Fighting Heseltine's cuts LAMBETH LEFT OPPOSES KNIGHT

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WANASWORTH SOCIAL SERVICES Lambeth anti-cuts demonstration last November position where unionists in the cuts No rate/rent increase' line public sector would link up with necessarily implies a challenge A meeting called by Lambeth Labour Left at Lambeth Town Hall on Friday 27 June brought together some 50 Labour Party activists from the left wing of constituencies all over London, on the basis of the 'No cuts, no rent or rate rises' position.

Lambeth Labour Left is a group of party members covering the four constituencies in the Borough of Lambeth, convened by Councilior Neal Turner.

increases Its origins were in the opposition to Ted Knight's Council's decision to increase rates and rents in the Borough and to evade attempts to mobilise the people of the Borough against the Tory government's attacks on municipal services.

Knight's budget for this year included a 49% increase in the rates and £1.50 on Council rents as well as some reductions in capital spending plans, in order to maintain as far as possible the present level of services.

The LLL opposed this policy and argued for mass mobilisation against the Government's reductions in Rate Support Grant, on the lines of continuing the campaign commenced by the Lambeth march against the cuts of November 7 last year.

Thus far LLL have won support for their position from one (Vauxhall) of the four Lambeth constituencies, and have a growing number of supporters in areas of the other three constituencies.

As a result of its 'Left' reputation, Lambeth is in a somewhat different position from other Labour Boroughs in London.

Paula Moore from Southwark Council described how the right wing Mafia' held onto control and implemented all Heseltine's instructions with alacrity, having made a 46% rate increase, 17% rent increase and 5% cuts.

Sell off

They are now planning to sell off their land holdings to private developers in order to make a quick capital profit before the Local Government Planning and Land Bill No. 2 comes into effect which will force Councils to sell under very disadvantageous conditions.

Mike Titchelar, from Lambeth NALGO described how Knight had won the support of the unions with promises of no redundancies, and that this position had blocked the involvement of the public sector unions in any fightback against the Tories which was developing in the area.

Nevertheless conflicts were developing inevitably, on the que Town all, and s iso ost he introduction of new technology.

The industrial action on the comparability claim earlier this year had shown NALGO members that they had real industrial muscle.

The Council had to make special arrangements with the union to keep the Finance section working at a le vel sufficient to keep afloat all the emergency loans 1 hat the Council had arranged with City money lenders.

He looked to future the tenants and the clients of the public services in a common struggle as ainst the Tories.

Discussion turned to the various forms of struggle which were appropriate in the differing conditions of various parts of London and how these could be linked into a unified and strengthened campaign.

John Archer, Haringey CLP. etreeeed the fart that the Nn to the Thatcher government's right to rule.

There should be no more Clay Crosses, he said, calling for joint action across the whole of London.

Obstructive action particularly by the public sector unions would play a crucial part in developing the campaign and would give confidence to the Cabarillau rohia sand area da WIO live under the personal threat of surcharge or imprisonment if they acted in isolation from a mass campaign.

A central part of any such campaign would be the removal of Callaghan and the other leaders who obstruct the fightback.

Newham

John Plant, from Newham described some of the problems of fighting for the 'No cuts, no rent/rate rises' line in a right wing dominated He had spent half of his time as a councillor under suspension from the Labour Group for various 'offences' of voting and speaking against the majority line in Council.

The Tribune supporters in the Local Government Committee had headed the conflicts away from the sharp edge of the Ted Knight rates question and onto a general point about democracy in the Labour Group.

Nevertheless it had been possible to use positions on Newham Council to make propaganda for a fight against the cuts and to contribute to the development of local cuts campaigns.

The main question at this point was how these campaigns could be turned back into the Labour Party to give them a political dimension.

Clarity

John Ford, Deptford CLP and a supporter of the Socialist Newsletter argued that a fight against the cuts and against the Thatcher government would also mean a fight against leaders like Knight, and would mean that the campaigning bodies would need much greater political clarity than is generally the case.

He accused the Lambeth Fightback Campaign of providing left cover for what he called Knight's betrayals.

This contribution was greeted with a wave of groans and jeers.

In attempting to assess the meeting the first thing to be said is that it is a big step forward for it to have happened at all.

It is notoriously difficult to extend Labour Party campaigns out of the constituencies in which they commence without the backing of the official Welcome Secondly, it is necessary to welcome the fact that there are groups and individuals in many parts of London who are concerned to turn the fight against cuts in municipal services into a mass campaign which will challenge the government and the present Labour leadership.

It would be wrong however to ignore the problems and weaknesses of the movement at the present stage.

The majority of those present were associated more or less closely with one or other of the left groupings in the Labour Party, and the rank and file membership was not present as major component of the meeting.

Nor were there significant numbers of trade union representatives or delegates from tenants movements.

Activists

The organisational discussion which took place was to a large extent one between already convinced activists.

This in itself is no bad thing at this stage in the campaign, but it is obviously necessary that the campaign turn. outwards towards the mass membership of the Labour Party and the unions as quickly as possible.

Before this step can be achieved there will have to be further discussion on the detailed tactics of the campaign, particularly in relation to leaders of the Knight/Livingstone variety, who will in all probability be forced to fight Heseltine, on Heseltine's initiative if not their own.

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