Socialist Challenge can secret group of people, with their own internal discipline, their own international links wiw snadowy, undemocauc organisatons are organising to destroy the Labour Party.
Members of this secret organisation constantly attack the policy of the Labour Party want to hold on to precious links with the IMF ane ne c-e ane are accountabie to no-one. This organisation - the 'shadow cabinet' has a huge apparatus to defend its operations, which it is now using to drive socialists out of the Labour Party. Part of this apparatus the aptly initialed CAC, rangements Committee) has ammendments sponsored by the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, aimed at delaying the implementation of any register and the recomendations of the NEC on Militant, must be ruled off conference agenda.
The National Executive CAC have determined on war in the Party for the next year at least. The NEC are convinced that the new Basnett/ Jenkins alliance blocking with Weighall, isolate the left will get the register through.
is reasonably good. All pointers indicate that the Militant sponsored Conference will be a serious show of strength. As indeed it must be. Militant are certaily in the van of the witch hunt. But there is an argument to be won there.
conference, Hackney North Constituency on 30 October will help to win that argument. The witch hunt is an attack on the mass movement. It is directed against the policies and some of the best fighters for those policies. the potential to win Labour a victory in the next election.
if the leadership of the Labour Party applied those policies then they would be standing at the heart of the tremendous trade union solidarity being Healthworkers rather than preparing a bloodletting.
Militant are the starters, the main course is the Bennite left in the Party and the unions. Failure to understand this basic point can cut off your understood that the witch hunt is an attack on the mass movement - it follows that you have to harness the support movement to defeat it.
Which brings us back to the Hackney Conference. ty itself, and on a basis which includes non-implementation of any on the register, the Hackney conference is an ideal opportunity to build an alliance which unites the fight against the witch hunt in the Party.
bring together from every area represented, ail those affiliated organisations, fighting for this policy. This applies most particularly in must face the resistance of the whole of the local labour movement.
While the Labour Party remains controlled by the right-wing leaders operating in alliance with a few trade union always be witch hunts. Because their power and authority in the Party was threatened this leadership will attempt to fight to the last drop of our blood more virulently than they ever tought the Tories. Put 11 September and 30 October in your diaries now!
SOCIALISM
reveal that a (Conference Ardecided that Committee and Boyd and Chapple On the other side of the equation the news 'Labour Movement at Wembley on 11 September called by the which have SHOWYA against the Tories, change PLO leave Beirut movement has an offical position on the struggle of the Palestinians.
The TUC supports UN resolution which tries to recognise the right of all mid-east nationalities to peaceful statehood welcomed the Camp David Асcords.
This position, adopted because of the pressure in part of imperialist interests and in bart trom the much capital moral nd il capital JCWISE suffering in Hitler's death camps, canIn all conscience be held for second longet Naturally the timidity of Congress House as exhibited in the health dispute allows little confidence that such a change will be made.
But that should stop every class conscious militant from asking what should be the line of the offical leadership British labour movement atter the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
the first place it should be made crystal clear that Zionism and its military machine, headed by butcher Sharon, cannot and Is capable of 'peaceful co-existance the dispossesed Palestinian people It has put ten thousand Palestinian fighters in CalDs the south of Lebanon.
It has maintained a barbarous bombardment •holding back water tood and medical supplies to the shell shocked population.
It has opened the door to direct HSCalls. tervention in the region It has installed a right wing leader of the Christian Falange as Lebanon's President. Wahington has connived in every foot of the astael davance Washington's formula for Middle East peace is to crush the Palestinain resistance. The Zionist war machine is the instrument. That is why the US stepped up its military supplies to for the months OCIOIC uevasor The mightiest imperialist DOWe the world has made its choice. Hatred Meanwhile, carefully calculated numbers of Palestinians being welcomed by the reactionary leaders of the Arab Hussein and his conorts harbour -a bitter hatred of the PLO. Twelve years ago he ordered his army to destroy the Palestinian camps in Jordan. But concessions have to be made as the Palestinian fighters have immense popularity amongst me arao masses Over the course of the bitter battle for Beirut the Arab leaders made their choice LOU. These leaders and the Zionist war machine, with imperialist connivance, have combined to deliver a bitter blow to the Palestinian cause.
Naturally the weakness of the political line of the PLO leadership has come the Lebanese war. After the 1967 war PLO leaders agreed a policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of Arab countries. This reflected the political dependence of the PLO on the Syrians and the Saudi Hidas acuaasO the Palestinian cause.
There has always been a tension between the continuous armed and mass struggle waged by the Palestinian organisations both inside and outside the OCCUDICO LeTaLOSCS and Israel itself, and dependence on the Arab leaderships.
Under some conditions the PLO's pact can create isolation other sections of the Arab masses those forces on whose mooHsanon umare VIe tory depends Nevertheless the struggle of the PLO in Beirut is inspiration across the Middle East and the world. As Israel pursues its advance it will continue in Northern Lebanon as well asi israel апа ше осcupied territories.
Now is the tume for tha British labour movement to change course. A MIddle East policy must start from the defence of the poor and oppressed across the region on the recognition of the legitimacy of the : Palestinan clalms for tneir own country. This course canJOE CO-CAISI with the existence of the Zionist state and locHals! alliances.
We can start the strug. gle for a leadership with such a policy through a campaign of aid BETO and solidarity with the PLO