Party seeks backing

Press, 9 May 1980, Page 3

Party seeks backing

PA Wellington Industrial unity and clout were not enough to do the job the working people of the country wanted, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) told the Federation of Labour conference yesterday, “There also needs to be political strength to tackle problems such as unemployment, inflation and injustices in the taxation system,” he said, during his’ traditional address to the conference. “Anyone who thinks otherwise has clearly fallen out of his tree,” Mr Rowling said. “Anyone who directs his attention to. other than those who are trying to destroy what is good for the working people of this country by putting division among us, ought to fall out of his bloody tree.” Mr Rowling appealed for more unions to affiliate to the Labour Party. He told the 600 delegates and observers that only 50 per cent of the F.O.L. movement was affiliated to the party. He also had strong words for critics within the trade union movement. It was a. sad state of affairs that most of those who criticised <

the Labour Party were the last to move on affiliation. “We do not want snide comments from the sidelines,” he said. “We want people in the scrum there, pushing in the same direction to do the same job.” Earlier, the party’s president (Mr J. P. Anderton) also spoke up against the critics.

In an obvious reference to the Shop Employees’ Union delegate, Mr R. Campbell, who on Wednesday said the Labour leadership should resign if the party did not get behind the basic principles of the trade union movement, Mr Anderton said: “I didn’t get elected to resign — nor did Bill Rowling. We got elected to lead the Labour Party to victory in 1981, and that is what we intend to do.” Mr Anderton said some delegates at the conference should be better informed about the party. “That may be our fault, but there are always two sides to every case,” he said. “Let’s take the guns off ourselves and train them at our real political enemies — the National Government,’’ Mr Anderton said. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Mr Lange) nr

his address continued the theme of unity between the political and industrial wings of the Labour movement.

Mr Lange said he looked forward to working with the trade union movement to thrash the Government in 1981.

The conference passed a resolution moved by' the F.O.L.’s president (Mr W. .J Knox) calling on all trades councils . and affiliated unions to work closely together with their local Labour Party organisation in the months leading to the 1981 General Election.