Submission by the Cities of London and Westminster CLP
The CLP resolved, following consideration of the attached documents, that the Labour Party should remain an unincorporated membership body based on dynamic electoral ward branches within existing structures.
To this end the CLP is working up its own 10-year Development Plan.
But to expand the Party's campaigning capacity and restore its electability, GC delegates were overwhelmingly of the the view that members had to have more say in the policies promoted to implement Labour Values, both at Conference and through its National Executive Committee. That is the best way to enable membership to be rebuilt and reach out into our communities.
This requires immediate action by Leader, current NEC/NPF, Joint Policy Committee, and the Conference Arrangements Committee - at the National Policy Forum this weekend and at Conference 2011 in Liverpool in September.
Three principle changes are sought:
a) the decisions of the conference should be respected by the Party leadership and included, where appropriate, in our manifesto;
b) short listing and selection of parliamentary candidates should be conducted by the local Party members without external intervention, except in emergencies;
c) the number of seats on the Party’s National Executive Committee elected by constituency members should be increased from 6 to 11 to enable members in each Labour Party region/devolved nation, to elect their own NEC representative on the basis of OMOV, subject to gender balance.
The NPF this weekend and Conference 2011 should be opportunities to level with the electorate setting out our achievements in government 1997-2010 now being destroyed or under threat from the Conservative-led coalition. That can only be achieved by admitting our mistakes particularly on the economy, vital to win back the electorate's confidence. But as important is the need for open and transparent debate about issues that matter to people who share our values, such as:
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A sustainable, fair economy;
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building adequate affordable housing;
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providing excellent, free at the point of access education, health and social care and
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promoting international peace, economic and social justice.
For the avoidance of doubt, in none of the discussions recorded within the constituency, or its branches and affiliates was any interest expressed in support of giving voting rights to supporters, primaries, an elected chair, or changing the electoral college arrangements for the Leader.
Strong opposition was expressed about the trend towards protecting the incumbency of Labour's elected public representatives as evidenced in the CLP's submission regarding PPC selections filed separately.
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REFOUNDING LABOUR = GIVING MORE SAY TO MEMBERS
Motion for Cities of London & Westminster GC as amended by GC – 22 June 2011
This GC believes that:
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the review of the Party’s policy-making is very timely;
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CLPs and affiliated organisations which submit a rule-change should no longer be debarred from also submitting a motion;
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Motions may be on any matter of concern to CLPs and affiliates and should not be ruled out of order on the grounds that they could have been sent elsewhere;
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Policy documents presented to conference should be open to amendment and to being voted on in parts.
This GC also believes that, in order to give members increased confidence that the policies agreed will be properly taken forward:
a) the decisions of the conference should be respected by the Party leadership and included, where appropriate, in our manifesto;
b) short listing and selection of parliamentary candidates should be conducted by the local Party members without external intervention, except in emergencies;
c) the number of seats on the Party’s National Executive Committee elected by constituency members should be increased from 6 to 11 to enable members in each Labour Party region/devolved nation, to elect their own NEC representative on the basis of OMOV, subject to gender balance.
Proposed by Westminster & City Co-operative Party.
22nd June 2011
Pimlico & St James Branch
(Includes the wards of St James, Tachbrook and Vincent Square)
Refounding Labour: P&SJ Submission – as amended by GC
An outward-looking party
The Labour Party should be doing more in the way of local community participation and presence. P&SJ are therefore strongly in favour of the retention of branch meetings, rather than all-CLP meetings. We believe that the retention of existing levels of branch autonomy allows local members to have more control over local decisions, and ensures closer grassroots connections.
A voice for members
Our experience is that ensuring good speakers at branch meetings encourages greater member attendance. It is also important to share best practice and communicate with other wards who have less-successful engagement with local members.
A current issue with Labour Party meetings is that there is too much bureaucracy, with too many points of order, hairsplitting, and pedantic procedures and abbreviations that not everyone understands.
Renewing our party
Campaigning on issues that impact on people’s lives within a community is most effective in bring people together in a local area and reaching out to voters who have not been Labour-supporting in the past. Community-based campaigning ensures the Labour Party retains its historic role as a grassroots movement.
Winning back power
Need to focus on key local issues, such as the closure of St James’ Library. Whilst the role of new media and social networking is recognized, we should not underestimate the importance of face-to-face canvassing and a doorstep/local community presence, such as the regular stall outside Tachbrook Market.
City of London branch submission as amended by GC 22 June 2011
Note: This submission should not be read as having GC support as references to localism, in particular, provoked concerns about being seen to support the Conservative's Localism Bill which was not the intention. It was suggested that this was an issue that could be usefully debated more fully at Conference 2011 to clearly differentiate Labour policy from those of the Conservative-led coalition.
Refounding Labour
At the branch April 2011 mtg - the following points of principle were agreed:
a) The Labour Party should remain an unincorporated voluntary association with a distinct voting membership based on individuals and affiliates with rights and responsibilities
b) Supporters were to be welcomed as volunteers assisting at elections and informing policy making, but without any voting rights
c) Policy making should be open and transparent, but significant reforms would be required to Partnership into Power to re-establish a link between members/branches/constituencies and Annual Conference and policies forming the basis for future elections
d) The contribution of members to be made explicit by Party spokespersons in all documents, interviews, post election comments
In May, following further consideration the branch agreed that debate at Conference 2011 was going to have more influence on the party's future electability than structural changes.
This formed the main business in June, when the branch concluded that the Labour Party should rediscover its purpose and use Conference 2011 to focus on issues that now matter to the electorate.
During our discussion it was agreed that there were too many policy review groups (organised by Liam Byrne MP and the Shadow Cabinet in parallel with the Partnership into Power policy making process .) The branch considered that that approach risked obscuring vital lessons that could encourage membership retention and recruitment, and restore Labour's electability.
Following extentive discussion, the Branch concluded that Conference 2011 should debate a smaller number of issues focussing on :
A sustainable, fair economy; building adequate affordable housing; providing excellent, free at the point of access education, health and social care and promoting international peace, economic and social justice.
The party leadership, including all frontbench spokespersons needed to be much more effective rebutting coalition mantras about the state the economy at the time of the 2010 General Election, and the myth that public sector service provision is bad and private sector is good.
The branch agree that New Labour's uncritical readiness to contract with the private sector to provide both public services and infrastructure had proved to be flawed and possibly naive. It should be admitted and rectified as soon as possible. Further, the branch agreed that while it would be essential to restore a high quality public service model and stop denigrating public service staff and professionals, this did not need mean excluding the private sector. Rather it would be important to debate and establish a new consensus for such contracting/regulation consistent with Labour's fairness and localism agendas.
Labour's achievements: investing in public service infrastructure – new under-fives facilities, schools, hospitals and transport links, social housing improvements and arts and leisure facilities should be lauded. But the means of financing them involved deceiving the public, and the political damage crystalised in the Tory mantra “the mess we inherited” are in danger of blinding the electorate to the evidence of our success in their own neighbourhoods.
In the wake of the banking crisis, (the underlying causes of which remain largely unaddressed and must be grappled urgently) Labour did steady the economy. The Tories inherited faster growth, with debt falling more quickly, and unemployment and mortgage repossession lower than forecast. In 12 month they have squandered that with a singular obsessobsession about 'cutting public sector debt' . That has in slower growth, rapidly rising debt, and inflation, together with shaky job creation and dire unemployment prospects for the young.
The branch agreed that Labour's public policy challenges for debate at Conference 2011 should focus on how to achieve sustainable growth, fairmess for all from the cradle to the grave; as well as how to pay for public sector infrastructure and services whilst wanting to promote local empowerment, mutuality, and developing a new viable public service model.
Leadership was also required to regain the initiative greening the economy, which the branch saw as a route to redirecting public sector investment into more effective technologies to meet future energy requirements without threatening the planet eg. Investment in geothermals, and other renewables rather than nuclear or fossil fuels.
In reaching out to and within local communities, Labour needed to enable and empower local governance reversing a centralist command and control model . This was was seen as offering real potential as a means of regaining the electorate's trust and demonstrating that Labour was learning from its mistakes in government over the previous 13 years.
In conclusion, the branch supported the efforts of the Party's new Leader, Ed Miliband to develop key themes for opposition: the squeezed middle, the unfortunately labelled 'British promise' (each generation's right to a better future than the last), the vital role of the state in shaping the economy and public services, and the country's place in the world
But we agreed that Refounding Labour had to start with what Labour stands for now and in the future, rather than any rule changes that might arise from the current consultation. Though the form of the Party's organisation and its culture would have to mirror the sort of society Labour aspires to promote and enable - locally, nationally and internationally.
ends
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