State of Labour
The state of the Labour Party today can be summed up in this emergency motion to the AGM of the inaptly named Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD).
Apparently this motion was passed by the CLPD in an effort to clear the way for Jeremy Corbyn's favoured candidate, reportedly Jennie Formby of Unite, to become the new Labour Party general secretary.
The position is meant to be filled by competitive interview, by the way, following an 'equal opportunities process' which results in the appointment of the best person for the job.
The position is meant to be filled by competitive interview, by the way, following an 'equal opportunities process' which results in the appointment of the best person for the job.
God above.
What a state the Labour Party is in these days as anti-EU, pro-Brexit leftist ideologues battle to get their friends and political allies into key party positions.
Two union colleagues of the Unite general secretary Len McCluskey have been mentioned: Jennie Formby, the mother of one of McCluskey's children, and Andrew Murray who was seconded to Jeremy Corbyn's office during the general elections campaign and is close, politically, to Labour leader's official spokesperson, Seamus Milne.
Meanwhile to prevent what some would see as an old-fashioned union stitch-up, the founder of the Corbyn supporting Momentum group Jon Lansman is throwing his hat into the ring.
And just to stir the pot a little further, Seamus Milne has appointed a former leading member of the SWP (Socialist Workers Party) as Labour's new media monitoring officer - welcome Nathan Akehurst who is profiled on the Guido Fawkes web site.
Read the links below to The Guardian and Guido Fawkes, but if you ask me it's all bound to end in tears.
https://order-order.com/2018/02/27/seumas-new-hire-time-leninism-tried-long-overdue/
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/27/momentum-jon-lansman-unite-battle-labour-general-secretary
Momentum to take on Unite in battle for key Labour role
Founder of grassroots movement likely to stand as general secretary to counter union grip on post
Momentum is expected to go head-to-head with Labour’s biggest trade union backer in the battle for the party’s next general secretary, after a late-night conference call failed to persuade the grassroots group to rally around the Unite candidate.
Jon Lansman, the founder of Momentum, has told friends he is considering a bid to replace Iain McNicol, who is standing down, and is expected to announce his intentions on Tuesday.
Senior sources at the leftwing group, which has been a key backer of Jeremy Corbyn, said there was dissatisfaction that unions could in effect decide between themselves who would secure the position.
A source close to Lansman told the Guardian: “If he runs, it’ll be to ensure the members get an open contest rather than an anointed successor. If we’re trying to build a social movement-style party that can transform Britain, back-room deals are just not the way to go.”
The source said Lansman would be a “unity candidate”. “He’s the only candidate who is both in touch with the membership and able to work with all the different unions that sit on the NEC [national executive committee].”
Corbyn and the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, have so far supported the Unite officer Jennie Formby to replace McNicol when his departure is agreed.
If Lansman’s run is confirmed, the battle for the position will expose a faultline which has been quietly growing on the left of the party between Momentum’s desire to see Labour transformed into a member-led movement and the unions’ desire to tighten control on its key offices.
Jeremy Corbyn allies have been celebrating their tightening hold on the Labour Party after the Momentum group swept the board in recent elections to Labour's national executive committee.
Now what puzzles me is that the Labour leader is completely out of step with Labour Party members, the vast majority of whom (87%) support staying in the EU Single Market and having a second referendum (78%) on the final terms of Brexit.
So while the Corbynistas celebrate their victory, arguably, the real significance is that the Labour leadership is becoming an elite group with very scant regard for the views of the wider party membership.
Which sounds about right if you ask me, because the key people around Jeremy Corbyn believe in what's known as 'vanguardism', a political term which justifies small and highly organised groups winning control of institutions, even though their political aims and objectives are not widely shared.
In days gone by, the concept of 'vanguardism' focused mainly on the trade unions because the small turnout in most union elections (local and national) meant that very small groups of politically motivated activists could punch well about their weight.
Labour has been here before, of course, with the fierce battle fought by Neil Kinnock against Militant in the 1980s, but it has returned with a vengeance under Jeremy Corbyn.
The Sunday Times had an interesting article the other day on Momentum flexing its muscles against a 'hit list' of Labour MPs and in the London Borough of Haringey - which you can read via the link below.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/jeremy-corbyn-allies-plot-to-oust-50-labour-mps-87bkrv7l7
Jeremy Corbyn allies plot to oust 50 Labour MPs
Secret hitlist of moderates for deselection
Unrepresentative Representatives (9 October 2014)
I read this report on the Scottish TUC in The Scotsman the other day and was struck by the fact that it fails to make any mention whatsoever about the fight for equal pay which has been the single biggest industrial relations issue in Scotland's councils over the past 10 years.
Now this is explained, in my view, by the fact that the STUC is a throughly unrepresentative organisation stuffed full, as it is, of card carrying members and supporters of the Scottish Labour Party which is arguably in long-term, if not terminal, decline.
Which is not surprising when you consider that so many of its leading members look the other way whenever equal pay is mentioned because the Labour supporting trade unions and Labour controlled councils have an awful lot to answer for.
Now things may have changed a bit since I was last involved with the STUC, as Unison's Head of Local Government and chief negotiator in Scotland and, before that, as a member and Chair of the STUC's Youth Committee, but essentially the great majority of senior people are members or supporters of the Scottish Labour Party.
Which is very odd because the STUC claims to be a representative organisation and yet is thoroughly unrepresentative when you look at the political affiliation of those who make up its senior ranks. For example, a big majority of individuals who comprise the STUC General Council (which oversees and appoints the paid staff) will be Labour supporters from the influential public sector unions - GMB, Unison and Unite.
Yet these days only a minority of union members support the Labour Party in Scotland, most have switched their political allegiance to the SNP having become thoroughly disillusioned with Labour over the years in issues like equal pay.
So while the 'living wage' and zero hours contracts are important issues for workers in Scotland, I have to say I find it astonishing that the STUC can be silent about an issue that witnessed a major settlement with Labour controlled South Lanarkshire Council earlier this year.
Now this equal pay settlement was won because of Action 4 Equality Scotland and the legal team who fought the A4ES claims in the Employment Tribunals, and was reported in the media as costing the council over £70 million.
In other words victory was achieved despite rather than because of the trade unions and that's because if you ask me, the Labour supporting unions pulled their punches with the Labour controlled councils in Scotland when the chips were down.
And until the STUC and its affiliated unions become properly representative of the union members they claim to represent, in every sense, they will remain unable to speak out because of their vested political interests.
Which explains why a number of unions and the STUC remained officially neutral during Scotland's independence referendum; not because of a sudden political enlightenment or Damascene conversion to fair play, but because such naked support for the political establishment would have gone down very badly with ordinary trade union members.
So I'll throw my hat in the air when the STUC and its member unions begin to appoint people to senior positions who are not card-carrying Labour hacks, but until then they have to be regarded as what they really are - a rigged deck full of unrepresentative representatives.
Corbyn's Labour (02/03/18)
What a state the Labour Party is in these days as anti-EU, pro-Brexit leftist ideologues battle to get their friends and political allies into key party positions.
Two union colleagues of the Unite general secretary Len McCluskey have been mentioned: Jennie Formby, the mother of one of McCluskey's children, and Andrew Murray who was seconded to Jeremy Corbyn's office during the general elections campaign and is close, politically, to Labour leader's official spokesperson, Seamus Milne.
Meanwhile to prevent what some would see as an old-fashioned union stitch-up, the founder of the Corbyn supporting Momentum group Jon Lansman is throwing his hat into the ring.
And just to stir the pot a little further, Seamus Milne has appointed a former leading member of the SWP (Socialist Workers Party) as Labour's new media monitoring officer - welcome Nathan Akehurst who is profiled on the Guido Fawkes web site.
Read the links below to The Guardian and Guido Fawkes, but if you ask me it's all bound to end in tears.
https://order-order.com/2018/02/27/seumas-new-hire-time-leninism-tried-long-overdue/
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/27/momentum-jon-lansman-unite-battle-labour-general-secretary
Momentum to take on Unite in battle for key Labour role
Founder of grassroots movement likely to stand as general secretary to counter union grip on post
Momentum is expected to go head-to-head with Labour’s biggest trade union backer in the battle for the party’s next general secretary, after a late-night conference call failed to persuade the grassroots group to rally around the Unite candidate.
Jon Lansman, the founder of Momentum, has told friends he is considering a bid to replace Iain McNicol, who is standing down, and is expected to announce his intentions on Tuesday.
Senior sources at the leftwing group, which has been a key backer of Jeremy Corbyn, said there was dissatisfaction that unions could in effect decide between themselves who would secure the position.
A source close to Lansman told the Guardian: “If he runs, it’ll be to ensure the members get an open contest rather than an anointed successor. If we’re trying to build a social movement-style party that can transform Britain, back-room deals are just not the way to go.”
The source said Lansman would be a “unity candidate”. “He’s the only candidate who is both in touch with the membership and able to work with all the different unions that sit on the NEC [national executive committee].”
Corbyn and the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, have so far supported the Unite officer Jennie Formby to replace McNicol when his departure is agreed.
If Lansman’s run is confirmed, the battle for the position will expose a faultline which has been quietly growing on the left of the party between Momentum’s desire to see Labour transformed into a member-led movement and the unions’ desire to tighten control on its key offices.
Unrepresentative Representatives (23/01/18)
Jeremy Corbyn allies have been celebrating their tightening hold on the Labour Party after the Momentum group swept the board in recent elections to Labour's national executive committee.
Now what puzzles me is that the Labour leader is completely out of step with Labour Party members, the vast majority of whom (87%) support staying in the EU Single Market and having a second referendum (78%) on the final terms of Brexit.
So while the Corbynistas celebrate their victory, arguably, the real significance is that the Labour leadership is becoming an elite group with very scant regard for the views of the wider party membership.
Which sounds about right if you ask me, because the key people around Jeremy Corbyn believe in what's known as 'vanguardism', a political term which justifies small and highly organised groups winning control of institutions, even though their political aims and objectives are not widely shared.
In days gone by, the concept of 'vanguardism' focused mainly on the trade unions because the small turnout in most union elections (local and national) meant that very small groups of politically motivated activists could punch well about their weight.
Labour has been here before, of course, with the fierce battle fought by Neil Kinnock against Militant in the 1980s, but it has returned with a vengeance under Jeremy Corbyn.
The Sunday Times had an interesting article the other day on Momentum flexing its muscles against a 'hit list' of Labour MPs and in the London Borough of Haringey - which you can read via the link below.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/jeremy-corbyn-allies-plot-to-oust-50-labour-mps-87bkrv7l7
Jeremy Corbyn allies plot to oust 50 Labour MPs
Secret hitlist of moderates for deselection
By Caroline Wheeler and Andrew Gilligan - The Sunday Times
Chris Leslie, left, and Hilary Benn are believed to top the list
Up to 50 Labour MPs are on a deselection hitlist drawn up by left-wing supporters of Jeremy Corbyn, it has been claimed.
Moderate Labour MPs have been warned that Corbyn’s allies want centrist candidates replaced with more left-leaning ones.
A Labour Party whip has been privately telling moderate MPs not to rock the boat or they could face deselection, amid fears that up to 50 will be targeted if rule changes are pushed through this autumn.
Chris Leslie, the former shadow chancellor, and Hilary Benn, the former shadow foreign secretary, are believed to top the list. Angela Eagle, who challenged Corbyn for the leadership in 2016, and her sister Maria Eagle, the former shadow culture secretary, are also thought to be vulnerable.
“Allies of Corbyn have admitted they have a list of MPs they want to get rid of,” said a source.
Momentum members have sought to make it harder for MPs to be confirmed as candidates for the next general election.
An MP now needs to win only a simple majority of nominations from local party branches, affiliated trade unions and socialist societies in a “trigger ballot” to confirm them as the candidate. But Momentum is expected to campaign to raise the threshold to two-thirds.
The Sunday Times can reveal that head teachers’ salaries may be cut by up to two-fifths in a war on “fat cat” pay when Momentum takes over its first council in May’s local elections. The policy is being considered for the Labour manifesto in the north London borough of Haringey.
Momentum is almost certain to control the council, which is safely Labour, from May after 17 sitting Labour councillors were replaced with pro-Momentum candidates in a series of purges and resignations. About 21 sitting councillors already support the group.
The manifesto is not yet finalised but if the pay cut becomes part of it, at least 270 staff will be worse off, including dozens of heads and senior teachers.
@cazjwheeler
Up to 50 Labour MPs are on a deselection hitlist drawn up by left-wing supporters of Jeremy Corbyn, it has been claimed.
Moderate Labour MPs have been warned that Corbyn’s allies want centrist candidates replaced with more left-leaning ones.
A Labour Party whip has been privately telling moderate MPs not to rock the boat or they could face deselection, amid fears that up to 50 will be targeted if rule changes are pushed through this autumn.
Chris Leslie, the former shadow chancellor, and Hilary Benn, the former shadow foreign secretary, are believed to top the list. Angela Eagle, who challenged Corbyn for the leadership in 2016, and her sister Maria Eagle, the former shadow culture secretary, are also thought to be vulnerable.
“Allies of Corbyn have admitted they have a list of MPs they want to get rid of,” said a source.
Momentum members have sought to make it harder for MPs to be confirmed as candidates for the next general election.
An MP now needs to win only a simple majority of nominations from local party branches, affiliated trade unions and socialist societies in a “trigger ballot” to confirm them as the candidate. But Momentum is expected to campaign to raise the threshold to two-thirds.
The Sunday Times can reveal that head teachers’ salaries may be cut by up to two-fifths in a war on “fat cat” pay when Momentum takes over its first council in May’s local elections. The policy is being considered for the Labour manifesto in the north London borough of Haringey.
Momentum is almost certain to control the council, which is safely Labour, from May after 17 sitting Labour councillors were replaced with pro-Momentum candidates in a series of purges and resignations. About 21 sitting councillors already support the group.
The manifesto is not yet finalised but if the pay cut becomes part of it, at least 270 staff will be worse off, including dozens of heads and senior teachers.
@cazjwheeler
Unrepresentative Representatives (9 October 2014)
I read this report on the Scottish TUC in The Scotsman the other day and was struck by the fact that it fails to make any mention whatsoever about the fight for equal pay which has been the single biggest industrial relations issue in Scotland's councils over the past 10 years.
Now this is explained, in my view, by the fact that the STUC is a throughly unrepresentative organisation stuffed full, as it is, of card carrying members and supporters of the Scottish Labour Party which is arguably in long-term, if not terminal, decline.
Which is not surprising when you consider that so many of its leading members look the other way whenever equal pay is mentioned because the Labour supporting trade unions and Labour controlled councils have an awful lot to answer for.
Now things may have changed a bit since I was last involved with the STUC, as Unison's Head of Local Government and chief negotiator in Scotland and, before that, as a member and Chair of the STUC's Youth Committee, but essentially the great majority of senior people are members or supporters of the Scottish Labour Party.
Which is very odd because the STUC claims to be a representative organisation and yet is thoroughly unrepresentative when you look at the political affiliation of those who make up its senior ranks. For example, a big majority of individuals who comprise the STUC General Council (which oversees and appoints the paid staff) will be Labour supporters from the influential public sector unions - GMB, Unison and Unite.
Yet these days only a minority of union members support the Labour Party in Scotland, most have switched their political allegiance to the SNP having become thoroughly disillusioned with Labour over the years in issues like equal pay.
So while the 'living wage' and zero hours contracts are important issues for workers in Scotland, I have to say I find it astonishing that the STUC can be silent about an issue that witnessed a major settlement with Labour controlled South Lanarkshire Council earlier this year.
Now this equal pay settlement was won because of Action 4 Equality Scotland and the legal team who fought the A4ES claims in the Employment Tribunals, and was reported in the media as costing the council over £70 million.
In other words victory was achieved despite rather than because of the trade unions and that's because if you ask me, the Labour supporting unions pulled their punches with the Labour controlled councils in Scotland when the chips were down.
And until the STUC and its affiliated unions become properly representative of the union members they claim to represent, in every sense, they will remain unable to speak out because of their vested political interests.
Which explains why a number of unions and the STUC remained officially neutral during Scotland's independence referendum; not because of a sudden political enlightenment or Damascene conversion to fair play, but because such naked support for the political establishment would have gone down very badly with ordinary trade union members.
So I'll throw my hat in the air when the STUC and its member unions begin to appoint people to senior positions who are not card-carrying Labour hacks, but until then they have to be regarded as what they really are - a rigged deck full of unrepresentative representatives.
