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Lessons of DOCIALIST Organiser fights to act as a real rapeigning paper which can organise To do so we need consistent support and wy. Socialist Organiser Alliance groups Why not join with us? Supporters are al ta undertake to sell a minimum of 6 as par maok and contribute at least £1.50 If thare is no group in your area why not THE lessons of Lambeth are many in number - the need for continual vigilence by the Labour Party over even left Labour councils;

the neea to explain how continual rate increases are cuts by the back door, working against many ordinary people's interests;

and the need not to cut services after emphasising time and again that Labour councils were elected uncompromising policies.

Lambeth goes into the 1982 elections with the worst of both worlds, having had a Labour group pledging maintain services, making strident promises of refusing to cut, tben cutting.

The first dent in the borough's armour was the high rate rises - but many constituency parties felt this to be a short-term evil necessary to maintain facilities for working class people.

Then, after marches, peeches and pledges, the cuts started -first in trimming back projected growth, and then by ten per cent reductions in spending which would have done right-wing Labour councils proud.

The problems have spilled over to the 1982 manifesto. Much of the council leadership voted with known members of Labour Solidarity to exclude certain hard left provisions from the docuBent eventually agreed by tbe Lambeth local governbent committee - on the grounds of cost, usually.

Other commitments lave been clouded by referine to re possible o to fulfilment of with the new Labour coun i "considering certain policies.

arkers in the struggle for new leadership.

bean established in most big towns.

month (20p for unwaged).

› es to build one?

To Get Organised'. , write 1 Middlo Leno, London N8. Name .........

Address The task now is to build on the manifesto through increasing vigilence in the constituency Labour Parties to ensure a new administration starts socialist and stays socialist.

For others who used to look to Lambeth for a lead, look to us instead for a lesson - and ensure the Labour Parties are active and eternally watchful of Labour councils everywhere. NORTH versus South, shire versus city, householder versus tenant how can Labour win the battle for public services and local amenities against the divisive Tory argument which attempts to set worker against worker?

Provision of local authority finance is possible by two methods.

Firstly, central government provides a portion of finance needed by local authorities. The need is estimated on population and ability to raise-finance locally. This method is said to permit the local. authority itself to raise the remainder of revenue not given by central government ....

But who really sets the need of local authorities? It is central government that dictates attributed and the basis of estimation is conservative, even under . Labour governments.

Without a socialist Labour government, local Labour councils can never win real major gains because local service provision cannot be detached from provision of finance by central government.

It should therefore be the objective of all Labour parties to ensure that local borough manifestos forward clear socialist detinn hased nn nead and rnt to rent to ability pay, either through or rate rises or cuts services and staff. to 'balance the books":

• The manifestos should demand an improvement in all local service provision. To do other than this will be to placate the Tories and sell out working class interests for the monetarist needs of the money lenders.

The supposed option of increasing loans by council is also a non-solution, locally or nationally, because this desperate action only delays the day financial , retribution brought onto councils or national government by the uncontrolled banks and

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mands for services, hous- ing, health and educa-