JOHN PALMER, London.
ARE Davy Jones and myself really on the same Labour Party GMC? I began to doubt it after reading his article last week on South Islington's policy on the EBC.
In 200 words he managed to twist the facts, in order to take a swipe at Socialist Organiser, so that I could scarcely recognise the meeting I was at.
He claims that our GMO carried, and that Socialist Organiser supporters backed, a 'pro-EEC' resolution This is nonsense. we backed a call to scrap Labour's policy for quitting the NEC. That doesn't mean we're for it, it means we think 'getting out' is a nationalist diversion from fighting the bosses - and whether they are British of European bosses is neither here nor there.
avy makes oul ulal the decision was part of a straightforward lett-right debate, and that Socialist Organiser ganged up wit The real worlc was not that simple.
The right wing, of course arged that Labour's policies were too left wing and should be scrapped to win back Unfortunately, many on the left fell into the trap of defending 'the policies' and complaining that they weren't explained well enough.
Socialist Organiser alllulle others, were more honest. We argued that the central points of Labour's 'left wing' policies: the Alternative Economic Strategy, import controls and quitting the Common Market, are rotten DoncIes . 'hev are all are all useless plans for reforming capitalism that will do nothing to save : jobs, protect living standards or change society.
We used a debate that the right wing wants too, in order to put forward our politics -working class politics DAVY JONE'S report (SA 29 July) on the EEC debate in Islington South Labour Party is a bit inexact The resolution was not 'to support the BEC'. It declared that to call for withdrawal from the HEC was an 'empty gesture', ana proposed instead Europe-wide workers' solidarity for socialist policies.
A 'major right-wing offensive'? The EEC debate followed on from a long discussion on Labour's election defeat in which practically every speaker favoured sticking by existing Labour policy or shifting to more leftwing perspectives if a motion to droj unilateralism had been put down at that meeting, it would hardly have got a single vote. based on workers needs and struggles. ashamed of that. We've said what we think of Labour's Common Market policy loud and clear since before the Referendum in 1975, when we said 'Bosses' Britain, Bosses' Market, No Choice' I suspect the thing that really peeves Davy is that now a lot more activists in the movement agree with us.
NIK BARSTOW, member of Islington South Labour Party The vote on the EEC was 34-25 There were four Socialist Organise supporters at the meeting, a lice die contany not 30 right-wingers in Islington South GC No: the vote against EEC withdrawal represented a section of the Labour • Left moving away from the diversionary nationalist gimmicks waich dave long befouled its thinking. (And it was in those terms that the motion was moved - bi a left-winger who is not an SO supporter).
Socialist Action comrades should ask themselves why they are taking the role of the last of the Mohicans of Labour left nationalism.
Socialist Organisel