If Transport House has its way, the Fifty-fourth Annual Conference of the Londen Labour Party, which meets in Camden Town Hall on Saturday, March 30, will be its last, The Interim Report of the Committee of Enquiry into Party Organisgtien has put forward proposals which would transform the Londen Labour Party into a Greater London Regisnal Council. Under this scheme, the Lendon Party will lose the autonomy which it has enioyed since the days of Herbert Morrisen - an arragnement which was hot without benefit for Labour as the Lenden Labour Party succeeded in holding London while the Party fared badly ir the country as a whole. Significantly, last year's disastrous G.L.C. campaign was organised from Transport House, The Interim Repert was presented to the Scarborough Ccnference as a document for discussien and it was promised that there would be ample time for ne consultation, As far as London is concerned, this consultation consisted of a two-hour meeting at Congress House on January 27th. It is important, therefore, that all London parties and trade unions should instruct their delegates to give their support to the resolution standing in the name of the Association of Supervisory Staffs, Executives and Technicians (London District). This reads as follows: "This Annual Conference of the Landon Labour Party netes the Interss Report of the Committee ef Enquiry into Party Organisation insofar as it concerns the Greater London Council area, It notes the recommendation within that Report, but urges the National Executive Committee of the Party not te _ implement any proposals without the endorsement of a specially convened Conference of elected representatives of all Constituency Labour Parties, Trade Uniens and Affilieted bodies within the Greater London Council area." There is a similar resolution from the Political Committee of the London Co-operative Society, As is only to be expected, most of the general resolutions reflect the anger at the savage rent increases impssed by the Tory GLC. Unfortunately, the Labour Party is in a very vulnerable position on this issue. Many of the Labour-controlled councils eperate differential rents schemes, with the blessing of the NEC. Once this is accepted, the principle of housing as a social service goes by the board, Furthermore, most London Boroughs have also introduced steep rent increases, in one case, at least, even harsher than that of the GLC ~ and these boroughs are Labour contrelled. All this because of a dictat from the Ministry of Housing that local housing accounts must be '.'* + balanced, Conference will alse be considering resolutions on the closing of -factories in the London area, throwing thousands out of work; improvement. in public transpert; educaticn; health services and other issues, In view of the fact that this : year's Conference is confined to one day instead of the traditional two, “delegates will be hard pressed to deal with all these problems adequately,
‘ The Week: some big changes continued/ tectinical and space limitatiens have been a serious limitaticn. Fer us, the new journal will mark an important step forward, ‘ie feel that through this journal and our participation in those listed above, we can play an important role in solving the ideological preblems which must be dealt with before we can make a Significant advance towards socialism,