Now -read the book!

Here is a link to my memoirs which, if you are a glutton for punishment, you can purchase online at https://www.kobo.com/gb/en/ebook/an-obscure-footnote-in-trade-union-history.
Men fight and lose the battle, and the thing that they fought for comes about in spite of their defeat, and when it comes turns out not to be what they meant, and other men have to fight for what they meant under another name. (William Morris - A Dream of John Ball)

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Confidence in Labour's Leader - Who should decide?

We just had a referendum in which every adult had a vote.

Some people think that the result was a tragedy.

I am one of those people.

Some people think that the leader of the Labour Party is responsible for this tragedy (although they have no evidence).

I am not one of those people.

Now two of those people (who happen to be Members of Parliament) have tried to undermine Labour's Leader.

They've done this although they have no alternative candidate. No would-be alternative leader has the courage to stick their head above the parapet (which means none of them could do a good job as a leader).

They've done this in order to prompt a secret ballot of the Parliamentary Labour Party (although this cannot constitutionally lead to an election). Our anti-Corbyn MPs want to ensure that critics can try to undermine our leader from behind the shield of confidentiality. They want to undermine our leader and our Party even though they have no alternative.

If anyone thinks that now is a good time for Labour to consider who should lead us then surely the vote of confidence should be put to the whole membership, not just the tiny fraction of the membership who sit in the House of Commons?

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

1 comment:

Andy DM said...

Well said, Jon. As a fellow anorak I am obliged to point out that there is a rulebook way of challenging the leader (although only when the party is in Opposition). Coffey and Hodge have chosen not to go down that route and John Cryer (as Chair of the PLP) should refuse to admit their motion of no-confidence to the agenda as it's not a valid leadership challenge.

If Labour MPs want to get rid of Corbyn then 46 of them have to nominate someone and then the whole party will decide on Corbyn or the other candidate. I'm sure that Wendy Nichols as our representative on Labour's NEC will make sure that the party follows the rules.