Left prepares for battle of Brent

Scan page 12

LAST Sunday, September 12, 56 members of the left Brent East Labour Party met to decide who we should put forward to replace the sitting MP, Reg Freeson, as candidate for the general election.

The constituency party has been at odds with Freeson politically for several years. As junior housing minister in the last Labour government he was responsible for introducing the Criminal Trespass law (which he claimed could not be used against workers' occupations - tell that one to the Laurence Scotts workers) despite opposition from the CLP.

Although he has recently opposed renewal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act he has opposed withdrawal of THERE is a tradition in the Labour movement of either ignoring science and tochnology (ST) or regarding it uncritically as the solution to all our problems - even as a way of bypassing the class struggle! This tradition has been ever-soslightly dented by the recent establishment of the Labour Party's ST Study Group (STSG).

Les Hearn comments on its -Interim Report (published as an appendix to the NEC's Report to the 1982 Conference!.

The STSG's Interim Report bears strong signs of being a rush job - half of it consists of a clichéridden left-nationalist analysis Britain's deBritish troops from Ireland and has described the Provisional IRA as 'fascist. The CLP has a long record of support for Troops Out' and self-determination.

Recently Freeson has come out as a "socialist Zionist' (though he does call for the handing back of the terr. itories seized by Israel since 1967). The CLP has adopted the full policy of the Labour Committee of Palestine, including opposition to the Zionism within the labour movement.

For the deputy leadership, Freeson voted Silkin in the first round and Healey in the second, while the CLP backed Benn.

Freeson's politics are best summed up by his response when asked by tenant activists at the weekend to sign their petitition for a freeze on council rents. "I do my politics in Parliament"

It has been obvious to all concerned that the left would oppose Freeson's re selection. However, Freeson is not a Ben Ford or Bob Mellish, but a middle-of theroad (even, on some issues, left-leaning) Labour MP of some standing in the PLP.

Socialist Organiser supporters argued that in order to replace Freeson the left needed maximum possible involvement and discussion, and agreement on one candidate.

The left agreed to hold a meeting for potential candidates and for all left activists who wished to see Freeson replaced and were prepared to be committed meeting's choice.

The two names put forward were GLC leader Ken Livingstone and Gerry Byrne (of Socialist Organiser and the Women's Fightback steering committee).

Much of the discussion at Sunday's: meeting revolved around positive discrimination for women. (There were, at least formally few major differences between the candidates on current national and international issues, and unfortunately we did not adequately pursue the differences on putting policies into practice - over cuts or LT fares).

Supporters of Livingstone argued yet another version of manana socialism, or, in this case. "tomorrow a woman'. Positive discrimination was fine, they said, but in this case we had to put forward a well-known candidate in order to win.

"Livingstone would get 50 to 60% of the votes Byrne 40 to 50%»: (But one third of the 100 GC delegates were present, and we could have gone out to convince sufficient others of the need to vote for either left candidate).

37 voted for Livingstone, 16 for Byrne, and three abstained - no walkover, certainly a warning to Livingstone that the left will not act as an uncritical fan club, and an indication of the standing of Socialist Organiser in the party:

The significant fact not reported in the media was