[nificant item of information in the final agenda…]

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nificant item of information in the final agenda for the Labour Party Conference, published at the weekend, is a list of nominations for the Leadership and NEC elections.

They confirm not only Kinnock's certain victory for the leadership, but also that his support doesn't just come from a cabal of trade union bureaucrats. The fact that nearly 50% of CLPs have nominated him can partly be explained by a certain defeatism in the aftermath of Labour's election defeat, but mainly shows the extent to which he still has "left' credentials among the rank and file.

The only other candidate with any support in the CLPs is Eric Heffer. 30 have nominated him, and the indications are that this figure can be increased at the expense of Kinnock in the September mandating meetings as the Heffer campaign begins to have some effect.

The weakness of the organised right in the CLPs is shown by Hattersley's miserable 6 nominations, and Shore's none.

Meacher ahead

The closest contests will be for the Deputy Leadership, Party Treasurer: and the Trade Union and women's places on the NEC. For Deputy Leader, Meacher is clearly ahead of Hattersley in nominations from the CLPs (197 to 79), but the decisive trade union votes are still to be decided.

Meacher's recent performance - a general lurch to the right on policy, staying away from the TUC and a blank cheque for the 'new leadership' followed by a sharp attack on Hattersley - is unlikely to curry favour with the trade union bureaucrats but will probably demoralise some who support him as the left candidate:

The election for Treasurer between Varley and Booth is likely to be as narrow as the Deputy Leadership vote and will probably follow the same pattern.

In the other sections, the general expectation is for gains for the 'left slate although much will still depend on organisation in the last 2 weeks before the Conference, both: in the CLP mandating meetings and the Trade Union delegations.

It will also, to an extent, depend on the outcome of a procedural vote on the eligibility of a number of candidates, all except one of whom are on the right wing slate.

The central issue at stake in all the elections remains the witch-hunt in the Party. The size of the vote for Eric Heffer in the first round, the outcome of the votes for the other positions - these will determine both the extent, and even the possibility, ot a continuation of the existing leadership's attempt to gut the Party of its serious socialists and militants. They will be the most important votes at the 1983 Party Conference.

As last year; Socialist -Organiser is calling for support for the 'left slate' on the basis of its opposition to the witchhunt and the possibility of overturning the present right majority. In the CLP section this means supporting: Norman Atkinson, Tony. Benn, Eric Heffer, Jo Richardson, Dennis Skinner, Audrey Wise and either Michael Meacher or David Blunkett.

In the women's section, and in the absence of specific recommendations from CLPD WAC, candidates who have clearly opposed the witchhunt in the last year are: Margaret Beckett; Judith Hart; Patricia Hewitt; Joan Maynard.

In the rest of the final agenda book, the amendments add little to either the focus of the debates or change the particular issues likely to come up.

The Conference will still be dominated by the aftermath of the General Election defeat and a concentration on winning the next election. In the meantime most resolutions prescribe sticking to existing policies, and improving Party propaganda and organisation. Heffer. gaining ground Amendments add little to this, except to emphasise the way in which a labour movement paper' is seen as a panacea by many to opposing the Tories and capitalism.

The NUM add their own twist to this with an amendment to give 'in the meantime ...much more support to our existing press namely Labour Weekly, , Tribune, and the Morning Star' * The great majority of amendments, however, are not on these issues but on internal Labour Party questions.

A number back-up opposition to the witch-hunt, but most deal with extending democracy in the Party should Womed's rights and Labour Party and the representative democracy of the trade unions and other affiliates' Apart from internal Party issues, the other major block of amendments appears on the issue of Iran - a combination of good organisation by supporters and revulsion at the level of repression by the Khomeini regime. But many glaring gaps in the original resolution booklet remain unfilled.

Waiting?

There are no amendments on withdrawing: from NATO in the 'defence' section, so this will not be an issue this year.

There are no amendments to the solitary resolution gay rights.

The sole perspective for fighting the Tories now, and not retreating into a diet of propaganda and waiting for the next election, is contained in the handful of resolutions based on the model circulated by Socialist Organiser supporters. INNOCENT