[THE extraordinary result achieved in the 6 May…]

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THE extraordinary result achieved in the 6 May council election in Islington was a direct result of enthusiasm, mass mobilisation and socialist policies.

The council now has 51 Labour members out of 52, with a strong and militant left wing. This was achieved despite a more than normally vitriolic local press witchhunt and despite determined opposition from the SP who had deserted from the Labour Party to seize control of the Council in recent months.

These old right wing hacks won consistent media coverage locally and nationally, but have now been swept into the oblivion they so richly deserved.

In defiance of all that right wing Labour leaders say, this was a victory achieved on commitments which include no cuts and a one year freeze on rents.

Although there is not a commitment to freeze rates as some of us wished, nevertheless they are to be kept within the level inflation.

Labour's manifesto also included commitments to women and to gays and policies to stop the harassment of ethnic minorities.

Plans

Most important of all it includes plans for massive decentralisation of services and greater democratic control and accountability in all the council's activities.

It was on left wing policies that the election was won. Throughout the Borough large Labour majorities were returned.

In only a few cases did the SDP or their Liberal associates achieve second place. Only in Clerkenwell ward did they actually get a seat, unfortunately at the expense of Socialist Organiser supporter Nik Barstow. This was by a majority of only one vote after some of Nik's votes had been disallowed on a technicality. y Alan Clinton As we go to press a legal case is being considered.

Four other Socialist Organiser supporters were successfully returned.

The new Labour council is far to the left of any of its predecessors. A red flag will Ily above the town hall this week and 'The Red Flag' will be sung at the beginning of Council meetings; and more significantly, ail evictions have been stopped, shared single tenants have been given security of tenure, and special committees are being established with their own budgets and staffs to cater for women and ethnic minorities.

Heady

These are heady, busy days for the new councillors. A joint meeting of the Group and local government committee representing local parties held on Sunday took the main decisions about new committees and chairs.

Leader Margaret Hodge, Deputy Valerie Veness and Group chair Sally Gilbert are all women. This must be some kind of record. Lett wingers were elected to a number of leading positions, including myselt as (hiet Whip.

Important changes in style and content have come in with the new council. The issue will soon become whether we are prepared to stick with our commitments and fight whatever comes at us from the Tory government as a result.

To ensure this we will need to sustain the kind of support, enthusiasm and mass involvement that characterised the election campaign. Then more than ever will there be a crying need to organise the left. Graham Shurety, clected in the Somer: Town ward of Camden. reports on the defeat of the SDP there:

The voters of C'amden returned council almost identical in balance to the last election in 1978. But the Labour Group has moved significantly to the lett Compared to the previous regime, there has been a vast improvement. But is it sufficient to face the tasks ahead? The councillors from the old Camden Labour Left, which fought against cuts and rent/rate rises, will have to meet, map out a political basis to unite with the unions and tenants in the borough and continue the fight started over the last two years.

JOHN HARRIS The imperialist stance of Foot and the whole Labour front bench has had disastrous consequences for the labour movement. Many of those Labour candidates who were defeated on May 6 will now be asking is Foot the right person to be leading Labour into the next general election? CU S