Labour’s left unite online
A coalition of Socialist and left wing Labour Party groups has united to launch a new online service for conference delegates.
The new website – www.labourconference2004.net – seeks to brief delegates, particularly those new to conferences and lobbying, on exactly how the system works and to counter official “propaganda”.
Among the groups involved are the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, Save the Labour Party, the Network of Socialist Campaign Groups, Campaign for Socialism (Scotland) and Welsh Labour Grassroots.
The organisers say the site offers an opportunity for all concerned activists to “bury their policy differences and combine to be heard.”
The group’s spokesman, Councillor Tom Davidson, told politics.co.uk this morning that the site would be used to explain the conference procedure, and highlight important motions that may be missed, so that delegates would not have to rely on “political briefings” from those who have a “different vision of the Labour Party.”
As an example, he said that many delegates are unaware that in order to ensure that their constituency party’s contemporary motion is considered for debate, they are required to arrive on Saturday afternoon, before the conference officially starts.
Saying that there has been “lots of interest” in the service from constituency parties, Mr Davidson pointed out that Labour does not publicise a list of all constituency party contacts, and said this makes it difficult for activists to contact each other.
Though the site is primarily designed for the conference, the group will be maintaining a database of “sympathetic” local organisations, trade unions and individuals to facilitate a “continuous dialogue”.
To publicise their campaign, they will be hosting a reception on the Saturday evening.
The main conference runs from 25th to 30th September.
