Left gains at London conference

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THE LONDON Labour Party's annual meeting on March 6-7 did not degenerate into bickering over the disappointments of the GLC's first nine months, as it so easily might have done.

It is the case that the manifesto we fought the GLC elections on last May has been defeated on a wide range of issues. The GLC Labour Group's report to the meeting largely glossed over these defeats in a few words.

But the meeting was clearly in a generous mood, and large-scale recriminations were not heard. The party in London will however be looking at the GLC very closely over the next year, and looking for signs of a more determined fight than we have seen up to now.

However, a resolution was carried on education making demands which the recently agreed ILEA budget will probably struggle to meet, though a reference-back on the ILEA report itself was defeated.

Support was expressed for the Barking teachers struggling against a Labour authority making redundancies.

No resolutions Unanimous support was given to the Fares Fair campaign, but unfortunately the 'Can't Pay, Won't Pay' campaign was not debated, simply because there were no resolutions on the subject.

It was recognised that the Law Lords had changed the whole nature of the fight for local government, and a demand was carried calling on local authorities to defy Heseltine's legislation and on the next Labour government to retrospectively indemnify councillors surcharged for implementing manifesto commitments.

This was particularly pertinent when the Camden councillors are facing the courts at the end of this month for paying their workers a minimum wage of £60 a week in 1979. £896 was donated by delegates to the Camden defence fund.

Big strides were made in terms of women's rights and positive discrimination, with a resolution demanding women be placed on every parliamentary shortlist being carried.

Conférence also rejected the shortlist of one manoeuvre, and backed the right of Bermondsey CLP to choose Peter Tatchell as their candidate.

Lone

Only one lone voice was heard in support of the witch hunt, unfortunately from a delegate from my own constituency, Orpington, which caused me great personal embarrassment!

The EETPU resolution calling for one member, one vote ballots to decide the leadership and deputy leadership of the party and parliamentary selections was defeated, with Arthur Latham in the chair counting the hands in support of the motion. He did not reach double figures.

The Left was strengthened on the Regional Executive with the election of Vidya Anand, Nadine Finch, Mark Feeny, and Conor McAuley in the constituency section. An attempt by London Labour Briefing to get Chris Knight and myself elected was not successful, and provoked great criticism from Militant supporters whom we were seeking to replace, and a castigation of us as 'so-called lefts' in the Militant newspaper.

Unopposed

It is not clear while Militant supporters feel they have the right to be unopposed on the Left -the last time a doctrine of unopposed elections was voiced was in favour of Dennis Healey as deputy leader. Of course the Left must not risk splitting its vote and allowing in rightwingers to win elections, but this was never a possibility in this instance.

Let us work together on those issue where we agree, let us debate those issues where Militant disagrees with other sections of the Left, like positive discrimination, but don't let us dismiss each other contemptuously as "so-called lefts' and pass that off as a substitute for real discussion of the issues which divide us.

Low-key

All in all, then, a lowkey conference which recognised that the GLC and the ILEA have been isolated and forced to retreat on a number of issues.

Labour victories in London this May will hopefully give added strength to these bodies in resisting pressures from the Tory government, the judges, and the Establishment.

Next year the GLC Labour group must come to the annual meeting with a record of a much more determined fight. If not, I trust conference will not be so generously uncritical