Peter Kenyon

Tribune reports Labour Leader ambitions to reform party

This week's Tribune carries a report about the Labour Party leader, Gordon Brown's apparent ambitions to reform the Labour Party. If only. For those of us who spent two years' worth of voluntary time immediately after the last election researching opinion among members and former members, such a move can't come soon enough if we are going to have a cat in hell's chance of winning the next British General Election.

The results we published as the LabOUR Commission Interim Report. There are problems currently with the links following the transfer of the host for its website, which we hope to rectify very soon.

In the meantime, I hope every CLP/branch/affiliate will take a few moments to remind the leadership that to rebuild the Labour Party it has to be seen as ethical, solvent, democratically-run and aiming for mass membership.

The problem with any Labour Party review of its internal structures or its policies is whether the Leadership takes any notice.

I am quoted in the Tribune article as saying:

“It has to be open and transparent and give proper weight to views decided at collective levels within the party. This is an opportunity to revisit some important issues and we don’t want party members’ views disappearing into a black hole.”

I will have an opportunity to make representations on Tuesday at the next meeting of the Labour Party's National Executive Committee.

Electing Ed

In the wake of the City of London elections about which I blogged/twittered not, I was invited to contribute to a Webchat with Ed Miliband MP (Rt Hon) earlier today.

As a signed up member of the awkward squad, I asked

Dear Ed

Why is your position as Manifesto Coordinator not elected by members and affiliates through a open nomination process and OMOV ballot?

He replied:

Peter--thanks for your vote of confidence!

You will probably disagree, but I think this highlights a problem facing the Labour Party if it wants to win the next election.

Ed owes his position to Prime Ministerial patronage. As a thoroughly modern person, I am at a loss to explain the continued deference among the Labour Party hierarchy for what can be loosely described as monarchical powers. If Ed really wants to help the Party win the next General Election, he should be supporting (not leading - that might give the impression of ambition) moves to rid the Party of patronage. He could start by quietly suggesting to the Leader that the position of Manifesto Coordinator should be elected by members and affiliates through an open nomination process and OMOV.

On one matter, Ed should be in no doubt. I would happy to Second his nomination paper with G Brown as the Proposer.

Last post sounds for Labour's unloved Lord

Mandy's strident calls against the Communications Workers' Union reported earlier today in the Sunday papers has put paid to former leader Tony Blair's ambitions that his project would only be complete when the Labour Party learned to love Peter [now Lord] Mandelson

Is this the last post for the latterly enobled Lord Mandelson of Hartlepool and Foy?