Peter Kenyon

Vote Kenyon and CLGA for Labour's NEC

Ballot papers for the six constituency places on the National Executive Committee should be sent to members eligible to vote by the end of this week. The last we heard was the planned closing date was 18 July - just ahead of the National Policy Forum.

 

If you're one of those entitled to vote, I hope you pick through your post carefully, find the ballot paper (which in previous years has been 'hidden' in other Labour Party material) and exercise your democratic right.

Why vote for me? I only want Labour governments. We all know what's at stake. The Leadership has to be held to much closer account than over the past 10 to 15 years. While those whom we, the members, have helped get elected have been in office, to put it politely, they have tended to neglect us.

The Centre Left Grassroots Alliance brings together members standing for the NEC from across the country who share a set of values, even if they may differ on some policy specifics. As it says on the label 'centre' and 'left'.

Our focus is this:

Gordon Brown on taking over as leader of the Labour Party promised to renew party democracy, rebuild the party itself, and give members more say in shaping policy. CLGA candidates will seek to hold him to his word. This is vital to increase membership and activism, and to win back electoral support for Labour candidates at every level.

Our joint leaflet can be found here. You can see from this blog that it is focussed almost exclusively on exposing how the Labour Party currently functions and the yawning gap that exists between Leader and members. If we want to win the next British General Election, we have got to close that gap pdq.

If you want to know more about me, you can see the CV I submitted with my application for the post of General Secretary here. My priorities are set out in the covering letter I sent to Dianne Hayter, the current NEC chair with my application in the Round Two recruitment after David-Pitt-Watson withdrew..

If you share that vision, then vote Azam, Black, Kenyon, Reeves, Shawcroft and Willsman before 18 July. We are prepared to stand up for what's right.

Thank you.

Ballot papers for the six constituency places on the National Executive Committee should be sent to members eligible to vote by the end of this week. The last we heard was the planned closing date was 18 July - just ahead of the National Policy Forum.

 

Labour First's last stand to control the Party?

The best explanation for the bizarre story that circulated earlier this week about the appointment of the next Labour Party General Secretary that I have heard is this.

At the heart of the intrigue is said to be Labour First (LF). LF is a non-membership brother/sisterhood of right-wing Labour Party members that is alleged to control the Party machine. BTW you won't find any reference to them here. Among those at the centre of the LF web is alleged to be Fiona Gordon, Political Secretary to the Prime Minister. She was the person, of whom it is said according to my sources raised her voice to David Pitt-Watson, who has now declined the post of General-Secretary, not Gordon Brown. She is the person, of whom it is said is actively promoting the candidacy of Ray Collins with support from the Amicus section of Unite (or at least its political director and former spin-doctor to Gordon Brown, Charlie Whelan) against the obvious candidate from the GPMU section of Unite, Mike Griffiths. Griffiths was interviewed for the job only six weeks ago. If Griffiths was deemed to be appointable then, and went through a legitimate interview process missing appointment by one or two votes, why hasn't the full NEC considered the option of offering him the job? Or has the Labour leadership lost its senses completely and ditched any pretence of following sound equal opportunities recruitment practices?

My hope is that the NEC will reconsider the position adopted by its officers as a matter of urgency.

First, they need to get a clear understanding of why the last recruitment failed. Unfortunately, to avoid scrutiny of their actions, NEC officers who met on Tuesday allowed the chair, Dianne Hayter, to cancel the next NEC scheduled for 22 May.

Now, it just so happens that the whole Labour Party NEC (remarkably in the circumstances) has been invited to Brussels next week by the Labour Group of MEPs in the European Parliament. If there were a quorum present, I would be demanding an Emergency Meeting in the hub of the European demos to overturn the NEC chair's ruling and reinstate the 22 May meeting. They have a lot more to discuss than just the appointment of a GS. Current declining membership trends, the Statement of Accounts for the Electoral Commission, rescheduling of loans, latest donations returns, and the outcome of the May elections to mention a mere handful. Oh, of course there's that by-election in Crewe on....oh, when is it? Oh, yes 22 May, what a coincidence. If any member of the NEC seriously believes that by cancelling their meeting that day it will have any bearing on outcome, then s/he has really lost touch with reality. (In any case, who's idea was it to move the by-election writ so quickly following the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody MP?  Of course, Fiona, couldn't possibly have had anything to do with it, could she?)

Perhaps the HR experts among readers of this blog would like to comment. Politically, I don't think we have a leg to stand on.

Anyone interested in knowing a little more about Fiona can find references here and here, with added material in the comments to both blogs.

Who's closer to Labour's Grassroots - Kenyon or Wheeler?

Labour's NEC agreed to move the 2008 Annual Conference dates. I blogged about it here and here. The posting on Labourhome prompted a response from Labour First's Peter Wheeler today. He said:

Dear Peter,

Just noticed the report of the NEC meeting on Thursday.

You are right that I spoke strongly against the way this decision was being done. There is too much decision making on the hoof and the danger of this approach is that it leads to ill considered decisions.

There are however advantages in the proposal to bring Conference forward by a day – the principle one being that it allows us to have an extra Conference session, thus allowing more participation by delegates in the working of Conference. As one of the major complaints about Conference is that there is not enough participation by delegates from the floor, it struck me as crassy to vote against this. Sometimes you have to think on your feet!

Peter Wheeler

I replied:

Dear Peter

If this proposal had been brought forward with regard to Conference 2009, then everyone could have been given an opportunity to give it proper consideration.

The Party's current NEC has an unfortunate track-record of allowing itself to be 'bounced' into taking decisions by the Party leadership.

In my role as a chair of whatever type of organisation, I have a simple rule - no papers are allowed on the agenda unless they have been through the organisation's due processes, unless there is an over-riding operational requirement demanding a prompt decision arising from circumstances in which no notice could have been given.

If you can provide chapter and verse to meet those tests in this instance, I'll reconsider my position and risk having to criticise the decisions of my colleagues on the CLGA slate.

Over to you.

I await his reply with interest.