The Observer from London, Greater London, England • 6

THE OBSERVE, SUNDAY i7 JUNK NEWS a1 6 Cost of Jenkins aside CND backs growing call for 1960s-type direct action HUGO DAVENPORT reports on the prospect of mass civil disobedience DR DAVID OWEN t9 by Adam Tm have the formal support of CND nationally. Action which stopped the conversion of a wartime bunker at Bridgend, Wales, into a nuclear blast-proof shelter is widely regarded in the peace movement as one of the most successful to date. serious, politician who has more than his, fair share of courage, vision and ambition. Without his blunt determination, the breakaway of the Gang of froim the Party might never have? taken place. Certainly it would nave been a much more protracted and messy undertaking.

That said. Dr Owen's election as leader of tile Social Democratic Party this Friday would at best be a grave handicap, at worst a disaster support regional and local groups undertaking 'considered, non-violent direct It aiso declared its willingness to 'organise and lead national direct action if the occasion Joan Ruddock, the Campaign's national chairwoman, said last week CND is a democratic movement, and must respond to where the mass of the membership wants it to go. I can foresee a situation where people would ask that the whole of the campaign be put behind a particular forim of direct action. THE STAKES ars rising in the battle between Britain's peace movement and the Government as a growing minority of campaigners turn to techniques of non-violent direct action to increase tile pressure for nuclear disarmament. Such techniques have been endorsed by the largest peace group, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and represent a significant tactical shift which could in future result in planned campaigns of mass civil disobedience.

Last week 40 people pleaded not guilty to a variety of charges arising from President Reagan's visit earlier this month. One bility for the outcome of their We have months rather than years to stop what's she said. 'Ultimately we have to try to get people's consciousness to the level where they are prepared to occupy the bases to stop them functioning. Legal moves against the camp outside the United Sjtates air base at Upper Hey-ford, near Steeple Aston, have backfired. Police arrived to arrest the campers on Easter Sunday, when the camp was set up, under section 137 of the Highways Act.

The campers threatened that if they persisted, a campaign would be mounted-for the arrest under the same section, of several prominent landowners who had obstructed public, ways. Campers have also tried to communicate with service personnel on the bases, but base commanders have gen DAVID MANSEU The clamp, commonly usecl at shopping complexes. "This is not envisaged within the next 12 months, but pressure will grow from this time next year when it becomes apparent that the siting of the first cruise missiles is going Peace camps So far the most significant expression' of the new attitude has been the rapid growth of peace The declaration of 'nuclear free zones' by local authorities, now numbering nearly 140, is also seen by some in' the peace movement as a form of 'direct action by elected councils whSch are part of. the government Since the first camp was set lip less' than a year ago at Greenham Common a future cruise missile site a. dozen resolved A xqmbiiied ote of the SDP and' Liberal MPs in ParMament would clearly be unacceptable ito the.

fiut-numbered Liberals, justas a vote of combined' party memberehip' would be Sun-acceptable "to ythe Social Democrats. In tije some form of leadership would probably have '''jobs cobbled' But ime effect ron the would be damaging. Voters are "entitled Vt'o know whom tfiey are yo'fcing for as a pot'eirfial Prime Minister; The risks of an. Owen victory, hoveverj gd well beyond this simple issue'. The doctor has made no secret chat he stands for a more assertive, independent party' '-than Jenkins who, he suspects, harbours long-term emsbitions of "Liberals.

This independent streaKs of the Owen campaign appeals to activists within -him own party, jrticiilarly tliose who have from a But relations, with- me Liberals over "seat distribution are aldy tense" enoffgh. An Owen victory many Liberals iiiihe a signal'for renewed strife. It is nbtgust David Steel who: is- for peace- Liberal MPs. 'are', for bncei "alnibst unanhnous "m'i'hopingfoiij a Jenkins victorjrj said oneLiberal-4P. last week, 'There "Willbe mayhem'- If: the anything approaching those that I.

have outlined; why. is it tiiat so many; sensible- people; in. the -SDP. are prepaaed. to including almost half the'harrVs MP's Ti'can- I he Bridgend camp was set up on 24 January and mounted a constant picket on the site for 57 days.

More than 600 people took part, working on a rota system. The campers acquired a caravan and established a telephone tree' which" enabled 100 people to be called in at short notice. On 8 March, cement mixers arrived. About 20 people climbed on to the shuttering to prevent work going ahead, and concrete was poured over two of them. The controlling Labour group on Mid-Glamorgan County Council, after meeting the campers and consulting the Home Office, abandoned building work on the bunker.

It has now been dismantled after the expenditure of about 100,000. Tony Simpson, who, helped to organise the camp, said direct action had been the last resort after all constitutional means had failed. Campaigners had previously held four mass lobbies of county hall, sent telegrams to-council leaders and committee chairmen, and lobbied councillors' homes. The action had required 'very careful thought' and six weeks' preparation, he said. Helen John, one of tha founders of the Greenham Common peace camp, said last week that the camp had introduced an emotional appeal which no previous form of protest had ever done.

The women aimed to make construction workers' on the base understand that eral iy issued instructions to their men not to talk to them. A US AirTorce spokesman said last week: 'The issue they are sitting in on is a political It is one that should be addressed to Her Majesty's Government rather than US bases. We tell our people to stay away from Active pacificism, page 16. Spiked er inay be Hdrawn as illegal group of 25 was arrested in xford Street, and the rest were held during a demonstration in Parliament Square. All were remanded on bail.

They were among more than 70 protesters arrested at six demonstrations over three days. In one case, women blocked traffic round the Stock Exchange, and demonstrators lay down on the pavement outside the Russian and American Embassies. It was a modest tally compared with the 1,300 arrested in New York the same week for trying to block the entrances to the United Nations missions of the five nuclear powers at the start of the second special session on disarmament. However, it indicated the re-emergence of a style of protest not seen in Britain since the 1960s, when the issue of direct action split the CND and led to the formation of the Committee of 100. The change was set in motion last year, when the Campaign's annual conference voted overwhelmingly to tor his party, xae na.uuu members of the SDP in whose hands the result lies should be under no illusions about the power they possess.

If they turn to Dr Owen and reject Roy Jenkins, they will risk provoking: nof only, a crisis in the Liberal (SDP alliance but also a -critical de-stabilisation in the deli-cat power structure of their own party. -If this' is a risk they are' prepared to take in the interests of some longer term radical vision of the SDP's future, so be it But one of the unfortunate features of. this strange election' which has been fought in coded addresses and television appearances by the two candidates, backed up by fair amount of stairs" intrigue by their campaign managers, is that the issues have been insufficiently analysed. If the Social Democrats are to have any hope of fulfilling their7 'ambition of breaking the two party mould of British politics at the next election, they will have fo present a united front i with the. Liberals.

That, means a single leader of thealliance, a common inanifestb vahd a joint campaign. The firsthand most serious consequence an Owen victory-would be destroy the pact' under which David Steel agreed he would cede the leadership of" the alliance 'at tile next election to. the SDP. There is ho way that Roy enkins could' still become eader the alliance having been defeated for the leadership of his own party. The' idea of a separate SDP leader of tiie alliance put forward by Dr Owen and Mrs Williams to accommodate a defeated Mr Roy Jenkins has nothing to commend it apart from desoeration.

Certainly. fcr a British couple lost on peak mvace conwanv. are lemL by. PETER DURISCH A SPIKED car clamp, widely used to imniohiliise illegally, parked vehicles at shopping: complexes, may be withdrawn because of fears that -it is being used' A Brash couple ere after attemcpdnK to climb Mount Meg-ally. more have sprung up outside military bases all over the country.

The most recent was established two weeks ago outside the nuclear submarine base at Faslane, Scotland, and another moved in at Lakeh-heath, Suffolk, at the end of last month. The camps are not specifically the creation of CND, though they are supported by local CND groups and the occupants are often Campaign members and they Huacaran in the Peruvian British Embassy in Lund announced. John Sobinon, 25, end Ut wife. NoemiaL 26, ctl Manchester arrived In the province of Huaraz three weeks ago saying that they' planned: to climb the 21,740 ft peak. No word had been heard from them since, the embassy said.

In order to be an effective deterrent to motorists who block access roads; many shopping centres charge a 5 fine to remove the clamp. But legal experts this week seriously questioned whether they had a personal responsi ndt be ifeqplaihed by: sopite Owen himself adxnitt QoadraM Centre. 'There is very little free parking in Swansea so people do. park on our access roads. The Swansea centre, along with many, others around Britain, is managed' by Donaldson's, a London firm specialising in.

property management. 'We will have to reconsider this in the light of the matters, you have raised about' its said Mr Richard West, a partner in the firm. I do see the problem. But we have found it a super de-. terrent.

We introduced the clamp into a- Salisbury site" and after a. few -weeks, when we. had piit it around four five cars, the illegal; parking problem had almost dis-, appeared. We introduced it to Romford and again we had very good results. When a driver, comes in, he sees a very large sign, say-ink that he renders himself, JiTOle ife'dampiriiKwith1 a 5: charge for removal of the clamp.

The first time somebody sticker oh his the differences betweelrfim and MrJehklaisare no-so 'This is very interesting to put it said a spokesman for the Automobile It seems to us that they are hot' within their rights to put hu.latter; day iron maiden around your car and then charge you 5 to release it; This type of thtefc is covered by the Torts (interference with Goods) Act of 1977. A landowner does have some rights if there is an, obstruction to his access but he should take action by-suing in the lawful manner through the courts; We shall investigate tin's further. The clamp consists of a metal frame with inward-pointing sharp spikes which: is placed around one' wheel of the vehicle. To prevent the motorist lifting his car over the clamp, a vertical arm contains another sharp spike which is positioned iust inches above the car, bonnet An 'attempt to mover the vehicle would result in a shredded tyre or punctured Illegal car parking a headache' for- shopping Comdex operators because as BLyie. -'One make far -too much- of distinctions, ofvieft and right' ajfd 'even 5of Owen writf Sdyin the current issue of AJtianc magazine.

That; strikes me' as Dr guy appeaL -former Lalwif Mr Jensfins Wo the Liberals have, no- when' the electionvcome esih right; across wmg xo aD wim rtvr vxviuu David Steel, even if his party would let prepared to; yield the leadership of the alliance'-' to 7Urr VQvren They Jare- mnebritoo; clpsei' in age; quite apartifrom-meir uneasy personal relationship; 1 6 the. immediate result of a Jenkins defeat would 'be' to gprovoke 'Y. a damaging ieaderistiip crisis for tiie alliance: How would; be spectrunh-' requires a with-ibe Liberals, wmch is despite to' day's poll iin virgins iheSDP hmxld vbSr Mrpknls. be does it again, we put" another sticker on and only, on the, third occasion do we use the clamp. The fine is really to pay for -the time of our staff.

It's, just, an-attempt to dear out the illegal less drivers can prevent large lorries from delivering goods; to the shops. People in Swansea will park said Hoy Finlay, manager of the city's Nobody knew herd er her husband-well (certainly not their insurice agent So she discovered, too lateral their policies paid too litifc What about you? What will your family need when you die? Will you be able to retire early? Do you want to create some capital in, say tenyears? Will you need money for school or university? Imperial life agents will talk to you about your life, not our policies; your ambitions, not our plans. They're professionals, not just sales peopk Ask them questions. Give them challenges. Phone any of our thirty Four bottles of wine, two red two white and aH at under 2.50.

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