Register: CLPD Campaign for votes for ballot Fight for Lothian fights

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now. known: LAKUS mem- decision.

TRAINEES

THE question of CLPD and the register dominated the CT P. Freentive's dieruccinn on Saturday 16th. VIIM LAVVULYY D UDVUDDIVIL

The issue was not immediately whether CLPD should apply, because it was accepted that the final decision on this would be taken at the AGM'on January 29, 1983, and a letter is being sent to Labour Party general secretary Jim Mortimer to say that the CLPD can't give a reply by the December 31 'deadline' '. The discussion at the EC- was whether the ACM unnld ho nraradad hur num wuuu ve picccucu vy a* 'consultative" ballot of CLPD supporters.

The proposal was eventually carried on the argument that a ballot was the only way to find out the views of all supporters which

the AGM could then ratify' or not. Those of us opposed to a ballot argued that it would inevitably preempt the AGM, and undermine its right to take the final' decision. In Pete Willsman's view, in fact, the AGM would not go against the ballot result.

Ballot

It was also argued that the 'consultative' nature of the ballot, and the fact that rIDD had an 1anl haank an a cd structure, made the campaign's own argument, against postal ballot, irrelevant in this case.

Ballot papers will be sent

bulletin (the first of two *scheduled) containing two articles for registration now

Willsman and Victor Schonfield) and two against (by Chris Mullin, Nigel Williamson and Jon Lansman).

• The result of the secret ballot will be announced at the EC meeting on Saturday December 18.

There was no time to discuss the view put by the secretary, Vladimir Derer, that the 'ultra-left' were responsible for the right's victory on the register at Party Conference. But it was unanimously agreed that the CLPD would support the October 30 °CLPs Against and that there would be an

immediate campaign . of support for the Const itutional amendment from Gr eenwich CLP.

Knock

This amendment is guaranteed -to be voted on at next year's Party Conference and would knock a hole

through the register. It would amend Clause 2 of the Constitution to give nonaffiliated groups the right to organise in the Party, provided only that they conform to the Labour Party constitution and accept Clause IV, and don't stand candidates against Labour.

It would also give an automatic right of appeal to Conference for members of ANTIATATITAN ТА СТАЛИЛИТ ТАт THE DEATH of Frank McElhone, Labour MP for the Queen's Park constituency in Glasgow, has been followed by a less than pleasant scramble for the seat.

Front-runner for the Labour Party nomination is Gorbals regional councillor Jimmy Wray, who of late has acquired a tasté for threepiece suits and attempts at im maculate grooming.

Like the late MP, Wray is a Gorbals boy born and bred (even if he has now installed himself in a rather more plush suburb), and seems to reckon that his local background will win him the nomination.

It is difficult to see what else could. On occasion Wray has taken a strong stand on some local issues, but when it comes to politics he is a dark horse.

The other candidate is Chick McCafferty. One-time supporter of the Socialist Labour League, recruited to it by Ted Knight, McCafferty is now a big fish in the pond of Glasgow Labour Party: chair of the District Party, and holding several other positions.

Although McCafferty has taken a clear position against the register, his claims to. stand on the left are now ringing increasingly hollow.

He has helped block the CLP from giving support to the "Stop the Sale' campaign, and he is playing a leading role in the current attack on an SO supporter in the constituency.

Many activists in both the CLP itself, and the local community in general, have the attitude that the by-election is a non-event (because it is a safe Labour seat), and that the major issue is who will become the Labour candidate.

But since there is so little to choose between the two nominees, surely our main job should be to ensure that the by-election is taken as an opportunity to transform the CLP into a genuine fighting organisacion, and to build a real active base of support fur the Labour Party in the area.

such groups believed they +ho~ L.. ine constitution.

Other model resolutions on CLPD policy will also be shortly circulated and printed in SO as well). This is specially important not only for forthcoming Regional Conferences (the resolution deadline for the

London Labour Party Conference is December 1 for example) but above all for many trade unions, whose 1983 Conference resolution deadlines are coming up shortly.

LOCAL Labour Parties in the Lothian region will be. holding their own conference to oppose both the register and any witch-hunts.

At their first post-conference meeting, Haymarket/ Tolleross Labour Party agreed to raise this call to other parties in the region to build on what comes out of the Hackney and Stoke Newington conference.

Although the meeting had one of its larger atten. dances, this was not because everyone came along to defend the right of socialists to organise within the

the NEC ad breached

BLOXAM CLPD EC At its Annual General Meeting in Jute this year, the Labour Abortion Rights Campaign resolved to ballot its membership on whether the Campaign should apply to be included on the National Executive Committee's register of non-affiliated groups within the Labour The result of the ballot is now known: LARC's members voted overwhelmingly bers voted overwhelmingly Certainly our MP, Robin Cook, did not have this in mind.

He argued that the left had won the major debates at conference (obviously he did not consider the women's organisation resolutions to be of any great significance), that we should now unite behind : the programme and leadership and that it would be a dangerous precedent for the left to attempt to oppose a conference decision.

His argument did have some support, but more worrying in terms of building opposition was the attiagainst registration, thereby supporting the views of the AGM that registration would render LARC totally ineffective as a campaign.

67% of the membership returned ballot papers, 87% of which were opposed to registration.

The General Secretary of the Labour Party has been informed of LARC's decision. tude of some members who are opposed to both the register and the witchhunt, but who feel that since it is Militant who are under Militant attack, we should tailend any opposition that they put up. To date this has amounted to nothing in Lothian. • The call for this conference came from Socialist Organiser supporters and we will be arguing for opposition to the register, to the witch-hunt, for going out and recruiting to the party and for the changing of Clause 2 of the constitution.

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out in 'early November, . together with a , discussion PAY US

the Witch-hunt Conference, and send a speaker to it,

OPS LIVING WAGE

dead man's shoes