Model Rule Changes for Conference

The Campaign for Labour Party Democracy has drafted 12 rule changes for Constituency Parties to submit to Annual Conference. Your CLP Secretary must submit these to be received by 30 July 2010. These are each available for download with possible arguments to be used in support. They are as follows:

1. Right of Party members to select candidates: Following concern about the parachuting into constituencies of favoured outsiders, this restricts the imposition of candidates to the most extreme circumstances, and where either candidate or shortlist has to be imposed, ensures that decisions are taken jointly with local representatives. DOWNLOAD Right of Party members to select candidates.
2. Right to amend National Policy Forum (NPF) documents at conference: This would allow CLPs and affiliated organisations to submit an amendment to the final reports of the NPF. DOWNLOAD Right to amend NPF documents at conference.
3. Allow conference to vote in parts on policy reports: This would end the choice between all or nothing. Download Allow conference to vote in parts.
4. Restore Conference’s right to take policy decisions: This restores conference’s right to debate and vote on contemporary motions, rather than “contemporary issues” which are merely be debated and referred to the National Policy Forum without any votes to indicate Conference’s views. DOWNLOAD Restore Conference’s right to take policy decisions.
5. Minority Positions on NPF Annex Reports: Main NPF reports can already include minority reports which enables conference to choose between the majority and minority positions. This extends that facility to “annexe reports” by NPF policy commissions. DOWNLOAD Minority Positions on NPF Annex Reports.
6. Increasing democracy in leadership elections: When there is a challenge to a sitting Prime Minister, as happened repeatedly by disaffected ex-Ministers in the last 2 years, the party is not fully involved under current rules and only a small number of  MPs can decide whether a Leader/Deputy Leader should be challenged. DOWNLOAD Increasing democracy in leadership elections.
7. Others: These would allow CLPs to submit a rule change and a contemporary issue, make ministers ineligible to serve on the Conferenbce Arrangements Committee, provide extra NEC seats for CLPs in Scotland and Wales, ensure that conference debates four subjects chosen by CLPs in addition to those chose by affiliated organisations, end the delay before rule changes are debated and introduce a new Clause IV. DOWNLOAD others.

Support Candidates for Nomination

For the six constituency places on the NEC, CLPD and some of the other organisations in the CLGA are  calling on the supporters in the constituencies to nominate the following in the coming weeks (the closing date is 30 July 2010 – DOWNLOAD the NEC flyer):

Ann Black, current Chair of the Party and NEC member since 2000, Secretary of Oxford East CLP and a member of UNISON’s National Labour Link committee, she reports back here.

Christine Shawcroft, NEC member since 1999, is Secretary of Nottingham South CLP and has previously been Leader of Tower Hamlets Council and PPC for Meriden. She is a regular columnist in Labour Briefing.

Peter Willsman, first elected to the NEC in 1998 having previously served for many years on the Labour Conference Arrangements Committee, is Secretary of the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, and reports back here.

Ken Livingstone is former Mayor of London and Leader of the Greater London Council, MP for Brent East and member of the NEC. Many of his speeches and writings can be found here.

Sam Tarry is National Chair of Young Labour, Compass Management Committee member, GMB activist, Hope not Hate organiser and recently elected Barking and Dagenham councillor. Follow him on Twitter @SamTarry.

Sofi Taylor is a member of Unison’s NEC, Chair of the STUC Black Workers Committee and a former member of the TUC General Council.

CLPD is also urging CLPs to nominate for the following positions:

Leader: Diane Abbott

Treasurer: Diana Holland (Unite) DOWNLOAD Diana’s statement

Conference Arrangements Committee: Mick Murphy (Unite)

National Constitutional Committee (CLP Section): Mark James (Greenwich & Woolwich CLP)

For the 5 constituency places in each of the eleven Labour Party regions on the National Policy Forum, CLPD also agreed candidates with other organisations in the CLGA. For more information, please contact the Editor via this spam-proof e-mail link.

Please note that ballot papers for the Leadership, Treasurer, NEC and NPF elections (together with that for London Mayoral candidate for those living in London) are now expected to go out at the start of September rather than 16 August as the party previously advised.

Council Labour Groups

CLPD has never previously backed a candidate for the NEC Local Government section but now we have a CLPD supporter wanting to stand for the current vacancy.  He is Andy Walker who is a councillor in the London Borough of Redbridge.  In order to be a valid candidate, he needs the nomination of at least two Labour Groups in addition to his own (which he has).  If you are in a position to nominate him (or you know someone who would), please do so without delay.  He is willing to come to your Labour Group to speak or answer questions if you like. His contact details are:

Andy Walker
H:  020 8590 7739
M:  07956 263088
E:  andy.walker@talk21.com

DOWNLOAD NEC and NPF nomination form. He sends the following message:

My motivation for standing is to highlight the issue of housing. Most councillors will know families living in overcrowded flats with little chance of moving to a family house. To build a consensus that it is in the national interest to build substantially more houses requires a sustained campaign which has to start now and be a prominent feature of our next manifesto. If elected, I will encourage Labour Groups to send me proposals for new council housing in their authorities which for planning/financial reasons are not being built now.

The aim is to collect so many proposals for new housing that the NEC will accept that it is best to publish the proposals on the party website. Until the party agrees to this, I will publish them on my own ward site. The best of these proposals should be part of the next manifesto.

I would encourage groups near parts of the Green Belt, Royal Estate or military bases to submit plans for development if they thought the land was suitable. I would be willing to speak to your group, my number is 07956 263088.