Labour Party policy-making: a suitable case for treatment

Daniel Blaney writing on LabourList challenges Ed Miliband on the return of party democracy to policy making. I think the questions should apply to all the leadership candidates.  Personally, I'm not convinced that what the Party needs is a return to resolution based policy making pre-1997. That view was shared by the LabOUR Commission, which made detailed recommendations in 2007 about reforming the policy making process. Though I am aware that there is talk of a return to the old ways among affiliated TU political committees and the like, as well as among some members in the constituencies.

There is no doubt Partnership in Power (as the revised arrangements agreed in 1997 were known) was hi-jacked by No. 10. A matter about which one of the Leadership candidates, David Miliband, has particular knowledge and experience of, and about which he in particular should be challenged.

If it is to survive the deliberative policy making process will no doubt be renamed Partnership into Power. However, there are serious and urgent challenges that need to be addressed asap by the NEC which are as follows:

1. an immediate restoration of contemporary resolutions for debate at Conference 2010,

2. acceptance of any resolution arising from defeat, the formation of the ConDem coalition and its policies and Labour's flawed 2010 Manifesto (bearing in mind the NPF hasn't met since February 2009, and the Clause V meeting was in mid-April 2010 and no policy commissions have met since the General Election).

3. the Priorities Ballot should be run on a 4+4 basis so that at least 8 contemporary issues are debated following compositing, and then voted on by card vote to establish Conference's support/opposition precisely

4. a founding meeting of the newly elected National Policy Forum should be convened asap (if possible at Conference) to:

   1. elect a chair

   2. agree the formation of policy commissions

   3. elect representatives to them

   4. agree a work programme

   5. harness the policy expertise of all interested members

   6. use electronic media to enable any member to comment on proposals as they emerge, and surveys and opinion polling to maximise participation and representative sampling of both members and the electorate

5. a budget to support policy development and service the above

6. protocols to ensure that the requirements of effect policy opposition in the Houses of Parliament and policy development of Labour's future election manifestos are established between the new Leader, the PLP and the JPC, and regularly monitored by the NEC between Conferences

The NEC should not wait for the election of a new Leader to get on with this business. Prompt action pre-Conference is one way of reminding the Leadership candidates that it is the National Executive Committee - representing all stakeholders - that is responsible for the stewardship of the Party between Conferences - not the Leader alone.