After Collins, what of the future? Of the collective link between the Labour Party and the trade unions as organisations representing the organised working class? The composition of the implementation committee is quite encouraging, and its actions may avert our worst fears in the immediate future. For example, Labour Uncut have suggested that the implementation committee might change the basis of the London mayoral primary, and any early leadership election so that union members can be fully involved. They, of course. wish to prevent that. So the battle continues to preserve effective union involvement in party decision-making. Continue reading
Posted by Peter Willsman
Bogus consultation and stage management. So much for transparency
In the furore over Collins, there have been three main areas of concern. There is concern over the actual proposals and their implications – those have been addressed on this site by Jon Lansman. I would like to address the second and third of these areas of concern – the way the proposals are being railroaded through the special conference, and what the future will be for the trade unions, as organisations, within our party.
The review started with a “consultation” conducted by Ray Collins, the results of which have never been published. From Ann Black’s forensic examination of the responses, it is obvious that a large majority opposed the idea of the primaries. Continue reading
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On illegitimate interference by party staff into our internal elections
As Jon Lansman previously reported here, there is clear evidence that full time Labour party officials in most of the country (including Yorkshire, the East Midlands and the eastern region, Scotland and the South West) interfered in the elections to the conference arrangements committee (CAC) and national constitutional committee (NCC) at Labour’s conference in Brighton. It stretches credibility to think that these examples are uncoordinated.
This interference was in direct contravention of the NEC’s Code of Conduct which states “Labour party staff employed by the NEC shall not canvass on behalf of any candidate.” As one delegate said to me: “It is like going to the polling station and the officials telling you to vote Conservative.” It is also worth recording that Katy Clark and I had many more nominations from CLPs than the two whips – the results announced were in reverse order from the nominations received. Continue reading
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Fight on a Labour agenda and we will win
Conference this week has been upbeat: the platform concentrated on attacking the Coalition, which delegates have shown they want more of. Ed Miliband’s Leader’s speech was well received with the media acknowledging he is likely to be the next Prime Minister.
A series of progressive policies have been announced which will also strengthen our support. Scrapping the bedroom tax, increasing free childcare hours, ending bad zero hours contracts, tighter minimum wage enforcement, scrapping ATOS, aiming to increase house building and so on. Continue reading
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The trade unions are the Labour Party
Most of the discussion in the media covering the unions and the Labour Party is wrong-headed. The impression given is that there is the entity known as the “Labour Party” and that the “unions” are somehow outside and merely link up to the party.
In fact our Party is not a singular body, it is a federation. An NEC document written in 1960 spells this out:
“The Labour Party was established as a federation and remains a federation.” Continue reading