The LLA is a democratic, grass-roots led organisation. As a participant, you can get an issue you care about on our agenda either by:
- submitting a motion to the LLA Steering Committee or Organising Group by email to info@labourleft.org (if it is supported by an affiliated group or 10 LLA signatories, both committees have to discuss and decide on it) or by
- submitting a motion to LLA conference
Writing a motion is not as hard as it sounds. All you need to do is identify a problem that you want to address, state some facts and beliefs about the issue and say what you would like done about it.
How to structure your motion:
A motion is generally split into three sections:
- This meeting/conference notes: (This is where you state key facts about the issue.)
- This meeting/conference believes: (This is where you put forward your views.)
- This meeting/conference resolves: (This is where to put the action points.)
A shorter, more tightly written motion will be easier for everyone to understand quickly, so avoiding side issues and excessive commentary is advisable.
At conference, you’ll have a chance to talk for a couple of minutes at the meeting to move your motion and give people more background.
Motions become the policy of the LLA if they are passed by a majority of those voting at LLA conference or agreed by the LLA Steering Committee (and then approved by the Organising Group) or the Organising Group itself.
In order for LLA conference to consider your motion, it first needs to be debated and passed by your affiliated local or national organisation. Alternatively, 10 LLA signatories can present a motion to conference. More details on the next LLA conference on August 22/23 here.
If you are not organised in a branch, contact your regional organiser, or the Steering Committee to find your branch, or to help set one up.
If multiple motions with similar content are submitted, the CAC may suggest to you to merge these into one, or present them for voting as rival motions, where they are mutually exclusive.
Example of a short, well-formatted motion (we make no judgment on the content!):
Green New Deal
Conference Notes:
- To prevent the worst effects of climate change, we must keep global temperature rises below 1.5°C.
- Over 1°C of warming has taken place, causing floods, droughts, heatwaves, pollution, and hundreds of thousands of deaths. The poorest – particularly in the Global South – suffer most. Tackling climate change is thus indivisible from social, racial and economic justice.
Conference Believes:
- The UK is responsible for a disproportionate amount of global greenhouse gas emissions & therefore bears substantial responsibility to eliminate emissions.
- A Green New Deal can provide a framework for large-scale investment to transform the economy to reduce and eventually eliminate unsustainable and damaging activity.
Conference Resolves:
To call on the Labour Party to include a Green New Deal in its manifesto: a state-led programme of investment and regulation for the decarbonisation and transformation of our economy that reduces inequality and pursues efforts to keep global average temperature rises below 1.5°C.
This will include:
- Commitment to zero carbon emissions by 2030.
- Rapidly phasing out all fossil fuels.
- Large-scale investment in renewables.
- Transition to well-paid, unionised, green jobs available for all.