RENU MARLEY FOR LABOUR PARTY NEC
Renu Marley for Labour Party NEC
Comrades!
Renu Marley for Labour Party NEC
I, Marley Renu, am standing for NEC because I want Labour to overcome fully,
the inequalities dividing Britain. I have been a Labour, Co-operative and trade
union activist for over 18 years. I have a proven track record in campaigning
for equality and social justice. I believe I can effectively promote policies
reflecting the aspirations of many party members, to the NEC. I think it is
important that the NEC has strong representation from Constituency members in
West Midland so that we can maintain our strong links in the context of
community led government while continuing to learn from one another.
As an aspiring Parliamentary candidate for the last three terms of the Labour
Government, I have tried to raise grassroots concerns about party democracy,
organisation, and candidate selection. I support public ownership, council
housing, index- linking pensions to average earnings, stabilization on UN
decisions, and the campaign for the eradication of 3rd world poverty. In recent
years, the party’s internal democracy has been eroded and members feel their
views are often ignored by our Party. I also believe this is why we are in the position
we now find ourselves in, in Opposition. As a consequence, party activists are
becoming less committed. This trend must not be continued and therefore must be
reversed. I believe Labour members need representatives on the NEC who will
fight alongside them, and that our NEC should be made up of the best local and
regional activists who will not only stand up for but mobilize their members. I
am a representative who will be truly accountable to the members who in turn
will reflect the dynamism of our solidarity, women and men, black and white,
gay and straight, disabled and non-disabled. They should all be included along
with the old faces that have a proven record as fighters in the NEC. Not merely
those that have attended Oxbridge but a more diversify set of
principles/disciplines. Passionate committed activists who may have emerged out
of the recent battles in Higher and Further Education cuts or Jobless fund cuts
whose focus is fixed on taking the party forward. I believe a mixture of all
these groups will bring with them a stronger commitment to creating a
democratic, member led, progressive, even radical social ethos to a newly
created NEC. Those, not used to being in opposition, but are along the lines of
the Educationalists and Social entrepreneurs who championed the Civil &
Human rights here and abroad. I know I have the ability to encourage Labour
members to deliver grassroots values within a modern context. I believe that
members must have an effective say in shaping policy; to reverse declining
membership and activism, while retaining freedom of judgment on other issues.
NEC must undertake to uphold these values, insist that the party operates in a
democratic, accountable and transparent way. Set an example by reflecting the
concerns of their electorate and reporting back to them; demand that
consultation through the forum process is genuine, that members’ views can
visibly influence Labour’s programme, and that policy is determined through
transparent mechanisms including the sovereignty of annual conference.
The next Leader of our Party needs to demonstrate that they respect and
appreciate the role of party members. We need a balance of rights and
responsibilities. If you expect members to work their socks off for a Labour
victory then their rights in matters such as candidate selection and short
listing need to be respected. The need is for foot soldiers that harmoniously
bridge the gap between classes, a fighting NEC for the disadvantage who is many
in our society.
Our present Condemnationalist government intends to make working people pay for
the financial crisis. They are firmly wedded to propping up a system that puts
profit before people, and bankers’ bonuses before decent public services. To
meet that challenge we need to build a fighting NEC who reflects the voice of
the mass Labor support we met during the electoral campaign. This means
increasing resources to branches and regions and encouraging activists on the
ground to lead serious industrial action against redundancy, pay cuts and
increased workloads. The scale of the world crisis is unprecedented. More than
ever, in our need to defend education and members’ jobs, we have to assert a
political vision that things can be done differently. In practical terms this
means Labour must take a leading role in building joint campaigns with other
public sector workers fighting the cuts. It also means building links with
wider progressive movements that challenge the free market, neo-liberal
consensus such as environmental campaigns and opposition to the war in
Afghanistan. Above all it means building opposition to the fascist BNP in our
communities. In conclusion we all have to work for Labour to reinforce its
reputation as a party of democratic socialism, committed to redistributing
wealth, income and power from the few to the many.