Unite’s Jennie Formby has been appointed as Labour’s new General Secretary in a vote by the party’s National Executive Committee, ahead of the other shortlisted candidate, former NUT General Secretary Christine Blower. She replaces the outgoing Iain McNicol, whose resignation was announced last month.
Ms Formby, who is highly regarded, formidable and has been the target of vile smears since she announced her candidacy, clearly worries the Establishment. The imminence of her likely appointment also prompted a number of ‘centrist’ functionaries at Labour’s Southside HQ to resign yesterday, making her task of bringing Labour’s bureaucracy into line with the party’s leadership and membership that little bit more straightforward.
Ms Formby said,
The SKWAWKBOX congratulates her on her appointment and Labour on its excellent choice. There’s a major work to be done in bringing Labour’s admin structures into line with the party’s vision and direction, but the best person for the job is on the case.
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Good news (not fake!)
‘Liked’ this post to register my congratulations.
Anywhere else to do the same? Be nice to break a record 🙂
Congratulations Jennie.
And well done to the NEC. An excellent appointment.
Whoop whoop! Well done Jennie!
Great news! Long time due!! Congratulation Jennie!!! Yeeeyyy
Congratulations Jenny. Now sort out the rotten compliance unit.
Great news and hopefully we are getting ever closer to the Wind of Change coming to the UK as an example to working people around the World!
You have much to do Jenny and your team will need a large dustpan and brush.
Brilliant news at least we are moving in the right or should I say left direction. Just need to rid ourselves of the right leaning labour MP’s now.
I don’t share the unbridled enthusiasm of all the above – I’d prefer a critical welcome. For example, on the issue of Compliance – accepted the job is much more than disciplinary but it’ surely the headline issue for many members – how long will it be before we see any statement of intent? How about a message from Formby to all members this week? She’s been the shoe-in GS for 4 weeks so it’s not asking much? Hopefully, I’ll be proved wrong – we’ll see.
I can only agree with Comrades who tend not to get over enthusiastic about one person attaining a position! Of course it’s good to see a progressive move into an influential position but the proof in the pudding will be how the Paty structures are changed so that the ordinary Party member can be far more active in a democratic way and what concrete Socialist solutions will be adopted to overcome the difficulties of bureaucratic inertia and PLP treachery which have dogged the Party since at least the Blairite days where any type of socialism was junked and principles where sold for votes! The Labour Party needs to be turned into a campaigning Party with Representatives up and down it’s structure who are knowledgeable Socialist and who are not content to put up with a democracy which restrictive and a prisoner of the Rich and Powerful! Seeing this beginning to happen is so much better than waiting for some individual who climbs the greasy pole, to do things for us! Facilitating us doing things for ourselves should be the goal of such individuals!
At least there is the possibility of change now…