NEC elections: shenanigans in the grassroots alliance

Intriguing news from the east London suburbs. Uncut has learned that Erith and Thamesmead constituency Labour party has declined to nominate sitting member Pete Willsman for re-election to Labour’s ruling national executive committee.

Why does this matter? There are, after all, many hundreds of other CLPs to whom he could look for support.

It matters because Erith and Thamesmead is Willsman’s home CLP, where his personal party membership is held. And candidates must be nominated by their home CLP in order to qualify for election to the NEC’s CLP section.

A meeting of the executive of Erith and Thamesmead CLP apparently recommended that one man and one woman be nominated. Which recommendation was accepted by the CLP general committee, who duly made such nominations last Friday, neither of them going to Pete Willsman.

This leaves the veteran left-winger a month (till the deadline for nominations) to convince the CLP to overturn its decision. Overturning the formal decision of a party meeting is difficult under the rules, though, usually requiring a two thirds majority.

All this sits against a background of shenanigans within the left-wing grassroots alliance slate for the NEC. Peter Kenyon tells the first part of the story on his blog. Uncut has attempted to piece together the rest.

The grassroots alliance initially decided that this year, because they could not agree on a slate of six, they would first put forward eight names, with those who got the most nominations eventually forming the slate of six.

The four men would have been Pete Willsman, Peter Kenyon, Ken Livingstone and young Sam Tarry (as he is generally called by people over 40).

The Wilsman-Livingstone camp (CLPD, for the sect-anoraks) changed its mind, though, and sent envoys to Kenyon suggesting that those three form the male part of the slate, dropping Tarry.

Kenyon refused, arguing that this would be “a breach of faith with compass, and compass youth in particular”. He said that either Livingstone or Willsman should stand aside (though he says he knew they wouldn’t).

What they did instead (which it doesn’t say on Kenyon’s blog) was make the same offer to Tarry, this time cutting Kenyon out. Tarry apparently accepted with alacrity and the left was once again at peace with itself.

Until Willsman failed to get nominated by his own CLP.

Whatever next?


Tags: , , , , ,


8 Responses to “NEC elections: shenanigans in the grassroots alliance”

  1. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Wes Streeting. Wes Streeting said: RT @LabourUncut: INSIDE the NEC elections: shenanigans in the grassroots alliance http://bit.ly/9fnOQX […]

  2. spotter says:

    Erith is not in East London! This was obviously written by a non-Londoner. Hope the rest of the facts are more accurate…

  3. Editor says:

    @ spotter

    Erith is in the London Borough of Bexley. As the map on this page shows, it is at the far south eastern edge of london.

  4. Andrea says:

    Since they can make 6 nominations, why did E&T executive decide to nominate just 1 men and 1 women?

    Btw, who did they nominate?

    On a wider point, it seems no-one is willing to step aside, so it is likely they will field more than 6 candidates and so the CLGA potential vote base will be devided among 8 rather than 6 (which can make a difference in a tight contest for positions 4-6th)

  5. John Wiseman says:

    It seems there will be many left progressives on the ballot. I have made it on with many others

    John Wiseman

  6. John

    surely by definition all of us running for the NEC are “left progressives” as we are members of the Labour Party?

    Or does this phrase have a more exclusive definition?

    Luke

  7. Alex Otley says:

    I think it depends if you regard the worst excesses of New Labour as ‘left’ or ‘progressive’ doesn’t it? Many people wouldn’t.

  8. Robert says:

    Left progressive?, bloody hell have you dug up John smith or Wilson. Do not tell me they are standing.

Leave a Reply