the necessity to combine mass action with a Below we publish a much abridged extract ton Gree aster Monda Sloane Si ictoria st Whitehal been going on. AJP Taylor regarded the Conference decision as 'really a distraction...
Labour left were in a dilemma. They had the conference behind them. But if they attempted to apply those decisions, Gaitskell and the right would fight There would be a risk of splitting the party and wrecking electoral chances. MP Zillacis Called or Zilliacus called CLPs to ensure that MPs either supported conterence policv or resign. But most cried 'back' In Parliament only five MPs voted in line conterence policy during the defence debate. The right also began organise in the unions and.. the Party as the Campaign run by Bill Rodgers To their suprise they found that the CND and Labour lefts were not runthe callivalsi Party and union branches.
Amr int after Labour left Scarborough managed to put on the defensive ideologically. Gaitskell raised the issue of NATO repeatedly and harangued the 'neutralists and fellow travellers' The Labour lefts tried to avoid the unilateralism by the 1961 The rejection Party conference came as surprise. left, showing great skill and ingenuity, nad manag to stab itself in the Bike. The tomime horses antone norse The front end is basically a liberal capitalist party wate end is a muddled working class Limits The Labour left was determined to respect the boundary limits the right was prepared to The tront end of the horse was not prepared The back end, rather than risk a split, was reluctantly pulled into line.
CND neither foresaw nor guarded against this instead of its policy leaving the Labour Party struggle the Labour CND should have made a cicar turn to une Labour movement, Our sue roms mids. campaigning orientation CND did not produce literatur union and Labour Party rank and file, nor contact the branches. used mainly moral arguments, ratner than spell out the political issues involved and the economic consequences. It refused to raise the issue of industrial action. It did not fight its imto portant Labour movement friends when tney, equivocated over NATO. the Dear Comrade Cook get Parliamentary Labour Party Trident missiles.
Now this to abstain in the defence debate • against Cruise, government's insane You were Benn. shadow personal abuse body.
Unfortunately.
Benn (and yourself) to go along with policy in the voting What is the explanation behaviour?
to carry out Party policy.
mor John, a strong of Denis Healey is an Cruise, The fact that deputy leader shows that they UNiC ty, when Michael Foot retires Since your umns to an explanation from you. Comradely yours Socialist Challenge Socialist Challenge Over the past year and a half you hav become known as one of the most determir ed and forthright supporters of CND in th - speaking out up and down the country, against Cruise an We think this activity has been admirable Unfortunately, you have hit the headline over the past week or so, denouncing the can didacy of Tony Benn for deputy leader of th is strange. Just a couple weeks ago, the leadership of the PLP decide 75 Labour MPs decided not to go alon with this, and in accordance with Labour con ference policy, voted against the governmen Trident and the rest of th 'defence' plans. one of those 75. So was Ton As a result, Benn was 'carpeted' in th cabinet and subject to a torrent o from the members of tha you have joined in tha campaign, instead of defending the right o Part lobbies of the House for such illogica You say Michael Foot 'should be trustec But weren't you a lit tle bit concerned that Foot appointed Bryn opponent of unilatera as his defence spokesperson Does this strike you as a promising sign?
Tony Benn shares your unilateralist views unabashed supporter o Trident and the British 'deterrent' Foot and the rest of th Shadow Cabinet didn't want an election fo were quit Healey in an advantageou If you want a Party leadership which is go ing to fight for unilateralism, we suggest the you start supporting Benn and stop acting a a hatchet man for the anti-unilateralist right behaviour is sO illogical W would be more than happy to open our co 18 June 1981 Page