[The seeds of last week's complete collapse by…]

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The seeds of last week's complete collapse by Labour's self-proclaimed left-wingers were evident in the pre-conference public meeting staged by the The meeting, featuring no less than seventeen 'left' MPs, was lobbied by a contingent of over 30 SL members and Socialist Press readers demanding to hear where these "leaders' stood on the question of the Lib-Lab coalition.

A WSL leaflet spelled out the link between the 'lefts' 'Last week the Liberal Party Conference decided that if any left wing policies are adopted by the Callaghan governThis means that whatever left speeches are made by Tribune Group MPs they are absolutely worthless unless According to the advertisement for this meeting, there will be 17 Tribune Group MPs on the platform. This is more than enough to bring the government down (more than the Liberals). If those MPs on the platform this morning were to declare that they would not place their votes in support of the Government on any policies which attack the working Tribune Group the Sunday before.

and the Lib-Lab deal.

ment they will break the coalition.

they are prepared to bring the coalition down, class, the coalition could not continue.

The responsibility for the continuation of therefore rests squarely on the shoulders of Group MPs.

The replies by the Tribunite and unambiguous on this point.

Eric Heffer, for example, was asked by a carworker why he did not fight to break the coalition:

'Why don't you get knotted?' retorted Heffer, pushing his way through lobbyers.

'NOT ACCOUNTABLE

Veteran left talker lan Mikardo was equally explicit:

'Why don't you mind your own business? I'm not accountable to you,' he spluttered on his way in to speak enthusiastically about the need for reselection of MPs-a demand to be ignomisly abandoned later the week.

Only Denis Skinner attempted any serious answer on the coalition question, claiming that he had not vet had the chance of a vote tor or against the Lib-Lab deal-but that if he did 'get the chance' he would vote against it.

And it was Skinner alone who took a similar stand from the platform of the meeting itself, declaring that he was opposed to the deal:

*If Jim Callaghan wants to get a private deal together tha.'s one thing. But for me to vote for it is quite another thing' But Skinner found himself in complete agreement with his motley platform colleagues on one central question: like them, he was the coalition the Tribune not prepared to lift a finger in any campaign to force a vote on the coalition, or for the removal of the Callaghan leadership.

Indeed every one of the Tribunite spokesmen spelled out that the aspect of this "left' grouping they value most is its political incoherence and -the very fact that the Tribune Group is incapable of leading or developing campaigns.

PHOTO: Andrew Wiard, Report Plan Mikardo lan Mikardo boasted that, as the present-day successor to the Keep Left tendency in the 1940s and the Bevanites in the 1950s, the Tribune Group remains purely *a body for self education' , with 'no whips, no resolutions, and no real structure' The fact that this ensures that the Group has no power to fight the right wing and no principles also appeared to be regarded as a virtue. 'dangerous' to the labour ment-not least electorally!

Yet at the same time Wise took Heffer PHOTO: Andrew Wiard, Report Orme In a meeting that reeked throughout of nationalism and tacit support for British "Marxists" keep mun issues:

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Break the Coalition? Get knotted" - Heffer