Labour Conference guidelines (part) on STLP website

Peter Kenyon Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 10:26:55 AM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

Alongside a highly readable lament by Polly Toynbee in today's Guardian about how the Labour Party's National Policy Forum has effectively stifled debate at this year's Conference in September, official guidelines have been written which will be seen by many as further dampening the possibility of real political discourse.




The guidelines, now available on the Save the Labour Party website come in the form of a six-page guidance note from the Conference Arrangements Committee concerning 'Contemporary Issues'. This was one of Gordon Brown's ideas set out in his paper 'Expanding and renewing party democracy' bounced through passed by the National Executive Committee on 24 June 2007 - the day of his coronation adoption as Leader of the Labour Party.

A deadline of 12 September has been set for the submission of 'contemporary issues'. I know that date is before my own CLP meets in September. STLP intends to survey the Party nationally to find out how many CLPs have meetings scheduled before that deadline.

To date, no official information about this issue has been circulated to CLPs whatsoever. It is a scandal and further evidence of why Labour will remain unelectable in Westminster until its Leader acts like a democratic socialist. That means encouraging debate, not suppressing it. Perhaps, he should be subject to the backyard test first?



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Labour Conference guidelines (part) on STLP website | 1 comment (1 topical)

Polly Toynbee's analysis is excellent (#1)

by rwendland on Tue Jul 29, 2008 at 11:34:10 AM GMT

Polly Toynbee's analysis is excellent. Impressed by her reminder that in 1997 we had a £5bn windfall tax on privatised utilities profits for the New Deal, but now with a 22% gas price increase and BP profits rising 22% to £6.7 billion for half a year (equiv to about £220/UK person year just for BP), we refuse to consider windfall taxes to ease energy poverty.

I concur with:

That is what Cameron fears. He could see off a Blairite of blurred but similar policies to his own. But he's unsure how to deal with a resurgent party of social justice navigating through a downturn by spreading pain more fairly, challenging profiteering, defending against globalisation by building social housing and employing the unemployed in renewable energy. He would try to brand it "socialism" - but he'd be stranded where he doesn't want to be, defending the rich.

Ideally Brown must be made to see that for September.


Labour Conference guidelines (part) on STLP website | 1 comment (1 topical)