It is time to Unite The Party with Unite The Union

For the past week, I have been reading and hearing about the Labour Party being in meltdown over the issue of choosing a successor to Eric Joyce in the parliamentary constituency of Falkirk.

Today in the Guardian, Eric Joyce himself written a thoughtful piece, full of insight, under the Comment is Free banner.

So is the Labour Party in meltdown over this issue? That's not the vision I'm seeing, but there are local difficulties, to be sure.

Here's my own take on the controversy...

To start with, I am a proud trade union member.

Since I started work, I been a trade unionist.

I wish more worker were trade union members. We're not all about strikes. There are many other benefits, like supporting and representing members in grievance and disciplinary meetings and negotiating pay and conditions.

I joined NATKE (National Association of Theatrical and Kine Employees) when I started as have a assistant electrician with responsibility for sound at Bolton Octagon in 1978.

I've been with the same union throughout my career, through it's various guises until its present incarnation as BECTU (Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union). I know the union prefers it written Bectu but its an acronym and as such deserves capitals. And it keeps me and the members ground - we know the community it serves.

I happily pay the political levy and am happy that my small union stands alongside the other 14 trades unions that are affiliated to the Labour Party.

I wish that more trade union members felt that Labour Party membership went hand-in-hand with trade union membership.

i was a trade unionist before I was a member of the Labour Party, which I formally joined in 1986 (ahead to the General Election to support a close friend who was the Parliamentary candidate for Blaby and contesting the seat won by Nigel Lawson).

So onto membership. it is possible to join in many ways including on-line and using a hard copy membership form (note it asks for TU membership, although it is an option not mandatory.

The 2013 Labour Party Rule Book has a whole appendix on procedural guidelines on membership recruitment and retention (page 63-66)

I'm not sure how many members the Falkirk Constituency Labour Party (CLP) has now and in the past, but it looks like many of these guidelines may not have been followed in Falkirk. That seems to be the problem

I know the my CLP, Exeter, has a vibrant and active membership but nowhere near the peaks of the past. We meet most months (avoid election months, August and December) and the regular business includes approving new members.

I can assure you that if new members applied at the current rate it would take many years to give them the working majority to ensure their choice of Prospective Parliamentary Candidate.

Certainly the figure of up to 150 new Unite The Union members - whether knowingly or unwittingly - signing up to Falkirk CLP would not be anywhere enough to have a built-in majority at any selection meeting in Exeter.

And as yet, Exeter CLP have seen no massive influx of new members to influence the selection of our candidate for the 2015 General Election.

And it's too late for them to do so now, as the membership lists have now been frozen as SW Region have announced the trigger ballot process.

And the local branches also have a role in mmebership recuitment, approval and retention.

I am the Branch Secretary of the Whipton Barton& Heavitree Branch and along with the membership secretary and local councillors try and welcome all new members to the Branch. We keep them informed and they are invited to our monthly meetings.

Eric Joyce in this article mentions that "Others found it impossible to find out who the new members were, as the chair would not allow branch secretaries access to their membership list."

As WBH Branch secretary, I and Branch membership secretary have direct access to our branch membership records via the national membership scheme. This is totally independent of CLP influence, although I have to admit you need to know about it.

There are worrying aspects over the Falkirk saga but it points to a dysfunctional CLP rater than meltdown for the whole of the Labour Party