Ed Miliband seeks to rewrite Labour’s founding principles

Leader aims to position Labour as welcoming to all in document that puts community organising at the heart of the party Ed Miliband is to propose rewriting the Labour party’s 93-year-old founding principles, amending clause I of its constitution to explicitly put the principles of community organising at its heart. In the first redrafting of the party’s clauses in 17 years since Tony Blair famously scrapped clause IV, which until then had committed Labour to a programme of mass nationalisation, Miliband hopes to get party support for his wider ambitions for the party, which have so far been controversial with union leaders. The constitution was adopted by the party in 1918. The Guardian has seen a draft of the proposed changes Miliband will put to the Labour party conference in Liverpool in three weeks. Aides say he believes the current statement as set out in the party’s constitution – “to organise and maintain in parliament and in the country a political Labour party” – suggests the party’s objective is simply to maintain elected office. Now, in a document that has been sent to Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC), the leadership is proposing a new clause I to reflect a party as welcoming to “members and supporters alike” – making formal its desire to be attractive to a far greater range of people. The proposal, contained in the Refounding Labour document, which has been drawn up by Peter Hain, chair of the national policy forum, would also insert into the new clause I the statement that Labour is “a force for social justice”. The new clause would say the party exists to “bring together members and supporters who share its values to develop policies, make communities stronger through collective action and support, and promote the election of Labour representatives at all levels of the democratic process”. The effort to redefine the concept of the party is a symbolic step but it reflects a welter of technical proposals. They include: • The training of 2,000 community organisers before the next general election. • Movement for Change, the community organisation set up by David Miliband during the leadership contest, seeking approval from the NEC to be affiliated to Labour as a socialist society. • A registered supporters scheme, which would encourage crossover between Labour and single issue organisations whose supporters may agree with Labour aims but not care to be full-blown paying members. • Union levy payers to be encouraged into local parties with joint meetings. • Candidates’ contracts requiring standards of public engagement. MPs would have to show their engagement with their constituencies to underline that representing the party is as much about engaging with the public as party members. Miliband aides say that with the onus on local parties to engage with the public will bring a greater say for them in the running of their party. A source said: “We want to give more influence to party members if they open up.” Miliband has angered unions with possible proposals for the public to be allowed to register as individual party supporters, a new category, and to be given a vote in the election of party leader. Another source of controversy is a suggestion that unions hand over a list of their 3m political levy payers so that the party, constituencies and future leadership candidates can contact them directly, and the idea that stronger links be built between local parties and union members. The unions believe the party should not communicate with their members directly, but through their representatives, partly for fear of breaching data protection rules. Some of the ideas have been seen as an attempt by Miliband to dilute the power of the trade unions. One idea mooted would see their voting power at party conference reduced to below 50% and a reduction in their sway over leadership elections. On Sunday a source close to Miliband said no decisions had yet been taken and that unions would realise Miliband was the first Labour leader in a long time to believe passionately in maintaining the union link. “What this document [Refounding Labour] is not is about some sterile 1980s debate with the unions,” a party source said. A leaked version of the speech David Miliband planned to make if he had become Labour leader shows the former foreign secretary would also have pushed for a new clause I. Ed Miliband’s aides said his endorsement of his brother’s idea was designed to underline the transformation of Labour as a grassroots campaigning movement. An attempt by Labour to try to make itself a movement with broader appeal is particularly acute as the parties all await a report into funding due to be published in October by the committee on standards in public life. That report, commissioned by the government, could propose caps as low as £50,000 on individual donations to political parties, which would see Labour lose much of its funding. David Miliband’s speech suggests he would have said: “We don’t need a clause IV moment. We do need a clause I moment. When we address the organisation of our party. When we turn ourselves into a successful electoral machine by becoming a movement again. Our founders did not start by forming a party to seek votes. They started by building a movement to make change. A Labour movement. Trade unions, faith groups, community organisations. Standing for the dignity of man against a state that didn’t listen and a market that didn’t care.” Trade union groups will be invited to regular joint meetings with constituency parties and may be given a bigger role that allows them to submit petitions to change policy. Ed Miliband Labour Labour party leadership Trade unions Allegra Stratton guardian.co.uk

Posted by on September 4, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.