Labour Left Briefing

September 1997

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Labour in name only Trade unionists gathered at this year's TUC Conference need to do some hard thinking. The temptation will be to greet the new Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues as conquering heroes. But a realistic assessment of the Government's performance so far will confirm that New Labour in office has given cause for deep concern and long-term anxiety.

Oh dear, oh dear - oh Dearing! Steve Reicher, St Andrews AUT, reports on Labour's plans to stop equal access to education

Why Trainer needs retraining Jon Green, South Bank University, reports

Dirty spin doctors Peter Frankental exposes the polluters' PR company with its tentacles at the heart of government

Who buys the Reeboks? Sue Cohen (Single Parent Action Network) and Peter Beresford (Open Services Project and Citizen's Commission on the Future of the Welfare State) argue that poverty has to be tackled with the participation of the poor

YES - IE! for a Welsh Assembly Ceri Evans, YES Campaign Co-ordinator and Cardiff West CLP, argues that all British socialists should have no hesitation in calling for a "Yes" vote

The Cardiff declaration: Socialists Say YES!

Yes! Yes! - the Scottish referendum Our Scottish correspondent reports

Conservatism goes cannibal Tories are at each others' throats. They are going to split and probably never recover. Good riddance. But while socialists are rubbing their hands in glee the end result may prove bitter-sweet writes Simon Kennedy.

Ethical foreign policy - R.I.P. The review of arms sales announced by the Labour Government a few days after sweeping away the Tories raised expectations that repressive regimes would no longer look to Britain to provide their weapons. Jon Green, from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), looks at the reality.

PiP: the management of criticism Former Labour Party General Secretary Jim Mortimer argues that the union voice in the Labour Party brings a whiff of real life that the Millbank Tendency is worried about

Take the power! Pete Willsman from the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy outlines the choices that will face delegates at this years' Labour Party Conference on Partnership in Power (PiP)

More questions than answers Ann Black from Labour Reform's Steering Committee offers her point of view on Partnership in Power

More LIP from Mandelson Dave Statham, Brent East CLP, reports on the most boring Labour Party meeting he has ever attended

New Labour undiluted? Maria Exall, Central London CWU, reports on the Labour Womens' Training Conference in Bournemouth 12th/13th July 1997

New Labour purges Select Committees Just after the election the Network of Socialist Campaign Groups met to ask "What do we do now?" and to provide a socialist strategy for Labour. Bryn Griffiths takes a critical look at what was achieved and asks some difficult questions

Shooting ourselves in the foot Councillor Peter Ryerson, Chair of Education, London Borough of Hillingdon, and Uxbridge CLP, analyses the Uxbridge byelection

Labour's byelection lesson Trevor Fisher, Honorary Secretary, Labour Reform

An end to unrepresentative cliques! Duncan Hall, Warwick University Labour Club, reports on the Young Labour Conference

Left slate for the Labour Party NEC elections

But where's the work? The Alan Simpson Column. Alan Simpson is the Secretary of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs

We must not walk alone On 27th September it will be two years since 500 Liverpool dockers were sacked. Mike Carden from the Liverpool Docks Shop Stewards Committee and a member of TGWU's General Executive Council spoke to Tony Dale (Manchester UNISON) about the dispute, how the dockers feel they have been treated by the labour movement, and their hopes for the future.

New campaign on workers' rights Pat Byrne, London BECTU

Despite election - school cuts continue

Stop use of BT agency staff

Leading with the left UNISON's London Region convenor takes a lefty look at life

From secular failure to socialist alternative Mike Marqusee interviewed Achin Vanaik, political activist and author of The Furies of Indian Communalism about the limitations of identity politics, the role of nationalism and the way forward for socialists.

Scandal of Disney sweatshops A Haitian workers' organiser has brought her campaign to Europe, reports Charles Arthur of the Haiti Support Group

Solidarity against the World Bank/IMF Gerard Greenfield, Research Co-ordinator, Asia Monitor Resource Centre, Hong Kong reports

"Why are the British actively preparing for more conflict?" Brian Campbell, editor of An Phoblacht/Republican News, reports on how the British Army are responding to the ceasefire

Teamsters' victory John Holmes, Bay Area Typographical Union #21, reports

"Demand your government rejects this junta" Sean Coyne interviewed a leading member of the Sierra Leone Labour Congress soon after the recent coup

Open up the EU The Michael Hindley Column, Labour's MEP for Lancashire South gives a global perspective

Labour must inquire into deaths in police custody Deborah Coles and Helen Shaw, Co-Directors of INQUEST

Southall defies firebomb

Firmin Gnali must stay

One race - the human race Keith Veness, Islington North CLP, argues that recent tests on Neanderthal DNA brilliantly vindicate a feminist theory

The party's over Communist nostalgia dominates the autumn's new books. Mike Phipps issues a reading list: Phil Cohen, Children of the Revolution; Andrew Murray, Flashpoint: World War Three; Morgan Philips Price, Dispatches from the Revolution; Ann Rogers, Secrecy and power in the British state; John O'Dea, Exposure: Living with radiation in Ireland.

Communalism's resistible rise John Pinto of the Alliance against communalism and for democracy in South Asia reviews The Furies of Indian Communalism by Achin Vanaik.

Lord Muck pleads poverty

Your letters to LLB

Shrimpton shown short shrift, If truth be told, Hunting for friends, Hunters don't give a xxxx for Fosters, Not so simple, Progress watch, Just bridging the gap, Turkish delight and What chutzpah

Any Other Business

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LLB is an independent voice and forum for socialist ideas in the Labour Party and trade unions. It is managed by an editorial board elected at its AGM. Both EBs and the AGM are open to all supporters. We are happy to offer a right of reply to all members of the labour movement and we welcome criticisms and contributions. All the articles in LLB reflect solely the opinions of the authors, writing in a personal capacity, unless otherwise stated.
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Editorial Board: Graham Bash, Pat Byrne, Tony Dale, Liz Davies, Steve Faulkner, Jenny Fisher, Bryn Griffiths, Chris Knight, Francis Koch-Krause, Leonora Lloyd (Co-Chair), Sue Lukes, Dorothy Macedo (Co-Chair), Mike Marqusee (Political Correspondent), Fiona Monkman, Mike Phipps, David Pope, Jon Rogers, Steve Smith, Alistair Ward (Editor).
Production Team: Graham Bash, Jenny Fisher, Louise Kawakami, Leonora Lloyd, Dorothy Macedo, Mike Phipps, David Pope, Paula Smith, Alistair Ward. Web site editor: Chris Croome (chris@atomism.demon.co.uk).
Contact LLB at PO Box 2378,
London, E5 9QU.
Telephone: 0181-985 6597;
Email: llb@gn.apc.org;
Fax: 0181-985 6785.

29 August 1997 - thanks to Bruno for the animated flag - web site put together by Chris


	Labour in name only	Trade unionists gathered at this year's TUC Conference need to do some hard thinking. The temptation will be to greet the new Prime Minister and his Cabinet colleagues as conquering heroes. But a realistic assessment of the Government's performance so far will confirm that New Labour in office has given cause for deep concern and long-term anxiety.


	Oh dear, oh dear - oh Dearing!	Steve Reicher, St Andrews AUT, reports on Labour's plans to stop equal access to education
	Why Trainer needs retraining	Jon Green, South Bank University, reports
	Dirty spin doctors	Peter Frankental exposes the polluters' PR company with its tentacles at the heart of government
	Who buys the Reeboks?	Sue Cohen (Single Parent Action Network) and Peter Beresford (Open Services Project and Citizen's Commission on the Future of the Welfare State) argue that poverty has to be tackled with the participation of the poor
	YES - IE! for a Welsh Assembly	Ceri Evans, YES Campaign Co-ordinator and Cardiff West CLP, argues that all British socialists should have no hesitation in calling for a "Yes" vote
	The Cardiff declaration: Socialists Say YES!
	Yes! Yes! - the Scottish referendum	Our Scottish correspondent reports
	Conservatism goes cannibal	Tories are at each others' throats. They are going to split and probably never recover. Good riddance. But while socialists are rubbing their hands in glee the end result may prove bitter-sweet writes Simon Kennedy.


	Ethical foreign policy - R.I.P.	The review of arms sales announced by the Labour Government a few days after sweeping away the Tories raised expectations that repressive regimes would no longer look to Britain to provide their weapons. Jon Green, from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), looks at the reality.
	PiP: the management of criticism	Former Labour Party General Secretary Jim Mortimer argues that the union voice in the Labour Party brings a whiff of real life that the Millbank Tendency is worried about
	Take the power!	Pete Willsman from the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy outlines the choices that will face delegates at this years' Labour Party Conference on Partnership in Power (PiP)
	More questions than answers	Ann Black from Labour Reform's Steering Committee offers her point of view on Partnership in Power
	More LIP from Mandelson	Dave Statham, Brent East CLP, reports on the most boring Labour Party meeting he has ever attended
	New Labour undiluted?	Maria Exall, Central London CWU, reports on the Labour Womens' Training Conference in Bournemouth 12th/13th July 1997
	New Labour purges Select Committees	Just after the election the Network of Socialist Campaign Groups met to ask "What do we do now?" and to provide a socialist strategy for Labour. Bryn Griffiths takes a critical look at what was achieved and asks some difficult questions
	Shooting ourselves in the foot	Councillor Peter Ryerson, Chair of Education, London Borough of Hillingdon, and Uxbridge CLP, analyses the Uxbridge byelection
	Labour's byelection lesson	Trevor Fisher, Honorary Secretary, Labour Reform
	An end to unrepresentative cliques!	Duncan Hall, Warwick University Labour Club, reports on the Young Labour Conference
	Left slate for the Labour Party NEC elections
	But where's the work?	The Alan Simpson Column. Alan Simpson is the Secretary of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs


	We must not walk alone	On 27th September it will be two years since 500 Liverpool dockers were sacked. Mike Carden from the Liverpool Docks Shop Stewards Committee and a member of TGWU's General Executive Council spoke to Tony Dale (Manchester UNISON) about the dispute, how the dockers feel they have been treated by the labour movement, and their hopes for the future.
	New campaign on workers' rights	Pat Byrne, London BECTU
	Despite election - school cuts continue
	Stop use of BT agency staff
	Leading with the left	UNISON's London Region convenor takes a lefty look at life


	From secular failure to socialist alternative	Mike Marqusee interviewed Achin Vanaik, political activist and author of The Furies of Indian Communalism about the limitations of identity politics, the role of nationalism and the way forward for socialists.
	Scandal of Disney sweatshops	A Haitian workers' organiser has brought her campaign to Europe, reports Charles Arthur of the Haiti Support Group
	Solidarity against the World Bank/IMF	Gerard Greenfield, Research Co-ordinator, Asia Monitor Resource Centre, Hong Kong reports
	"Why are the British actively preparing for more conflict?"	Brian Campbell, editor of An Phoblacht/Republican News, reports on how the British Army are responding to the ceasefire
	Teamsters' victory	John Holmes, Bay Area Typographical Union #21, reports
	"Demand your government rejects this junta"	Sean Coyne interviewed a leading member of the Sierra Leone Labour Congress soon after the recent coup
	Open up the EU	The Michael Hindley Column, Labour's MEP for Lancashire South gives a global perspective


	Labour must inquire into deaths in police custody	Deborah Coles and Helen Shaw, Co-Directors of INQUEST
	Southall defies firebomb
	Firmin Gnali must stay


	One race - the human race	Keith Veness, Islington North CLP, argues that recent tests on Neanderthal DNA brilliantly vindicate a feminist theory


	The party's over	Communist nostalgia dominates the autumn's new books. Mike Phipps issues a reading list: Phil Cohen, Children of the Revolution; Andrew Murray, Flashpoint: World War Three; Morgan Philips Price, Dispatches from the Revolution; Ann Rogers, Secrecy and power in the British state; John O'Dea, Exposure: Living with radiation in Ireland.
	Communalism's resistible rise	John Pinto of the Alliance against communalism and for democracy in South Asia reviews The Furies of Indian Communalism by Achin Vanaik.