Conference Report

Labour Party Annual Conference
Bournemouth International Conference Centre
23-27 September 2007

One of the first decisions was over the selection of contemporary resolutions, which will not be happening again because of a later resolution. Employment Rights, Equalities and Equal Pay, Remploy, Manufacturing and Housing were all put onto the agenda. Our four votes went for the first four of these subjects so that was a Labour win.

The document “Renewing Party Democracy” was discussed at length before being agreed, reluctantly by many. Engaging people outside the party is a double edged sward especially when it’s seen to include people like thatcher. Further to removing motions from future conferences there is not much in the document that CLP’s could not be doing anyway. There has been insufficient time to review the document and this was felt particularly by the disabled group. I think it is largely about keeping trade union money but marginalising their local activists, however senior union representatives did a deal, allegedly, and supported it. Many delegates to our CLP support the move away from formal meetings to more of a forum style and aware that I was representing the CLP, I therefore voted for it even though I did not agree with it. All member meetings can be useful but if the CLP’s lose their hub they will lose their focus. Enfield South was lauded by "modernisers" for abolishing its General Committee and even its branches. Activity declined and the seat was lost with one of the worst swings in the whole country.

Every time I attend Labour conference it always notable how much distrust of Conservatives there is nationally and traditionally they are more disliked than the libdems. I assume that the libdems must be less objectionable everywhere else than they are here in St Helens. There was a nice quote that wearing a suit without a tie doesn’t make Tory Boy “any more moral or less corrupt”.

Alan Johnson spoke on health inequalities depending upon your postcode. Evidently you will live for nine years longer if you are from Kensington rather than coming from Manchester and he vowed to make them equal as his main priority. However I think that knocking off people from Kensington when they get to the Manchester age a bit harsh.

Shaun, in his role as Minister for Northern Ireland, spoke to the main conference and at a fringe meeting later that evening. The historic pictures of Reverend Ian Paisley laughing with Martin McGuiness were well covered by the media in the summer but still remain pictures of optimism. With Sinn Fein now part of the policing boards, increased tourism and economic growth there is a bright future for everyone in Ulster.

For some session’s conference split into seminars to discuss National Policy Forums, namely:
Britain in the world
Creating sustainable communities
Crime, justice, citizenship and equalities
Education and skills
Health
Prosperity and work
Some of these sessions are useless unless they are strongly chaired, occasionally someone from the planet Stupid likes to hear themselves talk incessantly without saying anything. The second formal consultation period closes in February 2008 and submissions e-mail address’s are on the website or by mail to 39 Victoria Street, London, SW1H 0HA. CLP’s are encouraged to organise local policy forums and respond to any of the listed topics, we did not respond for the last round therefore we didn’t get a mention in the books.

Remploy received a sympathetic hearing. Their slogan of “Find work for Remploy - 5p does it” built up lots of support as it has done around the country. The alternative business plan proves that there is no need to close the 43 factories dumping thousands of disabled workers on the scrapheap.

An interesting section was half- an-hour on sport led by Garth Cooks. Tessa Sanderson and a bunch of young people talked of 2012 and their aspirations of winning medals in London. A bit patronising at times but some extremely keen kids for Team GB.

Rule change sessions are always a yawn, luckily this time the Chair lost the plot. Ignoring the subject of the motions, they have to be moved/proposed by a CLP at the conference; therefore the said CLP delegate has to be there. The first motion time was up and the delegate was called to the rostrum. They were not there so the rule change fell. So did the second for the same reason and Gary from Islington North moved the third successfully. Then the delegate of the failed second motion came into the hall and the chair let her go to the rostrum to move the motion. Amid some complaints from delegates the chair then asked the conference to vote on whether the delegate should be allowed to continue, asking conference twice and ridiculously the delegate was allowed to. The next bit is obvious; the delegate of the first failed motion came in and naturally wanted to take the rostrum. The Chair asked conference and it voted not to let them move it, amazing contradiction amongst many delegates. If some of these delegates had any less dignity they’d be line dancing.

Gordon Brown’s speech will have been dissected by the media so I won’t even comment on it, however the Prime Minister got a second chance to address everyone with a Q and A led by a Mariella Frostrup. Darfur, education, the NHS and youths all got a response from the PM. As half of the hall wanted to ask a question the one I had written about post office closures didn’t get noticed. Five people did get asked up, in an hour and a half, and there were five questions on the video. Mariella asked most of the questions from a clip board. Raising the school leaving to 18 alongside giving them free transport was repeated. He praised the now 18,000 union learning reps around the country leading over 250,000 adults back into education and as I’m part way through a union sponsored degree I suppose I’m one of them.

Boris Johnston got several mentions over the week, all mocking of course, whilst Ken Livingstone’s speech was one of the best received. The blonde baboon’s new affable character hides the fact that he is still spewing out old fashioned far right idiocies that would damage London and the UK should he ever be voted in as Mayor. Although I suppose he shows his versatility by being useless at everything he does. Apparently he says has the mind of a genius, he must keep it in the fridge.

Despite most leisure industry workers now being from Europe the manager of the nearest bar with sport on was a RL fan from Wigan. I had to remind him of Wigan’s internationalism which had led it to being twinned with a French cemetery.

There were no real contentious debates nothing got me so exited I thought was going to be sick. Some of the delegates were so young delegates they had comics hidden in their agendas. No date set for the General Election, at least not publicly but there were lots of hints that that would be declared in a fortnight. Ian McCartney sends his fraternal greetings to everyone in St Helens after an enjoyable long chat and a few drinks. Overall not a very exiting conference but nevertheless an enjoyable and informative week and I thank the CLP for allowing me to represent them and I would hope to have the opportunity again in the future.

Derek Maylor
27th.September 2007.