UNISONActive is an unofficial blog produced by UNISON activists for UNISON activists. Bringing news, briefings and events from a progressive left perspective.

Saturday 6 August 2011

Refounding Labour consultation exercise - where's the beef?

An article on the UNISON sponsored Labour List website has criticised the lack of transparency following the conclusion of Labour’s internal consultation on its Refounding labour constitutional review.

Responses to the consultation have not been published and so far a summary report with recommendations has been circulated to senior party officials only:  http://www.labourlist.org/missing-in-action-refounding-labour

This latest process characterises the serious democratic deficit within Labour Party notably in the tightly managed interface with affiliated unions which leads to minimal engagement with elected lay representatives of affiliated unions let alone the millions of political levy payers. Political manoeuvres are played out by spinning in the national media without any respect for representative democracy.

To its credit, the Labour Democracy website is attempting to fill the vacuum and (unlike TULO or the individual affiliated unions) has published the collective union response to the Refounding Labour consultation: http://labourdemocracy.wordpress.com/