By Left Horizons correspondents
Dozens of Constituency Labour Parties all over the country are defying the ban imposed by general secretary, David Evans, on discussing Jeremy Corbyn’s suspension from the Parliamentary party. In some cases, CLPs have even passed motions of no confidence in the general secretary himself. Even Tony Blair’s former constituency of Sedgefield, has passed a resolution objecting to the behaviour of the Labour leadership.
One of the latest to defy the diktats of Evans is Nottingham East CLP, where, at a meeting on Friday, a resolution was passed in solidarity with Corbyn. The Labour MP, Nadia Whittome, attempted to stop the resolution being taken, but she was overruled by the chair and a vote of those present agreed to take the motion. Within fifteen minutes of the end of the meeting, the chair, Louise Rogan, had been suspended from the Labour party. Louise is a well-known member of the National Education Union, an active supporter of the Palestinian movement and she was elected to the position of National Equalities Officer. Her suspension from the Party is a disgrace.
Allegations made after the meeting
Also subsequent to the meeting, it is being alleged that the meeting made a Jewish member so uncomfortable that he was “forced to leave”, or more accurately, since it was an on-line meeting, forced to log off. In an article in the Nottingham Post, Labour MP Nadia Whittome claimed that “The atmosphere and tone of the meeting that proceeded was wholly unacceptable, leading to a Jewish member of the Labour party feeling they had no choice but to leave the meeting”.
To put the record straight, we reprint below the full text of a statement from some members of Nottingham East CLP who were at that meeting:
We are members and delegates of Nottingham East CLP who were present at the meeting on Friday 27th November, held on Zoom. We wish to express our solidarity with our Chair, Louise Regan, who was suspended from the Labour Party within 15 minutes of the end of the meeting. We also wish to correct some misleading statements about the meeting currently circulating on social media – including that of our MP Nadia Whittome.
Strongly-held views
There were different – strongly held – views expressed on whether we should hear the motion that called for Corbyn’s reinstatement, the lifting of disciplinary measures from others for discussing the issues as well as for the removal of David Evans, General Secretary of the Labour Party. Nevertheless, the meeting was conducted throughout with respect for all speakers – with one notable exception, described below.
All who wished to speak in the debate, both for and against, were given the opportunity to do so – and many did – such that our invited speaker volunteered to return at a future meeting. Several Jewish members gave their perspectives including many in favour. The leader of Nottingham City Council spoke against the motion being heard. Speakers also included our MP – who spoke twice against hearing the motion – despite not being a member of our CLP. At one point there were 58 participants, not all of whom were delegates able to vote.
Meeting conducted fairly and respectfully
It is a credit to the Chair that the meeting was conducted fairly and respectfully with such a contentious issue. Members were asked to keep themselves muted unless they were called on to speak so that there was no sound interference when people were speaking. It should be noted that all the functions of the Zoom meeting, such as muting, were under the control of the Secretary and not the Chair.
There was only one interruption during the meeting. This arose when one member stated that in his personal experience, he had never witnessed any antisemitism in any of our meetings. As he continued with his personal view, another member shouted out – in a manner that some found to be aggressive – that he himself had suffered personal, antisemitic abuse from the person speaking, who was taken aback and stated that this wasn’t true; the Chair intervened and tried to calm things down.
No anti-Semitic behaviour
At this point the member who had interrupted declared that he no longer felt safe at the meeting and left. Members were stunned by this exchange, and the ensuing statement from the member saying he did not feel safe, followed by his exit. The atmosphere of the meeting immediately became tense and uncomfortable and many were very upset by it.
It should be noted that there had been no anti-Semitic behaviour or language at the meeting. Several members then spoke of their concern for the member who had left and the Chair stated that she had reached out to him to check that he was OK.
When all who wanted to speak had done so, a vote was proposed and seconded and the delegates voted on whether to hear the motion. This was carried overwhelmingly by 22 votes for to 9 against. The meeting then proceeded as per the agenda and on the suspension of standing orders to allow more time. The motion was presented to the meeting, with delegates voting that it should be under the condition of one person being allowed to speak in favour of the motion and one person against. The motion went to a vote and was carried by 23 votes in favour to 10 against
Journalist hostile to Corbyn
Additional concerns have arisen by the discovery that someone present was sending out live information – including members’ names – to a journalist known to be hostile to Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters, who was live tweeting this information. It has also been noted that the member who left has changed his narrative on social media to stating that the member he accused had ‘witnessed an anti-Semitic attack’ on him rather than had attacked him personally.
All Labour Party meetings should be conducted in a safe environment where all members’ views can be expressed without fear of attack, either within or without the meeting. Louise Regan chaired our meeting in exemplary fashion throughout and we call for her reinstatement, along with all those who are facing disciplinary action for merely discussing issues of democracy and due process within the Party, as expressly affirmed in the EHRC report and in accordance with the Human Rights Act. Nadia joined others in saying thanks to Matt and Louise for the way they had conducted the meeting.
David Evans second round of ‘advice’
This account of the meeting and the contrast with the views of Nadia Whittome afterwards give a clue to the way the right wing of the Labour Party is seeking to stifle free discussion and debate. According to an article in The Guardian (November 27) David Evans wrote to CLPs a second time to say that any motions questioning the EHRC’s finding were “not competent business for branches or CLPs” (a phrase not found anywhere in Labour’s rule book).
He goes on to say the following: “I am aware that other motions (including expressions of solidarity, and matters relating to the internal processes of the PLP) are providing a flashpoint for the expression of views that undermine the Labour party’s ability to provide a safe and welcoming space for all members, in particular our Jewish members…therefore, all motions which touch on these issues will also be ruled out of order.”
Finally, he added: “Please rest assured that when I took up post as general secretary I had no desire at all to hamper discussion by our local parties, but until we can improve our culture, such restrictions may be required to stay in place.”
Rules being invented and changed
This sinister e-mail and the behaviour of Labour’s right wing in Nottingham East show the way that rules are being invented and the normal procedures of the Labour Party changed beyond all recognition, so that discussion can be stifled. What “culture” is it exactly that Evans is promoting? It is one in which it only needs one person to claim that they are “offended” or “intimidated” by a point of view – even in an on-line meeting – for that discussion to be banned.
It is the experience of the overwhelming majority of Labour members that anti-Semitism is not something they have experienced at all in Labour meetings. But are we now to expect that references to “Israel” or “capitalism” or even “greedy bankers” will be ruled out of order because they evoke alleged anti-Semitic ‘tropes’?
Angela Raynor’s chilling speech
Deputy Leader, Angela Raynor, speaking at a joint meeting of the ‘Jewish Labour Movement’ and Labour Friends of Israel – on Palestinian Memorial Day, of all days – played up to her audience by threatening to expels thousands of Party members.
Ironically, throwing her weight behind a witch-hunt of Party members may not save Raynor herself. She is on a hit list drawn up by the so-called Campaign Against Anti-Semitism, for having the temerity to share an article by the respected Jewish, anti-Zionist academic, Norman Finkelstein, author of The Holocaust Industry.
Profiteering and looting
We are at a serious juncture in the life of the Labour Party. The Tory Government are presiding over the greatest profiteering and looting from the public purse since the Second World War, and the Labour opposition to it is utterly feeble.
While working class people are facing a tightening of austerity over the coming months; while workers, small business-people and the self-employed are being pushed over the edge without financial support in Covid lockdowns, where is the Labour Opposition? Answer – it is keeping all its powder dry to attack the left of its own Party.
The end result – when Labour ought to be twenty points ahead in the polls – is that Labour and Keir Starmer personally are languishing in the polls. If the Tories have nothing to offer the big majority of people, the Tory-lite approach of Labour’s right wing is little better.
Keir Starmer, Angela Raynor and David Evans think they have all the cards in their hands. But what can they offer ordinary workers, besides a campaign against the left disguised as a campaign against anti-Semitism? Nothing. They will find that history is definitely not on their side and will not be kind to them. The left will fight on; it will not be silenced, and it will win.
November 30, 2020
