Will Labour's 'left' hold out against itch-hunters?

Scan page 4

All out Feb 5 day.

• While the right wing, aided and abetted by press stories of the "Trotskyist takeover" will no doubt be on the offensive, the willingness of the Tribunite 'left' to stand in defence of the democratic rights of socialists to argue their views within the Party will be put to the test.

The meeting will be lobbied by a delegation from Oxford demanding the reinstatement of expelled socialist Ted Heslin, a TGWU delegate to the Oxford GMC and a long-time Labour Party member.

Not denied Heslin was expelled last year for supporting the policies of Socialist Press.

He has never denied this charge: instead, with the full backing of his union branch and a defence campaign in Oxford, hè has fought for the right to argue his position in the Labour Party and to fight the anti-working class politics of the Callaghan-Healey leadership.

On this basis he has taken the case through the Party's appeals procedure. But an inquiry conducted by Party bureaucrats has recommended that the expulsion be upheld.

And two weeks ago a meetBevan ing of the NEC's organisation committee decided, on a split 7-5 vote, to recommend that the NEC, too, should place its seal of approval on the expulsion.

Opposition

The opposition to this was led by Tory Benn, and backed by four other 'lefts" present, including LPYS delegate Tony Saunois.

Benn But two trade union delegates reputed to be left wingers -Alex Kitson (TGWU) and Doug Hoyle (ASTMS)-voted with the right wing to provide a majority for the hounding out of a socialist from the Party's ranks.

Yet the full NEC contains a substantial number of lefts' who have not yet had to take a position. The vote could still go either way.

Heffer With the press in full cry over the supposed "takeover" 'of the party by "Trotskyist is" however, the pressure is plai nly on the NEC 'lefts' to make so: me gestures towards bourgeois 1 respectability by sacrificing one : Or two vocal opponents of 1 the Callaghan-Healey leadership.

But at the same time w ith Benn and leading Tribuni ites such as Heffer arguing t hat. Trotskyists should be oppo: sed ly problems for them in simply endorsing the first of what threatens to become a growing list of expulsions.

Harmless And quite obviously none of Labour's 'left' want to see the all-out war within the Party which would be unleashed by any attempt to purge the Militant group, which has over. the years proved itself harmless to the right wing, a useful cheerleader for the 'lefts' and a means of attracting and drawing in votes and support from layers of youth who would otherwise be wholly alienated by the reactionary politics of the Labour leadership.

Youth officer and Militant supporter Andy Bevan, for instance, whose planned party political broadcast so horrified this week's News of the World, has repeatedly urged Callaghan to give the LPYS a fiee hand so that they can go out and get the youth vote for Labour.

As the right wing assess their options for embarking on a full within the Labout Party misss socialists recognise the necessity to mobilise in the fight for the removal leadership, al limited dem presently ex within tae rarty Itsell.

A consistent, socialist int nationalist perspective must be fought for as the only alterr 1ative to a continuation of, Callaghan's betrayals.

It is on their ability a nd willingness to wage such a fig ¡ht in practice that the lefts' a nd the Militant must be judge ed.

In the course of su ch struggles, increasing numbers of Labour activists and tra de unionists will recognise t he necessity for an alternati ive socialist leadership to dire ict their fight.

----- pull-quotes -----

Gold and the pound in your pocket