only on the basis of mass action the labour leaders in the party can assume any 'weight!. The error made by such as Militant - and which is, itself, a sign of their adaptation to the sterile tradition of the labour bureaucrats who fear independent action like the plague precisely the tact that their bious res -olution passing is quite unconnected with any real living struggle.
It is one thing to call leaders to withdraw the troops from Ireland from the relative isolation of a ward meeting; it is quite another to do so ine basis of mass action in can serve as the basis for calls in une party. ine crowine ooposition in the party must be a live opposition, one struggling for policies ing tens of thousands outside only reflects the actions in the streets but actually helps, in turn, It is through the inter-action ion outside and a tendency programmaticaliv reflecting that action inside that the hegemony of the successfullv challenged.
One of the main tasks of such a struggle inside the party must be consciously avoid the mass opposition building up be-i ing 'headed' away by the centrist currents such as that at present developing between the 'left! Labour MPs and the Communist Party which called for the action on May 26th against unemployment. It is, of course, perfectly correct to gain the maximum unity on concrete issues against the rightwing (such as that recently obtained when certain Labour MPs supported the demand for 'Troops out of Ireland now!.) While correct to get unity on given issues. quite wrong, however, itical positions for the sake of gaining a ¡false alliancel or unity.
Certain left groups, such as the particular, recovering from the 'ultraleft' errors on the Labour Party, grave mistake in inis sense recently wner calling for support for ership stakes despite the tact that Bennis programme was totally interests of the mass of working people. Subordinating politics to gain such alliances win centrist lorces is to credie ulusions in such forces in the eyes of thousands. The fact that the I.M. G. supported in this by the ICL, had an ultra-left position Party earlier, is ortunist dangers that can period ahead.
Democracy Building mass opposition outside and inside the deans one covernment. present policies, almost naturally That issue has already been concretely raised recently in the notorious Newham where the local CLP decided to remove its MP Reg Prentice for refusino to abide by the Manifesto. will become increasingly important in the period ahead since the labour movement nas the right not only lo leadership to implement demands in its interests but also to hold those leaders to account if they refuse to abide by cratic decisions of conference.
Concretely, struggle for democracy in the unions into the party by demanding that the Parliamentary Labour Party be answerable to conference - where the bloc vote dominates. In calling upon the government to abide Dy there must also be the fullest possible democralic discussion at conterence which concretely, the ana roscrollons Aci so inal all political tendencies in ine labour ment have the right to express their poin of view.