*Opposed to democracy Europe government *Breaking with, the sky.
Foot's articles
cept his purpose in trying arguments at their peril.
Foot's image of his left opponent is the joke figure of comrade Smith of television sit-com fame who views socialist change in 'the prophecy of a great, supreme crisis as the inexorable means of establishing the new society as opposed to the steady remorseless Fabian method of human advance'.
flowery phrases manages to conjure himself out of the present 'supreme' crisis of Thatcher's Britain and Reagan's world in order to assert the nappiness or ine boom years of consensus.
But Foot gives the game away. His defence of the supremacy parliamentary democracy leads, tor him, to the inexorable conclusion that the last Labour government had a creditable record. Indeed, to suggest otherwise Foot intones monstrous perversion'.
Never does he allow the reality of parliamentary democracy capitalist slump to sully his Parliamentary democracy is an important gain for the working class. The political rights which exist in this country such as the right to assembly, INTENSE interest has greeted a series of arFoot in the newspaper. Foot charges that the left is:
*For the totalitarian despotism of Eastern traditions of socialism openly, to trade union organisation struggle and mass mobilisation.
no gual alice rights.
Foot cover for the same rights.
mal democracy.
Parliamentary democracy is no of guarantee of our democratic rights.
'Is and great ful of press barons.
disputes could consent instead of force?
party on a long term basis.
Observer paratus. other cirto establish the The left ignores his the right to express political views the right to vote and the right have, however, all been won through bitter But parliamentary democracy of our indeed. it nas provided tne erosion of these very vote fundamentally, parliamentary democracy is only forhimself.
the The major decisions affecting our lives are taken outside by unelected civil servants, by self-appointed heads of big business and by the tiny handTo what reality can Michael Foot be speaking when he declares that 'parliament is where be settled The facts show that whatever the will of the vast majority at any given confounded powerlessness over the state apThis we see vividly in the case of the GLC. An elected Labour GLC Is blocked in its efforts to bring about lower fares by a non-elected Lord Denning ruling in the interests of the property owners and the anti-working class Tory government.
During 1976, it was the International Monetary Fund, albeit with the connivance of the Michael Foots of this world, that dictated a policy of savage cuts and wage restrictions. The ist is enaless This reality is at the heart of the constitutional fight inside the Labour Are we to accept Michael Foot's conception of democracy as that of a Labour government responsible to non-elected powers of the civil service, the board rooms, the EEC or the police and army; or one responsible to the mass of people who fought to put them there?
It is this not the fatuous argument that the parliamentary leader now has authority over individual MPs which is at the heart of the matter.
Foot's idea of democracy comes to the simple act of marking a ballot paper.
The Alice-in-Wonderland meaning given to words is exposed by Foot defines 'democratic socialism'. nouncement of Nye Bevan as being 'collectivist, socialist power wielded by the central state, acting through Parliament'.
Such a hand-me-down socialism is opposite of democracy. It volves the elitists' idea that the goal of socialist politics is to act 'on behalf' of the supposedly ignorant and unwashed masses.
This bureaucratic, democratic. This excludes the majority of people, rather than involving socialist manifesto, capable of being introduced socialist Labour government and which doesn't make any concessions at all to the right.
This is a campaign that must be mounted, and in that sense we are going to be on the offensive in defence of Party policy It is therefore the right who have been seeking over the last few months to undermine the gains that have been made by the left.
What do you think that Labour Liaison '82 should be about? What is your attitude to the controversies surrounding its foundation example opposition some of the leaders of the LCC? The attitude of some comrades in the LCC quite honestly makes me puke. I wish they would depart in peace Labour Laison have carified quie I think attitudes well over the last weeks.
I think that there will be agreement that we should try to make a campaign in defence of Party policy witch-hunts, in support Tatchell, and in support of those who been debarred membership.
That certain to command universal support. I think the only area of contention really is whether there should be an election campaign for leader or deputy leader this year. by Inthem the real democracy. For language, finally comes down to the simple act of marking a ballot paper which accounts for his hostility to any of party Attatchment to parliament involves support for the Tory meaning of all his ornate Foot's idea of democracy It is this threadbare and banal idea Will he organise the Labour Party fight in extra-parliamentary action been fairly wel established by Tony Benn, others, that all the major reforms wo by the working class have been th result of tremendous agitation outsid parliament. We don't need to rely o Dave Ward, wi tional committe fice Engineers ( attend the foun Labour behalf of the P He spoke to So in a personal ca Why do you thin important?
Well, it's a ch the Party to go t sive against the r the Brighton Co have taken a bl with the witch-hu Some of the completely lost th tion. Labour Lia HE CSC Why do you thi been able to go First off beca of the Tories. workers on the c for radical chang just over the next Second, I thi
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By Toni Gorton and Brian Grogan ticles by Michael
*Against trying to elect a future Labour *Responsible for the successes of the SDP
established by Marx, Engels ... and even Trot- cumstances be only of passing interest. Ex- supremacy of parliament for socialists is a desire to legislate all those that disagree out of