Branch Labour Link News: Leadership; London GLA & National Committee elections

NEWS

To APF payers in Greater London Housing Associations Branch

With so much going on I thought this would be a useful time to update APF payers in the branch on recent Labour Link activity.

·         LABOUR LEADER & DEPUTY LEADER ELECTION

The National UNISON Labour Link Committee met on Wednesday and decided to nominate Jeremy Corbyn for Leader of the Labour Party, with Yvette Cooper as second choice.    For Deputy Leader UNISON will nominate Angela Eagle with Stella Creasy as second choice.

This was after consultation with all regions.  In London APF payers were sent an electronic survey and encouraged to give their views on their preferred candidate for both Leader and Deputy Leader (as did the branch survey). 

In the past all UNISON APF payers would have received a vote in the ballot to elect the Leader and Deputy but following the Collins Review this has changed.  Now only members that have signed up to become a UNISON Affiliated Supporter will be eligible to vote alongside Labour Party members.

Anyone who supports Labour's aims and values is entitled to sign up.  You don’t need to be a Labour Party member it’s free, quick and easy to do.  To register and find out more go to http://support.labour.org.uk/.   The deadline to register is 12 noon on Friday 12 August. 

UNISON’s decision to nominate Jeremy and Angela is a recommendation and members are of course free to cast their vote as to who they think should lead the Labour Party.

·         LONDON MAYOR & GLA CANDIDATES

UNISON Affiliated Supporters who register will also get a vote in deciding Labour’s London Mayoral Candidate and Greater London Assembly members. UNISON London Labour Link decided to make no recommendation for London Mayor but there are three UNISON members standing who will make excellent candidates and I would urge registered affiliated members to consider supporting either Tessa Jowell, Sadiq Khan or David Lammy. 

UNISON have nominated GLA candidates Murad Qureshi for City and East and Ivana Bartoletti for Havering & Redbridge who have been nominated and will be on the ballot paper. Members eligible to vote in may wish to consider supporting these UNISON candidates.

·         NATIONAL LABOUR LINK COMMITTEE ELECTIONS

The London region has one representative on UNISON’s National Labour Link Committee.  A process is currently underway to elect the London rep for the next two years. 

Our branch nominated Deirdre Costigan to represent the views of APF payers across London.

Within the next day or so you will receive a ballot paper to your home address.  I would encourage you to use your vote and return it without delay in the pre-paid envelope.  The ballot will close on Friday 25 September. 

If for any reason you do not receive a ballot paper by 18 August you should contact the ballot helpline at UNISON Direct on 0800 0 857 857.

·         GETTING MORE INVOLVED IN LABOUR LINK

You are receiving this email as an APF payer in the branch.  If you’d like to find out more about getting more involved in UNISON Labour Link or representing the branch at your CLP (if you are a Labour Party member) please get in contact.

·         JOIN THE LABOUR PARTY

Finally, if you are interested in joining the Labour Party you can do this for a reduced trade union rate of just £1.96 per month by going to https://join.labour.org.uk/

If anyone wants to clarify any please email me or ring.

Regards

John Gray

Branch Labour Link Officer

Strong, Committed and One Nation Labour MEP Candidates

This is a Labour Party press release. Of the candidates that I know its congratulations in London to Lucy Anderson and commiserations to Ivana, Kamaljeet and Sanchia. Well done to Newham Councillor Farah Nazeer for a credible performance in the South East region.

"Today Labour unveils its candidates to fight the 2014 European Elections. Harriet Harman MP, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, said: “I am proud that such strong, committed and inspiring people have been picked by Labour Party members to be their MEP candidates for next year’s Euro Elections.

“Like the people they seek to represent, they come from all walks of life and from all different communities across the UK. “Unlike David Cameron whose first priority on Europe is appeasing the ever more extreme demands of Tory backbenchers, Labour MEPs will be a powerful One Nation voice who stand up for ordinary hardworking families.

“Their top priority is to be a strong voice in the European Parliament to make sure they get the best deal and bring jobs and growth here in the UK.”

1. The following candidates have been selected to represent Labour in the 2014 European Parliamentary election:

East Midlands 1. WILLMOTT, Glenis 2. PALMER, Rory 3. WOODINGS, Linda 4. HADADI, Khalid 5. BROOKS, Nicki Eastern 1. HOWITT, Richard 2. MAYER, Alex 3. MARTIN, Sandy 4. JOSHI, Bhavna 5. BISHOP, Paul 6. AYUB, Naseem 7. OSTROWSKI, Chris

London 1. MORAES, Claude 2. HONEYBALL, Mary 3. ANDERSON, Lucy 4. DANCE, Seb 5. BARTOLETTI, Ivana 6. JANDU, Kamaljeet 7. ALASIA, Sanchia 8. BIONDI, Andrea

North 1. KIRTON-DARLING, Judith 2. BRANNEN, Paul 3. SHOTTON, Jayne North West 1. MCCARTHY, Arlene 2. GRIFFIN, Theresa 3. KHAN, Afzal 4. WARD, Julie 5. KHAN, Wajid 6. STOGIA, Angeliki 7. CARTER, Steve 8. LAMB, Pascale

South East 1. DODDS, Anneliese 2. HOWARTH, John 3. WESTLEY, Emily 4. SINGH, Del 5. NAZEER, Farah 6. SWINDLEHURST, James 7. HUGHES, Maggie 8. WATKINS, James 9. LANDLES, Karen 10. To be confirmed

South West 1. MOODY, Clare 2. FORD, Glyn 3. REEDER, Ann 4. ROBERTS, Hadleigh 5. ROBINSON, Jude 6. ALI, Junab

West Midlands 1. GILL, Neena 2. SIMON, Siôn 3. WALTHO, Lynda 4. KHAN, Ansar Ali 5. HAMER, Olwen 6. ETHAPEMI, Tony 7. EDWARDS, Claire

Yorkshire and The Humber 1. MCAVAN, Linda 2. CORBETT, Richard 3. TUNNICLIFFE , Eleanor 4. KHAN, Asghar 5. MIRFIN-BOUKOURIS, Helen 6. HUGHES , Darren

Scotland 1. MARTIN, David 2. STIHLER, Catherine 3. MUNN, Derek 4. MURRAY, Katrina 5. KHAN, Asim 6. O'BRIEN, Kirsty

Wales 1. VAUGHAN, Derek 2. BRYANT, Jayne 3. THOMAS, Alex 4. REES, Christina 2.

Labour party applies a "zipping procedure" to ensure a balance of male and female candidates. 3. The election to the European Parliament is a list system. The Labour Party ran a one member one vote ballot of its members to determine the order of candidates on the list. Across the country, nearly 70,000 Labour party members took part in the process.

A message to London UNISON members of the Labour Party

Dear John

UNISON London Labour Link is supporting Sanchia Alasia and Ivana Bartoletti in the London wide MEP ballot for the following reasons:

Sanchia Alasia

·Will use her campaigning experience of defeating the London Regional Coordinator of the BNP, Robert Bailey in Barking, to defeat the far right across Europe

·Is determined to defend and strengthen the social Europe agenda, building on the victories of part time and agency workers rights to get a better deal for hard working Londoners

·Has been an active campaigner for equality and workers rights for the past seven years

Ivana Bartoletti

·Has an optimistic vision for Britain in Europe. She does not accept the Tory and UKIP narrative of Europe in decline, and will fight for reform, jobs and growth.

·Has spent over a decade with the European Left, and at every level: on the doorstep for Labour, working with women to organise the fight back, and with Labour sister parties, at both grassroots and the heart of government.

·Is proud of her Labour values, and to have made her career in the NHS. As MEP, she would take Labour values to Brussels and help give London the partner there that it needs.

It is really crucial that UNISON members vote in this ballot to rank candidates from 1 to 6 to determine their order on the list. The London region needs strong voices in Europe, people with the drive and determination to work with the trade unions in Europe on equality and employment issues. With the experience and skill of Sanchia and Ivana, they will be able to make very positive differences and will be proactive MEPs for London, representing the interest of ordinary workers at the European level.

We urge UNISON and Labour party members to support Sanchia and Ivana in the ballot.

With best wishes

Linda Perks

Regional Secretary, UNISON Greater London Region

P.S you can get in touch with the candidates using the details below:

Sanchia Alasia Email: sanchia4europe@yahoo.co.uk Twitter: @sanchia4europe #sanchia4mep Facebook: facebook.com/sanchia4labour Website: www.sanchiaalasia.com

Ivana Bartoletti Email: ivana4mep@ivanabartoletti.co.uk Twitter: @ivanabartoletti #ivana4mep Facebook: facebook.com/Ivana4mep Website: www.ivanabartoletti.co.uk

West Ham Labour London Euro MEP hustings 2013

Picture is from the hustings that took place on Tuesday evening at the Vicarage Lane Community Centre in Newham. The event was organised by West Ham Labour Party (sponsored by London UNISON Labour Link). Chaired by Charlene McLean (middle)

All Labour Party members have by now been sent by email how to ballot on line and I believe next week they will receive postal ballot papers to use if they prefer.

London UNISON Labour Link have endorsed our members Sanchia Alasia (first left) and Ivana Bartoletti (2nd left). So we recommend you vote for either - 1st or 2nd choice on ballot paper. Other candidates are Andrea Biondi, Seb Dance, Lucy Anderson and Kamaljett Jandu.

I was away and couldn't make the event which is a real shame. Hat tip picture Ali G.

West Ham CLP Euro Husting 28 May 7.30pm Vicarage Lane Community Centre, E15

All 6 candidates to be ranked by a ballot of London Labour Party members next month have confirmed that they will be attending. Including UNISON supported candidates Sanchia Alaisa and Ivana Bartoletti. Existing London MEP Mary Honeyball is also planning to be there.

Let's get Europe working again!

Dear friends,

I am campaigning to be your choice to join Labour's London MEP team, to fight the 2014 European elections.

Today, I am writing to ask you to vote Ivana Bartoletti #1 when you receive your MEP selection ballot at the end of May.

Europe is important for London, and Labour needs an MEP candidate with an ambitious, optimistic vision for Europe, and the ability to do something about it.

The Europe we see now is not the Europe we want. It is dominated by austerity policies with no grip on growth. I want to bring Labour values to Brussels to reform Europe, and make it work for Britain and ordinary people.

With Labour values, Europe can be the partner London needs, helping us achieve what we cannot achieve on our own. In a globalised world, we need to stand tall in Brussels if we want to stand tall in the world from Beijing to Washington.

I know the streets of Europe as well as I know the corridors of Brussels, and I can deliver for Labour  and for Londoners.

I have spent my life campaigning for the European left: on the doorstep for Labour, leading the Fabian Women's Network, and with Labour's sister parties in Europe for a decade. I know the progressive European movement at every level from being a government adviser in Italy to leading grassroots campaigns.

I am a working mum and NHS worker. I am proud to have made my career in the NHS counter fraud service, fighting abuse and waste while delivering on Labour's most cherished promise: that we are all in it together; that we are stronger together than we are apart.

We cannot accept the Tory story of Europe in decline. With change, a strategy for growth and jobs, and greater accountability, the EU can be the partner London needs to bring opportunities to every Londoner.

This is the spirit we need to change Britain, and Europe too.

I will continue to campaign relentlessly with you for more Labour councillors, more Labour MEPs and, come 2015, to get Ed Miliband into Downing Street.

Do get in touch if you would like more information about my campaign. You can email me at ivana4mep@ivanabartoletti.co.uk, or visit my website: www.ivanabartoletti.co.uk.

Please vote for me as #1 preference when you receive your ballot paper.

Thank you.

Ivana Bartoletti

ivana4mep@ivanabartoletti.co.uk
www.ivanabartoletti.co.uk
@IvanaBartoletti | #ivana4mep
www.facebook.com/ivana4mep