Just as some unions and their members have decided that their standard of living comes before lives overseas, so the spotlight now turns to constituency Labour Party (CLP) delegates who are sent to conference by Labour members from across the country to vote on a range of issues. While conference decision making is now pretty much a formality (with policy determined by executives), delegates still have an opportunity to call for Blair’s resignation. So long as that opportunity exists, CLP delegates – and by extension the grassroots membership of the Labour Party – cannot wash their hands of responsibility for the bloodbath in Iraq and the wider 'war on terror' by blaming an unaccountable leadership.

The National Rules of the Labour Party (4B.2d, ii) state:

"When the PLP is in government and the leader and/ or deputy leader are prime minister and / or in the Cabinet, an election shall proceed only if requested by a majority of party conference on a card vote."

The Campaign for Labour Party Democracy notes:

"A CLP or an affiliated organization can use a contemporary or an emergency motion to ask Conference to activate the above provision." Section A Conference rule 2 3C2.3, reads:

"All affiliated organizations and CLPs may submit one motion on a topic which is
either not substantively addressed in the reports to conference of either the NPF or the NEC or which has arisen since the publication of those reports. The CAC [Conference Arrangements Committee] shall determine whether the motions meet these criteria and submit all issues received to a priorities ballot at the start of conference."*


By next week we will all know who is or isn’t propping up Bliar.


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*CPLD:  http://www.clpd.org.uk