Campaign notes: Some notes on CND Annul Conference

SOME NOTES ON C.N.D. ANNUAL CONFRRENCE* by Dick Nettleton If you ever want to assess anythins, a useful method is to sit dow and make out a list of all the good things you know about it, and then make out a list of all the bad things, Alan Rooney, Brian Turton and I, did just this on the way back from our fnnual Conference last weekend, This is how it came out: Fositives (1) The campaign still attracts a wide sprectrum of people, who in spite of their different outlooks are able to work together, This is done, not so much by compromise, as by tolerance, a quality that seems to evade most other organisations. (2) We are, very slowly, perhaps too slowly, pulling out of our financial difficulties. It must be said frankly that the N.W. Region is lagging behind badly on thiseeec.e (3) Conference recognised the urgency of the position, and time and again on the MLF, on NATO and proliferation the delegates re-affirned that the question of nuclear weapons ‘could not be relezatedecece (4) There was a growing recognition of the important role that youns people are playing in the campaign, and the youth campaign was given added status. (5) The closely allied subjects of positive neutralism and the economics of disarmament were given practical treatment, and this means that the Campaign will begin to move on these questions in a more positive waye (6) The new officers and National Council elected reflect the spread of the Campaign, and we have a capable leadership. Here we should congratulate Rosihind Delmar and Peter Worsley, both of N.W. Region, who were elected to the National Council, (7) Conference took practical decisions on the MLF campaign, on strengthening our organisation and the Easter March. Negatives (1) The attendance was not good, including ours from the N.W.region. YCND was not well represented, though a little more than last yeare (2) The very good activities of the Christian Campaign were not reflected at Conference. For instance I did not hear any reference to the controversy that is takinz place in the Catholic Church, (3) The Campaign at all levels tends to be out of touch with the mass organisations, especially of the Labour movement. No one talked of the trade unions until we did. There was, I think, a recognition of this weakness, but it must he tackled. * From North West Region Campaign 64, number 31.