LPYS in the front line

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LCC - selling the Left UNITY is a grand thing. It summons up all that is best in the traditions of the labour movement - solidarity, an injury to one is an injury to all, standing together against the common enemy, etc., etc. But like all grand abstractions, a number of crimes have been committed under its general banner.

The right-wing know this better than anyone else: in the last ditch, when they have been discredited in every particular, when their policies have been defeated and their nominees revealed as corrupt and/or disloyal, they wheel out the the NEC and the Party apparatus. This proposal actually goes far beyond what the right are demanding, the register. It would cover not only organised groups but individuals and it is aimed directly at their freedom of expression, not organısational technicalities.

It is also proposed . to freeze Party politics at this year's conference -'Left groups will cease to press for constitutional change so long as right groups accept the Programme as the basis for unity" IT seems quite likely that the first official organisation to come under attack in the witch-hunt will be the LPYS.

In fact, the witch-hunt began a while ago, when the YS was prevented from re-printing its pamphlet, By Gerry Byrne members.

Nowhere the whole resolution nearly a page long - is there any mention of the purge being launched by the Party leadership against Militant, and, after them the rest of the left. A curious omission? No, the mover pointed out that this was deliberate as that "will all be sorted out by September"

Which makes one susPOLISH SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN bulletin:

new issue out now.

Individual copies, or saleor-return bundles, can be obtained from Marion Pitman, 29 Hampton Road, Twickenham; Middlesex. The Ideals of October.

The pamphlet deals with the Russian Revolution and its significance today. A lot can be said about whether the pamphlet is Trotskyist or not, but the fact is that it has been banned as a "Trotskyist' document. The ban reflects pect that this "New Deal" far from being aimed at Party conference, is already signed, sealed and delivered: that the LCC has sold the rest of the left down the river in exchange for an agreement that its organisation will be left alone.

Why else should it not only endorse, but actively campaign for the register? Why the confidence that the left will be "sorted out" before conference?

Be that as it may, with or without the LCC, the left must pull itself together, and ensure it isn't "sorted out." so easily. wearing.. the Stalinism that is rooted in the labour movement, and indeed in the right wing of the party: general secretary Jim Mortimer objected to the pamphlet on the basis that it "attacked the republican government in Spain" (in the 1930s).

Resources

Dennis Skinner correctly described the ruling on the NEC as a return to the 'burning of the books' The LPYS has also come under attack in terms of resources. When Linda Clarke, ex-editor of Socialist Youth, the LPYS paper, gave up the job because she was pregnant, the officials refused to replace the fulltime position and thus cut the YS staff by 50%.

The budget is also under attack. It seems a bit ridiculous that the budget for 5,000 youth is only £1,000 less than the salary for one Labour Party general secretary - £25,000.

Censor

The best way to answer the witch-hunt is to build the LPYS. In accordance with this the YS NC asked for a million leaflets to be printed for the October 16 YOPs demonstration - and the Labour Party bureaucracy said we could only have 300,000. On the Liverpool demonstration had a million leaflets.

There is also an attack at regional level. The bureaucracy had attempted to censor the Southern Region YS bulletin, because it had an editorial on the witch-hunts. The YS said they would put the bulletin out with blank pages and circulate the editorial privately.

Backed down

In the end the bureaucracy backed down, but no doubt they will try again.

This is not the first time in the YS's history that it has had to fight the hold of the bureaucracy, and it may not be the last. One thing is for sure, if we don't get the backing of the labour movement now for a proper campaign to defend the YS, then we won't be able to fend off the attack successfully.

So make sure that in all your emergency resolutions to conference and resolutions for the NEC, you mention the YS.

And put this model resolution through your YS branch for the YS national committee:

''This branch calls on the LPYS National and Regional Committees to oppose the witch-hunt against Militant, the left in general, and particularly the LPYS by: 1) organising a campaign of resistance to the witch-hunt. This should involve campaigning throughout the trade union and labour movement for support for the LPYS against the witch-hunters, lobbies of the NEC of the Labour Party when it has the witch-hunt on the agenda, and fighting alongside those who are fighting the witch-hunt in general, such as the Unregistered Alliance.

Campaign

2) Campaigning to build the LPYS over the summer and autumn period through building massive support for the Liverpool demonstration on October 16 against Tebbit's attacks on youth, throughout the whole labour movement, as well as on the YOPs schemes and among unemployed youth.

STOP SIZEWELL B - national rally/conference against the Pressurised Water Reactor. Saturday November 6, Central Hall, Westminster. Called by Anti-Nuclear Campaign.

ZIONISTS hands off Leban-l Palestine picket of El Ail on! Labour Committee on office in Regent St, 12 noon, Saturday July 17.

LABOUR Committee on Palestine public meeting: Friday July 23, 7pm, County Hall, London SEI. HOLOCAUST 82: genocide in the Lebanon. Meeting organised by Labour Middle East Council in conjunction with Trade Union Friends of Palestine. Wednesday July 21, 7.30, Dulwich Baths Small Hall, Crystal Palace Rd, London SE22.

CHILE/El Salvador festival: Thursday-Saturday September 24-26. Three days of music, poetry, theatre, exhibitions, films, seminars and workshops, at Manning Hall, University or Lonuul umon, aflandon Ilnian Malet St,. London WCI. Details: El Salvador solidarity Campaign, 01-359 2270.

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