Media witch-hunt defeats Tatchell

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Right: Victor Simon Hughes - "The Liberals ran the dirtiest campaign of all". Left: 'Raving Loony' candidate Sutch got more and illegal anti-gay leaflets used to put togetner nis were distributed during the page two article are prescampaign. umably regarded as legitiThe Liberals ran the mate in the world of the dirtiest campaign of all, media. Labour defeat. There were House of Commons in None of us must let ourselves be demoralised by the result on Thursday. We've got to redouble our efforts to build a mass membership, campaigning Labour Party, which can counteract the filth and smears of Fleet Street and the opposition parties.

In Bermondsey, already, last weekend we were out on the streets again, campaigning for a Labour victory Our opponents were absolutely terrified of discussing the issues and Labour's policies. They knew the only way they could attack and undermine us was through a campaign of lies and smears, partiThat is an important lesson which we must all bear in mind for the General Election to follow.

Labour's policies do have widespread support: our enemies know that, and that is why they've sought to both denigrate myself and now Michael Foot as a way of sabotaging Labour's election prospects.

Don't mourn this loss, organise to get the Tories out and win a socialist Labour government. Kevin Flack* examines the *Secretary/Agent, East Lewisham Labour Party, writing in & personal capacity.

IT wasn't the Liberals that won at Bermondsey; it was the media.

Fake opinion polls. like the one in a South Lundon newspaper which put the Liberals ahead whilst admitting that in doing so it had ignored both Tatchell's and O'Grady's strongest wards, or the Sun's phone-call opinion poll in an area where nearly half of the Labour votes are without phones - contributed greatly.

Those with vested interest in destroying Tatchell and the radical socialism put forward by Bermondsey Labour Party were faced with the problem of a split opposition. The need was to find the one candidate voters believed could beat Tatchell, and then mobilise the anti-Labour vote behind that candidate.

Thus, the first opinion poll that gave the Liberals a chance had a 'knock-on' effect which made people believe that the Liberal was the only candidate who could beat Tatchell.

The campaign was by far the most vicious and personal that any Labour activist could remember. Tatchell had been harangued for over a year for his support for gay rights and for the heinous crime of being born Australian. Thousands of anonymous votes inan ine communist rari. putting out a leaflet which consisted entirely of attacks on Tatchell and not stating anywhere that it was Liberal leaflet! They exploited the press headlines in their leaflets and were involved in whispering campaigns on the doorstep designed to smear Tatchell.

O 'Grady's team were just as personal in their attacks.

Gutter

The by-election dived further into the gutter when a Daily Mail reporter infiltrated one of the ward's canvassing teams. The lies and deceptions that this objectionable individual --- - d Lim ana kevomnonary commums The response to the election from the left, and indeed from the party as a whole, was magnificent. Over 500 were estimated to have campaigned for Tatchell on the last Sunday ot the campaign, ana as many must have been present on polling day.

The Bermondsey campaign material was impressive in style, and much of the content was politically refreshing, combining important national issues with vital local ones (such as opposition to the land speculators of the LDDC: in relation to this, O'Grady's much publicised comment that "We need these luxury flats for the business managers to live in" only strengthened our case).

Canvass results and doorstep reactions gave no indication of the size of the at the General Election.

cularly of a personal nature. of course, hostile comments (all picked up from the media smears) - i.e. anti-Australian, anti-gay, anti-draft dodging. But Labour's campaign stuck to issues, and where people were prepartu w usten auu mr nananand in licton and where people actually met Peter Tatchell, there were a number of converts.

In particular, the vote amongst the ethnic minorities held up well.

But the smear campaign and the doubt in the minds of a large section of the electorate were fuelled by the actions of the Labour leadership. No amount of support from Michael Foot land where was the rest of the Shadow Cabinet?) in the last few weeks could outweigh the unprecedented and totally unjustified denunciation of Tatchell he made in the 1981.

Bermondsey Labour Party had followed all the rules in their selection of Tatchell and yet were attacked by the party leadership. Hostility from the NEC continued right into the election campaign with the impounding of the leaflets printed at Cambridge Heath Press. The NEC locked up the leaflets that had been printed at the press associated with the Militant tendency, ostensibly to avoid 'adverse press publicity Presumably as part of a 'punishment' Tatchell's first press conference was cancelled. The other candidates had thus launched their campaigns, while the Party powers that be appeared to be doing all they could to sabotage Tatchell's. The £400 spent on the impounded leaflets came out of the very limited election expenses, and that put Labour even further behind.

Peckham

In Bermondsey there was no evidence of the Trade Unions for a Labour Victory (TULV) support which had been so apparent in the Peckham by-election last October:

The legacy . left by Mellish and O'Grady was also a factor in Labour's defeat. On the run-down estates of much of Bermondsey people have little to thank a Labour council for. It will take a lot of hard work from the new Southwark Council and the Party itself to win back the support which has been lost over So go 1 of batt pers couI aher spet cour TI ing i outv ity' WOI be t indi it w We alon ploy reas Part did sey.

Joi way, filled in the details.

iation of Tatchell.

Labour lost:

Umons repudiation.

ciation.

not been time to undo this.

virtually impossible to get across. Socialist Organiser organised in 1979.

: the years. › where does the left from here? The defeat Tatchell is indeed a le lost. But the most secuted man in the Itry showed us the way ad with his fighting ach at the election It. he left must stop talkabout 'turning the Party vards into the communand actually do so. rkplace branches must built to consolidate our istrial base and regain here it has been lost.

need to campaign igside the unemed, who have little ion to trust the Labour iy and many of whom not vote in BermondBermondsey above all showed the need to stop paying lip-service to the necessity of a popular Labour daily paper; we must demand that those with the money and the power in the labour movement make this a priority. We need to return to the most rudimentary forms of political education and cannot allow the lies of the Sun and the Mail to go unchallenged any longer.

Many of us have made sacrifices and suffered for the cause we believe in. Very few of us have suffered as much as Peter l'atchell - I1 individuals : 10=...1are to be able to stand up for their beliefs, it is important that we continue to stand by him. 5, Camden Council Chamber.

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Socialist Organiser no. 122 March 3 1983 Page

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reasons for disastrous performance in the by-election

JOHN HARRIS LORD JOHN HARRIS