Campaign news

LRC guidance on Partnership into Power review

15th December 2010

A review of the Labour Party policy making process was launched at party annual conference this year and a report will be presented to Annual Conference 2011.

The Joint Policy Committee will be listening to views and gathering evidence from party units and members, and would like maximum input.

The deadline for submissions to the review is 10 June 2011, but it is important that party units and members make their views known as soon as possible.

Submissions can be made either:

- Via the Labour Party website at: members.labour.org.uk/pip-Or in writing to:
Review of Partnership into Power
Policy and Research Department
The Labour Party
39 Victoria Street
London
SW1H 0HA

When making a submission the party want to know who it is from – member, CLP or affiliate – and if a meeting was held to discuss the submission. Download this briefing

LRC guidance on making a submission

Submissions will be more influential if they are made in your own words after discussion at a meeting.

The following points are to give guidance in discussing and writing your submission:

1. All the Labour leadership candidates recognised that party members are not adequately involved in party policy making.
2. The active involvement of members in party policy making makes the party stronger and our policies more relevant to the people we aspire to represent.
3. If party units and members had been listened to about the public desire for more progressive policies – such as building more council housing, progressive taxation, scraping ID cards and Trident and public ownership of railways – Labour could have avoided defeat at the last General Election and still be in government.
4. Members must have a clear and transparent process whereby their policy idea can be submitted to party annual conference and be voted upon to become party policy.
5. Feedback to party units and members on the progress and outcome of their policy idea within the process is crucial.
6. Annual Conference must remain the sovereign policy making body of the Labour Party with voting on policies and conference decisions acted upon by the leadership.
7. In relation to Annual Conference, members, via party units, must be able to submit motions, amendments to policy documents. Also, delegates must be able to move reference back on sections of policy documents at conference. The nonsense of all or nothing policy making must end, with policy documents voted upon section by section. The Conference Arrangements Committee must facilitate democratic debate on policy at Annual Conference, not block it by using very restricting “contemporary” criteria and other shoddy fixes. Prioritisation and compositing of motions must also not be used to restrict policy options open to conference to debate and vote upon, rather the intention must be to maximise decision making on such policy options.
8. The National Policy Forum must be reformed to be much more open and democratic, and be made accountable to, and involve, party units and members in its policy making process. Party units and members must be able to submit amendments to policy documents being considered by the NPF, and a workable process with timescales and resources to facilitate this must be developed. Where the NPF cannot reach a consensus on a policy, minority positions should be voted upon at Annual Conference.
9. Trade unions and other affiliated organisations at all levels must be fully involved in party policy making.
10. Local policy forums must feedback accurately the actual policy content they generate into the party policy making process.
11. The policy making process must be a genuine rolling programme approved by party annual conference, with all policy areas being covered.
12. Party policy must feed into the party general election manifesto in a democratic and transparent fashion that includes the widest possible consultation within the party that includes the party policy making structures.
13. When the PIP report is presented to Annual Conference 2011, party units/delegates must be able to amend it and vote on it.

Link to PiP consultation document

http://www.labouremail.org.uk/files/uploads/752201ad-cfaa-9694-c121-9f0f7d5be065.pdf?utm_source=taomail&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5687+Partnership+into+Power+-+The+Review&tmtid=25029-5687-3-224-1635209

Download this briefing

Gary Heather
Coordinator
LRC Labour Party Liaison Unit
15 December 2010