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Video: Labour’s most expert elected disciplinary official shut down for saying rule changes ‘unsafe’

Shameful treatment of Dyer can’t mask reality of danger of making NEC – in reality Evans – judge, jury and executioner

National Constitutional Committee (NCC) chair Anna Dyer was, until a legally dangerous package of rules was passed this evening as a result of a grubby backroom deal between the Labour right and their union management allies, Labour’s most senior and expert elected officer in the party’s disciplinary process.

As she came to the platform to speak on the changes and describe why they are so dangerous, she was shamefully shut down by the centrist conference chair, who first told her she could only make one ‘final’ point – and then cut across her to shut her down as she tried to make it:

The same chair then admitted he was abusing his position by giving his own opinion that the rule changes were ‘long overdue’ – it’s not a chair’s position to tell delegates how they should be voting – but he had already abused it long before that. The chairing of conference sessions by various chairs has been one of many scandals of this conference.

But for all the grubby deals, gerrymandering, suspension of left delegates and outright nonsense told to conference delegates by right-wing officials who should know better and certainly owe a better duty of transparency to assembled delegates, Ms Dyer’s point stands. As it should, given she has intimate knowledge of the quasi-judicial and legally sound processes that applied before the Labour right started to water down the role of the NCC long before now:

Having one body – and in reality one official – as judge, jury and executioner in control of the whole process and able to handpick supposedly ‘independent’ disciplinary boards is dangerous, shady and an absolute scam that deprives Labour members of even a semblance of real justice.

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58 comments

  1. Perhaps the first moment of transparency in all of this is to see how the Labour right follow the neoliberal script by trying to make politics nothing more than performance art.
    It is quite possible that this could be the moment when the impossible becomes necessary and therefore something to aim for.
    The gerrymandering and stitchups make it so much easier to see who the enemy really is.
    Its time to get something done.

    1. Kudus 57 – Yes Breaking News! Latest Neo-Liberal Tory Performance Suspending competition and market re current fuel crisis – Co-operation To Trump Market Ha! Ha!
      Oh on this post is Right Wing Labour being advised by Myanmar Military/Putin/Erdogan/North Korean CP?
      Labour members withdraw your Labour and union members kick the Right Leaders at the top out!

      1. In 2005 82yr old Walter Wolfgang was ruffed up and ejected from conference for shouting “rubbish” at Jack Straw – at least the media were wiling to cover it in those days.
        We’ve now had Anna Dyer and countless Walter Wolfgang-type incidents during conference and in its run-up, not least the recent expulsion of JVL’s Leah Levane.
        Not a word from the media on this and – indicative of disillusionment with the Press – no one is surprised!
        The drift towards fascism continues.

    2. Don’t suppose anyone has a link to footage of Starmer blanking the young lady enquiring abou the green new deal?

      Apparently he acted as if she wasn’t there. Massive contrast compared to the previous leader.

      Still, that little bit more evidence that labour doesn’t deserve your vote. Undecided? Mull over the karma of Starmers labour losing even more seats. Seems quite fitting, especially when media hostility or lack thereof is taken into account.

      Also the possibility that a massive, massive defeat would return the party to the left (for a while anyway).

      1. You will find it on the twitter feed of @AyoCaeser, retweeted by @CornishDamo and on many other decent people’s feed. You could search for “Green New Deal Rising.” Okay? Or do you still need a link?

        Also, off topic: I see the tories (which are all scum not just ministers) plan to reduce by £800 the starting salary at which people will have to pay back student loans!

        I never went to university (had no chance) but I will always believe lifelong learning should be free!

      2. @CornishDamo @KernowDamo

        (Sorry again, I don’t know what’s wrong with me today!)

      3. Much appreciated Richard. I agree with your comment on education also. We are nothing if we do not invest in our future. Our kids.

        Funny you should mention the kids being fleeced. I’ve just been reading a rather heavy article about how the US and UK versions of the kulaks are about to be tucked up by the ruling classes. Something about having a negative sum economy (having no choice but to take from others).

        The article ended with a question. Who do you think is available, politically, to manage such a situation without it derailing spectacularly? I see no one here in the UK.

        This “plan” explains a little more about why Corbyn was attacked so much by so many…

    1. It was a ‘Mark’ … I think it was Mark Fergusson, Head of UNISON Labour Link and Labour NEC member who used to edit Labour List .

  2. It is difficult to see how it can be any worse than the current discredited system.

    1. Once again, for the benefit of the cognitively challenged steveH: The problem is not the system. The problem is the misapplication through gerrymandering and manipulation of whatever system is in place by malevolent actors.

      Of which people like SteveH are an integral part. Pushing as they are this deliberately false and misleading narrative.

  3. as a result of a grubby backroom deal between the Labour right and their union management allies,

    Which union(‘s) management?? Although it wouldn’t need Sherlock to work it out…

  4. “Having one body – and in reality one official – as judge, jury and executioner in control of the whole process and able to handpick supposedly ‘independent’ disciplinary boards is dangerous, shady and an absolute scam that deprives Labour members of even a semblance of real justice.”
    Hear hear.
    Also, as far as I’m concerned the ehrc is itself totally compromised for taking issue against Corbyn for ‘interference’: trying to speed up cases, and failing to mention said cases had been stonewalled. Plus ignoring Starmer/Evans many instances of interference.

    1. The current EHRC is a political stitch up that favours the Tories and those like the Labour right who trade in falsehoods and racism for factional purposes.
      The president of the BOD was at it today in the Observer. Check the Grauniad website.
      Is any other political party subject to external interference like Labour?
      This suits the right, who think the rules are for “other people”.

      1. Don’t just do that, speak to all your friends and make the promise that you will never vote labour while they are a clone of the tories.

        I’ve been speaking on the phone with my friends (and they’ve been contacting their friends) and none of them intend to vote labour ever again!

      2. Joseph, I have already cancelled my Direct Debit. Needless to say that while Starmer’s stays as leader I will not vote Labour unless the candidate is a socialist.

      3. Maria I know that it must have been a difficult decission for you,but it is the only solution to do something about these people who have hijacked the Labour party and have done it in a formidable and utterly ruthless way. Solidarity and the struggle continues..!

  5. Ive just watched recording of JVL organised fringe event
    “Labour In Crisis – Tackling Racism in the Party”
    I had my name down for video link
    but it would not work.

    Discussions and talks were completely overshadowed by the
    news of the expulsion of Leah Levane co-chair of JVL from the Labour Party.
    Her delegates pass which was working yesterday was disabled overnight.

    Examples of racism were related to BLM, Islamophobia, Gypsy Romany
    and Traveller discrimination and of course
    the expulsion of Jewish people from the Labour Party. Speakers
    gave examples of these forms of racism being ignored by the Labour
    Party. The Forde report and its absence was talked mentioned ..

    This is a summary of contributions from speakers from the floor –
    who had attended the EHRC debate :
    (1) The speaker complained that there should have been an
    organised response from left wing Labour members – but there was not;
    (2) The program was such that the reference to EHRC on the agenda
    was in teeny writing and easily missed
    (3) There was an ugly hostile environment in the hall where people
    felt intimidated
    (4) IN some cases there was gerrymandering from CLPs as to
    which delegate was chosen.

    What was only said in passing was the fact of many delegates being
    suspended by the Labour Party a few days before the Conference.
    Though obviously Leah was unable to speak

    The event was well worth watching – but depressing. I can only say
    that there is a LOT going on under the radar from CLPs ..

    1. I am absolutely horrified by the truly disgusting treatment of Leah. It reminds me of how the late Walter Wolfgang, an elderly Jewish man was man handled out of the Conference hall around 2005 for daring to heckle Jack Straw over Iraq.
      Leah is the latest victim of the ongoing purge of Jews from the Labour party yet the silence from the Board of Deputies about these mass expulsions is deafening Likewise the Campaign Against Antisemitism- not a word from them either. If they are genuinely concerned about antisemitism they would speak out and condemn the Starmer and his henchmen for their appalling treatment of our Jewish brothers and sisters. Shame on them for failing to do so.

      1. Smartboy, the silence is so deafening and my Jewish friends have always regarded Jeremy Corbyn as a comrade and a benefit to their communities.

        When I meet up with them I always get told how right-wing the BoD & CAAS actually is – and it terrifies me!

      2. Was reportedly threatened under anti-terrorism legislation if he tried to re-enter the conference hall!

      3. Reply from Richard Timfrom and Tony
        All decent people whatever their race religion or political affiliation consider antisemitism vile and disgusting. That our party is expelling Jews wholesale is clearly antisemitic and the politics of these Jews should be irrelevant to the Board of Deputies and the Campaign Against Antisemitism if both these bodies are genuinely concerned about antisemitism in Labour,
        I know Timfrom is being ironic when he mentions the wrong type of Jew but thats what is happening here and it is probably the most worrying aspect of all this. It means that its OK to hound some Jews ( mostly elderly)out of the party. Then what- do we turn a blind eye if they are harassed on the street, beaten up, lose their homes, lose their lives? In Nazi Germany one of the first sanctions against Jews was their removal from political office – this is what has happened to Leah Levane. We are on a very slippery slope in my opinion.
        I call upon the Board of Deputies and the Campaign Against Antisemitism to show solidarity with all Jews and object to the expulsion of Jews from the party irrespective of their political opinion- Socialist or Anti Zionists or Orthodox (Charedi ?)Jews (who disagree with the existence of the State of Israel for theological reasons.) If they fail to do so then they are reinforcing the antisemitic position of dividing Jews into Good Jews and Bad Jews and are clearly uninterested in the welfare of approx 40% of Jews with whom they disagree politically or on theological grounds.

      4. Yeah, probably should’ve put it in inverted commas. My bad.

      5. Smartboy, you are absolutely right with all you said.

        I have no religion but I will always stand and defend oppressed people irrespective of race, religion, gender, sexuality or any other defining characteristics.

        NEVER turn a blind eye. PROTECT ALL from harassment, INTERVENE when they are beaten up, ENSURE they are SAFE in their homes and PREVENT loss of life !

  6. Forgot to mention, I’m a member of a [redacted] association (not a union,) very, very anti-right-wing, with over 50,000 members and I know the membership will not vote labour as a result of the events at the conference.

      1. Sorry Timfrom, but I cannot un-redact the name as I would rather maintain the security and safety of the members.

        Don’t waste your time asking again.

      2. Dick

        Just wanted a hint out of idle curiosity. If it’s so secret, why mention it at all?

        As for the menacing tone in your last line, fuck you, you self-important little prick. Why on Earth would I bother asking twice?

  7. Get THIS bucketload of poisonous fascist vomit!:

    ‘‘You failed to break us,’ Jewish Labour members tell abusers

    Racists who joined the Labour Party and tried to “break” Jewish members have failed, the party’s conference has heard.

    Former Labour MP Ruth Smeeth from the Jewish Labour Movement, said she felt “sick” being in Brighton as she feared receiving more abuse.

    But she struck a defiant tone as she insisted the party is “turning the page on the blight of anti-Semitism that has infected” the party, adding to the abusers: “You failed. We’re still here.”

    https://uk.news.yahoo.com/failed-break-us-jewish-labour-160939447.html‘You

    1. Just came across the following as well:

      ‘LBC political editor ‘assaulted’ by ‘notorious antisemite’ at Labour conference’

      The political editor of radio station LBC has accused notorious anti-Israel activist Tony Greenstein of “assaulting” him at a fringe event at the Labour Party conference.

      The incident on Sunday evening took place during a Jewish Voice for Labour event listed in the Labour Party official guide, entitled: ‘Labour in crisis: Tackling racism in the party’. It was chaired by JVL’s Jenny Mason and attended by former shadow chancellor John McDonnell.

      LBC’s Theo Underwood tweeted: “I have just been been forcibly removed from the JVL fringe event at the Labour Party….I was assaulted by Tony Greenstein, who was in the event, and was expelled from the Labour Party for antisemitism… he grabbed my phone.

      https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/lbc-political-editor-assaulted-by-notorious-antisemite-at-labour-conference/

      Grabbed his phone did he. Sounds painful! Don’t suppose for one moment he’s making a mountain out of a molehill!!

    2. When Smeeth was outed as a CIA ‘special protect’ asset in WikiLeaks cables, her religion was never mentioned. As far as I’m aware, no one knew nor cared whether she was Jewish. It was much later when she weaponised antisemitism which shielded her from further questions about her alligience.
      I pity the poor people who have her parachuted upon them.

    3. She helped the Trump administration to destroy the INF missile treaty.

      Why would the Russians deploy a missile on land with a greater range than allowed under the treaty when they could deploy a similar missile at sea (not prohibited by any treaty)?

      Well, we never got an answer to that, did we?

      Ruth Smeeth—very much part of Starmer’s entourage.

    4. I am not sure if the Fringe event I mentioned above-thread is still available
      on Youtube but I watched it last night.

      Someone kept interupting a speaker from the back and were asked several times to stop
      and the speaker would discuss this outside. (Contrast with Walter Wolfgang!)
      They refused and I don’t know what happened after that – but they were not heard
      after a while.

      There was plenty of time to speak from the floor – and one at least criticised “The Left”.
      So why did not that person (LBC??) wait and ask to speak? One thing I
      have noticed about JVL is their extreme politeness in the face of opposition!

    1. I imagine the poor lad got notice of his expulsion from the party as he stepped off stage!

  8. I have only limited internet staying on a deserted island in the monsoon season.I realise that Bolton wanderers lost 1…0..and the unions are 1….0 against the leadership rule changes.Summing up in a “forensic” manner in footballing terms hows the score sheet with the CLP delegates performances.at the conference so far…I hope you can excuse the football terminology but for someone like me it helps amongst all the manoeuvring and jargon…?

  9. What a farce this Labour Party Conference has been!

    The bullying, the control-freakery, the gerrymandering, the bare-faced lies, the downright undemocratic practices used by the ‘grown-ups’ to shut people up – to silence opposing views. The expulsions, on the hoof. The total lack of consideration and respect.

    The total lack of Solidarity.

    A ‘leader’, who is anything but. His speech on – whenever it is – had better exceed ‘Sermon on the Mount’ quality, but we all know it won’t. Nowhere near. It’ll be closer to, an accountant reading out a spreadsheet.

    The one thing they have forgotten, in all of this, the one thing more important than control, or money, prestige – is your vote.

    Who are they going to get to vote for them, after this? That is the one thing that is priceless beyond compare.

    I can, categorically, state, I will not be voting for any Labour Candidate in any Parish, Local, By or General Election, while these people in Southside have anything to do with the administration of The Labour Party.

    Further than that, while Margaret Hodge and her allies in the PLP – the participants in ‘the chicken coup’ – remain members of the Party, The Labour Party will not receive one penny of mine, one ounce of effort to get them re-elected, nor one ounce of encouragement to others to vote for them.

    Enough is enough.

    One last point – I urge anyone who is a Member of the Unison Union, to cancel your Direct Debit, cancel your Membership, entirely, and join another Union.

    You are not hamstrung. There are other Unions. You have a choice, and it’s easy to change.

    Both the Labour Party and Unison have thrown the need for loyalty out of the window.

    You owe them nothing!

    1. Welcome to the party George.

      They need us more than we need them.

    2. George Peel, agree with every single point as above, except the one on Unison. Every left member in Unison needs to stay put and vote for the left candidates at the next election this October, the Skwawkbox in a previous article has already publish their names. The left has a real chance at winning the TULO’s positions.
      Hence, from October Unite delegates to the NEC could be left wingers and it would help to alter the balance of forces on the NEC.
      So please George, don’t advice left Unison’s members to leave Unison, no just yet. If things don’t work out they will be welcome in Unite with open arms later on.

      1. I take your point, Maria. I did similar, myself, last year. Left the Party then rejoined, simply, because of the upcoming NEC Elections.

        Then left, again.

        From what I’ve read, what happened with the Unison delegates, yesterday, was off-script. A bunch of mavericks, going against the Union’s wishes. The Union, itself, needs to sort them out.

  10. Sorry, I mean Unison delegates to the NEC, Unite delegates to the NEC are already on the left.

  11. Angela Rayner
    To MSM and toilet papers, its clear as day Baby Trumps is a scumbag, Liar and Charlatan
    The stench from the cheap and nasty Tory party is overwhelming, why are you covering up the snouts in troughs

    1. Unfortunately Doug the way Rayner and most of the PLP behave my response to her if I was a Tory would be ” People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”. This was the sort of response (recorded in Hansard for posterity )that foul mouthed Jess Phillips got when she criticised Boris Johnsons unseemly language.
      Rayner is just like Phillips- a nasty piece of work and a hypocrite who thinks the standards of behaviour she expects from others don’t apply to her

    1. I only caught the last half hour or so of the “Socialist Green New Deal”
      YouTube live broadcast and was pleased to do so ..

      There were some excellent speakers and good questions from the floor
      where practical issues were discussed.

      As stated above I have been very impressed by the young activists

      I shall CERTAINLY be staying in the Labour Party if only for
      their sake and “all power to their elbow” and good for
      “Labour List” in sponsoring the event.

      FGS it is the youngsters who will be suffering when our
      Climate breaks down and this will come sooner than we think ..

  12. Off-topic, but talking of snouts in troughs, I see the toerag-appointed bbc chairman tim davie’s been ‘awarded’ a humungous £75k payrise for doing less than sod-all.

    Typical toerag. – cries poverty, then rapes the public purse. Those arl’ bastards that voted them in only to get told they’d have to stump up the licence fee, have nobody but themselves to blame.

    1. The undeserved pay rise is theft from the public and it is the modus operandi of tories and right-wing labour! So it should come as no surprise!

  13. My wife is at the Labour Party Conference & has been complaining about systematic intimidation & misinformation. Gangs of people in suits are going around telling selected individuals that they shouldn’t be here. I’ve just spoken to Emma & she tells me that everyone is being filmed & how you respond to speeches & how you vote is being carefully monitored. There is a poisonous atmosphere in the hall. Big Brother is Watching You!

  14. That is what I heard in the fringe meeting about Racism Steve!

    They spoke of a toxic intimidating atmosphere at the Conference ..

    Disgraceful

    1. IT would be good to have a survey of how many people who attended the conference left feeling “let down” …Betrayed “and disillusioned” all three “or “bloody angry and would like to make the leadership suffer?..But has the intimidation worked and would like to keep their heads down.?..But there must also be a significant number who believe “job done”

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