Labour conference sovereignty: isn’t it in the party rule book?
Despots: Keir Starmer (left) and his right-wing general secretary David Evans, have decided that Labour Party democracy only works during Conference – but none of the decisions mean anything in day-to-day business, it seems.
Apparently Keir Starmer and his gensec David Evans are changing Labour Party rules arbitrarily so they can ignore conference motions.
Here’s a link to the evidence:
Exclusive: ‘Conference only sovereign while it’s in session’ – Starmer/Evans’s excuse for ignoring motions – SKWAWKBOX https://t.co/qcJxyYGtJR
— Richard Williams (@gobbyRich) April 2, 2023
According to them – as advised to members of the NEC after this high-handed and self-entitled behaviour was questioned during a recent NEC meeting – conference is sovereign. But only when it’s actually in session.
In other words, any decision made by the representatives of Labour’s millions of union affiliates and rapidly-dwindling membership are binding – for the four or so days a year that conference actually meets. The rest of the time, Starmer and his henchpeople are free to do, say and decide whatever the hell they feel like, without regard for party democracy.
I’m pretty sure that’s not what the rule book says, but I haven’t seen a Labour Party rule book in a few years.
Also, those rules are pretty vague when you actually have to test them.
So it’s entirely possible that a court of law might find in Starmer and Evans’s favour, as one found in favour of Labour when I challenged the party for breach of contract a few years ago; the rule was too vague for me to win.
(Fortunately, the finding went in my favour in other respects, so I came out on top.)
But if Starmer and Evans really are saying decisions of the Labour Party Conference carry no weight in the day-to-day running of the party, then members have no reason to stay – because their decisions count for nothing.
And voters have no reason to support the Starmer party, because it does not respect democracy and should therefore have no opportunity to make the rules on how our national democracy works.
Right?
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