ELECTIONITIS = BUT NO REAL CHALLENGE

From WILLIAM HUNTER B EVAN told the eve-of-conference rally that Labour had now got a policy and a leader, and he hoped this week would see a united socialist movement and a new lead to Britain.

But the concern and frustration of the rank and ‘ile at the lack of distinctive socialist policies, and at the absence of a fighting challenge to the Tory Government, have not been removed by the new get-together + at the top.

The national executive wanted a pre-election rally like the 1951 conference, under the theme of ‘Unity for a General Election’.

But by Wednesday delegates were commenting that outside the conference hall there was much less discussion than in previous years.

And the reason for this was clear. Conference had not been getting down to the real issues.

No priority for these The problems that concern Labour supporters are. those which arise from the Tory offensive: growing unemployment, the decline in the standard of living, the H-bomb and the threat of war.

But these have not been given priority on the agenda. The leaders have chosen subjects on which they expected least controversy.

‘Learning to Live’, ‘Prosper the Plough’ and ‘Plan for Progress’ have been taken first, with the hope that the rank and file would be lost in a fog of phrases.

The resolutions on the H-bomb have been pushed to the. ’

end of the conference, to be taken in a general debate on an NEC policy. statement issued just as conference began, covering other topics as well as the bomb.

‘When Gaitskell moved the emergency resolution on Quemoy on Monday morning the vote was taken immediately. In fact the whole of Monday morning passed without a rank-and-file delegate on the rostrum, except for the mover of the reference back of the standing orders’ committee report.

Afraid to release energies Significant was the refusal of the platform to entertain the Salford emergency resolution asking for a campaign SCARBOROUGH OLIVETTI WORKERS STRIKE TO DEFEND