Socialist Organiser

The weekly of the fused Workers Socialist League, July 1981 to April 1984

Good - DUT N influence

Socialist Organiser no. 71, 4 February 1982 · scan p. 6 · about 303 words

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UNIVERSITY OF LONDON UNION THE resolutions passed on Saturday at the London Women's AGM-most of them unanimously, and all of them supported by the platform-were enough to gladden the heart of any feminist and any socialist.

We called for a properlyrun creche to be provided at every London Labour Party meeting, and emergency resolutions on the new abortion notification forms, calling for immediate Parliamentary and extra-larliamentary action, were enthusiastically and unanimously supported.

Motions on positive discrimination, anti-sexist education, changes in social security benefits and support for the Women's Right to Work demonstration received similar treatment.

The debate on a group of resolutions dealing with violence against women was at a particularly high standard. The main resolution called for a package of measures including improved street lighting, an investigation of police training and conduct and a call upon the new GLC Police Committee to instigate a thorough survey on violence against women in the capital.

- -14 It also requested British Rail and London Transport to re-introduce "women only" carriages late at night. It was this last demand which caused disagreement.

Many women-including incidentally, me-who had initially had a "gut reaction" in favour of this had clearly not fully thought the matter through.

Target

The problem with "women only" carriages is that they are virtually impossible to enforce, can actually be seen as a capitulation on the part of women in the face of male violence and the only compart "women ments actually provided sitting targets.

Moreover, the very existence of women only carriages would probably mean that any women who did not choose to sit in one would be considered fair game.

In the end, the feeling of the meeting was so clear, that the floor vociferously insisted on voting down (unanimously) this particular aspect of the resolution and supporting (unanimously)

← Contents of Socialist Organiser no. 71

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