Briefing looks to election

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John 75 people from five different Labour Briefing groups attended the conference 'Towards a National Network' last Saturday, 5th.

The only significant Briefing group not represented was the West Midlands. As the circulation figures for the local Briefings show - London 3500, Merseyside 750, Brighton 400 - the Briefing format has proved an effective way for the left to caucus, organise, and discuss.

Initiative

The only resolution put (it was passed unanimously) dealt with the coming election. 'This conference requests London Labour Briefing to take the initiative in sponsoring the call for a meeting of CLPs and trade union activists together with other campaigning andlett groupings in the Labour Party in order to discuss 'How we campaign for a Labour victory' and ensuring a manifesto based on Conference policies"

Graham Bash started the conference by saying, "London Labour Briefing is useless unless it helps to organise" • But for much of the day this was left up in the air - and even downplayed, in the concern to turn outwards.

Many comrades mentioned the important defeat for the Left at the recent AGM of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy. Graham Bash emphasised Briefing's poor showing there, and therefore its share in responsibility for the result. Socialist Challenge supporters informed the Sloxam conterence that they had 'self-criticised' and 'ould now (!) take CLPD se lously. But no conclusions were reached.

Implications

Ken Livingstone's contribution on 'organising at local government level' had major implications for those many in the Briefing network who have seen his activity as a shining example of Labour 'taking the power' at council level.

For Livingstone, the lesson of the GLC was the need "to have a clearer view of the limitations involved. Realistic assessment of how little power there is in local governFor those who took a different view, and presumably for the Clay Cross councillors, he had this to say - he was against 'the standard macho argument of 'all over the top, take on the government' • There's not much point when they've got all the machine guns"

Tackle There was no time (even if there was the inclination) to discuss all these points. But we will have to tackle them while organising a new Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory type body:

Comrades should remember that one of the standard arguments of the Wilson/Callaghan government was that they had little power and the IMF had "all the machine guns"

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Socialist Organiser no. 119 1983 Page

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ment. We're creatures of central guvernment"