Dear Friend,

Every two years, you get the opportunity to vote for the six Constituency Labour
Party candidates who will best represent your interests on the Labour Party's
National Executive Committee.

As the debate about party renewal gets underway, the NEC elections are an
excellent opportunity to put support for the work of youth and student members
at the top of the renewal agenda. In our opinion, the candidates who are best
placed to do this are:

Ellie Reeves - former National Chair of Labour Students and currently a Trade
Union lawyer. Ellie knows how hard it can be for young people in the party to
make their voice heard. Ellie has stated that she wishes to remedy this
situation and if elected, she will strive to make all Labour Party meetings more
welcoming to young members.

Peter Wheeler - current member of the NEC and Amicus official. Peter believes
that the Party needs to involve more young people in the policy-making process
and that a greater effort must be made to engage young people at all levels of
the party structure. He believes that Labour has to constantly develop and reach
out to new voters whilst staying true to the party's traditional strengths and
supporters.

Philomena Muggins - An active member for over twenty years, Philomena is the
Chair of the West of Scotland Education branch and is also active in the Party's
Education policy commission. She is also on the Amicus political committee, a
committee that has supported the recruitment of young people to the Labour Party
for years.

Lorna Fitzsimmons - MP for Rochdale between 1997 and 2005 - the only time the
constituency has been Labour for 34 years. Lorna is a former President of NUS
and believes that the NEC needs to foster healthy debate throughout the Party.
Lorna has travelled all over the country campaigning for the party and will
continue to do so, on the NEC or not.

Bill Thomas is the Leader of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council; treasurer of
the National Union of Labour and Socialist Clubs and a life-time member of ISTC
- now 'Community' trade union. Bill is also a member of the National Policy
Forum and the Crime, Justice and Democracy Policy Commission. He has acted as an
election agent for three Labour MPs over past 20 years. He is the most
experienced member standing for the NEC this year.

Azhar Ali was elected to Pendle Council where he led community campaigns
overturning a huge Lib Dem majority to take control and run the council, winning
seats Labour had never won before. He has served on the National Policy Forum
representing the North West for several years and is currently on the Joint
Policy Committee. Azhar believes in a strong NEC which is representative of the
party membership and truly represents the voice of the grass-roots membership in
the party's decision- making processes. We also need to build stronger support
amongst BME communities and Azhar will work hard to help us reconnect.

Kind Regards,

Ciaran Ward

National Chair, Labour Students

Neil Bibby

Chair, Young Labour

[ Parent ]

Firstly, I appreciate Neil Bibby is hard working (and appears to be a mate of yours) but this is completely irrelevent to the issue at hand. No one ever said he was lazy, not nice and hadn't been working for the party for a long time. He doesn't need a character reference and his character isn't in question. What is in question is the email he sent.

Secondly, he canvassed using what I suspect is a centrally held list of Young Labour/Labour Student emails. If true, this is an abuse of Labour party resources and doesn't allow a level playing field for all candidates. In a fair contest, all candidates would have access to a list of young members and be able to state what they were going to do for youth.

Thirdly, he used his appointed Labour Party title to campaign for selective candidates which is a grossly unfair use of authority. If he had stated that he was writing in a personal capacity, then it would have been semi acceptable. However, he didn't, which created the impression that these candidates were the official candidate of Young Labour.

Finally, I would welcome more debate within the Labour Party about NEC candidates, but I would like it done in a way that gives all candidates and equal platform.

[ Parent ]

But I remember my Young Labour/Labour Student days - they were so frustrating.  Various things were tried with varying success: Young Labour Left, Socialist Campaign Group Youth, The Alliance of Democratic Labour Clubs, etc.  But this sounds more promising than any of those (to be fair Young Labour Left worked reasonably well for a few years).  Try to make sure it isn't hijacked by any one faction - I don't put that forward as a sectarian point, it is just a danger for left youth groups that they can seem ripe for using as a 'front'.

Always remember that the right in Young Labour and Labour Students will use the party machinary to further their sectional cause (completely unconstitutionally) so never accept their criticisms of your democratic caucus: you have every right to organise.

Good luck!

[ Parent ]

The problem is that the Young Labour and Labour Students emails were sent out in official capacities, using official emails, to databases of emails that were almost certainly provided for official purposes by the party.

I've no objection to getting stuff from Labour First or the Grassroots Alliance, or independent candidates, quite the opposite, but I do have a huge objection to getting an email from the National Chair of Young Labour to me as a YL member, endorsing a slate of candidates on behalf of YL as a whole.

It just reinforces what is anyway sadly obvious - that the Labour First slate is receiving official Party backing and that YL is a hideously undemocratic organisation.

I should add that I voted for candidates on both slates and none, and I don't have an axe to grind for any factional interest.  

[ Parent ]

Now to the pedantry.

You seem to be in some confusion about what an ad hominem attack actually is. Ad hominem is an example of fallacious reasoning. The layout of the ad hominem fallacy is:

A makes claim X.
There is something objectionable about A.
Therefore claim X is false. (Wikipedia)

How did I make an ad hominem attack upon you? What I did do is attack your post as pathetic. It contained no convincing reasoning and the only thing I could take from it was that Neil Bibby was a nice guy.
If you are going to use latin in order to descredit my arguements, then kindly use it correctly. People that don't really rattle my cage.

Furthermore, Labourhome is designed in order to discuss issues within and about the party. Hopefully, it will become as big and as important as Conservativehome is to the Tories. By using it, I am fighting for my ideas. In any case, I have been been arguing for changes to Young labour since I was 18. Also I let people know my real name, tell everyone who I am. I don't hide behind some anonymous monicker.

[ Parent ]

We're talking about sending an email to a list of people.  We have no idea what list or from where.  Likewise, we have no idea whether their actions were approved by their respective governing committees.

Logicaly, there is no evidence of anti-democratic practice here.  With respect, your saying so does not make it so.

Putting out information in support of a candidate is done by all individuals and movements.  Nothing changes the basic premise that each member will decide how to cast her/his votes.  

Talk about the candidates.  Debate about them, argue about their ideas and actions.  Give members a reason to vote FOR someone.
Why all this talk about process?  Unless and until somebody does something to interfere with the vote I want to hear about the candidates in this election.  

Are my complaining comrades suggesting the members are easily swayed by an email they've gotten?

[ Parent ]