A little clarification re: @UKLabour’s National Constitutional Committee (NCC) elections, because some people might be confused. To recap: the Centre Left Grassroots Alliance (CLGA) traditionally brings groups on the Labour left to agree joint slates for internal elections. (1/8)
The CLGA has been going many years previous to @jeremycorbyn’s election and well before Momentum existed. It has consisted of socialist organisations like @LRCinfo, @LabourCND & @CLPD_Labour. Naturally, Momentum were invited to join once established in late 2015. (2/8)
At that meeting, Jon Lansman, representing Momentum, objected to Stephen Marks, a member of @JVoiceLabour - not over anything specific he had said or done but because, Lansman said, the “Jewish community” wouldn’t accept it. Which “Jewish community” wasn’t clear...(4/8)
Lansman’s objection was not to Marks specifically, but @JVoiceLabour themselves, echoing the theme over the summer of the “wrong type of Jew”. Essentially, Momentum were “no platforming” JVL. @CLPD_Labour and other groups represented in the meeting, we’re having none of it. (5/8)
Momentum went on to spin the failure to agree a left slate as CLPD “walking out” of the discussions, whereas in fact it was Lansman who broke the unity of the slate by insisting on a veto re: @JVoiceLabour & ignoring the views of the rest of the left groups in the room. (6/8)
At the end of the meeting, when it was clear that no compromise could be reached, reluctantly, there was an agreement to draw up separate left slates & crucially not to bad mouth the other groups’ decisions. That was broken within hours by Lansman and Momentum. (7/8)
So we have two slates, if slightly overlapping. The whole episode has exposed flaws in the slate system, but also that no one group (with a fraction of the overall party membership) has a right to dominate every decision & impose their will on the rest of the Labour left. (8/8)
