Foot urges party discipline

Press, 20 November 1981, Page 7

Foot urges party discipline

NZPA London The British Opposition Labour Party leader, Michael Foot, warned Labour members of Parliament yesterday that they must stop “examining too closely the entrails of the party.” After “one wasted year” of distractions and wrangling the Labour Party must concentrate on the business of being an effective Opposition and returning a Labour Government at the next election, he said. . He was speaking at the end of a packed and anguished crisis meeting of the parliamentary Labour Party called specially to discuss its strategy in the wake of byelection humiliations and falling popularity in the opinion polls. Both Mr Foot and the maverick radical Tony Benn, who sat silent throughout the 2’2 hour meeting, faced criticism. The most biting comment came from the front-bench legal spokesman, John Morris who claimed that “short

of a miracle, neither Mr Foot nor Mr Denis Healey can win the next election.” He said that anyone who thought Mr Benn could win it was “living in cloud cuckoo-land.” “If the position is worse a year from now then they will have to consider their own positions” Mr Morris said. Mr Foot was clearly moved by the strength of feeling expressed by his colleagues and their grave fears of electoral disaster if the infiltrating Militant Tendency was not rooted out and if bitter internal warfare continued. He told them: "There will be a terrible responsibility on the people concerned, particularly myself, if a Thatcher government or a Thatcher-type government is returned.” Speaking of the distractions of the past year, he said: “I am a fully paid up member of the sick-and-tired brigade. It would be utterly criminal if the party does not change its course here and now.” Mr Foot advised: “None of us should be examining too closely the entrails of our

party. We ought to be spending our time putting our policies together and getting them over to the country.” He was cautious in response to those who demanded the expulsion of the Left-wing, Militant Tendency which he denounced as “a pestilential nuisance.” He said: “Surgery itself can be a messy affair.” Earlier Jack Straw, member for Blackburn and one of those who requested the

meeting, said the tragic irony was that Labour was winning the arguments but losing the supporters. Bob Cryer, member for Keighley, attacked the smear tactics being adopted against people who were said not to believe in parliamentary democracy. “There has been undermining of the Labour Party by Denis Healey, Peter Shore, Merlyn Rees, and Harold Wilson” he alleged.