17.04.1997

Scargill threatens members’ rights

Regrettably, Arthur Scargill has once again demonstrated his contempt for workers’ democracy. In a highhanded and arrogant manner, he wrote to the Brent East electoral returning officer, Barry Keene, threatening legal action if he accepted Stan Keable’s nomination as the SLP parliamentary candidate for that constituency. After taking legal advice, the returning officer duly accepted Stan’s nomination and on May 1 his name will appear alongside the words, ‘Socialist Labour Party’.

The returning officer would not explain the details of Arthur Scargill’s objections. However, we should not be too surprised. Comrade Scargill has a history of turning to the bourgeois law and asking for its advice. He once threatened to take legal action against Tony Blair for his proposals to ditch clause four. Surprisingly enough, the bourgeois courts did not think he had much of a case and declined to intervene.

Similarly, Arthur Scargill recently wrote to the Willesden and Brent Chronicle, threatening to sue two of its journalists if they persisted in describing Stan Keable as a member of the SLP and as SLP prospective parliamentary candidate for Brent East. Scargill denied that Stan Keable was a member of the SLP, despite the fact that he is a foundation member of the West London branch and a member of its committee.

As a point of principle, all political questions should be fought out in the domain of the workers’ movement and be subject to its democracy, not left to the tender mercies of bourgeois law - the domain of the enemy class. Arthur Scargill of all people should know this, given the vicious treatment handed out to the NUM and the miners by the courts.

Stan Keable told us:

“If Scargill really wants to take legal action to decide whether I am an SLP member and an SLP candidate, it is me he should take to court. The case would be thrown out. Why has he not answered any of Brent East SLP’s letters seeking clarification? But these are matters for the members of the party itself to decide, not the courts.”

The following resolution, passed by the Brent branch, shows that the comrades’ fight for democracy is not restricted to their own rights.

“This Socialist Labour Party branch calls on the SLP National Executive Committee to immediately reinstate the Vauxhall Constituency SLP, which has been undemocratically disbanded. In the absence of any democratic disciplinary procedures, we recognise Vauxhall CSLP as a constituent part of our party and call on all members and party organisations to do the same”.

Danny Hammill