How I voted in the Labour Leadership Election

I'm going to have words with my Unison's branch's membership secretary - I could have sworn I filled in a form to opt out of the political fund. Yet, yesterday, I received my Unison Labour Leadership ballot paper.

I agonised over what to do with it.

To have it even count you have to tick a box affirming "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."

So, technically, I should have just binned it. But, the urge was upon me. Reader, I lied, I ticked the box.

So, how did I vote?

I wrote: "No Leaders WORLD SOCIALISM" across it, and ticked the box so they would have to count it as a valid spoilt ballot. At the least I've cost the Labour Party a bit of money. At best, thousands of people doing the same could send a message. If your union includes you, go for it mes braves.

No Leaders

I should say that I a a member of Unison - currently undergoing a General Secretary election. Now, first, some points. Unison's rulebook explicitly states that it is a member lead organisation, there is no reference in the rulebook to a leader, or a leadership, so in essence, the General Secretary is a secretary, not a general.

In reality, the public image is that he is the leader. Currently, the post is held by a member of a bizarre entryist cult called the Labour Party, that puts their organisation first and foremost while pretending to put members first. They are being challenged by Militant. Dave Prentice is being challenged by Paul Holmes, and Roger Bannister. Now, the only issue at hand should be experience of the union, and capacity to carry out conference instructions, but they are all vying to be a leader.

I think, on due reflection, I'm going to wipe my arse on my ballot paper when it arrive. We have no leader, we are all leaders.

Vaux Populi back up

Another election, another manifesto - we're off again, Vauxing Popularly....

Back to politics

OK, so, a round up-cum-linkage of three web stories.

Firstly, Dave Osler, passim making the case that there's nowt to the left of Labour. All well and good, and true. In fact, as Luke Akehurst has been banging on about for weeks, and now Jonathon Feedland has joined in with - the race isn't run, yet. There are still months to the election, and the incumbants have all the power and publicity position brings them.

Which brings us to the Queen's speech (Gawd bless 'er - incidentally, a Labour candidate is being disciplined for being rude about the Queen: telling the truthYes, it is a 'values' programme, more about the tone than detail; but what tone.

A national care service for the elderly, restrictions on bankers bonuses - Labour forced into little errosions of the market.

Yes, millions still support Labour, and the electoral advantage, thanks to the distribution of votes, gives them a strong hand. That means millions support capitalism; but the give aways Labour will try to use to stay in power offer some prospect of a space for socialists to criticise and say "not enough".

Socialism doesn't grow out of despair, but of hope. The midst of a recession doesn't build for revolution, but the start of growth, when there is a prospect for renewal and "never again" maybe, we'll have a chance.

With the SWP going into meltdown, maybe a clear run for socialism will be had - although I suspect it's the Millies who'll end up last man standing, creating an SSP redux.

oh, well.

Recent activity

Sorry for radio silence, been blogging over at Vaux Populi. Herein my list of recent posts:

Change you can't believe in
Greenwash
Surveying the field
Candidate admits error
Putting the case
Caring
Presenting our candidates

So, see, I have been blogging, and like a fiend!

And they're off!

Our European election address has been approved, and we're going to contest the London region list in the Euros. Vaux Populi is back up and running, expect exciting commentary on delivering leaflets in the rain, again.

On a personal note, this will be my first ever opportunity to vote for a socialist party candidate, I'm so happy.

Vote early

Well, this morning I voted. I voted in the Kentish Town "Arizona by-election" - caused by the Lib-Dem councillor who thought he could represent an inner London ward from Arizona (he went there to get a Phd.).

Given the unrelenting lies of the Lib-Dems - including the dodgiest of bar charts (not to scale, using the last election but one, putting a text box over the bars to disguise where the zero line was, etc. - all to try and make their real challengers in the ward, the Greens, seem less of a threat) - I was sorely tempted to vote to try and get them out.

In the end, though, Party discipline prevailed, and I spoilt my ballot by writing "World Socialism: SPGB" across my ballot paper.

My way of explaining this strategy, this days, is by likening it to strike action. By consciously applying a political picket line, which says: "We are not going to express priorities and preferences, unless and until this great issue of class is sorted out." They need our votes, our input.

Sometimes it might hurts us a little, as all strike action does, but the final goal is clear.

The Shettlestonians...

Labour stuffed in Glasgow. Are we facing a Canada 1993 with Labour facing utter wipeout? Will that finally lead to the realignment Blair wanted (after all, the liberals would fill the gap, and a good chunk of Labour would desert the old union based organisation).

The big question is, Gordon Brown, what will he do, go, and go now, or cling on - perhaps pursuing a scorched Earth policy? A series of give away budgets?

Stay tuned, to this bat channel!