Last month, Luke Akehurst’s Labour First (LF) put out a call to its mailing list to vote for right-wing candidates for the two positions up for grabs on each of two vital committees: the Conference Arrangements Committee (CAC) and National Constitutional Committee (NCC):
The NCC deals primarily with disciplinary matters (an area in which Labour currently has serious problems) and the CAC controls the agenda for Labour’s national Conference each year – unglamorous-sounding but extremely important.
Akehurst – rightly – recognises the importance of these positions to Labour’s direction and is furiously organising – along with his employed ‘organiser’, Matt Pound – to try to win these positions for the right-wing faction.
Oops.
Also last month, Akehurst’s own CLP – Oxford East – voted on which candidates to support would get its supporting nomination: Akehurst’s ‘slate’ as its known – or the grassroots, left-wing slate of Seema Chandwani and Billy Hayes for CAC, Emine Ibrahim and Anna Dyer for NCC. You can just imagine how hard Akehurst – and probably Pound as well – worked to secure Oxford East’s nomination for their preferred candidates.
Oxford East voted for all of the left slate candidates.
LF’s ‘master organiser’ couldn’t organise a result in his own CLP. Mind you, last month his local members also voted him off as Membership Secretary, so it’s disappointment on disappointment for Mr Akehurst.
A couple of the candidates couldn’t resist thanking Mr Akehurst for his effectiveness in driving the vote toward them:
Wow thanks @lukeakehurst am sure it was your vote that made the difference 😉 https://t.co/IAbk4NqWG6
— Emina Ibrahim (@Emina_ibrahim) April 12, 2017
((Hugs)) @lukeakehurst your CLP nominated me for CAC tonight… Is it true you spoke for me? 'She's my fave lefty, I just adore her' << 😘
— Seema Chandwani #StayAtHome (@SeemaChandwani) April 12, 2017
This is only a small part of the battle, though. The actual election of the members of these CAC is on a ‘one member one vote’ basis, while NCC is decided by delegate vote at this year’s Conference – yet another reason we need the best delegates at Conference.
The left has far greater numbers in the Labour Party – but if left-wing members don’t understand how important the positions are, or which candidates they need to support and organise accordingly, then the right could still carry it.
So it’s essential to spread the word – and to vote for the four candidates shown in bold text above when you receive your voting papers.
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