The contest for the three additional NEC (National Executive Committee) places agreed at September’s Labour Conference in Brighton is vital for the smooth continued impetus of the Labour Party in a direction that is in line with the vision of Jeremy Corbyn and the majority of the party’s membership.
It’s essential that all three places go to the ‘slate’ supported by the grassroots left, to ensure that the newly-achieved pro-Corbyn majority, still tenuous pending the result of the Scottish leadership election, is consolidated – the loss of even one of the new places is a serious threat .
And that threat exists.
The candidacy of Momentum founder Jon Lansman has been a matter of discomfort among some pro-Corbyn members because of controversy surrounding the reorganisation of Momentum early this year. This has been reflected in the CLP (constituency Labour party) nominations for the respective ‘slates’, with Lansman lagging behind left candidates Yasmine Dar and Rachel Garnham.
And that lag has increased, as the chart below, depicting the percentage of nominations going to Lansman in each week since nominations began, shows:
Although the overall slate nominations are running at around 2:1 in favour of the left slate, a tweet by campaigns expert Charlie Mansell suggests that the overall split in nominations between the slates indicated a tighter division of the actual vote than many might expect:
If the vote is this tight, then there’s a realistic possibility that in a 3-seat election, the strongest of the ‘right’ slate might beat the weakest of the left’s – in this case, that comedian Eddie Izzard could beat Lansman.
Izzard, who achieved around 70,000 votes in the 2016 NEC election, is supported by Progress and Labour First, two organisations that Corbyn supporters consider the hard right of the party. However, the relatively low-profile nature of their support, together with the comedian’s personal popularity and his campaign statement claiming he will support Jeremy Corbyn, may persuade some Corbyn supporters to swing behind his campaign.
Possibly – based on available indicators so far – enough to threaten Lansman’s chances, especially if turnout is low.
The SKWAWKBOX has already endorsed the full left grassroots slate of candidates, including Jon Lansman. For any who are considering a vote for Izzard, it’s essential to remember that the impending NEC vote is far from being simply about the candidates involved.
Whatever the personal qualities of any candidate – and Lansman’s are substantial regardless of the history of Momentum – this election is about strengthening or weakening the power of Jeremy Corbyn to carry through the vision for the Labour Party and for the country that have so inspired his supporters.
A vote for any but the left-slate candidates – Dar, Garnham and Lansman – will be a vote to weaken that ability. Any members who are behind the Labour leader cannot afford the indulgence or distraction of a protest vote or to be dazzled by the celebrity status of a candidate from the other slate.
The big picture – the vision and the goal of a Labour Party in step with its leader and members for the good of the country – is far too important.
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You think the only objection to lansman is the reorganisation of momentum? And that there are two factions in the Labour Party? Personally I’m fed up of both Progress and momentums drive to get their ‘people’ into influential positions within the party. It still amounts to the same thing, not your abilities or what you can do for the party but who your mates are.
This isn’t why I voted for Corbyn twice in fact it was quite the opposite it was the hope that he would restore some sort of democracy to the party and an opening up of positions to real people not the same careerists over and over again.
The difference between ‘Progress people’ and ‘Momentum people’ is Momentum people are ‘Corbyn people’.
In order for Corbyn to win and more importantly to stay as the Peoples PM for more than one term and implement the kind of policies that we need that will take more than one term is to have everyone behind him and that just does not mean the membership but all the operations that go on behind the scenes like the NEC, CAC CLP’s and all the rest.
Only that will make a governing party very hard to penetrate and break as indeed that is what we have been fighting and winning with Labour Right
The objections to Lansman isn’t just the reorganisation of Momentum. He promisedidn’t OMOV, but then he ignored the members and nominated the two candidates and himself.
We are trying to rid the NEC of corruption, but then we get Lansman behaving in exactly the same way. It isn’t too late, he should step down and let someone else nominated. If Corbyn fails to secure the 3 candidates, it’ll be Lansman to blame.
I, with a very heavy heart have nominated him and I hope he never again abuses his friendship (with friends like him who needs enemies ) with Corbyn and put him in such a nasty corner.
completely agree. He should stand down.
Anyone considering voting for Eddie Izzard should remember he supported Andy Burnham for Leader and Jim Murphy in Scotland, i.e he probably can’t be relied upon to support Jeremy Corbyn.
For those thinking of voting izzard: ‘because he’s on the telly’ (And there WILL be some thinking about that)
Just remember what you’re getting (or have had) from the so-called ‘celebrities’ such as de piero & cashman for example. Utter failures, the both…
(At this point it wouldn’t be out of keeping to mention fester mcvile, regardless of it’s party affiliation)
Want more of that? No – I didn’t think so. Vote Lansman, then.
Reblogged this on Jaffer's blog.
Reblogged this on Hercules space.
AS MUCH AS I LIKE EDDY IZARD I WOULD NOT VOTE FOR HIM!
IF HE WON, I WOULD HOPE THE LANGUAGE HE USES, WILL BE AN ASSET TO THE LEFT?
TO STUPPORT JEREMY ALONG WITH HIS TEAM!
MY VOTE WILL BE LANSMAN!
I have not received Voting Papers yet – who do I contact to get them? Or am I not eligible for this vote as I live in Hampshire?
It’s a national vote, but the ballots are not due out until the end of this month. See here for the schedule: https://skwawkbox.org/2017/10/23/schedule-for-nec-clp-nominations-and-ballots/
Thanks for the information – I will look out for the Voting Papers!
If Eddie Izzard wishes to act as a useful idiot for the right wing of the Labour Party that is his business.
A person with integrity who discovered they were being supported by groups which have done nothing but attack the membership and leadership of the Labour Party for the last two years would drop out of the race.
Let us see if Eddie has any integrity.
Why is there this hang up with democracy within Momentum? Who cares if Lansman runs an autocratic ship? It is a bloody effective movement and without it Corbyn would still be on the back benches. Momentum is a pressure group, NOT a political party. Do we ask the likes of 38 degrees, War on Want, Greenpeace if they are organised and run on democratic principles? Of course not, get off Lansman’s back, he had the vision to realise for Corbyn succeed he would need help from outside the Blair obsessed, centre ground PLP. He put his money where his mouth is. He deserves our backing now.
I’ll probably vote for Lansman, but can’t avoid the satisfaction feeling for this demcoracy buster and his arrogant bossism had to have a piece of the humble pie.
Those interested in the left slate should write say a 1,000-2,000 word statement and then let the left OMOV pick the slate. I have confidence in my IDEAS and actually applied for the Left NEC slate (2,500 words needed in 1.5 days!) but thought why am I applying to this secrect group? Though not happy with this process as a left wing democratic socialist I would argue we need to be grown up and nominate these 3 and elect them or it will be a Right NEC rep sneaking in which WON’T help JC. So vote for the Left slate but old left, you need to learn to let go. And to misquote an old Rolling Stone song, “This must be the last time.” Solidarity!
The 3 on the left slate were chosen by a panel of 80 not Lansman! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1010733358982883/permalink/1595517570504456/
Daphne, we are both socialists and ProCorbyn but you miss the point. The Left Slate should have been chosen by the 30,000 Momentum members and not top down by 80 of the Great and Good of the Left thank you very much who at a stroke metamorphosed into Bourgeois socialists. You see, the danger is like the Right Wing Labour MPs in Labour we are treated like children. Perhaps we all need to learn to be left wing, grassroots, bottom up, participatory, democratic socialists. To quote from the Stones song (to the old Left): “I’ve told you once and I’ve told you twice, but you will not listen to my advice. This could be the last time..”
Solidarity!
I’m one of the pro Corbyn members that doesn’t want lansman on the NEC. But more than that, I want to have non slate candidates in the election. At some point fractionalism has to end, we aren’t quite there but if every contest is a pure progress v momentum fight with no other candidates able to stand the party will get torn apart. I’m also really ducking annoyed by the nomination of Eddie Izzard, those seats were to represent ordinary members, there’s lots of things you can say about Eddie and most of them good but he’s a celebrity not an ordinary member. Right now I feel that both fractions are treating the ordinary members like cannon fodder
Candidates only need 5 nominations to get on the ballot, at this point all six slate candidates have the required nominations so more nominations for any of those six does nothing but prevent non slate candidates getting enough nominations to reach the ballot.
At the moment @sarahistorygirl has 3 nominations and needs two more. She is a disability campaigners and part of project125. Please consider getting your CLP to nominate her
@pat4NEC has one nomination and needs 4 more, he’s young, 20 I think. He is standing emphatically as a non slate candidate although he does seem like he could quite easily fit on the left slate. He makes a big thing of his age, pointing out that there aren’t any youngsters on the NEC
There are other folk standing, all have the same problem of being drowned out by fractionalism, they all deserve a chance to make a pitch to the membership.
This is not surprising. It isn’t just the circumstances around the Momentum coup that gives people pause for thought there are a number of other matters that suggest JL’s agenda, to the extent that it is clear, is really only about JL and not the wider interests of the party. The election process of the left slate was itself highly suspect, giving as it did a mere 24 hours notice to candidates to prepare their applications. This was then followed by an equally opaque selection process resulting in – surprise surprise – the nomination of Lansman – and his Momentum deputy, who did not subsequently go through. There is then the matter of support for (or lack of it in Momentum’s case) of Moshe Machover, a matter that went right to the heart of the anti-Semitism furore in Labour which was designed solely to undermine Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the party. We are therefore being asked to vote for a man whose credentials for openess are dubious to say the least, whose opposition to Israel is in doubt and overall for someone (who will in effect will preside over a Momentum bloc vote on the NEC) who’s views and motivations are equally unclear. The certain election of Richard Leonard as leader of Scottish Labour plus Far & Garnam will deliver the NEC needed, accordingly I will vote for A N Other JC supporting candidate as an alternative to Lansman.
Yes, correct. There are certain contraindications against Lansman, one of the most important being his self admitted closeness to Jeremy Newmark in the JLM. This Zionist group is implacable in its opposition to Jeremy Corbyn and compromises Lansman as a Corbyn supporter. Other than Izzard, there should have been a more ‘reliable’ alternative to Lansman on the slate.
Anyone voting for anyone other than lansman is making a big mistake , and threatens something far worse than any threat lansman might present – an izzard, or worse still, a baxter.
Jon Lansman, Momentum chair, on Ken Livingstone: “all political lives end in failure and he should now depart voluntarily”. I’m reminded of “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.” Vote Dar, Garnham and write in Livingstone.
Are International Members able to vote? If so, where is my ballot paper?