Socialist Outlook supporter Andy Richards was one of the newly-elected Labour group of councillors to take control in Hove on May 4. A priority for the group now will be to turn around the Tory privatisation of the housing stock and find a way of re-housing the residents from the controversial Portland Gate complex.
THE INK is barely dry on Blair's new contract with capitalism - but already the Labour Party-trade union link is under attack. There are moves to lessen the union input into party conference and the national exCoulve. Socialist Outlook has always questioned the way the block vote works. We have consistently argued for more democratic ways of expressing the voice of organised labour. We want to increase the involvement of ordinary trade unionists against the impositions of the bureaucrats. This is a totally different approach from Blair. He has used electoral changes to decrease the say of members not to involve them more. Many on the left in the constituency parties bowed to the pressure for 'one member, one vote' (OMOV) to decide on Clause Four. The results of this are now becoming clear. The 'democracy' of an individual ballot has been used to cut out the role of trade unions ership, and seeking to un- affiliates in local parties.
Nów that local government staffe as the probable next has been purged of the left, general secretary of UNI- Blair finds it possible to curb But of course these were not the only unions Even while the constituencies collapsed, casting only three percent of votes against Blair, block votes totalling a credible 35 percent at the conference included smaller unions like ASLEF and others, many of which have good reaunion support on Labour's NEC by including local government representation.
The new model "involvement" implemented by the newly-merged Communications Workers Union is instructive. General Secretary Alan Johnson was determined to do things the Blair way.
Despite the clear policy in the pre-merger unions in favour of Clause Four, he insisted on balloting the membership.
This took the form of an insert into the union's journal asking the loaded question: "do you agree with the NEC?". The pitifully low turnout of 17 per cent was nevertheless portrayed as a clear mandate.
Other unions are now being asked to follow the same example. Blair is even trying to intervene politically to shape decisions on industrial action in non-affiliated unions like the NUT.
It is no accident that the same Tony Blair refuses to repeal the Tory anti-union laws, which have seen the imposition of individual ballots as a crucial weapon to reduce the ability of unions to take prompt action and of their elected leaders to give firm leadership.
The trade unions have always depended on the election of representatives who would negotiate and take decisions on behalf of wider groups of members, delegates who cast votes on behalf of branches at conferences, and executive members with scope to decide day-to-day policy. To insist'that each and every point of policy must be subject to an individual ballot of members could effectively paralyse unions in the workplace and at national level.
That is exactly why the Tories - whose party is subject to no internal democracy whatever - have worked so hard to impose these restrictions.
We urgently need now to wage a campaign reasserting the importance of participatory informed representative democracy.
This can go hand in hand with rooting out bureaucratic abuses and the fight for the democratic election and right to recall all full-time union officials. • Conference: NEW LABOUR AND THE UNIONS, called by Socialist Movement Trade Union Committee, Saturday July 15.
Details from SMTUC, 3, Blades House, London SE11 5TW