Dree Out Newham Lp Tories Abortion Fight Poses Crucial Political Issues

Scan page 5

Because of this connection, two the Labour Abortion Rights Camcompletely contradictory positions paign to mandate the whole on abortion were adopted at this Parliamentary Labour Party to vote LONEL TER The National Abortion Campaign demonstration to be held this coming Saturday in Birmingham brings to the forefront the need to wage a political fight if the right to abortion on demand is to be secured.

It is no use approaching the abortion question as a single issue. It is completely connected as a problem with the cuts in social service spending and the class collaborationist Lib-Lab coalition CONTRADICTORY year's Labour Party conference.

CAMPAG On the one hand, conference voted support for the measures taken by the Labour government and by the current Lib-Lab coalition to "overcome" the crisis of capitalism.

This means of course full support in practice for the devastating cuts that are ruining the National Health Service.

And yet on the other hand delegates voted by a massive 63 to i majority in favour of every woman having 'the right to choose' on abortion, and in tavour of a ampaign for "freely available abortion on the NHS in all parts of Ine UK". 11. - TTTT 99 However the bid, supported by against any move to restrict PHOTO: Andrew Wiard, Report.

rights was heavily recommendation of the NEC.

Lena Jeger, 'left' wing NEC speaker on the topic, refused to treat abortion as a class issue in which working class women are denied access to free abortion.

Instead she made a ludicrous speech calling for 'more tolerance' of reactionary anti-abortionists, and attempting to show that the issue was one to be decided by the individual 'conscience' of Labour MPs.

The fact of the matter, of course, is that the Tory anti-abortion bill sponsored by William Benyon which failed to reach a final reading in the last session of Parliament was backed by large numbers of Labour MPs.

And there are now top-level moves under way to draw up an by Callaghan to cling on to a handful of votes from confused Catholic workers.

This issue must now be taken up in every union branch mandating Labour Party GMC delegates to demand every Labour MP oppose any restriction on abortion.

This must be linked to a fight for strike action to halt and reverse the cuts in the Health Service, and for the protection of the NHS against inflation through a sliding scale of spending.

Such a demand can only be achieved if the Lib-Lab coalition is broken. The National Abortion Campaign has so far shown no evidence that it regards such political issues as important.

But it is only through the turn to these questions that Saturday's demonstration can play a role in the fight for free abortion on demand.

And in forcing such produs.

tivity onto the shop floor wors:

strategy-sucking key layers o:

stewards into management roles, s important:

'The higher you get, the easier it is to get rather broad agreement on something or other.

We started by saying we will only open the new Rover factory you may have heard of... if you agree to certain manning levels which are perfectly unlike manning levels so far experienced in the UK motor industry.

So they all sign up. That's fine.

I will come back later to what actually happens...

PHOTO: John Sturrock. Report Tantalisingly, however, the illicit recording of Dobson's speech does not come back to "What actually happens". We are left to guess.

But we are given some clues.

Dobson's final remarks before the speech became inaudible give a glowing tribute to the management talents of Stalinist convenor at Longbridge, Derek Robinson:

'We are stuck with the unions doing ritual dances. Sometimes they support us and sometimes they don't.

• They have various different motives. I happen to know the chief convenor at Longbridge. He is an avowed Communist. I must say I rather like him because he is fairly good at getting people working."

Beside these clear insights into the cosy relationship between management and union bureaucrats combined with an open confessio= of the use of bribery, Dobson's personal position as Leyland chairman dwindles to entirely secondary interest..

Trade union committees must se elected throughout Leyland. demanding full access to all company accounts and future The participation set up must be broken up, and Robinson along vith other 'participation advocates must be removed from all positiors of leadership.

In their place a sex laters= must be constructed = Le: ==d :: detend the les done grisess