[Peoples march for jobs GWU GUTSI of Peter…]

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Peoples march for jobs GWU GUTSI of Peter Tatchell, Bermondsey Labour Party There's no denying that it is a major setback for the Labour In looking at the reasons for the defeat, there are many, many factors which you have to bear in mind. But overall, from the Labour Party conference in octrober 1981 when Benn was defeated for the deputy leadership and the Right made its first gains on the National Executive Committee, onwards, there has been an unrelenting right-wing offensive against the Left to try to reverse changes in the party both at policy and constitutional lével.

The divisiveness of that witchhunt has undermined our electoral support.

The overriding lesson of this election, as with the Bermondsey by-election, is that you cannot conduct witch-hunts and expect to win elections. • The anti-Tory vote held up well. The trouble is that for too long the Labour Party has relied on an anti-Tory vote to get it into power and now there's another anti-Tory party, the Alliance. We have suffered because we have not argued strongly enough for our positive alternative policies.

It pre-dates the last Labour government and even the one before that. The Labour Party has taken its traditional support forcefor ye. or aegpaying the The Labour Party now has to not only support struggles like Greenham Common, but initiate them. People are going to become politically aware through struggles. In the months to come the Labour Party has got to turn outwards and become a more campaigning party.

With the new Tory government, and an increased majority, the need for action outside parliament is going to become greater than ever.