Whilst we celebrate that Labour’s clean up of the party machine has started, we nevertheless continue to find that the remaining relics of the old corrupt regime are still up to no good. And so it is with what’s left of democracy and accountability in local government which we have criticised before. Recent changes, reinforced […]
Posts Tagged ‘Refounding Labour’
Report of Labour’s September executive and of conference
Oct 10th, 2011 by Ann Black.NEC Meeting, Tuesday 20 September 2011 The NEC opened by expressing sympathy for the families of the miners who died in Neath, and Peter Hain reported that contributions to the appeal fund had reached £60,000 within hours. This was the last regular meeting before conference, and Ed Miliband stressed that the focus must be outward, […]
Share:
Labour conference: resentment at manipulation grows
Sep 27th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.This morning, Labour’s conference gave another indication that its patience with party managers’ manipulation is running out. We reported the noisy dissatisfaction on Sunday with the railroading of Refounding Labour. This morning, they clearly resented the further gagging of those constituencies who proposed a rule change 18 months ago designed to prevent the “parachuting‟ of […]
Share:
Proposed ban on parachuting candidates into safe seats blocked by sharp practice
Sep 27th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.First we had the stitch-up. Then the farce. But today, Labour’s party managers have excelled themselves in their cynical manipulation of Labour’s conference agenda. The Conference Arrangements Committee, in its interpretation of the rulebook, has added new dimensions to the elasticity of meaning. Delegates from six constituency parties (Amber Valley, Blackpool South, Caerphilly, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Newport West, […]
Share:
Refounding Labour – from stitch up to farce
Sep 26th, 2011 by Jon Lansman.Giving registered supporters a vote in the leadership election is not popular with constituency parties who are concerned about devaluing party membership. And it’s not popular with trade unions, whose levy payers do pay a great deal of money to the party and who now, potentially, could have less influence. The precise way in which […]
Share:
Control freakery still rules OK at Labour conference
Sep 23rd, 2011 by Jon Lansman.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 […]
Share:
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 […]
Share:
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 […]
Share:
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 […]
Share:
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 […]
