Delegates
I watched the debate on the health service at Labour party conference on Wednesday afternoon with Kerron and Adele in the cafe in the exhibition hall. I was only paying attention because Oxford West and Abingdon CLP were seconding the Unison motion, as both the vote and the impact on government policy of that vote were foregone conclusions. But then our attention was caught as the debate descended into the best sub-student union farce, and graduates of NUS conference leaflet wars leapt to the platform to demand who had put such-and-such a paper on delegates’ seats, and was it indeed a paid staff member…
We were idly discussing which delegates had their speeches written for them (a giveaway is usually the “Conference, this is my first time at conference” at the beginning; a personal tale about a relative with a dreadful disease who would had died under the Tories but lived thanks to a Labour government’s new (PFI) hospital in their area is also a good stalwart in a health debate), and which had their path to the podium smoothed by the Labour party’s staff.* So, catching up on my blogs just now, I was amused by this anecdote from Thirsk and Malton CLP:
Having a coffee at 8.30am I was greeted by a rep from Labour regional office. “You’re involved in finance – fancy delivering speech on pensions?” [...] Within fifteen minutes I was upstairs at the GMEX, writing my piece; quizzing party experts on related matters and beginning to feel that time was running out.
Unfortunately the delegate in question didn’t get called to speak. But I’m sure he was excellently prepared if he had been called, with all the facilities of the party at his disposal to help him write the speech…
* NB: our staff work bloody hard, and I’m sure are having a pretty tough time of it at the moment. But I’m not convinced they need to unnecessarily increase their workload by spending time helping I’m sure entirely capable and articulate delegates with their speeches… 
Staff are officers of the NEC. There is nothing wrong with them executing the decisions of the NEC.
As a former member of Party staff myself, I do actually agree with Adrian, but when the NEC is yet to decide, this is a pretty crap argument: even more so when the staff of the Party encourage people to nominate or vote a particular way in NPF or NEC elections, which also happens.
We found the delegate from Tamworth particularly hilarious:
http://thedaily.wordpress.com/2006/09/28/labour-conference-a-healthy-debate/
It does bring back memories of the happy days that were NUS Conference.
Adrian - are you seriously saying that the NEC authorised these leaflets? Or are party staff now allowed to act on the basis of “who will rid me of this turbulent priest”?
There is something a bit wrong with them leaning on delegates and trying to influence their votes though surely?
Adrian - once the decision is made, yes. Not before. And I think our staff are an enormously dedicated bunch, by the way. Some of them will even let me buy them a drink occasionally…
The NEC makes recommendations to conference about just about everything that goes before it. Therefore any leaflets would be *after* the decision is made.
I have no idea about any of these leaflets but the nature of NEC officers is that they are delegated powers by the NEC to do their job - so they don’t have to seek the NEC’s permission for every action they take in pursuit of the NEC’s decisions.
For what it is worth, and as a former senior member of staff of the party, I think a lot of the things that are done are cackhanded and often misfire (as I said I don’t know about anything here - I stopped working for the party in 2005) but that doesn’t mean they are necessarily against either the spirit or letter of any rules.
a personal tale about a relative with a dreadful disease who would had died under the Tories but lived thanks to a Labour government’s new (PFI) hospital in their area is also a good stalwart in a health debate
My grandmother died in a NHS hospitial under New Labour because the medical staff botched up their work.