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-WANTED• PETE CASHMAN is the Class Fighter candidate for the YS place on the NEC. Active in the Labour Committee on Ireland (he's the youth officer) and organising the unemployed on Merseyside, he is committed to involving the YS in the day to day struggles of young working class people, for jobs, Be defend- It is contrary to all basic Feb 17) and if you want to discuss with him, invite him to a Get your YS to nominate him (into Walworth Rd. by tch-hunt. principles of Marxism and List be res- working class socialism to go A group of YS members have formed a YS gay group. They can be contacted via the Labour Campaign for Gay Rights at The Gav Centre, 61A Rioom St., Manchester.

First meeting: Feb 27, 6 pm., Gays The Word Bookshop, Fed up with being in a male-dominated, macho YS!

Do you think the YS should take women's issues Class Fighter is holding a one day conterence for women: we'll be discussing the subjects other eetings ignore, and there won't be any men there tell us how to think or what the right attitude is We'li be having workshops about women's unemployment and how to fight it; images of women we are given to live up to - perfect wives, and so on -; organising women in the YS; a practical session on seif-defence; black women's oppression; and a discussion about gay and straight sexuality, and, of course, what Class Fighter is going to do Conference will be in Coventry on March 12, ar Contact: Miranda Stead, Class Fighter Women's Conference Organiser, 36, Raleigh Rd., Feltham, London. (Or ring 01-609 3071)

AT last year's YS conference there was a good show of Class Fighter supporters, and we were able to run a series ot very successful fringe meetings.

In particular this year we must fight to get the maximum number of delegates and observers there. The best answer to the attacks or the YS by the right wing would be a very big and successful conference, that pledges itself to a determined and principled fight against the right wing witchhunters.

housing, sexual liberation.

meeting.

group 66, Marchmont St., London WC1.

YOUNG gays in the YS are determined to make Gay Rights an issue in 1983. For too long the Militant dominated leadership has ignored us and our struggle.

The Yo must realise that Gay Rights are a working class issue, affecting the lives of young men and women -many in the Labour Party and Trade unions.

One excuse used for not supporting us is the No Gay Liberation without Socialism' argument, which is a fact, but provides no reason for not confronting the everyday oppression facing young gays at school, at home, or at work.

Discrimination and victimisation at work is very common as is police harassment of gay pubs and clubs. There is also the reactionary age of consent law to contend with, which makes gay sex for males illegal under 21 years of age. For heterosexvals, the age limit is. 16.

Although sucialists general for many years have neglected the gay issue, there is a tradition within socialist parties to strongly support sexual freedon and the rights of gays. Two notable examples are the German Social Democratic Party of the early part of this century, and the Russian Bolshevik Party before the rise of Stalinism. In 1917, the Soviet Government abolished the Tsarist anti-homosexual Act.

This year's YS Conference has three resolutions on gay rights: these should be strongly supported t The resolution book has already, come out, and we have a poor showing in it in terms of our resolutions. We can certainly do a lot better. Let's make sure we have a big push for amendments, and also delegates.

The Class Fighter Steering Committee decided to hold meetings on women, gay rights, YCND, on "Fighting the Witch-hunts', and the Class Fighter What We Stand For' meeting, aswell as supporting and building for a meeting organised by the Turkey Solidarity Campaign gay Class Fighter has always argued that gay rights should be debated by the YS -we've been fobbed off time and time again. Will this year be different?

YS branches should affiliate to the Labour Campaign for Gay Rights, and take up our oppression in the movement.

Martin Goodsell Islington YS more seriously?

towards our own sexuality. about it.

is open to all women.

and the Labour Committee on Ireland meeting.

This will mean an organised intervention to make sure that the meetings are built for, aswell as doing contact work, etc.

Comrades should be raising the trade union forms in their unions. They are available from Walworth Road, and ask for sponsorship to the conference from trade union branches.

There are also leaflets on Socialist Youth, calling for unions to take copies in response to the recent attacks.

Whilst we Ieserve the right not to sell Socialist Youth, and sell the paper of our tendency, we must defend the right of the YS to produce a paper 100%, and this is one way of doing it - and at the same time, raising the YS in the union branches.

For comrades who have difficulty with accommodation, we will be organising some accommodation in Bridlington, but we must MILITANT must b ed against the w Every expulsion mi isted all the way.

Fight While doing this it is necessary for socialists to distance themselves from the way Militant has chosed to fight the witch-hunt.

Against the register Militant has refused to concentrate on a political fight and on building the widest left unity to win it.

Instead it has gone to court! This is tactically stupid given that the right wing has an NEC majority. It was predictable that they would change the rules to make them legally watertight. Militant has, by its tactics, helped a right wing to go for a deeper and probably more sweeping purge than they could have done under the proposed register.

is also unprincipled. There are occasions when it is perfectly reasonable for socialists to use the courts.

have bookings well in advance, and, of course, deposits to pay for the bookings.

Where possible, comrades should take up accommodaference with the other comKILLED rades in your branch.

Class Fighter supporters will be meeting on Friday night to distribute literature, and organise final details.

We must make sure our delegates get there early on Friday to attend composite meetings. In particular, there are two resolutions on gay rights - and we must fight to get that issue discussed at the conference, in favour of some jambouree discussion on the monarchy.

YS Conference is in Bridlington from Friday April 1 to Monday 4. Contact Class Fighter, 214, Sickert Court, London N1 soon for accommodation details.

KILLED to the bosses courts and set them up as the arbiter of the internal affairs of the labour movement. That's what Tebbit and the Tories are doing KILLED with their anti-union laws.

Against this background, Militant's going to the courts and, in effect, asking them to decree a larger measure of democracy than they can get LISASCAR'S from the NEC is to spread a great deal of confusion.

We must resist not invite LIFE IN THE every and any attempt of the courts to set themselves up ARMY as. impartial adjudicators available to all including the labour movement.

Labour Party and Trade Union democracy can only be won and secured by educating the rank and file. Miltant's action will hinder this not help it.

Nevertheless, the detence of Militant is, now the front line against the right wing backlash. TOIN NOW Jane Ashwortt Islington YS

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tion with their own YSs, and discuss throughout the con-

and not let it be pushed out RIHA