The interview and comment on the Angell Ward by-election in Lambeth [Red Weekly, 18 November] unfortunately failed to лолошпи aeu alc e siliscuonsala cioabinoa ul caierinuzs remarks by Marie Montaut, the Labour candidate, were allowed to pass without comment.
member of the International Socialists is tananism, retlected in the introduction to ine interview. s It really the case that the revolutionary left should not stand candidates 'whether the Labour candidate is right or left'? Montaut is very free with accusations of 'political treachery" when It comes to IS, political treachery of the Labour Party leadership which is behind the cuts and the preservation of the racist Immigration Act. answer the crucial questions on the fight for class struggle In particular, Montaut's attack on the candidature of a unwawtanica sob without once mentioning the genuine candidate? Bill Collins, secretary of the International Socialists in Durham, (Red Weekly, 18 November) that IMG memoers are nor a cositoto Deven the IS going forward to build the Socialist DUIHIC CUCOHUnO vnle it is true inat the io is mucn large chan the other far left organistions Britain. we would question whether it has the ability to fulfill the tasks outlined in of its national Socialism: "In the short term we have to replace the Communist Party and mount a serious challenge to the trade hard struggle ao displace the broad •STrucole LO lefts" as the opposition'.
More modestiy, the journal goes on: We are not. ang wi not be in ine immediately foreseeable future an effective alternative to the Labour Party. will tney be able to mount inis chanenge: To some extent we have to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, but we do it in a DOInTS - OUT International we are entitled to on this VIO OOl Tunis sont or tning party. QED journal Interlast week -oisolace HIONT LO tion does not give So how -me same uime Honi tacue al me situation in which numbers of workers are turmins away Trom Laboul.
This bootstrap method is spelled out ir relation elections. The Is see the need to stand ir by-elections. However this is not serious unless they also stand 50-60 candidates in the General Election. Only a party does Therefore the IS is a It is not the immodesty of these stateMenIS ERaT Sou e concenT US OUE TRE fact that. - as Geoff Ryan pointed out they are merely the expression ot an ute-er atituce Towaros tE mass organisations.
I wish Bill Collins every success in his • cnance ue io reoime durate record of expulsions from that organisa.
me much confidence Nor ooes une tact mar conrade coilns fight is not reflected in the corresponcolumns of Socialist Worker. MAT DUnNo Lamber in the unions and Labour Party' SUT ow storoooseo una Marxists in the Labour Party should work towards this and vote for independents a There is a tremendous militancy bur geoning forth in the Constituency Labou ramues. ano mne rank-anu nie are becom ing increasingly angry at the betrayals o the Labour Government. But surely presem stace or the class struggle is to expose the bankruptcy of reformism from within.
At the present time 1 cannot help feeling that to advise a vote against Labour, nowever rigmt-wing the CаT101 date, is a diversion from the immediate class struggle. It is a misunderstanding of the practical possibilities to propose voting against Labour unless the candidate fulfills certain left-wing demands.
eneve mnat ine oracucall coneCT to vote abour anamner • the right wing within the party extremely militant wing within the Laboul party. which will eventually refuse to accept th betrayals of the reformist leadership. tasks of Marxists within the Labour Part is to expose the right wing in front of the rank-and-file, through practical experSurely it is a gross contradiction to recognise the need to win the base of the Labour Party and simultaneously advise voting against particular Labour candi On another issue, I would like to agree witn ne comrades wno raiseo mne ques tion of sexual politics (4 November).
Weekly could elucidate some of the tasks of the sexual revolu tion'. A lead is required to open up discussion on this fundamentally imporLastly, I think that the transition fror the old to the new Red Weekly is bein •OUI-nienY SuCcess UfY lay-out of the paper is very atractive anc a fine balance has been accomplished Congratulations fo standard. CHRIS WOOD (Brent achieVIne SUCIIC East CLP and Young Socialists]