The election for the two constituency party representatives on Labour’s conference arrangements committee (CAC) is hotting up. After the local elections, the two candidates backed by the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance Katy Clark MP and Pete Willsman began campaigning in earnest. Katy has been MP for North Ayrshire and Arran since 2005 and Pete is [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Labour Democracy’
Why are the most powerful Labour politicians also the least accountable?
Jan 18th, 2013 by Jon Lansman.Directly elected Mayors in England are, without doubt, the most powerful English politicians around, with the exception of the Prime Minister. They have unparalleled executive powers, sufficient powers of patronage to ensure they are untroubled by dissenters in their own parties, and the comfort of knowing that it requires a two-thirds majority to overturn their [...]
The Wilderness Years
Oct 13th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.If you haven’t seen The Wilderness Years, a BBC series of four hour-long documentaries broadcast in 1995, it’s well worth watching – and you can by following the links below. Documenting the period of Labour’s history from losing the 1979 election to the election of Blair as Labour’s Leader, it relies entirely on archive footage [...]
Labour needs to offer a bold alternative
Sep 30th, 2012 by Andy Newman.The briefing meeting by the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD) was very well attended this morning, with around 200 people crammed into a basement bar, just a few hundred yards outside the entrance of the Party conference in Manchester. Keynote speeches were given by Jon Trickett and Michael Meacher, as well as Ken Livingstone, Ann [...]
Party fixing: we’ve had enough HP sauce
Jul 2nd, 2012 by Jon Lansman.Sighs of relief (as well as the odd celebration) spread this weekend amongst Labour activists following the announcement of the departure of one of Labour headquarter’s most notorious “fixers” during the New Labour years. It comes as no surprise that Hilary Perrin (HP), the London Regional Director, is to leave the party staff as she [...]
National policy forum representatives report stimulation, optimism and bonhomie
Jun 20th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.The National Policy Forum met at Aston University last weekend, 16/7 June 2012. Here some of those present describe the highlights for them. For all of them, it was the last meeting in this term of office (and in most cases, they were still waiting to hear whether they have been re-elected). It has also [...]
National policy forum – at last, things are getting better
Jun 19th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.Early reports from the National Policy Forum meeting in Birmingham at the weekend are encouraging not only about the review of policy itself, but also about the reform of the process. We shall bring you fuller reports by tomorrow, but in the meantime there seem to be grounds for thinking things are really getting better. [...]
The campaign against Progress is serious
Jun 11th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.The campaign against Progress operating as a party within a party stepped up a gear today as the GMB Congress passed without dissent a motion highly critical of Progress which it compared with the Militant tendency, and calling for “the national political officer should monitor the factional activity of Progress, and report to the CEC [...]
“Putting members first” – the easy empty rhetoric of Labour internal elections
Jun 1st, 2012 by Jon Lansman.What exactly does “putting members first” mean? Sure, it gives the impression of warmth towards your voters in elections to Labour’s national executive and national policy forum. But first before whom? Before the public? Who thinks that? We’re not here for ourselves but to bring about social and economic change which will, in our view [...]
Centre-Left candidates for Labour councillor elections
May 28th, 2012 by Jon Lansman.Labour councillors will receive additional ballot papers to elect their representatives on Labour’s national executive and policy forum. In the election for two NEC representatives, Jay Kramer of Hastings Borough Council will contest with Dave Sparks, leader of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, and Ann Lucas of Coventry. For the four national policy forum places, Steve [...]
