how the abortion issue is being raised inside the party. The National Abortion Campaign intends to make sure that the issue of abortion is not forgotten at the Labour Party Conference. A team of NAC activists will be arriving in Blackpool to win support for the resolution on abortion, to begin the task of building for the national 'Tribunal for Women's Abortion Rights' planned for 29 January, and to encourage delegates to attend a fringe meeting on Monday night.
All of this activity will help NAC activists delegated to the Conference to begin to co-ordinate the growing opposition within the Labour Party to the present Labour Government's attacks on women's abortion rights. This coordination is essential if the dangers of a restrictive Private Member's Bill in November are to be brought home to every member of the Labour Party.
A meeting at the Labour Party Women's Conference took the first steps in this direction with a call for a natona campaign inside une party. However, to date the support for such a campaign remains dispersed: For example, in Hertfordshire local Labour for Abortion Campaion has been launched. In East Finchley no campaign as such has been launched, but there has been an important struggle nevertheless.
In the case of this CLP, a resolution callina for affiliation to NAC , was met of the debate he even walked out of the meeting in disgust!
However. thanks to the determination of the women in the CLP, this candidate was soundly defeated in the subsequent selection procedure and was replaced by one who supports the National Abortion Campaign and the Act As one of the women in the CLP commented: The fight we organised on this issue will be the best way to make sure that the new candidate can't sell out on easily In future The responsibility of MPs on the abortion issue which is a class responsibility - has also been raised in several recent struggles in constituencies like Newham North-East and Hammersmith North to remove MrS WItn clear anti-working class policies. In the Midlands, NAC activists in the Labour Party are begmaig to co-ordinate regionaly anc hope to get a regional conference on this issue.
The lack of any real fight for the implementation of the resolution adHOST years Labour Party Conference has laid the basis for the present restrictions now being proposed in Parliament, as well as those implemented daily through the savage TaSK organising this opposition is therefore ever more pressing. A national focus for arouning this annoeition will he After the 29 May demonstration in Blackburn, the youth in Blackburn became very dissatisfied with the pacifist policies of the traditional leaders towards racism and fascism. Because of the traditional leaders' refusal to struggle against racism. 15 of us set up an ad-hoc committee around the politics of black self-defence. This committee was later to become the Blackburn Asian Youth Organisation, which has now got the support of all the youth in Blackburn.
The traditional leaders totally opposed the formation of the AYO. They realise that the AYO is an alternative leadership for the A Red Weekly Pamphlet 'This Conference demanding the implementation last years conterence policy on the health vice. A big row is in the pipelin over the use of Infamous and anti-democratic "three-year rule Why is the Labour Party so undemocratic? What is the significance of the fight for democracy in the Labour Party? How can Labour Part community. I myself was attacked by people opposed to us, but they have failed to break the enthusiasm of the vouth in thi struggle against the fascists and racists.
Three months ago, in June, Asian workers were attacked by fascists in the Boulevard returning from the late shift. To combat this we gathered vouths to go down to thi Boulevard to ensure the safe return of the werkers. Harassment by the fascists stopped soon after we did this.
We were also harassed by the police when they discovered that we were defend ing ourselves. The police came to our workplaces where they questioned us about am trying to get on the trades council with the intention of enlisting their support and bringing about the formation of an anti racisE suD-committee Ashley and Durdham Labour Party branches one of the national leaflets issued by the Labour Party because it rerers to immig ration controls and is thus reactionary Meanwhile Bristol anti-racism action group is workine tor a week or acuon waica wil include a demonstration calling for the Council to extend its ban on the Nationa rOnT SupporT Is Denne TrON Labour Party branches and Young Socialists, who have already called for such a Dan
Roy Mason's appointment as Secretary of State for Northern reland was greeted with much glee in Loyalist circles here. lan Paisley, who saw the transfer of Merlyn Rees as 'the best thing that has happened in the last IWO ears. was dengnec prospect of a British minister under the sway of the British Army hawks.
The Loyalists hope that Mason, previously Minister of Defence, adopt an even tougher policy against the Republican resistance than his predecessors. Certainly, on past trips to Belfast he has been eager to act the apologist for British Army excesses. During his period at the ministry, Mason develooe• a close relationship with the British military high command, and closely identified with the whole range of counterinsurgency tactics used by the British Army in the Six Counties.
British involvement in reland has always meant repression and the use JOHN MAGEE reports from Belfast of military force to quell opposition. Mason's appointment would seem to indicate more of the same -worse. It was in fact Republican News Which spelt out the exact meanina of this appointment. Its headline ran: *Mr DOIULIOn Arrives'. fully safely predict that the British troops, the Royal Ulster Constabulary and the Ulster Defence Regiment will be given even greater leeway in their campaign WIll of harassment aimea at demoralising the nationalist population.
Mason's appointment, does not simply herald a stepping up of repression on the part so-called security forces. The Loyalist Defence para-militaries will match their every move. The UDA, UFF, UVF see themselves as shock-troops of imperialism, plugging the gaps left by alleged British "vacillation' and Every repressive action by the British Army or the RUC acts as a spur to the Loyalist para-militaries to their murderous assassination camonly ROY MASON W 8 can paigns.
Of course, the fears of the nationalist people. pledged that however, change in would be of tion. burning buses, planting 'softness".
protests. step MERLYN REES districts.
Mason in his initial adress to the population of the Six tion, Counties was anxious to play down there would be no screening:
British policy: law search applied "evenly" don't attack us. throughout all sections of the popula- No Yet as he spoke the UDA were Democratic & bombs and Gerry building barricades on the streets of ment of Mason as Belfast while the forces of law and order stood by and did not one thing.
Only one arrest has been reported at statement, end of a week-long series of tougher line by This low profile of the Crown forces has not been extended to Catholic Donse raids and house searcnes, ine arrests and interroga have continued as usual here.
But then, as one British soldier told me last week when I was held for UIEN We have no reason PoTesTanT HouSes they wonder, then, that Labour Party leader Fitt condemned appoint'disastrous -FOI Fitt, though, it was not concern for Catholic workers that prompted this but rather fear that Mason would 'drive people into the hands of the men of violence'. In other words, that any stepping up of repression without the RED WEEKLY 23 September 1976 9 cover of a 'political settlement" would reveal the British Army as the ree qunmen on the streets in Counties, and lead to increased suppon tor the IRA Undoubtedly, repression will be escalated in the months ahead. Meeting this offensive gun for gun, as the Provisional IRA promise to do, is an adequate and ar une present timi positively counter-productive greatest ally that British Army and the Loyalists have is growing disillusionment within an•OnOnS districts, which has swelled the peace marches and acts as a cover for the repression.
It is in fighting to remove this disillusionment by political clarity mar real resistance to repression car be built and the responsibility for the violence placed where it belongs with the British ruling class.
During the UDA protests last week, an interesting confrontation took place local TV channel between UUUC MP Robert Bradford and a UDA SPOKESDeTSOn named Ruddy. Bradford was alleging that non-Loyalists were behind the protests, and said he had evidence that Communists had infiltrated the UDA If there is one brand of politics more loathed by Loyalists than even Re Not surprisingly, thereore, Rudd)
surprisingly, therefore Ruddy foamed at the mouth and insisted that Bradford 'give the names to the RUC so that the UDA can have a look at them'. Say no more.
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Red Weekly asked BERRY BEAUMONT, a delegate to the Labour Party Conference from the Socialist Medical Association and a prominent activist in the National Abortion Campaign, to write on
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