Keep Corbyn – Our Party, Our Leader

Labour MPs are openly challenging Party democracy by publicly undermining Jeremy Corbyn as Labour’s elected Leader, despite Jeremy having been elected with the biggest mandate of any Party leader in British history just 9 months ago.  Jeremy has doubled Labour party membership, led Labour to four successive by-election victories, won every Mayoral seat Labour contested and taken Labour from 8-12% down in the polls last September to neck and neck with the Tories or even just ahead in some polls immediately before the MPs mounted their coup.  Jeremy has also reconnected the Labour Party with its base in the trade unions and excited young people about politics for the first time in a generation.  Jeremy Corbyn reaches the parts other Labour Leaders can’t as West Sussex Labour activist Dan Sartin sums up when talking about the Corbyn effect in Worthing.

MPs have sought to use the EU Referendum as their excuse but analysis showed 63% of Labour voters voted to Remain, compared to 64% of SNP voters but just 42% of Tories.  If anyone is to blame for the Leave vote it is Cameron, who called the Referendum and failed to win Tory supporters to Remain.  Jeremy deserves as much praise for the Labour vote as SNP MPs have given to Nicola Sturgeon for the SNP vote.

 

Smearing the abilities or character of the Party’s elected leader may or may not be bringing the Party into disrepute (we know our thoughts but we’ll leave that one for Labour’s Compliance Unit) but, without question, 172 MPs putting themselves above 251,000 Party members is a clear attempt to subvert the principle of one member one vote and give MPs a veto over Labour Party democracy.  If you want to email your views to Labour MPs, like Hove’s Peter Kyle, you may want to ask them whose Party is this anyway?  Check the list of MPs backing Jeremy and let us know if your MP should be added.

Young Labour has full confidence in Jeremy Corbyn and YL member Lucy Whitehouse speaks for many when she questions why Labour MPs have turned against Jeremy and the Party.  Amongst all the recent tumult Jeremy Corbyn has remained ‘constant’ because he represents the solid, traditional Labour values on which the party was founded. His opponents within have been too quick to betray those values; their beliefs are built on shifting sands. Their unreliability and readiness to turn and turn about means they’re not able to form a strong opposition to the Tories.

To show your support for Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Leader, propose this emergency motion of confidence in Jeremy at your CLP or Labour, trade union or Labour-affiliated branch.  Hundreds of councillors are publicly supporting Jeremy, including Hastings Council Leader Peter Chowney, and many others from Sussex.  (We have also learned of many who wanted to be listed but did not reply to the call in time!)  All the big unions are supporting Jeremy with many having released statements backing him as Labour Leader.  One of the most powerful comes from BFAWU, the Bakers Union.

If you want to defend the progressive, socialist agenda of Jeremy Corbyn and his Labour leadership team, including John McDonnell, Diane Abbott and many others, the most effective way to do that is as a Labour Party member or registered/affiliated supporter. Then you will have a vote in any leadership election. If you aren’t already a Labour member or supporter, join the Labour Party today .

But don’t just leave it at that, get active in your local Labour Party and join those on the Left who support the Labour leadership – join the LRC – and join Momentum.  Importantly for Labour members in Brighton & Hove, make sure you and all Corbyn supporters you know prioritise coming to Brighton, Hove & District Labour Party AGM at 4pm on Saturday 9 July, in the main hall at City College, Pelham Street.  There you will have the chance to vote for a new Executive, auditors and Council Group observers.  Supporters of Jeremy Corbyn are standing for all posts and need your support to get elected.

With the Tories divided and facing a leadership contest at the same time the Brexit negotiations will be starting, the country needs a united Labour Party keeping up the fight to defend protections for workers, ensure that the poorest aren’t made to pay the price of any economic fall out, and fight the growth of racism and xenophobia.    The last thing we need is a period of self-indulgent navel gazing, or destructive infighting courtesy of the Parliamentary Labour Party.  Please sign the 38 Degrees petition to show your confidence in Jeremy Corbyn as Labour Leader and sign Momentum’s letter for a united Labour Party.