Row after Region opposes Mayor for London
Stop MSF witch-hunt!
The national leadership of MSF is attempting to discipline the President and Secretary of its London Region Council, Sue Michie and Hugh McGrillen in a blatant political attack on the most left region.
Their ‘crime’ is that London Region Council called for a ‘No’ vote in the May referendum against a directly-elected London mayor and publicised this to its branches. This position followed lengthy discussions – it was not the product of the fevered imaginations of the President and Secretary.
Many other parts of the labour movement in London, including many Constituency Labour Parties, took a similar position. Most, however, decided to bite their tongues and stay quiet.
The President and Secretary were first summoned to a hearing without being informed of any allegations or evidence against them. On the advice of Regional Council they refused to attend, instead writing to demand what they were accused of and copies of material.
In response they were given a new date and copies of a letter from Terry Ashton, General Secretary (now Director of the Board) of Greater London Labour Party.
This claimed that London region MSF had been a constant thorn in the side of the London Labour party, had disrupted a consultation conference on the mayor and London Assembly, and committed the ultimate sin of adopting a policy different to that of the Labour party.
Ashton never raised these allegations with the regional executive of the Greater London Labour Party, raising the question of what authority he had to write the letter.
He seems to consider it out of order for a union body to adopt policy different to that of the Labour Party. MSF, has the right (even duty) to decide its policies.
Is the next stop discipline against the RMT for having the temerity to strike against plans to privatise London Underground, since this is government policy?
Speculation is rife as to whether Roger Lyons, MSF General Secretary is witch hunting London Region at the behest of Ashton, or Ashton wrote his letter at the request of Lyons – who would like nothing better than to discipline a regional body which has challenged him for years.
Whichever it is, this episode shows the symbiotic relationship between the trade union and Labour Party bureaucracies and the path they would like to go down if this is not challenged.
London Region Council of MSF is outraged, and is asking activists in the unions and Labour Party to take up this issue. If Ashton and Lyons succeed in this witchhunt it would make it easier for them and their ilk to repeat it elsewhere.