Islington losses

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APPLY to the.. Come HAVE the SDP sunk the flagHERE ship of the Labour left? The loss CLASSFIGHTER of two Labour council seats in Islington bye-elections on October 27 was widely reported CONFERENCE as just that by the press and TV.

It wasn't that simple. Partly the results were due to a dramatic Tory collapse with most at of their votes going to the Camden Tenants Association Hall SDP, as the main Opposition to abour in Islington. But reckham tigh Street Labour's vote fell too.

LONDON SEVIS Sun and the Evening stay dare Standard (but with some extra help from the Observer and the Mirror in 26th + 27t the week before the bye-elections) constantly attacked Labour's policies of equal opportunities and every political statement and gesture made tramed Verti by the left. The average headThe Red + thi Biri lines: 'Gym mats on the rates for lesbian self-defence group', Costs: * WORKSHOPS 12 wased jokes' said a lot about what "The Council that banned Irish = = SELFDEFENCE El inwaged prejudices they aimed to whip SPRIX MEETINGS up. The SDP played on the bigotry, rarely saying anything about their own policies, harping on about Labour's 'extremism' • After all, it almost worked for them in the General Election when SDP careerpolitician George Cunningham came within 400 votes of min-ice Istineton South & Finsetary Islington Local OVernment Committee (in a personal capacity).

bury.

But for most voters the main concerns now were more straightforward and more rational: the rates increases, and the fact that, despite all the promises, nothing much has changed or improved since Labour re-took the Council in May 1982. ship anyahne she let's fagit scuttled.

Islington Council was elected in 1982 with a strong mood that it would confront the government and fight for the interests of local people.

By April '83 things had changed. A large majority of both councillors and party bodies opted to raise the rates by 30% rather than fight the Government. Labour policies - the bare bones of them _ have been carried out but little has been achieved in most people's eyes.

Islington has improved its services marginally, which in the present climate for l *cal government is something of a victory, but for the aver age Islington tenant the minor improvements count for little. Reduced queues for repairs, or plans to eventually 'decentralise' services by making them more locally based and convenient aren't convincing arguments for socialism. Most tenants saw rate rises last year, as they had seen for years before: as then, paying more for services that aren't up to much - poor housing, slow repairs and few community facilities.

Islington had the promise of being a centre of resistance Tories. So far it hasn't lived up to it... disillusioning its own supporters and strengthening its enemies - who can snipe at the gestures because they aren't backed up with real action on the key issues.

Labour's local government left' should learn a lesson from the Islington bye-elections - they have only two ways to survive. They can take the traditional road of reforming new broom administrations and 'manage' the services the government will allow them to... or they can break from that depressing, corrupting view of Labour politics and take on the government. If they don't do either, they won't be 'the local government left' they will be ex-councillors. of their vindictiveness in taking out writs against individual members of staff, because they could have achieved the same legal purpose by just suing the company.

I think the attitude of people on the paper is that while we are prepared to try and negotiate our way out of this, even at the cost of making concessions, the one thing we are not prepared to concede is control of the paper even if that means oblivion.

One thing we are sure of is that this is going to cost a lot of money and three Labour MPs set up a Friends of Tribune Fund and have raised quite a bit of money but not really enough. So if anyone wants to send some money, send it c/o Jo Richardson, House of Commons, London SWI, with cheques made out to Friends of Tribune.

New issue now out!

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Organiser November 154, Page 10 1983 no.

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