A blog by Luke Akehurst about politics, elections, and the Labour Party - With subtitles for the Hard of Left. Just for the record: all the views expressed here are entirely personal and do not necessarily represent the positions of any organisations I am a member of.
From PR Week, 29 June:
posted by Luke Akehurst at 10:26 am
Labour Party activist since 1988 - firmly on the moderate wing of the party. Member of Labour’s NEC 2010-2012 and since 2020. National Secretary of Labour Students 1995-6. Parliamentary candidate for Aldershot (2001) and Castle Point (2005). Hackney Councillor (Chatham Ward) 2002-2014, Labour Group Chief Whip 2002-09, Chair of Health Scrutiny 2010-2014. Supporter of Europe, NATO/nuclear deterrence, Israel, electoral reform. Guardian reader. Dad. Oxford resident. Unite union member. Employment history as a Labour Party Organiser, Local Government Political Assistant, Director at a Public Affairs company. All views expressed in a personal capacity. The rest will become evident from reading the blog.
3 Comments:
...or she'd have lost her backing from Gordon
10:38 am, July 02, 2007
Haha, lest she may have the courage to position herself; and possibly acutally stay there...
2:01 pm, July 02, 2007
Luke, yes it sounds inocuous. But we have learned from past mistakes. The devil, as ever, is in the detail.
Point 1: This hasn't even been discussed by the NEC, never mind approved....#just foisted on us as usual. Worst of all is.....
Proposal 5: A new contemporary issues process through which party units would be able to submit issues, following proper consultation, for consideration in the priorities ballot at Annual Conference. Each issue that succeeds in the ballot will be debated at Conference and be included in a work programme in the relevant policy commission.
What does this mean?
1. NO CONTEMPORARY OR EMERGENCY RESOLUTIONS.
2. No votes at all at Conference ( so no point in going )
3.No embarrassing defeats for the leadership (no wonder Luke's a fan)
Yes, it's Welcome to Albania all over again. Not content with getting to be Leader without an election, Gordon now wants TOTAL CONTROL over the Party. Debating issues without adopting policy platforms is anti-democratic nonsense and, as the NPFs have shown time and time again, a waste of time . It's also, surprise surprise an attempt to get rid of the last pitiful shreds of Party democracy and REAL Labour policy.
Which issues have been debated in recent years at behest of CLPs and trade unions ? Iraq, railway re-nationalisation, NHS privatisation, secondary picketing and trade union rights.
Under this control freakery, any dissent would just be buried and ignored.Oh, and you could forget rule change motions too. Stifling the last vestiges of debate, as Gordon intends,, is NOT acceptable. I urge everyone to express this in the strongest possible terms on the website.
6:07 pm, July 02, 2007
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