future does it have? What went wrong?
shop steward in Birmingham reports.
Roh Wright, the favcurite to win the position of president and succeed Hugh Scanlon, losl by a margin of nearly voles.
Party member Les Dixon'sseat on the executive WeI TOBOAInCI leaving Rep Birch as the sole left winger powerfil 7-person ceccutive. Ron Halveston, a leading hallot for TENISE SOUSHUS Gverall the right-wing machite run by John Boyd tramphed in 23 our of 26 clections. They sucoeoded in taking full-tinic positions ranging president to district secretary of the new Birmingham South Distriet.
une resulls or TAEE. announced at the AUEW national commitiee last weck, are a massive consolidation for the gains the right wing in the unien has been making since the return to btfice of the JanET LAWE ED SHI The argument What it is mecessary. power through support for thie Social CWLETHUENISEVE stages incomes policy and the conversion of such TLII CIA allowed them to now recoup all mhe uround. they lest Tollowing formatipn of the Broad Lel in the 1960, But the impact of Terry Duffy's victory over Wright cannot simply be measured in terms of clectoral results. Ar the employer's pandits in 'popular' press have been quick to point out, Callaghan and Healey will EnspH pecaly Soe te ciect res1 à green light for amothet tound of Can the left in the Engineering Union survive? What | having the These are the questions posed by the trouncing that the Broad Left in the AUEW received in the lates round of elections. JOHN GRAHAM, an AUEW EOAHDUEISE PHEW!
DAN T DO WELL national RIP BROPT has wapc restraine. Within the working class as a whoic, the resuils will be seen as a further indication of the LIRIT trovernnenEs stymie any opposition sr its policies.
Wilhin the Eugmccrms cia bl the effect will he equally enmediate and elling. Nac onl will the policies of the ripa wek em overs and le Gesermcat - moeise a big boost us Through the nianneu tion with the Frank Chapple with the ContrOtTOr gond UNDERMINE the rule book.
Enginecrine
COTEEIS disarray by the wayside. record, the of ACISEUIE alternative to ELDHITchat is not su very were tabir sceming stump rank-and-file opimon, but the tight wing will be encouraged to sceam ahead with its plans to arfack union democracy within the AUEW.
amalgamaElectriciane Union.
Boyd and Dully hope to link up with aim of wrapping up the two main skilled engineering unions under right-wing DOICE.
claim:
In the process they will altempt to undermine the fundamental democratic righte of the membership of the ALEW where the right to clect all Fell tome officials is still coshrined in hey will only be too happy to s he ama pamation with TAS: the STUNET Union's white-collar soction, fail by the wayside, in short the rank-and-file is in for a rough tinse in the AUFW with Hovd and Duify in The only prestion left umanswered as vet ls wlether the Broad Left can tcer thar challenge and lend a hun back or tall Inti CAT TAC MOMCNE DORe On IEs nAS the latter must be on the cards. The rectinns bst werk wen merely the respiag of the whirwind. the ceeds of which were sown by Reoad Left leadership itsell Bob Wright is reported as saviog tho - Tesults: 'indicate the Jefr sociahie present policies" simply places the blame for the defeat at the door of the unicn membership. bestead of the inahility of the Broad Leitto mase ans headw ay aming the masvol rank -and file in recent ycars.
And when ane considers the record TUIC surprising. It has meen the teilure of the Broad Left to schous campaign in delence of the anion membership in the last four vears in particular thai has led cirecily toils present isolation. So it is mot easy to campaign for support far Bab Wright as a successor Scanlon when no explasation is ever given of how Scanion came Lo actively suppert the Social Contract and wage restraint when he bad been elected to office Gonowing a massive campeign by the Rroad Left Who had argued that he woult oppose such nol withoul justification that Dufty was able to.
grcat difliculty th diftering trom Mr Scanion.
When that silence on Scanion's defection s0 the night wing ES compounded by attacking the Leyland toolroom strike and the Heathrow engineers, as did Dixon when he voted with the right wing on the executive, then the position of the thoroughly compromised in the eyes of tbe membership.
INCOMPETENT And when these facts are combined All photos of Bob Wrichl GM COOKSON (Soclallst Challenge)
with the pichre of an organisation which was ser up to campaign for ution democracy, defending the fact that TASS officials were nod subject to election: which in many areas of the manths for CIcETon, aMEn TancO Io MOLILE du campaien around the recent nacional nas elaim other than a purely verbal! onc, thea ic becomes comprehensible how Bon wanhi cogat Innse ta a candidale such as Terry Duffy.
Add to this the fact that Dolly was cureful to use the full weight official Latoar Goverument and policy WiHleiE too clasely associating hanself with the more obriously unpopular aspocis of ils policies and the end product is last week s clection results SOCIALIST CHALLENGE 11 May 1978 page 9