Sat. Feb.19, ¡ London SE1, Con 'Democra- tising the
Socialist Organiser1983 1983-01-27Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 3 →
Read from the scan by machine and not corrected: expect misread words, and now and then a caption or a line from a neighbouring story. For anything you quote, read the scan.
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Credentials for delegates from trade union bodies and Broad Lefts from Phil Holt, 108 Prince's Boulevard, Bebington, Merseyside L63 7PE (051 645 137| From the film you would suppose that the whole affair was the work of four men Vladimir - Derer, Victor Schonfield, Pete Willsman (the main officers of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy), and Jon Lansman (secretary of the Rank and File Mobilising Committee) - and that the winning of mandatory re-selection of MPst.and election of Party leader was age only to their tactical skills.
tactical skills played a part. But focus formula for the electoral college. But we see nothing of the hundreds and thousands of arguments and discussions at rank and file level that led to over 3 million trade union votes, and the huge majority of the Constituency Labour Parties, being committed to democratic reform.
We hear a brief reference to Clive Jenkins being outvoted in ASTMS: but we see nothing of the organisation among union members that made it possible.
We see Tony Benn of establishing contacts, distributing bulletins, and calling meetings.
Moreover, even the 'back-room' side of it is presented very selectively. All the RFMC activists aside from the chosen four and a prematurely-aged Chris Mullin are omitted (so none of the RFMC women activists are featured).
If you were listening for it (as I was), you could catch one passing mention of the fact that the Socialist Campaign for a Labour
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Socialist Organiser no.11.7 January 271983 Page:4 271983 Page:4