Campaign for Socialism – AMM Motions – February 24th 2019
Policy Motions
1. Vince Mills – Federalism
Campaign for Socialism believes that the Scottish Labour Party and the UK Labour Party should progress plans for a radical, democratic constitutional settlement, based on the commitment to redistribute power and wealth, and that takes account of the consequences of Brexit.
The new settlement should move from the existing model, where power is devolved from the central state to Scotland. It should instead be a relationship of shared power based on partnership, not hierarchy. Campaign for Socialism believes that under this arrangement there must be common minimum standards across the UK on human rights, employment rights, consumer protection and environmental protection and that the Scottish Parliament should have the power to enhance but never detract from these minimum standards.
Campaign for Socialism commits to working with the Scottish Labour Party and the UK Labour Party to ensure that any new constitutional framework will:
• Make our economy democratically accountable;
• Enable the redistribution of wealth and power within and across the UK;
• Sustain and strengthen the Labour and trade Union Movement and class solidarity across the UK.
2. Peter Cooper – Brexit
Campaign for Socialism welcomes the call of 2018 Labour Party conference to halt and reverse privatisation, expand common ownership, protect migrants’ rights, tax the rich to fund public services and abolish the anti-union laws.
The Tories’ Brexit agenda will deregulate and destabilise the economy, attack our rights and freedoms, and undermine our ability to implement a radical manifesto. We welcome the call of conference to put a public vote firmly on the table as a means of stopping this agenda, not because we are fanatics for referendums, but because we need to stop the process by which Tory free-marketeers are driving British society off a cliff.
Any public vote on Brexit must, to be meaningful, include an option to remain. Labour should campaign for such a vote – and to remain. Meanwhile, we must defend every right under attack from the Tories’ Brexit – whether workers’ rights, environmental protections or freedom of movement between the UK and Europe. We must commit to reversing any attacks on these rights the Tories implement.
If we are serious about ending the hostile environment for migrants we must extend, not limit free movement. We must end detention, deportations and denial of access to services. As conference 2018 said, “stagnant wages, crumbling services and the housing crisis” are caused by “government and employers making the rich richer at working people’s expense, and not immigration.” The answer is united workers’ struggles; migrant workers are often in the forefront of such struggles. We cannot campaign for the status quo – either here or across Europe. We want a battle for levelling up of wages, conditions, services and rights across Europe and beyond, and for democratisation of European and international institutions. This would require participation in those institutions.
We therefore resolve:
1. That all Labour MPs must vote against any Tory Brexit deal
2. That Labour must demand, and to prepare for, an immediate general election
3. That Labour must campaign for a public vote on Brexit with an option to remain, and include such a vote in our manifesto
4. To notify the SEC, NEC, NPF and Party Leadership of this motion’s passing.
5. To make this policy part of our CLP, doorstep and street campaigning activity, and to contact Another Europe is Possible for materials, CLP speakers and assistance in campaigning.
6. To support calls for a half-day Emergency Conference so that members can clearly decide Labour’s Brexit policy.
7. That Labour Party and trade union representatives must withdraw from talks with May.
8. To circulate a model emergency motion for the Scottish Labour Party conference, based on the above politics.
9. If possible (i.e. if alternative irrevocable plans are not already in place), to hold a fringe meeting at the conference on the above themes.
3. Stan Crooke – CfS/Scottish Momentum Accountability
This meeting instructs the CfS Executive to provide an explanation in its report to the CfS 2019 Annual General Meeting of the non-implementation of the motion on freedom of movement passed at the 2018 AGM, and to identify the parties responsible.
4. Pat Egan – Housing
House price rises have outstripped wage increases for too long now making increasing housing costs one of many contributory factors to the ever-rising mental health issues for too many of our people.
We therefore propose to radically address this by calling on Scottish Labour to set up a working group to bring forward logistical plans to implement the biggest public sector house building programme this century, and consider adopting the following principles:
- Local authority housing rents be capped at 25% of main wage earner.
- Ringfencing support to local Authority housing.
- People given a 50% reduction in rent after 40 years
- People given a 100% reduction after 50 years or reaching age 70
- Both to be based on eldest in household
5. Ian MacDonald – Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions
Campaign for Socialism recognises –
1. That Palestinian struggle for justice has continued for over 70 years, since the Nakba and the establishment of the state of Israel.
2. That the seizure and colonisation of Palestinian land has also continued over this time period.
3. That, as a result of forced displacement and ethnic cleansing, there are now 7 million Palestinian refugees, over 5 million outside of Palestine.
4. That there are now over 600,0000 illegal colonists in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in well developed towns with modern infrastructure.
5. That over 2 million inhabitants of Gaza have endured a total siege for over 10 years, which has included 3 large scale wars, and the attacks by Israeli forces since March 2018 on demonstrators protesting their right of return, which have resulted in nearly 300 deaths and over 20,000 injured.
Campaign for Socialism believes that, after 70 years, the regime of occupation, colonisation and apartheid enforced upon Palestinians will not be dismantled without internal and external pressure on Israel to uphold international law and relevant UN resolutions.
Campaign for Socialism notes the strong support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaign from the STUC and many individual unions including Unison Scotland, a co-sponsor of the ‘Time to Divest’ campaign which is targeting Local Authority Pension Funds in Scotland.
Campaign for Socialism therefore resolves –
1. To support the BDS campaign, called for by Palestinian civil society organisations in 2005, as an effective, legitimate and non-violent tactic to help end apartheid, as it was in South Africa.
2. To actively support BDS initiatives in Scotland.
3. To build support for BDS within the Labour Party and trade unions.
Amendment – Jim Matheson
In light of the failure of Stand up to Racism (SUTR) to acknowledge the racist nature of bodies such as the Confederation of Friends of Israel (Scotland) and prevent their presence at SUTR organised events, and, as a consequence exposing trade union office bearers at SUTR organised events whether in a personal or official capacity to the accusation of providing tacit trade union support for racist groups, Campaign for Socialism should use trade union and other official channels to force a review of SUTR decision making and SUTR’s competence for organising future Scotland wide anti-racism events, events which are supported by Scotland’s leading political figures.
In addition, Campaign for Socialism should call on all representative members of the labour movement to join Scottish Friends of Palestine in boycotting this year’s SUTR, March 16, organised event.
Constitutional Amendment
1. Seán Duffy – Disciplinary Procedures
Insert after Point 4. VII and the as an Appendix:
VIII. All members and groups are subject to the Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Proceedings as outlined in appendix 1.
Appendix 1
Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Proceedings
Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Proceedings for individuals and local Groups associated with Campaign for Socialism (CfS) Individuals and groups using the CfS or Momentum name in Scotland must operate according to the following principles and expectations at all times:
• CfS promotes the values of fair, honest debate focused on policies, not personal attacks or harassment with a view to building movements both electorally and within communities to achieve a socialist society. All members have a right to contact and receive adequate reply from their elected CfS representatives within a reasonable period, and these interactions at all levels of the organisation must abide by the comradely expectations of the organisation outlined above.
• CfS seeks to build positive relationships with Constituency Labour Parties, trade unions and other labour movement groups or campaigning organisations that share its aims and principles, whilst respecting the fact we are allied to and a key part of the Labour Party. As such actions taken by individuals and groups should not unduly jeopardise that relationship or cause the CfS to be brought into disrepute at an organisational level or indeed the Labour Party at an electoral level.
• CfS seek to reach out across the community and encourage the participation of people who may not have been involved in political activities before. Ensuring the safety of everyone is a priority, especially of those who are often marginalised on the basis of their gender, sexuality, ethnicity, race, religion, class, disability and educational or economic status. All members and groups should respect this diversity and make appropriate arrangements to allow for all individuals to take an equal part in any debate.
• Groups of individuals may form local CfS groups to share ideas, organise and participate in activities at their local level, which demonstrate how 'socialist values' and collective effort can make a positive social and/or environmental impact. These groups must be democratic in their nature and be organised around a spirit of collaboration, inclusion and respect. These groups and the individuals acting within them are held to the same standards and are accountable to the CfS executive in line with the constitution and code of conduct.
• All members are expected to abide by the collective democratic decisions of the group in which they are operating under. In the event of a conflict, the decisions of the CfS membership and executive will take precedence. All public and private meetings must allow for proportionate chairing of the debate and respect for the agenda and items outlined prior to that debate.
• CfS and its members are committed to supporting the Labour Party winning elections and entering government at the earliest opportunity at local, Scottish, and UK levels. Any individual or group found to be supporting another political party or obstructing attempts to achieve this goal are in breach of the code of conduct.
Any actions that contravene any of the above goals or jeopardise CfS’s reputation as outlined above will be addressed via the following disciplinary proceedings:
• Failure by individuals to abide by the above code of conduct may result in suspension or permanent exclusion from CfS meetings, online groups and/or membership. Failure by groups to abide by the above code of conduct may result in suspension or disbandment.
• In the event of a complaint being made by any individual to the Secretary of CfS or a similarly appropriate member of the executive in regards the above, the CfS executive must respond collectively within 28 days to the complainant, and if necessary, the individual in question regarding the next steps ahead.
• Any member subject to a complaint that is deemed to have contravened the above has the right to a fair hearing of which they will be given prior notice, provided with an opportunity to answer any accusations against them in front of a panel of their peers, and the opportunity to present their own case with the assistance of a companion of their choosing.
• In this event the executive will convene a disciplinary panel of 3 individual members of the CfS executive, at least two of which must be women, and one of which must be a representative from the individual’s local group (should one exist). The CfS executive will decide which members constitute the panel at an executive meeting.
• The panel will make a decision no later than 7 days after the disciplinary meeting and inform the individual. The individual will have seven days from receipt of the decision to lodge an appeal.
• A written appeal should be submitted to the CfS Executive, stating the reasons why they disagree with the panel’s decision. At the next full Executive meeting, the Executive (minus those involved in the original decision) will consider both the reasons in the appeal, as well as the original panel decision. They can decide at this stage to uphold the original decision or allow an appeal hearing.
• An appeal hearing will be composed of 5 different members of the executive, at least two of which must be women. The CfS executive, minus the 3 original decision makers, will decide which members constitute the panel at an executive meeting.
• The appeal panel will make a recommendation no later than 7 days after the disciplinary meeting to the executive at which point the individual will have the right to view this recommendation. The decision of the appeal panel is final.
• The executive will have the final say on any action that is to follow and reserves the right to suspend the process and make a decision based on the written statements alone if the disciplinary process is deliberately disrupted or not engaged with in good faith by any party involved.
• Any individual or group subject to this procedure should be notified in writing at each significant stage of the process.
• In an individual fails to engage in the disciplinary process without good reason (e.g. illness), the process will proceed in their absence.
Amendments – Stan Crooke
1. Replace the paragraph:
A written appeal should be submitted to the CfS Executive, stating the reasons why they disagree with the panel’s decision. At the next full Executive meeting, the Executive (minus those involved in the original decision) will consider both the reasons in the appeal, as well as the original panel decision. They can decide at this stage to uphold the original decision or allow an appeal hearing.
By:
A written appeal should be submitted to the CfS Executive, stating the reasons why the individual disagrees with the panel’s decision. At the next full Executive meeting, the Executive (minus those involved in the original decision) will arrange an appeal hearing.
2. Replace the paragraph:
The appeal panel will make a recommendation no later than 7 days after the disciplinary meeting to the executive at which point the individual will have the right to view this recommendation. The decision of the appeal panel is final.
By:
The appeal panel will make a decision no later than 7 days after the disciplinary meeting and inform the individual. The decision of the appeal panel is final.
3. Delete the paragraph:
The executive will have the final say on any action that is to follow and reserves the right to suspend the process and make a decision based on the written statements alone if the disciplinary process is deliberately disrupted or not engaged with in good faith by any party involved.
