THE ROAD TO BRIGHTON PIER by Ciller Charles Van Gelderen Shortly after the last general election, Michacl Stewart entertained Some of the new M.P.s to tea. In the course of the discussion, he expressed the opinion that the Constituencies were not interested in Victnam,. With his hend in the clouds of the upper regions of diplomacy, he probably had little time to notice what was happening at the grass roots. He can hardly maintain that position today - wnless he has not bothered to study the resolute ions for Labour's 65th Annual Conference at Brighton in October.
There are more resolittions on Vietnam than on any other issue = 43 inall, more than one tenth of all the resolutions sent in, And rightly so, for Vietnem is todsy the supreme test for all socialists. Most of the resolutions are confused and wishy-washy, but the underlying principle which inspired them is the clear message to the Labour Government - disentangle yourselves from the spiders' web of Amcrican imperialism, Subservience to American policy can only meen no socinlism at home, and abrond a betrayal of everything the Labour Movement stood for. It is significent elso thetthe Transport and General Workers! Union, comnitted as it is to an all-out fight against the Governtent's Prices sn’ Incomes policy and the Wage Freeze, nevertheless sent in a resolution strongly attacking the Government's foreign policy. It rightly recognises that only a sharp change in foreign policy, and a substantial reduction in wilit-ry expenditure can cnable the Labour Government "to achieve the national economic recovery, social progress and prosperity to which it is pledged....' At Brighton, by platform manipulations, with Ministers dominating the discussion time which rightly should belong to the delegntes, by unscrupulous use of the block vote, the Government may win the dey, though this time the fight will be harder beceuse the mssive ranks of the Transport and General Workers snd some of the other unions are lined up indefence of the basic principles of the Labour Movement. A majority of votes et Brighton for Harold Wilson snd his cohorts may well turn out to be # Phyrric victory, The resolutions from the constituencies show what the sctive ronk ond file of the Labour Party is thinking. For the Government to persist on its path of folly -nd betrayal in spite of this can only take the heart out of the movement, leaving it spiritless 7nd apathetic. At Brighton, the Perlinnent of Labour will have - great opportunity to save the party from treading once more the road which leeds to 1931. The Government must be challenged to abandon its pro-capitalist, pro-impericlist policies, and to strike out boldly on the road to socialism. There is no other way!