drawn on in the general election campaign. But we didn't use them. This was a wasted asset. That support for the GLC was a resource we could have drawn on.
I think there are many lessons that can be drawn on from the GLC for tasks we face now. In the north, where the working class faces tremendous levels of unemployment and poverty, Labour made great gains in the election. But in the south we face a complex problem.
In areas of London, of course, we face unemployment bad anywhere. Hackney or. Brixton have unemployment on the same level as Newcastle or Liverpool — with the adthe real problem and lesson of the last four years. The election campaign was better than could have been imagined. There is a lot that could be improved. For example we have a foreign policy which 1n contradiction support for Gorbachev's proposals in Brent and I don't believe people think there is a 'Russian menace' at all. We have to have a policy to get out of support Nicaragua, and our campaign wasn't geared to women when we jumped up the national polis in the middle of the campaign that was among men. Our policy was confused — why couldn't we simply say that a Labour government would ensure that no ordinary person, family, would suffer from an increase. in taxes?
rights.
the first place.
- I found tremendous Meale Labour's seat in Mansfield panded people's idea of democracy on taxation utside Labour's traditional bas or But what was true, forgotten, Without Labour's hyper tralism Liberal and Alliance support would never have got off the ground in Some of the Labour right wing have Bon nanon, where were in op — and are still going. I remember not simply , going to see Bobby Sands on his death bed to say Labour would give him no support. I notice that Concan- campaign up trying to lose Alan The GLC turned all that super cen tralist tradition round in London. It ex- There are a small and the role which Labour played. That VULCID why we built up support in layers we and is often was that we had to fight for two years to get that support. People important issues that now confront the country are 'one member, one vote' in the Labour Party and abolishing the National Executive Committee. That is an 2ACK on democracy, it is a complete waste of time. It is to repeat all the mistakes that were made leading up to the election The other reason we have got to set the agenda is because we should be clear wno we are trying to win over.
handful of who can be won over on straightforward basis that they don't like the policies of the United States But that is not where we are going to get the next advance in our votes from.
What we have to do is squeeze the I think a whole layer of Alliance voters are sick to the bar teeth with Owen. There are a few tanatic. the SDP who obsessed by the bomb. The Liber have. played a disgraceful role Merseyside, and Diane Abbott that the Alliance campaign in Hackn was disgraceful. But we are not inte ested in deals with the Alliance leader What is important is that all polls show that Alliance voters ha basically the same concerns as Labo voters - unemployment, the he service, education. They are quite d ferent to the Tory voters - who see the most important issues pric
Socialist Action 19 June 1987