[-Big money witch-hunt on 'H' Block demois prepared…]

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-Big money witch-hunt on 'H' Block demois prepared to split the Party rather than risk the loss of control by his extreme right wing clique, whose base of support is the Parliamentary Labour Party and top union This is the unmistakeable message from the manoeuvres of the last few weeks, in which Callaghan has been trying to repair the damage done to his authority by this year's Party conference.

There he failed in his bid to prevent democratic reforms being passed which pave the way for Party control over Labour's manifesto and the reselection of MPs.

Now Callaghan has pinned his hopes on the outcome of an all embracing "inquiry' into the Party.

While right wingers loudly complained that the left-wing controlled NEC had "rigged" the inquiry (by electing five left wing representatives as its delegation) Callaghan set about rigging it by arbitrarily packing on right wingers from the PLP When the NEC rejected the manoeuvre, Callaghan set about challenging their decision, invoking a 3fine whip of Labour MPs on an irrelevant piece of Parliamentary business in order to achieve a substantial right wing vote at last week's PLP meeting.

A major witch-hunt has begun in Oxford against trade unionists and Labour Party members who supported the recent Sinn Fein demonstration through the town.

Several trade union branches supported the march on the basis of supporting the political status for republican prisoners.

These included NUJ branches from Oxford and the Magazine Branches, Blackwells ACTSS and the TGWU 5/293.

Two Labour Party ward banners were on the 700 strong march, one from Oxford, the other from Hemel Hempstead.

Following the march an expensively printed and produced leaflet was handed out by people claiming to be students outside Blackwell's offices and the Cowley works. The 'students' admitted they were being paid £10 a head to hand out the leaflets, which ignored the desperation. of Callaghan's plight, and failed to turn out to participate in the crucial vote, leaving the Party leader with an unconvincing 133 to 61 majority. .

At the meeting, however, Callaghan pulled no punches in a vigorous witch-hunting speech which has since set the tone for his other public pronouncements.

Eric Heffer's pathetic bleats that such comments "are not helpful", , and that the NEC had never attacked the party leader. ship the way Callaghan is now attacking the NEC were brushed aside.

Giving a hint of one line certain to be taken up by the Party inquiry, Callaghan angrily demanded to know why the NEC had not acted upon the witch-hunting Underhill report, which alleged growing "Trotskyist"' activity in the ranks of the But from the 'lefts' there is little but an embarassed cough.

• Heffer was right. There never was-and still is not-any move by the Labour 'lefts' to kick out Callaghan or to offer a socialist alternative to his policies.

Callaghan has spelled out the stakes in the coming fight.

Either the lefts' will have to cave in publicly to the right wing machine, or they must prepare to fight for Callaghan's. removal-under conditions where he will go all-out to split the Party down the middle.

Callaghan were not signed or marked with any publisher's mark. The college which they claimed to belong to has denied knowledge of them.

The leaflets asked workers why their union 'supported the IRA' and went on to claim that their union leaders were supporting murderers.

The leaflets were a co-ordinated attempt, most probably by NAFF-type capitalists, to attack the unions themselves.

Own leaflet

Blackwell's workers hit back with a leaflet of their own. They pointed out that the issue had been discussed and approved in the branch and that there were differing views on the question amongst union metabers, and declared:

"Ireland is the country of the Irish people as a whole and they should have the right to determine their future.

«Britain and its army has no right to be there.

Benn Dear Comrade Benn, In January 1979 | was expelled from the Labour Party. By only 37 votes to 35 the General Committee of Oxford constituency decided that because of my support for the policies put forward by Socialist Press, paper of the Workers Socialist League, I should not be allowed to continue membership of the Party.

i appealed against the decision and, on the basis of a constitution by a landstide and failed to magic opposition into disappearing.

Now the Ayatollah Edwardes has repeated the formula for BL, claiming the support of 80% of the workforce for his programme of mass sackings.

The press had every right to cOW. It was a result which they played a major hand in providıng-a vindicaton oi the pressure which they helped to apply.

During the crucial few days following the announcement of the ballot it became virtually impossible to distinguish the advertisements placed by Edwardes, from the copy run in his support by the media.

There can have been few less private places to fill in the ballot form than the homes of Leyland workers, beseiged from all sides by leaders of industry, trade union officials, television, radio and the press to mark their cross in the box called suicide.

The Daily Telegraph acknowledged the importance of this barrage for the ruling class.

"As Michael said:

"Saying this does not automatically signify agreement with the methods of individual terrorism and civilian bombings used by the IRA.

"These methods serve only to obscure and alienate.

"The union supports no political party with the exception of the Labour Party-a levy which members can, and some do, opt out of."

While the employers pursue the witch-hunt the right wing trade union leaders have jumped on the bandwagon.

On the same day as a letter from the National Front appeared in the Oxford Mail asking why they were the only 'true patriots' who had been prepared to confront the march, an article appeared in the Oxford Journal quoting Trades Council president, John Power, as claiming that unions had defied a trades council vote not to take part.

In tact no vote had been alowed at the previous Trados

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OPEN CAN is convinced there is no feas alterative to the BLrecovery Trade Union members to vote Published by the Confederation of Shipbuilding and Engineering Unions Canley car workers on Confed protest march Cars Co Keith Joseph ANLE on dion cagel ad wer+ KO0c thent • a1 dic MajI indet buf 5- foI ROWeIt des a1 to The Executive Council We therefore strongly urge in the present ballot.

General Secreta A Ferry General Secrets AFerry Cars Council m Edward Edwardes

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The Ayatollah Khomeini won his ballot for a new

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