THE 24 October CND demonstration will be the biggest step yet taken against the mounting missile madness that affects the leaders of the 'free' world.
As tens of thousands pour into London to speak out against Cruise and Trident, it's a useful time to map out the future direction of the movement.
The most significant development in the 18 months since CND burst back on the scene has been the dramatic events in the Labour Party which pose the possibility of a future Labour government banning all nuclear weapons.
The disarmament movement has received a real shot in the arm as union after union - the transport workers, the rail drivers, and the white collar union ASTMS - voted for Britain to unilaterally disarm.
This was capped off by both the TUC and the Labour party annual conference endorsing the unilateralist call.
The fight in the Labour Party and trade unions over the Benn challenge to Healey opened up all sorts of debates over policy within the labour movement - the nuclear arms issue being central.
The contest highlighted the need to make MPs accountable to the movement which they supposedly represent.
Labour party activists rightly argue that there is little point in fighting for party conference to adopt policies which the Members of Parliament can blithely ignore.
And the Benn-Healey fight exposed the need for democratic control over the use of the trade union vote at the TUC and soctalist Challenge Labour's annual conference.
Following the 1980 Labour Conference the leader of the party, Michael Foot, appointed Brynmor John as shadow spokesperson on defence.
John is an ardent opponent of unilateral British disarmament. Foot could put John forward because the movement wasn't strong enough and clear enough politically to stop him.
The situation is turning now. Annual conference has adopted a unilateral policy and Brynmor John is having to consult his friends about whether he can continue to speak for Labour on nuclear arms.
The combination of a campaigning mass movement and the fight inside the Labour Party and the trade unions has undermined the manoeuvrability of the Labour leaders.
What has to happen now is that the pressure must be stepped up. The fight to control the leaders of the labour movement has to reach into every nook and cranny.
The urgency of this task cannot be underestimated. As the Tory party fast loses credibility General Election draws closer.
must be firmly tied to stopping Cruise, stopping Trident — to lead the rest of Europe in the nuclear issues front.
should be committed to unilateral disarmament. going to need all the resources that CND has. CND has to place the labour movement at the centre of its strategy.
energy and enthusiasm of thousands of working class youth.
campaign absolutely rooted in the working class. divert its efforts into building a middle class 'peace' movement based on the churches, and and support the day of the next The next Labour government This means that in selection port for Young CND and agree to YCND's call for their age limit to go up to 25 in order to allow it to reach out to young workers in the trade unions and Moves to lower the age limit to 18 should be vigorously opposed.
Most of all, CND activists and all those opposed to nuclear weapons should forget any idea that MPs of any complexion are primarily persuaded by intellectual or moral argument.
The attitude of the Tory government will be only changed by millions of people making it impossible for them to continue on course. And the next Labour government will decide its policy on essentially the same grounds.
It is the expressed will of the mass of people in this country on the streets and through their organisations, that will strengthen the hand of those like Tony Benn who seek an end to nuclear weapons and defeat those like Margaret Thatcher and Denis Healey who seek to maintain them.
CND Annual Conference will be held on 13-15 November in Queen Mary College Mile End Road, London El.
Enquiries concerning the conference should be directed to: The conference CND, , I1 Goodwin Street, London N4 3HQ. Telephone 01-263 03401714/.
Socialist Challenge readers who sup port our views on how to build CND ana commit the next Labour government to unilateral disarmament will be supporting resolutions 27, 29, 31, 41, 45, • 71, 88, 108 and 119 at the coming conference.
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PROTEST AND SUR -AND