[The selection of Frank obson, former leader of…]

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The selection of Frank obson, former leader of Camden Council, as prospective Labour candidate for the St. Pancras South constituency has come as a profound disappointment to socialists and left-wingers throughout the Camden labour movement.

This was a battle to choose a successor to Lena Jeger in a constituency which stretches from Camden Town to Holborn, including the area of the big London terminal railway stations at Kings Cross and also the EGA Hospital, scene of a long closure battle.

Dobson-certainly the most right wing candidate available-was steamrollered into his position against the protests of most of the left within the constituency, from whose failure there is much to be learnt about the fight for a change of leadership within the Labour Party.

The selection process went through the wards and affiliated union branches in recent weeks with all the efficiency of a bureaucratic sledge-hammer.

Dobson, the main right wing candidate, received stage managed votes from several union meetings. He felt compelled to emphasize his past battles against property speculators when he was Council leader in 1973-5.

The other right winger was John Mills, currently deputy leader of the Council, who runs an export and import firm and strongly supported an increase in Council rents in 1975.

During the pre-selection jockeying two 'left' candidates emerged.

One was ex-councillor David Offenbach who is well known locally for opposition to government policies including the presence of British troops in The other 'left' was Chris Mullen, a former Tribunite MP, who was nominated by the two largest wards in the constitutency Somers Town and St. Pancras.

But the GMC Executive disposed of Mullen by dropping him from the shortlist in favour of the unknown Keith Morrell, a personnel manager from Sainsbury. • When this decision was referred to the GMC for consideration, the delegates there were prevented from reconsidering the list on the basis of a quite non-existent rule.

The reaction of St. Pancras ward Chairman Tommy Lee, and his wife Gladys, was to tear up their party cards and walk out.

Deputy Chairman Jack Firestein who tried to challenge the EC ruling, resigned, his position along with Assistant Secretary Peter Swingler.

In the week before the GMC election conference, the St. Pancras branch voted 22-0 to boycott the meeting and called on all other delegates to do the same.

This was a forlorn and hopeless method of protest, which gave the right wing everything they wanted.

Socialist Press supporters in the local labour movement, argued strongly that it was not a matter of arguing on grounds of 'national justice' or for.particular personalities, but of developing a fight against the right wing and challenging the 'lefts' . to break from wage freezing and coalitionism, and to kick out the right wing.

When the selection meeting finally took place on July 2, the 'boycotters'