AUTUMN EDITION 2013 ISSUE NO 77 PRODUCTION EDITOR: RAY DAVISON EAST DEVON CLP AND CLPD SW REGIONAL ORGANISER CLPD publication for CLPs and Labour Party Members www.clpd.org.uk (where this All enquiries: [email protected] newsletter can be downloaded). For detailed and exclusive NEC and NPF reports, internal Party news and debates including Shenanigans, visit www.grassrootslabour.net and for lively Telephone 01395 277481 debates where you can contribute, visit www.leftfutures.org or twitter.com/clpd_labour or email CLPD: [email protected] A DEFINING MOMENT ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOR TRADE UNIONISM ALERT 2013 PROFESSOR KEITH EWING each of the affiliated trade unions individu- PETER WILLSMAN, ally. It is presumably being taken for granted SECRETARY CLPD AND Trade union leaders are now under great that trade unionists can be taken for granted pressure. They and they alone have the op- to go along with this, and nod it through. MEMBER OF CONFERENCE portunity to stop Miliband’s breath-taking With two funds, trade unions will be able ARRANGEMENTS changes from happening, and the opportu- to use (i) the affiliated fund to pay affiliation COMMITTEE 1981–1994) nity to defend the principle of collective af- fees to the Labour Party and (ii) the general filiation. political fund to pay for various campaigns, It is true that Miliband’s proposals will which include campaigns in support of La- BRIEFING ON THE RULE not need legislation in order to be imple- bour or Labour candidates at elections (as at CHANGE PROPOSALS mented. But they will require a change to the present). COMING UP AT Labour Party’s rules, UNLESS every union The latter funds (the general political BRIGHTON agrees voluntarily to accept any new arrange- funds) are likely to become very significant, ments about to be proposed by Lord Collins if the Model is any guide, as many of Highbury. members will choose to support their un- At Brighton delegates will be debating Without an agreement, each union will ion’s political activities without supporting and voting on (by card vote) several be free to continue to affiliate to the Party the Labour party. proposals to change the Party’s Rule on its own terms, as at present. But because The problem, however, is that these an- Book. Some will be from the NEC, not every union leader will be able or will ticipated general political funds are about to but two rule changes are tabled by want to deliver an agreement of this kind, become redundant. On 4 June 2013, Cam- CLPs (from Northampton Borough rule change at some stage is inevitable. eron announced proposals for new controls Labour Party and from Leyton and So far as the unions themselves are con- on trade union spending in elections, pro- Wanstead/Redcar CLPs) and one is cerned, Miliband’s proposals as a minimum posals which too few people are taking seri- tabled by Aslef. The CLP and Aslef will require every union to adopt the UNI- ously enough. SON model – an Affiliated Political Fund (cont. on p2) (cont. on p10) (APF) and a General Political Fund (GPF) – a model born of an amalgamation of two political cultures in one organization. Key message to The Conference Arrangements Committee Good news for UNISON, who will come confererence (CAC) is the Standing Orders Committee of through this trauma largely unscathed. But Annual Conference. It presides over all mat- not such good news for all the other unions, delegates ters connected to the Conference timetable. who will be required to change their rules if Conference Arrangements CLPs through their delegates control 50% of they are to retain the right to affiliate to the Committee election the vote at Conference. Unfortunately in recent years it has frequently been the case that issues Labour Party. Vote Willsman and Clark No doubt Lord Collins will be able to of concern to CLPs are given a low priority and help here, by drafting model rules which may sometimes ruled out altogether. CLP delegates have to be adopted by all affiliates, these like- are all too often seen but not heard. CLPs need ly to require all affiliated unions to establish to reclaim their rights and influence at Confer- two political funds, one for those members ence. Having a strong voice on the CAC is key who choose to affiliate to Labour, and one to this. Katy and Peter will use their experi- for those who do not. ence and commitment to give CLPs that strong These rules will then have to be approved Peter Willsman Katy Clark voice and will constantly support CLP delegates. by the regular rules revision procedures of

PLEASE PASS THIS NEWSLETTER ON TO ENSURE A WIDE CIRCULATION. CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 PARLIAMENTARY REFORM: MICHAEL MEACHER MP

MICHAEL MEACHER As a result of the MPs’ expenses scandal, Select committee reports which may dis- CHAIRS THE ALL PARTY concessions were made on procedure to try credit government policy often gain newspa- to restore public confidence. Select commit- per headlines, but don’t get debated in the PARLIAMENTARY GROUP tees, the most effective scrutinisers of gov- House with a vote which could force a policy PARLIAMENT FIRST, WHICH ernment policy, now have their membership change. And when things go badly wrong, it IS LOOKING AT REFORMS elected by the whole House, not chosen by is the Prime Minister, not the House, who the Whips. Also, for the first time since the decides whether or not there should be a TO MAKE THE EXECUTIVE war, Back-Benchers are now able to decide public inquiry (making him both judge and ACCOUNTABLE TO for themselves what will be debated on the jury in his own case), and even if there is an PARLIAMENT floor of the House for 35 days a year. inquiry, it is again the Prime Minister who But there is a huge lot else that needs to determines the chair, the members and the The purpose of be done. It may come as a surprise that prob- terms of reference. We are still far from a Parliament is to ably 4 out of 5 Members don’t know what proper functioning democracy. hold the govern- they’re voting on at the crucial Report stage ment of the day of Bills, yet the introduction of brief explan- to account but atory statements on the daily Order Paper “If Labour is to regain the and it has long and on the TV monitor is still being resisted. role it had before 1980, it failed to do so Private Members’ Bills, which often reflect needs to recruit a PLP that effectively. Two current issues important to the public, are easily derailed by filibustering and the diffi- much more closely reflects reasons stand the country as a whole” out. One is that culty of getting at least 100 Members there the procedures on a Friday when most have left for their are heavily loaded constituencies, yet deferred voting and/or The second reason that government is in favour of the shifting these Bills to Tuesday or Wednesday not held effectively to account is that Tony government and the party establishments. evenings is not pursued. Blair tied the Labour Party to Thatcher’s The other is that the Labour Opposition is For the government’s own Bills, the Mem- free-market capitalism and stitched up so not representative either of the Labour Party bers at the Committee stage are at present cho- many selections across the country to colo- generally across the country or of the trade sen by the Whips who will generally allow only nise the PLP in his own image that a true unions. Both of these obstacles need to be one token dissident who will challenge the par- Labour ideology has been substantially mut- dealt with. ty line, yet having these Committee Members ed. If Labour is to regain the forceful and put on, not by the Whips, but by a Committee weighty role it had before 1980, it needs to of Selection elected by the whole House has recruit a PLP that much more closely reflects still not happened. Debates on the floor of the the class and income patterns of the country BITEBACKS House now secured by a petition of at least as a whole, and thus to ensure that its ide- 100,000 electors, even if the government loses ology and policies challenge and overcome ‘The trap is opened and Labour falls the vote, are regarded as purely advisory and the Thatcherite legacy that is still dragging straight in (Miliband looks at reducing not a requirement to change policy. Britain down. power of union leaders, 8 July). Allega- tions are made of irregularities in the (cont. from previous page) There is no reason why the Party would selection of a candidate in a single con- authorise trade unions to speak on its behalf stituency and Labour decides that this If these plans are implemented (and why in this way. And if the party’s fortunes revive is the moment to launch a controversial would they not be?) any election expendi- with the anticipated influx of private dona- review of its whole constitution. People ture by a trade union affiliated to the Labour tions as a result of the Miliband reforms, it are suffering dire poverty, the NHS is party (including presumably from a union’s would not be able legally to do so. being steadily privatised, our education general political fund) will count as Labour This is a defining moment for the political system is being fragmented and the UK Party expenditure. voice of trade unionism, which it is the mis- economy has not grown for years. But Being treated as Labour Party expendi- fortune of the current generation of general instead of focusing on the appalling ac- ture, it will count towards the Party’s spend- secretaries to have to defend. Having been tions of this terrible government, we ing limit for the purposes of election law. marginalised industrially, trade unions are in will now witness a long and destructive According to the BBC, the same will apply the process of being marginalised politically. row between the Labour leadership and in relation to union expenditure in support As matters stand, this will be seen as a the unions. The Tories must think that of candidates at constituency level. great victory for , with trade unions Christmas has come in July.’ For anyone harbouring the delusion that being trussed up like Christmas turkeys. (John Edmonds, Guardian 10/7/13. the Miliband proposals will release money While all unions will not be equally af- John Edmonds was former General for election campaigning, forget it. If Cam- fected by the changes required, all unions Secretary of the GMB from 1986 to eron’s plans are implemented, trade unions will be diminished if the collective trade un- 2003, the longest serving major union will only be able to spend money at election ion voice grows ever more faint. general secretary in modern times). time with the consent of the Party or its can- didates. This article was first published in Tribune.

2 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 THE AND THE EUROZONE: NO ROAD TO SOCIALISM OR DEMOCRACY

KELVIN HOPKINS MP

The European Union (EU) is a n t i - s o c i a l i s t , anti-democratic and failing eco- nomically. It is surprising there- fore that some good socialists and trade union- ists still have EU sympathies. Even more surprising, however, is that many right wing neo-liberal Tories oppose the EU. Big businesses, neo- liberal conservatives elsewhere in Europe and the political class across the continent are committed to the European project, the abandonment of effective borders between European countries and the neutering of democratic member state governments in order to give total power to the market and the same levels of unemployment in Britain all be able to reflate their own economies, to the corporate world. there would be eight million on the dole, begin to grow and create jobs. As employ- The process has been continuing by de- not two and a half million, and over half of ment returns, governments will have more grees and occasional leaps since and even those under 25 would be jobless. It is now tax revenues and be able to rebuild their before the 1957 Treaty of Rome established acknowledged that Greece will never be able public services and welfare states. the original Common Market. Yes, the clue to pay its debts and the allegedly socialist If this is not done, more pain will be is in the title. Its objective has been to roll party PASOK is locked in a deadly coalition inflicted on working people, and, if the left back the democratic socialist and social embrace with the New Democracy con- does not fight their corner, the fascist right democratic world established across West- servatives afflicting appalling austerity and may step in. Who would now bet against ern Europe after 1945. Marketisation, lib- poverty on the Greek people. Greece and Marine le Pen being the next President of eralisation and privatisation are what the Portugal are being forced to implement fire France? Common Market, the EEC and now the EU sales of public assets while the anti-socialist have been about. conspirators across Europe quietly rub their The 1980s Single European Act was the hands in glee. BITEBACKS EU’s “Great Leap Forward”, with Maas- Other Eurozone countries are in crisis, tricht, Lisbon and, of course,the Euro fol- with Italy looking to a possible bale out – lowing from it. , perhaps quite a different order than those for smaller ‘The concentration of power in the surprisingly, fought Blair to keep Britain out EU members. Even more significant is hands of corporations, especially fi- of the Euro and won. The Exchange Rate France, which is in increasing economic dif- nancial business, is at the core of global Mechanism (ERM) disaster of 1990-92 ef- ficulty. France indeed may be the crumbling injustices such as the deprivation of fectively destroyed the creditability of the keystone which could see the whole Euro- food. Yet across the board, the British Tories for a generation, and joining the Euro zone fall apart. government sees these behemoths as would have done the same for Labour. So what should happen? The establish- the solution to injustice.’ Guardian economist Larry Elliott recently ment of national currencies adjusted to real- (Nick Dearden, Director Jubilee debt wrote a darkly amusing piece suggesting that istic international parities and with member Campaign, Guardian 10/6/13). had Britain joined the Euro, our economy states setting their own economically appro- would now have been wrecked – a kind of priate interest rates would be an immediate ‘The difficulty is in convincing Germa- Greece writ large – and that we would have priority. Greece, for example, with a new ny that its current policies are leading crashed out of the Euro, bringing down the drachma would devalue substantially mak- to a prolonged depression, political and whole single currency edifice with Nigel Far- ing imports more expensive and channelling social conflicts and an eventual break- age seriously challenging to be Prime Min- demand into its domestic economy. Greek up not only of the euro but also of the ister! holidays would become cheaper, boosting European Union.’ The Eurozone economic crisis is deep- the tourist trade and giving a kick start to (George Soros, Guardian 10/9/12, ening by the month, with unemployment recovery. taken from an article in the New York over 12% and rising. Things in Greece and When the rest of the Eurozone states Review of Books). Spain are much worse, such that if we had have their own national currencies they will

3 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 KEEP THE PARTY LABOUR, DEFEND THE UNION LINK

BILLY HAYES, by around 80 to 90% from current levels. On influenced by an unfriendly media and radio GENERAL SECRETARY CWU top of this, general donations will be sub- shock-jocks than union affiliates and indi- stantially reduced, as the impact of reduc- vidual Party members. ing the role of unions will increase internal How extraordinary is it to insist upon Just two years away resistance to donations. Inevitably, there will signed authorisation and financial com- from the General be the argument that if we only affiliate 10 mitment from trade union members be- Election, the pri- to 20% of levy payers why should we donate fore becoming involved in Party processes, orities of the La- more than 10 to 20% of the remaining levy whilst offering to anyone, free of charge, bour Party ought to on top of this? the opportunity of participating in the be obvious. These Taken together these reductions will cost mayoral selection? surely need to be several million pounds. The obvious ques- Suggesting this is also appropriate for to strengthen our tion is then how do the enthusiasts for opt- Party parliamentary selections really does campaign against ing-in propose to fill this gap? begin to question the value of membership the Coalition gov- There will be some increase in business and affiliation. Why pay for the privilege ernment’s failing policies; sharpen our alter- donations, if Labour appears to be the next of membership when you get the rights of natives in anticipation of government; and government. But we know how fickle busi- membership free? prepare our internal organisation for the ness is in its support for Labour, unlike the elections in 2014 and 2015. Yet for some rea- loyal support received from the unions. son, we’re plunging into an internal conflict There is only one way this proposal “We will not dress up as over a central element of our Constitution. will work – through a massive increase in a good thing the battering It appears that the Spring Conference is state funding of political parties. Labour to become a rubber stamp for ending the ef- of the union link, in government could secure Lib-Dem sup- fective, collective involvement of the trade nor the reduction port for this, and perhaps the Tories also, unions in the Party. Precisely why this is so if there is a large enough cap on individual in Party control urgent has not been explained. A relation- donations. via open primaries” ship that has endured for over a century This is not a debate to be taken after surely warrants a more considered examina- the Collins review, and Spring Conference. The CWU will participate in the Collins tion. This is a debate about whether opt-in can review. We will not dress up as a good thing The suggestion is that an “opt-in” will work at all. It is vital for all members that the battering of the union link, nor the re- be necessary to demonstrate Labour's real the question of the funding gap is answered duction in Party control via open primaries. support in the unions. In reality, the over- now. By insisting upon examining the practical whelming majority of trade union mem- It is also a distressing to see “open pri- problems of opt-in and primaries, perhaps bers want the Coalition government out. maries” being touted as a strengthening of a re-think can be prompted. That is essen- There will be many trade union members the Party’s connection to the electorate. With tial if, in future, the Party is to avoid bank- who want this without ever wishing to join such a system the election of Labour’s can- ruptcy or becoming a state-funded liberal Labour. Such support is going to be walled didate for London Mayor is likely to be more party. off from Labour by the hurdle of opting- in. It seems to be generally agreed that the new mechanism will reduce levy affiliation

BITEBACKS

‘Academic research has shown there was no monolithic union power that inflicted the ‘winter of discontent’ on a victimised British population. As former Fleet Street editor Derek Jame- son later recalled of press coverage of the ‘crisis’, “we pulled every dirty trick in the book; we made it look like it was general, universal and eternal, when it was in reality scattered, here and there, and no great problem” .’ (Dr Bryn Jones, University of Bath, Guardian 24/4/13).

4 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 DEFEND THE UNIONS – SAY NO TO PRIMARIES

RECOMMENDED DRAFT give them further sticks with which to beat devalue Party membership and therefore MOTIONS FOR PARTY our Party or the trade unions. hinder the development of the committed We believe that the Party’s priority at pre- activist base – essential to winning elections. MEMBERS, BRANCHES AND sent must be to win a Labour government We believe that both the affiliates and in- CLPS (THESE MOTIONS ARE and ensure is the next Prime dividual members play a valuable role in our AVAILABLE FOR COPYING ON Minister. The political focus, the energy and candidate selection processes, which should resources of our the entire Party should be retained. THE CLPD WEBSITE) focused on this fight against the Tory-led We also believe the method of selecting coalition. Proposals to reduce the role of the London Mayoral candidate should be re- Labour’s affiliates in the Party’s internal deci- moved from the remit of the Collins review Defend the link sion making would be a diversion from this as it should be a devolved matter for the fight against the Tories. Party to determine. This CLP notes that the Labour Party was We call upon Ray Collins and the NEC, We note there is no great demand from founded as an alliance between trade unions in the current review, to reflect these con- either the electorate or Party membership and socialist organisations to provide a po- cerns. for primaries. litical voice for working people. With the We therefore oppose the introduction current attacks on working people it is most CLPs can forward their suggestions on the Collins of a primary for the selection of Labour’s important that the Labour Party and trades review to the NEC and to the Better Politics Policy candidate for London Mayor or for any unions work effectively together – poor Commission (via www.yourbritain.org.uk). Please other election and call on Ray Collins to working conditions and low wages require also copy them to NEC member Ann Black and recommend that Labour’s selections pro- more union organisation and legislation to to Ed Miliband. cesses continue to involve Labour’s mem- protect workers. bership (both affiliates and individuals) and We believe that Labour’s continuing re- to recommend they are not replaced with lationship with three million trade unionists Keep the Party Labour – No to primaries. who are affiliated members of our Party primaries We call upon Ray Collins and the NEC, helps to root our Party in our communities in the current review, to reflect these con- and workplaces. It is a relationship which has This CLP notes that Ray Collins is reviewing cerns. seen the Labour Party through its greatest the use of primaries in the selection of La- crises and to our greatest triumphs. bour’s candidate for London Mayor and for CLPs can forward their suggestions on the Collins We believe the Party can best achieve its other elections. review to the NEC and to the Better Politics Policy aims and values if it is funded primarily by This CLP notes from the experience of Commission (via www.yourbritain.org.uk). Please its affiliates and members. Both state fund- the US that primaries: drive up the cost of also copy them to NEC member Ann Black and ing and large business finance cannot tie the seeking selection; favour wealthy candidates; to Ed Miliband. Party so closely to its principles. reduce the input of grassroots members; We recognise that trade unions are col- and strengthen the influence of right wing lective organisations of working people, and media in candidate selection. understand that the relationship between the We also note the Labour has a long BITEBACKS unions and the Party, locally and nationally, standing membership structure that unites should be on the basis of collective affilia- individual members with affiliated organisa- tion. tions in an effective Party able to promote ‘Most of the discussion in the me- We note that Ray Collins is currently Labour candidates in elections at all levels of dia about the unions and the Labour leading a review of the Party’s relationship the democratic process. Party is wrong-headed, The impres- with the trade unions at the request of the We note this structure gives the Party a sion given is that there is an entity Party Leader. relationship with millions of trade unionists known as the Labour Party and that We support positive measures to and helps to root Labour across widespread somehow the Unions are separate and strengthen and improve the relationship be- communities and workplaces. It is a relation- merely link up to the Party. In fact our tween the Party and the unions, for exam- ship which has helped our Party through its Party is not a singular body: it is a fed- ple by encouraging the greater democratic greatest crises and to our greatest triumphs. eration.’ (Tel’s Tales, Campaign Brief- engagement of ordinary trade unionists in We also note that the Labour Party’s in- ing 77). Party structures and by developing the un- dividual membership is another invaluable derstanding of the nature and purpose of base within society – and the aim should be Party members are constantly being trade unionism among Party members. to build that into a mass membership. Should patronised and told that they are val- We oppose any moves that would weak- it become possible to have a say in Labour’s ued and will be given real power in the en or undermine the relationship between candidate selections without being a Labour Party. The truth is somewhat differ- the Party and the trade unions based upon Party member an important incentive for ent... Experience shows that success their collective affiliation. joining the Party will be removed. Recruiting in primaries invariably becomes the We note the Tories are determined to members is facilitated by linking participation preserve of the rich. It has been es- divert the electorate’s attention away from in Labour’s selections and internal elections timated that a candidate would need the government’s failed policies by blaming with membership, as was successfully pro- some £75,000 to run an effective cam- all those not responsible, including the trade moted during the 2010 Leadership election. paign in a London Mayoral primary. unions, for the current economic mess. We This CLP believes that primaries (in giv- (Tel’s Tales, Campaign Briefing 77). oppose their fraudulent agenda and will not ing voting rights to non-members) would

5 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 THIS IS NOT THE SPECIAL CONFERENCE WE NEED

MARK SEDDON, ONE TIME – Labour’s leadership campaign. They are EDITOR OF TRIBUNE AND less interested in the upcoming general elec- BITEBACKS tion than in the one afterwards. They believe FORMER NEC MEMBER that, by that time, with the collective voice

of the unions broken within Labour, with ‘The changes in the Party’s local cul- Just before next the power of selecting the leader again back ture must continue, so that instead of year’s local govern- more with the Parliamentary Party, they will activity dominated by meetings, CLPs ment elections and also have achieved full state funding of po- undertake campaigning, education what will likely be litical parties. Failing that, and in the words and socialising… so an independent the most impor- of one of ’s former aides recently organisation has been created, called tant set of Euro- writing in the Daily Telegraph, there is another Progress.’ pean elections for potential solution at hand: ( and Roger Liddle, many years, and as ‘What’s a million pounds?’ he wrote. The Blair Revolution). a springboard to ‘It’s one payment from a union, but it’s also the general election, £1,000 a year from a thousand people – and ‘Some Blairites will claim I am asking Labour will be holding a Special Conference. in modern prosperous Britain many people Labour to choose between power and Will it be to launch a popular campaign for have that much money to donate. There are, purity. The opposite is true. There has jobs, growth, and an end to the privatisation to my knowledge, nearly 1,000 former Party never been a time when social democ- of our public services? Could it be to expose staff or special advisers who trade at a pre- racy was more relevant or when its the emerging Tory UKIP pre-election coali- mium in the jobs market because of their unflinching advocacy more likely to tion deal? Or could it be to take on the Tories “connections” to Blair or Brown.’ command support. Labour needs to and the SNP who between them want Scot- listen-but to its own conscience and land to take the lonely road to independence? judgement not “the people” as heard No, you’ve guessed it: Labour will be “Without the unions, through the UKIP megaphone.’ holding a Special Conference on the Party’s Labour could simply become (, Guardian 6/5/13). relations with the trade unions. It will be a Party of doing so because a tight-knit group, many ‘In comparison to the machinations hostile to the trade unions and elitist to the back-scratching ‘mates’” under so-called , the go- core, deliberately set a hare running over ings-on in Falkirk didn’t amount to the candidate selection process in Falkirk. A In other words, without the unions, La- much at all. This is no doubt the real flawed internal report was sent to the Scot- bour could simply become a Party of back- reason why the Party won’t publish the tish police who said that there was no case to scratching ‘mates’. report of its investigation. The Guard- answer, and such was the embarrassment of Political parties stop being organic, ian has had access to the report and the Party officials who prepared it that the grassroot based, and responsive move- described it as ‘very thin gruel.’ report remains secret. But what has flowed, ments once state funding frees the Party (Tel’s Tales, Campaign Briefing 77). in the months and weeks since, has been bil- machine from having the encumbrance of ious in the extreme towards the unions and members who keep on making demands ‘According to figures from pay re- Unite in particular. For the most part it has and insisting on having a say over policy. search firm Income Data Services: come from sections of the media with the They become extensions of the old ‘rotten while workers’ pay increases have full connivance of the Conservative Party boroughs’ if they become the property of a failed to rise above 2% on average, and . Their aim has been to few wealthy mates. senior directors and board members drive a wedge between Labour and the un- This then is the new elitism that we have have enjoyed rises of 17.8%’. ions for they know that, without the unions to counter, and we can only do so if our (Phillip Inman, Guardian 1/7/13). Labour will find it difficult to survive in the affiliated unions continue to have a strong longer term. In addition, anything that helps collective, political and financial role in the ‘We have the best protected public to divert attention from the relationship be- Party of their making. We could begin by debt position of any country in the tween the Tories and their fat cat backers has making the Spring Special Conference a world top 30, the least likely to suffer to be welcomed by both Tories and media campaigning springboard for victory at the from any speculative attack. We do not alike. Sadly, Ed Miliband seems to have wan- general election. have to rival the Greeks in a crash aus- dered straight into a trap. In the best sense, terity programme. All the stuff about it is up to all of us to help him out of it. He As an antidote tough but necessary hard choices, not and Labour need to be taking the fight to to depressive passing on too much debt to the next the Tories over issues that matter to ordinary mood swings generation is hogwash. It is a highly people. And in order for him to become the caused by selectively marshalling of facts to sup- great Prime Minister many of us believe he Blairites and port an ideological crusade against the can be, he needs the unions too. Progress, try state.’ Equally sadly there are, I believe, those Ken Loach’s film The Spirit of 45. It’s a (Will Hutton, Observer 23/6/13). around the Labour leader who have not for- real tonic for flagging socialists. given him for winning – with union support

6 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 UNITE FIGHTS TO REFORM THE PARTY

JIM KELLY, CHAIR LONDON of the market. This can only come about chine to this in their contemptible and dis- AND EASTERN REGION UNITE through a political party promoting such graceful behaviour in Falkirk. change through Parliament and is the reason As those who know me well are aware, I THE UNION (WRITING IN A why we desperately need a Labour govern- am not one to see conspiracies around every PERSONAL CAPACITY) ment. tree and I certainly do not think what hap- However, Unite is trying to do more. pened in Falkirk was a Labour Party con- For Unite, in the London and Eastern Re- We are arguing for our members to become spiracy – incompetence is of course another gion, industrial struggles are coming thick actively involved in the Party. Our reasons matter. and fast. Not only are our members fight- are straightforward: we see many MPs who What Falkirk does tell me is the right are ing to defend terms and conditions but have lost contact with ordinary men and worried about union intervention and that our union is also struggling for basic trade women and, more alarmingly, we also see they will go to any lengths to stop us. For union rights, as in our campaign against that there are many who have never had any sure it was the right who fanned the flames black listing and for union recognition at contact with working people. If you asked of the press attack on Unite. In truth the Crossrail. The attacks our members face Labour MPs what do unions do, how many right-wing of the Party should be worried, at the workplace are themselves part and would be able to tell you? As importantly because we pose a fundamental challenge parcel of the wider government agenda of as who our representatives are, we have a to their bureaucratic control over the Party. embedding the deregulated market over Party seemingly wedded to neo-liberal poli- Unions can galvanise members to join the the state and people. Of course, our Re- cies and we are faced with the prospect of Party and enable them to play a pivotal role gion’s struggles are mirrored by Unite in a future Labour government enacting an alongside other Party members to challenge other Regions as well as other trade union- ‘austerity like’ programme. The Party itself the domination of the metropolitan elite in ists and community activists up and down is held together by the top down undemo- the PLP, discuss and debate policy and sup- the country. cratic structures and processes enacted in port the struggle to democratise the Party. In spite of our many industrial victories the Blair years. This struggle which boils down on the one (and our Region has had its fair share) we Unite then not only needs a political so- side to those who wish to consolidate Neo- are faced with the fact that unions and work- lution to the attacks on trade unionists and liberalism and on the other those who want ing people need large scale legislative change working people but we also need to reform to roll it back. This struggle is going to be to roll back neo-liberalism. We need policies the Party, a struggle many CLP members fought in our Party for a number of years to which defend trade union rights and im- have been involved in for many years. We come and on our part Unite has no intention pose wider social controls over the madness have seen the response of the Party’s ma- of walking away from this fight.

IT WON’T BE ED WHO PAYS THE PRICE

PETER WILLSMAN, We live in a totally unfair world where the belief that Ed is prepared to put all this in SECRETARY CLPD dice are always loaded in favour of the rich jeopardy and to divert the Party’s energy and and powerful. A Labour government is the focus by making such a big deal of the ob- only hope that our people have. It is beyond scure arrangements over levy payers. In private meetings it has been pointed out to Ed that his, so far very unclear, propos- als to change the link with the Unions could cost our Party millions of pounds. His an- swer apparently is that doing what is right is above price. Putting aside the fact that there are strong arguments to show that Ed is not “right”, what could the price be? It could mean many loyal staff losing their jobs, it could mean inadequate resources to fight the well heeled Tories at general elections. Thus it could mean Labour just losing a knife edge election. Ed needs to ask himself why the Tories and their media allies are so pleased with what he is doing and why so many party members and trade unionists are demoral- ised. If we lose to the Tories this will mean untold misery for millions. The people we employ and the people who loyally vote for us will pay the price, not Ed.

7 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013

SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER Labour, TridenT and The 2015 eLecTion LAURA DAVISON, MEMBER OF FOLKESTONE AND HYTHE CLP, Speakers: REVIEWS CAROL TURNER’S nick brown MP MP CND PUBLICATION WALTER Sheila Gilmore MP WOLFGANG: A POLITICAL clive Lewis PPc LIFE WITH A FOREWORD BY nancy Platts PPc ann black nec JEREMY CORBYN MP Chair: Kate hudson, CND

I’ve never met . But, after 6.30–8.30pm, reading this fascinating booklet by Carol Turner, perhaps I don’t need to. He seems to Monday 23rd September become a kind of symbol through its pages. Royal Albion Hotel, Not least pictorially, as in the iconic image 35 Old Steine, Brighton of the moment he was evicted from the La- bour Party Conference of 2005 (famously Refreshments provided used by CLPD to get Walter on the NEC) Organised by CND, which adorns the front cover. But the other By the late seventies, with the deploy- Labour CND and photographs included are striking too – a se- ment of cruise missiles in Britain, Walter, as Labour Action for Peace ries of images of Walter on the front line an active member of Labour CND, seized of demonstrations, speaking at events and the opportunity to push nuclear disarma- often sporting a trademark camel-coloured ment up the political agenda again. coat against the cold. Conference voted for unilateral disar- BITEBACKS Walter Wolfgang was born in Frankfurt mament in 1980, ‘81 and ‘82 and despite am Main in Germany and was sent to board- leadership shenanigans trying to prevent it, ing school in Britain in 1937 aged 13. His in ‘83 too. In the nineties, attention shifted ‘Abandon Trident, former UN weap- parents followed but Walter had to leave to the demand that Trident be scrapped and ons inspector tells Britain: “I know school at 16 after his father was forced to several conferences voted to do so. But a that the British military establishment liquidate his business because of Hitler’s watering down of Party democracy begun are not very keen on it. I don’t think compulsory acquisition of Jewish property under Kinnock and extended under Blair Britain would be more protected and assets. He became a British citizen and put a stop to that. As Walter says, “New by Trident and Germany and Japan joined the Labour Party in 1948. Labour had no truck with internal democ- seem to be managing without nuclear racy” and the position on unilateralism was weapons”.’ lost. (Hans Blix, speaking at the Hay Liter- “I had to engage in a process After the twin towers attacks, CND op- ary Festival Guardian 27/5/13). to get politics moving – and posed the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq Labour was the agency” and supported Stop the War. In Walter’s ‘This anti-war view, so widely held view, while New Labour’s neo-liberal poli- and strongly felt throughout Britain, Engagement with the Party brought the cies ultimately cost Labour the 2010 election, finds no expression in a parliament for realisation that democratic reform of La- Iraq was a big factor too, with Blair having, whom the merest whiff of boot pol- bour’s structures was needed and when the he believes, lied about weapons of mass de- ish or military jargon causes a fit of Campaign for Labour party Democracy was struction and being seen as Bush’s poodle. “Tommy this, Tommy that…” jingo- founded in 1973 he became and remains an In her preface the author Carol Turner ism. The fact is, there are two majority active member. His involvement with pres- says that she has never known Walter devi- views in this country: one in the politi- sure group politics began with Victory for ate from his principles or abandon his goals. cal body that says war, war and more Socialism, a group set up to pursue peace Jeremy Corbyn in his warm foreword claims war; and one in the population which abroad and the extension of public owner- Walter Wolfgang is the scourge of opportun- says it has had enough of giving up its ship and worker participation at home. In ism. Indeed he comes across in this booklet sons and daughters abroad and now, 1956 he became joint secretary of the VFS’s as a person who by his commitment makes again, at home.’ Suez Emergency committee, helping to you stop and think, “what would Walter (Joe Glenton, former soldier, Guardian organise a rally in Trafalgar Square oppos- do?”, a signpost, not a weathercock as Tony 24/5/13). ing military action against Egypt. After Suez, Benn would say. Walter turned his attention to nuclear disar- This short booklet brilliantly summarises ‘What, then, to make of the 2010 mament, forming a lifelong bond with CND. a dynamic political life, which continues to- testimony from the head of MI5 be- He became one of the organisers of the first day. It demonstrates Walter’s commitment to tween 2002 and 2007 who said: “our Aldermaston march and stood for parlia- peace and socialism and shows that winning involvement in Iraq, for want of a bet- ment on a platform of unilateral nuclear the argument inside the Labour Party is es- ter word, radicalised a whole genera- disarmament. In an act of control freakery sential to the fight for these ideals. As Walter tion of young people and substantially he was subsequently banned from standing recalls when he joined the Party, “I had to raised the terror threat to the UK?”.’ again, despite coming second and increasing engage in a process to get politics moving – (Ian Sinclair, Guardian 28/5/13). the Labour vote by more than average. and Labour was the agency.”

8 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 BUSINESS AS USUAL

NEC AND NPF MEMBER tfur Rahman to the Party. Unfortunately they ence, and the Chair’s refusal to take card CHRISTINE SHAWCROFT missed their chance completely. Although votes which are the delegates’ right to call most delegates agreed that there had been a for. I’ve been completely ignored, as usual, REPORTS ON EXPERIENCES AT miscarriage of justice two years ago, they then so I’m now waiting in fear and trepidation to THEIR RECENT MEETINGS went on to compound the original offence see what they come up with this year! by allowing the local Party to go ahead and The combination of a newish leader, a new select a mayoral candidate, ignoring the previ- General Secretary and new trade union del- ous democratically selected one. At the time BITEBACKS egates of an entirely different calibre to the of the original travesty, the NEC had been old time servers seemed to hint at the promise promised all manner of reports and inquiries, ‘The asinine notion that ownership of an NEC where things would be done dif- most of which have never materialised. and control of a national economy ferently over the last year. Unfortunately, it’s When it comes to the National Policy Fo- didn’t matter was part of the whole been business as usual. Although Iain McNi- rum and the Shadow Cabinet’s policy reviews, Thatcherite ideological baggage – a set col has been as good as his word in cutting there is always a great deal of talk about how of notions taken up with frightening down the number of tabled papers presented the system hasn’t worked very well in the past, alacrity by the Blair/Brown/Balls axis to the NEC at the last minute (although there there has been a lack of democracy and ac- after 1997. Transfer to overseas own- were tabled rule changes at the July meet- countability, but we’re trying to put this right. ership of UK companies has adverse ing, which is doubly odd as they’ve been on However, the changes that are made make the effects; the national tax base is eroded the agenda since last year), it has remained matter worse, not better. Even JPC members as these companies move their opera- the case that the most important discussions agreed at the last NPF in June that the “Chal- tions overseas or engage in tax scams arise from matters which aren’t even on the lenge” papers, voted on from a very limited list such as transfer pricing. The same ero- agenda, never mind having any accompanying of topics at last year’s Conference, aren’t at all sion occurs to the UK’s skills base as papers. So at the July meeting we discussed challenging, and that the “options” for voting support and supply functions are re- Falkirk, and although there was a report, al- on (something CLPD has been calling for in placed by their own suppliers, as is the most no-one had seen it, not to mention the the case of policy documents for many years) case with Japanese companies present Leader’s proposals for Party “reform” which weren’t really options. Not being mutually ex- in the UK.’ were discussed under his verbal report. clusive, they were mostly just rubber stamped. (Frank Lee on Alex Brummer’s Britain A few months ago, the NEC had the I have raised several times the appalling for Sale, Chartist May/June 2013). chance to right a great wrong, and readmit Lu- misuse of the “three year rule” at Confer-

THE SICKNESS OF YOUNG LABOURISM

MAX SHANLY, MEMBER OF (and from where Darvill and Bailey derive But more importantly, it will not provide YOUNG LABOUR NATIONAL most of their support), has still yet to imple- hope to young people, and if it doesn’t, then ment OMOV balloting for its own elections. the future of Labour is looking very grim COMMITTTEE, CALLS FOR AN They claim it would be an ‘access issue’, but – and one that cannot happen. It is time to END TO BLAIRITE DOMINANCE really the issue is that it would stop the Par- organise and to challenge the dominance of ty machine from being able to decide who the right in Young Labour, it is time to have At a recent meeting of the Young Labour would be running the Party’s student wing a socialist perspective once more, not just for National Committee, I proposed a rule for the next year. They, backed by their for- us, but for the millions of young people who change that would not only give Young La- mer Chair and now National Youth Officer, are currently looking forward to a future in bour policy-making powers, but also provide Dean Carlin, decide the agenda for the Na- which they will have no prospects what ever. guidelines as to how the policy procedure tional Committee meetings. Let us change the future, and let us do would work. The rule change was in line share an office with Carlin, and also for some so together. with the manifesto pledges made by both the reason, have access to the Party membership Chair of Young Labour, Simon Darvill, and database, despite being a separate organisa- the NEC Youth Rep, Bex Bailey. However, tion to the Party, in clear breach of the Data BITEBACKS they, along with a majority of the Committee Protection Act. who had also included policy-making pow- The sickness of Young Labourism is that ‘The central problem of our age is ers in their own manifestos, rejected the rule politics for those with power in our youth not growth or inflation, it is unem- change. Why did they do so? Were they not wing is about personalities, not issues. It is ployment…The means to restore the elected on the back of manifestos that stated about making sure that a small dominant public finances to health is to restore they would implement these reforms? Did group of people, who toe the Party line, are employment, and the means to do that they not agree with them in the first place? unchallenged both electorally and politically. is to reposition finance as servant to I suppose none of this should be par- Politics for them is not about making a differ- production and labour.’ ticularly surprising. Labour Students, that ence, but furthering their own careers. So long (Extract from a 1944 Labour policy bastion of ultra Blairite politics, and the or- as Young Labour is still constitutionally tied to document, quoted in a letter by David ganisation/faction that holds pretty much Labour Students, it will not be free, it will not Murray, Guardian 20/6/12). all of the power on the National Committee be autonomous, and it will not be democratic.

9 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

(cont. from front page) KEY VOTES IN PARTY MANDATING OF DELEGATES rule changes were submitted in 2012 but ELECTIONS IS IN ORDER under an obscure convention (known as ‘the 1968 Ruling’) have been delayed for Conference Arrangements Committee All unions and many CLPs instruct (i.e. a year. This one year delay applies to all (Constituency Section): mandate) their delegates how to vote on rule changes submitted by CLPs and un- items of Conference business. This is a Vote for Peter Willsman ions, but does not apply to rule changes perfectly legitimate practice; it is up to each Vote for Katy Clark from the NEC. The NEC can agree rule CLP as to what arrangements they make. changes one week and have them voted The Rule Book is completely silent on the National Constitutional Committee on by conference the following week. matter. Anyone who tries to oppose man- (Constituency Section) Last year, in addition to the two rule dating should be asked to produce the (non- changes from CLPs and the rule change Vote Gary Heather existent) rule which supports their case. from Aslef, no less than a further five rule changes were submitted by a total of 21 CLPs (Tower Hamlets Labour Party, there have been cases where the investiga- would enhance the accountability of a leader Beverley and Holderness CLP, Burnley tion and hearing have been so delayed that to both councillors and Party and strengthen CLP, Braintree CLP, Derby North CLP, the suspension itself has become a punish- the link between Group and the local CLPs East Devon CLP, Glasgow North CLP, ment, in that the member is prevented from and Party members. Halifax CLP, Hemsworth CLP, Islington standing for any party or public office. This South and Finsbury CLP, Leeds East suggested rule change would debar open- CLP, Leeds North East CLP, Mid-Bed- ended suspensions and impose a reasonable SUPPORT THE RULE fordshire CLP, Newport West CLP, Saf- restriction of 12 months on administrative CHANGE FROM ASLEF fron Walden CLP, Stevenage CLP, Tun- suspensions. bridge Wells CLP, Exeter CLP, Islington North CLP and Rotherham CLP. All of At the time of writing this rule change still SUPPORT THE RULE remains on the agenda for Brighton. It the rule changes submitted by these 21 CHANGE FROM LEYTON CLPs have been ruled out of order by the was submitted in Spring 2012 when there Conference Arrangements Committee AND WANSTEAD CLP AND was uproar in the Party about the misno- (CAC). In some cases the ruling out was REDCAR CLP mer group, ‘Progress’, receiving £3 million completely out of order and in other cas- from Lord Sainsbury, and the suggestion es it was questionable. It is obvious that that some of this bling was being used to the powers-that-be do not want pesky This rule change mirrors the arrangements bankroll Blairite Parliamentary hopefuls. CLPs interfering with their preordained for the election of our Party’s Leader, by The Aslef proposals are eminently sensible rally, which is what Annual Conference proposing that a local authority Labour and even some ‘Progress’ supporters should has degenerated into. And this despite Group and/or the CLP(s) covering its agree with them! the protestations from Ed Miliband et al council area could apply to the NEC to ini- that they take CLPs seriously and want to tiate a consultation process with a view to listen to them. Unfortunately these fine establishing local electoral colleges to elect THE CAC IS OUT OF ORDER words do not butter any parsnips. the leader of the Labour Group. The idea – DELEGATES MUST SAY NO of a local electoral college to choose lead- TO MACHINE POLITICS AND ers of Labour groups was floated in the first UPHOLD JUSTICE FOR CLPS SUPPORT THE RULE draft of Refounding Labour. It presumably CHANGE FROM met resistance from supporters of the status NORTHAMPTON BOROUGH quo and was regrettably dropped from the There are two rule changes that have been LABOUR PARTY final document that was presented to annual ruled out by the CAC using arguments that conference. Giving Party members more of would be considered to be wrong by any a role and influence within our Party was a fair minded party members. These are the This is an important rule change that key commitment by Ed Miliband during his rule change from Leeds Central CLP/Leeds provides for natural justice. It limits to leadership campaign. A wider franchise for North East CLP and the rule change from one year the period that the NEC can electing council leaders would be an impor- Exeter CLP/Islington North CLP. Both de- suspend a party member without any tant step forward for Party democracy. In cisions by the CAC are based on their inter- action being taken. For the NEC to have recent years, central government has made pretation of the ‘three-year-rule’ which reads the power to administer suspensions to a many changes to local government struc- as follows: party member pending the outcome of tures and arrangements. Many of these have “when Party conference has made a de- an investigation (and possible subsequent increased the power of group leaders and cision on a constitutional amendment, no hearing by the NCC) is a longstanding tended to weaken their accountability to the proposal to amend that part of the constitu- and correct procedure. But unfortunately rest of the group. A local electoral college tion or rules of the party shall appear on the

10 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 ALERT 2013

Section A (Election of NEC) is not the SUNDAY’S PRIORITY BALLOT to make sure issues important to CLPs same “part” as Section B (Election of get a hearing, CLP delegates must make CAC). their choices on different subjects from Now, it may be the case that the USE YOUR VOTE, the union four, thus giving Conference ‘three-year-rule’ is inadequately worded. DON’T WASTE IT the opportunity to debate four subjects But that is neither here nor there. The from the CLP section of the ballot and CAC’s only job is to interpret the rules as CLPs must give guidance to their del- thus eight subjects in all. Delegates are they are written in the Rule Book. Not to egates about how to vote in this ballot. likely to come under illegitimate and even make them up as they go along. That is Above all they must be made aware that browbeating pressure from Party offi- machine politics! there is no point whatsoever in wasting a cials, including parliamentarians, to rep- vote by supporting any of the same four licate the union four, thus restricting the THE UNIONS AND THE resolutions supported by the unions in number of issues. Don’t be fooled by this LABOUR PARTY – ED the ballot even if, as is likely, you support undemocratic malpractice. CLPD will NEEDS TO HANDLE WITH any or all of them. The union four are be advising delegates of the four union rightly guaranteed automatic inclusion for choices in the Sunday edition of its Yel- CARE debate. To maximise range of debate and low Pages. The unions founded the Labour Party caught by the “three-year-rule”! They also and they are an intrinsic part of the fed- agenda for a period of three years” argue that because there were amendments eration that makes up our Party. Unfortu- The key word here, of course is “part”. to Chapter 2 in 2011 that have a bearing on nately the Party has blundered into look- the proposal for an Ombudsperson, this also ing inwards from now until the Special JUSTICE FOR LEEDS means that Leeds is caught by the “three- Spring Conference, instead of wholly CENTRAL CLP AND LEEDS year-rule”. But every reader will have clearly concentrating on fighting the Tories. We NORTH EAST CLP – SAY NO appreciated the falseness of this last argu- are told in the press that this is an attempt TO MACHINE POLITICS ment. Namely, that Chapter 1 cannot pos- at a “Clause IV moment”. If there is any sibly be the same “part” of the Rule Book as truth in this press story, then there is only Chapter 2! Had the originators of the “three- one word to use and that is “pathetic”. These CLPs want to institute the new posi- year-rule” meant “clause”, they would have There may well be a lot of good inten- tion of a Labour Party Ombudsperson, who put “clause,” and had they meant “chapter” tions behind all this, but, as we know, the would be a vital check on the internal ma- they would have put “chapter,” but they put road to hell is paved with good intentions. chine politics that Ed is so concerned about. “part”. Obviously “part” was generally in- Ray Collins, the former General Leeds has proposed a completely new Clause tended to be something smaller and more Secretary, has been asked, among other (10) to Chapter 1 with all subsequent claus- discrete than a whole clause. things, to review and make recommen- es renumbered. The new Clause (10) from dations concerning “the development of a new relationship between the Labour Leeds has, of course, no overlap with any of JUSTICE FOR EXETER CLP the existing Clauses in Chapter 1. The CAC, Party and members of affiliated organisa- apparently, is arguing that because the old AND ISLINGTON NORTH tions”. Ray will hopefully consult widely Clause (10) (i.e. what would be Clause (11) CLP – SAY NO TO MACHINE and draw up a consultation paper that will under the Leeds proposals) has been amend- POLITICS be launched at Annual Conference. This ed in the last three years, then this means that must be a genuine consultation paper that the new Clause (10) from Leeds is somehow properly addresses the issues, and not a These CLPs want to institute a national one- phoney consultation as we’ve had so of- member-one-vote postal ballot for the elec- ten in the past. In other words, it must BITEBACKS tion of the CLP seats on the CAC by amend- leave the door open to a wide range of ing Chapter 4 Section (B) (Election of CAC). possible ways forward, including retaining This has also been ruled out by the CAC , the status quo if there is strong support ‘Phillip Gould treated every day as apparently again employing the “three-year- for that. Affiliated organisations, CLPs though it were a referendum on Blair’s rule”. The CAC argues that a rule change and Party members must then be able to leadership. The result was that, even containing a proposal for OMOV elections fully respond and all these responses must with eight years of three-figure ma- for all national committees was defeated in be properly taken on board. The Special jorities, New Labour allowed Tory as- 2010. This is true, but the 2010 rule change Conference must allow for genuine de- sumptions and arguments – taxes bad, was to Chapter 1. Clearly Chapter 1 is not bate and decision from a range of options markets good, public sector inefficient the same “part” of the Rule Book as Chap- if several alternative ways forward have – to set the agenda and be treated as ter 4! It is also the case that Chapter 4 Sec- emerged by the Spring. If we have to en- common sense.’ tion (A) (Election of NEC) was amended by dure yet another stitch-up then that would (Daniel Finkelstein, Guardian 29/9/12). Conference in 2011 and 2012, but obviously be machine politics at its worst!

11 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 VENEZUELA AFTER CHÁVEZ

DOMINIC CURRAN, CONVENER OF YOUNG CLPD, WAS PART OF A DELEGATION TO VENEZUELA. HE GIVES US HERE HIS ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT SITUATION

The election of Nicholas Maduro as Hugo Chávez’s successor to the President was far too close for comfort, with opposition lead- er Henrique Capriles coming two per cent short of winning. However our delegation was pleased to see the Bolivarian Movement reconsolidating its support and addressing its shortcomings, so regaining the support of the people. Venezuela is still recovering from the “Secure Homeland Plan” which put smart We learned that the story spun by the shock of the post electoral violence instigat- patrols of the Police and National Guard in media that the election was so close because ed by the opposition that was seen in March. crime-ridden areas for the first time to great the socialist project was coming apart at the After he decided not to recognise the totally effect, with not a single murder in Caracas seams and Chávez’s death was one of the fair election in March, Capriles told his sup- for a few days while we were there when the final nails in its coffin, was totally false. The porters to go out onto the streets and “ex- typical number is fifty per day on average. closeness of the election was down to the press their anger” and ten people were killed We also met officers of the newly created fact that the death of Chávez had been a in ensuing riots. Many Venezuelans person- Bolivarian Police Force which was founded terrible psychological blow to the support- ally blame him for ordering these killings and to circumvent the old corrupt police only ers of the revolution and many had de- now most of his posters are defaced with the accountable to State and Municipal govern- spaired and simply not turned out to vote. word “asesino” or “KKKpriles”. Now that ment. They stressed a refreshing commit- There had been no great swing to the op- Capriles and the opposition have exposed ment to human rights, good community re- position. As Maduro has been in govern- themselves as the violent and thuggish force lations and crime prevention. Now that the ment for enough time to prove himself as that they are, the population is turning on government has proper control over polic- a revolutionary leader capable of delivering them and they will not see the levels of sup- ing, it is able to start a proper campaign on the social transformation that Chávez was port that they did in the election for some crime that will give the opposition one less capable of, one gets the feeling that the time. Estimates put the amount of money issue to make political gains on. Chavistas who abstained in the last election that the United States gives to the Venezue- are becoming re-enthused after the loss of lan opposition at twenty million dollars, so their leader. despite all the nonsense in the mainstream “It is very inspiring to We met the President of the National media about what wonderful democrats see what can be achieved Electoral Council, Tibisay Lucena, who told they are, the opposition is more like violent in terms of social us about the exemplary procedures in the mercenaries in the pay of US imperialism to transformation even in a March election with audit after audit show- overthrow the government and return the oil ing the same margin of victory for Maduro, wealth to the oligarchs. developing country like despite the continued non-recognition of Reports of shortages in Venezuela are Venezuela” the result by United States (now alone in the also very overstated in the mainstream media. world in taking this stance) and the opposi- Again despite all the talk of products running Despite much sensationalist coverage to tion submitting ridiculous and unsubstanti- out in shops, we were astounded at the sheer the contrary in the British press, the media ated complaints about the election. abundance of food wherever one looked in is remarkably free in Venezuela. One only Venezuela. Where there have been quite bad has to glance at a news stand or flick on a shortages in toiletries and important brands television for five minutes and see the bile BITEBACKS of cornflour, these have been orchestrated by spilled by the newspapers and news channels the monopoly private companies still under against the government to see that the press the control of the old oligarchy and recent is in no way controlled by the government. ‘Outside the official definition of tax investigations by the government have shown The social programmes for employment, avoidance, the offshore schemes of warehouses full of these products that have health and education under Chávez continue Britain’s biggest multinationals have been purposely hidden and blocked from and it is very inspiring to see what can be not just escaped any clampdown, they distribution, something the government is achieved in terms of social transformation have been rewarded with a rewriting forcing to be corrected, meaning most of the even in a developing country like Venezuela. of corporate tax law that makes them shortages have been solved. Don’t believe what the press says: despite a more irresistible than ever.’ One of the issues the opposition made bit of a shock, the Bolivarian revolution is (Richard Brooks, author of The Great much hay about during the election was the on track and has recovered from its electoral Tax Robbery, Guardian 13/3/13). high level of violent crime in Venezuela. hiccup in March and is powering on despite Our trip coincided with the beginning of the losing its Comandante Hugo Chávez.

12 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 TO SUCCEED LABOUR MUST ABANDON AUSTERITY

BEN FOLLEY, Initial MPs supporting the event include: CLPD EXECUTIVE MEMBER MP, Dave Anderson MP, Katy Labour Assembly Clark MP, Michael Connarty MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, MP, Paul Farrelly The Tory-led coalition’s spending cuts agenda, Against Austerity MP, Paul Flynn MP, Kelvin Hopkins MP, Ian slashing public services and welfare, is crush- 10am–5pm Lavery MP, John McDonnell MP, Michael ing people’s living standards. The imposition Saturday 9th November, London Meacher MP, Grahame Morris MP. Others of austerity on the majority of the popula- To register for the event visit: backing a Labour Assembly include Owen tion, whilst those at the top are made better www.labourassemblyagainstausterity.org.uk Jones and . off, is increasingly generating public anger. A new national forum – the People’s As- sembly Against Austerity – has come together to help coordinate opposition to these attacks – with 4,000 plus people attending its inaugu- AUSTERITY POLICY IS A ral conference in London this June. Addition- ally thousands of people have been attending FAILURE: WHY EMULATE IT? the People’s Assemblies gatherings up and down the country. MICHAEL BURKE, SOCIALIST they are also irrelevant in terms of produc- The People’s Assembly is a new broad ECONOMIC BULLETIN ing recovery. The British economy is still based movement involving national trade more than 3% below where it was before unions alongside public service defence cam- (WWW.BIT.LY/SOCIALISTECON) the recession in the first quarter of 2008. paigns. It is a movement that Labour should But by the time of the next general election align itself to. The austerity policy of the Tory-led govern- it will be about 20% below where it would The Tories’ policy is failing and their elec- ment is a failure, and there is nothing to be have been had there been no recession at all. toral support has declined. An alternative gained by emulating it. Since the 2010 Com- The shortfall between where the economy is policy to austerity is needed – one that doesn’t prehensive Spending Review there has been now and that previous trend rate of growth rely on exacting punishment on the poorest no growth of the domestic economy at all. means the economy will be around £350bn and most vulnerable in society. Only the La- Exports have provided a minuscule increase smaller than it should be. bour Party can do this. Labour needs policies in GDP. This is the source of the deficit – the for 2015 that will change society for the bet- Overall, the austerity policy has pro- absence of growth – and the driving force ter. That is also the best way to enthuse po- duced stagnation. As a result there has been of the recession is the fall in investment, tential Labour voters to give us their support. no progress in the stated aim of government both from the private sector and from the Within the Labour Party there is huge op- policy which they claim is deficit-reduction. government. The decline in investment in position to the Tories austerity framework and The public sector deficit has been stalled at plant, equipment, machinery and construc- support for an alternative. Across the country £120bn over the last two financial years. tion now more than accounts for the entire Labour activists, councillors and MPs are op- This is inevitable. It is virtually impossi- fall in GDP. posing cuts. Labour MPs and councillors have ble to reduce the deficit while the economy There is no possibility of promoting been mobilising alongside trade unions and stagnates, as tax revenues cannot grow and economic recovery through further govern- community campaigns to oppose closures to rising poverty in the wider population puts ment spending cuts. Even the IMF and Fi- hospitals and fire stations. Many have been upward pressure on the bill for social protec- nancial Times have argued that the austerity actively campaigning against the bedroom tax. tion. Economically it is completely counter- policy won’t produce growth. The only feasi- Despite widespread opposition to the productive to adopt austerity policies as they ble alternative is a very significant increase in government’s austerity policy, which is evi- cannot produce growth, or decent-well paid state-led investment. dently failing, there is a vociferous lobby from jobs or reduce the deficit. That means investing in local authority the right wing, backed by the Tory media, It is also counter-productive politically. affordable housing, green energy produc- pressing Labour to continue the cuts frame- Precisely because austerity cannot produce tion, large-scale investment in infrastructure work. So it is essential those who oppose aus- growth it has declining credibility. There and rail, and investment in education. terity make our voices heard. is no electoral credibility to be gained by We’re told that ‘there is no money left’. Within the Labour Party we need to be adopting a policy that has so clearly failed. But this is simply untrue. The cash balances making the case for an economic agenda to This is also true of the detailed policies held by firms as deposits in British banks restore prosperity. If Labour is elected and which have been adapted to the Tories’ now amount to £750bn, more than enough embraces austerity the assault on ordinary line. Not opposing Tory plans for workfare, to fund recovery. The government should be people will continue, Labour will fail in gov- dropping the commitment to universal win- intervening to ensure some of these resourc- ernment and demoralise our supporters. ter fuel payments and supporting the public es are directed into investment. The Labour Assembly in November is sector pay freeze will undermine electoral We only need to look at the falling popu- meeting to build up this campaign within popularity with the unemployed, pensioners larity of French President Hollande to see the Labour Party. Its launch statement won and public sector workers. These policies will the disastrous consequences of continuing support from hundreds of Labour activists, do nothing to generate economic recovery. austerity policies. The only policy that will councillors and MPs. The scale of the current crisis means that work is investment, not cuts.

13 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 THE BLAIRITES: STRONG ARROGANT AND OBLIVIOUS TO THE WISHES OF LABOUR MEMBERS

JON LANSMAN, son with the traditional right of the Party, trade unionists, and not only from the left. EDITOR OF LEFTFUTURES social democrats who see themselves in the In February a dossier called simply A Report Crosland tradition, who support a significant into the constitution, structure, activities and role for the state, equality & redistribution, funding of Progress was circulated to all There is no doubt that the Blairites have had who support trade unions and their role CLPs. It argued Progress was a party-within- a rough few years. within the party, and who recognise class as a-party, pursuing policy and party organisa- As they see it, Brown, the Pretender, a key determinant of inequality. The tradi- tion agendas, as well as “openly supporting who hated the Great Leader, undermined tional right are closer to than candidates in parliamentary selections”. him and forced him out. No sooner had the Progress. The following month the Yorkshire re- usurper stolen the Great Leader’s job, than gional TUC conference on 3 March, for ex- he demonstrated that he wasn’t capable of “Blair himself is a social ample, passed unanimously a GMB motion doing it himself, didn’t really believe in ‘re- and economic liberal, in supported by Wendy Nichols of Unison, a forming’ public services, and was against member of Labour’s NEC, calling on un- modernisation. Then he very nearly man- many ways closer to the ions “to take all practical steps to oppose the aged to hang on in government when he de- Conservatives” organisational and ideological aims of ‘Pro- served not only to lose but to be humiliated, gress’”. In June, the GMB Congress passed a in preparation for the great revival. Labour First includes people whose pol- motion along similar lines, with strong sup- The Brown years never dented the Blair- itics may be well to the right such as John port from general secretary, Paul Kenny. ites’ sense of entitlement to run the Labour Spellar, Warley MP since 1992 and key right- This drove Progress onto the defen- Party as the Great Leader would wish. They wing union fixer since the 1970s, as well as sive. Shadow Cabinet member, Ivan Lewis, never doubted that the Great Successor others such as Tom Watson now seen as cen- called on the Party to “encourage plurality. would win the leadership, seeing off the trist. All are more loyal to Ed Miliband than No individual or section of the Party has a treacherous brother who had learnt his per- Progress and unsentimental about Blair. monopoly of wisdom.” Progress Director, fidious ways in the court of the Pretender. The Blairites, including the leaders of Robert Philpot, stressed that Labour was And then their world fell apart: the end Progress and several members of the Shadow “stronger for being a broad church, both of New Labour; ‘apologies’ for New La- Cabinet, prefer to remain ideology-lite. They organisationally and ideologically. Let’s keep bour; shifting the Party away from ‘the cen- are practitioners of triangulation, spin and it that way.” Pluralism and inclusiveness had tre ground’; allowing unions and lefties to Party discipline, hostile to the state and still not previously been high amongst the tenets think they might actually be allowed some enamoured of the market in spite of its re- of Blairism. They even went out of their way influence; the departure of the Great Suc- cent colossal failures. Their frequent warnings to stress the importance of trade unionism. cessor, leaving them leaderless; unsettled by about Labour’s comfort zones indicate how The conversion, of course, was not con- the severity of the economic crisis and lack- much further to the right are their own. But vincing. At their summer conference in 2012, ing any ideological to guide them. even Progress activists are people with a range in a breakout session entitled “What should Before we continue, we need to reflect of views, and the political day trippers who a modernised link look like”, the answer on who we mean by the Blairites. Some on frequent their conferences even more so. seemed to be “just like USDAW and Commu- the left appear to think of the Labour right as When the Blairites finally recovered from nity”, only with a political fund that is “opt- a homogeneous group of neo-Thatcherites. the shock of ’s defeat, they in” rather than “opt-out”, consulted but with Actually, it is just as divided and ideologically could not agree on strategy. They were as little direct say over Labour Party policy. diverse as the left. Although the rows be- uncertain as the Left how far Ed Miliband Progress did make superficial changes tween the Blairite and Brownite camps were, wished to move away from New Labour. By in its structure to provide some appearance in the words of ’s Steve Rich- the end of 2011, some were willing to back of democracy and transparency about fund- ards, “apolitical rows for the depoliticised Balls against him. But after a month of almost ing, designed to avoid being forced to make decade”, the political divisions have become daily sniping from Murphy, Twigg, Byrne changes by the Party. However, a rule change more visible. and others in January 2012 (and in spite of submitted by ASLEF last year, is still likely Most of the Labour Right amongst the ’s support for a public sector pay to be moved this year. As well as requiring membership can be described as social dem- freeze designed to solidify his backing from “acceptable standards of democracy, gov- ocrats. Even in their leaders, though there are the Blairites and not cleared with the Lead- ernance and transparency”, it would require clearly elements of continuity with Thatch- er), others were unwilling to take the plunge. Progress to donate half of its future income er’s neo-liberalism, there is rather more con- Whether it was because they couldn’t stom- from Lord Sainsbury (over £1.8m to date) tinuity with traditional Labour revisionism. ach Balls, or because too many MPs who’d to the Party. Blair himself, however, is, in more of Steve voted for both Balls and David Miliband That may well explain the recent rise in Richard’s words, “a social and economic lib- were now loyal to his brother, the Blairites Progress attacks on trade union influence eral, in many ways closer to the Conserva- agreed to lay off the leader and the sniping in the Party, starting with an interview with tives, leading a centre-left party that he knew stopped. “Militant moderate” Alan Johnson in their was in a different place from him.” The Spring of 2012 was their low point. February magazine. His working class roots So what are the Blairites now that there Their contempt for the choice of Leader and trade union background made him their are now Brownites? Truthfully they are hard and members’ desire to bury New Labour to define. It is easiest to do so in compari- brought to a head the opposition of leading (cont. on next page)

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HOW LABOUR’S TRIGGER WORKS A CLPD BRIEFING ON THE at the next general election, which unless the erative organisations) are treated equally RE-SELECTION OF SITTING Tory/Lib-Dem coalition breaks down, is due and entitled to return a vote. to take place on May 7th 2015. Members of party units are entitled LABOUR MPS Labour’s trigger mechanism allows the to at least seven days notice of trigger whole local party, both individual members ballot meetings. The meetings are pro- Labour’s ‘trigger’ system, part of the over- and affiliated organisations, to determine vided with statements from the MP and all process that decides whether a sitting whether the constituency holds a full open the Chief Whip and can then discuss Member of Parliament stands again at the selection contest for its next candidate in the merits of the MP for up to half and next general election, has now started in which other potential candidates are nomi- hour. This is followed by a secret ‘YES/ local constituency parties – with some al- nated or re-selects the sitting MP without NO’ ballot as to whether to re-select the ready having concluded their re-selections. such a contest. sitting MP. The party unit’s decision is Re-selection of MPs, whose intro- After an MP has indicated they are seek- determined by simple majority. There is duction CLPD successfully campaigned ing re-selection the local party, under the no casting vote for the chair, and in the for in the 1970s to replace the automatic supervision its Regional Office, establishes event of a tie the ballot is re-taken which re-adoption of sitting MPs as candidates, a timetable of around eight weeks for the if a tie is repeated means the branch provides local parties with a mechanism to process. Party membership is frozen and or forum does not make an affirmative hold their Labour MP to account. Whilst individual members of the CLP who have nomination. the current trigger mechanism is a watered been members of the Labour Party for six To be re-selected, the sitting MP re- down version of the mandatory re-selec- months up to the freeze date are eligible to quires a majority of the affirmative nomi- tion CLPD initially won, it remains the participate in the ballots that take place at nations from the CLP’s branches, forums principal means of making MPs demo- Party meetings. and affiliated organisations. Where the cratically accountable to the Party. All the local constituency party’s units MP fails to obtain such a majority a full In the current round of selections we (branches and forums) and its affiliates selection procedure takes place in that are choosing who will represent the party (trade unions, socialist societies and coop- constituency.

(, cont. from previous page) At their most recent summer confer- most Party members never mind the desire ence, Peter Mandelson continued the dirty of most trade unionists for a Labour Party ideal mouthpiece for the claim that trade un- work, claiming that trade unions wield an that once again voices their aspirations. This ions are in danger of becoming “irrelevant” “absolutely disgraceful” influence over the year will see a vital struggle between Pro- and “cannot connect to a whole swathe of selection of parliamentary candidates which gress and the unions, and especially Unite. the workforce that thinks they died out with risks undermining the Party’s campaign for a We know whose side we’re on. the ark”. And we must mention also his “new politics” in Britain. “Too many selection plea that the drive to increase working-class processes... are in the hands of one union at This article first appeared in Original Briefing Co- representation in parliament should not be worst or a couple at best,” he argued. He also operative, July 2013. “left to a small clique in the affiliated unions described union voting strength at confer- who want to get the people who mirror their ence as “disgraceful” – and this in answer to views into parliament’ and his calls on the a question inviting him to outline what united BITEBACKS unions to reduce their power within the La- Progress and Unite! Answer – nothing. bour Party.” More recently, he has again attacked the ‘Wage-based demand in rich econo- role of unions in influencing parliamentary mies provides about two-thirds of “This is a planned attack selections, focusing on the contest to replace economic demand, and in the peri- that reflects underlying and the disgraced Eric Joyce, himself parachuted ods leading up to both the 1929-31 by the Blairite machine into the Falkirk seat and 2008-9 crashes the wage share fell long-standing hostility to to displace left MP, Dennis Canavan. His trade unions and the desire heavily while wealth ballooned at the attack, he claims, isn’t on trade unions who top. British wage-earners have to destroy any influence they “should, of course, participate in parliamen- some £100bn less in their pockets than have within the Party” tary selection processes” but on their “being if national income were shared now as allowed to pay en bloc to recruit en masse it was in the late 1970s.’ Certainly, it is not the fear that they are their members to the Party... like some mod- (Michael Meacher MP, Guardian losing out in the parliamentary selections ern-day block vote for trade union general 25/4/13). that has driven Progress to this. Their suc- secretaries to wield in London.” cess in winning a clear majority of this round He is utterly disingenuous. What he op- ‘The report shows that the richest 1% of selections in winnable seats reflects a poses is any kind of collective influence for of the world’s population increased its growing strength and confidence, buoyed by trade unions in the Party they founded. The income by 60% in the last 20 years. In the many concessions Ed Miliband has made Blairites have chosen to attack over Falkirk 2012 the world’s 100 richest people to them over policy. This is a planned attack because they believe they can smear and dis- enjoyed a net income of $240bn while that reflects their underlying and long-stand- credit Unite even though no rules appear to people in extreme poverty lived on less ing hostility to trade unions and their desire have been broken. than $1.25 a day.’ to destroy any influence they have within the The Blairites are strong, arrogant and (The Cost of Inequality, Oxfam). Party. oblivious to the social democratic aims of

15 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 BLEAKONOMICS

COLIN BURGESS, THORNBURY it is trumped by “the law of increasing returns AND YATE CLP, REVIEWS ROB to increased scale” is that he cuts down his definition of diminishing returns to make it LARSON’S 2012 PLUTO PRESS work. If he had allowed that changing one PUBLICATION factor of production, say increasing labour, results in diminishing returns to efforts, un- First accept my apologies for selecting an less all other factors are increased as well, then American book. When I was asked to con- he could have accounted for the economics tribute a review, it took me some time to se- of the expansion of capitalism into the whole lect a book that I thought would follow on world, and explained “increasing returns”. from Dexter Whitfield’s powerful four trend Don’t be put off by the economics analysis of the effects of neo-liberalism on terms, Larson is an excellent guide in the British social reality. I think this is it. The use of economics to explain the mysteries other reason is that I actually enjoyed read- of our contemporary life, even if like me ing Rob Larson’s book, written as it is in a you find the use of Marx’s methods more completely different style from Whitfield’s. rewarding. Although pricey at about £16, the quality of production, paper and print makes it a good book to hold in your hand. A bonus is that, BITEBACKS post-2008, Larson presents a more realistic view of American capitalism than did our New Labour “amerophiles”. Larson organ- to countries with poorer workers and strict- ‘How can the government keep on ises his book around three major issues of er discipline. However, instead of the class talking about us all being in it together our time. This makes the task of bringing the struggle as such, his main concern is the with a straight face? The bankers were two books together easier than it otherwise market power gained by successful firms substantially responsible for creating would be. through the “economies of scale”. Market this financial mess, yet whenever there Contrary to New Labour’s efforts in con- power he defines as “the ability of firms to is talk of limiting the bonus culture tinuing the embedment of neo-liberalism, influence prices and engage in anti-compet- that incentivised all the absurd risk- Larson sees this as a serious cause of the itive behaviour”. Larson’s third issue is the taking that got us into this trouble, the problems of labour. He identifies the ele- effect of neo-liberalism on financial activi- government steps in to side with the ments of the ideology as: the belief in de- ties. Deregulation has allowed accumulated wealthy.’ regulation of industry, business and finance; wealth to flow around the world destabilis- (Twitter:@ giles fraser). getting rid of the interventionist state so ing countries like Argentina, whole areas diminishing social services; globalising pro- like South-East Asia and finally the UK and ‘Shareholder value has been destroyed, duction, trade and financial services; and pri- the US, followed by the whole world`s fi- capitalism has been given a bad name, vatising public services. nancial system. Deregulation set wealth free key measures of the market have been in the “Big Bang”, globalisation allowed it manipulated for cynical gains, taxpay- “Larson sees neo-liberalism to slosh around the world, the accompany- ers have shelled out billions to bail ing loss of social services ensured that the banks out, and yet vast rewards pack- as a serious cause of the most vulnerable paid the price, and priva- ages are still being handed out.’ problems of labour” tisation accumulates concentrated and cen- (Simon Walker, Head of the Institute tralised wealth into fewer hands in a very of Directors, Guardian 16/3/13). Larson’s three issues are: the deterio- short time. This wealth then allows the plu- ration of the world’s natural systems; the tocrats power over politicians, and Larson’s ‘So the failed bankers of HBOS lost social conflicts arising from concentrated oppositional heroes are the Occupy Wall £47bn and caused a £20bn taxpayer wealth; and the financial instability of mar- Street movement. bailout (Report 5 April). Personally ket bubbles and crashes. The key concept Larson is one of a “new breed” of social I blame the welfare state.’ (Rev Peter used in the environmental section is “exter- scientist and empirical economists. The old Godfrey, Guardian 6/4/13). nalities”, which he says are the unpaid-for neo-classical economics of the 1960s were positive and negative effects, or benefits mainly theoretical and mathematical, but did ‘Why do the elites insist so dogmati- and costs, of the free market on people accommodate Keynes’ rule that when peo- cally on this disastrous political and not party to the current deal. He refers to ple were spending the government was not, economic path? We believe that their these outcomes of the neo-liberal market but when the people were not spending the aim is not to solve the debt crisis but as “goods” and “bads”. The bads cause government was. Empirical economists, on to create a new regulatory framework troubles in people’s lives which when po- the other hand, are committed to using the throughout Europe that is based on liticised become issues. The key concept in “laws” of supply and demand as hypotheses cheap labour, deregulation of the la- considering the concentration of wealth is to be tested through observation and empiri- bour market, low public spending and “inequality in bargaining power between cal generalisation leading to revision of eco- tax exemptions for capital.’ capital and labour”. He is excellent on the nomic theory. (Alexis Tsipras, president of Greece’s violent history of industrial relations in the My problem with his view that “the law Syriza-United Social Front, Guardian USA, and on the use by oligopolistic firms of diminishing returns” to the production 9/10/12). to avoid violence today by globalising jobs process does not work in this instance, since

16 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013

pernicious influence in American politics: £4 million. And it is worth noting that in ‘primaries would open the last barrier to self- 2010 the donations from those in the finan- TEL’S TALES indulgent affluent individuals and groups with cial services ‘industry’ accounted for over cheque books, and ideas that do not neces- half of all Tory funding sarily harmonise with what we would like to THE LEGACY OF MARGARET think of as the traditional Labour ideas.’ HANDOUTS FOR IAN DUNCAN THATCHER SMITH MACHINE POLITICS? The Daily Mirror has exposed exactly where This unctuous Tory presumably calls him- ‘right-to-buy’ has ended up. It has ended In comparison to the machinations under self Duncan Smith because he would regard up benefiting wealthy landlords. The Mir- so-called New Labour, the goings-on in plain ‘Mr Smith’ as rather too common. ror studied the records of 13 local councils Falkirk didn’t amount to much at all. This is Nothing is more vomit-inducing than lis- and found that no less than 32% of former no doubt the real reason why the Party won’t tening to him whingeing on about benefit council properties have been sold on and publish the report of its investigation. The claimants. Particularly so given that Smith are now in the hands of private landlords. Guardian has had access to the report and lives on an estate owned by his wife’s fam- Charles Gow, the son of Thatcher’s housing described it as ‘very thin gruel.’ ily, a family that over the past decade has re- minister, owned as many as forty ex coun- We are also unlikely to hear anything from ceived some £1.5 million in income support cil flats in one single block. Incidentally, the the police in Falkirk. This seems to have been from the state in the form of farm subsidies. Guardian has revealed that as many as a third an intimidatory ploy. As Len McCluskey has J. K. Galbraith got it right when he observed: of MPs are buy-to-let landlords. said: ‘people mention the police because it ‘The modern Conservative is engaged in one creates fear, and the outside perception is that of the oldest exercises in moral philosophy: THE UNIONS ARE THE LABOUR there must be something in this. It is the old- that is the search for a superior moral justifi- PARTY est tactic in the book.’ In fact the police have cation for selfishness’. always made it clear that they are not interest- Most of the discussion in the media about ed in internal Party matters that can be dealt THE LEGACY OF DAVID the unions and the Labour Party is wrong- with by the Party’s own procedures. MILIBAND headed. The impression given is that there is A few years ago the Erith and an entity known as the Labour Party and that Thamesmead parliamentary selection ballot For years CLPs and their members have somehow the unions are separate and merely box was broken into at the Party’s HQ and been urged to get out on the doorstep, do link up to the Party. In fact our Party is not ballot papers interfered with. Readers might the voter ID and assemble a marked up reg- a singular body: it is a federation. An NEC think that something as serious as this should ister. It was an issue stressed by the candi- document written in the 1960s spells this have been referred to the police; but the HQ, dates in the leadership election. Oxford East, out: ‘The Labour Party was established as, under Ray Collins no less, thought different- for example, has a marked register of some and remains a federation.’ It then goes on to ly and the matter was quietly dropped. quote the first line of the 1906 Constitution: And only a few months ago there was the (cont. on p19) ‘The Labour Party is a Federation consisting Rotherham parliamentary selection, which of Trade Unions, Trade Councils, Socialist local Party members felt was an appalling Societies, and Local Labour Associations.’ stitch-up by the Party establishment. At the BITEBACKS selection meeting there were some 125 angry PRIMARIES – AN EXERCISE IN Party members. They were presented with a WISHFUL THINKING shortlist of two-two fewer than the NEC’S ‘One significant plank of Thatcherite own guidance-with good local candidates privatisation was in the housing market, Party members are constantly being patron- excluded. Some 100 members either walked by championing free-market consumer- ised and told that they are valued and will out or spoilt their ballot papers in protest. ism at the cost of planned social hous- be given real power in the Party. The truth Which was the greater insult to Party mem- ing. The current economics of this prin- is somewhat different. Take Arnie Graf and bers? Rotherham or Falkirk? ciple make stark reading. Last year £23 Ed Miliband’s idea of USA-style primaries for billion was paid out in housing benefit. choosing Labour’s Mayoral and parliamentary SPOTLIGHT ON TORY PARTY £9.2 billion of this public money was candidates. Party members would be expect- FUNDING paid directly into the pockets of private- ed to pay some £45, work hard all through sector landlords charging market-de- the year, and yet have no more influence on Labour needs to go on the offensive over termined (one might argue exploitative key Party decisions than someone who walks the scandal of how the Tory Party is funded. or extortionate) rents. Social-rented in off the street, pays nothing and registers Steven Crone and Stuart Wilks-Heeg have sector tenants receive on average £ 81 at the last minute in a primary. Ed seems to peered into these murky waters. They found per week while private-sector tenants think this will re-energise our Party and some- that some 15 very rich families account for receive on average £106 per week. Pub- how lead to more working-class candidates. ‘donor groups’ that contribute almost a third lic sector funding is propping up private This is wishful thinking at its most extreme. of all Tory funding. A classic example is JCB sector landlords. Last year £21 billion Experience shows that success in primaries billionaire Sir Anthony Bamford, a regular was paid out in tax credits to in-work invariably becomes the preserve of the rich. guest on the Prime Minister’s trade missions. families. It can be estimated that £17 It has been estimated that a candidate would Between 2001 and mid 2010 there were billion has been paid to those employed need some £750,000 to run an effective cam- donations from Bamford himself but also in the private sector. Yet another exam- paign in a London Mayoral primary. from Mark Bamford, George Bamford, JCB ple of the public purse subsidising pub- Ian Williams, writing from New York Bamford Excavators, JCB Research and JCB lic sector greed.’ for Tribune, points out that primaries are the World Brands. In total the contribution from (Guardian 12/4/13). major route by which money exercises its this single family ‘donor group’ was almost

17 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013 5 DAYS IN MAY

MIKE GRIFFITHS, FORMER Gordon Brown and the La- ally the Lib Dems and the NEC AND FORMER CHAIR OF bour government, with real Liberals before have been detail and diary style accuracy. anti Tory. THE PARTY, REVIEWS ANDREW He gives space to the ar- If Nick Clegg, whom ADONIS’ ANALYSIS OF THE guments around seats in the Adonis states is set “apart GENERAL Commons following the from the previous genera- ELECTION election with the Conserva- tion of progressive Left SDP tives on 307 seats and need- and Lib Dem leaders,” suc- Years ago, a young Executive member of the ing 326 for an overall major- ceeds in taking the Lib Dems National Graphical Association (the printers ity. permanently to the right, union) spoke for the Executive at his nation- The Lab-Lib total was then minority Tory govern- al conference against a motion calling for 315 with support coming ments could be kept in office support for PR. Reading Andrews Adonis’ from the 5 SDLP, Alliance for generations to come. book all these years later, I can recall clearly and Independent members However, to end on a the arguments made by myself then. from Northen Ireland and more positive note: the recent Democracy cannot be defined as a pure the one English Green MP. publishing of the Lib Dems’ arithmetic count of representatives = votes In addition the Welsh and Scot- achievements in coalition cast. It needs to be a broader test: of ac- tish Nats could never side with the Tories and makes interesting reading and many argue countability; the ability of the electorate to be forgiven with their electorate if they put that it is a poor record in government given call the government to account; knowledge them into government. Finally the DUP in the choice they rejected to form a progres- of actions made by those that represent us Northern Ireland had fallen out with Cam- sive alliance with Labour. If the electorate and the carry through into government of eron following his decision to support their decides that coalitions are not what they the will of the electorate, based on informed rivals the Ulster Unionists. want, then the Lib Dems will be the victims discussion and reported through the election This gave a total of Lab/Lib with sup- at the next election. campaign. porting parties of 315 plus 28, a work- Adonis argues it is all there to play for, I argued then that PR would continually ing majority in the commons of about 30. with “” the route to travel. ensure that small groups, in secret, would de- Adonis presents evidence that the closest I agree the outcome of the next election is termine policy and outcomes after the polls vote representative of this position “in the far from decided and with the appropriate were closed and without any accountability present parliament, when the Lib Dems broad based progressive appeal, a majority to the electorate. voted with Labour to delay the redrawing of Labour government could still be the smart Reading 5 Days in May the situation then parliamentary boundaries beyond 2015, saw bet to make. was far worse. The Lib Dems represented the Conservatives lose by 334 to 292 a ma- primarily by the economic views of Nick jority of 42.” Clegg and David Laws (later to be sacked Adonis has added to his account of BITEBACKS for fiddling his expenses), trashed their own events at the time with an analysis of the arguments on the central theme of the 2010 coalition government since. He finds that election campaign – “the economy”. The rather than a moderating force within a Tory ‘It is becoming increasingly evident Lib Dem manifesto stated: “If spending is government the Lib Dems have been largely that, whatever the reasons and the ori- cut too soon, it would undermine the much irrelevant due to mistakes made in place- gins of the crisis, it is being used by needed recovery and cost jobs”. ment of senior Lib Dems in government. an international “neo-liberal” estab- This book demonstrates that, rather than Adonis writes: “it is hard to conceive that lishment to promote a new model of carry through the common argument made the Lib Dems could have negotiated a worst social, labour and economic relations in the election campaign to support Alistair allocation of ministerial posts”. across the western world.’ Darling’s plan proposed by Labour and Liber- He sums up the outcome of the pact to (Isidoros Diakides, Chartist Septem- al Democrats, Clegg and Laws readily agreed form a government between the Tories and ber/October 2012). with the Conservatives’ austerity plan. the Lib Dems with the quip: “in 2010 the We now know the disastrous outcome Lib Dems went into government but not ‘No one voted for NHS privatisation. of Clegg’s position but importantly Adonis into coalition”. It’s not in the coalition agreement. It shows it was a decision made not because Equally fascinating within the “Three will squander money. It will harm us.’ he had to do so but because he wanted to! Years On” section of the book is a possi- (Dr Clare Gerada, Chair of the Roy- “Clegg turned Right not Left and a Tory-led bly unintended reflection by Adonis. It is al College of General Practitioners, coalition was the result”. the power struggle within the Lib Dems for March 20, 2013, quoted in The Original Adonis’ rationale for this is that Clegg their party’s future direction. Labour Briefing May 2013). and Laws, whom he describes as neo-liberal, This fight between the traditional Lib- are at heart Tories with Laws so close to Os- erals and the emerging new Liberals that ‘The coalition government’s policies borne and his economic position that he was support the Orange Book (jointly edited by on low incomes and unemployment re- asked to join the Conservatives before the David Laws and a fellow financier in 2004), turn the UK to the pre-Beveridge era’s election. defining themselves as Tory/Liberals “com- emphasis on poor law deterrence and Adonis’ book is not just a fascinating mitted to small state” and espousing “the the demonisation of paupers.’ read. He produces a style that contempora- failure of the social-democratic experiment.” (Professor John Veit-Wilson, Newcas- neously takes us through the days and nights This struggle may yet have profound tle University, Guardian 11/12/12). from election night, to the resignation of implications for British politics. Tradition-

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TELS TALES (cont. from p17) BITEBACKS CLPD’S 75%; Plumstead in South East London, which has had Labour councillors continu- CHARTER FOR ‘According to Alison Garnham, ously since 1907, has a marked up register of chief executive of CPAG: “The co- around 35%. During the South Shields by- A DEMOCRATIC alition is on course to leave behind election the marked-up register for that CLP the worst child poverty record of was revealed to the website LabourList. The CONFERENCE any government for a generation.” figure was an appalling 0.2%. As LabourList Julia Unwin, head of the Joseph commented: ‘this suggests that little or no Rowntree foundation adds: “I am At least 50% of conference canvassing had ever been done.’ more convinced than ever that we time should be reserved for have a perfect storm brewing; the contributions in policy debates reforms to welfare, the economic by delegates NOT TO BE MISSED slowdown and spiralling costs, to- The criteria for motions should gether with an increasingly spiteful be flexible and fair tone in how we describe people in 2014 CLPD poverty, risks the UK becoming a Conference should choose the nation where people face destitu- right policies, not rubber stamp tion”.’ AGM them (Guardian 1/4/13). Conference decisions and all Saturday March 1, 11.30am, papers should be available ‘We are still far from a proper func- Conway Hall, online to party members tioning democracy.’ (Michael Meacher MP, Campaign Red Lion Square. The structure of conference Briefing 77 p2). therefore needs a review by Report of 2013 AGM available the Conference Arrangements on CLPD website. Committee

ABOLITION OF THE AGRICULTURAL WAGES BOARD

ANN PHILLIPS, £6.21 ph to experienced farm managers at of Stowell Park, a business that lobbied in CLPD SUPPORTER FROM ST £9.40ph. Agriculture is classed as the UK’s favour of the AWB’s abolition. These Com- most dangerous industry with its long and panies profit handsomely from the tighten- AUSTELL AND NEWQUAY CLP difficult hours an average worker age of 55 ing grip of retail on our food industry. For years involving years of training and ex- them, the AWB stood in their way of ever Yet another way that the Government has pertise, together with immense experience. larger profits whilst workers rarely attract a changed the law without a proper Parliamen- Now all this will count for nothing as em- living wage. tary debate has been by bungling the aboli- ployers decide not to pay workers any in- Here in Cornwall, in 2010, a large pro- tion of the Agricultural Wages Board (AWB), creases in pay. They may even lower their portion of our Gross Value Added comes into a much wider enterprise and regulatory pay. from the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing reform bill. When the issue returned to the Yes, we know that there are problems for output totalling £206 million, equal to 2.8% Commons, it was not even debated but the industry – health crisis, blight, floods, of the total GVA for Cornwall and the Isle forced through by guillotine without a vote. drought – but there are no prizes for guess- of Scilly – which was £7.313 million. The Nationally we have 150,000 rural workers ing who will profit from the demise of the comparative figure for the UK was 0.7%. in England and Wales that were protected by Board. Not the workers. And the NFU says So now, many agricultural workers will this Board with their pay, holidays, sick pay it wants to be treated like any other industry wait till October 1st when they could face and housing. Many farm workers rented tied in the 21st century, but what other industry losing their homes. This could be a challenge housing with the job. From April 16th all enjoys an annual subsidy of £34bn and an to the European Court of Human Rights as this is abolished and the spectre of poverty opt-out from the working-time directive? well as being in breach of the UKs Interna- embracing the countryside is now very real Now on top of that they want the tax-payer tional obligations. and will seriously affect those living in the to subsidise their wages bills by paying in- Let’s hope that the employers do not take tied accommodation as they face the threat work benefits to workers paid poverty wages. advantage of the loss of the AWB to make of higher rents or even lose their homes to Let’s not forget that the big profiteers more poverty for Cornwall. And, of course, private rents. are the supermarkets and food manufac- agricultural workers everywhere in the coun- The Wages Board set annual pay rates turers including Morrisons and Sainsburys try will feel the effects of these pernicious for agricultural workers from grade 1 at along with people like Lord Vestey, owner reforms.

19 CAMPAIGN BRIEFING AUTUMN EDITION 2013

CLPD fringe meeting at TUC 2013 conference in Bournemouth Brighton Labour Annual TUC conference highlight Tuesday 10 September, 12.30, Bournemouth Hermitage Conference Highlights Hotel (opposite conference centre). Free admission. CLpd rally and delegates’ briefing Speakers: Diane Abbott MP Saturday 21 September 6pm, Royal Albion Hotel (very near pier) Professor Keith Ewing Entry £3 (conc £1) Billy Hayes (CWU) Speakers: Diane Abbott MP Ann Black nEc Katy clark MP Len McCluskey (Unite) Michelle collins (Young Labour national committee) Steve Murphy (UCATT) Gary Heather (cLPD) Kelvin Hopkins MP Jon Lansman Hazel Nolan (GMB rep on Young Labour National Committee) (cLPD) launching cLPD’s charter for a Democratic conference Mick Whelan (ASLEF) Michael Meacher MP christine Shawcroft nEc Chair: Peter Willsman (CLPD secretary) Mick Whelan (ASLEf) Peter Willsman (Special Briefing for Delegates) Chair: Lizzy Ali (chair of cLPD) CLpd Conference Assessment and review of the week RED ALERT: Tuesday 24 September 6pm Royal Albion Hotel (very near pier). Entry £3 (conc £1). Don’t forget to read the Willsman Guide to Conference. Speakers: Tony Benn Ann Black (NEC) John Cryer MP 2013 edition now available and once again up to the usual Bryan Gould, former Labour opposition cabinet minister exceptional standard of insight and intrigue. Billy Hayes (CWU) Kelvin Hopkins MP Conrad Landin The indispensable handbook for all delegates (better than (Young Labour national committee) (CLPD) ever this year) and anyone else who wants to understand Mark Seddon (CLPD) Christine Shawcroft (CLPD) what is really going on at Conference. Salma Yaqoob (journalist and broadcaster) Chair: Peter Willsman (CLPD secretary) The Guide can be downloaded from www.grassrootslabour.net ABOUT CLPD AND ITS GAINS FOR PARTY DEMOCRACY CLPD was formed in 1973 by a group of members greater representation within the democracy’. For example, recently CLPD rank-and-file activists with support from Party. The main demand for a woman on campaigned for, and achieved, OMOV for about ten Labour MPs. The first President every parliamentary shortlist was achieved the CLP section of the National Policy Fo- was Frank Allaun. The main motivation for over the period 1986-88. rum. CLPD continues to campaign for a real the Campaign was the record of the Labour CLPD will sometimes promote seem- policy-making conference and an effective governments in the sixties and the way that ingly non-democracy issues such as the and accountable NEC. Annual Conference decisions were continu- significant extension of public ownership, To find out more about CLPD, visit our ally ignored on key domestic and interna- defending the welfare state and the first- website at www.clpd.org.uk. CLPD can usu- tional issues. The immediate cause was Har- past-the-post electoral system (PR would ally provide speakers for meetings, especially old Wilson’s imperious and undemocratic mean no majority Labour Governments). All if requests are made well in advance. To ar- rejection in 1973 of any decision by Annual such policies derive from our commitment range this, ring Francis Prideaux on 0208 Conference to adopt an alternative econom- to socialist values and socialist advance. 9607460 and leave a message for him if you ic policy involving the possible public own- The major focus of CLPD’s work in re- get the machine and not the man himself. ership of some 25 strategic companies. cent years has been to win back the power CLPD’s first demand was, therefore, for for ordinary rank-and-file Party members, Campaign Briefing is sponsored by: mandatory reselection of MPs so that they which has been surreptitiously transferred would be under pressure to carry out Con- to the centre under the pretext of ‘mod- ference policies and be accountable to Par- ernisation’ and, ironically, ‘extending Party ty members. This demand was achieved in 1979/80 through the overwhelming support To join the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy please fill in of CLPs and several major unions, especially the form below and return with a cheque payable to CLPD to: those unions where the demand for reselec- CLPD Treasurer, 157 North Street, Luton, LU2 7QH. tion was won at their own annual confer- I/we enclose £ ...... subscriptions/renewal/donation ences (eg. TGWU, AUEW, NUPE). CLPD also sought to make the leader Name ...... accountable through election by an electoral Address ...... college involving MPs, CLPs and TUs. Pre- ...... viously Labour leaders were elected by MPs Post Code ...... alone. This demand was achieved in January 1981 and was an advance for Party democ- Phone ...... Email ...... racy, although some MPs saw it as a reason CLP ...... Region ...... to defect and form the SDP, eventually to get TU ...... Date ...... fewer votes than Lord Sutch’s Party. Annual rates: £20 individuals; £5 unwaged and low waged (under £8,000); £25 couples (£6 unwaged and low CLPD additionally promoted a range of waged); £25 national & regional organisations; £15 CLPs, TUs and Co-op Parties; £5 CLP branches. Young reforms to give Labour women and black members (under 27) introductory sub £3.

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