If you are in any doubt about the extent of control freakery operating still in the Labour Party, take a look at the contemporary motions. Gordon Brown had abolished these back in 2007 just after becoming leader – they were the last chance left for conference to vote on policy issues. Until then, most had [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Party Conference’
Labour Conference to agree Balls line on strikes
Sep 22nd, 2011 by Jon Lansman.There is little doubt that Labour Party conference will agree to back the line argued by Ed Balls on the public sector pension strikes – representing the union case as reasonable and pinning al the blame on the government for the threat of strike acton. The clear implication is that, if strikes happen because of [...]
Party democracy is being stitched up at Labour’s conference
Sep 22nd, 2011 by Michael Meacher.Two key changes were needed to make good Ed Miliband’s promise of a change of direction at his election to the leadership. One was obviously a shift away from New Labour’s Faustian deal with neo-liberal capitalism and Blair-Brown’s accommodation with the banks, big business and Murdoch press in support of deregulated finance and privatised free [...]
Refounding Labour – avoiding a shabby stitch-up is still (just) possible
Sep 22nd, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Yesterday, we reported on the transparency and accountability in how Refounding Labor has been handled and the shameful farce of putting the whole package to conference as a package with a single debate and vote. Today we discover that there isn’t even going to be a real debate, time perhaps for two or three CLP [...]
Refounding Labour: political homeopathy
Sep 21st, 2011 by David Osler.Interestingly enough, Peter Hain is one of the few people with credibility in public life openly to champion homeopathy. So to his way of thinking, it presumably follows that by diluting the influence of unions in the Labour Party, Refounding Labour will ultimately make them that much stronger. The only snag is that the particular form [...]
Refounding Labour – lacking democracy in process and content
Sep 21st, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Ed Miliband promised change. A real voice for members. A “living, breathing party”. We think he does believe in that, but he hasn’t delivered it in Refounding Labour, not in form or content. Taking it as a whole, which is how party managers are forcing us to take it with just one vote on the [...]
You have three days to get a motion to Labour conference
Sep 13th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.The closing date for constituency parties to submit contemporary motions is this week – 12 noon on Friday 16 September. At present, this is the only opportunity CLPs have to make their own policy proposals direct to the party conference – although submissions are invited by the national policy forum, there is no guarantee that anyone [...]
Compass and party democracy – good intentions misdirected
Sep 12th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.On Friday, a letter appeared in the Guardian which argued that the party needed to change and be refounded, power should be handed back to the membership and the NEC should commit to a programme of bold and radical reforms that would re-democratise the party and devolve power away from the centre. So far, so good. [...]
Labour’s unbeatable offer to members – submit a motion
Aug 15th, 2011 by Peter Kenyon.As a constituency labour party (CLP) secretary, I have recently received an invitation from Head Office on behalf of the CLP to submit a contemporary motion for consideration at Annual Conference 2011. On first sight this is an excellent and timely reminder of a welcome opportunity. Members getting to have a say. But as the [...]
NEC member fears a pre-Conference fix
Jul 26th, 2011 by Peter Kenyon.Labour Party members are to be denied sight of rule changes arising from the Refounding Labour consultation triggered by Ed Miliband’s election ten months ago. According to veteran constituency representative on the ruling national executive committee, Ann Black, any rule changes to be put to party conference will not be decided until the executive’s next meeting [...]
