By Dave Cartwright (Glasgow) and Alec Price (Kent)
There is a pressing need for some kind of broad left in the Labour Party, one based on socialist and democratic principles. It would help provide a political backbone to the left on Labour’s NEC and left MPs – something that has been seriously lacking in the last four years – and it could give encouragement all those Labour members and supporters who believe the party should be fighting in the interests of working class people. It could fulfil, in other words, the role that Momentum was supposed to play when it was launched in early 2016, before it lost all semblance of membership control and became the political instrument of a single person.
Over-arching socialist aims
We sincerely hope, therefore, that the launch conference of the Labour Left Alliance, held last Saturday in Sheffield, is the start of such a Labour broad left. The conference succeeded in agreeing over-arching political objectives and a constitution to take it forward. The success was helped by starting off with guest speakers and political discussion, rather than starting with an organisation discussion around a constitution. Although one delegate moved, on a point of order, that the constitution discussion should be taken first – because he thought organisation agreement was necessary before a political discussion – thankfully he was defeated in a delegate vote.
The number of delegates was about 125-130 so that the total attendance, including visitors, was about 150. There were three delegates from Labour Against the Witch-hunt and the others were from local groups affiliated to the LLA. Some were from regional groups like Merseyside and London, with others from more localised groups like Brighton and Bristol. In some areas Momentum groups have affiliated to the LLA, with some of them severing their ties with national Momentum while others remain linked. It was reported that 1,900 individuals have signed up to the LLA in the nine months since recruitment started.
Mistakes made with appeasement
Tina Werkman, in opening the conference, expressed the realism felt among many on the left about developments in the Labour Party since Corbyn became leader. A major change has taken place in the Party, but “nobody thought socialism was around the corner”. She argued that the leadership made a very big mistake in its “appeasement” of Labour’s right wing. With reference to the spate of suspensions in the party, she stated clearly “I call it a witch-hunt”.
Jackie Walker then spoke. She said that the attacks from the right wing in the Labour Party should spur us on, but more so the attacks from the Tories; arguing that Boris Johnson has decided to follow a political trajectory like Trump’s. She said that if you set yourself the task of wresting control from the establishment, they will use any tactic to prevent radical change. In her view Momentum has become unfit for purpose and she concluded with a stark warning to the delegates: “We are taking on a storm. You aint seen anything yet.”
Inspired by change in 2015
The next speaker was Jo Bird. Her YouTube video called “Jo Bird interview Just Jews” was shown and then she addressed the conference in person. In her speech she explained her personal background as a Jewish person with Jewish grand-parents who came to England to escape persecution in Eastern Europe. She explained why, as a socialist, she joined the Labour Party in 2015 when she was inspired by the change in direction in the party. She soon became a councillor, fighting for her constituents in Bromborough and New Ferry on the Wirral. She has been suspended, re-instated very quickly, suspended again, and re-instated very quickly again. At the time of the latest suspension she was in the top two for nominations for the upcoming NEC vacancy. It shows that the current complaints process is flawed when people like Jo can be suspended based on allegations with no evidence and which are quickly found to be false. Jo is now on a speaking tour, seeking support in the NEC vote.
There were nine resolutions in the political priorities section of the conference. These committed the LLA to fight for a variety of demands like a socialist Labour government and a Green New Deal. There was an interesting debate on a resolution proposing that we accept that we are leaving the European Union. Some of the speakers against the resolution seemed to think that if you were an internationalist then you had to be in favour of the EU. Other delegates challenged this view, quite correctly pointing to the role of the EU on behalf of European capitalism. The resolution was passed 54% against 46%. There was also a good resolution from Merseyside, calling for a campaign on council housing, a good sign that those present favoured an outward-campaigning movement.
Candidates seeking LLA endorsement
There was also an amendment from London seeking to add some far-reaching aims to the LLA constitution. It proposed, for example, that “We envisage a democratically planned economy and moving towards a stateless, classless, moneyless society …”, “the standing army, monarchy … must go” and “annual parliaments”. This amendment was defeated so the LLA starts off with seven clear aims based on “common ground” across those who submitted alternative proposals.
Prior to the conference specific demands were drawn up to be put to any NEC candidates seeking endorsement by the Labour Left Alliance. These were agreed, and they were as follows:
1) Will you campaign for open selections (and scrapping the trigger ballot) for all Labour Party public office holders – including Westminster MPs?
2) Will you campaign against the Labour Party adopting the Board of Deputies’ 10 Pledges and for Labour to support the Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign?
3) Will you campaign for conference to become the party’s sovereign body, especially when it comes to deciding policy? Will you therefore campaign for the scrapping the National Policy Forum?
4) Will you press for Party complaints and disciplinary procedures that are fit for purpose, that include both the full implementation of the Chakrabarti report, with its principles of fairness and natural justice, and an effective means of addressing members’ complaints related to abuse of procedures and rules
Disgracefully suspended
For the forthcoming NEC elections, the Labour Left Alliance balloted its members and (making allowances for those disgracefully suspended and therefore ineligible), it is supporting the following:
Rebecca Long-Bailey for Labour Leader
Richard Burgon for Deputy Leader
Jo Bird and Lauren Townsend for NEC
Chaudhry Qamer Iqbal for NEC (BAME)
The constitutional section was structured around a composite resolution prepared by the conference arrangements committee. Each heading had “common ground” points and then a “differences” section with options to vote on them.
Labour Party members or suspended members
With regards to membership, some groups like Merseyside argued for a membership beyond the Labour Party, but the Conference decided that members had to be members of the Labour Party. What is the point of having Open Selection as an aim, for example, if you are not in the Labour Party to participate in those selections?
There was common ground that any individual who has been suspended or expelled from the Labour Party unfairly or unjustly was welcome. Such comrades still consider themselves to be Labour Party members and that is an important distinction.
It was agreed that delegates to the conference from local groups and affiliated organisations would be in proportion to the membership of those groups. It was also agreed that the Organising Group (OG) would be made up of a representative from each local group and that the local groups could change their representative at any time. The next conference would take place in six months time. Although that might pose difficulties in the later summer, in terms of timing, it should be a platform for discussing the political perspectives for the forthcoming TUC and Labour conferences. The OG was also tasked with approaching other groups e.g. Labour Transformed, Beyond the Cities, and Labour Socialist Network.
Could easily have gone off the rails
Most delegates and visitors thought the conference had been a success. It could quite easily have gone off the rails and descended into a bun-fight between the different groups of opinion represented at the meeting.
If it succeeds nationally it has the potential to make a significant difference to the growth of the left across the party and to consolidate a left NEC. If there is a Labour left grouping in your area, then it’s worth seeing if its work complements the aims of the LLA nationally and that there is some consideration given to affiliation to the LLA, if it hasn’t already done so.
February 26, 2020
