World Notes Britain

There were cries of "Liar," "Scab" and "Traitor," and thunderous cheers clashed with raucous catcalls. That was the scene at last week's annual conference of the opposition Labor Party, which quickly developed into a shouting match between supporters of centrist Party Leader Neil Kinnock, 43, and Arthur Scargill, 47, the Marxist president of the National Union of Mineworkers. The most contentious issue at the conference was Scargill's proposal that a future Labor government reimburse the N.U.M. nearly $2 million for court fines and costs stemming from the union's violent yearlong strike, which was broken by the Conservative government last March. Kinnock lashed out at his party's militants, declaring that "impossible promises do not win victories." But Scargill had the votes, and the resolution to reimburse the miners' union passed by a 55% majority. Kinnock left the delegates with a warning that unless they mend the fissures in the party, Labor's chance for an election victory will be slim. His point was made clear by a poll last week that showed the party trailing the Liberal-Social Democratic Alliance in popularity 33% to 35%. The troubled Conservative government scored only 30%.