...and so does Stechford T. DAN' SHORT has finally departed for rich pastures new.
1. The Affair of John Ryman The day before Short announced his resignation, John Ryman, bour MP for Blyth, was acquitted of all charges of fiddling his election expenses. Ryman, it might be remembered, replaced Eddie Milne after the latter was sacked by Blyth Constituency Labour Party for demanding an investigation into the corruption of the Smith/Cunningnam/ Short regime in the North-East Labour Party.
Ryman is very much in the Short mould: a smooin and successtul (i.e. rich) barrister. Through his court-room agility, he was able to find lots of loop-holes in bourgeois law through which to escape conviction. His election agent, Mortakis. was less fortunate. He was found guilty on two charges of fiddling election expenses, E400, and banned from holding any Cable and Wireless Ltd he will be well catered for. But if Short has finally gone, the legacy of the machine built up by him and his old pals T. Dan Smith and Andy Cunningham lives on. The need to challenge this machine in the forthcoming by-election has been emphasised anew by two examples of what law and order means in the North-East Kingdom of Short and Friends Ltd.
public office or voting for five years.
Much of Ryman's defence was La- based upon a supposed Milne and Trotskyists to discredit him. As an example of this plot, Ryman cited the case of Dr Raymond Challinor, a 'leading member of the Workers Revolutionary Party'.
Red Weekly would of course defend Dr Challinor if he were a member of the WRP. However. in all fairness to the WRP and Dr must point out that he is not, nor nas ne ever been. a member-let alone a 'leading WRP. The 'skilled lawyer' Ryman is obviously not so concerned about "facts' if it will get him off the hook.
2. The death of Liddle Towers Liddle Towers was a shop steward electricians' EEPTU. On 15 January arrested by police outside the Key Club in Gateshead for being drunk and disorderly. He was knocked to the ground and savagely kicked and beaten by the police. On 9 February Liddle died as a result of his injuries.
Last week the jury at the inquest into fiable homicide.
All of the non-police witnesses stated that they had seen the police beat up Liddle. Despite the fact that they were all sure they had seen this beating, the coroner Peter each witness had said saw..... Seven of the eight policemen involved in this murder refused fined to give evidence. The one policeman to testify had his statement recorded
LIDDLE TOWERS
As chairman of as 'I saw...' Irwin was picked out as one of police who had kicked Towers. these two guardians of law Challinor, we member'-of the union, The was claimed that I think The Eldon Square Strike.
Two of the police involved, Constables Ray Irwin and Frank McDermott, are of special interest. PC But were involved in a previous important trial in the North East.
They were two of the three main pro- sary to kill them.
WEEKLY secution witnesses at the trial of Robert Henderson, one of the 10 arrested during the Eldon All 10 of the Eldon Square pickets were cleared of all charges. Any involvement by Irwin and McDermott ought, therefore, to be treated with extreme scepticism.
The inquest at Durham was a complete farce. Liddle Towers' own testimony, written shortly before his death, was dismissed as 'hearsay'. The police were allowed to refuse to give evidence. Despite promises that witnesses would be called in strici chronological order, the police were allowed to give their evidence last.
The verdict on Liddle Towers has far-reaching conclusions. It means the police now have a licence to kill. All they have to do is to claim someone resisted arrest and it was neces The coming election in Newcastle Central gives us an opportunity to ensure that these examples of ruling class justice are not forgotten. Socialists must demand that not only does Labour candidate Harry Cowans call for a real fight against cuts, unemployment and racism, but that he also demands an immediate enquiry into the running of the Labour Party in the North East, the exposure of all corruption in the labour movement, and supports the call from the Towers family for a trade union enquiry into the murder of Liddle Towers.
If Harry Cowans is not prepared to fight for these demands, then Red Weekly will campaign for a labour movement candidate who will.