2nd ballot paper: Co-operative Party vote for London Mayor

 This morning I received my 2nd ballot paper.  This was was from the the Co-operative Party (London region) which is affiliated to London Labour Party.  Therefore I can vote again on who should be the Labour candidate for London Mayor 2012.

I voted (on-line) for Ken.  See why here. 

In the preamble I noticed you had to tick a box:-

"To ensure your vote is counted in this election, all members of affiliated organisations eligible to vote are required to agree the following pledge:

"I support the policies and principles of the Labour Party, and am not a supporter of any organisation opposed to it and pay a political subscription to the body that issued this website."

Which I haven't noticed in previous elections. I assume if you want to vote you must support this.

London UNISON supports Ken for London Mayor

 London UNISON "Labour Link" (APF) today decided to support Ken Livingston to be the Labour Party candidate for Mayor of London in the 2012 elections.

I chaired this part of the meeting and the decision by the elected Committee lay members was pretty one sided and there was a clear consensus. Everyone present said their bit.

I also reported that UNISON National Labour link had carried out a telephone poll of our levy payers and had found that Ken had 2:1 support.

A number of committee members spoke highly of the other candidate, Oona King, but we felt the person best placed to beat Boris in 2012 and work with UNISON was Ken.

After this decision we then had yet another really good wide ranging political debate about who to recommend to our national Labour Link delegate for London, Rachel Voller, for the Labour Party leadership.  The result of which we agreed to keep confidential until after the meeting of the National Labour Link committee next week.  This committee will decide who we should advise Labour link members to support (or whether or not to make any nomination).  Again, everyone present contributed to the debate and we also watched on DVD the closing speeches of all the candidates at the UNISON Labour Link hustings last month.

Finally, on behalf of the committee I offered congratulations to the other Chair, Lollypop Louise, on her victory last week in defeating the Nazi BNP candidate, Richard Barnsbrook, in the by-election in Barking and Dagenham Council.  Great news!

Members were also reminded of the West Ham Leadership hustings we are sponsoring (and to which local UNISON Labour link members have been invited) this Sunday evening at Stratford, E15.  All candidates have confirmed that they will attend and we will be trying a "different format" than other hustings.
(picture of Ken at our London UNISON Regional Council in May with our Convenor Gloria and BA picket Nikki)

London UNISON Labour Link Consultation on Leader & Mayor

I am sending this flyer to all stewards and contacts in my branch as well as all Labour levy payers that I have email addresses.

I will also invite them to the hustings in Stratford on Sunday July 18th.

It's been a bit rushed - but hopefully we will have a good response to both consultations.

"The devil is in the detail...and I am the detail"

So said the new Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Jack Pickles, at yesterday evenings GLA/London Council’s bash at the 9th floor of City Hall for all newly elected London Councillors.

I suppose many of us present would in fact agree with Mr Pickles self assessment of himself! He actually gave quite an emollient and even a suspiciously constructive speech about the importance of having elected Councillors (who can be “chucked out” by their electors if they are no good) and came close to promising that the Greater London Authority and Local authorities will receive much greater powers and responsibilities from central government and deleted quango’s. Watch this space I suppose.

London Mayor, Boris Johnson was unable to attend since he had to go to a School play. Fair enough although this did not stop cynical souls amongst us reflect that it was more likely because when he planned this event he did not expect so many Labour Councillors to be elected in London.

We did not escape - since he had specially recorded a vintage bumbling Boris performance on a DVD for us to watch (and endure).

Hackney elected Labour Mayor and new leader of “London Councils” (which represents all 33 local authorities in London) Jules Pipe, gave an upbeat and positive speech about us all working together for the benefit of London and the great services that London Councils provide. He didn’t notice Eric licking his lips at the knowledge of more things that he can demand to be privatised.

I had to leave early in order to go and make a report to my ward meeting but as I left I did reflect upon Boris as London mayor and the first time I had been to the 9th floor City Hall - and I hope to return sometime after May 2012 to a reception run by a Labour Mayor of London.

(Eric is bottom left; Jules is next to him and top left is UNISON and GLA Labour Assembly member Joanne McCartney with Newham Councillors)

Labour Party Leadership Elections 2010

UNISON Labour Link hasn’t decided yet which (if any) of the Labour Party Leadership candidates they should support and recommend to members.

There will be a hustings at the National Labour Link forum in Leeds next weekend. There will also be at least 50 other hustings taking place up and down the country. West Ham CLP (sponsored by London UNISON Labour Link) will be organising an event for members and affiliates – hopefully on Sunday evening July 18- tbc)

The affiliated unions will have a 1/3 of the total votes cast via a secret postal ballot of all levy payers. Apparently UNISON has about 885,000 levy payers out of a total 3.4 million. There are around 157,000 individual party members.

During the next week or so as the branch Labour link officer I will be trying to consult the 1,000 labour levy players in my branch on who they prefer should be supported (and also who should be the Labour Mayor for London candidate – that’s another story).

I might as well put my oar in now and say that I hope that UNISON Labour Link does make a decision to support and I also that it will be for Ed Miliband. I’ll post on why sometime soon.

In the meantime:-

End of supporting nominations is 26th July 2010 (West Ham CLP meets on Wednesday to decide on a nomination)

Ballot papers being to drop 1st September 2010

Freeze date for new members to join 8th September 2010 (which I assume means that new members will still get ballot papers?).