Labour Party

Braving the elements

Braving the elements The positive thing to be said for Sean’s articles on the Labour-union link is that he has started a live debate for the AWL. Though comrades should consider Sean's arguments carefully this is not “bold new thinking about the big picture”. Sean has thrown into the discussion just one two-sided idea. His idea — that in the crisis Labour is a little bit likely, quite likely or very likely to revive, and that the political campaign of the non-affiliated unions are very likely to fare badly as a consequence of Labour’s new weight in the labour movement as a whole, or just...

Debate on AWL, the Labour Party, the unions...

Workers' Liberty 3/23 Debate: Labour and the unions. Why we should not back CWU disaffiliation , by Sean Matgamna; AWL National Committee text on the subject (and online comments) Keeping our options open : article in favour of CWU disaffiliation from Labour by Cathy Nugent, reply by Martin Thomas, plus small items on building a new Socialist Alliance and No2EU The Unions, Labour, AWL, and the Crisis: a Debate , by Sean Matgamna (and online comments) Why we will vote Labour and SSP in the Euro-elections , by Rhodri Evans (and online comments) The Trade Union Movement, New Labour, and Working...

Labour activists demand reselection proceedings against MPs who fiddle expenses

By 19 May, 200 mainstream Labour Party figures had signed a letter to the National Executive urging it to "support the immediate removal of the whip from individual MPs who have brought the party into disrepute over this issue and allow CLPs [constituency Labour party] to trigger reselection ballots against them". The National Executive that day decided to set up "a panel of NEC members... to interview any Labour MPs where there appears to be evidence against them. The panel will have the power to recommend to the NEC that MPs are not allowed to stand as Labour candidates at the next General...

The Unions, Labour, AWL, and the Crisis: a Debate

In this article I want to expand on and discuss the points I made in the article in Solidarity 3/151 on the CWU situation . In the last few months AWL has been working to put itself into a condition to make an adequate response to the radically changed situation of world capitalism and of Britain. Our conference, which is focused on rearming AWL to face the new opportunities, will mark an important stage in that work. Implications, consequences, and changed possibilities from the capitalist crisis have been falling into place, piece by piece. The discussion of the implications and consequences...

Debate: Labour and the unions. Why we should not back CWU disaffiliation

The world economic crisis, which already is devastating economies, causing mass unemployment, widespread bankruptcy and business failures, and crises of government finance, is in its early stages yet. How deep, how prolonged, how destructive it will be, nobody now knows. See below for AWL National Committee text that this article relates to. Barring an improbably political miracle, New Labour is heading for a crushing defeat in next year’s General Election. It will get a first instalment of that defeat in the upcoming Euro and local government elections. There will be a Tory government. That...

CWU set to debate Labour Party affiliation

These are motions on the union's Political Fund and the Labour Party due to be discussed at the conference of the post and telecom union CWU on 7-8 June. 102 This conference believes that the democratic right of constituency parties and affiliated organisations to submit and vote on motions at the Labour Party Conference should now be restored. This conference agrees that it is a fundamental right for the Labour Party's sovereign policy-making body to be able to take democratic decisions on pressing issues of major concern to CLPs, Trade Unions and affiliated organisations. This conference...

The trade-union dog that isn't barking

In the famous detective story, Sherlock Holmes found vital evidence in something that hadn't happened. The dog had not barked in the night-time. Likewise, evidence of the problems we have to address in the trade-union movement is given to us by something that is not happening now. There is no ferment and agitation in the trade unions over the issue of restoring unions' right to put political motions to Labour Party conference. The issue is due to be reviewed at Labour Party conference this September, two years after the right to put motions was abolished in 2007, and the deadline for proposals...

How Derek Draper cut his teeth

Long before “Smeargate” — the plan cooked up between Gordon Brown aide Damian McBride and New Labour wonk, turned psychotherapist, turned blogger, Derek Draper to muck-rake against top Tories — hit the headlines, Draper was involved in similar-style campaigns. Back in the late 80s he used his talent for spinning, smearing and when all else failed plain lying... against the left. Top of his hit list back in 1988 was ourselves. Draper was then at Manchester University and a Labour Student über-hack. (This writer recalls being sprayed with spittle as Draper earnestly defended witch-hunting...

MPs: on the take and on the make

Alice Mahon, the former Labour MP for Halifax, resigned on 17 April over government policy, in particular the Welfare Reform Bill. But her final decision to leave Labour was prompted Damian McBride affair. She had, she said, been “absolutely scandalised” by it. She is right to feel that way. However, and unfortunately, a startling fact about the McBride affair is that, so far, it has not had a negative impact on Labour’s standing in the polls. To many “smeargate” must be “same old, same old”, another reason to be cynical about all mainstream politics and all politicians. “Smeargate”, along...

Looking left

UAF; SWP and G20; Labour Party democracy call. UAF: bungling and popular frontism In Leeds on the 14 March around 50 attended Unite Against Fascism’s Yorkship regional conference. It was meant to be a discussion of the strategy for the Euro elections. What actually happened was 14 speeches from the platform by regional secretaries of major unions, the regional secretary of the Islamic Society, Labour MEP Linda McAvan, Sheffield University women’s offier Fiona Edwards (a member of the Stalinist sect Socialist Action), and five UAF full-timers including Weyman Bennett of the SWP. Being told six...

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