"Blue, Purple, Green, Red and now Black" by Jon Williams

Labour has another new colour "Black". A thinktank established by Lord Mandelson. It has released two documents one called "Why fiscal conservatism and social justice go hand in hand" and the other "Cameron's Trap: Lessons for Labour from the 1930s and 1980s". (see here and here for details and downloads- plus this article in the Guardian).

Roughly translated "cutting your cloth according to your means" or "only spend what you can afford". This is more of a Tory than Labour policy that neglects to mention the poorest in society will never be able to have free income to spend or for that matter make some savings for their future. It doesn't mention investing in infrastructure to promote growth and hence creating new jobs. It talks about an "enterprising state" which is another way to introduce private companies in the public sector as a means to make profit at the expense of tax payers. These documents - one can only call them Blairite or New Labour - always start trying to rectify the bottom of society - without mentioning the top of society or make suggestions to equalise some of their benefits (tax loopholes) downwards to the middle / lower parts of society.

With a poor economic outlook Cameron's and Osborne's poll ratings are twice that of the two Ed's. Ed Miliband's conference theme of "predatory capitalism" predicted to be stolen by Cameron and hailed as the saviour, while the Labour party allowed it to develop. The Tories have a consistent repetitive message of "there is no alternative" to reducing the deficit, which the electorate understands and I'd be surprised if they have heard of Labour's five point plan. Getting Labour's message right (e.g. manufacturing and exporting), consistently repeating it and then the electorate will listen.

(Various responses to the Black Labour proposals can be found here)

JON WILLIAMS

"A People Deceived - Without Malice !" by Ken Curran

The arteries of our parliamentary system have become so sclerotic. It cannot respond to hear the heartbeat of the people of these British Isles. So a growing decline in the unity of our people is being reflected in a rising interest in the self-determination of Scotland and Wales. As recently as last week Professor Salverson of Huddersfield University writing in the Guardian, argued for a step towards the reshaping of a new United Kingdom which would be based on Regional Government. He suggested an amalgamation of the Yorkshire Region, the North East and Cumbria. This is not as fanciful as some people may suggest. I don't believe that we should dismiss such proposals out of hand. I sense a growing feeling of uncertainty over the possible ending of the Union. The speculation stems not so much from an upsurge of nationalism in Wales and Scotland, but from a feeling that the Westminster Government increasingly fails to reflect the views of the people.

Rotten Apples In The Barrel

Much of our current political, social and economic debris (with its greed , mistrust and disillusionment) has its roots in Thatcherism. I am aware that she has not been around physically for a good number of years. However, in her role as the Ghost of Christmas Past she still walks the corridors of Westminster. The "Political Class" has not renounced her, nor has it cleansed itself of self-seeking individuals who almost daily bring our democracy into dispute. These people inhabit each of our major Political Parties. Few of our current MPs have really served their time to prove they are worthy, capable or trustworthy for their positions in Parliament. The state of our society and the decline of our country is all too apparent. Streets awash with litter from cans and plastic bottles. Unkempt parks and playgrounds. Boarded up shops. Rising unemployment. Young people thrown out on the scrap heap of a derelict, non-directional and valueless society. As with the collapse of Ancient Rome, Britain is no longer fit for purpose. The huge investment and suffering by those generations who fought the 1939-45 war to build the Welfare State, National Service and our Educational Provisions, has been squandered and destroyed by what is being turned into a greedy and philosophically aimless nation.

From KEN CURRAN

A Death Of Democracy

The latest Report of the Electoral Commission shows that there are now six million people missing from electoral registers. The numbers of missing voters are especially high amongst the young, ethnic minorities, the poor and the mobile/rootless. One consequence is that the electoral boundaries which are currently being redrawn will be massively distorted as those missing from registers are not evenly spread throughout society. Overall, it will fiddle election results - disenfranchising many of those most in need.

This is the BBC's coverage of the Report : it provides a link to the full report itself.

What is needed to overcome this democratic disgrace is a proactive registration system which uses modern technology to track people and provide for full and regular canvassing by registration officials. To ensure that young people who have just attained registration rights are not excluded, the voting age should be dropped to 16 and the initial registrations should take place via their schools whilst they are still 15. The sale of electoral registers to commercial interests should be banned, as some people avoid registration to hide their details from those who are, say, pursuing them for debt re-payments.

In the 1992-93 Parliamentary Session, I ran a Private Members Bill which attempted to tackle the above problem. I had the support of the then Labour Leader, the late John Smith; whilst even Tony Blair as Shadow Home Secretary pressed for its support. But it was defeated by the Conservative Government. My proposals were stimulated by the negative impact which the Poll Tax had had on electoral registration. Technology has been transformed in the past 20 years, so the details of my proposals now need to be brought up to date. Nor at this initial stage had I seen the relevance of "votes at 16" to my proposals.

I went on to press the issue regularly in other legislative attempts; especially in the 1999-2000 Parliamentary Session, when I put up a stream of what I saw as "improving amendments" to what became Labour's Representation of the People's Act. The Act did, however, introduce a weak version of one of my proposals which was for Rolling Electoral Registration. This allows people to transfer their registration to their new residence when they move, rather than having to wait until a full new register is being constructed. The measure has only ever had a slight impact on the safeguarding of electoral registration. It is swept aside by other factors.

The Labour Frontbench needs to pick up the issue and act (in a modern setting) upon the type of principles I started to propound almost 20 years ago.

Whilst democracy requires much more than a system of one person one vote, it must be based on that principle.

Jon Williams - Petition To Help To Save The NHS

Aneurin Bevan (above) said of the NHS: "It will survive as long as there are folk left with the faith to fight for it".

Shadow Health Secretary, Andy Burnham's email dated 24th Nov is running with two petitions - Labour’s "Drop the Bill" and local GP Dr Kailash Chand's "Calls on the Government to drop its Health and Social Care Bill."

Andy Burham says that "In the last few days we have had a major breakthrough - a local GP, Dr Kailash Chand has set up a Government e-petition calling on the Government to drop the Bill.
This is a great opportunity for us to pile the pressure on the Government, and so I want to ask a favour from you. I am asking all people who have signed the Drop the Bill petition to sign the Government e-petition as well. In addition, I am asking you to try to get four of your friends, family and colleagues to sign both petitions as well. We got 20,000 signatures in just a few days on Labour's petition - let's get 100,000 people to sign the Government e-petition."

By my calculations - as of today Dr Kailash Chand e-petition stands at nearly thirteen thousand...so over approx one thousand signatures per day it should take Dec, Jan and Feb to reach the total and maybe force a debate in the House of Commons.

An article by Allyson Pollock again highlights what a disaster privatising the NHS will be. He states - "The private sector providers too will have extraordinary new rights. The right to fair and equal treatment will no longer be for patients but for the benefit of investors, who will use competition policy and trade law to demand a right of entry and a right to ensure that their services can continue to operate profitably."

And to reinforce the message privatising the NHS is ongoing process happening now - please see the NHS Cuts Route Finder here .

And finally looking for inspiration from James Keir Hardie between 1895 and 1900 he worked to persuade the unions to back the ILP. The future can be found in history books...

"The unity of the working class is the one thing that matters. That can never be a thing of rapid growth. Abstract theories with them count for very little… Socialism supplies the vision and a united working class satisfies the senses as a practical method of attaining its realisation. To attain that unity is, and must be, the first object of all who desire Socialism." (p.4, Francis Johnson, ILP, 1922).

Jon Williams on "NHS Privatisation"

Again worrying developments on the NHS privatisation story, following on from the Hinchingbrooke Hospital take over by Circle Health. It seems there is a connection between Circle Health and one of Andrew Lansley's adviser/s...as mentioned in the KONP film below,

KONP (Keep our NHS Public): a short film about lobbying and the sad story NHS privatisation story called "The Health Industry Lobbying Tour" (scroll down the bottom of the web page) and you will be amazed at the connections between private companies and the Tory party.
http://www.keepournhspublic.com/index.php

Here is another short film highlighting how the NHS is being secretly privatised,
You Tube: NHS Privatisation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNiruX2gZDc

The Labour Party has a useful web link http://www.labour.org.uk/dropthebill to sign. It gives the impression if the bill can be dropped - privatisation of the NHS will stop. All the information available indicates this is an ongoing campaign by the Tory party to (secretly) privatise the NHS, whatever the outcome of the Health and Social Care Bill.

Also see http://www.lobbyingtransparency.org/ on the connections between our current / ex MPs, Think Tanks and private companies. Then there is the "Health Industry Lobbying Tour" direct web link http://www.lobbyingtransparency.org/content/view/55/1/

Jon Williams on "Privatisation in the NHS"

The Lords are still discussing the Health and Social Care (privatisation) Bill and we find NHS hospitals are already being privatised, for Hinchingbrooke hospital a process started 2 years ago! The following two articles show lobbying by friends of the Tory party, Circle Health operating at a loss and stating in its prospectus "care may suffer".

Southern Cross is a very recent example of a private company "asset stripping" and then walking away leaving vulnerable people at risk, then letting the Government to sort out the mess. Andy Burnham (Shadow Health Secretary) states "the company by its own admission has doubts about continuity of service and consistency of service".

The opening up of the NHS to private companies seems to have started several years ago, perhaps immediately after the election of the present Government (or perhaps during New Labour's time in Government), certainly we need more activity from the Labour party to highlight these worrying developments and campaigning to stop this privatisation process.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/nov/12/care-private-company-nhs-hospital

"The first private company to take over an NHS hospital has admitted in a document seen by the Observer that patient care could suffer under its plans to expand its empire and seek profit from the health service."

"Circle, which is backed by City hedge funds run by Crispin Odey and Paul Ruddock, who have donated £790,000 to the Conservative party, admits in its share prospectus to having made losses since it was set up in 2004. The latest accounts show an operating loss of £34.97m as of December 2010."

"Two NHS trusts are considering private sector management options: the Royal National Orthopaedic hospital in London and the Whiston hospital (St Helens) on Merseyside."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/nov/13/circle-health-social-enterprise-hedge-fund-manager

"Circle Health's majority shareholder is Circle Holdings, where former Goldman banker Parsa personally holds about 5% of shares and is again chief executive. In terms of who pulls the strings, it is Parsa and his hedge fund pals: end of story."

Ken Turton Replies To Ken Curran

The site of the former Sheffield Victoria Station in 1988.

The two Ken's are regulars at our discussion meetings. Below we present Ken Turton's response to this earlier item by Ken Curran.

Ken Curran's article contains some bright ideas as far as our railways are concerned, but he does not need to pursue the dream of building a massively expensive tunnel under the Pennines. There is a ready-made alternative, which just needs to be reactivated.

Ken is right in saying that continental rolling stock cannot negotiate the present Cross Pennine Railway Lines due to its infrastructure, in general, not being compatible with that of the Continent or America. These overseas' railways can and do move container-type traffic which is the traffic of the future. British Rail suffers from being the first railway in the world to be built. Later railways were able to make improvements, including alterations to their infrastructure.

However, there is hope for the region which Ken draws our attention to. This needs to be based on the now defunct rail link called the "Great Central Railway", known colloquially as the "GCR". This line began life in 1907 and traversed Liverpool Central, Manchester Central, Penistone, Sheffield Victoria, Nottingham, Leicester Central, Rugby, High Wycombe, Marylebone, then Banbury, Reading West and Dover. It divided at Sheffield to Retford, Lincoln, Skegness, Immingham via Gainsboro and Cleethorpes, taking in Grimsby. The main route took in all the North Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire coalfields which travelled north-by-west to Liverpool and Manchester.

The GCR was despised by other railway companies of its time, because it was built with some thought when it adopted the Continental infrastructure and indeed it came to carry continental rolling stock after World War 2. In 1936 it was innovative in planning and in putting into operation modern signalling systems in the Sheffield area intended for a more efficient electrification. Indeed it ran trains by electric traction from Sheffield to Manchester , taking in one in 147 gradients with ease until 1986. That line had two double-line tunnels, built to run continental rolling stock, and for many years did so.

One tunnel, a small one, was at Thurgoland. The second at Woodhead-Dufford was 3 miles and 177 yards long, being concrete lined and lit by electricity throughout. It was laid just after World War 2 and is still in existence today, as is much of the line from Sheffield. But it is used
by walkers and cyclists today. So with some small restoration, the line can be used again. For the bridges and tunnels can easily be cleared for fast running trains.

I have made a recent unsuccessful attempt with South Yorkshire Transport Services (SYTS) to have these restorations undertaken. The fact is that the tunnels of the former GCR line do not need excavating, they are already in situ. The SYTS seemed to me to be unaware of the situation before I brought it to their attention. These bureaucracies seem to me to be rigid in their thinking and nothing can move them. Facts are not important to such thick skinned people. Unfortunately instead, they are relentless in pursuing the unpursuable.

Anyway Ken, the GCR was a railway line that paid its way. This is illustrated by the fact that the Chairman of the GCR was Sir Edgar Watkins who also chaired the first Channel Tunnel Railway Company. The GCR was straight, fast and futuristic and it does not need need much work on it, apart from its re-opening. It would provide a route which would open up Sheffield and its greater area to the North West of Britain, along with the east coast ports and and on to your transcontinental ambitions. Although it has to be said that the Orient Express of yesterday travelled from London to India and China. A route that would also be advantageous to British Industry, if we had one worth its salt.

Ken Curran is "Seeking A Way Forward" (Part 2).

Part 2 : Today's Lessons From The 1940s


(For Part 1 see here.)


Labour should use the present crisis to spell out the alternatives for the Democratic Left, as opposed to the laissez-faire and 1930's style so-called solutions of the coalition government. The current government are on a very dangerous road, they have scrapped any genuine commitment towards fulfilling previous promises on climate change policies. All experts in the field recognise time is of the essence if we are to avert the worst of the forecasted consequences. I cannot state strongly enough the urgency for Labour to make a comprehensive case for alternatives to the present mumbo-jumbo which is supposed to address the issues. Labour has a commitment to the pioneers of the Democratic Left. To ignore the need for a truly radical rethink would be tantamount to a betrayal of Democratic Socialism.

Returning to the past, I believe the present leadership has much to learn from the Cabinet and Parliamentary Labour Party of 1945-50. This was a group of well over 300 men and women, largely self made, many having endured the terrors of two world wars.. They had been forged in the crucible of hard times and shaped by the experiences of our industrial heritage. By and large, they were both ordinary and extraordinary people. They had seen all the horrors of war and long years of unemployment and poverty. They had spent years waiting for an opportunity to break with the nightmares and fears of the past. Fear of poverty, ill health, unemployment and wars.

In order to change all of that, they were both prepared and did keep the House of Commons in session, night after night in order to ensure that Labour fulfilled its manifesto promises. The Tories were furious and angry, complaining that they were lacking in sleep through all night sittings. Labour MPs reminded the Tories that millions of workers spent hours working long shifts doing harder work than sitting in a warm and comfortable House of Commons. I use this story to demonstrate the past determination and zeal of Labour to serve the people, although they were saddled with huge debts incurred during six years of war. These men and women were prepared to take big risks to deliver their promises. I believe the debts of the 1939-45 war were only finally settle whilst Tony Blair was Prime Minister.

The economic problems were not the only issues which the 1945 Government had to face. The winter of 1947 was absolutely awful. From late November, serious frosts and bitterly cold winds, followed by driving snow covered Britain several feet deep. Unknown in living memory, rivers and harbours closed. In quite a number of places, the sea froze. Where I lived the Tyne froze. This river was vital to Greater London as the Power Stations all depended on Colliers (coal boats) from the Tyne for supplies. With all the roads and railways under many feet of snow, it was vital for the Colliers to reach London by sea. With supreme effort, mobilisation and organisation, it was achieved. What I have described in terms of getting London supplied is from my personal experience. Yet my stories could be repeated by others of my generation, where their towns and villages were cut off for weeks. Thousands of volunteers were called upon to help troops and other servicemen to help get the country moving. The Government used the special powers available to it, to mobilise the nation. The people responded right across the land and whilst much snow was still on the ground in early May, Britain had got moving long before the snow melted. I only use these stories to demonstrate the sort of problems which the Labour Government of Clem Attlee had to face. Frankly I don't know how the people and government of today would perform in the environment of the 1940s.

In 1989 people celebrated the collapse of communism and the demolition of the Berlin Wall. The right wing press and politicians hailed the event as the triumph of capitalism over both communism and democratic socialism. That so called triumph is proving to be short lived, the events unfolding across the world suggest that capitalism is not really successful. As those of us who regard ourselves as democratic socialists know, our political recipe has not really been on offer, apart perhaps in Scandinavia where it seems more popular than the current Anglo-American model of capitalism.

The problem we are facing is the failure of capitalism. It is failing humanity on many fronts as poverty is spreading across the world. It is failing to tackle climate change. Crops are failing. Workers are thrown out of work. Health is breaking down, even in some of the richer countries. The financial system is both corrupt and out of democratic control or influence. Young people throughout the world are asking whether they have any future and if capitalism can solve these problems. I have no confidence that it can, beyond perhaps finding some short term respite from the chaos, only for it to return with even greater ferocity later. Under these circumstances life will become increasingly intolerable.

Labour has to respond and give people hope that there is a better life to be had under democratic socialism. All of what I write presents a huge challenge to the Labour Party and in particular to our leadership.

In conclusion, I return to the issue of the North-South divide which I covered in Part 1 of my analysis. My final suggestion, fits in with the West to East rail development I proposed, with their opening to European markets. I propose the building of a new Eco-City on the banks of the Humber. In my view, the Humber River Estuary has never been valued and used to its potential. A new Eco-City can produce much of its own power from a combination of water driven turbines, designed to automatically respond to the change in tidal flow. Every building would be insulated with green roofs, plus solar panels. The objective is to create a flagship Green City where new jobs would be created by new thinking and the use of new technology. This proposal linked to a new rail-ferry terminal should certainly begin to counter the trend to the South-East as being the only centre for wealth creation in Britain. My ideas on the West to East rail development and the establishment of a Humber based Eco-City have to be seen as a combined activity, one stimulating the other and building a momentum as it grows. I, therefore, ask that these ideas are seriously considered and used in creating a new Labour Manifesto.

Electoral Registration Problems

The Commons Select Committee on Political and Constitutional Reform has just published this important report on individual voter registration. It is summerized here by the BBC as well as on the Parliamentary web-site.

An assessment of wider electoral registration problems can be found here.

More On Labour's Non-Consultations

See Peter Kenyon once more.

You, Me and the ILP

See here.

Independent Working Class Education

These are students from Ruskin College who went on strike in support of the principle of independent working class education in 1909. This led to the formation of the Plebs League and then the Central Labour College. See our Adult Education thread on related matters. Also link into a history about developments from the time of Ruskin strike entitled "Plebs : the lost legacy of independent working class education". It can be found via the Features section here. (Click onto the photo itself to enlarge it.)


Independent Working Class Education : (Notice of their Day School).

DAY SCHOOL
12th November 2011
10.00 – 5.00
Northern College

We are looking forward to seeing you at the IWCE Day School. Please email now to confirm or book your place to - venablesk@yahoo.co.uk

Themes of the Day

There will be a wide range of presentations and lots of discussion, exploring “can Independent Working Class Education contribute to today’s class struggle?” We’ll look at anti-deportation campaigning, working class heroes, women in the unions, self taught workers, are Freire and Gramsci still relevant to education? what can we learn from the Plebs, Robert Tressell, from popular education? can we use film in our programmes? and more.

Northern College
[Wentworth Castle]
Barnsley, South Yorkshire
S75 3ET

The College is outside Barnsley
Car: Junctions 36/37 off M1. Bus/train. Look at www.northern.ac.uk/
£12.00 includes lunch. We can arrange free overnight accommodation, shared travel pool. Please get in touch now. The Northern College is accessible.

IWCE Project tries to -
* seek to offer a diverse range of education materials and approaches for trade union and other working class and progressive movement groups
* respect the role of the working class in making history, and in making the future

Ken Curran is "Seeking A Way Forward" (Part 1).

The map on the left is Danny Dorling's interpretation of the North-South divide. For an explanation of his reasoning see here .

A LEAP IN THE DARK! by Ken Curran, Chair of the Sheffield Branch of the Co-op Party and member of the Sheffield District Labour Party.

Labour faces enormous challenges in the future. The current world financial crisis is paralysing most progressive political thought, not just in Britain but across the world. Here in Britain, apart from cuts being imposed by the Tory/Lib Dem coalition, we have a long standing problem which casts dark shadows across the land. The North-South divide which has developed over the years since the Second World War appears more pronounced than ever. What I am proposing is both progressive and visionary. For the idea to have any hope of success will require a future Labour Government not just to share the vision, but to take over its ownership in order to drive the project forward.

I take the view that only radical and dynamic proposals will overcome the current inertia in the British Economy. There is really no shortage of money available for investment, but finding somewhere secure to invest is the problem. My proposal would not create instant wealth. However, it would provide private and public investors with a long term security for their investments, which in time would grow with value.

Coming to the proposals themselves. If they were approved in principle by a future Labour Government and the projects used to stimulate debate, I feel such ideas would have the effect of creating a catalyst.

The political conference season of 2011 has come and gone, I regret to say there were no new exciting ideas. Not wanting to be disparaging about Ed Miliband's speech to Conference, it said more about the current state of the political thought on the democratic left than anything else. He reminded me of a very well intentioned person, groping around in the dark not wanting to tread on anyone's toes! Labour needs big ideas to set our pulses racing creating that sense of purpose that all good people will want to be part of. A NEW VISION FOR BRITAIN!

We have to break the influence of the Financial Institutions who have greatly contributed towards creating the present financial crisis and to deepening of the North-South divide.

The first step is to propose the building of an East-West tunnel under the Pennines (Peak District) perhaps from the east of Sheffield on to the lowland area of Greater Manchester, initially to carry high speed freight from the North West to a new Humber Port Terminal aimed to enabling goods from the towns of Preston, Burnley, Bury, Rochdale, Salford, Liverpool and Manchester to be transported to Moscow in and around 36 to 40 hours. I envisage a line across the North German plain into Eastern Europe and beyond, with Rail Terminals at strategic points to enable links to potential markets. I believe that the time saved in the transportation of goods from Northern and North Midland manufactures would be a huge leap forward in cutting the times of transportation.

At present much of our trade is with Europe, however over time I envisage extending the proposed high speed rail lines beyond the Urals in order to reach the countries of Kazakhstan and Mongolia, opening up a fast overland rail route into China and India. These routes would knock weeks off the current trade routes to the Far East by sea. That is, of course, for the future. Once the Tunnel is operational it would also transform the present travel times for goods in Europe generally.

The envisaged new Port on the River Humber with new rail and ferry terminals would increase the current capacity of trade. It would act as a stimulus for hard pressed areas like North Lincolnshire, Grimsby, Scunthorpe, Immingham, Goole and Hull. The benefits would be shared by Derbyshire, Nottingham, West and South Yorkshire and beyond. In Yorkshire and the North Midlands the expertise to drive a deep tunnel under the Peak District already exists. It would in no way threaten the National Park . I am suggesting a new tunnel because of the need for space on the west of the Pennines to locate a large rail terminal. Although my knowledge of the west of the Pennines leads me to conclude that the current rail routes and tunnels are unsuitable for fast high speed travel.

These are only ideas at present, which I suggest are worthy of consideration. I am aware of no other ideas in the thought locker of the democratic left that would provide British businesses with the opportunities these proposals provide. As previously stated, there is really no shortage of money, only a reluctance to invest! Years ago Denis Healy accused the Tories of building a Candy Floss Economy. This they succeeded with under Mrs Thatcher. The need to restructure the economy is imperative. Giving support to this kind of initiative would boost a much needed confidence. Europe is floundering. Its current leaders lack vision. We could give that much needed leadership. The democratic left can and must provide answers to the problems of our age. Every crisis brings forth opportunities.

I have, however, so far only revealed half of my proposed package. Part two will appear on "Dronfield Blather" shortly.

Urgent - Support Legal Aid Facilities For The Poor - Now

Starting from Monday next week the Commons discusses its final stages of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill which as it stands would have a devastating impact upon the poorest in society. We covered the issue at our meeting in July when we were addressed by Juliette Frangos of the Chesterfield Law Centre. If you have not yet done so, there is just time to seek to protect legal services for the poor by supporting the proposals here and here.

Jon Williams on the Tories and the "Squeezed Middle".

This is a very instructive article from Lord Ashcroft on many levels. It seems the Tories intent is to highjack Ed Miliband’s "squeezed middle" slogan whilst reducing its impact with the wider electorate.

Lord Ashcroft has a lofty position in Tory party and has finances to support their activities, such as commissioning polls, rather incisively, in marginal constituencies. The general thread of the article is a repositioning Tory policy towards Labour’s “getting the economy growing and creating jobs” as one of the most important issues facing Britain. He also highlights reducing the deficit, whilst important, shouldn’t be at the expense of job creation.

The centre ground is shifting leftwards when one of the Tories key supporters thinks the Tories should be “the party of the many, not the few” and makes a case to keep the 50p tax rate. If this is true Ed Miliband needs to move quickly to reinforce Labour’s message to the electorate in these marginal constituencies and the rest of the UK.

Leadership was a plus for David Cameron, but not so for Ed Miliband. Labour should use this information as confirmation it’s moving in the right direction. When support for the Tories has been on average the same as the last General Election there is hope for Labour. Ed needs to show more leadership qualities and communicate his (Labour) ideas to the electorate, before the Tories claim them all.

The article includes the following key sections, The emphasis is mine -

"How can the Conservatives expand their vote share at a time of flat or declining living standards? Again, economic competence and leadership hold the key. My research has found that former Labour voters who now think the Tories have the best approach to the economy are 157 times as likely to say they will vote Conservative as those who don’t think that.....A recent poll I conducted in marginal constituencies found that getting the economy growing and creating jobs is seen by some distance to be the most important issue facing Britain. Dealing with the deficit and the debt came further down the list – below the NHS, immigration and education. The Government argues, rightly, that controlling the deficit is a prerequisite for a sustainable recovery. But many feel that it is pursuing deficit reduction at the expense of job creation, rather than as a means to it. The Tories are thought to have the best approach on debt – but the voters they need to win over are less certain there are policies for growth.....The Tories in particular need to show that they are the party of the many, not the few, that they are on the side of the hard-pressed, not just the rich – a case which will be harder to make if scrapping the 50p tax rate seems to be top of the agenda.....If anything, the importance of leadership will grow as the next election nears."

John Williams.

A Death Of Party Democracy

See here for my viewpoint on the first day of Labour's Recent Conference.

Harry Barnes.

The Hillsborough Disaster

Clive Betts was at Hillsborough on the day of the disaster. See this moving video of his description of what happened.

Jon Williams Reports on "Open Day" at the Labour Party Conference

Question Time at the Labour Party Conference

Wed 28^th Sep Labour Party Conference “Open Day” by Jon Williams

As part of Labour’s New Politics, Fresh Ideas to encourage a wider participation in politics Wed 28^th Sep was open to specifically non Labour members by invitation; it also allowed Labour members to apply. Activities at Conference were Exhibition stands, Policy Workshops and Seminars plus the access to the Main Hall at 5pm to take part in Question & Answer session hosted by Labour’s leader Ed Miliband. I attended the following events and made a few notes on the discussions below,

Policy Workshop in the Open Zone in the Exhibition Hall: Helping the next generation do better than the last

This was an open forum with 3-4 MPs answering questions from open day attendees. Some of the topics / questions asked by the audience were,

Tax avoidance – more inspectors should be employed to recoup lost tax

Families on low income – how will they cope?

Poverty is on the increase under the Tories

University costs – 30 years to clear £50k worth of student loans

There was concern about the removal of BSF (Building for Schools Fund)

Legal Aid cuts – how this will impact on local authorities to provide an alternative when pressure is to make cuts

Youth employment – NEETS (Not in Education, Employment or Training)

Increase in retirement age will take away a source of child care

Removal of pension tax relief for high earners was sought

Change procurement rules to support UK industry when bidding for European work e.g. Bombardier and include a requirement for companies to run apprenticeships before they can apply for public sector contracts

Support for small business now RDA’s have been scrapped, will LEPs (Local Enterprise Partnership) provide similar support? http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/economic-development/leps

Co-operative Councils Network and the Co-operative Party Seminar

Chair Anna Turley Co-operative Councils Network

Rt. Hon MP Tessa Jowell

Cllr Steve Reed Leader London Borough of Lambeth (Co-op Council)

Cllr Sharon Taylor Leader of Stevenage Borough Council (Co-op Council)

Changing local communities together: Co-operative Councils http://www.councils.coop/

Interesting and worth explaining,

What is the Co-op Party – it is the political arm of the co-operative movement and is a party of social justice. You can achieve more working together than alone. They believe the only way to create a just and fair society is through power being spread evenly through society and not based on wealth, class, gender or race. Co-operatives don’t have share holders, they have members. The members own and control the organisation. The Labour and Co-op MP Ed Balls introduced co-operative trust schools – a new type of educational institution in which everyone has a stake in the school’s success i.e. parents, support staff, local people and students. There are more than 100 co-operative trust schools in England.

Tessa Jowell:

There are currently x17 co-operative councils working to implement mutualisation, cooperation and partnering, there was a worry Tories were hijacking these themes for the Big Society and a cover for cuts. This was really Tory ideology against the state.

One of the biggest worries was management of risk where ownership of buildings was involved, responsibility for maintenance and financial liability were big concerns.

It was hoped with shared partnership with councils these issues could be overcome.

Overall it was a positive action during these troubled times, it was an alternative solution to cuts.

Sharon Taylor:

The Tories Big society idea was fine for people with wealth and spare time to implement but those without it was almost impossible without help.

Co-op councils provide help for these people to make decisions and run activities, these were normally small/micro/autonomous activities e.g. community centres, parks and open spaces.

Co-op Councils would provide funding support.

One example is a Leisure centre run as a “Not for Profit” company and running an ALMO

Stevenage Borough Council is a fair trade council.

Steve Reed:

Quoted other public sector bodies working with local communities e.g. health and police

The public sector model is changing and driven by Tory cuts agenda

Where the middle classes have a choice whether to use public sector – the working classes don’t have a choice.

Historically public sector was a top down service that issue instructions from above – instead of bottom up.

People were looking for control of their day to day lives – to work together with councils.

Examples quoted were; co-op housing in Rochdale, micro mutual’s, school co-op trust & mutual school services in Newcastle and other community lead service delivery, living wage and local currencies.

Big ideas were “Service Enablers, Labour Localism and Swapping Ideas.

Other contributions from;

James Alexander Leader of York City Council

Current trend of schools becoming academies outside local authority – another option was a mutual trust

New model of service was to become a mutual operation

It is quoted how they set up Wi-Fi hot spots and transferred this expertise to other co-op councils to empower residents

Nick Forbes Labour Group Leader of Newcastle City Council

Suggested private sector contracts could be renegotiated – change them to mutual status

Discussions about what does it mean to be a citizen – how to be less passive and more engaged.

Can being a mutual improve on health in a community?

There need to be changes to how “language” is used to transfer ideas and meaning

Again it was bottom up, empowering and creating local champions

Other questions asked,

• What was the relationship between trade unions and co-op councils? It was suggested it should be commission lead, workers rights need to be protected and work as a partnership.

• Employment opportunities for work are limited when child care has to be found, especially when facilities such as Sure Start are being closed.

• Via the Big Society the Tories are hijacking the agenda of a new way of working in the public sector

• When setting up mutual contracts should be specific in what is required from the partnership including stating any differences in values.

• A good example is http://www.turning-point.co.uk/Pages/home.aspx which has based its work on person centred solutions – bottom up.

• Similar to Shared Services between NEDDC, Bolsover and Chesterfield

In conclusion it was HOPE versus CUTS.

Young British Talent Showcase

Six young people under the age of twenty gave short presentations of activities they have initiated and run them from day to day. Schemes ranged from giving a spare bedroom over to interns or low wage earners in return for help around the home to combating knife crime and sprucing up redundant buildings as a means of starting the process of getting back to work. The event was to showcase and celebrate the potential of younger generations.

Leader’s Question and Answer Session

Ed Miliband took questions (and gave answers) from open day attendees (non Labour party) and Labour party members in the Conference Hall. These were mostly home topics with one or two foreign questions.

I’ve given a brief overview of the Questions & Answers given below which can be seen in full by clicking on the link at the bottom of the page,

• Should Scotland leave the Union? No

• Ed supports Palestine and Israel to determine a two state solution

• Egypt human right abuses and why nothing was done to prevent such abuses? We need to be on the right side of the movements for change

• Would Ed allow German companies to take over PFI hospitals? No, only partly e.g. private companies like independent hospitals for hip and cataracts

• Public sector pension contract changes, made a comparison to Dutch ones where what they sign up to would be the same when they retired.

• Will Ed be bringing Brother David back into the Shadow Cabinet? That would be his decision

• Would Ed be legalising drugs? No

• Disability campaigner asked why gave the impression he treated all sick & disabled people as scroungers – Ed admitted he had got that wrong in his speech and promised to meet up after the conference.

• What would Ed do about BAE job loses – Government could do more to support.

• What would you do if we have a double deep recession? Ed only thought there would be low growth.

• Why are you against the right to strike? Ed does agree it is right to strike only as a last resort.

• EU referendum – No I think it’s a settled issue

• Replace Trident – only if it was agreed with other nuclear countries i.e. multilateral.

• Do you believe in a maximum wage? No but corporate rewards have to been seen to be fair.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/8795943/Labour-Party-Conference-2011-as-it-happened-28-September.html

My overall impression from attending my first conference was a positive one. There were many new ideas of hope for the future. Even in opposition the Labour Party can make a huge difference to the direction this country takes during these difficult economic troubles.

Labour's Conference Agenda

The BBC has published this agenda for the Labour Party Conference.

The three consultations which we have been trying to track on Dronfield Blather will be dealt with under the following brisk timetable.




14.00 Sunday 25th September - Conferences Opens. Then after the normal wide range of introductory sessions, Lim Bryne will give a Report about the Policy Review - this was our submission. Then as the final item of the day Peter Hain will Report on the two other Consultations on which decisions are likely to be made (1) The National Policy Forum Report and (2) Refounding Labour - this thread trawls back on these (logically you need to start at the end and work your way back to the top.) There will probably later be a single card vote to push these two through. That is virtually it comrades. Then at 16.15 on Monday 26th, Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th; there will be a set of brief Policy Seminars. The final one ends at 17.00, but we are not told how long the others last. These will probably relate to the areas covered in Lim Bryne's Sunday Report.

That is all. Now you see it. Now you don't.

Labour's Confusing Conference

With three days notice for blog watcher's, this seems to be what will be put to the coming Labour Party Conference. But you don't have to agree with it - or with the process under which it has been pursued.

Labour's Consultative Insult

This is Ann Black's take on the current consultative mess in the Labour Party

There is only one Peter Kenyon

But it wish there were more - see here.

Latest on Refounding Labour

Email to members of the National Executive Committee on 13.38 today.

"To all members

Dear .....

As you know, final recommendations arising from the Refounding Labour consultation will be going to the NEC next Tuesday, ahead of consideration by the Annual Conference in Liverpool.

Peter Hain promised to keep you up to date with developments and wanted me to provide you with a summary of the some of the recommendations agreed by the recent Organisation Committee, and which will be discussed by the NEC next Tuesday.

The Committee is acutely aware that delegates will be receiving the final recommendations for consideration quite close to Conference, and was therefore keen for these initial conclusions to be communicated now.

The Committee agreed in principle that rules changes will be proposed in the following areas:

Purpose and objects

• Clause I concerning the party's objects will be updated, giving greater emphasis to Labour's role in local communities.

Rights and responsibilities

• Rights and responsibilities of the party leader will be defined for the first time, including control over appointments to the Shadow Cabinet.
• Rights and responsibilities of Labour candidates and elected representatives will be defined, and provisions made for the use of model contracts.
• Rights and responsibilities of elected members of the Parliamentary Labour Party will be defined, including the right to be consulted on any positions taken by the leadership in the context of a hung Parliament.
• The ALC subscription will be abolished and councillors will instead, in line with other Labour representatives, pay a 2 per cent levy on total income arising from their elected role.

Enabling structures

• Local Government Committees will be replaced by Local Campaign Forums (LCF), which will allow for local adaptation and different models of structure and membership. LCFs may apply to the NEC to pilot new and innovative procedures for selections. CLPs will be free to adopt different models of organisation to suit local circumstances, with certain common features, to allow joint working across constituency and geographical boundaries. There will be a new model of CLP finances to help redistribute resources more equally, and lift struggling CLPs out of debt.

Encouraging recruitment

• The minimum age for becoming an individual member of the party will be lowered from 15 to 14 years old. There will be a lower local join rate for new members, to encourage recruitment.

Policy making

• We will open up the process to ensure a greater voice for members in a system that is more transparent and accountable, and which reaches out to the public. We will create a process that ensures the voices of young members, women, BAME, disabled, LGBT and other under-represented members are heard in policy development. One representative from Labour International will be added to the membership of the NPF; and a textual omission regarding the Northern Ireland CLP, which already has one representative, will be corrected.

A bigger voice for councillors

• The Leader of the LGA shall have the right to attend meetings of the political Shadow Cabinet when in opposition and the political Cabinet when in government. There will be better services provided for our councillors with a new website and enhanced online facilities, more training, design support for templates, and increased support for all Labour groups, large and small.

Full details of the actual textual rule book changes arising from these points will be sent to you as soon as the NEC has agreed the final recommendations to be put to Conference. The above recommendations do not represent the full extent of the changes likely to be proposed from Refounding Labour, and further issues are currently under consideration.

In addition, a number of reforms that do not require rule changes, such as new and improved technology for communication across the party, will also be proposed as part of the overall Refounding Labour package, and we will endeavour to ensure that you receive details of the final recommendations as soon as possible.

I hope this information is helpful and I will be in touch with further updates in due course.

Yours sincerely

Ray Collins

General Secretary"

The Derbyshire Miners

The photograph was taken in 1983 and it shows a class from a Sheffield University Course for Derbyshire Miners' which was held at the Workers" Educational Association, Hurst House, Abercrombie Street, Chesterfield. Over three year's the students obtained 120 days paid release from work to study industrial relations, economics and politics. (See the final item below).

Ashes & Diamonds Exhibition

A tribute to the Mining Industry and those who fought to defend it by Darren Coffield at Hurst House, Abercrombie Street, Chesterfield

September 19th to 23rd : 10am to 4pm

Official Opening 12.30pm Monday 19 September by John Burrows,
(Leader Chesterfield Borough Council and ex NUM Official)

For examples of Coffield's work see - here and here.


September 20th at 7pm

Derbyshire NUM Day Release Reunion and Discussion with former lecturers Harry Barnes & Bob Heath

What Will The Labour Party Be Like By October?

The Guardian claims that it knows what will emerge out of the "Refounding Labour" consultations at the Labour Party Conference in three weeks time- see here. Unfortunately, there has been no official announcement on these matters from the Labour Party, nor has anything been circulated to the membership. This is my satirical take.

Michael Foot and the 1983 Manifesto - by Jon Williams

It's interesting to look back to when Labour was at its most unpopular. I think unjustly so - given the harsh treatment by the press at the time - especially of Michael Foot. From his last interview there is one line that highlights his foresight many years ago - amazingly true. He said " Yes, well, they got it all slightly wrong, I thought, when they attacked that manifesto back then. 'The longest suicide note in history', that was what Gerald Kaufman called it. Gerald was actually elected on the same manifesto, so I do still hold that against him, you know. We proposed taking over the banks, not being at the mercy of capitalist forces and all the rest of it. Although it was Jill who suffered the worse from all of that media attention."

The Labour Party Manifesto of 1983 is quite relevant in today's economic troubles. Below is an opening summary of four years of Tory Government from 1979. It all seems very similar to the current Tory (Lib) Government's policies!!

"When the Tories took office in May 1979, unemployment was falling and the economy growing. Living standards had gone up by a sixth in two years, and North Sea oil held out the prospect of economic growth, high levels of employment and better social services.

All this was thrown away by the Tories. Nearly three and a quarter million men and women are now out of work, even on the official count. Plant after plant forced to close. Manufacturing production down by a fifth. Investment cut by a third. Our domestic markets captured by imports of manufactured goods.

After four years of Mrs. Thatcher, Britain is a poorer country. We have fared far worse than any other major industrial country. The unprecedented advantage of North Sea oil and gas - worth, in tax revenues alone, 8p in the pound on income tax - has been squandered, with nothing whatsoever to show for it.

What have all these sacrifices achieved? Our economy today is weaker, not stronger, than in 1979. There is no prospect of real economic growth. Indeed, the Tories no longer dare to predict when unemployment will begin to fall. True enough, inflation, after being forced to record levels by the Tories, has been brought down. But look at the cost in jobs, in poorer housing, in living standards, and in lost opportunities for our youth. And now inflation is set to increase again, with interest rates and mortgage rates likely to rise too.

The legacy of four Tory years goes beyond unemployment and industrial decline; beyond the damage done to our social services; beyond even the dangerous commitment to new nuclear weapons. It is expressed in the deep sense of bitterness, distrust and despair now felt among so many sections of the community. Our task will be to heal these wounds and rekindle among the British people a new sense of unity and common purpose."

Unbelievable how the above words still apply today, in particular after the recent riots - "heal these wounds and rekindle among the British people a new sense of unity and common purpose."

At first glance there are several good ideas in this manifesto - that could be used even today. I believe all were agreed at Annual Conference, when it was still permitted.



On Michael Foot also see here and here.

Food For Serious Thought

If you wish to give serious thought to our own and the wider world's current social, economic and political problems, the BBC 4 programmes which can be accessed via this link provides a valuable starting point. But beware, the first programme is likely to be removed from the link just after midnight on 14 August

What No Labour Party Democracy?

More on the latest developments over "Refounding Labour" (which we last covered here) and the possibility that Labour Party Members will be faced with a fate accompli. See this important item posted by Peter Keynon (photo). We may need an emergency meeting soon to discuss his concerns. Watch this space. Thanks for your efforts Peter.

Update 5 August : The plot thickens.

Update 7 August : Peter shows that things have just got worse.

For convenience I have placed the 12 threads on this topic onto the label "Refounding" which can be clicked onto in the bottom right hand corner of this item.

Identifying With Jack

This is a photo of the Labour Cabinet of 1945. The fourth person from the right in the back row is Jack Lawson (1881-1965). He differed from me in many ways, such as working in the pit where he went as a 12 year old , becoming a Government Minister and then a Peer. Yet there are many points on which I can identify with him. Although things often happened to us in a very different order and in a different context. For me, they were also at a much more shallower depth. But I can claim to share aspects of the points below - although unlike Jack I left the Methodist Chapel.

1. He was born in the north of England in a coastal mining community. 2. He grew up in a Durham County mining colliery. 3. He became a Methodist. 4. He joined the ILP. 5. He joined the Labour Party. 6. He joined the Co-op. 7. He was a bibliophile. 8. He made use of a bookseller in Newcastle in his early days. 9. His wife had links with Sunderland. 10. He had an involvement with adult education. 11. He studied at Ruskin College. 12 He served for two years in the forces. 13. He became a Labour MP. 14. He spent time at Easington Colliery.

I have finally got around to reading his 1932/1944 autobiography "A Man's Life" which I review here. However be warned, my review is a long one and I say nearly as much about myself as I do about Jack. But these are the entitlements of an old blatherer.

Support Justice For All

One of the ways to fight the proposed cuts in legal aid (which was the topic we examined at our Discussion Meeting earlier this month) is to support and help the work of the "Justice For All" Campaign. To see what they are about and then to give them your support, see here.

You can also press your MP into giving them support. This is of particular importance as legislation which is currently before parliament is in need of radical change, if it is not going to create serious problems for many vulnerable people who are in need of the legal aid services, such as those services provided by Law Centres.

The role of the Campaign is explained in Early Day Motion 1194 which is currently before the Commons. Under the title Justice For All Campaign it states - "That this House welcomes the Justice for All campaign launched in the House of Commons on 12 January 2011; supports the aims of the campaign which are to raise awareness of the vital importance of advice and representation on legal matters for the most vulnerable in our society and to ensure that everyone is treated fairly under the law, no matter who they are, how much money they have or where they live; recognises that the strength of feeling is reflected in the fact that the campaign is a broad coalition of legal and advice agencies, trades unions, charities, community groups and members of the public; regrets that the reduction in spending on legal aid, through restrictions in scope and eligibility and the blanket 10 per cent. cut in the lower fee paid to providers of legal services, is having a detrimental effect on access to justice and on the well-being of the most vulnerable people; questions the real cost savings to the public purse that this budget reduction will achieve, given that early advice on legal matters saves money by keeping families together in their homes, and in work and education; believes that free, independent advice and representation on legal matters is essential to achieve justice for all; and calls on the Government to rethink the provision of legal services for the poorest in society."

The proposal is currently supported by 109 MPs. The political party make-up for this support is 83 Labour, 15 Lib-Dems, 3 Democratic Unionists, 3 SDLP, 2 Conservative, 2 Plaid Cymru and 1 Green. Their names can be found here. Names added who are Conservative and/or Liberal Democrat MPs will be greatly prized for they help break the Government's stranglehold on the current proposals. So it is a matter of how good you are at winning friends and influencing people.

Refounding Labour Will Not Be Refinding Labour

If you ignore the item below this , there then follows ten threads which are related to this one.

What appears below is taken from Ann Black's unofficial report of Labour's National Executive Committee Meeting which was held on 19 July. It covers the latest known stage of developments in the follow up to Labour's consultations on "Refounding Labour". Much of what is emerging will be presented in a "take-it or leave-it" form at the coming Labour Party Conference. Many of the ideas which are being peddled are in direct opposition to the proposals which were submitted by our Discussion Group, the Dronfield Branch of the Labour Party and the North East Derbyshire Constituency Party. In the final section which appears below, Peter Hain even seems to deny that he ever received our Discussion Group's submission. For we sent him the very idea he says had no support.

Without Ann Black we would have little idea of what is now likely to be foisted upon us.


"Refounding Labour Continued

Peter Hain introduced the latest proposals, after discussion in the organisation committee. An interim report has been circulated to stakeholders, and I’ve attached a copy. The NEC will not agree final recommendations until 20 September, four days before conference, no amendments will be allowed, and Peter will ask delegates to vote Yes or No to the entire package including rule changes. I think this is a bad way to begin a new era. In 2007 Gordon Brown pushed Extending and Renewing Party Democracy through conference, and we spent the next three years removing unpopular and unworkable parts. As a fallback I have asked for constituency NEC representatives to be engaged throughout the summer so we do not end up with deals or
stand-offs between the leadership and the unions, and I will consult as widely as I can. I was also promised, again, the full membership of the shadow cabinet review groups, a request outstanding since November 2010.

There is plenty of good stuff in the paper: welcoming new members, engaging with the community, more flexible local structures and so on, though much of this concerns good practice rather than rules. It recognises that many developments are only feasible with new technology, although these risk widening the digital divide. Development plans for constituencies and contracts between local parties and candidates or elected representatives gained general support but the details will be crucial.

The same applies to registered supporters. Maintaining lists of people who will help with campaigns, and inviting them to social events and local policy discussions, seems uncontentious. While Refounding Labour would not give them votes for council or parliamentary candidates, it does envisage allowing them to vote for the party leader as part of the affiliates’ section. Further, external organisations could apply for “registered consultee” status and gain rights to give evidence to policy commissions greater than those enjoyed by constituencies. Sharing contact information between the party and the unions is
another sensitive issue, and the unions are keen to regain nomination rights in parliamentary selections.

From Each According to their Means …

The paper tries to balance concerns that subscriptions are too high against the need to maintain income. The minimum age for joining would be reduced to 14, paying £1 a year until the age of 20, then £12 from age 20 to 26. Unwaged members and registered supporters would pay £15, and this would also be the first-year rate for new joiners. After that rates would be linked to income: £24 for trade union levy-payers and those earning under £20,000, going up by £12 a year for each additional £5,000 of salary.

Currently constituencies receive 33% of reduced-rate and 22% of standard-rate subscriptions. For some this is less than central charges for election insurance and the Euro-levy, and optionally Contact Creator, so they are permanently in the red. Many have argued that national charges should be proportional to the number of members, and so I will pursue this. It fails to address inequalities in wealth related to property or legacies, but no-one has yet found a way of
grasping that nettle.

On openness the paper is patchy. I agree that women, ethnic minority and young members should be able to work across party boundaries on common objectives, and hope that this will extend to constituency secretaries, and indeed to all members. The section on Young Labour has been subject to exhaustive consultation: among many changes, constituency youth officers and national policy forum youth representatives would in future be elected by young members only. There is a commitment to further discussions with the Northern Ireland CLP, the SDLP and the Irish Labour Party. And it is proposed to change the rules so that constituency AGMs would normally be held in November rather than February, leaving the spring free for campaigning: I would be interested in views on this.

Counting the Votes

Most agreed that multiple votes for the leader were not defensible. MPs could be restricted to their own section, but enforcing single votes across individual and affiliated members would only be possible if the ballot was conducted by a single body. The principle of having a woman in the leadership team was endorsed, but there were doubts about a leadership ticket, where candidates would choose a running-mate of the opposite gender and members would vote for the leader only, so discussion will continue.

Also still unresolved are voting procedures at conference, the make-up of the conference arrangements committee, and the composition of the NEC itself, apart from a proposal that the Scottish and Welsh leaders should each nominate a member of their executive committees with voting status. I am opposed to the idea of giving some of the conference vote to the national policy forum: it does not exist as a collective entity, and the NEC, as part of the forum, would gain a significant share. All these are central to the party’s future, and it would be wrong and dangerous to bounce them through conference without proper consultation. Finally Peter Hain said that submissions supported the continued vital role of the joint policy committee, and that there was no support for restoring any policy-making role to the NEC."

UPDATE 26 JULY: On this theme, see today's important contribution from Peter Kenyon here.