As Callaghan seeks more independence from Party policies ABOLISH THE PLP!

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As a fitting tribute to a long, distinguished career, George Russell Strauss was created a life peer by Callaghan in his retiring PHOTO: Chris Davies. Report Callagnan The issue of the independence of the Parliamentary Labour Party and its refusal to be bound by conference decisions of the Labour Party has again come to the fore.

Callaghan's attempts to appropriate the whole of the €160,000 voted to the Opposition by Parliament, as a means of consolidating this independence, have been challenged by Tribunite party Treasurer Norman Atkinson.

He and other NEC members have insisted that it should be made clear that the PLP is subject to the control of the national party organisation.

Callaghan, more wary than ever of moves that might make the rightwing dominated PLP in any way answerable to the rank and file of the Labour Party, has replied however that the money should be controlled entirely by the PLP itself.

In this he has the enthusiastic backing of Tory ministers who are eager to promote the present separation between Party and leadership.

Meanwhile Labour's opportunist 'left' is obviously itself divided on its attitude to the present system of patronage within the PLP. Through this mechanism Callaghan, like other Labour leaders before him, has been able to preserve the control of the right wing leading clique while cynically exploiting individual token 'lefts'.

Appointed

Following the recent PLP ballot which elected 12 of the 17 places on the Shadow Cabinet (11 of them right wingers) Callaghan offered an appointed place on the front bench to both Eric Heffer (a former Labour minister under Wilson- and to rising opporKinnock tunist left' Neil Kinnöck.

Heffer refused, declaring that all the places should be elected, and that it was not worth being "gagged"

Kinnock, however, had

I such objection, and took up. Callaghan's offer of the position of Education and Science spokesman.

Both Heffer and Benn, their plans for the dem cratisation' of the Labour Part stress, however, the role of ti PLP, rather than Party confe ence in electing the shado cabinet.

But as long as the PLP co tinues to function on an aut nomous basis, the Party leade ship will be able to u procedural excuses to evade tl clear mandate of Party confe ence.

The way forward must be combine the fight for ti removal of the present rig wing leadership with the call f the abolition of the PLP, ar for all MPs to be answerable. the Party rank and file for the actions.

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PARTY PHOTO: Andrew Wiard, Report