PRIME Minister James SILBERMAN describes a day on the 'campaign trail' ACT ONE 10.15am, Tuesday 10 April. This is only the second day of the official Labour Party campaign, so ine morning DICS conference in Manchester's plush Midland Hotel could be an important indicator of what is to come.
Along with Callaghan on the platform are Cabinet MiniPhoto: LAURENCE SPARHAM (IFL sters Stan Orme (an Tribunite) and Joel Barnett (First Secretary to the Treasury and aspiring Chancellor of the Exchequer), and two local MPS - Alf Morris and Ann Taylor.
There is no hint of past political differences - mney Te all one happy family now. The idea is obviously to 'keep the press relaxed and happy' The first 'victim' of this jolly Ann Taylor.
Press chuckles when Callaghan introduces her as whip turn into guffaws when he jokingly retorts: "Let's not have of your sadistic fantasies here.* Thus the only involved in the proceedings is degraded from the start to little more than the object of male sexual fantasies.
And when I She COLICS LO speak, her subject is 'young families'. Any indication that you're intending to start one?' quips Callaghan, now turning her from prospective MIP into prospective mother-to-be...
It is left to Callaghan to deal with the "big' issues. Staggeringly, he chooses the question of unemployment.
"A vote for Labour is a vote for your job', he declares, claiming that training schemes, employment subsidies and the like have saved over million jobs.
No-one challenges figures. No-one points out the reality of unemployment in the North-West today, including the devastation of the very textile Industry which has OURS old allegedly been so protected.
No-one questions the government has poured milhons of pounds into propping up private industry instead of nationalising it under workers control if it can't provide jobs. much interested in anything! No-one, in fact, is There is silence after three or four questions. else?' asks Sunny Jim. I ask him if he considers that Ireland is an issue in the election.
What does he think of the Bennett Report on the torture of Irish prisoners? What about the troops? And so on...
Once again Callaghan rambles on: 'We want to pursue a policy that will ensure everyone in that country live in peace. Today their lives are being torn asunder As regards the Report, it is not anyone's such desire that any prisoner should suffer maltreatment A future Labour government will implement every proposal in the report...
well I'm not sure that Ireland will campaign. an them Labour The press conference ends on these words. Everything has gone according almost. For the slight irritation is obvious. you represent?' laghan. 'Oh, good. "Anyone ACT TWO 2pm. We're told afternoon electioneering. A small demonstration servants greets Callaghan as he that leaves the can Sunny Jim doesn't stop to explain why the civil servants Bennett should support him...
First stop is Glossop in a Tory marginal, Arriving at 2.30pm, Callaghan by the shakes hands and signs a few order... autographs in the Club, and ther three-minute speech from first floor window to a crowd issue in the the rain.
be to plan concessionary •What paper do aSKS Cal- local workers shout: "Socialist Challenge' good, La hurry.
constituency working spent back street striking civil candidate lives.
Midland Hotel.
their children Churchill's Stretford.
High Peak.
Labour makes get Callaghan isn't keen.
ACT THREE 7.30pm.
of Manchester.
primarily MP Maurice implicated scandal and stood down.
Labour nomination ensure Transport House.
in the past, chairperson Colin candidate for the job' of some 150 adults and young audience children gathered outside in His main concern seems to of SCHCHIC travel passes The that Labour would introduce.
There is some applause; a few does only voting for you because candidate Thatcher's worse.' He leaves in Next stop is Moss Side, a with some very demonstration class which catch form the basis of Labour's press slim majority. Callaghan stays well away from them, heading state their instead for the quiet suburbar Labour George Morton time.
Then it's out again to a tive." meeting of party activists and Winston tative -Tory marginal, the police.
By 4pm it's back to th Midland Hotel for another TV session, this time with a bunch of "first time voters'. We try to has already on me ackn audience Callaghan is due to speak in Stockport, just south about It's significant in the election licences because of happened in Stockport South Labour Party after the sitting index pensions.
Orbach, was in the Peachey The ensuing battle for the was ver dirty indeed. Most of the work Callaghanes political adviser, the success Tom McNally, was done from There is no mistaking the 900-strong rally has beer organised. 'We've got to forge the local differences we've had explains district needs...
Campbell McNally, he says, is 'the best But to get into the hall the chance and left.
By Hull. the has to pass 60-strong demonstration called by Socialist Unity to attack the government's record on reland and the economy demonstration takes place inside the hall as well. A: Callaghan rises to speak, SO the Socialist Unity for Manchester Ardwick, Jeff West Callaghan responds immediately: "This is clearly a staged designed the attention of the "They have come here to stay should ino so at the at the appropriate time - at question They are as undemocratic as they are unrepresenta And to prove how represendemocracy works, officials then eject Jeff and hand him over to There is, of course, to be no question time. The chairperson announced this earlier. And so members of the demand right through Callaghan's speech that he answer their questions - on Ireland, unemployment, the civil servants, the health service, and so on.
to reply. Instead he waffles on manifesto proposals to give free TV to pensioners, introduce a home-loan scheme for first-time house buyers, to Finally, he returns to the theme on which he began the day: unemployment. Somehow he fails to repeat his earlier claim of a million jobs saved perhaps because official Transport House leaflets have been distributed outside putting the figure at only 300,000.
*Britain must belong to the people', Sunny Jim concludes Not yet. But it will do..
From each according to his ability, to each according to his . We've got the chance to go forward if we take it...
And then, seemingly acting on his own advice, he took his
----- pull-quotes -----
Callaghan was in the North-West last week. JONATHAN
LABOUR IRISH PRISONER
socialist unity VOTE
saalist unit