NEC elections: Rank the LLA 6 highest!

The Labour Left Alliance supports the following comrades in the current NEC elections:

1. Roger Silverman
2.Chaudhry Qamer Iqbal
3.Carol Taylor Spedding
4. Ekua Bayunu
5. Alec Price
6. Steve Maggs

Once voting starts on October 19 2020, we recommend that voters rank the LLA candidates at the top of their list of preferences, but also rank as many left-wing candidates as they can, including Cameron Mitchell  and the CLGA 6 (Laura Pidcock, Yasmine Dar, Mish Rahman, Gemma Bolton, Ann Henderson, Nadia Jama).

Please find the political statements and leaflets of the LLA 6 below. In addition, they have declared their support for the LLA’s proposed Action Programme for the Left, which includes a commitment to campaign:

• to oppose the witch-hunt
• for open selection and a sovereign conference,
• for a complaints procedure based on natural justice and the principle ‘innocent until proven guilty’,
• to scrap the IHRA mis-definition of antisemitism and oppose the implementation of the anti-democratic 10 pledges of the Board of Deputies,
• They are also in active solidarity with the struggle of the Palestinians for national and democratic rights.

This campaign is very much part of the long-term struggle to democratise and politicise the way that that left-wing candidates are chosen – and, more generally, how the established left inside and outside the Labour Party operates.

Please support our LLA 6 fundraising drive

1. In the run up to the election starting on October 19, we want to boost the LLA 6’s campaign with adverts on Facebook and other social media platforms.
2. We also want to produce more videos with the six. See below some of the videos we have already produced.
3. We also need to explain to as many people as we can how the ‘Single Transferable Vote’ election system actually works – and why members can (and should!) rank more than nine left-wing candidates in order to minimise the share of the vote for the right. And no, this does not “split the left vote”. There is a lot of confusion on this issue that we want to help clear up. Please find our article on this issue here.
   

• CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Here are the videos we have already produced:
A lot of Labour Party members are very confused when it comes to the ‘Single Transferable Voting’ system introduced for the 2020 NEC elections. It is no doubt an attack on the left and designed to stop us from taking all nine seats elected by the membership. But it also gives us the opportunity to vote for principled candidates – without splitting the left vote! This short video features Roger Silverman, Carol Taylor-Spedding, Tina Werkmann and Daniel Platts.

In the video below, the LLA 6 are discussing what kind of issues Labour Party conference should be discussing: how to fight the fallout from the Corona pandemic; the calls by NHS staff for a 15% pay rise; the school closure; racism and defunding the police – and the witch-hunt against hundreds of socialists.

In the video below, the six are discussing not just the democratic deficit of this year’s Labour Party ‘conference’, but the way conference has been hollowed out over the years. They are presenting a number of proposed solutions to make conference the real, sovereign body of the Labour Party.

The political statements of the LLA 6

Roger Silverman

As an NEC member, I would campaign vigorously to restore the supremacy of party conference, uphold the democratic right of open selection of candidates for office, end arbitrary suspensions, and put forward radical socialist policies along the lines of the 2019 election manifesto.

 

We are currently living through a “perfect storm”. Capitalism today can only offer us deadly pandemics, a devastating slump, racism, repression, and environmental catastrophe. Eight multibillionaires now own as much as the poorest half of the entire world’s population.

 

It is time to put socialism back on the agenda. Everywhere people are rising to their feet: the youth in their magnificent Extinction Rebellion, entire populations from Chile to Sudan to Hong Kong, in America for Black Lives Matter, in Lebanon against corruption, in Belarus for democratic rights. Labour must stand in solidarity with this worldwide movement.    

 

Labour’s defeat in the December general election was a crushing setback, but we must nail the media lie that our manifesto was a vote-loser. In 2019 Labour actually won more votes than in 2015, 2010 or even 2005 – when Labour won! Only in 2017 did we do even better. We are still the biggest political party in Europe.

Our policies still have overwhelming support: renationalisation of transport and the utilities, a wealth tax, a wholly publicly-owned NHS, a green industrial revolution. This arrogant and bungling government has already caused tens of thousands of needless deaths. Let’s seize the opportunity to harness the energies of our half a million members to build a world for the many not the few.

Ekua Bayunu

I’m on the ballot because you recognised the need for our leadership bodies to have members with diverse skills, experiences and knowledge, if our Party is to serve all its constituents.I’m a black socialist, proud to have your support and trust. Thank you.

Through this process, you have helped me hone my key priorities. Read Here

My core values remain the same. I will fight for and serve Membership-led Democracy and promote Equality, Transparency and Accessibility. The key principles by which we can deliver a viable socialist Government for this country.

I’ve also had positive principled conversations with comrades about the STV election process. I’ve learned; Don’t believe the hype about the impenetrable bureaucracy. Believe in and take our power as ordinary members and defenders of democracy.

Research the candidates and vote for ALL the principled, experienced and ideologically sound candidates you find. List them all in order of your preference. List 15 if you can find 15 you believe in. I can.

I’d appreciate being your first preference. Remember. You actually only have ONE transferable vote. Make sure it’s not lost.

Supported by Labour Black Socialists and Labour Left Alliance. Check out all the candidates they endorse.

Chaudhry Qamer Iqbal

✔ 12 YEARS OF PARTY MEMBERSHIP FIGHTING FOR SOCIALISM
✔ SERVED PARTY AS A BRANCH CHAIR, SECRETARY, TREASURER, LCF DELEGATE, REGIONAL & NATIONAL CONFERENCE DELEGATE
✔ FOR LAST TWO YEARS SERVING AS CLP SECRETARY
✔ A UNITE MEMBER WHO IS CURRENTLY FIGHTING TO SAVE JOBS AT HEATHROW

I have been nominated by 36 CLPs for the NEC. I am honoured and thankful to all who supported my nomination. If elected, I will continue to fight for the following (this is not the order as all are equally important for me):

• For socialism and radical socialists policies. Covid-19 has made it absolutely clear that only socialism will and can save our economy, jobs & vulnerable people from the cruel clutches of capitalism. Our party is a socialist party
• For Open selection
• For a complete overhaul of disciplinary procedures to make the process fair & transparent and where natural justice can be seen to be delivered
• For the implementation of the Democracy Review to make our party a truly members-led movement
• For conference to be the sovereign body where decisions and policies are decided by thousands of delegates – and then implemented!
• I will be the voice for LGBT+ community and fight for their rights
• I will improve the communication with members by producing regular NEC reports and voting records. Members have every right to know how NEC members are representing their views.
• I will campaign against any suspensions based on political views. All cases must be dealt with in a transparent and timely manner
• I will be holding the leadership to account and represent the views of grassroots members

• I will campaign for Black Lives Matter to be recognised by the party as a movement rather than just a “moment” and will fight racism in the party
• For workers’ right and against the policy of ‘fire and rehire’
• I will campaign for the increased representation of Black, Asian and ethnic minorities at all levels
• I will campaign to implement the Chakrabarti’s report and its recommendations
• I will campaign against the racism revealed in the ‘Leaked Report’ and to get justice for those who were subject to such abuse

Please also vote for the other 5 candidates supported by the Labour Left Alliance: Roger Silverman, Ekua Bayunu, Alec Price, Carol Taylor Spedding, Steve Maggs & rank other left candidates, including the CLGA 6.

Carol Taylor Spedding