Unity saga- Part 2

Scan page 12

to defend jobs and services.

ployed. * Freeze rent and rates.

racists from workers' defence squads.

tability, etc.

and affirm their stand publicly.

a matter of urgency.

and services should be blacked.

average for the trade.

Te barkers and bosses.

Ica Io iE De S te HIk IA I50 I L 5IK emm KI CW LI THE "SAD but instructive" story of the bulletins at Labour Party conference (last week's Socialist Organiser, p.12) had a happy ending.

On Friday, the last day of conference, the Labour Briefing and Socialist Organiser bulletins combined to produce a joint briefing, in the way that SO had proposed from the start. There was a joint editorial, calling on the Left to organise against the moves by the Kinnock/ Hattersley team to slide the Labour Party rightwards.

This joint briefing was agreed on Wednesday. Between then and its appearance on Friday morning there were, however, a tew more twists and turns.

At an open meeting to discuss the joint bulletin, Thursday midday, Socialist Action turned up in force and argued against it. They were eventually subdued only by Labour Briefing editor Jane Stockton insisting that she was accountable to the Labour Briefing national committee for the bulletin and could not be overruled by an ad hoc meeting.

The objection of the SA supporters was not on any issue of political content, but the front cover. It should not carry the Socialist Organiser logo as well as the Briefing logo, they said.

Instead SO should appear among a list of sponsors at Two pamphlets summing the Tories up the ideas of Socialist Organiser.

agi Stand' - 20p plus 15p posties' - 10p plus 15p postage.

Or the two together, 45p including postage. Fron Socialist Organiser, 28, Middle Lane, Labour Socialist the loin London N8.

SCOTLAND Glasgow. Contact: Stan Crooke, 34 Garturk St, Glasgow G42. SO is sold at West End bookshop, Rutherglen shopping arcade (Friday lunchtirne), Coatbridge shopping arcade (Saturday lunchtime), and Maryhill dole (Tuesday morning).

Edinburgh. Contact Dave, 229 4591. SO is sold at Muirhouse (Saturday 10.3012) and at the First of May bookshop, Candlemaker Row.

NORTHWEST Rochdale. Next meeting Monday October 25, 8pm at the Castle Inn, Manchester Rd.

Manchester. Contact Tony, 273 5691.: SO is sold at Grass Roots, Books, Newton St, Piccadilly.

Stockport. Meetings every Sunday, 7.30pm: contact 40 Fox St, Edgley, Stockport. SO is sold at Stockport market, every Saturday, 11 to 12.30.

Wirral. Contact Lol Duffy, 3 St James Court, Victoria Rd, New Brighton, Merseyside. Liverpool. Contact 733 6663. SO is sold at Progressive Books, Berry St, and at less from Nowhere, WhiteContact 133-3 the bottom of the cover. I.e. it should not be a joint edition, but SO missing a day and helping on the Briefing bulletin instead.

Obviously enough, the SA comrades objected to prominence being given to SO. Irritatingly, they did not argue this straightforwardly.

They protested that SA factional considerations never crossed their minds. Their only concern was for the well-being of Briefing as a broad left coalition. This would be ruined by association with a sharply-defined tendency like SO.

Labour Against the Witch Hunt, the Labour Committee on Ireland, and Labour CND would also face disaster (so SA supporters or sympathisers wearing other hats assured us); they would be seen to be linked with SO at one remove, since they had sponsored the Briefing bulletin.

All this was argued with the characteristic exuberance of SA on the trail of a 'new vanguard'. Briefing organised the whole hard left, everyone read it, it had swayed the NEC • elections, it had 100 delegates around it, etc. etc. (Mind you, we were also told that SA had "at least 12" delegates supporting it in addition to those at the Some minor changes in the design of the bulletin Party Fight policies!

Stoke. Contact Paul Barnett 151 Broadway, Meir, Stote on Trent (328198).

YORKSHIRE AND NORTH-EAST Huddersfield. Contact Alan Broote, 59 Magdale, Honley, Huddersfield HD7 2LX. Harrogate. Meets every other Sunday evening. Contact Mark Osborn, 522542. SO is sold outside the market, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday lunchtime.

York. Contact 414118 (98 Hull St). SO is sold at Coney St on Saturday morning, at the Community Bookshop, outside the dole office most mornings, and at the University on Friday mornings.

Sheffield. SO is sold outside Boots in Fargate (Saturday 12 to 1) and at the Independent Bookshop, Glossop Rd. Contact Rob, 589307.

Durham. SO is sold at the Community Co-op. lew Elvet. Contact Andy. 61088.

Sunderland. Contact Durham. cover satisfied the few nonSA objectors, and finally the absurdity of the argument was exposed when it came down to SA arguing about the size of the SO logo on the cover.

The longstanding Labour Briefing comrades at the meeting were clearly annoyed by the unctuous and disingenuous concern for their welfare shown by SA. Indeed, the meeting mostly came down to an argument between SA professing concern about dire consequences for Briefing, and longstanding Briefing comrades replying that they could look after themselves, thank yOu.

This experience may be important for the months to come. Clearly SA have identified Briefing as the wave of the future in the labour movement. It's like the SLV a few months back, Socialist Unity before that, the 'new mass vanguard' of the late '60s, or the hoped-for 'replacement leadership' of an earlier period — or (at various times) Castroism internationally.

As with the other examples, SA respond not so much by straightforward political involvement as by themselves pretending to be the heart and soul of the 'new vanguard'.

More straightforward pol itics are a better basis for unity.

----- pull-quotes -----

Where tand

age. 'How to fight the Tor-

How to fight Thezop Where aB we stand ORGANISER for