Can you help make Labour’s elite pay for ‘purging’ innocent people from the party?

Last Updated: October 11, 2016By

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If you’re in the Labour Party and you don’t know Glynis Millward, you should.

Ms Millward was suspended from the Labour Party on September 9 – in the run-up to the Labour leadership election – by Labour’s ‘compliance unit’.

She received a letter from general secretary Iain McNicol saying that the suspension was due to “your involvement in activity in breach of Labour’s rules regarding recruitment”.

This is so vague, it is practically meaningless – as were, it turns out, most of the suspension and expulsion letters sent out by Mr McNicol. It has been alleged that they were a vain effort to rid Labour of enough Jeremy Corbyn supporters to give challenger Owen Smith a chance to win the leadership.

Well, he picked on the wrong person.

I know this, because Ms Millward is the one who helped This Writer mount a legal challenge against the Department for Work and Pensions over its refusal to publish statistics relating to claimants of sickness and disability benefits who have died.

With her help, I beat the government. She really knows her law.

So let’s cut a long story short: Ms Millward is taking the Labour Party to court, where it seems likely she will demand a staggering amount of money in compensation for her treatment. She is making:

  • A claim for a refund of her membership subscriptions during the period of suspension or conclusion of the court case, whichever comes first.
  • A claim for tangible recognition of the distress and inconvenience caused to her as a result of being unable to vote.
  • A claim for her court costs.

Labour’s general secretary, Iain McNicol, is cited as defendant.

Iain McNicol [Image: Gareth Fuller/PA].

Iain McNicol, Straight talking, honest politics? Not from him, it seems [Image: Gareth Fuller/PA].

Here’s where it gets nasty:

Mr McNicol intends to defend himself against Ms Millward’s claim, and is apparently keen to use Labour members’ money to do so. The implication is that he is acting on behalf of every Labour Party member.

  • He has been unable, or unwilling, to provide any details of the allegation against Ms Millward.
  • If it arises from information Ms Millward posted on the social media, then he is in breach of the Data Protection Act, which requires Labour’s NEC to tell members how it uses their social media information.

But he is happy, dear Labour member, to use your money defending his decision (it is his name on the letter) to suspend Ms Millward.

Here’s where you can help:

Some Labour Party members aren’t prepared to let Mr McNicol take it for granted that he can use their subscription money in this way.

They didn’t agree with the suspensions, don’t want him to fight Ms Millward’s claim, and certainly don’t agree with his implicit claim that he is acting on behalf of every Labour member in doing so.

They have launched a website containing a letter to the court, which Labour members can sign in order to exclude themselves from Mr McNicol’s claim that he speaks on their behalf.

The site is at http://test-this.co.uk

The text states: “I wish it to be known I exclude myself from the claim by Iain McNicol that he speaks on my behalf in the case of Glynis Millward v Iain McNicol.

“Glynis Millward has made it very clear that she does not accuse the Labour Party as a whole (which is all members) and indeed is herself concerned at the lack of due process applied in many of the cases, as well as the data protection abuses.

“We are mindful of the great distress felt by members over this and are in the process of demanding that changes are made to ensure that this cannot happen again.”

It is well worth noting that the site came under cyber-attack that took it down shortly after it launched. In that short period it had managed to amass 840 signatures – which were kept safe during the attack.

The site was restored yesterday (October 10) and, at the time of writing, has nearly 1,300 signatures, including my own.

Ms Millward is a person who stood up for me; supporting her in this is the least I can do in return.

That’s why I am appealing for all Labour members to join me in signing the letter.

The so-called Labour Purge was a blow against democracy in the largest political party in Europe, struck by people who believed they were free to do whatever they wanted without the party’s rank-and-file ever being able to stop them.

They were wrong – and this court case will prove it.

If you believe in democracy; if you believe in justice, please take a few seconds out of your day to visit http://test-this.co.ukand add your signature.

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36 Comments

  1. Lauretta Pearson October 11, 2016 at 6:13 am - Reply

    What if this is what the Compliance Unit want? Bankrupt the Labour Party so the big money can buy it? Are they able to do this? Would it mean the end of members and Mr Corbyn? I hope the lady wins and sets a precedence, but I hope this isn’t their plan.

    • Caroline M Tipler October 11, 2016 at 10:18 am - Reply

      This is a small claims court – a few hundred pounds.

      • Mike Sivier October 11, 2016 at 10:43 am - Reply

        Yes indeed.
        If Ms Millward wins, it will set a precedent.
        Thousands of people have been subjected to prejudicial treatment by Labour’s ‘compliance unit’.
        Think about it.

  2. casalealex October 11, 2016 at 6:42 am - Reply

    1,531 signatures and counting….please sign….

  3. Vernon Moyse October 11, 2016 at 7:47 am - Reply

    I am trying to contact Glynis Millward on social media without success. I am a similarly suspended member

    • Mike Sivier October 11, 2016 at 9:01 am - Reply

      Send me your Twitter details and I’ll ask her to contact you.

    • thelovelywibblywobblyoldlady October 11, 2016 at 4:32 pm - Reply

      Vernon Moyse – are you on twitter? If so, follow me & I’ll follow you and you can then PM me. It’s funny how you can’t find me on social media, but the NEC allegedly can … how bizarre!

  4. Jackie Cairns October 11, 2016 at 8:55 am - Reply

    They need to make sure that Tony Blairs Judge is not on the bench this time, Or any one that was involved with Blair.

  5. Oliver Godby October 11, 2016 at 10:30 am - Reply

    I want to sign the petition, but admit to being a little confused by the form…

    What is expected under ‘CLP’?

    What is the other field for?

    Thanks!

    • Mike Sivier October 11, 2016 at 10:41 am - Reply

      If you are a Labour member you’ll know it means Constituency Labour Party.
      The other field is to explain whether you are a full member or have been sanctioned in some way by the ‘compliance unit’.

      • Oliver Godby October 11, 2016 at 3:07 pm - Reply

        Thanks – I am a reasonably new member, have never been a member before, and am currently living offshore, so I need the odd pointer about procedure and things like acronyms.

  6. Emma October 11, 2016 at 10:54 am - Reply

    I’d like to take action for having to pay £25 to register as a supporter despite being a member. The rule that there was a cut off point for joining, after which members couldn’t vote was unfair and discriminatory.

    I can’t afford it and don’t have the necessary knowledge, but I wish I could.

    • Mike Sivier October 11, 2016 at 11:08 am - Reply

      Have you visited the website and signed?

      • James Kemp October 11, 2016 at 3:36 pm - Reply

        Hi Mike tried and tried again with 2 different browsers seems to not be working for me…4.30pm

        • Mike Sivier October 11, 2016 at 3:47 pm - Reply

          No, it seems to have been attacked again.
          Somebody really doesn’t want Labour Party members to have their say!

  7. wildswimmerpete October 11, 2016 at 11:19 am - Reply

    Just signed, left “CLP” blank and signed as a supporter.

  8. ojbrookes October 11, 2016 at 1:42 pm - Reply

    I can’t see to get on the page. :/

  9. David Hallard October 11, 2016 at 2:03 pm - Reply

    Has the website crashed? (Tuesday, 14:30)

    • Mike Sivier October 11, 2016 at 2:28 pm - Reply

      Another cyberattack, I expect.

      • Caroline M Tipler October 11, 2016 at 3:53 pm - Reply

        Our tech guy is currently working on it

  10. Louise Dune October 11, 2016 at 2:17 pm - Reply

    The link was working earlier (as I have already signed) but now it seems to have stopped …is this due to traffic as there are several Labour members from my City wanting to sign and of course share.

  11. mysticmusician October 11, 2016 at 2:26 pm - Reply

    Hi Mike – I can’t get on to the site from the address that you put on your page. Any suggestions as I’d love to sigh!

    • Caroline M Tipler October 11, 2016 at 3:52 pm - Reply

      Our tech guy is currently working on it

  12. Simon Radford October 11, 2016 at 2:48 pm - Reply

    I am afraid I am unable to sign – I get a blank page (not an error) from your link. I am allowing cookies and advertising on both this site and the target site using firefox 42. I really do want to sign.

    • Mike Sivier October 11, 2016 at 3:49 pm - Reply

      I think there’s been another cyberattack. Waiting on confirmation at this time.

      • Vernon Moyse October 11, 2016 at 4:20 pm - Reply

        I want to contact Glynis Millward but she does not appear to exists on facebook or Twitter. I too was suspended, have signed her petition and want to give her witness evidence in support.

      • Caroline M Tipler October 11, 2016 at 4:31 pm - Reply

        Back up now.

  13. Jane Owens October 11, 2016 at 3:50 pm - Reply

    I too, am having difficulties. The page will not load. I shall keep trying.

  14. Jim Butler-Daulby October 11, 2016 at 3:56 pm - Reply

    I think the site’s down. I’m only getting a blank screen. Please let me know as soon as it’s up again, Mike, I’m more than happy to sign and hopefully set a precedent!

    • Mike Sivier October 12, 2016 at 9:41 am - Reply

      It’s up again.

  15. CMG October 11, 2016 at 4:36 pm - Reply

    The petition is working again, 1000 have signed since 8am despite all the crashes.

  16. thelovelywibblywobblyoldlady October 11, 2016 at 6:03 pm - Reply

    Thanks for this article Mike. As usual, like all your articles it is bold, fearless and hits the nail on the head. I am currently under (self imposed) restriction on commenting further on this article, for what I hope are obvious reasons.

    • Mike Sivier October 11, 2016 at 10:19 pm - Reply

      It’s a pleasure – and I’m glad you approve.

  17. Lynn Dye October 11, 2016 at 6:42 pm - Reply

    Working at present, just signed.

  18. Douglas Ward October 12, 2016 at 9:46 pm - Reply

    I to have been suspended by the NEC for remarks that I have made, when I asked what they were The 2 persons I spoke with at the Labour Party Head Office told me they didn’t know !
    The second person said I had an email, had I received it, I told him I hadn’t, so he sent it to me directly.
    On reading it while he was on the phone he told me he didn’t know what it was about.
    Then a week later I received a letter from Labour stating the above.
    Thus baring me from voting in the leadership vote.
    I still haven’t had any information about my wrong doings!
    I’m disgusted with all this goings on by some in the Labour Party!

  19. Philip October 19, 2016 at 10:14 am - Reply

    Can’t sign as the stupid page won’t accept my valid email address….
    L

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