ON SATURDAY 29th October, at the conference of
the Labour Representation Committee in London, Matt Wrack, the general
secretary of the Fire Brigades Union delivered a passionate attack on elements
within the steering committee of Momentum who are using very underhand methods
to prevent a planned founding conference for Momentum that would give it a
constitution and democratic internal structures.
Wrack is a member of the Momentum
steering committee – a body that was meant to be a temporary structure until
Momentum acquired a proper structure. Currently it has a national committee
which created the smaller steering committee.
He began with a warning that at the
Labour Party conference the old right-wing leadership had organisationally “run
rings round” the left-wing Corbyn supporters, stitching up the agenda, who was
to be allowed to speak and so on in advance to prevent Corbyn supporters
getting a word in.
He warned that Momentum and the Left
needed to improve their organisation – just having the support of the vast
majority of Labour members is not enough and that those who wish to destroy
Corbyn are not going to accept his re-election but will continue to fight at
every level.
Wrack continued with an account of
how Momentum sacked its vice-chair, Jackie Walker, for alleged anti-Semitism
because she rightly refused to accept that anti-Zionism equates with
anti-Semitism.
“What took place immediately after
the Labour Party conference was an organised attempt by people with key access
to the Momentum office to lobby in advance of any discussion to make sure that
when the steering committee met it was already a foregone conclusion that
Jackie would be removed a vice-chair,” said Wrack.
“It shook me that when people talk
about the ‘new politics’ what we are seeing is exactly the replica of the old
‘machine politics’ that we want to see the back of.
“John Lansman [the leader of
Momentum] has questions to answer about the conduct of the organisation of
Momentum.”
He went on to give an account of the
debate about what sort of founding conference they want: “First of all some
don’t want a conference in the first place. Some of us have been arguing for
eight months or more that we should have a conference at the earliest
opportunity. How can you possibly defend rules and structure without some form
of founding conference?
“Then there is the debate about what
sort of conference it should be. To me the logical basis of the conference is
the local groups….” “And yet it strikes me that in the Momentum office that
from John [Lansman] there is a great resistance to have any trust or confidence
in the local Momentum groups.”
Wrack reported that at a steering
committee just a week previously two proposals had been made about the form the
founding conference should take: firstly a conference of delegates from local
groups and secondly an online conference with online debate and online voting.
The audience at the LRC conference
reacted strongly, appalled by the second suggestion.
Matt Wrack continued: “My concern
was what would be the point of anyone actually going to the conference if
everyone simply sits behind a computer screen clicking the button. Who would
propose things? The truth is a self-selected group of people would propose
things.”
The steering committee agreed to
circulate both proposals but then circulated only the second suggestion.
Then an emergency meeting of the
steering committee was called with less than 24 hours’ notice – at which many
members were unable to attend. That meeting cancelled the national committee
meeting due to take place the following week. In doing that, it exceeded its
powers because it is only a sub-committee of the national committee. “This is
quite a serious matter as far as I’m concerned,” said Wrack.
John Lansman, who was due to speak
at the LRC conference and could have used the opportunity to defend himself,
withdrew, and decided not to speak.
But the LRC itself is also affected
by “the old machine politics”. It has, without warning or giving any reasons,
disaffiliated some of its affiliated groups.
Andy Brooks represented the NCP at the conference and other comrades also attended.
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