Labour Party Young Socialists

The Labour Party Young Socialists (LPYS) was the name of the youth section of the British Labour Party from 1965 until 1993. The LPYS was the most successful of the youth sections of the Labour Party in the post war period, at one point having nearly 600 branches and attendances at its national conference of nearly 2000 in the mid 1980s, during which time it was under the leadership of the Militant Tendency.

Origins

The Labour Party made several attempts to set up a viable youth section. In the 1930s the Labour League of Youth rose to 30,000 members, and took a highly critical stance toward the leadership of the Labour Party, but was closed down by the Labour Party nationally in 1954. [According to Trotsky, as quoted in [http://www.marxist.net/openturn/other/script.htm?bl.htm Marxists and the British Labour Party: The Experience of Entrism. A note on Ted Grant's explanation of Entrism in the 1940s] ]

Local "Youth Sections" continued, however, in the local constituencies, for instance in Walton Constuituency in Liverpool, in which there was a long standing Marxist tradition, and where the local youth section published "Rally" ["Rally" came from an earlier era and was said to stand for 'Read all About the Labour League of Youth'] .

In 1960 a new national Labour Party youth organisation was set up called the "Young Socialists". In 1965 this was renamed the Labour Party Young Socialists.

Early Political Affiliations

Early in the newly formed "Young Socialists" a publication called "Young Guard" and its supporters contended with the "Keep Left" publication and its supporters who formed the leadership of the "Young Socialists". Both groups came from a Trotskyist tradition, but their methods and interpretation of the ideas of Marxism and their application varied very considerably.

"Keep Left" supported the Socialist Labour League, led by Gerry Healy. However the Socialist Labour League took its supporters out of the Labour Party in 1964-5. [The Socialist Labour League became the Workers Revolutionary Party which maintained their own "Young Socialists" youth section until 1985.] It was after the departure of the Socialist Labour League that the Young Socialists were renamed the Labour Party Young Socialists.

The "Young Guard" was notable because it was a collaboration between the two organisations which were to become the Socialist Workers Party and the Militant Tendency, the two most significant organisations from a Trotskyist tradition in the UK during the second half of the 20th century. [The Socialist Workers Party then went by the title "International Socialists" (IS) and the "Militant" by the name of "Revolutionary Socialist League " (RSL) which also published "Socialist Fight". Before "Young Guard" the IS had supported a smaller publication called Rebel, whilst the RSL had "Rally"] .

By 1963 the faltering collaborative effort of the "Young Guard" had ended, and the "Militant" was set up in 1964. The "Young Guard" continued for a time by the International Socialists, but was discontinued by 1966, and the precursors of the Socialist Workers Party left the Labour Party and LPYS in 1967-8.

Militant Tendency leadership

For a while there was no one grouping in the leading body of the Labour Party Young Socialists, the LPYS national committee, to which the LPYS regional bodies at that time elected representatives during the year, usually at their regional conferences. During the late 1960s the Militant Tendency began to win significant numbers of resolutions at the annual LPYS national conference.

At the 1969 LPYS national conference, resolutions moved by Militant supporters won majorities on all issues except for the question of the United Nations, and in 1970 all resolutions moved by Militant supporters were passed, although of course these resolutions gained support from non-aligned members and other groups who supported the resolutions' aims. By 1972 the Militant Tendency had gained a majority on the LPYS national committee. [ [http://www.socialistparty.org.uk/militant/ch5.htm Taaffe, Peter, "the Rise of Militant" Chapter five] ]

The Labour Party as a whole moved to the left in the 1970s, and the party's ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) refused to take any action against the Militant Tendency. They supported the growth of the youth wing of the Party, changing the party's rules to give an LPYS representative a place on the NEC and employed a Militant Tendency Youth Officer, Andy Bevan, as a member of Labour Party staff.

Under the leadership of the Militant Tendency over the next decade and a half the LPYS grew rapidly and achieved a highpoint of 581 branches in 1985, organising demonstrations and protests against the Thatcher government. Its monthly journal throughout this period was called Socialist Youth, edited by John Hird.

Re-organisation under Neil Kinnock

The Party's other youth section, the National Organisation of Labour Students (NOLS), did not elect a majority of Militant supporters. Many Labour leaders and politicians' staff were once NOLS members, some of whom opposed the Militant Tendency and supported those who were determined to expel them.

When Neil Kinnock became Labour leader in 1983 the battle stepped up and after 1985 Kinnock made it clear he was determined to expel the Militant. In 1986 Labour Party conference decided to reorganise the LPYS. In 1987 the Neil Kinnock led Labour Party removed most of the LPYS elected structures, including the national delegate conference and reduced its upper age limit from 26 to 23. Reducing the age limit made most of the LPYS's leadership ineligible, since most of them were over 23, by the time they had gained enough experience to become national leaders of the LPYS. By 1990 the number of LPYS branches had fallen to 52.

The Labour Party Young Socialists continued until 1993 when the Party Conference in Brighton supported a motion to set up "Young Labour", proposed by Tom Watson (now a Labour MP), seconded by Brian Whitington, then Chair of the Labour Party Young Socialists (who was a 2005 Labour Party candidate in Twickenham) and supported by then NEC Youth Representative Clare Ward (who has been a Labour Party MP since 1997).

Notes