If you’ve picked up a newspaper or turned on the radio in the past week, you might have heard about Martyn Heale. He’s Ukip’s branch chairman and election agent in South Thanet – the constituency where one Nigel Farage hopes to be elected an MP next May. He’s also, you’ll probably have heard, a former […]
Labour Students wreck their own wrecking amendment
Oct 22nd, 2014 by Conrad Landin.Last night the Labour Students and Progress block on the Young Labour national committee accidentally wrecked their own wrecking amendment, thereby wrecked (for them) the overall motion, and then voted it down – despite their amendment having been carried. The bizarre spectacle was the climax of a shoddy episode which once again revealed that Labour […]
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Young Labour and Gaza: first as farce, then as farce
Oct 19th, 2014 by Conrad Landin.The religion of socialism is for me not so much the language of priorities, as the language of common sense, of right and wrong. So sitting on the Young Labour national committee has been a frustrating experience. At the August meeting, senior members of the committee – including chair Simon Darvill and national executive committee […]
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Darcus Howe: setting the record straight
Jul 27th, 2014 by Conrad Landin.Four of us stood glued to the television for the best part of five minutes. We were all familiar with Darcus Howe. For my part, I’d seen his gripping TV series on English identity, White Tribe, several years before. This was 2011, and in the wake of riots that the political establishment were struggling to […]
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Your tributes to Vladimir Derer: all in one place
Jun 14th, 2014 by Conrad Landin.Since the death of Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD) founder Vladimir Derer on Tuesday, numerous tributes have appeared in both short and long form across the web and press. We’ve collected some below: and feel free to add your own in the comments. Two full length obituaries have appeared so far, which we have […]
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The Mirror front page hit a nerve. Bring on the distraction
Apr 17th, 2014 by Conrad Landin.The front page of yesterday’s Daily Mirror (left) made for graphic viewing. Its simple message about the injustice of Britain’s reliance on food banks – and the ease with which it could be shared on social media – made it an effective campaigning tool for “digital Bennites”. But within hours, the backlash had begun. Twitter […]
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In defence of slates
Apr 7th, 2014 by Conrad Landin.It’s spring of an even year, and time therefore for an excess of self-promotion on social media. Why on earth, I hear you cry. Because in a few months time ballot papers will hit the doormats of two hundred thousand Labour members, for that most glamorous of glamorous elections: for members’ reps on Labour’s national […]
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Ten reasons to NOT join a union (N.B. watch before you respond!!)
Mar 31st, 2014 by Conrad Landin.If you think the trade union movement doesn’t have a sense of humour, maybe you should head to Australia! This great video from Oz’s National Tertiary Education Union makes the case for NOT joining a union. The visuals get really good at number four: “you don’t mind being bullied at work!”
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Lobby your MP to join Labour rebellion against social security cap
Mar 24th, 2014 by Conrad Landin.The New Statesman report today that Labour MPs including Diane Abbott, Ian Lavery and John McDonnell are planning to vote against capping benefit, when a vote on this issue takes place this Wednesday, “with more to follow”. Abbott told the Statesman that the benefit cap was “part of a political narrative which demonises welfare claimants; most […]
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Shock as Young Labour rejects Collins reforms and votes to defend the link
Feb 22nd, 2014 by Conrad Landin.Young Labour conference today delivered a damning verdict on the Collins Review of the Labour-union link – voting to mandate its delegates to vote against the proposals at the upcoming special conference on 1st March. The party’s youth wing’s two-strong delegation carries 25,000 votes in the affiliates section of annual and special conferences. Though this […]
