LONDONERS voted yes on May 7 to Tony Blair's scheme for a directly elected mayor and a small largely powerless London Authority. Despite the claims to it being a revolutionary initiative, it clearly didn't enthuse the voters. Only about 30% bothered to vote and 25% of them voted no, despite the absence of a no campaign. Under Blair's union recognition proposals this would mean the scheme had been rejected, but no such thought crosses the government's mind.
On the contrary, not only are they planning to introduce similar proposals for other cities, but Hammersmith and Fulham Council has already announced, without any kind of voter endorsement, that they are moving to such a set up.
Socialists need to learn the lessons of the London fiasco and ensure they get their opposition to such proposals in early. Unions and Labour Parties should commit themselves to opposing their introduction, and if necessary mounting a substantial campaign against them.
In London the debate moves on to questions of how the mayor and assembly will be elected and precisely what they will be able to do. London Labour Party members, refused any say in whether the capital should have such a mayor by the manoeuvres of the national party, now have to address the question of how the Party's candidate for mayor will be selected.
The hierarchy are making it as clear as possible that Ken Livingstone (and possibly even the gaffeprone Tony Banks) will not be allowed to stand for selection if they can help it.
Having forced through the proposals for a mayor with super powers, they now want to ensure that the person who holds them will not challenge the government in any way. Articles are being encouraged in the media rubbishing the record of the Greater London Council under Livingstone's leadership as a way of undermining his campaign. If Party members (and this includes trade unionists) are to have a proper choice of Party candidates for the election, then the pressure has to be built up now, without waiting until the leader-. ship presents a sanitised list for members to choose between clones.
Unions and Parties have to demand a democratic selection procedure in which all candidates nominated by a certain minimum number of constituencies are placed on the ballot paper without preconditions. were handed letters at work telling them that they had been found unappointable to their own jobs. One was handed it in the middle of an interview with a homeless family. On the same day, the result of the section ballot was announced - a unanimous vote for action. Incensed by their treatment, the strikers walked out on MondayMay 18, without giving the Council the ? days notice required by law. Some returned or told managers of other reasons for not being at work on Tuesday. The union told the Council that the strikers would return work. On Wednesday, 12 of the strikers received letters at home informing them that they had been sacked, with no right of appeal, for taking part in illegal industrial action, and thus breaking their contracts of employment.
The branch is now planning to ballot all its members for action in protest at the sackings, and there is a rally in Islington on Saturday June 6.
This dispute must be seen in the context of the determination
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