Fighting Sexism N Labour Party

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The annual May Day Carnival in Leicester was the fitting setting for an open assault on the sexist line the Labour Party and its supporters have taken recently in the fight against the Thatcher government.

Using slogans like 'Ditch the Bitch' and 'Milk the Cow' sections of the Labour Party-including the grossly misnamed 'militant' group-have slithered into the most backward, non political campaign against the Tories imaginable.

Instead of taking up the urgent political questions facing the working class like jobs and trade union rights or issues like Day Care and Welfare cuts which hit directly at working class women, they have carefully steered their campaign into one against Mrs. Thatcher with the emphasis on the Mrs. In contrast, our objection to Thatcher is that she is a Tory.

MAY DAY

On May Day, however, they found that socialists are no longer prepared to tolerate open sexism and male chauvinism in the labour movement. When a stall was set up for throwing darts at Plunder Woman'-Thatcher complete with handbag, in a grotesquely inflated bra and bikini briefs-there were immediate protests. Women members of the Trades Council, youth from NUSS and the Socialist Youth League, and other local militants demanded it be taken down.

Despite the complaints the Labour Party members concerned insisted that the question of sexism was just a matter of opinions', and refused to take it down.

Angered by this thoroughly patronising attitude members of the local we men's group then proceeded to do the only other thing possible: tear the poster down Spectators nodded approval as the offending object disappeared in shreds.

"SLUTS"

Faced with this challenge to their (authority' the Labour members on the stall then proceeded to openly express their sexist views, and the two women concerned were denounced as "a pair of sluts" . They were, however, taken aback when, in a matter of minutes, 13 organisations joined together to declare their support for the women concerned. The stall was cleared and they departed in haste.

Labour's sexism is a stab in the back to working class unity. Like racism it serves to divide at the very time when the building of mass opposition to Tory policies and the right wing leadership in the Labour Party on the basis of the independent interests of the working class demands the winning of women workers to the struggle for socialism. That can only be done when the struggle for a revolutionary politcal programme is allied to the most consistent and ruthless fight against sexism in the labour movement.

The male chauvinists of the reformist Labour Party may well whine about 'their' rights, but as Caesar said to Brutus "Et tu Brute?' Too true brother if its the choice between you and the mass movement.

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