Posts Tagged ‘Refounding Labour’

Ed has one chance left to breathe life into the party’s policy process

by Jon Lansman.

What makes a good policy process? A process that produces good policies, of course. Policies that are radical, innovative, resonate with our target voters and are up to dealing with the problems Labour will inherit. And Ed Miliband promised, through Refounding Labour, to give it to us – “to draw on the whole of our […]

London Labour: in need of some refounding

by Jon Lansman.

In a packed hall a mile from London’s Olympic park, the London Labour Party’s biennial conference was in bullish mood this last weekend. In spite of the loss of last year’s mayoral election, delegates and platform alike sounded confident that London Labour is in good shape electorally, as well as determined and radical in its […]

Does the leadership really believe in a genuinely democratic Labour Party?

by Michael Meacher.

It was never going to be easy to make Labour, what its activists and supporters have always wanted, into a truly democratic party. Blair bequeathed a party in which the Cabinet was given its orders, the PLP was ignored, the NEC was neutered, and Conference had no role except as a setting for his own […]

Ed fails to deliver on his promise of empowering members

by Jon Lansman.

At Labour’s national executive yesterday, Ed Miliband failed to deliver on his leadership campaign promise to give members more say in policy making. The final package of Refounding Labour measures they have agreed is shrouded in the language of empowering members, as were those introduced by Tony Blair in 1997 and Gordon Brown in 2007. The reality, […]

Labour’s policy statements published in secret, members’ opinions suppressed

by Jon Lansman.

The posting, sometime in the past couple of weeks, of the national policy forum annual report on membersnet, Labour members’ private intranet, reveals that little has yet changed in the way Labour makes its policy since the bad old days of New Labour. No press release, no email to members, no reason why anyone would […]

National policy forum representatives report stimulation, optimism and bonhomie

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

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. […]

At last, let’s have a policy process which empowers members

by Jon Lansman.

Last week we welcomed Ed’s replacement of Liam Byrne with Jon Cruddas and his nomination of Angela Eagle to chair Labour’s national policy forum. The fact was that Liam Byrne had wasted 18 months without any genuine advance in the policy review, and Peter Hain had failed to establish a working model of member participation […]

The reform of Labour policy process is unstoppable: Ed’s office please take note

by Jon Lansman.

As the extended period of consultation about Refounding Labour reaches its conclusion tomorrow, it has become clear that the determination to democratise decision-making extends across the party and its affiliates, and across the political spectrum. It cannot be stopped by the desire of the Leader’s advisers to force trade unions to give up yet more of the […]

10 ways in which Refounding Labour might actually happen

by Jon Lansman.

Were you or your local party consulted about our new commitments on freezing public sector pay or not reversing Tory cuts? No? And what about or policy review more generally — have you felt any more involved than you did in the New Labour years? We thought not. As it happens, you’ve got one more week […]

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