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National Executive Committee,
20 September 2005
The NEC always pays tribute to comrades who have died since
the last meeting, but rarely have we lost two such
significant figures as Mo Mowlam and Robin Cook, and both so
young. Mo was praised for helping Neil Kinnock to modernise
the party, and transforming the atmosphere in Northern
Ireland. Tony Blair remembered Robin Cooks support as
foreign secretary, Gary Titley appreciated his role as
president of the Party of European Socialists, and John
Prescott would have liked to ask him what he thought
proportional representation had done for Germany. They will
be suitably commemorated at conference, together with Jim
Callaghan.
Tony Blair looked forward to a conference themed around
securing the future: equipping ourselves to meet the
challenges of globalisation, improving public services and
promoting respect. Dennis Skinner had his own shopping list:
adequate pensions for all, a coherent energy policy, more
money for the NHS, a demonstration that Tony and Gordon were
still in control of the economy, and an exit strategy from
Iraq. On the last, the prime minister highlighted the
importance of the December elections, saying that the
current violence was aimed at preventing democracy taking
root, but success would follow after the political cycle had
started, as in Afghanistan. We were also building up the
Iraqi troops so they could take control of their own
country. Pete Willsman questioned the value of Algerian
assurances that citizens deported from Britain would not be
tortured. Tony Blair said that other countries found that
the system worked, and in any case, people who came here had
to play by the rules. The government might sound tough, but
nothing like as tough as many voters wanted.
There was dismay at delays in council tax revaluation, and
resentment that the Lyons review had been asked to include
the functions of local government without consulting
councillors representatives. Any change would now be five
years away, and concerns were growing about the position of
cash-poor owner-occupiers, many of whom did not claim
benefits. Tony Blair agreed that council tax was
unsustainable, but simply pushing revaluation through would
bring maximum pain for very little gain. Questioned about
under-funding for equal pay in public services, he stressed
the 600,000 new jobs and better salaries, and asked the
unions for more support with his public sector reforms.
Union representatives welcomed government support for
Airbus, but were deeply unhappy about the sacked Gate
Gourmet workers. Secondary action should be legal where
there was a direct connection and following a proper ballot,
or failing that, some other way of preventing employers
getting round the system. Tony Blair rejected this
absolutely. While injustices should be dealt with, Britains
economic success was due to active labour market measures
such as the New Deal and tax credits, but also to
flexibility. The TUC approach would lead straight back to
the Tories, with no social dimension. Defending the European
social model through protectionism would not work, and this
was shown in elections in the United States, France, and
even Germany despite the SDPs partial recovery.
You Pays Your Money (or Not)
But the debate of the day was on membership subscriptions.
The treasurer Jack Dromey assured us that there was no
crisis, but we needed to build for the future, and the
alternative to grasping the nettle was boom-and-bust. The
trade unions had to replenish their own reserves after
massive election donations, soliciting from rich men was
distasteful and getting more difficult, and state funding
attracted little support. There was no evidence that
increasing subscriptions would lose members, as long as it
was well explained. He made one concession: while the
standard rate would still rise from £24 to £36, the reduced
rate would stay at £12 instead of going up to £18. All the
extra money would go to the national party except in a
general election year, when constituencies would get £20 per
member instead of £8. There would be no further rises in
subscriptions until after the next general election, though
some members considered this a hostage to fortune.
I circulated the attached summary of the first four days
worth of e- mails, and am grateful to everyone who wrote.
Views ran about three to one against the plans, with
concerns that members who were dissatisfied anyway would use
the rise as an excuse to resign, and Labour risked becoming
a rich persons club. Local parties also strongly wished to
keep their one-third share of subscriptions.
MPs, whose rate will go up to £60, were justifiably
aggrieved that the paper did not mention the 2% of their
salary (about £100 a month) which already goes to the party,
and the extra money that most put in to their
constituencies. Unions pointed out that their members
receive benefits and services in exchange for their
subscriptions, and Labour must convince members that they
were getting value for money, and treat them with respect.
And Dennis Skinner asked why the government did not make
Short money, granted to opposition parties, available to the
ruling party as well.
Many people were unhappy that the plans were not discussed
in July with the other rule changes, to give constituencies
more time. Pete Willsman reported suspicions that party
managers wanted delegates not to be mandated so that they
could exert persuasion, but was assured that it was a
cock-up rather than contempt for democracy. Jack Dromey
promised to apologise to conference, hold the youth rate at
£1 while members are still in full-time education, and keep
the situation under review. His closing rhetoric raised the
spectre of mass P45s among party staff, somewhat at odds
with his dont-panic introduction. A proposal to defer the
changes until 2006 was lost by 11 votes to 16, and a second
vote supported them by 18 to 7 (Christine Shawcroft, Mark
Seddon, Pete Willsman, Angela Eagle, Dennis Skinner, John
Holmes and myself, in the light of your advice). The final
decision now rests with conference, and I have done what I
can to help delegates to represent their constituencies.
Hidden Agendas?
This years international speaker will be Luisa Dias Diogo,
the prime minister of Mozambique. A mini-controversy greeted
the news that Lord Sebastian Coe may be asked to say a few
words on Londons successful Olympic bid, with several
members feeling that it would be better if he just stood
there looking beautiful. I shall be chairing a couple of
sessions for the first time, and though I appreciate the
honour, it is unfair that neither Christine Shawcroft nor
Mark Seddon has ever been allowed to speak at conference,
not even a three-minute introduction to a policy commission
report. .
The NEC approved the Partnership in Power review.
Contemporary motions are protected, and constituencies will
be able to submit amendments through their National Policy
Forum representatives to the final Warwick stage documents.
A companion document, the 21st Century Party, drew some flak
because the foreword suggested that delegate general
committees might be forcibly abolished, contradicting the
text, which rejects wholesale changes to party structures or
a one- size-fits-all approach. A revised wording has now
been agreed, looking at the benefits of all-member meetings,
but allowing constituencies with vibrant and effective
delegate GCs to keep them.
The NEC is proposing two other rule changes. One allows
Labour councillors to attend conference ex officio, without
a vote. The other clarifies that supporting anyone who
stands against a Labour candidate, whether for another party
or as an independent, can lead to expulsion, but would not
penalise members in a Tatton situation, where there is no
Labour candidate. However the subjective interpretation of
support continues to cause problems, following cases in
Blaenau Gwent, Islwyn and Hornsey & Wood Green, and the case
of New Forest East will go to the Disputes Panel in October.
I also asked that NEC members are told about NEC decisions
which impact on their electorate. This followed upset and
angry e-mails from constituency secretaries who were told
that if any Labour Group did not pay their subscriptions to
the Association of Labour Councillors by the end of
September, the money would be deducted at source from their
membership, plus a penalty of £100. This was agreed at the
NECs local government committee, but not conveyed to the
rest of us. However, I think we have an undertaking that no
money will be stopped until after proper discussion.
Finally we approved a timetable for recruiting a new general
secretary, my third set of interviews in five years. Lets
hope the next one lasts a bit longer.
Questions and comments are welcome, and I am happy for this
to be circulated to members as a personal account, not an
official record. Past reports are available at
http://www.annblack.com
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