Labour Conterence Needed: political challenge to Callaghan

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The inquiry will revolve around five union general secretaries, whose disinclination to extend rank and file democracy can be judged from their behaviour at the TUC and union conferences.

: But while the press focusses exclusively on these constitutional changes, the real issues at stake at the Labour conference are obscured. • Callaghan would undoubtedly suffer a further blow to his pride and authority if defeated for a second year running on a major issue.

No alternative But at the same time the 'lefts' who sound off so readily about 'democracy' have still done nothing to spell out any political alternative to the right wing's basic orientation-seeking to manage crisis-ridden British capitalism in such a way as to produce a few half hearted reforms' for the working class.

Labour's dismal and reactionary Election Manifesto this year reflected not so much a lack of democracy in the party as the fact that the capitalist crisis is so deep that there are no reforms that can be offered: instead living standards must be attacked to raise profits.

The 'lefts', ', themselves dedicated to seeking gradual Parliamentary reforms through state investment and subsidies to capitalist industry along with nationalist import controls, cannot politically challenge this position.

The only serious challenge to Callaghan would be one based on the need to mobilise the mass strength of the working 1978 Conference class for the overthrow of capitalism, the nationalisation without compensation of basic industries and the banks, and the establishment of a planned socialist economy under workers' management.

And as long as they shrink from such a position the lefts' must also inevitably pull back from the necessary struggle for the removal of the right wing Całlaghan-Healey leadershipwhich would then face them with the task of leading workers forward in struggle or standing themselves exposed as the pompous windbags they are.

While the SPG murderers of Blair Peach are allowed to roam free, the political trials of 342 of those thousands of demonstrators who dared to oppose a deliberately provocative NF meeting in the centre of Southall are running daily at Barnet Magistrates Contradictory police evidence is accepted as good coin and defence evidence brushed aside without a thought by a bench who have maintained an astounding 80% conviction rate.

Seventy or eighty of the defendants are likely to be jailed in the immediate future.

The whole issue of the events of April 23 and since must be raised within all bodies of the labour movement.

Contribute towards the fines of the defendants by sending donations to the Southall Youth Movement (SYM, 12, Featherstone Road, Southall, Middlesex).

Join the picket of the reopened inquest of Blair Peach at Hammersmith Coroner's Court on Thursday October 11.

Demand a workers' inquiry into the Southall events of 23 April.

Demand the disbanding the Special Patrol Group.