§ Mr. Tony Benn (Chesterfield)Mr. Speaker, I gave notice last night that I would beg leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 10, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely,
the recent incidents involving the police outside the printing plant owned by Mr. Rupert Murdoch at Wapping.There can be no doubt as to the specific nature of the incidents directly following from the fact that more than 5,000 print workers were summarily dismissed after working for The Times, the Sunday Times, the Sun and the News of the World, and Mr. Murdoch's decision to move the printing of those papers to a fortified establishment surrounded by barbed wire in Wapping.
That brutality of action understandably led to picketing, and demonstrations of protest by those affected who have lost everything, and by their families and friends, who see it as a direct attack upon the rights of workpeople to band themselves together in trade unions to defend their legitimate interests.
The Metropolitan police Commissioner, Sir Kenneth Newman, who is directly and personally answerable to the Home Secretary and, through him to the House, then decided to bring in the riot police. The commissioner also decided to activate the instructions laid down in the "Police Operations Manual" —extracts of which you, Mr. Speaker, authorised me to place in the Library of the House last year—under which peaceful demonstrators may be attacked without provocation by mounted and foot police, and disabled by the use of truncheons. As a result of that police action, a number of people have been injured and a number of arrests have been made.
Mr. Speaker, the public importance of what has happened here in the heart of London is obvious. First, a foreign national, Mr. Murdoch, has unjustly deprived several thousand employees of their work, income, pensions and redundancy pay. Secondly, those workers have contributed directly to the making of millions of pounds of profits by Mr. Murdoch, money that he has then used to build a new printing plant and so deny them of any benefit from their labour. Finally, the police, instead of standing aside, have been instructed to give 100 per cent. support to Mr. Murdoch and to use violent methods to deny the print workers their right to go to work—[Interruption.]
I do not have to emphasise the connection between what is happening at Wapping and similar incidents that occurred during the miners' strike. The difference is that during the miners' strike, the dismissals were on the grounds that the pits were uneconomic, but no one could argue that Mr. Murdoch's enterprises are uneconomic.
During the miners' strike the police were used to allow people to go to work; that is what the print workers at Wapping are pleading for.
I submit that what is raking place is fundamentally unjust, and undermines basic freedoms and civil liberties won by people over many centuries. The House will ignore that injustice at its peril. Good and decent people are being treated disgracefully and I appeal directly and personally to you, Mr. Speaker, to recognise the importance of what is happening and allow an emergency debate on the shameful conduct of Mr. Murdoch and the Ministers the police and the courts who are supporting him.
§ Mr. SpeakerThe right hon. Member for Chesterfield (Mr. Benn) asks leave to move the Adjournment of the House under Standing Order No. 10 for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he thinks should have urgent consideration, namely,
the recent incidents involving the police outside the printing plant owned by Mr. Rupert Murdoch at Wapping.The right hon. Gentleman knows that my only duty in considering that case under Standing Order No. 10 is to decide whether it should be given priority over the business already set down for this evening or for tomorrow. I regret that I cannot find that the matter meets all the criteria laid down in the Standing Order and I cannot, therefore, submit his application to the House.
§ Mr. Eric S. Heffer (Liverpool, Walton)On a point of order, Mr. Speaker. It is not for me in any way to suggest that you should censor what hon. Members say, but I distinctly heard that idiot, the hon. Member for Grantham (Mr. Hogg), acting like a stupid berk. If that is the level of conduct which we have in the House, I ask you, Mr. Speaker, to deal with idiots like the hon. Gentleman and allow some proper order in this matter.
§ Mr. SpeakerAs the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton (Mr. Heffer) knows, my microphones were directed to the right hon. Gentleman making the submission. I heard nothing untoward from below the Gangway.