The saw What does you being appointed editor represent and see me role o aroune over the next period?
Tribune is widely associated in the movement with what one might call the '50s left. If I'm associated with anything, it's the 1970s left, even the 1980s. In that sense the paper ought to begin to change. The level of debate will sharpen up.
am one of those who believes, rightly or wrongly, that one of the obstacles to socialism in this country They are as much part of the right as thev have ever been in recent history Many of them are just as determined not to implement many of things in Labour Party policy and some of them are prepared to say so publicly.
Healey, for example, said that he would not want to serve in a government committed to unilateral nuclear It's not a question of Labour being ahead of public opinion in the country we re ninpig along behind the public opinion.
cerned, perhaps as far as the ComMarket Is conceicu. suspect as far as withdrawal from Ireland is concerned.
Tribune will not be the kind of paper where I expect all our readers to agree with everything they read. shall aim to provide a forum anybody on the left. I'm not talking about the left as between Tribune and Socialist Challenge. It Roy Hattersley has a message which he wishes to address to what he calls the hard lett he's welcome to have space in Tribune to do so and then l'Il give somebody the right to reply.
The editorial line will change from what it now is but the rest of the paper will be open to anyone who has something intelligent and informative to say.
But is it not the case that these won inside the unions?
Oh yes, you bet your life. One of the most exciting things about the deputy leadership campaign was that it put end to the idea of all • trade unionism. large fringe meetings at union con erences so me ucezarc al tric coll ferences were no longer the property of the general secretary or the leaders of the unions.
I would like to see the broad lefts in various trade unions encouraged and I would hope to give them space to do that.
There are [wo major issues would like to see developed. already gets an airing and that's the bomb and how we're going to get rid of just being sloganising but developing a practical for its removal And another coullll y think Tribune has forthright as it should have been is the women's movement in this country.
I would like to see Tribune becoming a forum for the great upsurge among women, to have an equal share in the society we live in. Statesman and Labour Weekly which he believes has 'been nobbled by the establishment. ' He spoke to Tessa van Gelderen on the role for Tribune and the present developments inside the how do you you have?
very well discrimination. understand the problem.
It's the problem women the time Party Well it is and it isn't the key they're never Do you Certainly eclaves and by that time, cast tor him away., 22228 non-political paper into the '80s? constituency «ne shrill and conference. this which motion been scribed list.
the How many women journalists do in mv situation realv do have to choose the best. I can't afford to go tor someone who can't do the Job for reasons of positive think VOU may 444444444424/ But on?
It tney aon t get that experience going the What should the Labour left be doing now about the witch hunt that still going on inside the party.
Think rete
should stand for the national exI was one of those who floated the idea and I maintain an open mind. If The were accepted as a candidate for Bermondsey I think the standing would fall Michael Foot, editor of Tribune in the section of the NEC is always over-subscribed and if you put up nine candidates for seven places, d you wl succcca m dong is creating a rift for the right to go I think it's inevitable that the issue of a purge will be high on the agenda A number of trade unions have already put forward a purge or prowonder if they really understand how damaging that Is to Labour's electoral chances. It's a major dis racton trom the real issues in country of unemployment, the Bomb and so manv other things If people believed that by voting Labour at the next election, it woulc around and now Malvinas. The majority labour movement are against the Tebbit Bill and yet both movement and the left have not initiated action. 2222222283 Working people in this country are demoralised because the biggest threat they face is unemployment. We have failed to communicate to people in the country that this is the most terrible thing since whatever. We've lost the propaganda war for the moment. I think the trade union leaders on this are doing their best. I think they more exercised about it than their members.
surely Tae members cynical of their own leaders who have not tought for jobs and so That's right in some cases. It's right in the case of the engineering union. It's socciaculai that workers of Laurence Scott and many other places will tell you. But we have to recognise and all the opinion polls SnOW this. that even among trade union members, trade unions are unDoDulal.
They have bought the that's thrown at them every don't think we can just blame it on the leaders That's an easy answer. have falled to persuade the country a large, for and seand. The of the things for stana. votes inside NUPE and TGWU in the deputy leadership election showed that.
'50s. Will Chris Mullin bring the 244444 What is your position on Malvinas and why do you think up till now the Labour leadership has endorsed the actions of Thatcher?
44444444448 My own position is that we shouldn t have sent the fleet. At the same time we should also recognise realistically that to say: , let's leave it to the Vations' is also the saying: "Let's leave the Falklands the hands of the Argentinians' I don't believe the should ever have got itself into a situation where the Argentinians were put in position to take them over by force but given that they had, i do not aclabour I CARL SAMES are lar DATA PROTECTION - too little, too late are Is Militant really on the Labour Left?
the recapture Une justified.
example, in the Falklands you miles away.
poison away. day.
doing against the white settler regime.
been appropriate which we involve you Falkland situation Photo: GM COOKSON this is the issue to whit:
tion from their internal problems. be convincea that ongoing permanent feature.
the content the taken up at the conterence 22283 Absolutely. 2442242233 the Market, incomes policy.
government campaign such as the campaign reselection, the electoral college, for the leadership. cept that the risks involved in a war to It's not an absolute principle. For Are dealing with 1800 people who live 8000 n8 winh 5 milion boce dealing with 5 million Rhodesians who live only 6000 miles all the same people who are now urging us to war, were not ver anything at al Again, an invasion might not have there. Inal inign killing a lot of people of the arguments against the present It's a confusing and complicated issue. some people on the leit nave said, Argentina's a fascist regime, this bash a fascist been regime over the head. I don't think One mustn't be too cynical but the whole affair is a series of bankrupt the Argentinian ed. regime, the Tory government and the have all found a convenient distrac- ¡cadersnp or une Lavour tarly wilc '82 Saturday, 8 May. What do you see its role being in the next period?
I'm a little unhappy about the way it's gone so far. It worked extremely well mittee when we had a definite issue around which to unite and it mav well work again in the future. I remain to it should be an who controls the manitesto is not going to be an issue at this con erence. But it's still the case tha' and should be So there is a role for something like Labour Liaison '82 to decide to concentrate on a few key issues Where united front action works best is where you have a limited one-issue for , for leadership and, who knows,
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Unemployment moving towards 4½ million?
We ahways have to win the arguments!