As a loyal Labour Party member, this writer would never ever advocate supporting a candidate who stands against an official Labour candidate. That would be a clear breach of Chapter 2, Rule A(4)(b) of the Labour Party Rules:
“A member of the party who joins and/or supports a political organisation other than an official Labour group or other unit of the party, or supports any candidate who stands against an official Labour candidate, or publicly declares their intent to stand against a Labour candidate, shall automatically be ineligible to be or remain a party member….”
I understand that Ken Livingstone argues that, despite the clarity of this rule, that it does not apply to him. That is because he believes that the rule permits him to put all his efforts into supporting an anti-Labour candidate, if he claims that he is only in relation to second preferences, in order to “keep the Tories out“.
Will Labour’s NEC allow Ken Livingstone to escape on the basis that all his work for Lutfur Rahman was really all about defeating the Tories, who were always going to come third? There was never any doubt that the election would be a run off between Rahman and Abbas. Their second preference votes were never going to be redistributed, and of course, they weren’t. That is why the anti-Labour Mayor, Lutfur Rahman, today thanked Ken Livingstone for his support.
However, if that argument is accepted, it opens interesting possibilities.
For example, can Labour Party members campaign for Boris Johnson in the upcoming Mayoral elections, on the basis that they are only asking for people’s second preference vote, to prevent the nightmare that the Liberal Democrat’s Lembit Opik might win?
Moving on, there’s a good comment from “Kisan” on the following blog at the Spittoon which asks a question to which I don’t yet have an answer. So I’m throwing it open to you:
Personally I think someone doing the following should also be expelled from Labour:
1. Post a letter from the Labour opposition which is described as “brilliant”:
http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=70082. Post a campaign propaganda video for the labour opposition:
http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=6990
3. Post the IFE (Jamaat-e-Islami and 1971 war criminal linked far right Islamist group) statement refuting LABOUR candidate statements:
http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=69294. Positively promote newspaper articles slurring Labour candidate as racist and wife beater:
http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=69765. Post letter offering whole hearted support of Labour opposing candidate prior to election:
http://www.socialistunity.com/?p=6812and on and on there is more propaganda against Labour by Newman and his website and then he has the gall to say that its time for unity blah blah blah…
What do you think?
I can’t believe that Andy Newman can be happy in the Labour Party, having been a National Council member of the Islamist-Trotskyite-Stalinist alliance, Respect. That party didn’t simply stand in opposition to Labour – it is a party that opposes everything that Labour stands for. So why Labour would want Newman as a member, I really can’t imagine.
But, as I say, I haven’t a firm view on the matter. Over to you.
