Handing over to Kinnock?

Scan page 2

all tay includin T'iM'L' Ems! Youtti, HE TET + the Bluk = REDEFINE ES:TE: NEETNGS S.ES SEEAKERS 4 TTT Fid-eir setts fram a-rentier in norn Nl.' jamier: Tenants Accorintiana IL reckham High Streetunion all LONDON SEVIS On 26t+27th November Costs: wajed El unwaged ticket Coordinating Committee, and puts forward Socialist Action's own proposed basis for left unity. It includes:

'Right now no-one running against the leadership provided no qualitative steps are taken such as turning Labour to a coalition with the alliance, dumping unilateralism, or starting a witch hunt.

This is difficult to distinguish from the LCC's own formula:

'Unless circumstances alter in a dramatic and unexpected way, no challenges to the new Leader and Deputy Leader...

Flank And, remember, the LCC is now the organised left flank of the Kinnock camp, with LCC leaders like Peter Hain and Nigel Stanley in Kinnock's inner circle.

Ross does try to differentiate from the LCC. "Significant aspects of the witch-hunt are still going on and have not been stopped" , he notes. Neil Kinnock has praised Eric Hobsbawm, the allegedly-Marxist theorist of a Labour/Alliance pact.

But this makes Ross's formula about 'no contest' even more alarming.

Neil Kinnock fought (unsuccessfully) to get the clear unilateralist resolution taken off the agenda at the Brighton Labour Party conference, in favour of evasive formulas. He has firmly supported the continuing witch-hunt.

He has also successfully dumped Labour's policy of British withdrawal from the EEC.

Socialist Organiser does not shed tears over the demise of this backward-looking, nationalist policy. But John Ross does. He has recently been explaining, at length and somewhat excitedly, that British withdrawal from the EEC should be a cardinal policy of the Left. • And certainly opportunism, not internationalism, was the reason for Kinnock dumping it.

All this ... and Ross is still waiting for 'qualitative steps' in the future before any challenge to Kinnock (or even Hattersley) will be justified! Just what will count as a 'qualitative step'?

Presumably Socialist Action think they are carrying out a clever tactical move. Even if it is desirable, a left challenge to Kinnock is not immediately possible. So (they may reason) why not declare it undesirable?

You lose nothing in practice, and you gain in terms of Socialist Action's acceptability to the broadest left. Kinnock ...

Playing down the ideological tasks of Marxists in favour of schemes about pushing forward 'processes' , 'waves' and 'evolutions'. , has long been a characteristic trait of Socialist Action's.

And here their approach is opportunism in the classic sense: sacrificing long-term perspectives to (presumed) short-term gains.

Woeful

The present state of the Labour Party is woeful if measured against the needs of the working class. The task of Marxists is to change it for the better - and as a start to arm as many as we can of the Left with the urgent desire to change it.

It is not to go along with the view of the 'war-weary' left that Labour will be all right if only we can prevent any big changes for the worse.

Scan page 3

Socialist Organiser no.155 November 17 1983 Page 3 Mick Woods ON Saturday 12 November Brent District Health Authority used a private coach firm to clear up last year's cuts before this year's started.

Leamington Park Hospital was a 96-bed geriatric unit on the corner of Wales Farm Road and Western Avenue.

For eight years it had been under threat and for that period had been denied adequate a holding action and provide 24 hour cover.

It was decided towards the end of the week to hold a meeting on Monday 14th to push for an occupation - to put the hospital into the hands of the workers and replace the hospital gates - removed and chained to a tree by management.

On Friday a scab furniture van broke through the picket line and removed furniture. It was obvious that the confrontation was near.

At the short notice given and in the absence of a credible prior campaign, it was impossible to muster many pickets for the next COMMUNITY IS NO DEFEN SELE DEFEN

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

CLASSFIGHTER CONFERENCE

I Social at baris T-on. 5Op with conference