to 'the general tribunal discover suppress heretics'. Today it has two common usages: 'an inquirying investigation or or arbitrary suppression of dissent or nonThe decision to send an NEC team up to leadership to be for the purposes of the In the guise of clearing up breaches of the has decided to close down the district party and impose arbitrarily-appointed full-timers. two to be installed will preside over the May elections without a by-your-leave to the membershi hatever the malfunctioning of the Liverpool district party may or may not have been, report itself only shows minor irregularities, rule by NEC dictat cannot be claimed to overcome it.
The intention is quite the opposite. Kinnock arguments on party policies. So they are throwing their weight around instead - and creating an internal war that takes everyone's mind off the fact that they are dropping those policies anyway in their helter-skelter dash to an electoral victory which bases its strategy on appealThe starting point for their heresy hunt owes that of confronting the Tory government attacks on the jobs and services of local people. Liverpool Labour councillors, whose stand was backed by the overwhelming majority of the local par It won't stop at Liverpool. And it won't stop at a few expulsions of Militant supporters. It is an NoT Ine across the labour movement. Any expulsions on 12 March will signal open season hunters up and down the Constituency Labour The attack on Liverpool is part of the longterm strategy of the Kinnock-Hattersley leadertheir line from the ranks of the labour move ment. It is aimed at all those movements and their leaderships who offer an alternative to the sterile appeal to 'the middle ground'.
At the Scargill leadership and all those who supported the fight of the NUM; at the Campaign group of Labour MPs who have championed the causes of all those in struggle against the Tories and shown in practice that the Labour Party and its leadership can do things differently; at Bernie Grant who spoke up for the black youth of Britain's inner-cities. at the back section move ment and the constituency parties who Labour councils had fallen by the wayside. Militant supporters are an easy target, because the politics expounded by that newspaper include the expression of some of the worst features of British imperialism's mark on the working class and on the left.
The battle waged against Liverpool and Militant today is a part of a war with big stakes. The struggle going on is a fight between Kinnock and those seeking to forge a unity of the working class and oppressed which will carry it forward in its long-term goal domination of the few who own the means of production over the many who sell their labour.
That unity demands alliances of a sort which have not been forged in the history of working class struggle in this country - alliances which began to emerge in tiniest part course of the miners strike. That is an alliance between the organised labour movement and all those oppressed sections of material interest in changing this rotten system.
Every blow against the which makes that goal. That is why the black section has been so correct in its out-front opposition to all witch-hunts. Every blow against nail in the conn or Labour s misieacers wro would take the working class away from its historic goal.
established to heresy 'any harsh of very precise conference policy: a strategy of exorcising opposition to is now well underway. And it won't stop on the shores of the Mersey, newspaper offices.
Since the decision to sene cavour s own versIor the Insight to made last LIVCI DUUl November, repeatedly was dissenting Beckett out, that was the brief • or at least The report Section volvement team DeVONC power by the 'It has be said that not take Militant pool.
large number the broad taken br policies, particularly Majority The majority conclude: 'there are serious questions Ene eligibility for membership of a few individuals in Live reo kit is therefore suggested that these individuals be presented ormauv ov une NEC with such charges with a view to disciplinary action.' These quotes, in a nutsnell. lay Dale uc lalsul or at the portals of the d'etre of the whole fake exercise. I here is no proposal members because of the practices of one ostrict party. Inc plicit basis on which disciplinary proceedings advocated is or •СПС grounds of support for the Militant newspaper.
The report makes clear that Militant is considered threat to the leadership because, the en quiry team believes, the views of that newspaper are regarded by ordinary Liverpool members as of La political aller native the Kinnock-Hattersley line. Ergo, Militant supporters must go. District Supposed malpractices within the district party "indications of 'shadow organisation' isting are the technicalities on which a purge of those Wire SUDDOIl Leadership is perepur, although report throughout is couched in semi-legal language, as the minority report effectively points out, In e 'evidence' in this trial by ideology is no more than assertions and allegations made by some Militant's opponents.
up to suspected supporters, nowever. will hardly be enough to ensure that the Liverpool parties fall firmly into the grip of the leadership.
NEC knows it.
The reason that party members Mersevside as elsewhere, support conference policies not In Ose leadership when it cremis precisely because, the I01y the jobs and services of working class people, Kinnock and Hattersley ran away while the Liverpool city Kinnock with witch hunter general Larry Whitty councillors stood fought.
Expelling scapegoats Cannot escart this political reality that is why the NÉC last weenescav look the OD portunity to shut down the install its own Merseyside - a fact which the report on page 3 of this paper makes clear.
Many readers already will have read 'evidence' to the enquiry team submitted by the Liverpool LCC. Such illargued unproven statements were grist to NEC mil. To make doubly sure, no right reply procedure was built into me leans liveolizar tion procedure.
The report says (page 43, 15.15): 'When any dividual member of the invesueanon Lean considered it necessary clarify DuIsUC such charges those individuals concerned were invited for reinterview about these charges.
The conclusion of the phoney engully was lal many practices and procedures of the district parcontravenca were undemocratic. Their answer? Is on once OvC. heads Liverpool or par nationai pointees leadership Executive There is no doubt that such individuals will be so appointed on their record proven sycophancy to the national leadership. In addition, the temporary usuall OVC which they will preside has party-based delegate structure to which it must make itself accountable.
The main recommendations clearly spell out that until the district party is reconstituted such meetings are 'consultative only. They further make specific provision that the local elections are within the complete control this temporary body, thus creating the possibility oi further public conflict if candidates are imposed on constituency parties against their will.
Although the report indicates early June for reactivating the district party structure, there is already speculation tha delayed much beyond that date. In short, the Liver pool saga could run and run It is in the interest of every single Labour Party member affiliated laut branch, section, tuency, and district part in the country, to demand That te na execu of the Labour Party immediately call a halt to a witch-hunt that will spread poison across the whole avour movelicil. district party discussions is wide scope something that happens in lots of other big city parLICI We accept that some unpleasant mosphere in the aggregate meetings. But that s a matter of saying 'don't holo meetings that way not 'out you go from the party'.
Liverpool practices are not dreadful crimes let alone expulsion is quit these kinds of breaches to saying that t people should be expelled.
Most of all, any consideration of these DOLL must be situated within the context of f all hes other problems exis Liverpool, especially the council's struggle to pro tect jobs and services.
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Kinnock Expelli Militan t