THE SHADOW elections for women's places on the Labour Party national executive committee are probably the most important aspect of this year's national Labour women's conference. WAC is concentrating on having the five women's places on the party national executive elected by women. We are asking no more than what already happens with other sections of the NEC.
WAC Secretary Al women's conterence Bute, Labour Party women will be showing that they simply won't take 'no' for from the NEC, the party leadership, anybody else.
These shadow elections have been organised by the National Labour Women's Committee (NLWC) in the face of fierce opposition TWENTY-THREE Committee (WAC) is supporting: Diane 1 Morrell, and Clare Short.
Walworth Road.
That committee deserves our thanks they've done.
WAC is also conçentrating this year on the demand that policy advances researched by the rights group and pioneered local authority committees are included in the party's manifesto for the next general election. We Well programme for women writwomen have been nominated for the five places in the shadow elections to the NEC women's places which will take place at national Labour women's ten into that document campaign around women as part of the general election campaign of the party.
This is what some of the WAC resolutions to 111struct the NEC to do. But real poncy advances • Call l be made and held unless women have status power within the party.
We saw a recent example of what can happen to policy after the Chernobyl nuclear power plant melt-down. Last year conference clearly opposed nuclear power. But vou'd never recognise strong position of conterence in the tortuous statements the Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock, or the shadow environment spokesperson on unmena We've got to fighting, and that is why the shadow elections are so important.
Labour Party regions, including my OWIl South West, women now elected to the regional executive committee regional ference. That is a definite gain. It is that which we will be taking forward to annual conference.
believe that the women who are going to be elected in the shadow elections national women's conterence will be the ones who have a record of working for women and who will be accountable wollicl That's how it should be.
Women directly elec ting women to the NEC will be a gain for the party as a whole. It will be a gain terms of policy Decause ference consistently . itset to be HOTC radical and more in touch with policy should be on all important questions. And it will be a gain in of party There are distinct signs that the democracy 1 OT the under threat. Making women accountable to women would be a great blow to that.
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WAC's slate for the shadow elections
The Labour Women's Action bott, Joan Maynard, Mandy Moore, Frances