Labour Party Membership Drops By 104,281 Labour Party membership dropped last year to the lowest level since 1962, according to the national executive's annual report, published this week. Total membership fell during 1966 by 104,281 to 6,335,612. Both individual membership and trade unionist affiliations declined. Individual membership in 1966 was 775,693, a reduction of 41,072 compared with the previous year, According to the report, the reason behind the fall is the doubling of the minimum subscription last year, from 6d. to 1/- a month, 'This has resulted in a loss of some members in most constituencies', the NEC report states. Despite this decline the report claims that many CLPs benefited from increased subscriptions, while the income from affiliations was lower than. in 1965,
TUC Break with Wilson's Vietnam Policy A Motion calling on the British Government tn dissociate themselves from American policy in Vietnam was carried at the TUC on Tuesday by 4,686,000 votes to 3,319,000, a majority of 1,267,000. The resolution which was moved by Jim Mortimer for D.A.T.A. was one of the few resisted by the general council, and both the T. & GWU and the AEU supported it on a card vote.
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Brighton Vietnam Meeting by Ian Birchall
The TUC's resolution on Vietnam was followed up on Tuesday evening by a highly successful meeting organised by local anti-war organisations and supported by the Vietnam Solidarity Campaign, An audience of over 140 heard speeches from Lawrence Daly, General Secretary of the Scottish Miners, Jim Mortimer of DATA, and Bishop Ambrose Reeves. Lawrence Daly spoke of his visit to North Vietnam on behalf of the International War Crimes Tribunal, He gave details of American atrocities and said that he had got the impression from talking to Vietnamese, that their hatred was for the American ruling class and not the American people, He expressed himself convinced of the justice of the demands of the Vietnamese people. Jim Mortimer, who received a long ovation as mover of the successful’ TUC resolution pointed out that the TUC policy was not changed by a few individuals but by the year long efforts of thousands of militants in the branches, He told the audience that condemnation of the Vietnam war was not merely a humanitarian duty but directly related to the struggle against the government's economic policies, The president of Brighton Trades Council, who was in the chair, pledged his organisation's support for a continued campaign against the Vietnam war. Leaflets were distributed appealing for support for the VSC Trade Union conference to be held on September 3rd.