Peter Kenyon

Renewing Labour - north of the border

Bank Holiday Saturday (for me as a sassenach) was spent in Arbroath alongside Elaine Smith MSP speaking to a group of Labour CLP activists from four surrounding constituencies about renewing Labour Party democracy in the wake of the LabOUR Commission report. Meanwhile, the rest of the locals were enjoying Arbroath's celebrated Seafest (illustrated).

Marlyn Glen MSP for North East Scotland was also with us and took the opportunity to alert all concerned to proposed visits by Wendy Alexander MSP the unopposed Leader-elect of the Scottish Labour Party to Aberdeen and Dundee this week. Not a single CLP secretary present was aware of the proposed visits.

Even more worrying when Elaine and I had started our contributions was the apparent level of ignorance about Gordon Brown's proposals, 'Extending and renewing party democracy', and the discovery that none of the CLPs represented was planning to send a delegate to Labour's 2007 Annual Conference.

I urged CLPs to get hold of the proposals and submit comments by 14 September. I tipped them off about the Hackney North stance supporting GB's Proposals 1-4, and 6-7, but reject 5 on Contemporary Resolutions, and add an 8th to apply OMOV to NPF elections in future, hat-tip Luke Akehurst. To shed light on comments about the GB proposals, a version has been posted on the Internet for Labour Party members only. (Send me your email address if you want to know more.)

There was general agreement that party renewal was the key to winning back support north of the border, inspired perhaps by the central tenet of the Declaration of Arbroath - 6 April 1320

"For, so long as a hundred remain alive, we will never in any degree be subject to the dominion of the English. Since not for glory, riches or honours do we fight, but for freedom alone, which no man loses but with his life."

But it was felt this was unlikely to be the top down variety promised by Alexander for the Scottish Labour Party Conference next spring.

Labour - giving members a say ballot

Members in my Constituency Labour Party (CLP) - Cities of London and Westminster - are to be given a say in deciding who our 2007 Annual Conference delegate should vote for in the London region section of the National Policy Forum representatives   ballot next month. It will be a postal affair. Details of how the Labour Party makes policy can be found here.

I am responsible for the logistics. Yesterday, I rang Head Office to ask for electronic copies of the candidate statements. Our plan is to include these with an explanatory letter, ballot paper plus copies of the latest CLP newsletter and an invitation to make a contribution to local fund-raising by either making a regular donation and/or joining the '100 club' - with a bi-monthly prize draw for £100, plus an addressed reply envelope.

I was told the relevant information forms part of the Delegate Book for Conference and has not been signed off yet.

Will it be worth the effort? CLP officers think it will, as such a high proportion of our members are either not on eMail or have so far not shared that information with either the Party nationally, the CLP itself or their local branch officers. In the first instance we will find out who the  candidates are seeking to represent our region on the National Policy Forum. In two years time, I hope as the LabOUR Commission recommends here, that they will all be elected in an OMOV ballot.

Labour gratitude, grovelling and governance

Large donations to the Labour Party pose particular issues for the party seeking to represent the many not the few. Luke Akehurst here is grateful, ever so grateful; humbly yours, ever so grateful. I agree with the sentiment: if rich people want to make a six/seven figure sum contribution to the political party representing  working people, then they are at liberty to do so. The difficulty is that that the majority of Labour Party members (download the results and go to row 264) think that these people have much more say over Labour Party policy than civil servants, backbenchers, trade unions or Labour Party members. so while Luke is tugging his forelock, some of us think we need to rebuild the Labour Party's finances based on small donations...and that the effort would be worthwhile politically - a modest ambition for a democratic socialist party.

Plutocracy rules - Labour funding

Rich people's largesse continues to be the funding source of preference for Britain's political parties as detailed here . I am alone in thinking it's time for a stand in favour of small donations, whether through trade unions, socialist societies or individuals, as opposed to high worth individual donors?

Election date fuel - national bus pass concession

'Twirlies' could be the clue to the next General Election date. 'Twirlies' are concessionary bus passes, so-called as a mark of appreciation to anyone 60 or over who has the misfortune to present one to an eagle-eyed driver before 0930 Monday to Friday. What on earth could they have to do with the art of 'Command Party' politics whereby the Leader of the Party commanding a majority in the House of Commons can request the monarch to dissolve Parliament forcing a General Election? Consider the grey vote.

The answer is national twirlies - eligibility for local bus concessions nationally on the same card come in next April. I am grateful to my fellow traveller on the Wilts and Dorset 150 bus from Swanage to Bournemouth yesterday afternoon for regaling me with the story of how he came to possess his pass, how he had something to thank Tony Blair for, and how far he could travel on it. Of course the funds to enable local authorities to pay for twirlies were allocated by Gordon Brown, as Chancellor. Let's hope the 11 million electors eligible for twirlies will remember Labour's commitment to pensioners, public transport and climate change when a snap election is called next May.

OK, it's the silly season?

Inconsistent messages - date of next General Election

Am I alone in wondering how the Gordon Brown constitutional reform debate can be squared with increasing speculation of an 'early' General Election? How can the Labour Party hope to win the confidence of the vast majority of the electorate in our democracy, if the appointed Prime Minister continues to exercise monarchical powers in deciding the date of the next General Election?  Oh, I forgot, our consolation is that the proposal will be put to Parliament - on a free vote? I doubt it.