Ministers break ranks-over EEC pay
Socialist Press1977 1977-11-30Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 5 →
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and 170 other Labour MPs proved conclusively last week that they do not go into Government lobbies on tram lines!
All seven Ministers abstained on the vote for direct elections to an EEC Parliament while 70 odd Labour MPs summoned up the courage to vote against it.
Four Ministers-Benn, Shore, Orme and John -actually sat unblushing in their seats while the vote was taken. The earth did not open up and swallow them.
Despite the two line whip Leader of the House, Foot, also abstained.
In the best traditions of undercover leftism, the MPs had swallowed the camel of IMF policies inflicted on the working class and were now straining at the gnat of direct EEC elections.
It was a safe stagemanaged rebellion. A massive majority was assured since the Tories, Liberals and Nationalists were all supporting the elections.
Just to be on the safe side, the MPs had taken the precaution of confessing to Callaghan about their bad Peter Shore attack of principles at a Parhamentary Labour Party meeting.
Callaghan, assured of his majority and conscious of the important role that his 'lefts' play in confusing the working class, handed them their escape route.
He told them abstentions 'on conscientious grounds' were permissable.
Tribune Group MPs are expected to seize on this precedent and apply to Callaghan for permission to kick over the traces on other matters of principle. Just so long as the Coalition strategy for suppressing the working class is not disturbed.
In an important step ic ward, Oxford City Labo Party has set up an An racism sub-committee.
Last week a public me; ing was organised by i* committee. Main speaker = Paul Rose MP, who is one the few Labourites with z: kind of record of But as he denounced "se tarianism" as a "crime" . Ro revealed that his ideal "nie front" against fascism sow include Tories and Liberals:
The 60-strong meetin however, was more in faror platform and flor speakers who demanded it campaign centre on it labour morement and o ending the Lib-Lab coalito that created the condition for fascists to operate.
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DILT ISANAR ÉDDNAM CCM ICITYOS
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Class lines drawn on racialism