Livingstone by Jim Murphy, an LCC member attached to the European parlianent. Williamson himself wrote a glowring review of Roy Hattersley's new book SChoose Freedom.
Inside the Birmingham Labour ParMy the right wing in the LCC reached a new height with LCC member Roger Murray advocating, in alliance with Roy (Hattersley, the expulsion from the ¡Labour Party of fellow LCC supporter Kevin Scally as well as Amir Khan of the Labour Party Black Section. In Tribune son 3 April Murray declared: 'Pressure had to be put on the hard left to start behaving themselves and if not, they will be replaced! Murray, defending his support for the expulsion of Scally, absurdLy declared himself to be 'very much on the left'!
Inside the LCC itself differences were sharpened by the fight over the reselection of MPs. Livingstone advocated the noresent system oi reselection bv General i Committtees of the constituency parties * wilch is tae oly one walen mu rcauly bellows monitoring and accountability of AMPs. The LCC right wing advocated the replacement of this by the system of 'one member, one vote - the proposal orginally made for the party by David Owen, Roy Jenkins, Shirley Williams and others who broke away to form the ISDP.
It was grandeloquently announced in the Guardian that the LCC, allegedly the Margest left wing pressure group in the Labour Party' had voted by two to one in Lavour of Member However the March issue of the LCC , Mailing stated that only 126 people in (total had participated in this ballot, of whom 68 voted for the preferred system of One Member One Vote - - in short, support for OMOV was pathetic. Livingstone announced in Tribune, and informed others on the left, that he intended to campaign against OMOV and for the present system reselection. Michael Meacher and David Blunkett also voted in the Labour Party NEC against reopening the issue of reselection.
The issue which has clearly brought TL ed to ally with the left wing against the right in the party, or wether it intended to ally with the right wing against the left. The LCC had previously intended to use Livingstone as a candidate to undermine the position Campaign members on the NEC.
At the 5 April meeting of the LCC execulve Livingstone proposed Inal lne LCC executive endorse for election to the NEC Tony Benn and Dennis Skinner -the LCC had supported Jo Richardson and Audrey Wise.
Livingstone stated he would not stand for the NEC supported by the LCC, that the slate proposed by the LCC was aimed solely at undermining the left in the party, and that he would call for votes for Betu. richarason, briel against the position of the LCC. A public statement to that effect was issued the next day.
Base While this explosion appears to be around individuals it is in reality around the entire future course of the party. The aim of the right wing is to eliminate support for left wing policies by removal of left wing members of the NEC. That is why the shameful campaign was carried on against Eric Heffer over the last two ycals Any attempt to unite the left in the party required not just definite policies, although this is totally necessary, but also Vote. complete clarity on opposing the vicious backdoor campaign of undermine support for left wing candidates. Equally the right wing of the LCC, those defending a bloc with the right wing of the party, could make tactical compromises on policy issues but they could not let up in their drive to remove left wing candidates from the NEC and other party bodies.
The split over the NEC slate therefore in fact was a clash over the entire future direction of the party perspective was to unite the left in a fight for specific policies and to fight the right wing opposition to this, or wether the