The fight for N.A.L.S.O

The forthcoming conference of NALSO will be one of the most decisive that the organisation has held, Readers of The Week will be aware of the partially successful take-over bid that the SLL made at the January interim conference and the subsequent disciplinary action of Transport House. The April conference will show how effectively the SLL can mobilise to complete their take-over and to what extent the Transport House sabotage has worked, The future for NALSO does not have to be a dead end. If left wing delegates are sent from all affiliated clubs in large enough numbers, then both the sectarians and the right wing can be defeated, A large turn-out is essential as the SLL, by one means or another, intend to muster a considerable delegation, If they are successful, NALSO will be led off into the wilderness to join the scattered remnants of the unofficial YS. The strategy of the right is now becoming clear, Those right-wingers who voted for the SLL at the interim conference thought that, once they had done this, they could appeal to Transport House to proscribe NALSO, and then would inherit the leadership of a reorganised and purged NALSO, They miscalculated: Transport House was quick to take advantage of their plot but were not at all interested in setting up any type of national Labour student organisation, They have in mind a number of "loyal" clubs under the thumb of the local Regional Youth Officer, and allowed only regional contacts. Already, R.Y.Os. are investigating clubs and will appoint various stooge cliques unless prevented, If NALSO can survive the Easter conference, it has an important and vital role to play, The upsurge in student militancy has very largely bypassed NALSO, This could be remedied, The preponderance of Liberals and Communists on RSA should be counterbalanced and, for the first time, a programme for students as such could be formulated, At a time when the problems of students and those of the trade unionists are being seen as stemming from the same basic causes, it is imperative that there should be a national Socialist student voice, The Labour Party rank and file can play a most important role in the development of NALSO, De jure and de facto, NALSO is now an independent Socialist student movement, with very few external contacts and less financial help. Even if NALSO grovelled - and students at this moment are in no mood to grovel - Transport House would refuse to re-affiliate them, Labour Parties, trade union branches, SHAs, etc., must pass resolutions deploring the disciplinary action, This work should culminate at the Labour Party Conference with a reference back of the NEC Report on Youth, It is equally important that donations should be sent to NALSO, and that they should be asked to provide speakers to explain their case and to obtain those contacts in the Labour movement that they need, Given hard work by student and Lahour Party members, and given some luck, NALSO can pull through. ,