Labour campaign debates Mark time, or fight

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January 21 at Conway Hall Join the Labour Committee on Ireland.

ON Saturday January 21 the first of three meetings which together add up to the 1983 Annual General Meeting of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy will be held in London.

On the following two Saturdays meetings will be held in Birmingham Glasgow.

The SDP-style AGM is obviously designed to give the very leadersnip the possibil- landmanhin 1L.

ity of a final mobilisation in Scotland, where the CLPD right wing is strong, if things don't go their way in the previous meetings.

The affairs of the CLPD are still being coloured by the clashes at last year's AGM. The Executive Committee (EC) is haunted by the fear of another major challenge to their positions. But many of last year's Left have given up on the CLPD because of demoralisation or disgust.

The EC majority has entrenched itself. Any challenge to them is likely to be confined to particular policy issues.

But this hasn't prevented endless stories about 'takeover bids' Vladimir Derer and Victor Schontield, leading members of the CLPD Executive, went to the AGM of the increasingly right wing Labour Coordinating Committee with an appeal for support against the Left at the CLPD AGM this year, like last.

The EC has put out a document which draws out the logic of their own utterly pessimistic and defeatist views (everything has been going downhill since 1979).

But there is, unfortunately, fetle prospect of a re-run of last number and content of the AGM resolutions circulated, the defeat of the Left last year and the leadership has sterilised much oI of the debate inside CLPD.

Resistance Three of the 26 policy resolu tions submitted want to prioritise resistance to the continuing witch-hunt - and call for an unequivocal stance. The great majority of other resolutions, however, are either statements from the EC, or concern disagreements within the EC majority. Some reflect the tensions in the developing alliance between the CLPD EC and the LCC.

The differences between the LCC and CLPD are expressed in resolutions on the issue of 'One member, one vote', and, in a more oblique way, around what CLPD should be doing now.

The LCC wants a branch ballotting system for Labour Party leadership and deputy leadership elections and (sometimes)

===EatE Snature inhich includes affiliated local trade unions! .: hese important issues.

Ther aiso want to restrict CLPD itself to simple propaganda and lapar from supporting caders hope to put 1 the demands of the Labour Party women's conference) 'to temporarily desist from prosecuting changes in the Party constitution"

It seems that the LCC has decided not to campaign openly for uncritical acceptance of the present Labour Party leadership. They do not openly attack CLPD's support for Heffer against their hero Kinnock in the leadership elections, nor the CLPD EC's support for annual leadership and deputy leadership elections. Instead they are trying to restrict the CLPD to doing virtually nothing.

Despite their slightly frantic appeal for LCC/Clause 4 voting support, and despite the political logic of their own support for 'unity and don't fight, the CLPD leadership is wary of being marginalised by the LCC. In contrast to the statements they made to the LCC AGM, that the differences between them were so small that 'the two sides can agree to differ, and [the differences] offer no obstacle to continuing to work together" , the CLPD EC's statements to its own AGM have an entirely difterent tone and content. In a scarcely disguised land ail tou accuratel attack on the LUC. they stare: "CLPD faces ler on CL. 28 at Digbeth Civic to the magic formula) "campaigning' • The various reasons given for this - that the much-needed constitutional reforms have now been achieved; that policies are more important; that Party unity is possible only if constitutional reforms are given up - these reasons amount to little more than an attempt to justify a virtual capitulation to the status quo...

•The gains made by CLPD can all too easily be thrown away: by surrendering to the fashionable demands for 'mass' ballotting of the Party on issues; by abandoning the campaign for accountahility... This be allor 1 to happen"

In this and other statements and resolutions, the CLPD EC goes to great lengths to insist that CLPD has a reason for continuing to exist.

Despite the obstacles, including the format of the AGM, it is not possible that those who were prepared to stand up and fight for left-wing politics in CLPD a year ago have all disappeared. They will provide the basis for the fight at least to commit the CLPD to an unequivocal position on the witch-hunt.

Despite all its present defects, the CLPD remains a substantial and important organisation. Much of the support and influence that the CLPD leadership won in the fight for democratic reforms is still there. Affiliations and new members, for example, show no significant decline over the previous years, and the South Wales NUM has ¿unated £100 to the campaign.

CLPD's size and weight in the Labour Party make it an important prize for Kinnock and his supporters. Conversely, to commit the CLPD to an unequivocal position on the witch-hunt would give a major boost to that campaign. Come to the AGM!

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

= the reselection of MPs. They ==: so dissolve the present CEscuence Labour Party

• CLPD AGM: January London; January at Digbeth Halls, Birmingham; February 4 at the Nort Hotel, Glasgow