CWU general secretary Dave Ward has written to all leadership and deputy leadership candidates before CWU decides which it will support
The Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) has today written to all Labour leadership candidates with a set of questions it wants them to answer before it decides which candidates it will recommend to its branches.
The letter poses questions to the hopefuls on three key areas of policy and vision – crucially including how they intend to increase the number of working-class parliamentary candidates ‘rooted in their communities’. And while some of the questions are specific to the workers the CWU represents, many are not:
As a declared candidate for the position of [Leader/Deputy Leader], I wanted to write to you to set out the Communication Workers Union’s nomination process. We will be holding an extensive democratic engagement with our branches over the coming weeks and it will be this process that ultimately decides who will be nominated for this position by the CWU.
As part of this process, we are writing to all candidates with a series of questions that we would invite you to reply to. The answers to these questions will be used at our National Executive meeting on the 28th January where the Union’s leadership will agree which candidate will be recommended to our branches at a special decision- making forum on the 30th January.
If successfully elected to the position you have applied for, we would like to know:
1. Policy
– Are you committed to the direction on Labour’s 2017 and 2019 manifestos – are there any specific manifesto policies which you would want to change or amend?
– Do you support the renationalisation of Royal Mail?
– Do you support the introduction of a publicly owned national post bank?
– What are you views on a Labour Party strategy to support our members in the telecoms and financial services industries, including the policy of universal broadband and renationalisation of relevant parts of BT?
– Are you committed to repealing the existing Trade Union Act and how would you support Trade Union organisation and values being reasserted across the world of work?
– Given the passing of the withdrawal agreement, how will you respond to the ongoing Brexit negotiations?
– What would your top 3 priorities be if you were elected as [Leader/Deputy]?2. Media and Engagement
It is critical in our view that Labour develops a more robust communications and media strategy.
– How would you improve the overall communications of the Labour Party?
– How would you use the media to convince the electorate Labour is ready to govern at the next election?
– How would you increase our influence with the mainstream media?
– Would you work to grow a new media in the UK?
– Would you implement a dynamic and engaging social media strategy and what steps would you take to achieve this?3. The Party
What sort of internal strategy would you pursue regarding the democratisation of the Labour Party? Including;
– How would you make local CLP meetings more dynamic?
– How would you involve members and trade unions more?
– What would your approach to annual conference be?
– How would you encourage more working class candidates rooted in their communities to stand for parliament?
The CWU has asked all candidates to respond no later than 24 January, so that it can present their answers to it’s National Executive Committee on 28 Jan and to a special forum of branch delegates on 30 Jan.
Labour members could do far worse than to emulate CWU and put these and similar questions to the candidates who will be asking for their vote.
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I’d just add ;
“Are you frightened of the Israel Lobby, or will you work to counter its influence? Will you work for the right of return of the Palestinian people?”
This is the most important question by far. Support of the BoD Quislings will spell the end of our democratic Labour Party. These people are not fit to be members of our party let alone leaders. Corbyn gave them free reign out of a sense of fairness and integrity. Look where that got him and us.The circa 300k new Corbynista? members didn’t join for this.
These are people of no principle, chancers one and all. Its plain for all to see where their loyalties lie. Appeasement of Hitler didn’t work and it won’t work with the racists at the BoD and their Tory cronies. Once again see what they did to Corbyn Jackie.Chris,Tony and Marc et al.They are still at it with the help of group of racist scum who spend their time watching the gang rape of a British citizen in Cyprus and cheering the rapists on. This is an indication of the type of person they are in cahoots with if anyone has any doubt. Many of them convicted thugs who enjoy the support of the BDL among other fascist groups.
Members open your Fin eyes before it’s too late you won’t get another chance this millennium if we allow this to pass. Look at the background of the leadership cabal. Mendacious egotistical expenses junkies or apologists for extra judicial murder that refuse to take responsibility for their actions and disastrous change of policy in GE 19. I judge a candidates worth by their loyalty generosity of spirit and solidarity to their comrades win or lose. Not one of this shower of leadership candidates has shown a single one of these qualities. Indeed to capitulate to the demands of the agents of a foreign state that engages in systematic murder of indigenous people on their own land is beyond political or personal cowardice.
The membership should remember also they work for us not the other way round see Tony Benn’s) thoughts on this. As I see it the only way to make our voice heard is not to vote for any of the BoD cowards.
This will delegitimize the result and enable a vote of no confidence in the result to be called by the membership. It would also put paid to their arrogant sense of entitlement as incumbent MPs.
Conversely if the majority of the membership vote for Richard we could ensure what is a massive protest vote by the membership against the PLP BoD cabal. I can see no reason why our choice of deputy should not be supported by 100k whilst the quislings choice for leader would be in the low 10k or less if the vote is spread.
Of course this will require vigorous rebuttal of the smears and lies directed at or own people. Ed Balls cowardly mendacious smears and lies directed at Chris Williamson being a case in point.
Join the campaign don’t vote for any of the BoD stooges.
Free broadband was with WASPI women spend8ng committments that took us off the fiscally prudent cliff
Broadband s/be charged at a basic rate
WASPI s/be means tested until court process is complete
No meat on MSM and toilet papers
No response to vexatious claims of AS
CWU weak on major issues
Doug theres nothing fiscally prudent regarding cheating old ladys out of their pensions.We should not fall into the trap of tory speak when there is plenty of money for tax breaks and missiles…solidarity!
Doug spouted his male chauvinist dismissal of the blatant pension robbery of women in their sixties before, Joseph – then denied that that was his view when challenged . Yet here he is again smugly mansplaining that the WASPI women will just have to do without (because that is the situation – there is no ‘means tested’ substitute funding available for most WASPI women, Doug) There is no question that Osborne simply carried out a straight robbery of the vulnerable women in the WASPI pension cohort – who had planned their retirements around the previous phased-in pension age. Many (particularly single women) have been plunged into hardship by the , without due warning, raising of their pension age.
Doug thinks compensation for having your lifelong pension expectation robbed is equivalent to the daft ‘free broadband’ policy !! Shame on him.
OK
You gentleman can do anything you want,
WASPI, Broadband, free shares, Trident, HS2, Hinckley, Crossrail2, Heathrow, Reverse Welfare cuts, Nationalised industries, Green Industrial Revolution, Investment Banks, Regional Banks, £10 minimum wage, and on and on and on
As long as YOU are prepared to pay for it,
If there had been the corresponding tax rises for all of the beneficiaries of all this free stuff then you might have a leg to stand on
Meanwhile back in the real world it tipped us over into fantasy economics
Politicians are employed to make these choices,
As for my alleged misogyny you need to look at those areas I support, where I would spend Limited resources, which overwhelmingly benefit women more than men
There is nowt free in this life, my argument is we build from the bottom up, any spare spondooly goes where it has the maximum benefit
WASPI was a straight forward electoral bribe which backfired quite spectacularly when the women themselves were saying ‘surely that money could be better spent elsewhere’
What say you Santa and his favourite leprechaun
Doug! The WASPI Women were NOT & I repeat NOT saying the money could be spent elsewhere, stop reading the gutter press, as a Waspi woman I can assure you some were even saying it wasn’t enough, do get your facts straight before spouting off.
Doug, the man who still obstinately thinks robbing 60+ women of their previous pension rights is OK, and Labour’s promised compensation was ‘just an electoral bribe , like free broadband’ now simply lies that ‘the WASPI women’ somehow collectively agreed that ‘ surely that money could be better spent elsewhere’ ! How on earth could such a diverse group of pension-robbed women express this view, Doug ? They couldn’t .
You are simply trying to excuse your crass male-chauvinist lack of concern for the very real hardship experienced by huge numbers of these older women , particularly single women without private pensions, robbed, without adequate prior notice, of their expected pensions and retirement age. Shame on you. Smug male chauvinism still lurks more widely than could be hoped on the supposed ‘Left’ !”
And for those WASPI women who have been found fit to work by a corrupt benefits system it is almost certainly a death sentence,
Never ever try and teach your granny how to suck eggs, over 20 years in the free advice sector, I dont need your sanctimonious
bleatings,
I have said those with most affected should be compensated and their pensions reinstated, but I care not a jot about Theresa May and others getting over £30,000 when the money could be better spent elsewhere
If you seriously dont think finding £58 billion down the couch weeks before a GE was dubious then bless your cotton socks, why did we not at the very least wait for the legal process to exhaust itself,
MONUMENTAL FUCKUP
Doug – WASPI was a straight forward electoral bribe which backfired quite spectacularly when the women themselves were saying ‘surely that money could be better spent elsewhere’ Did we really day that and when? So that’s what we were demonstrating for, I didn’t know, and crowd funding court cases.
Oh, and the money could be better spent elsewhere – like your pet project – the royal boys, they need a lot of help and sympathy, (the impression from your previous posts) . You can do that, I am more concerned with those forced to use food banks, 50s women included.
As regards the pensions robbery, they have cunningly used ‘divide and rule’and you have been sucked into it. They plan to do away with thecstate pension, why else would they introduce privately run workplace pensions? So you ard next.
Sorry tothe spelling police but done in a hurry as I tried three times to post my comment.
Carlene
Bringing down the class system, MSM and toilet papers in one fell swoop,
What’s not to like
Great questions. Cant wait to see how the centrists will answer .
They’ll already have their best people working on the answers.
A Proper Trade Union with Proper Leadership and Sensible Members unlike The Unite Trade Union who like Lansman and the Tory Government made an Autocratic decision SCABS
Only three questions – good. Each question quite involved – not so good. No word limit attached. Candidates will be getting questions from everywhere. Labour International is debating its own. Three short yes/no questions at start has been suggested to help voters filter (will they religiously read all the statements?). Then a short list of key fuller questions.
I am sure media can be answered in one “total capitulation” And communication,….err whats that?.The party…..well being moderate them leftys get no say and in case they get delusions we’ll have out by xmass…..And policys….don’t mention it !.
you mean have them out by Hanikkah i think 🙂
What about asking them if they will review the cases, of all those suspended or expelled from the LP during the witch hunt but disallow any member of the JLM or the LFOI from having a say the decision? – no one should be a judge in their own cause.
Will you, as leader or deputy leader, campaign to reverse Labour’s support for Trident replacement and will you support the U K signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Prohibition_of_Nuclear_Weapons
Tony – Thankyou. Britain’s nuclear defence budget 1.3 billion ovef budget. No cuts there. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51052124
………..& will you welcome Chris Williamson back into the Labour Party?
Which one will refuse to lie from teeth and backside to win ?