Benn campaign (there was, of course, never any question about this link since the media have seen to it that it was well publicised; this particular advantage therefore a wholly imaginary one); she repeats the right-wing line that CLPs find the constitution 'baff!ing and tedious' (if this is the case, why should at least 80 per cent of them support democratic reform at conference?)

If there is a weakening, however, of the CLPs' resolve to pursue further the democratic issues, this is not because the struggle but because, at this stafe, is reaching a higher level, the forces pressing change have spent themselves.

The switch to policy issues' signifies a retreat, and not a tactical one - tol this would be quite legiti mate - but one that is being justified by obscuring the relative importance 01 constitutional issues.

Gerry Byrne, however, is quite wrong when she claims that it is the CLPD who is drawing back from the fight. CLPD has not switched from constitutional issues to the much 'safer' area of ' issues It is the Clause Four, NOLS and... SCLV. who have dene so.

ABOUT Why else should Gerry Byrne applaud the LCC's switch-over from 'constitutional issues' to 'building a (phoney) extra-parliamentary base' and why should she shower praise on Audrey Wise for saying that 'We can't let ourselves be seen as fixated on one issue' (i.e. constitutional reform), as though there was ever any question of that.

What counts is the rela tive importance attached to these issues.

Gerry Byrne does there. fore advocate retreat, even though this is done under the cover of advocacy 01 advance — needless to say an imaginary one. We are told 'either you go forward and press home victories or the ground already gain ed is taken'. Even dialect ic. is brought out of the mothballs in support of hel claim that 'Nothing stand:

still'.

In fact it is only in the one-dimensional, black an‹ white world of sects tha movement forward take!

the form of a straight line But perhaps Lenin - tha master-strategist of defeat:

- got it all wrong after a when he wrote: 'Victory impossible unless one ha learned how to attack and retreat properly' (Collecte Works, Volume 31, p.28).