(If you are not interested in the internal political machinations of the trade union UNISON in London then please ignore this post.)Well, actually it should have been titled “We are not Trots Mr Lawrence (honest gov)”.
Picture (left) of Conroy and current acting convenor Gloria!
Things are hot-ing up a little for the London UNISON regional Council AGM on Wednesday (see email below sent to various London UNISON branches today). Malcolm “methinks thou dost protest too much” Campbell has had a “dig” at top UNISON Health steward (hospital electrician) Conroy Lawrence, who actually did not know who exactly would be part of the SWP/United left slate when he put in his nomination (except of course that there would be one).
It is interesting to note that apparently Mandy has now “left” the SWP after 20 odd years of membership and that none of the other candidates are members of Trotsky Entryist Labour Party factions. Well, that’s all right then. I thought *** was never a member of United Left? and that of course the wonderful Katrina has been taken over by UL Zombie body snatchers.
Has anyone in disunited left ever heard the saying “I joined the Labour party to help change the world, not to change the minutes of the previous meeting”? What on earth is Malcolm going on about? I assume that I was at the same meetings and do not recognise what on earth he is actually making a complaint about. I thought I was a total anorak?
Whatever the result it should be a fun packed AGM. I will let you know what went on.
From: Malcolm Campbell Sent: 04 February 2008 08:55Subject: URGENT - Regional Council AGM
Please forward this to your Regional Council delegates and ask them to read it carefully.
I'm writing to urge you to vote for the following people in the election of Regional Council Officers this Wednesday:
Convenor: Mandy Berger
Deputy Convenor: Malcolm Campbell
Finance Convenor: Heenal Rajani
Publicity Officer: Katrina Hoogendam
Equalities Convenor: *** ****
In his election address, Conroy Lawrence (who is standing against me for Deputy Convenor) talks about the Region being "captured by those who take their policies from extreme parties and who are answerable to their political masters and not UNISON's members". He is clearly suggesting that this describes those of us standing against him and his running mates. This is completely untrue.
I'm a member of the Labour Party and have never been a member of any other political party. Heenal, Katrina and *** are also members of the Labour Party, and Mandy is not a member of any party.
The idea that we won't be answerable to the membership is misleading in the extreme. We're standing on a platform of democracy and accountability, because we believe that the leadership of the Region for the last two years hasn't been allowing the views of the membership to be considered. Debate has been stifled.
Examples of this are:
An inquorate Regional Council meeting where debate was quite rightly allowed regarding the fight against fascism, but we weren't allowed to discuss the Pensions Dispute, which was at a crucial stage
Not allowing the Regional Committee to vote on a proposal for a Regional rally on a strike day, when other regions were holding them.
A consultation exercise regarding the establishing of a Regional Standing Orders Committee which only outlined two alternatives, and not a third which had been proposed involving a directly elected SOC
Introducing an SOC comprised of the Regional Council Officers, without the agreement of either the Regional Council or the Regional Committee
Not allowing a proper debate regarding motions submitted to Regional Council which had been ruled out of order (this was at a meeting of the Regional Committee curtailed after only 10 minutes of the allotted 45, when the Acting Regional Convenor and the Regional Secretary left the room despite there still being a number of people indicating that they wanted to speak!)
Not allowing a vote at the last Regional Committee on a perfectly valid proposal to commit the Region in principle to a joint union meeting in the future over Public Sector pay
This list isn't exhaustive and demonstrates that the way the Region is currently being run just isn't good enough.
PLEASE VOTE FOR DEMOCRACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
CheersMalcolm Campbell
UPDATE: I have been asked by someone mentioned on this post to remove their name. I have done so. grayee
7 comments:
Not a very clever response really, John.
"Merry Shove Tuesday"? What's all that about?
Inaccurate Shakespeare quote - and one that concerned someone trying to conceal the truth, not reveal it as I was doing.
If Conroy didn't know who was going to stand, isn't he a bit out of order suggesting that the Region was going to be captured by people "answerable to their political masters"?
The United Left is made up of many people, including members of the SWP. Therefore it's not a "SWP/United Left slate" but simply a United Left slate.
Khi isn't a member of the United Left, but is someone whose candidature we're very happy to support.
And finally, what on earth are you talking about when you mention changing the minutes of the previous meeting? I wasn't trying to change the minutes, I was merely pointing out how undemocratic the meetings were in terms of those controlling the meetings (both overtly and covertly) stifling the debate and not allowing proper democratic votes. You seem to be the one concerned with minutes instead of changing things!
I look forward to your reasoned debate tomorrow.
Malcolm C.
Hi Malcolm
Just having a quick cup of Tea before setting off for some reasoned debate at the AGM.
The title is supposed to be a pun on “Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence”, and I freely admit not the most original joke going. But I am amused at the various leftist paranoid interpretations that some people have had.
I don’t think that it is an inaccurate Shakespeare quote? Anyway, I’m sure that my point is clear whether you accept it or not is another matter.
United left (in my view) have consistently put forward extremist candidates (not all) for elections so this years slate is no actual surprise. But you have no grounds at all for pretending Conroy’s election statement at the time is a personal slur against you.
Glad to hear confirmation that Khi is not a supporter of UL. I think that I can guess why?
If you don’t understand how completely petty and irrelevant (again, in my view for what it is worth) your complaints are about the conduct of regional meetings when we have far more serious problems to deal with (such as the prospect of a Tory GLA Mayor and BNP Assembly member) then you will not understand the jibe either.
See you later (can I come to the UL meeting tomorrow and speak about my nomination for SGE?)
is this the same croydon unison branch that has not said boo to our Tory councils cuts
What strike has Malcom led against the cuts in Croydon
how many strike ballots has he organised
not one
croydonian
Oh dear John, another rather poor rejoinder. Of course I understood that the title was supposed to be a pun on "Merry Christmas Lawrence" - why you felt you had to spell it out I don't know. The fact of the matter is that a pun is a play on words, and it never works very well if you spell the words wrongly.
As I explained this morning when we passed at 8.15, the quotation was wrong - it's actually "The lady doth protest too much, methinks". As I said in my previous post, it's not used by you very well either, because the quote is used in Hamlet to make the point that someone protesting so much is actually covering up the fact that what they're denying is actually true. In contrast, I was pointing out something that really isn't true. Now do you understand?
You say that in your view United Left has consistently put forward extremist candidates so this year's slate is no surprise, and yet my original point is that all the candidates this year were Labour Party members bar one, who isn't in any Party, so what on earth is your definition of extremist? And I didn't ever say (or feel) that Conroy's election statement was a personal slur (how could I when a number of people in supposedly extremist parties are good friends of mine?). I was just pointing out that instead of sticking to the issues you and your cronies peddle untruths in the hope of persuading people to vote for you.
Finally, I agree that there are far more serious things in the world than the lack of democracy in London UNISON, but that doesn't make it right or mean that we should ignore it - all wrong things add up to the world I (and you, according to your previous post) want to change.
Malcolm C
Congrats John to you on your re-election and to your elected comrades on the regional office slate!
Thanks for calling me wonderful -it is nice to get some positive comments about me! But I do take umbrage at being called a zombie -'I do what I am told, I do what I am told' -when there were so many 'how to vote, who for and what for in what order' slips amongst the health and utilities members! Nice to see the office organising so well for its desired slate ( I certainly didn't see those being handed out outside the building where we had the AGM ) but doh! please don't then label me as a zombie after seeing those 'how you must vote slips'!
I do bother to read- and think about election addresses and motions -even the rule book and constitution!Not sure our Regional Secretary does though -you think?
keep up the blog -its fun!
kat
Hi Malcolm
“Oh dear John, another rather poor rejoinder....”
Sorry this is a bit late but it has been busy the last few days. What did I misspell this time? BTW I genuinely wasn’t really sure from your comments that you got the pun? (Weak as it was).
What I meant by the “doth protest” quote is that your slate did disguise the real political nature of UL. I am “pleased” that Mandy has apparently made a principled decision to resign from the SWP due to its links with Islamic bigots. However, I think you should not airbrush her long standing membership of this openly Trotsky revolutionary political faction. Nor your own and Heenal’s tendency to side with the SWP.
I think you accept that UL have always fielded in recent years a number of SWP candidates.
The Labour Party is of course a “broad church”. However, it is also a Political Party which believes in a parliamentary democracy based on a mixed economy. We can all row all night about what is a “mixed economy”. But as clear as hell this Party is not for any sort of revolutionary Marxists organisation – vanguard or otherwise. Nor I think is our union.
Anyway, since you have ignored my request to be invited to the UL inquest on Thursday, how did it go? (I haven’t got the minutes yet but I soon will)
Hi Kat
I didn’t call you a zombie (as such). It is just that I am desperately trying to understand why a good H&S rep such as yourself supports UL! The only rational explanation must be some sort of alien invasion?
Actually, I was very proud on how we organised on Wednesday. Look forward to conference!
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