The resolutions

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Join LABOUR AGAINST THE WITCHHUN"

Membership open to Constituency Labour Parties, trade union organisations, Labour Fee: CLPs and unions f10, wards £5, individuals and other organisations £3. Write toLAW, 11 Wilderton Road, London N16.

WITCH-H Party affiliates, and individuals. as witch-hunting, and they missed the point anyway. The problem isn't outside .unaccountable organisations". We are in favour of socialist groups and organisations being in the Labour Party, or at least affiliated to it. The problem in Coventry SE was that supporters of Militant didn't abide by the norms of socialist democracy. Instead you behaved like sectarians towards other members of the local Labour Party.

So at the GMC on July 20 we Once the issue went to the Constituency GMC there was a big chance it would be leaked to the bosses' press. But we can't simply abstain from discussing vital issues of accountability (local or national) just because the press might get hold of them.

And the fact that it went to the GMC in the first place was your responsibility.

We have described the facts of the matter. We regret it was necessary to -aste our time on doing so. But your accusations require an answer.

We have shown that your accusations are totally unfounded. Your attitude to accountability is quite inexcusable. Worse, your comrades have drawn unnecessary attention to & matter which should have been quickly dealt with within the Coventry SE Broad Left.

In choosing to act this way, you have diverted attention away from what was, despite the way the Campaign was run, a very good election campaign. You, for whatever obscure, sectarian reason, would. Like people to forget the resolution unanimously passed at the same GMC praising the Campaign -the large-scale leafletting and canvassing, the factory gate and public meetings, etc.

And are you really seriously questioning the SE CLP's attitude to the witch-hunt, or that of Socialist Organiser? The Constituency attitude is crystal We, the Coventry South East Constituency Labour Party, are glad at the victory of our Candidate at the recent General Election, and we congratulate Dave Nellist. Also we would like to re-affirm our strong opposition to all the witch bunts and proscriptions that have occured recently in the Labour Party. We re-affirm our support for all socialists in our Party. We deplore, however, the conduct of Dave Nellist and his Election Agent, Tom Smith in certain particular aspects of the recént Election Campaign.

In defiance of long established custom and practice it is felt that they organised a campaign that excluded deliberately local constituency members and their ward organisations. In their place full-timers and others from the Militant Tendency and the Labour Party Young Socialists from other parts of the country were used by the Candidate and his agent to organise the election campaign.

To our minds there can be no excuse for the imposition of an outside, and locally unaccountable, organisation on our constituency's campaign. We feel that the Candidate's and his Agent's actions were:

1) In flagrant breach of Party's Rules.

2) In total disregard of the wishes of the majority of the constituençy membership.

3) An insult to many of the candidate's friends and supporters who selected him as a candidate in the first place.

4) In contravention of the understanding between the candidate and the General Committee that he would reflect the wishes and policies of the South East CLP.

We therefore demand:

a) An immediate and unequivocal apology from the Candidate for his behaviour in this aspect of the campaign.

b) The resignation of the Agent as soon as he has fulfilled his legal commitments for this General Election.

c) An undertaking from the candidate that he will never again allow any organisation other than the South East CLP and its constituent wards and affiliated organisations to be the main organisers of any campaign in Conjunction with himself and his future agent.

d) That the candidate reaffirm that he will work in accord with his CLP's democratically decided policies.

Lower Stoke Labour Party Amendments moved. by SO supporters.

Socialist Organiser supporters suceessfully amended this resolution as follows:

Delete: reference to 'outside, and locally unaccountable, organisation'.

Delete: reference to 'full-timers and others'.

Delete: (1) In flagrant breach of the Party's rules?

Insert instead: Party members not accountable to the constituency effectively controlled the campaign?

Similar amendments were moved by SO supporters to the other resolutions on this subject at the same GMC meeting.