NEC Accountability???

It is becoming increasingly obvious, to anyone scratching under the surface, that the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party is little more than a rubber stamp. Meekly giving their approval to the decisions of those really controlling the agenda.

Their complicity in the bullying, discrimination, and victimisation of Chris Williamson is one of the most recent examples of this.

Allowing an almost year long delay, before giving the green light to the implementation of the new trigger ballot system. Waiting until it was clear that an election was going to take place, before they did is transparent.

It doesn't take a political genius to work out what is really going on.

Sitting MP's would retain their positions in their constituencies as the Labour candidate in such circumstances.

In reality, those who have usurped power in the Labour party, wield it through control of their servants, voting the right way on the NEC.

The question is, who is really calling the shots and pulling the strings?

On the one hand, and in perpetual pursuit of their vested self interest, are the careerists in the old New Labour clique. Mannequins of the establishment dancing to the tune of the liberal elite. Exposing themselves for all to see, with their ever more desperate attempts to attack and undermine Jeremy Corbyn, at every opportunity, in the hope of maintaining a status quo that no longer exists.

These shallow and desperate elements make up one half of the story. Their right wing friends and devoted hangers on, the bureaucrats in unions like the GMB, Unison and Usdaw loyally deliver their votes, on the NEC.

The left bureaucracy, leaning on the Corbyn project and the Labour party membership, make up the other half.

The left wing FBU has consistently adopted a principled position.

Unions like Unite have occasionally adopted a principled position. More often than not though, they have buckled under pressure.

The relentless and ruthless campaign to undermine and topple Jeremy Corbyn, by the right wing, is never ending. As time goes on it becomes ever more shrill and hollow, as the so called centre ground disintegrates.

Despite this the left consistently refuses to confront reality and face down their disruptive and divisive behaviour.

The ludicrous and counterproductive strategy of appeasement and apology continues to be the chosen strategy of the left leadership around Corbyn. Unite's delegates dutifully obey.

Whether it is making a principled stand, voting with the right, abstaining or absenting themselves from the meeting, unaccountable left bureaucrats do as they are toĺd, just as the right wing ones do.

Appeasement and apology wasn't always the case, and it is true that the Unite the union, along with the rest of the left, played a central role in thwarting the right wing attempt to oust Jeremy in 2016. The failure of the right wing chicken coup was a significant turning point in our movements history.

Since then though, facing reality and making a firm stand, is not something left leadership has been noted for.

In fact exactly the opposite is the case. Example after embarrassing example of abject capitulation, with appeasement and apology becoming the standard procedure to deal with every outrageous, vexatious and malicious claim and bogus allegation of the right.

Pressuring Ken Livingstone into resigning from the party. Remaining silent when black anti racist campaigner Marc Wadsworth was thrown out of the party following entirely spurious allegations. Constantly apologising when false allegations of antisemitism were made.

This had become the theme in the lead up to the most shameful month in recent Labour party history. In September 2018 the disastrous strategy of appeasement and apology reached its peak.

Organised capitulation was the order of the day.

Decisions needed to be rubber stamped by the NEC and forced through.

Decisions that have had, are having and quite possibly will have, the most disastrous consequences.

First on Tuesday 4th September, a very foolish and cowardly decision was made to accept the International Holocaust Remembrance Association definition of antisemitism. It was unanimously adopted by the NEC of the Labour party.

(It must be pointed out that Peter Willsman, who has since been suspended following allegations of antisemitism, was made to leave the room when the vote was taken).

There is no task of establishing who voted for what on this occasion. Every member of the NEC, with the exception of Pete Willsman, voted to rubber stamp this decision.

This interpretation enables the instigators and perpetrators of the bogus antisemitism smear campaign against Corbyn and his supporters, enough leverage to conflate legitimate criticism of the Israeli states murderous actions against the Palestinian people, with antisemitism.

Since then not only has it been used to get the likes of Willsman thrown off of the NEC, we have seen black, Jewish anti racist campaigner Jackie Walker expelled from the party.

Chris Williamson is next for the chop. He was suspended in February following outrageous allegations that he had made antisemitic comments. He was reinstated following a decision of a three person committee of the NEC who had examined the case. He was resuspended following a campaign of mock outrage by the usual suspects in the Parliamentary Labour Party.

The highly principled brothers and sisters of the NEC then voted by 16 votes to 6 to refer Chris to the National Constitutional Committee for expulsion. (We are still trying to ascertain who the principled six were who stood by him).

Many ordinary members of the Labour party have also been suspended, following malicious and vexatious allegations of antisemitism.

Subsequently some have been forced out of the Labour party as a result of the bullying and intimidation they have then faced from employees of the party, working in the Legal and Governance Department. (The Compliance Unit).

The unanimous decision to accept the full IHRA definition of antisemitism in September 2018, was a cowardly and stupid act by the NEC at the behest of the so called 'left' leadership around Jeremy Corbyn.

Jeremy himself attempted to put a mild statement to the meeting on that fateful day. It would have mitigated against the worst aspects of accepting this definition. He was humiliated and completely isolated and the statement wasn't even put to the meeting. He was forced to withdraw it.

The IHRA definition has been used ever since to persecute left wing democratic socialists and to silence criticism of the apartheid Israeli states vile persecution of the Palestinian people.

Those close to Corbyn who were central to organising this abject capitulation have facilitated the right wing witchhunt that continues to cause splits and division to this very day. Rather than confront the problem head on our spineless leaders chose to adopt a policy of appeasement and apology.

On that dark day, once Peter Willsman had been forced to leave the room, our highly principled and self sacrificing NEC members all voted to rubber stamp this decision.

The acts of cowardice and appeasement then continued throughout black September.

Progressive reforms contained within the democracy review, that Katy Clarke, on behalf of Jeremy Corbyn, had been working on for over a year, were unceremoniously kicked into the long grass by the NEC.

A new system for the election of leader of the Labour Party was put in place giving more power to MP's and union bureaucrats at the nomination stage.

The crowning glory of our champions of appeasement and apology that month was the blocking of debate on Open Selection at the national conference. Effectively colluding with the right wing against the membership.

The shocking events of black September last year will go down as one of the most shameful episodes of the entire Corbyn project and could yet lead to its undoing.

NEW LEFT NEC NONSENSE

The terminally duplicitous, as well as playing down the significance of what had happened, then assured us that the new incoming left NEC would be different.

This turned out to be absolute nonsense. Peter Willsman, (who John Lansman removed from the Momentum slate), was elected nevertheless. He has since been suspended following malicious allegations and has therefore been kicked off of the NEC. (Surprise surprise).

Chris Williamson was resuspended and was referred to the NCC for expulsion by the NEC. It was by a vote of 16 to 6. We are still trying to break through the shroud of secrecy to find out who the six were who adopted a principled position.

Then there was the catastrophic failure to implement the new improved trigger ballot system, until it was clear there was going to be a snap election and sitting MP's would therefore retain their positions and automatically be the candidates in their constituencies.

The NEC is clearly being used as a rubber stamp to maintain the status quo, or at least to ensure that there is as little change as possible. It certainly does not represent the aims and the aspirations of the membership.

HOLD THE TRADE UNION BUREAUCRATS TO ACCOUNT

The trade union delegations must start being held to account. It is the unaccountable trade union bureaucrats who are following instructions and are voting the way they are instructed to on the NEC. It is they who are cynically abusing the bloc vote at national conference to stop progressive change.

The unanimous decision to accept the full IHRA definition of antisemitism and then Unite going against it's own policy to stop debate on Open Selection tells us all we need to know about the so called, 'left', trade union bureaucrats.

The right wing trade union bureaucracies are even worse, actively working to undermine Jeremy Corbyn at every twist and turn. The left bureaucrats in Unite may not be doing that but they are facilitating the right by acquiescing to, and agreeing with, the disastrous policy of appeasement and apology.

The democratic aspiration of the Corbyn project to make the Labour party 'membership led' was never about replacing an unaccountable right wing bureaucracy with an unaccountable left wing bureaucracy, but that is what is happening.

These unelected bureaucrats in the trade unions must start being held to account. Left to their own devices they have proved time and again that they are not fit for purpose.

We must:

Rebuild our unions at a workplace and branch level.

Rebuild the shop stewards movement.

The membership must take back control of our unions.

Without doing that our political movement is built on sand.