Jeremy Corbyn was quick to tweet his support for the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance candidates for Labour’s NEC elections which take place over the summer. The Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs has also backed them, saying: ‘As the left grouping within the Parliamentary Labour Party, the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs formally endorses the @CLGALabour slate for the National Executive Committee Elections.’
All six left candidates standing for election as CLP representatives in Labour’s NEC election 2020 are committee to nuclear disarmament and an ethical foreign policy.
The Labour left’s commitment to equalities and and diversity – in practice as well as theory – is clear. Take a look at the photos, 5 of the 6 candidates are women, 4 are people of colour.
The Centre Left Grassroots Alliance (CLGA) slate includes two sitting candidates, Ann Henderson and Yasmin Dar. Ann chairs the NEC’s equalities committee; Yasmin chairs the disputes panel. A third candidate, Laura Pidcock was MP for North West Durham and a member of the Socialist Campaign Group of Labour MPs.
In alphabetical order the candidates are:
Ann Henderson @AnnDHenderson
Gemma Bolton @gembolton
Laura Pidcock @LauraPidcock
Mish Rahman @mish_rahman
Nadia Jama @MizJama
Yasmine Dar @Yasmine_Dar
Read about each of them here
Labour CND is pleased to support the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance (CLGA) slate of candidates who are standing for election as CLP reps in the forthcoming NEC elections. All six candidates make clear their commitment to nuclear disarmament in a joint statement:
An ethical foreign policy – Labour should have an independent, internationalist foreign policy the core objectives of which should be peace, conflict-resolution, and nuclear disarmament. Rather than participating in illegal foreign wars, we should support people struggling against oppression across the globe.
Candidates are standing for a transformative Labour government, socialist policies and party democracy. The campaign statement, Campaigning for a Labour Victory also includes commitments to:
– defend people’s lives and jobs as the priority in the coronavirus pandemic
– a socialist Labour government as the best vehicle for transforming society in the interests of the majority
– an economy for the many, rejecting the Tories austerity agenda
– a socialist green new deal, investing in renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure and building support for a rapid and just transition to a zero-carbon economy
– stand with the Black Lives Matter movement to achieve lasting structural change, and campaign against all forms of racism, discrimination and prejudice, and
– party democracy – to build an inclusive party which represents the interests of the majority in society.
This united left slate is supported by Momentum, Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, Labour Assembly Against Austerity, Labour Representation Committee, Campaign for Socialism Scotland, Wales Labour Grassroots…. and many more.
In response to pressure from members and local parties, the Labour National Executive Committee has decided to extend the consultation to Monday 20 July. Still time to make a submission on international policy, and vote to support Labour CND’s five responses. Check out the details in the post below.
Respond to Labour’s International Policy Review
Labour CND has responded to the Labour Party policy consultation with 5 submissions in answer to each of the questions posed in International Policy Commission document, Championing internationalism in the post-coronavirus world. The IPC consultation covers foreign, development and defence policies, as well as broader issues such as Labour values and concepts of internationalism. LabCND urges you to access our submissions, sign in or register, and support them with a brief comment and a vote, and please consider making a submission of your own too.
You can read a summary of our submissions, posted by our secretary Ruth Brown, on the Labour Policy Forum website below. Then click on the question numbers to go straight to the website and add your own comments and vote to support them.
Q1: Labour’s internationalist values should include a war powers act
There’s great stress on Labour values without specifying what they are – a feel-good approach that fails to acknowledge differences. The most basic human right is the right to life. Labour’s 2019 manifesto promised a war powers act ‘so that no prime minister can bypass parliament’. Keir Starmer reaffirmed this promise. Putting flesh on the bones of Labour’s post-Covid internationalism, starts with reaffirming our commitment to the primacy of peace and justice, and the introduction of a war powers act.
Q2: UK defence policy: realism vs illusion
Real security is human security. The UK National Security Risk Assessment has highlighted their chief risks facing the UK, including health pandemics and ecological disasters as well as terrorism and cyber-attacks. Trident does not protect Britain from the actual threats we face. The participation of defence contractors in the Ventilator Challenge Consortium shows the practicality of a just transition from nuclear weapon production to socially useful, sustainable alternatives. Let’s have a Shadow Defence Diversification Agency now in line with TUC policy.
Q3: International development values and strategy
Labour should re-assert the international development values expressed in our 2019 manifesto. Announcing his decision to merge the Department for International Development with the Foreign an Commonwealth Office, Boris Johnson said DiFD’s goals ‘will be wholly integrated with UK foreign policy and described the merger as ‘an opportunity to get value for the huge investments we make in overseas spending’. Labour should make the case for the retention of DFID with a standalone aid budget of at least 0.7% of gross national income, and commit an incoming Labour government to re-establishing an independent aid-giving department.
Q4: International priorities and global leadership
Global leadership takes many forms. Remembering Britain’s colonial legacy, we must be cautious about assuming that British leadership is what’s needed. The UK’s positive contributions to emergency and international aid, and to diplomacy are recognised by the UN and others. Labour should support the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and push for progress on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It’s time to break with bipartisanship and strive for an independent, non-aligned foreign policy based on the primacy of peace.
Q5: Weaknesses in national security
Real security is that which makes our citizens safe. As criticisms of the Tories handling of the Covid19 crisis demonstrate, state security back up by military force does not always coincide with human security.Real security is not about national status that Trident supporters believe comes from Britain possessing nuclear weapons. Labour should commit to scrapping Trident replacement at the earliest opportunity and be prepared to dismantle the existing system when in government, starting with an end to at-sea patrols.
ACCESS MATERIALS HERE
To download a copy of Labour IPC document, the LabourCND submissions, or our quick guide to the IPC site, click on the links below:
Championing internationalism in the post-coronavirus world here
Labour’s internationalist values should include a war powers act here
UK defence policy: realism vs illusion here
International development values and strategy here
International priorities and global leadership here
Weaknesses in national security here
NPF: the basics here
Each of the eight National Policy Forum commissions are conducting policy consultations. Launched on 4 June, the consultation ends on 30 June. Now’s the time to make your views known.
The International Policy Commission (IPC) covers foreign, international development, and defence policy. Shadow Foreign Secretary Lisa Nandy attends IPC meetings together with Preet Gill and John Healey, Shadow International Development and Defence Secretaries. Our readers will be intrigued to know that the unpopular and outdated ‘humanitarian military intervention’ of the New Labour era is being mooted again. Read Championing internationalism in the post-coronavirus world, the IPC consultation and respond.
How to take part
Each policy commission has its own page on the Labour Policy Forum website, where you can read submissions, comment and vote to agree or disagree with them, and make your own views known.
Using the drop-down menu, you can access
– a searchable list of NPF reps
– consultation documents
– policy statements by the Labour Party, and
– a postal address for sending submissions for cdes without internet access
You don’t have to be a party member or organisation to take part. Individual members of the public or outside organisations can also read the material and make submissions. Anyone visit the NPF site and view the content To participate though, you must register or log in.
Read Championing internationalism in the post-coronavirus world here
Take a look at Labour’s Policy Forum website here
On 29 May, the first anniversary of Walter Wolfgang’s death, Labour CND hosted a commemoration of his life with Jeremy Corbyn and friends. The live zoom meeting was over-subscribed. If you were one of those unlucky few who didnt get access, or if you’re hearing about it for the first time, you can watch the celebration of Walter’s long and active life below.
Getting used to the new normal for campaigning, or simply getting zoomed out? We know not everyone has time for two or three zoom calls a week, so Labour CND and London CND have joined forces to bring you a series of short video briefings on nuclear disarmament and foreign policy topics.
Every Friday evening at 6pm, London CND uploads a new video. Tonight’s is from CND’s Sara Medi on the NPT process. There are 9 videos in the series so far including:
– A new threat to the Palestinian people
– The new START Treaty
– Arms Exports Controls
– China and Covid19
Check out what’s available here
Visit CND UK to see what else is available
We simply cannot go back to business as usual in the post-Covid era – and that includes the proliferation of weapons and wars that claim thousands of lives, says Fabian Hamilton in a message recorded for Labour CND.
The Tory government’s risk assessment warned that health pandemics were a major threat to Britain’s security, nuclear attack wasn’t. So why are we spending £205 billion on Trident when the NHS is chronically underfunded askes Labour CND Secretary, Ruth Brown in a recent letter to the Financial Times.
