At a Labour women's conference twice the size of last year's delegates voted to call for the withdrawal Atlantic and to condemn the Labour leadership for not opposing the war.
The conterence meeting at Newcastle's City Hall last weekend, went on to: * vote for withdrawal from NATO support the struggle of the workers in Poland and *back overwhelmingly 'claim * endorse aldjority of the platform, the Party Young Socialists campaign on youth unemployment.
The size of the Cheques Prises c/o Badges, PO Box 50, London of the British fleet in the South ference, its militancy and is cenao lid women's voice be heard inside the Labour Partv retlected the increasing involvement of tions, women's and in the trade unions.
successes were scored against a section of une platorin ual trica lo create mosphere against and in particular the Militant tendency.
The conference contirmed thai women ae m the leadership of the fight Losocials. policies anu campaigning action inside the Labour Party and labour movement. Conterence voted according v to give women a more effective voice in the party.
demanding Inau resolutions should go women's conference Labour Partv again against the majority VIew platform. addition delegates voted for direct election from the women's conference to the NEC of the Labour Party, and that the women's conference should be allowed to elect its own national committee.
Sharp divisions between constituency delegates and trade union Women protesting at last year's Labour Party conference that they make policy not tea delegates on many of the points on the conference agenda revealed the need to step up the campaign for socialist policies in the Hilary Astor, delegate from Hillingdon women's section, pointed out that the trade unions were in the fore of fighting for positive action for jobs and that this needed to be reflected . centrally in the Labour Party too. Likewise only if the trade unions could be won to support the constitutional changes proposed by the conference could they be won in the Labour Party.
American forces could use bases in Egypt NAVAL PRESENCE Mor any action in the Persio Americon bases Proposed American bases made by Hazel MacPherSUlL. a delegate from the National Union of Railwaymen, speaking in a personal capacity, at Socialist Challenge fringe meet 3. An audience of delegates heard Hazel say that the fight for positive discrimination in. side the Labour Party had to be part of a strategy for Not the wollcil Controversy But undoubtedly the most controversial decision of the conference was its sharp opposition to the SUDOUL given by the Labour leaders to the Tories' war drive. Valerie Coultas (Handsworth), seconding the successful = resolution, tool of those who F denounced the ICSO ULIOI for dividing real treachery, see the 'Ihe she said, 'is not of those who oppose the war, but those leaders like Michael Foot who have betrayed the labour movein his support for imperialis terests.' Increasingly the fight to make women's voices heard and effective withir the labour movement will involve a fight against the right wing of the labour movement and its policies spares for two squadrons of fighter Socialist Challenge 18 June 1982
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Eject A motion was passed