CP secretary no sypads WHO WANTS PETER, SHORE?

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The St Ermin's group of right-wing trade union leaders have tipped Peter Shore as the next Labour leader. Michael Foot is reputed to favour him.

think?

FEW IN the Labour Party would disagree with the calls for the immodiate departure of Michael Foot as leader. His less than convincing presence at the head of the party will help return Thatcher for a further five years.

Those who do pause about Foot's departure point to the serious problems of the Parliamentary Labour Party throwing up anyone who could lay claim to popularity amongst ordinary party members. Several names have been mooted by the capitalist press along with pen profiles of their supposed strong points.

We read that Peter Shore is admired for his firm stand against Militants but is. widely liked from the left for his stance on Europe. Roy Hattersley and John Silkin and Neil Kinnock all get a push from the enemies of Labour in Fleet Street.

Closer examination of the reality behind Shore's push for the leadership should provide food for thought.

He is the member for Stepney and Poplar, in what was once the heart of London dockland. His selection for the vacant seat in the early sixties came thraunh annnenectin of tha Tranonnet and Manarol through sponsorship of the Transport and General Workers' Union, which had powerful representation in the local Labour Party at the time.

Since then things have changed. The docks closed and with them went the Dock Branches of the TGWU as well as the influence members had within wards.

Many of the branches still exist in name with paper members who are becoming fewer, older and more reactionary than they ever were. It is a matter of time before their waning presence turns into insignificance in terms of their impact within the Stepney and Poplar constituency.

Membership slumped in the ten years 1970 to 80. Some wards had actually ceased to function in any political or community way and had even ceased to meet. The party machine threw up councillors whose socialism was less than recognisable, and these town hall incumbents have gradually broken with the support all Labour administrations need.

Many are rabidly anti trade union, some are religiously sectarian, others are Masons. No wonder Labour came within a whisker of losing control in Tower Hamlets to the Liberal/SDP mis-alliance.

In the Shadwell Ward the Bangladeshi population did not support Labour because of ambiguities concerning attitudes towards black people from candidates. Two Labour candidates were returned with majorities of three! Shadwell is densely working class.

In the Blackwall ward, which is the next along the riverfront from Shadwell, the SDP would have won if they had brought out another 30 voters. This would have given control to the Liberal/SDP.

Peter Shore did not campaign anywhere in 'his' constituency during this challenging period for the party. Canvassers and party officers knew weeks in advance that SDP wins were on the cards but could get little enthusiasm for a robust campaign.

A conseq of support • who, whils usually acci avoid unner Such ma certainly al With these wingers and Political c to the left, i managemel advances fi sense of fa wing.

Many arr Party is no loved. Clear voters in th ing the festr The Bour two seats w West divide divide. Thi: Bow and Po bar the cyn branches. juence of this is that Shore lost a measure from sympathetic middle-class elements t not enthusiastic in his favour, would ept the status quo for 'party unity' or to cessary divisions etc. stives are creditable and serious, and cted as a cushion for the sitting MP. gone, the division between older rightd the new membership is complete. • control in the wards is drifting inexorably and a clear socialist majority on the next nt committee is assured. With the or socialism in the wards has come a talism about the future from the right e going to give up because the Labour longer the Labour Party they knew and rly many new members and a majority of e borough are not interested in recapturering spirit of that old party.

Idary Commission is suggesting that the /ithin Tower Hamlets switch to an East/ e rather than their present North/South s would create the politically left wing plar party, which would not choose Shore ical affiliation of dozens of bogus union • 914g More interesting though is the state of what would be Bethnal Green and Stepney constituency. Labour's margin of victory (sic) in this at the last local

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Fleet Street also boosts Shore. But what do the Labour activists and supp- orters in Shore's own constituency

STEVE COWAN (secretary, Tower Hamlets Labour Party, writing in a personal capacity) reports.