LABOUR PARTY MEMBERS PROTEST AT CLAUSE 4 RETREAT

'I'M with you on this,' said Frank Cousins, general secretary of the 1,300,000 strong Transport and General Workers' Union, to pickets lobbying Wednesday's meeting of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party. The pickets, including members of the Socialist Labour League, delegates from trade union branches, representatives of Labour Parties and members of Victory for Socialism, were demanding of the Executive that it stands firm on Clause 4.

Bill Jones, London busman and member of the TGWU general executive council, also assured delegates that his union would oppose all attempts to amend Clause 4.

As members of the National Executive arrived for the meeting they were greeted at Transport House by lobbyists carrying posters which read: 'Brinham is committed to NFBTO Policy', 'Boyd must be loyal to the policy of the Confederation', 'Bessie doesn't speak for Liverpool Labour' and 'Leeds Labour rejected Gaitskell on Clause 4'.

Many members of the NEC, such as Anthony Greenwood, Tom Driberg, Harold Wilson, Jennie Lee and Barbara Castle assured delegates that they would defend Clause 4.

A number of members of the Amalgamated Engineering Union officially representing their branches, attempted to see Boyd, the AEU member on the committee. Brother Lewis, secretary of the Paddington IPE branch, and members from Battersea, Dagenham, Wembley and East Acton AEU branches were refused an interview by Boyd.

John Disley of Gillmoss (Liverpool) Amalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers' branch, and Peter Hendrie of Brixton Labourers' branch, were also refused an audience by Labour Party chairman and building trade union representative Brinham.

A number of Labour Party members demanded to see Gaitskell and other right-wing leaders, but their request was rejected. Twenty of these, however, reached the door of the NEC but were unable to gain admittance.

Councillor Brian Crookes, former Parliamentary candidate for Garston present at the lobby on behalf of the Garston constituency Labour Party, said that his party had set up 'a Clause 4 Defence Committee which had been sponsored by a number of Labour Parties including two of the Coventry constituencies'. Cllr. Crookes said: 'This was an issue on which the left of the Labour Party and the trade unions must unite to defeat the attempts of the right wing to remove nationalization from the programme of the Labour Party.'