A Jeremy Corbyn supporter has been chosen to chair the Brighton, Hove and District Labour Party.
Lloyd Russell-Moyle was elected at meeting of the city-wide party yesterday morning (Saturday 16 January).
The party now has more than 5,000 members across the three parliamentary constituencies in the area. Of those, about 250 attended the meeting at City College Brighton and Hove where members voted for the Brighton-born student and trade unionist.
Packed meeting of @bhlabour city party this morning. Discussions on council budgets to follow… pic.twitter.com/nLg7HOgp9E
— Cllr Tom Bewick (@Lab_Westbourne) January 16, 2016
The motion said: “Labour Party members across Brighton and Hove recognise that the unprecedented level of cuts to local government, including Brighton and Hove, is a direct result of Conservative central government policy.
“They recognise this policy will have a devastating impact on people who rely on BHCC services as well as the workers who deliver those services.
“We believe these cuts to be politically motivated and not economically necessary.
“Recognising the need to set a legal budget, we call on the Brighton, Hove and District Labour Party (BHDLP) executive, in consultation with the council Labour group, to start a discussion within the BHDLP aimed at developing a strategy to confront these cuts and further to mobilise local campaigns to highlight the devastating impact of this government’s cuts to local council spending.”
Thanks to all who voted for me as chair @bhlabour District Party & Christine who’s been acting chair last 3 mnths, honour follow u & Nancy.
— Lloyd Russell-Moyle (@lloyd_rm) January 16, 2016
Lloyd was elected unanimously after the only other candidate did not turn up.
The Queens Park amendment to the cuts motion was accurately described as a wrecking amendment, gutting the motion from Richard Woolven which called on the party to support trade union campaigns against the cuts in services and others fighting the horrendous cuts we are facing.
The Councillors have made it clear that they will implement the cuts without a whimper, because that is what they are legally obliged to do. That was the same argument which was used by Labour councillors back in the days of the poll tax. Fortunately millions of poll tax payers refused to pay resulting in the abolition of the poll tax. A similar refusal to pay the Council tax is needed in order to force the Government to backtrack on its proposals to cut the revenue support grant to zero after 2020.
If the government is not defeated on these cuts and we accept the counsel of despair offered by councillors then councils in those areas which are most poverty stricken will have a massive and permanent reduction in services compared to richer areas. It will be a situation akin to the period before the councillors of Poplar council in what is now Tower Hamlets chose to go to gaol rather than inflict the cuts Labour councillors are only too willing to inflict on people.
What is most noticeable about the District Party meeting yesterday was that the councillors think the duty of the party is to support them rather than the other way around. It is better to suffer from a Labour cut with Labour ‘values’ rather than a Tory cut.
I should add that the wrecking amendment moved by Jackie Lythell was passed by about 100-70 votes so it is clear that we have some work to do to reverse the domination of Labour in Brighton by New Labour. Interestingly New Labour yesterday was appealing for support for doing nothing by making repeated references to a letter from Jeremy Corbyn and others. There was also a byelection caused by the resignation of an Executive Committee and 2 momentum candidates tied. The Blairite candidate was in third place.
I don’t know who the hell Tony Greenstein thinks he is but he doesn’t have a clue. The guy clearly doesn’t have a clue about anything labour in Brighton and Hove, because if he did he’d shut his gob about these mythical “blairites” that exist in the Labour Party down here. Most labour members don’t care for “trot” or “blairite”… Only outdated backwards dinosaurs like Tony!
I wonder how short a memory old Tony boy has, does he remember only two years ago and the complete nightmare the greens were in because they were campaigning against their own council? Without Mrs lythells and the Queen’s Park branches amendment you would have seen a Labour Party fighting its own council, which people like Tony want, because they are out of touch protesters, but it’s not what the residents of the city want.
Tony can wave his flag at the clocktower and stand up in a meeting full of people who hate him all he likes, but he does not speak for the Labour Party or the people labour is trying to help.
Firstly well done to Lloyd Russell-Moyle. I look forward to meeting you and all fellow Corbynites. However, I do feel that my MP, Peter Kyle is rather too Blairite. I hope that he will start to represent the wishes of his constituents when he realises how many of his constituents voted for Jeremy Corbyn as Labour’s only hope of being reborn as the Real Party of The People.
“I don’t know who the hell Tony Greenstein thinks he is but he doesn’t have a clue.” … “Tony can wave his flag at the clocktower and stand up in a meeting full of people who hate him all he likes”
I know *exactly* who Tony Greenstein is. A member of Palestinian Solidarity Campaign. I disagreed with him by ‘daring’ to say I was attending a talk by someone he hates. He told me to “Get Lost” and likened me to someone who would go to a talk by Oswald Moseley.
“he does not speak for the Labour Party.”
Of course he doesn’t speak for the Labour Party. He is a Maxist. Always has been always will be.
I should add that Harris Fitch, who comes from a good socialist family (Rod/Reg/Jean Fitch) is an admirer of BNP policies as well as being bowled over by the Blair Foundation to whom he applied (& failed) to get a job!