- Pronouns
- He/Him
The 1980 Labour Conference started as a dour affair.
Initial hopes of dry weather were quickly dashed as Blackpool decided to cover the conference period in a heavy rain. The image of the conference’s participants coming into the packed hall’s dripping head to toe and the Prime Minister John Silkin was unable to take part for a couple of days due to be hitting by a strong cold.
Even after he recovered, Silkin’s congested nasally voice as he spoke to conference was a grating experience for attendants, many calling it one of the worse speeches they heard from there Prime Minister within his time as leader.
The damp weather didn’t help with tensions either. Andrew Faulds speech to conference about potential changes to leadership elections and the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy included snide remarks about the ‘those Communist wastrels that pollute Constituencies up and down the country are the first step towards our downfall’ which lead to shouts of ‘Traitor’ and ‘Stalinist’ from the conference hall.
The international news didn’t help matters. The hope of peaceful compromise between the Italian Communists and Christian Democrats had collapsed as Aldo Moro resigned and the New Force movement of Gianni Agnelli took shape. Soviet crackdowns in Warsaw and Kabul soured any potential of understanding with the Chernenko Regime. Hopes the year before of inviting German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt were dashed by an ugly election that saw him lose to Helmut Kohl. The Canadian Liberals saw an ugly election period in which the Trudeau legacy which had been an inspiration for the Silkin Government on several policies was dismantled and criticised.
Hopes that maybe the Labour Conference would produce something worthwhile seemed to permeate throughout.
Indeed the changes to the electoral system in which Labour Leader was elected was changed; instead of mainly being an MPs affair as was previously, instead an electoral college consisting of 25% Unions, 25% CLPs and 50% MPs would be implemented to the annoyance of CLPD and other reformist groups.
Peter Shore promised the conference that by 1981, the hope of a referendum on leaving the European Economic Community would occur, a Populist fiery speech in which Shore promised ‘the end of economic tyranny is at hand, continue to provide your hope into us and we will deliver that aim’ a line that lead to thunderous applause as Pro-European MPs watched and muttered in dismay.
But the main event was one not attended by the mainstream conference goers, instead in a much smaller hall, a special meeting would take place. With the Chair being Tribune Journalist Chris Mullin and the lead speaker being Ken Coates, it’s message would have ramifications on the Labour Left in the years to come.
Having originally started as a anti-poverty campaigner and Nottingham Labour New Left stalwart, Ken Coates election to the new seat Nottingham East heralded a new kind of figure on the Left. Whilst individuals like Stan Newans and Eric Heffer had been connected as figures close to the Left, Coates time as a Grassroots campaigner and writer made him considered the main potential articulator of the New Left.
The meeting was to discuss the creation of a new grassroots campaign group, not connected to Labour Headquarters, nor a vessel of Trotskyist influences like Militant. The Socialist Action Group as it was to be called was to help foster a decentralised Left Wing that could cater influence as forgers of a very British form of Democratic Socialism, based on Muncipal and Emerging Devolutionist thoughts over a Centralised, Unionist Left that had dominated since Bevan and Tribune.
Coates saw it as a matter of survival in many respects ‘We must keep those in the grassroots, angered by the old fashioned and out of touch nature of the leadership, still within Labour fighting for Socialism’ he spoke to several attendants.
Indeed, Coates proclaimed it as movement to keep Labour Socialist and in touch with the burgeoning Left Wing instead of trying to gain a Socialist leader or direct the party a certain way.
Whilst a couple of the attendants like NEC Left Wing stalwart Neil Kinnock disparaged the movement as ‘Another in a long line of thinkers and prophets who utter false ideas and lead the promised to ruin’ for the most part the meeting was a success. So in 1980, the Socialist Action Group would be born, a small affair which would have big ramifications on Silkin’s remaining time in office;
Socialist Action Group Circa 1980;
Steering Committee: Ken Coates, Norman Atkinson, Audrey Wise, Bob Litherland
Chair and Media Coordinator: Chris Mullin
Grassroots Coordinator: Jon Lansman
Youth Coordinator: Peter Hain
Women’s Coordinator: Joan Ruddock
Black Sections Coordinator: George Powe
Trade Union Coordinator: Ken Gill
Initial hopes of dry weather were quickly dashed as Blackpool decided to cover the conference period in a heavy rain. The image of the conference’s participants coming into the packed hall’s dripping head to toe and the Prime Minister John Silkin was unable to take part for a couple of days due to be hitting by a strong cold.
Even after he recovered, Silkin’s congested nasally voice as he spoke to conference was a grating experience for attendants, many calling it one of the worse speeches they heard from there Prime Minister within his time as leader.
The damp weather didn’t help with tensions either. Andrew Faulds speech to conference about potential changes to leadership elections and the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy included snide remarks about the ‘those Communist wastrels that pollute Constituencies up and down the country are the first step towards our downfall’ which lead to shouts of ‘Traitor’ and ‘Stalinist’ from the conference hall.
The international news didn’t help matters. The hope of peaceful compromise between the Italian Communists and Christian Democrats had collapsed as Aldo Moro resigned and the New Force movement of Gianni Agnelli took shape. Soviet crackdowns in Warsaw and Kabul soured any potential of understanding with the Chernenko Regime. Hopes the year before of inviting German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt were dashed by an ugly election that saw him lose to Helmut Kohl. The Canadian Liberals saw an ugly election period in which the Trudeau legacy which had been an inspiration for the Silkin Government on several policies was dismantled and criticised.
Hopes that maybe the Labour Conference would produce something worthwhile seemed to permeate throughout.
Indeed the changes to the electoral system in which Labour Leader was elected was changed; instead of mainly being an MPs affair as was previously, instead an electoral college consisting of 25% Unions, 25% CLPs and 50% MPs would be implemented to the annoyance of CLPD and other reformist groups.
Peter Shore promised the conference that by 1981, the hope of a referendum on leaving the European Economic Community would occur, a Populist fiery speech in which Shore promised ‘the end of economic tyranny is at hand, continue to provide your hope into us and we will deliver that aim’ a line that lead to thunderous applause as Pro-European MPs watched and muttered in dismay.
But the main event was one not attended by the mainstream conference goers, instead in a much smaller hall, a special meeting would take place. With the Chair being Tribune Journalist Chris Mullin and the lead speaker being Ken Coates, it’s message would have ramifications on the Labour Left in the years to come.
Having originally started as a anti-poverty campaigner and Nottingham Labour New Left stalwart, Ken Coates election to the new seat Nottingham East heralded a new kind of figure on the Left. Whilst individuals like Stan Newans and Eric Heffer had been connected as figures close to the Left, Coates time as a Grassroots campaigner and writer made him considered the main potential articulator of the New Left.
The meeting was to discuss the creation of a new grassroots campaign group, not connected to Labour Headquarters, nor a vessel of Trotskyist influences like Militant. The Socialist Action Group as it was to be called was to help foster a decentralised Left Wing that could cater influence as forgers of a very British form of Democratic Socialism, based on Muncipal and Emerging Devolutionist thoughts over a Centralised, Unionist Left that had dominated since Bevan and Tribune.
Coates saw it as a matter of survival in many respects ‘We must keep those in the grassroots, angered by the old fashioned and out of touch nature of the leadership, still within Labour fighting for Socialism’ he spoke to several attendants.
Indeed, Coates proclaimed it as movement to keep Labour Socialist and in touch with the burgeoning Left Wing instead of trying to gain a Socialist leader or direct the party a certain way.
Whilst a couple of the attendants like NEC Left Wing stalwart Neil Kinnock disparaged the movement as ‘Another in a long line of thinkers and prophets who utter false ideas and lead the promised to ruin’ for the most part the meeting was a success. So in 1980, the Socialist Action Group would be born, a small affair which would have big ramifications on Silkin’s remaining time in office;
Socialist Action Group Circa 1980;
Steering Committee: Ken Coates, Norman Atkinson, Audrey Wise, Bob Litherland
Chair and Media Coordinator: Chris Mullin
Grassroots Coordinator: Jon Lansman
Youth Coordinator: Peter Hain
Women’s Coordinator: Joan Ruddock
Black Sections Coordinator: George Powe
Trade Union Coordinator: Ken Gill