SDP uses block vote

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laboriously-prepared contributions.

Most craven of all were the succession of tired old hacks wheeled out from "around the regions" to back up the GMWU leadership's "Special Motion" setting out a so-called Campaign for Full Employment" , after the various opposing resolutions had been moved.

One after another they droned on about the "realism" and "firmness" of the motion which specifically avoided any commitment to action in defence of jobs.

Gesture

Instead it called simply for priority to be given to "minimising the effects" of bosses' plans for redundancy, natural wastage, cuts and closures; threw in a gesture of support for a shorter working week and cuts in overtime; and called vaguely far. "control" over new technology.

Alternative composite motions-one calling for automatic support to industrial action taken in defence of jobs, and the other calling for "industrial and political action to resist Tory policies and drive the Tories from office" - were vigorously opposed by Basnett and heavily defeated.

But even in this carefully-controlled environment The bizarre ideas of. "derocracy» peddled by the Social Democratic Party were exposed to more public scrutiny last week.

On the one hand the undemocratic "black vote" of the Gang of Four proved decisive in the appointment of a leading basiessian es the Party's Chief Executive.

The post, which carries a salary of £20,000, was open only to top managers.

Hefty losses

But the successful appli cant, Mr Bernard Doyle, must be hoping that revenues from the SDP's crodit card operations prove more healthy than those of his old fim Booker McConnell, where as chairman he presided over the transition from healthy profit to hetty loss.

On the other hand the SDP's procedures for selection of parliamentary candidates aiso emerged as strikingly unorthodox.

The contest - was not between wouki-be candidates, but would-be spectators of the inevitable electoral disaster for the SDP in the Warrington by-election.

Shirley Williams won. She was first into the field with a declaration that in no way would she stand.

Lumbered

Roy Jenkins, slower off the mark, found himself lumbered with an unwinnable campaign in a seat a good 100 miles north of his. usual gastronomic haunts.

musliminaru charkest: of the winnability of seats the SDP's computer showed Warrington 555th out of 630. But computers can be wrong-and with Jenkins as their public face, this over-optimistic rating should obviously be revised downwards!

* Meanwhile there were screams of amazed outrage fast week as the right wing Fabian Society voted by i narrow majority to bar SDP members from full membership.