Last week he celebrated his 79th birthday. the Rolls. GEOFF BELLreports.
*I hope there are no reporters present', was Denning's opening remark. The rest of the speech showed there was good reason for such caution.
Most of it was an exercise in self-glorification, explaining to IN SORE OUR COAT RHER the bulk of his audience, what powerful figures Alfred Dennng and other Appeal Judges were. Byand large hope weare the Government in order", he said at one point, a piece of Plustrate Mineral aparel His address was concerned with reviewing the major legal decisions of 1977, embracing cases ansing from the refusal of the Tory Council to implement comprehensive education in Tameside; the legal moves to prevent the Union of Post Office Workers from taking industrial action; and, most important of all the Grunwick strike.
SMUG For the most part Denning recalled with smug satisfaction how the Appeal Court had successtully chalienged various pieces of Government legislation. I do not care what thes (The Labour Government) do he said. as long as they koop within the law Bat Denning's insistence on the supremacy of taw became not his interpretation of law. He recalled how the altempts to take the UPW 10 court for threatening communications to South Africa had ended Goverament, through Attorney General, arguing that only it had the legal right to SLAEL SUMES we see An eat went Appeal Court) said the Attorney General was wrong and we could have an application by any individual. could come and ask us to tell if che law was being obeyed.
Allorney General didn't like it arall.
REACTED Denning went on to tell how the presumptuous Attorney General reacted: The case was taken to the House of Lords, and you will all know the result. The Houseof Lordsheldthat we were wrong: the Attorney General was the ouly person who could stop I. Stop the Union of Post Office Workers from breaking the law. If he choose not to, because he was afraid of the trade union perhaps. the court could do nothing to see that the law was Lord Alfred Thompson Denning is, as Master of the Rolls, the head of the Courtof Appeal at the Old Bailey, He is one of the most powerful judges in the country.
Lord Denning appears to like celebrations, especially ones which mark out his own power and authority. The night of 20 October last year was one such occasion. Denning addressed the Mansfield Law Society at the City of London Polytechnic. His speech was video-taped, openly and with Denning's full knowledge. Socialist Challenge has just seen and listened to the tape and it contains some interesting revelations on the views and prejudices of the Master of enforood. And that we must takero bethelaw"
But then this Master of the Rolls and author of a book entitled Freedom Under the Law, added: "But we have ways and means of getting round the law".
EXPAND Denning didn't expand on rEnts observanon Instead be went on to recount how he dealt with the Grunwick case. The ase in question was over th uling of Lord Chief Justic Widgery that George Ward had to rocognise APEX. Widgery's ruling was based on interpretation of the Umson Employment and Pro tection Act. Let Denning take up the story, or at least his dishonest version De tacs as soon octre us - were, in that case, these Africa, had got employment in the Grunwick factory and were quite content, Then one of them deliberately disobeyed orders...so as to get hitself dismissed. He had anotber job in the offing...He got himself dismissed and then got some of his friends together who went our with him, those were the strikers. They weren't members of any union then, they were taken up by APEX.
RECOGNISE 'APEX demanded that Grunwick should recognise chat trade union, Fair enough, and there was machinery under a the before ACAS, the service. That didn't suit trade union. They Conciation Servie and have it a decided by them. They took the law intotheirown bands.
As you will have read thousands of mass pickets were pulside the Grunwick factory, The trying to force the company bo grant recognition by without going through processes contained And there it was. Mr Wand and the Grunwick appited to us.
ACAS didn't like this dispute continuing, with all these mobs and violence. ACAS said we can't got the view of all the workers inside grant recognition. They docide. n favour of trade unions. wording of this statute this is not Thisaccount of the Grunwick strike, is full of half-truths, misrepresentations and downrightles Contrary to what Denning Trade of it:
East And : Press advisory the were not LORD DENNING said, APEX applied to ACAS on 15October 1976, long before the mass pickets Contrary to what Densuce says ACAS deliverod its judgement torce, on recognition in March 1977, the again before mass picketing. Sc law. no way could the decision of APEX to apply to ACAS or the COLOR ACAS decision on recognition afraid be influenced by what Dennin calls mobs and violence!
Indeed the real question raised is this: when Denning was making ais judgeinent, we'll determined to lash out at 'mobs BETTE violence, prejudicod in George Ward's favour? lawful' Denning did not end there.
He concluded his remarks on Grunwick by attacking Lord Scarman: 'Lord Justic man held an inquiry. He said that Ward ought to recognise began. the Judge who Appeal, was he so that be was "mobs and Scar ways and means Moscow LAURIE Moscow.
Union'.
orbeth.
book.
University if they truth slip. reveal an the union, ought to take then coording back. I wish he had mentioned more the illegality of tradi unionists. I won't say any claims When the Grunwick case went to the Appeal Court, Socialist Challenge said strikers could not rely on judges. Reading these words oi in July 1977 presided over the Grunwick Dul le the TeASOO Tor ou adrice is obvious. Denning was apparently ignorant of the facts violence! conclusion for the Grunwick strikersis obvious. The strugale continues, and to see how it can still be won, let us remember. the words of Denning: "We have oF getting support. Introducing Mr Costello BERT RAMELSON.
industrial orgasiser of the Communist Party, has been • Bren appears to be pottie replaced by Mick Costello. To worse. O'Brien was kicked our Ramelon must go the credit of of the irish parlament by the failing to nevitalise the CP's electorate after attack on Labour's economic What will Costello be like? He Coalition Government. is certainly an experienced member of the party hierarchy.
His father was New Zealand's Editor of the Observer. Two Ambussador to the Soviet weeks ago O'Brien Union during the war. Young Flees Street by Costello was educated In where he mastered hoth his politics and the Russian Recently a book hy him was published hy Nowsti Press in Its title: Workers Participation in the Soviet All 167 puges can b purchased for 13 pence The book is utter gibberish. It was clearly written either to earn a office. bit of money on theside, orto do should become a reviewer of a PR job for the old comrades, However readers should not the previous week by the let their Judgement of Costello Observer. O'Brien obviousty he clooded by this appalling felt Communist meeting in 1976, CP dissident, Dave Pardy recounted an inferesting tale.
Pundy had just made a criticial speech on the TISSR and was being attacked from the floor hy an angry, sentimental Stalinist.
telling the audienceof500 that Costello, in his reseurch for his book, had visited factories throughout the U95R. At a seel plant, he had usked workers how they reacted watch closely were subjected te ampopulur munagement deciThe workers, in angwurded moment let the They pranted to th heavy steel girders on the rouf Costello: *You those. Well, when the foremen prove 10o froublesome there's: usually an accident.* This shining example of workers participation is not of Police National Computer mentioned the (PNC)
Novosti hook. But It does extremely Industrial Organiser of the Commenist Party, a quality which is, given the nature of the job, exactly what is needed.
Equal pay damages MANAGEMENT-UNION col laboration ar Leyland in Burningham over implementa tion of the Equal Pay Act has contributed to cracked ribs, and groin injuries, to evidence being given ar an Industrial Tribunal.
Woman worker Berly Finn she LESSEES dismissed from Leyland's the fact that Castle Bromwich factory for publicising what happened there after the Equal Pay Act was introduced. Previously labourers were employed to help with work lifting heavy metal components all day long, union agreed to dispense witle bese labourers asi political rather than specifically part of an equal pay agreement.
Naturally, This has led to big savings in wages for manage ment. Now the AUEW District Committee is being called on lo mount its owe inquiry into how the scheme was ever accepted and why women sacked for prolesting against it bave not apparently been given union A suitable case for treatment the THE political bealth of friled Iristman Conor Cruise This repeated attacks on Irish Kenublicanisn and his imposition of pres censorshin He has now ended up an shocked having editorial in bold This exercise in scit glorification was • condemned Timent Flee Stret's trade others the Irish paper Lk Press Gaze He ha nOW gone even further reviewed a play entitled Kingdom Come', currently playing near our Strange that an editor fringe theatre, but strangest of all is tbat the play was reviewed this cevicw wasn't complimentary chough. So he added his bit the North a about the North Ireland and O' Brien uses bis review to once more attack the IRA- We look forward to tha meglomaniac O'Brien revies ing Eamonn McCann's forthconting play soon to be seen in the London stage. Or will no mention of it find its way into the columns of the Observer? Devotees of press freedom, Daleks in blue THE COMPUTER services utilised hy the British police force are due for an expansion SODI Already many civil liberty organisations and the magazine Datulink have voiced grave doubts the information stored in the I contains, according to the Hone Office: a list of stolen or suspected vehicles; 2.2 million fingerprints; records of people who have serious offences", etc. The police refuse to admit that the main use of the PNC is ultimately for political pur poses So pleased are the police with the INC that a sel of suppleniemary computers eing brought into play in th covinces. Meanwhile there is large new computer at Tintage House just near the House of Continons. Shirley Sumnierskill, the Labour minister at the Home Office, reluses to release the relevant details, including La Humber of Labour MPS have their political rocords on the new computer Stude Research, a London based research trust, says that the system will hold 600,000 Special Branch files on . many by nature criminal. The patrolling copper can then consult the monster directly:
News from Nowhere will publish the best fictional account of a dalek in blue conversing with the computer afte. stopping a long-haired person on a random check Maximum length: 400 wards.
SOCIALIST CHALLENGE, 2 February, 1977 page 4