FORA policy and nuclear disarmament and is due to make It is clear that the Labour right wing need a major turnaround in Labour's campaign to put victory back on the agenda.
The manifesto is quite _clear that Polaris will I be scrapped. But Healey will not tolerate that. Attacking the manifesto on May Healey said 'We want put the we don't get rid of them the Russians cut their forces aimed at us.
That seems common sense'.
Healey went on to reinterpret non-nuclear. defence policy as meaning 'no first use of nuclear weapons', not getting rid of nuclear weapons unilaterally. Callaghan said nothing that Healey had not already said - he merely pointed out that this re-interpretation was not the manifesto policy. Missiles Michael Foot has been sent into unbelievable conLOrLOnS try to explain that what Healey says is what he himself says, which is exactly what the manifesto Days In numerous TV and press inFoot has therefore been incapable Chapple and Duffy. Chapple openly supported SDP - this was not the Callaghan has now made speeches on incomes - having. - have decided to of giving a straight answer to the question 'will give up Polaris within five years, irrespec tive of what happens in negotiations?'. The result is a political shambles.
Foot opened the door to the right by fudging the manitesto Now they have kicked it down and clearly preparing to foist a right wing leader on the Dally.
What lies behind this sickening betrayal Foot's acquiescence something very straightforward. right wing don't accept the opinion of the majority of the party and the trade unions on three crucial issues defence, the Common Market policy.
They believe that the • bosses will never accept a Labour government pledged to unilateral nuclear disarmament withdrawal from the Common Market Quite wrongly, they believe it is candidate John Grant in Islington North, and got away with no sanction at all. Terry Duffy has spent the preimpossible win with radical policies on these questions.
Callaghan Seems believe that a Tory victory would be preferable to a victory on the basis of radical policies His doubtless shared by his right On the basis of a Tory victorv they wan! to impose Healey leader the period before the election many left, for example on ine tony benn in mis meet vicy with Socialist Action (SA 22 April), argued that the was united arounc the manifesto, that fears of a right wing offensive against the left were 'pessimistic' That Viev been proved wrong main problem in the election is now that it appears inconsistent blem is not that left wig. disunited. NOTO radical policies al t herently incapable of winning a majority.
Arthur Scargill put i very well at Wednesday rall Camden last when he said that if fought hard behind its radical policies it could still win. But at the same time as Scargill was arguing for policies, the right's Callaghan was speaking in Cardiff.
People The offensive of Labour's right wing has put the party on the defensive, not only in relation to the Tories, but also to the SDP/Liberal who as result have undergone slight resurgence.
The is that if Labour had been united around unilteral disarma. ment, and had vigorously attacked the Alliance for its pro-nuclear DONCICS ground could have beer won away from them.
There still many Liberals support unilateral disarmament. If too great to repair, and if the Tories win, then after the election the right will say 'you see what happens if we go too far left and get out of touch with the elec. torate'
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WHEN Callaghan attacked policy on nuclear weapons last week he spoke for the whole right wing. Callaghan was Healey act of a disenchanted individual.
a similar speech on the Common Market. All are designed to attack Labour's conference policies. The speech on nuclear disarmament was released in advance and the press was specifically asked to quote parts of it attacking unilateralism.
failed to get their policies adopted try and sink Labour's electoral chances. It now will
Polaris force into negotia- tions with the Russians. So