the British votes, constituency parties roughly eight percent. The questions was formally conference votes'. This resolution was remitted to the NEC.
At both Campaign for Labour Party emocracy and Labour Coordinating Committee allilal ings since then resolutions have been passed in favour of increasing the voiting strength of the constituencies.
There is, of course, no 'impartial' or Just stall dard by which the proportion of the vote should be measured. The decision on what these proportions are is a political one.
At present the votes of constituencies are calculated On assumed equivalence filiated' through his or her Bally member 'aftrade union, and an indivdual member belonging to a constituency party.
Allilate memvels pay 50 pence a year as part of their trade union membership dues into their union's fund.
Their union executive may inen pass to the Labour Party a part of the money The number of affiliate members mined by the amount paid to the Labour Party.
Levy Most unions do not pass on the whole of the political levy. There is no rule or convention which them do so How much is passed on, if any, the discretion of the executive Thus there is no way of telling which of the union members are or not affiliate members of the party.
fact, HOSt members who pay political levy would regard themselves as Labour Party members. In contrast individual member of the Labour Party fills in a membership form, Is accepted by a constituency and regards him or herself as indisputably a party raised at the 1983 member, Employed members pay a subscription 14 times higher than the amount an affiliate member pays in political Thus it can be seen that the equivalence of the two types of membership is no more or less arbitrary than any other kind weighting.
Concern Those who drafted the PRIS 1918 realised the constitution there was criterion for such weighting other than political one. The decision that an affiliate member would count the same as an individual member for voting dominaece to en the dominance conservative-minded trade union wing of the party, the 'politically unreliable' constituency The same biased thinking lay behind that part of the Labour Party constitution which provided NEC constituency representatives nominated by constituencies but elected by the of conterence that is, by the block vote of trade union delegations. The constituencies managed to get this changed in 1931 rocedure same ruling is used today in relation the five women on the NEC.
not surprising, therefore, that those most about the existing proportionality are amongst the most reactionary of the trade union leaders.
What is of concern is that some comrades on the left regard a prospective increase consumc voting strength as an atLanderstandably, they are THOUS concerned unions present under fire, and fear that questioning their Tole conference may be used by Labour's enemies.
Yet the critics of the trade unions may find it hard to use the unions willingness relinquish some of their power as an argument against them In fact relations between the and constituencies are likely to im prove if the constituencies are given a bigger say involvement at ine constituene. level is minimal except in rock-solid LaDOUI seats which the unions control. Trade unionists probably see no need to attend constituency when they know that whatever is proposed, the trade union 3THEN..
voting conference overwhelmingly dominates the decision.
At present constituenСУ activists only see each other at party conference and there is little opportunity for them come together. tuencies were to have more votes at conference, trade unionists might see attending general committee meetings and influencing constituency decisions as important.
Thel contribution might make constituencies more 'conservative' but -on the positive side - i would lead to a two-way traffic of ideas and greater understanding of the two points of view.
WE WILL ANALYSE THE CAUSES OF THE DEFEAT, WE WILL DRAW LESSONS, WE WILL PRODUCE PERSPECTIVES FOR THE COMING PERIOD.... AND THEN....?
A more spurious argu ment against changing the present proportions that it would be an act of hostility against the unions - appears to be based on the assumption that trade of the Collance necessary condition for the party becoming socialis We are told tha can be won policies only by winning the argument for socialism underlving unstated assumption is that the unions coula be transformed into, or act as "political party. In fact, the unions by their very nature cannot take the place of a socialist party.
The recruitment is the provement of pay and conditions of a particular sec tion of the working class within a capitalist society Entich derives particular _ that is. which the special needs and claims of its members — prevents il going outside the capitalist framework.
Impact In practice, in matters of national politics, unions rely on the lead given to them by the political wing of the labour Party: ent the Labour Party.
question then whether the unions can become socialist but whether the Labour Par ty's political wing has the potential of becoming so The Marxist left refuses to accept that the Labour Party about socialist changes However, their numerous attempts to set themselves up as a political force ourside the Labour Party hav been Unfor tunately, the result has not only political isolation, but - DCCI their • own more importantly - their non-participation within possible for Labour's right the wall made wing to remain dominant In the last analysis, we are faced with the refusal Marxists acknowledge the reality of conditions the under which they must operate it ther wish to have a political impact.
...and then I'll slip into a hot bath and slit my wrists....
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A DISCUSSION has begun on whether the relative voting strengths of trade unions and constituencies at Labour Party annual conference should be chang- ed. Trade unions have roughly 91 per cent of the
Labour Party conference in a composite resolution calling on the National Executive Committee '...to initiate a study aimed at restructuring Labour Party conference' so as 'to secure a more just division of