An open letter to MILITANT UNITE AGAINST THE WITCH-HUN Hooey over Hooley Campaign for LABDUR Democracy

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In last week's Tribune, Michael Foot told Chris Mullin, 'I'm all in favour of avoiding expulsions if we possibly can, but as far as the Militant Tendency goes, an inquiry has been set up and we must wait and see what the inquiry says" • Socialist Organiser has sent this Open Letter to Militant proposing a YOPs Trade Union Rights CamSocialist Organiser Alliance SOCIALIST Organiser fights to act as a real campaigning paper which can organise A storm has blown up in Sheffield over Heeley Constituency's decision to drop long-standing MP Frank Hooley and adopt local councillor Bill Mitchie.

Strenuous attempts by the local media to come up with yet another Trotskyist plot have so far revealed nothing. very earth shattering.

At best there are a few supporters of the Militant tendency in Heeley but nothing more than that.

All of a sudden the press have discovered that Frank Hooley is a good guy. But it is news to most of us in the Sheffield labour movement.

Good guy, bad guy or just a plain mediocrity, the facts are that Frank Hooley falls into the latter category.

He is neither left nor right. He is most certainly never controversial. He is rarely seen in Sheffield. Some years ago he moved to Birmingham and only occasionally does he condescend to visit the people he is supposed to represent.

CULA

He has done little, if anything, over steel closures and all in all the constituency was sick of being represented by a ghost, even if one with an impecable character.

In touch Attempts being made by sections of the Labour Party od ty as some hard-woekHooley as sullie vorking, honest, but hard doneby 'man of the people' must be resisted. united front against the witch hunt.

The constituency exercised their right to drop him and select someone more in touch with their aims and aspirations.

At this point in time it is necessary for all Labour Party activists to defend the right of the Heeley constituency to drop Hooley and select who they wish.

Behind all the smokescreen, that right, the right to accountability, is still the issue.

John Cunningham Dear comrades, While the general witch hunt in the Labour Party threatened after the NEC's decision . on Bermondsey seems to have been put in cold store, steps are being taken to prepare a more selective witch hunt.

On the basis of an agreement with the Right, the major sections of the Left are seeking to define themselves as the 'legitimate' Left, and to define others -ie. in the first place, your tendency and ours - as Marxists and therefore alien.

This poses grave dangers, not only for us immediately, but also for the whole struggle for socialist policies in the labour movement. We YOPs Trade Union Rights Cal paign-Lobby of Parliament.

at Royal Festival Hall, 2pm. at Royal Festival Hall, 2pm. are therefore writing to propose a joint campaign by your tendency and ours, to defend the right for Marxists to organise in the Labour Party.

Last year we saw Neil Kinnock and others defining themselves as the responsible Left and the 'Bennites' as disrupters. They agreed with all the Left policies, they said, but unlike Benn they were not disruptive (i.e. not likely to upset the Right) in the way they pushed those policies.

• Now the substantial Left unity that existed in the Rank and File Mobilising Committee for Labour Democracy and the Benn campaign is breaking down. Some of the 'Bennites' are trying to play the same trick on us as Kinnock played on them. It becomes doubly important to cement unity between those on the Left who will still firmly continue the fight against the irreconcilable pro-capitalist right wing.

The principle laid down by Neil Kinnock in the case of Tariq Ali is that Marxists are to be excluded because they do not believe in parliamentary democracy. It is certainly true that, IoI our part, we aim to help the working class, in overthrowing the present ruling top tive per cent, to replace parliamentary democracy by à higher form of democracy.

We propose the democracy of workers' councils, uniting legislative and executive powers, sweeping away the present Tory-dominated permanent military/bureaucratic state apparatus, and with delegates elected recallable at all times.

But Kinnock's argument is a sham. He falsely identifies the present British parliamentary system with democracy in general. Besides, the Marxists will certainly be better defenders of parliamentary democracy against all anti-democratic attacks than those in the labour movement who passively accept Denning judgments, the House of : Lords, the monarchy, IMF instructions, the Official Secrets Act, effective military rule in N.Ireland, etc... better than those in the leadership of the last Labour Government who initiated the Polaris replacement programme in secret from Parliament!

The other charge against the Marxists is that we are Leninists. In other words -the Right can conspire as it wishes, including with the CIA or NATO, while any move by Marxists to meet together to discuss politics and tactics is suspect.

Obstruction

With these criteria being established, the 'inquiry' into Militant is extremely dangerous. NEC rightwingers have told the Tory press that they will be pressing for expulsions. Meanwhile Tribune calls for a purge of 'secretive sectarian' groups, and the Labour Coordinating Committee is concerned to 'put light between itself and the Leninists.

Evidence will be their last concern. The real objection of the Right and the soft Left is clearly that the Marxists - being armed with a broad historical perspective - will consistently seek to couple the anti-Tory fight with the battle to reshape the labour movement and its policies in line with working-class needs. Thus moves to shelve (temporarily! for supposed. short-term advantage!) the struggle for socialist policies will always find us obstructive.

Your tendency is accused of all sorts of plots, ours of illegitimately swinging the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy to a combative policy. The same hysteria 1s beginning in the unions -for example the NUR. And though there is no way that the red-baiters can stop th springs of class-struggle polir ics, they can - with the ai they seem likely to recen from the soft Left - temp orarily cow and disrupt labour movement to a ious extent.

We therefore propose joint campaign. The detzl are entirely open to discus ion, but we would suggest:

1. A joint model resola: ion/petition on the righi a Marxists to organise in th Labour Party and trad 2. Joint meetings, ope to Labour Party members. : explain the issues and rall support against the wit 3. Collaboration in th campaign group set up, wit our participation, to defen the rights of Bermonds CLP.

4. A special campaign = defend the LPYS against an witch-hunting attacks.

Such a campaign woul evidently leave both you tendency and ours wit complete freedom of inde endent propaganda and eri icism.

Fraternally

Martin Thomas, li Socialist Organise po Prepare the fight for socialist policies!

Discussion meeting standing as Labour candidates in the Mi elections.

Sunday February 28 2pm to 5pm, at Cen ral London Poly, Marylebone Road, room 317.

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