Call for united fight against witch-hun

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YOUTE CONFITTEE: 3-30 Tuesday 7 Decenber 19B2, Committee Room 8.

Ford Dagenham TGWU has urged unity of the campaigns against the witch-hunt the Budget for Socialist Youtt is halved. (But wiry have it at all?)

Richard Heller is Dennis Healey's personal assistant: and the note above, which has recently come into the hands of the left press, shows how the Right is organising. Heller also sent round notes for the Labour NEČ Women's and Press and Publicity Committees the same day. His select circulation list of the Right includes the chairs of all three LAST Sunday, delegates from : 20. Constituençy Labour Parties and ten other organisations attended the first Labour Against the Witch-hunt National Council meeting. There were also 13 observers at the meeting, including from CLPs that may soon affiliate.

The announcement that the Bermondsey selection has now been fixed for January 9 was seen as a defeat for the right-wing attempt to knife Peter Tatchell in the back by going for a hurried by-election before Christmas.

Hornsey CLP delegate Steve King reported that Hornsey's feeling to maintain their stand on Tariq Ali had probably strengthened because of the support they had been getting. Although the GC this coming Wednesday will have a resolution that proposes giving in if the NEC make no concessions, there are a number of other resolutions that the CLP should stand firm.

Hornsey The meeting with the National Executive Committee that Hornsey demanded and won has now been fixed for December 21.

The morning session of the National Council was dominated by discussion on two issues - relations with the Militant-dominated Labour Steering Committee Against the Witchhunt, and registration.

Ford's Dagenham TGWU branch 1/1107 had written a letter to both LAW and LSCAW urging "your national steering committees to put aside secondary differences and call a joint conference which can elect a common leadership. in preparation for the 1983 trade union and Labour Party conferences. • A report was given to the meeting of the LSCAW's rejection of the proposal to exchange three delegates between the two campaigns. LAW's stance on unity was reaffirmed, with particular emphasis placed on the need to work together in specific campaigns and actions.

We also agreed that LAW should respond positively to the Ford's Dagenham TGWU branch, with the proviso that any joint Conference and campaign would have to be delegatebased, and representative of and directly accountable to labour movement organisations - particularly CLPs, but also trade union organisations, etc.

Registration was an issue because Mortimer had sent a letter to LAW asking it to apply. In a straw poll two voted to apply, and 26 against, with abstention.

because she metraw poll meeklig alst agreed that the issue should be taken back to affiliated organisations, and also to those who are not yet affiliated. A final decision will be made at the next Council meeting in The National Council also heard NEC and Parliamentary Labour Party reports but the afternoon session focused on a series of practical campaigning points proposed by the Secretariat:

Destablishing close links with the new • Campaign Group of MPs, and asking them to speak at local meetings;

Daffiliated organisations to take the initiative in organising regionally and locally, with particular emphasis on the forthcoming Labour Party regional conferences:

Dorganising in the trade unions;

Dan advert in Tribune signed by CLPs that will not expel socialists, and organisations and individuals that support them in this;

Umeeting comrades from the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy to discuss the possibility of joint activity;

Dorganising a delegation to the NEC meeting on Wednesday 15 December.

Wednesday's NEC meeting is the scheduled kangaroo court for the Militant Editorial Board members. NEC members have already received a letter from Tony Benn listing ten reasons why they should drop all action against Militant, together with a notice of motion that this should happen and the NEC should instead unite around the policies and programme of the We agreed that the LAW delegation on Wednesday would hand in a letter supporting this motion.

When Russell Tuck was recently interviewed about Hornsey he made it quite clear that he expected resistance from only a few CLPs, and they could be easily picked off. All the indications so far suggest that this will prove a LAYS Campaigns, Richard Eeller 6 Dec 1982 committees.

bureaucrat's wishful thinking. But that feeling will still need to be organised when the crunch comes.

LAW will have the major role to play in that and, on the suggestion, of Pete Radcliff (Nottingham East), proposals on how solidarity action will be organised and preventing the isolation of individual CLPs will be the CE IN Doris Somell NT Shirley Surmerskill M Arne Davis Russell luck Cranet Dishoncy AT Eric Varley MP Jotr. Golaine AP major discussion at the next National Council Meeting. Membership of Labour Against the Witch-hunt is open to CLPs, trade unions, Labour Party affiliates and individuals. (CLPs and unions £10; wards f5; individuals and other organisations £3). Write to the Secretary, 11 Wilderton Road, London N16. (Tel: 01-802 1709. THE SONAT 82 and NUJ chapels at Tribune, and the NUJ nationally, have conlemned the attempted shareholders' coup on the paper organised by John Silkin. And it looks like Silkin may se forced to back down.

At the shareholders' neeting on Decen der 9, Silkin, a former 'compromse' candidate for Labour deputy leader, and his allies, kicked editor Chris Mullin ind advertising manager Seorge Hopkins off the Board, thus breaking a trade anion agreement.

But former TGWU gener11 secretary Jack Jones opposed Silkin, and the Board *of eight still has at east four members firm in support of the staff.

• Since Chris Mullin took inanciabreviously disastrous ›ver as editor in May, Triposition has been itabilised. Circulation, which lad been declining by 12% ber year, has been kept at 14.000 (not 7000 as rumsured from the Silkin camp).

Two unions, ASTMS and RSF, have applied pressure withdrawing advertising and the Silkin faction is tryng to use this as evidence of lecline), but overall advertisng has held up well.

The paper's columns have recome livelier and more 'adical. This week, for examsle, it will carry on its front ›age the speëch that Gerry Adams of Sinn Fein would lave made if he had not seen stopped from coming • London by the Prevention of Terrorism Act:

But that's just what ›others Silkin!

Tribune had been taking noves to transfer the paper iom the shareholders - who lad previously not met for it least ten years, and many if whom are dead or elderly - to a friendly society with hares held by readers and ›y labour movement organiations.

The journalists' union tatement said:

The NUJ is disturbed at he moves to deprive Trirune staff of representation in the board of management if the ano to rrogate control, a the raper's editorial policy to a roard minus staff representaives. The present democratstaff participation has

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John Bloxam reports on thi first national meeting of Labour Ag- ainst the Witch-hunt

SU E Te er is krales - Socialist Intemational).

The foot LFYS now want £l500 for birtiday cards! Rediend Helle

minting of the LPYS pamphle since there is no jrovision fa

slam Silkin's Tribune 'coup