The Ken Coates Defence Fund, which was launched just before the Party Conference to facilitate his legal fight against the Labour Party, has already reached three figures. His fight for reinstatement is, of course, the latest stage in the Nottingham witch hunt which involved not only his expulsion but also the barring from office of three members of the City Party Executive. As readers of The Week will know, the three members won their own battle for reinstatement when the NEC conceded their case, settled out of court and agreed to pay their £300 legal costs. The costs of that action give some idea of the difficulties faced by any individual who is forced to seek justice by such means, and it is of course scandalous that members of an avowedly democratic party are faced with this choice. The Coates case is not unique, and the importance of his fight is that it will be of direct help to others who are feeling the hot breath of Sara Barker and her coven of Regional Organisers. With other cases, such as the one mentioned in the article above, it has already ied to a growing awareness of the situation in the constituencies.
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