The next Labour NEC is on July 17. Time to get those resolutions going on Brown's bid to curtail conference powers by ending contemporary and emergency motions. The following resolution was passed last night in Walthamstow.The preposterous uber-Brownite Luke Akehurst has of course denounced this as "ultra-left because it was proposed by a supporter of Labour Left Briefing." In fact, Brown's proposals represent exactly the kind of control freakery which has been opposed for years by the moderate pressure group Save The Labour Partyof which I am a member.
"This CLP welcomes the aim outlined in the consultation document 'Extending and Renewing Party Democracy' of broadening participation in policy making process, however we believe that many of the proposals will have the precise opposite effect. We oppose the proposal that Conference ceases to be the decision making body of the party, having its role reduced to proposing 'issues' for the National Policy Forum to consider. We further oppose attempts to restrict the right of CLPs and affiliates to submit contemporary resolutions to conference, again reducing their role to outlining issues rather than specific resolutions. We believe that much of the disillusion amongst party members is precisely because of the lack of ability of local parties to influence conference agenda, and the refusal of the Labour Government to take notice when
conference does adopt policy contrary to Government policy. We believe that Partnership into Power and National Policy Forums have immensely weakened the feeling of ownership of party
policy amongst party members and affiliates. Rather than giving more power to this obscure process, we should look at ways of better involving the remaining party members, 7 million trade union members and members of affiliated organisations in policy making through party conferences, and mandating delegates to carry out the wishes of those who elect them. "
conference does adopt policy contrary to Government policy. We believe that Partnership into Power and National Policy Forums have immensely weakened the feeling of ownership of party
policy amongst party members and affiliates. Rather than giving more power to this obscure process, we should look at ways of better involving the remaining party members, 7 million trade union members and members of affiliated organisations in policy making through party conferences, and mandating delegates to carry out the wishes of those who elect them. "
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2 comments:
Lol. One minute you're calling me an uber-Blairite, the next minute you're calling me an uber-Brownite. I can't be both, can I?
Yes, of course I can. That's the magic of politics. I can slide up any pole you'd care to plant for me. Lol.
I know luke Akehurst.
I worked with Luke Akehurst
Luke Akehurst is a friend of mine.
He's no uber Brownite!
Indeed he is very realistic and almost certainly welcomes the artificial divide between Blairites and Brownites. We now move from an era of Tony's "psycholgical flaws" - too star struck and interested in sucking up to rich people - to the more predictable psychological flaws of Gordon Brown - having been a control freak for 25 years, a new tendency for the next 2 years to spend every day trying to disprove that!
On the subject you cover it actually shows a significant misjudgment of CLPs due to so few hard left activists being active in any more than the 25 CLPD regulars anymore.
What this proposal will do is to actually to do in the trade unions from proposing employment law motions as part of their pre-NPF negotiating platform. Instead CLP's will be able to put up motions on Trident and Iraq which will get debated (no doubt with any uber Blairite chair calling a majority of loyalist speakers and a few dissenters) and then the issue will be referred to the NPF.
I suspect CLP's may quite like this deal as it will lead to a more interesting conference for them, though Trade Unions will have to offered Warwick 2 to guarantee it gets through conference.
Conference has always been about deals between party stakeholders, rather than some mythical parliament of the movement. This is just another version of that process!
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