LAW will fight on

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THE witch-hunt is still alive and kicking. That was the message coming through loud and clear at look like a picnic" the first annual general meeting of Labour Against the Witch-hunt (LAW) on Saturday 26 Novembetthe business" side of the AGM was unfortunately, to say the least, tedious, not least in view of the attendance, only enderstand. 36. of which only four were Sw ümičn.

There was some discussion on how this could be rectified.

John Bloxam, Press Officer, (Bow and Poplar CLP), suggested Ireland does to its people.

the campaign should be more postıve ın passing on intormation about new developments in ish military rule. Other comrades pointed out the low level of trade union involvement and suggested that affiliation from workplace branches was the obvious link to Protestant state for a Protestant people' be made here.

Of more pressing interest was the agenda section entitled "Witch-hunt reports" - six in all.

Astonishing done in Northern Ireland. Alf Holmes gave the first report as chair of the still disbanded Manchester Wythenshawe CLP. He reported on the astonishing events at Wythenshawe's long-awaited AGM on November 4, where no membership check reorganisation of Ireland.

took place on the door, on the instructions of the Labour Party National Agent David Hughes!

The meeting was eventually abandoned by the same character system. two-and-a-half hours later after a Richard Paine, delegate from Coventry SE CLP, reports on the LAW AGM.

number of right wing delegates had been challenged and expelled from the meeting for amongst other things, not being members of the Party!

Dianne Minns, secretary of Hornsey and Wood Green CLP reported on the possible responses by her Constituency to the expulsion of Tariq Ali.

The AGM unanimously resolved to support Hornsey should they refuse to carry out the expulsion, so challenging the right of conference to trample on democratic rights of individuals or groups of socialists, particularly Tariq Ali, where the only justification given was his political VIeWS.

The AGM took a similar decision in relation to Islington South CLP, should they refuse to expel Ted Grant and Peter Taaffe (two of the five members of the Militant Editorial Board). The problem here is the attitude of Militant itself, at best confused, but at worst a downright refusal to be defended.

Similar problems were repo: ted from Hammersmith North CLP which had just decided not to implement ine conterence decision to , expel another Fditorial Board member, Keith Dickinson.

Further imples corruption increasingly endemic in Labour's right wing, came from an erstwhile member of the Acocks Green ward in the Birmingham Yardley CLP, who reported that she and three other new residents, two already party members, are being currently refused membership of the ward on the grounds that they were "the first batch of 30 Trotskyist infiltrators"

But perhaps the most astonishing report, though not really a witch-hunt, came from Mick Woods of Brent East where two members had been expelled by the CLP for publicly supporting the SDP in the General Election.

The two ten appealed to the Labour Party National Executive, which had turned their appeals down, but still instructed the constituency to reinstate them as members.

These reports, in many ways, typical of events up and down the country, really set the tone for conference. LAW has a tremendous responsibility as the only remaining campaigning. body against the on-going witch-hunts.

Militant seem to have finally called it a day with their own Labour Steering Committee Against the Witch-hunt.

Speaking to a series of proposals from the outgoing secretariat, Reg Race urged all delerates to go on the offensive, It. ognising that the answers aren't constitutional but consist simply of beating the right wing.

The expulsion of Tariq Ali simply for his political views, ne argued, is the ideal stick with which to attack the right and win.

Secretariat proposals already encompassed in the mood of the meeting and a resolution from Wythenshawe CLP were passed unanimously. They include:

*A national campaign in defence of Wythenshawe and the suspended Manchester councillors.

*A campaign to defend the rights of CLPs to determine their own membership.

*Campaigns against expulsion and in favour of readmission of socialists to the party.

*Regular reports on witch-hunts in LAW mailings.

*A membership drive.

The task now is for LAW to turn its vision into reality. The need has not been greater.

Labour Group for Human Rights in Sri Lanka PUBLIC MEETING TONY BENN JEREMY CORBYN, MP Rajes Balsubramaniyam (Labour Group/Tamil Women's League)

John Chowcatt (ASTMS)

Speaker from EELAM Solidarity Campaign THURSDAY, Dec 1,7pm Hampstead Town Hall Haverstock Hill, NW3 (opp Belsize Park tube)

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(Top) Part of the audience at the conference. (Above) Jane Ashworth THIS year's CND conference occurs with the disarmament movement facing a major crisis of direction. The most dynamic and radical sections of the campaign are confronted with a CND leadership which is determined to Tom Rigby and Judith Bonner highlight the key issues at this year's CND Organiser, 1 December Page