Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Labour splits to re-emerge at conference
Those who thought that the left wing of the Labour party have triumphed and control all the levers of that party need to think again. Apparently, there is still a rearguard action being fought against the inevitable by centrists and establishment figures within the party.
The Guardian reports that Labour members have been urged by centrist groups to block leftwing rule changes at the party’s conference backed by grassroots movement Momentum, including any potential moves towards deselection of moderate candidates:
On Monday night, Progress and Labour First – some of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s most strident critics within the party, hosted a rally attended by 120 activists and MPs in parliament.
Addressing the “Moderate Meet-Up”, John Spellar, MP for Warley, said there was a fight to “save social democracy” and that in-fighting over rule changes should not be allowed to dominate the conference in Brighton, which takes place 23-27 September.
“They are trying to storm the conference, create the atmosphere they are the overwhelming tide,” Spellar told the meeting. “They want to create an atmosphere of disillusionment that they can’t be stopped. We have to call them out.”
Spellar said he feared that the ascendency of the party’s left and the widespread denigration of MPs was paving the way for new moves to deselect sitting MPs and councillors.
“We have to stand up for elected representatives, as part of clause one of our constitution, which is to get people elected,” he said. “That’s a battle we will have on the floor of conference and after, in the constituencies, to make sure the voice of the genuine membership and of the voters comes through.”
Buys popcorn
The Guardian reports that Labour members have been urged by centrist groups to block leftwing rule changes at the party’s conference backed by grassroots movement Momentum, including any potential moves towards deselection of moderate candidates:
On Monday night, Progress and Labour First – some of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s most strident critics within the party, hosted a rally attended by 120 activists and MPs in parliament.
Addressing the “Moderate Meet-Up”, John Spellar, MP for Warley, said there was a fight to “save social democracy” and that in-fighting over rule changes should not be allowed to dominate the conference in Brighton, which takes place 23-27 September.
“They are trying to storm the conference, create the atmosphere they are the overwhelming tide,” Spellar told the meeting. “They want to create an atmosphere of disillusionment that they can’t be stopped. We have to call them out.”
Spellar said he feared that the ascendency of the party’s left and the widespread denigration of MPs was paving the way for new moves to deselect sitting MPs and councillors.
“We have to stand up for elected representatives, as part of clause one of our constitution, which is to get people elected,” he said. “That’s a battle we will have on the floor of conference and after, in the constituencies, to make sure the voice of the genuine membership and of the voters comes through.”
Buys popcorn
