Talk of a General lection is in the air — indeed, the trade figures just issued for January may expedite matters. The Labour Party left must prepare now for both the situation leading up to the election and the post-election period. This is not the place to exhort left wing members of the Labour Party to work hard to defeat the Tories, They know, only too well already, that the extent to which they are taken seriously inside the Labour movement will be largely determined by how hard they work in the election. lJut tho left has other tasks, too.
The period leading up to the election will be one of hoightened political interest by large sections of the population, especially the © young, and in particular, those voting for the first time. I+ is imper= ative that the left uses this heightened interest to get across basic socialist ideas, <Any argument that this amounts to splitting the party, rocking tho clection boat, etc. must be countered. There is more than one to propagate socialist. ideas, and we are not suggesting the strident slogan shouting so current in certain circles, Instead we need to take people at the level of consciousness we find them and work in such a way that our socialist propaganda consolidates our links with the mass of the Labour Party workers and supporters. Basic education work of a non— sectarian natures is a priority and must be started now.
Assuming the most likely variant of the General lection, the great debate which will dominate Dritish politics, is whether the Labour Government will attompt to imploment socialist moasures, or whvthor it will try to run British capitalism more efficiently than tho Tories. Gither way there will be an ideological conflict botween left and right. In the event of Wilson being pressurised into taking any far-reaching measures the fury of the Tories and the capitalist press will (just as it did in the steol nationalisation-dobate) bring the right wing of the Labour Farty right out into the open. In the event of “ilson and Co, carrying out a right wing policy the left will be duty—bound to fight, tooth and nail, from the very start, against every aspect of this policy. Gither way, too, the left must organise. Too many times in the past after putting up a terrific fight on a particular issue — German Rearmament, unilateralism,ctc., — the loft has disintegrated. In fnrct, the biggest single weakness of the left has been tho absence of a left wing organising centre to coordinate its forces.
The creation of such a left wing organising centre is no easy matter. Avoiding sterile dogiatism on the one side, and the quagmire of opportunist adaption on the other (to be as broad as possible) is a highly skilled political operation. We offer no easy romedies, What wo can suggest, concretely, is that Labour Party members support a set of people who are beginning to face up to the problems we have outlined.
Two evontts will bo taking place this weck ond which deserve the support of all sections of the lefts: a Unity National Convenors meeting, Sat., starting 3 pem. at 21, Drayton G-rdens,( South Kensington Tube) Londdn SW 103 themes the victory of socialist ide xls must be organisedg and a Voice day school at the Mostyn IHotol, Portman St., London 7.1. from 10,30 to 103 Sunday cons John Hughes and Stephon Swinglor, Any person who has not notified the organisers that thoy wish to attend should contact Richard Flotchor, 21, Drayton Gardens, London S.\J. 10. telephone FRE 1686,