Neither ‘constructive’ nor ‘opposition’
By a northern correspondent
We reported on Facebook yesterday that Blaydon CLP on Tyneside had passed a vote of no confidence in Labour’s general secretary, David Evans, along with the whole NEC. This was against the express wishes of their Labour MP who was present in the meeting. On the same evening, across the other side of the region. Penrith and the Borders CLP also passed a resolution, and by an identically large margin, criticising Keir Starmer’s leadership. Although the resolution was clearly drafted a couple of months prior to the CLP meeting, it is nonetheless a devastating critique and we republish it in full here:
Keir Starmer’s Leadership
This CLP has become increasingly concerned about the direction and quality of the Leadership of the Labour Party.
In particular, we see little effective opposition to our disastrously incompetent Government, no significant progress with campaigning on the 10 pledges Keir Starmer made during the Party leadership election, and a worrying trend for the decisions and actions of the leadership to divisively fuel growing conflict within the Party.
This CLP believes that the following points illustrate our concerns:
*Shadow Cabinet appointments have been almost exclusively made from the right of the party, which does not reflect the membership of the Labour Party.
*Members have been banned from discussing decisions and actions of the party through heavy-handed rulings of ‘incompetent business’
*There has been a disappointing slowness in acting on the report, ‘The work of the Labour Party’s Governance and Legal Unit in relation to antisemitism, 2014-2019, The Labour Party, March, 2020’
*The decision to change the voting methods for the NEC elections was undemocratic as this would normally be a decision of conference.
*The removal of Jenny Formby and the installation of David Evans, a person with a reputation for his antagonism towards Constituency Labour Parties and those on the left of the party.
BLM a ‘moment’ not a ‘movement’
*Keir Starmer’s undermining comments on Black Lives Matter when he dismissively said that it was a ‘moment’ and not a ‘movement’
*The failure to demand the sacking of Dominic Cummings when he clearly broke lockdown rules in travelling to County Durham and also to Barnard Castle
*The failure to seek sanctions when Jacob Rees-Mogg broke Covid rules by crossing tier levels in travelling into an area designated as Tier 4
*The failure to call for an investigation into Dominic Cummings’ role in the construction of a building, without planning permission, in a conservation area and the subsequent avoidance of making Council tax payments for the building.
*Inconsistency in dealing with issues of anti-Semitism such as the failure to discipline Steve Reed, shadow local government secretary who tweeted and age-old antisemitic trope which alludes to Jewish people as puppet-masters: “Is billionaire former porn-baron Desmond the puppet-master for the entire Tory cabinet?”
Failure to tackle Islamophobia
*The failure to tackle Islamophobia and, in particular, failing to return donations to David Abrahams whose abhorrent tweets include suggestions that Muslims have ‘mixed loyalties’, that Muslim culture is ‘inherently violent’ and that Muslim youth have a propensity for suicide. He also posted in 2013, “Don’t think I know how to divide political Islam from moderates and fundamentalists”, “It is the very nature of the beast!”. The Twitter account has now been removed in a bid to avoid accountability.
*The worrying response when Jeremy Clarkson, lifelong Tory and friend of David Cameron, said that he could potentially vote for Labour with Keir Starmer. The Leader’s response was, “people are beginning to notice that Labour has changed.” This statement implies that the Labour Party is changing in a way that makes us attractive to committed Tories.
*Keir Starmer’s ‘constructive opposition’ has failed to challenge the Government’s imcompetence, corruption or flawed ideological approach in dealing with Covid and has, in reality, been an obsequiously compliant response.
Whipping Labour MPs to abstain
*The whipping of Labour MPs to abstain on the vote to approve the Overseas Operations Bill to exempt British armed forces from prosecution for war crimes by British soldiers abroad.
*The whipping of Labour MPs to abstain on the Covert Human Intelligence Sources Bill (Criminal Conduct), also known as the Spy Cops bill, which would legalise criminal acts by MI5 agents and informants in pursuit of intelligence.
*The failure to protect students, children and teaching professional. Keir Starmer refused and delayed to offer support to the National Education Union, the biggest teaching union in the UK with almost half a million members, in requesting temporary school closures because schools are “an engine for virus transmission.” Scientists have warned that keeping schools open could mean infection rates stay higher for longer.
*The failure to offer an oppositional critique of the abysmal EU deal
*The incredible disunity caused by Keir Starmer’s actions
This CLP notes that, according to a YouGov poll using data from the 3rd and 4th of November, there was a steep rise of up to 57% of voters perceiving the Labour Party to be divided. This is a significant failure for a Leader who campaigned on his pledge to unite the party.
This CLP believes that togetherness, not division, is of utmost importance for the Party to make progress and effectively challenge racism and harassment in whatever form this may take, and build an effective opposition.
Effective opposition…or make way
This CLP calls for Keir Starmer and the Leadership of the Labour Party to:
Either:
*Lead a robust and effective opposition to the Tory Government
*Take actions that clearly illustrate that the 10 pledges are being honoured and progresses
*Stop the divisive factional attacks on the left of the Party
*Appoint a Shadow Cabinet that more accurately reflects views and aspirations of all Party members
OR:
*Give consideration to making way for a leadership team that is willing and able to unite the Party around a progressive policy programme that injures the Tory Government instead of democratic socialists.
January 23, 2021
