OPEN FORUM

For Trade Union and Labour Activists

WHERE IS LABOUR GOING?

Friday 25 February 2000

7.30pm

Council Chamber of Harlow Town Hall

Chaired by Brian Bostock (Secretary of Harlow TUC)

In July 1998, Harlow TUC organised a meeting (at which Bill Rammell and Hugh Kerr spoke). In advertising that meeting, we wrote

" The euphoria of having a Labour Government after kicking out the Tories last year has rapidly disappeared. No-one wants a Tory Government back, but neither do we want their policies continued with by Labour. There is considerable disenchantment amongst many activists in the movement about not only what the Labour Government is doing, but also about what Harlow Council is doing. The local election results, although pleasing in that largely Labour candidates were elected, nevertheless were disconcerting in that the turnout was very low and so was the level of help amongst activists in the town. Now is the time to take stock. It is important that an open and frank discussion takes place amongst activists in the town, so that we all know what each other are thinking, and have the opportunity to discuss the way forward. The last thing we (HARLOW TUC) want is that activists get disillusioned and drop out of activity, or that the movement gets fragmented."

Since then, has anything really changed? We think not.

Most people who have been active in the Labour & Trade Union movement for many years have done so because of a basic instinct they have of being unhappy with the inequalities in society and wanting to change things for the better. This has been the driving force of Labour since its formation. There have been differences about the way to go about it but people's basic socialist motives had not usually been questioned. In the past, proposals to develop and extend community resources and give more to the less well off have been answered by 'we can't afford it'. Now, with a Public Expenditure surplus of £20 Billion, the response is 'we don't agree with it'. Moves to extend privatisation (now called public/private initiatives) are particularly disturbing. So is the development and extension of Tory ideas in education.

In recent years we have seen a drift of Tory and Liberal activists (both nationally and locally) coming into the Labour Party and taking up positions as MP's, local councillors and officers of the Party. We have also seen a large number of individuals with no apparent previous inclination to want to improve things for humankind doing the same. In addition, the Labour Party is being promoted as being a way into politics as a career (particularly for graduates).

It may be that all these people have had a genuine conversion on the road to Damascus. Or it may be that Labour has lost its way. Particularly disturbing is the Tory MP (renown organiser of Majors campaign team against Labour in the 1992 election campaign) defecting to Labour just before Christmas and claiming that he can sit happy in Labour's ranks with no change in his political philosophy whatsoever.

Control freaks have been given their head. The 'Stop Livingstone' campaign by the New Labour leadership has been nothing short of disgraceful. Even locally, attempts to quieten dissenting Labour Councillors have been a feature of recent years. 'On Message' has become the buzz phrase.

We feel Labour has lost its way. Do you?

Come and discuss how we can get Labour back 'On Socialist Message'.