Peter Kenyon

Labour, Ken Livingstone and elected mayors: abolish....

For the avoidance of confusion, It's elected mayors, I'm after. Ken, or his proxies, at Labour Party Head Office, have just sent an eMail to CLP secretaries extending thanks to all involved in the campaign just ended. There are lessons to be learned. 

Why is Labour tolerating elected mayors in the first place?

Why is it allowing elected Labour representatives in public governmental office more than two terms?

I replied to Ken:

I can only speak in a personal capacity:

Labour should legislate to end all Mayoral positions

You sd hv called it a day after two terms.

The greatest service you can do your party is promote democratic socialism for the 21st century.

First test: speak out for open, transparent policy making and against the Peter (Black Hole) Hain method of consultation. 

Yours in hope of 'sinners' repenting.

 

Glazing over - bewilderment at joining the Labour Party - what's the antidote?

I'm struggling with what to say, beyond the usual welcome and signposting, to all those people who have just joined the Labour Party,. They have now been assigned to a local Labour Party branch based on their postcode. I wonder how many of them knew that when they filled in the application form and paid their membership fee? I have a dual responsibility as local branch secretary, as well as secretary of the constituency labour party (CLP) - all the detested aspects of 'Old Labour' rolled up in an official function - booking rooms, drawing up agendas, assembling papers, finding speakers, writing minutes.

I'm already drowning. How do I explain a branch? Ditto a constituency? My branch is City of London. It covers 25 electoral wards. Elsewhere some are contiguous with a local government electoral ward from which councillors are elected to the local councils and so I could go on.

My experience of Labour Party life is that the majority of members pay their subscriptions as an expression of civic engagement and that's it. They have lots of entitlements such as choosing candidates for balloting, whether for public office or internal positions, like currently that of Leader, and helping shape policy. On the other hand the vast majority of staff who work for the Labour Party believe members are for delivering leaflets, and knocking on doors - fullstop. According to one apocryphal tale - the Labour Party should be 'massive, but passive'. Their latest wheeze is not even to send out nomination papers for Deputy Leader, when Rule 4.2.D.i says:

When the PLP is in opposition in the House of Commons, the election of the leader and deputy leader shall take place at each annual session of party conference.

I know it came as a bit of shock to some people that we might not win the 2010 General Election. But we are where we are - in Opposition. So given my tasks this morning, assembling all the information cascading in about elections - Leader, Deputy Leader, National Executive Committee - Division III CLPs, Party Treasurer, Auditors, Conference Arrangements Committee, National Constitutional Committee, National Policy Forum Division 1 CLP section, London Mayor, not forgetting the CLP Chair's report, 2010 General Election Report, Westminster City Council 2010 Election Report, Treasurer' Report - you may discern my dilemma. Mark my words, if I omit any prospective candidate's statement for any one of the offices cited above, I run the risk of being accused of a 'stitchup' by someone in the Labour Party who does not share my views either about governance or policy.

In the meantime, those eager new or returning members are awaiting encouragement (or, perhaps, not). So it's time to hit the eMail/telephone and find out. I think that should be my first priority. But.... the paperwork. Procrastination, yeah. But it's all in a good cause. I just hope my initial contact is warmly welcomed. Our branch has what I like to think of as a healthy blend of campaigning, debate, fundraising and socialising. There's a risk. The idea of meeting with an agenda could provoke glazing over, and bewilderment. It just that the campaigning, debate, fundraising and socialising don't just happen - they require organisation. We could revert to the leitmotif of new Labour - sofa government - no written agendas, no minutes. That worked didn't it? Oh, stop it, Kenyon, get on the blower.

Vote Labour on 1 May, policy review starts 2 May

Today's printed media headlines were really very unhelpful. The Labour Party under former Chancellor of the Exchequer, now Prime Minister Gordon Brown has establised a minimum wage, increased it every year and done more than any other elected politician to put more money into the pockets of low paid working and retired people.

Labour Party people think that's a good reason to vote Labour on 1 May. I agree. In fact anyone not earning silly money has good reasons for voting Labour on 1 May, Well in the light of the headlines, even those earning silly money should be bounding to their local polling station to vote Labour. But they will not. Ungrateful lot. How could that be?

We live in uncertain times. The vast majority of people have no connection with a political party, except through the ballot box.  This alone is not the stuff of a 21st century democracy. But the whole of the country could, if they wanted to send Labour a message on 1 May - whatever the misgivings that's the day to put them aside aka as recognising which side you bread is buttered and voting Labour. Then, hey presto, on 2 May  the Labour Party is opening the door to the next round of policy-making under Partnership in Power But it won't be like that. It will the ballot that most will rely on to convey a message. It could be painful.

On tax, we in the Labour Party have got some very serious work to do to restore a sense of fairness to our policy. At what level of gross income should anyone pay tax? I'd open the bidding at the level of the living wage. And you?

Then we need to be work out how fair taxes can be achieved. I'd open the bidding for a higher rate of tax for those earning silly money and shut down the scope for avoidance. But what's silly money?

Mayday! Mayday! Boris wants your vote

Conservative Party workers were active in the Barbican late yesterday delivering the March Edition of the Greater Londoner.

I hope everyone else who received it notices the message on the back in response to the standard exhortation to Vote for whoever publishes the literature in the first place. 

Bang on, Boris. I couldn't have put it better myself if you were to get elected.