Tuesday All day sponsorship forms for the tch-hunt had been thering beginning an sapper or me sell who nad aved the opposition to the register. e real meaning of this battle came me when the NEC results showed a ar right wing majority with Joan aynard and Eric Clarke off.
Moreover delegates were preparg for other policy victories. They tre lobbying for a two-thirds marity for unilateralism. They were shting for Dundee East's excellent solution on the Middle East calling Palestinian scil-determination, d for a debate on emergency resoluins on the same theme. They were shting for composite 17 against astic bullets to be taken to the conrence floor on Thursday.
The mood of intense discussion is reflected in the high attendance at New Socialist panel meeting on the anifesto and a further meeting, at pm, to which several hundred came e Labour Solidarity meeting beains to hear Tony Benn, Jeremy Bray, Michacl Meacher, Alan Freeman and acoate ine muture or democracy. Radice echoed a theme taken up by Foot in his second conference speech, in which he tried to claim inheritance of the socialist governments or owcach, rusua and Greece.
But as Alan Freeman pointed out, there was no mention of Germany where Social Democracy had been in office for many years coalition which was now set to ditch it. Could it be that Radice and his friends were preparing a coalition in Britain? How tempting it would be, just to keep Thatcher out! And how tempting it would be for a group of right wing MPs to walk over to the SDP benches to stop unilateralism being implemented!
We want the left to organise now, said Freeman, because this time don't want a repetition of 1931. We don't want a decade of unemployment, war, and Labour defeat. want to win - and those who do not want to win should be made to step aside. Wednesday It was on Wednesday bombshells started to go off. Conference unilateralism got is two-thirds ma- exploded Jorily and within hours Hattersley was exprammg to me mena tat tac NEC could not be bound by this decision. Conference erupted with anger as the union block vote was used to crush resolutions calling for women to have more representation in the party.
At this point a differentiation in delegates reactions suriacco. blamed the unions as a whole and echoed calls for an end to the block vote. But anotner, more dominant view came over: this said we should democratise the block should go into the unions and fight.
This latter sentiment came to a head with the extraordinary scenes surrounding the NEC front of cameras and delegates alike, first Clive Jenkins and then Arthur Scargill came to the rostrum to protest the result. Was it just a counting error? As one of the scrutineers told us, it was rather hard to find out since the count was organised by the fulltime officers! But then it came out: Weighell had broken both his mandate and his promise to the NUM by casting his Tom Breakell, depriving the miners of a seat on the NEC for the first time in ycars. became a certainty. was not Michael Foot's but Healey's. with a 16-13 majority. What on earth did this have to do with the policies conference WES as part of a made their opinions clear at Tribune's rally. Kinnock got a magnificent standing ovation - from one person.
to precede one Dennis Skinner in the speaking order. man. And in the most popular speech of conference, he ripped Kinnock to pieces in a sustained masterpicce of sarcasm. Kinnock has for the funny rallics — but Skinner would have held his own in competition stand-up comedian in Britain. audience loved it.
this? he said. struggle ahead. Twenty-six countries are rescheduling their debts. Half our banks have debts to developing coun tries equal to twice their assets. Wil tell you why I want to nationalise the banks: I want to save them — for us!' that the "There's E636 billion there, went on, and our bankers are raking it in at 26 per vestments while the cconomy is ravag ed. And can anybody wonder? Why when you can vote for the rightwinger With these revelations a suspicion The new NEC stitutions.
passing? Delegates And he was unfortunate enough Skinner is a plain port lukewarm given Tony speech, speeches at Tribund sent membership -any The Yet he finished on a deadly serious *What is the backdrop to all "Well, there's a big Thursday The put cent on these inOld acquaintance: Benn, Maynard, Foot. Who will stand up to the right wing? By our correspondents put money in industry at five per cent get ten to twelve per cent from the building societies?
*The industrial economy is being flattened,' he told a now silent audience, 'and we haven't even got the guts to pass a resolution so that workers can take over the financial inSkinner's forthright speech. his call for a fight, 'all the way down the road and on the left hand side and his endorsement of class struggle ('let's organise the extraparliamentary ac tion that will refresh the parts the Party fails to reach") got tremendous sup This was in sad contrast to the and puzzled reception Benn in the closing them, where he called for unity around the present policies, the preand the present Foot'. leadership. It was the first time in a few years we actually saw the benches emptying as Benn spoke. tersley But the stage had been set. On Thursday delegate after delegate ros to challenge the NEC to declare it tant, unilateralism manifesto. Ray Hill, an. unemployed steel worker, traumatised the trade union leaders with a vitriolic attack on Bill Sirs' leadership of the steel strike. Composite 17 opposing the use of plastic bullets was debated - and passed. Sunday's anger had turned to determination.
Only one person could deflect such a mood: and he did. Looking as uncomfortable as could be expected, Tony Benn called for endorsement of the Liaison Committee report economic strategy with the scarcelycredible claim that it 'did not constitute an endorsement of incomes policy". Thus Michael Foot will be left free to "negotiate with the unions" -and we know what he negotiated with the unions in 1976. To set the seal or the contusion Benn explamed. in a remark that was clearly intended for the media and was cagerly seized by that would *wholcheartedly and unreservedly for a Labour government under Michael was not what delegates wanted to hear. They wanted leadership in the fight against Healey, Hatand Weighell - and the didn't get it.
But the momentum of opposition fixing was not going to be stopped.
That night's packed fringe meeting against the thrown together as it was even as conference unfolded, marked an impor faltering, first step: a step towards an organised resistance, a step towards organised offensive; a spelicies on a Labour government. towards imposing AT He TO HARRIS Socialist Challenge 9 October 1982