At our Labour Party Branch meeting last night, we considered some of the themes of the current consultation document and other obstacles to real party development.
We concluded our discussion by unanimously agreeing to submit the following to the NEC Party Development Taskforce:
“This Branch Labour Party identifies open communication between constituency Labour parties and branches to be essential for effective engagement by members in Labour Party activity.
As a matter of urgency, the National Executive Committee (NEC) should:
· Provide NEC constituency representatives with the means to report back to Constituency General Committees (GC), i.e. give NEC reps contact details of CLP & branch officers.
· Encourage communication between constituencies, using email or actual contact details.
· Publicise communications, such as motions from GCs, to inform other GCs of current debate. This could be done by newsletter and/or by using the existing Party web-site, accessible following registration.
· Re-instate the mechanism by which branches may have the right to send resolutions directly via their GC to Annual Conference rather than to the National Policy Forum.
These measures would help to re-vitalise the party, and relate closely to issues raised in the '21st Century Party - the Next Steps' , the NEC Party Development Taskforce report 2003, presently under consultation.”
Finsbury Park BLP (Islington North CLP) March 2004 meeting resolved:
To make the following submission to The Labour Party 21st Century Party consultation process.
1. That the historical link between the Party and the trade unions should be strengthened and not put at risk by accepting further state funding of UK political parties.
2. The General Committee (GC) federal delegate structure gives a democratic voice both to the CLP’s Ward Branches and to other affiliated organisations and enables members to respond to current events and to be empowered to have the fullest democratic say in the Party’s political direction.
3. GC meetings should normally be open to attendance by any member of the CLP so as to maximise participation, campaigning and political education.
4. In order to maximise political effectiveness monthly GC and Ward Branch meeting agendas should regularly include space for political organisation, community campaigning, policy development, political debate and speakers.
5. The role of the CLP Executive Committee should be to discharge organisational functions in accordance with Party rules and policy made by the GC.
6. In order to enhance democracy within the Party under the Partnership in Power policy making process, CLP’s together with the Party’s national affiliates should, in future, be able to submit amendments to final stage National Policy Forum policy documents being debated and decided upon at the Party’s Annual Conference. There is a clear mood within the Party to widen involvement of members and affiliates in policy development, with constitutional amendments to this effect already on the agenda for the 2004 Party Annual Conference.
7. The Party, working in full co-operation with CLP’s, must prioritise membership recruitment so as to maximise our political influence throughout the UK.
8. To look into ways of maximising involvement of, and providing accessibility to, women, carers, single-parents, ethnic minorities, etc, in Party activity.”