it was not 1945 all over again, The landslide became a trickle of sand the five years that Labour expected to implement its programme have telesroped down 69 that two years is the very most we can five ourselves, The problem posed to the left is how te win victory at the next gieciicnn. a vietory 86 conclusive that curnmeniate to start on the road to socialism cannot be in doubt.
Cne answer to.the problem aan be rejected out-of hand, Yoices will be raised within -the periy calling for a dilution of the programe. They will argue that Labour can use this yericod only to show the electorate that it is ‘responsible! and thet to go further will cruse such antagonism that at the next General Election Labour will be swept from power. The left must fignt these ideas, Unlesa we consciously campaign to awaken those whe cannot see the difference between the parties, and to unleash a tide of radicalism, then thesa next months <lwild merely serve as a brief interregnum befare a+ * refreshed and Sir Alec-less Conservative Party comes back from its holiday.
The first task of the left is to ensure that the party sticks to its programe. ing tendency for Lehcur ta fall inte nerveless paralysis must be vigorously fousht. We must press for the speed} nationalisation of steel end urten land, and for an cifensive against public schools ani other relics ef privileges in education. Pailuie to sdvance will mean suicide,
In some ways the position ef the left is e good deal better than at any time since Scarborsuzh, ‘The demands we will be making are in fact party policy. It wiil be the extreme right who ere “rocking the boat" when they oppose this. Further, those demands we will be making are precisely those which could be used to generate = flood of enthusiasm for the Labour Party. Ey the nationslisation of land we ¢an appeal te every young couple who are strugcling to find accomodation at a price they-can afford. A vigerous approach te education with an explosion of comprehensive echools and a whittling away of atreaming can gat us the vote of every parent in Britain who sees their child at present strugeling in an unjust and inadequate scucational set—up.
The voices of ravisionism, and their friends in the Tory press, will he particularly shrill when they wart: us that renetionnlisation of steel will lose Laosur votes. The left must not allow this opportunity to waste itself, With infinite patience we have to agree thet Morrisonien nationslisation has proved itself to be both «a fallure and unpopular, and that we‘heave to fet rid of this buresucretised image, Instead we must pose nationalisation under workers! control, The initiative of the Veice of the Unions in this context is particularly, finely.
These next fev months can be used by the Labsur Party to tréak through io those voters who were not won even after this last “term of Conservative rule thet must surely be termed the most inept we have seen of lata. Radical measures can win them and assure a ereat Labour victory atthe next election. Tt is the joo of the left tovsee thet these measures are taken. N.B. The above was written before Woodrow yatt made hia Lib/ieab proposrls = in some ways Wyatt's initiative must be welcomeitt; it wakes possible a wroper discussion end fives the extreme right 4 focal point.