4 motions passed in total, and posted below,
An internationalist approach to migration
Kemptown & Peacehaven Constituency Labour Party calls upon the leadership of the Labour Party: • to adopt a truly internationalist approach to migration
• to review policies towards refugees, and migrants generally, in keeping with a Labour Party that that believes we achieve more by working together than we achieve alone • to review, and repeal if necessary, legislation that can be, or has been used to deprive people of their right to citizenship and threaten them with deportation, when they were born in this country to parents who had UK citizenship or a right to remain
• to bring an end to the hostile environment policies pursued under Theresa May and her successors as Home Secretary which deprive people, classified as “illegal” – refugees and others – of jobs, homes, social security and basic human rights
• to review the use of detention centres to “hold” such people pending deportation, including their management and internal practices
• to include freedom of movement throughout the United Kingdom and the European Union in any future negotiations with the EU by a Labour government
• never to appease forces on the right that seek to demonise migration and migrants, to treat them as second-class citizens and make them feel as if they don’t belong in this country • but to welcome and to support migrants who contribute greatly to our society and economy.
Passed by Brighton Kemptown CLP, 06/03/2021
The Military Coup in Myanmar
Preamble
Kemptown & Peacehaven Constituency Labour Party is appalled by the recent military coup in Myanmar, the arrest and imprisonment of legitimately elected politicians, the media shutdown imposed by the military and the presence of the army in tanks on the streets of Myanmar’s cities.
These aggressive actions are a response to the humiliating defeat suffered by the Military-led Union Solidarity Development Party in the 2020 national elections.
This CLP also notes there are many flaws in the democracy practised by the Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party, the National League for Democracy, not least of which includes the disenfranchisement of the Rohingya and other ethnic groups. Some 1.5 million voters lost their right to vote after the 2020 elections were cancelled in their states.
Motion
Following the recent military coup in Myanmar, Kemptown & Peacehaven Constituency Labour Party calls upon the Labour Party to:
1. Express solidarity with the people living in Myanmar
2. Urge the British Government to use all means at its disposal to put pressure on the military, including sanctions, to release all politicians and political prisoners
3. Urge the British Government to impose sanctions stopping British companies doing business with the Myanmar military (the Burma Campaign provides a ‘Dirty List’ of such companies)
4. Call upon the National League for Democracy (the party of Aung San Suu Kyi) to establish a truly inclusive democracy that enfranchises both the Rohingya and other ethnic groups in Myanmar
5. Encourage the British Government to continue to provide financial aid and to accept Rohingya refugees fleeing from violence in Myanmar
Passed by Brighton Kemptown CLP, 06/03/2021
Motion to reject First Past the Post, the voting system currently used for local and general elections in the United Kingdom, and to support the introduction of a form of Proportional Representation in which all votes count equally and seats match votes.
The electoral system used for local elections in England and Wales, First Past the Post (FPTP), is not a fair system, because it means that votes do not have equal weight and many votes are wasted. This leads to voter apathy and a feeling of disconnection from local democracy. In parish, town, district and county elections many seats are not even contested, and certain parties are over-represented. Across the county this may vary between the two larger parties, leaving those who have cast their vote for one of the other parties unrepresented – even when receiving support in large numbers.
The alternative to FPTP is a system of proportional representation (PR), where votes cast for parties translates more or less directly into seats won. There are many variants of PR. The Single Transferable Vote system (STV) variant of PR is already in use for local elections in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The recently passed Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 introduced by the coalition government in Wales will introduce votes at 16, greater diversity in local government, and the ability for councils to choose their voting system between FPTP and STV.
We call on the constituency party to agree:
• That a move to the use of proportional representation for local elections would boost turn-out, make councils more representative of the political make-up of its residents, and improve the quality of its decision-making, thereby benefiting all residents.
o This meeting therefore directs the EC to write to the General Secretary of the Labour Party to request that the government changes electoral law to permit such a move.
o And to contact our MP to ask that they support cross party initiatives to further the cause of PR.
Passed by Brighton Kemptown CLP, 06/03/2021
On Labour Party Values and establishing a long-term vision for fundamental change
Kemptown & Peacehaven Constituency Labour Party notes the recent changes in tactics by the leadership of the Labour Party in emphasising patriotism, the Union Flag and nationalism. This CLP rejects such an approach in its entirety. Instead, we call on the party leadership to adopt an approach that will bring diverse local and national communities together under a shared system of values that incorporates building a more egalitarian society alongside fundamental constitutional change.
We cannot allow the Tory Party to define the boundaries of social, political or economic discourse. The Labour Party will not win back the so-called ‘Red Wall’, which is no more than a Tory propaganda term, by abandoning the internationalist identity. Rather, by doing so, the Labour Party will be in danger of not only alienating its ‘core’ supporters, but also of losing gains in support made in metropolitan areas over the last few years.
The Labour Party must be brave enough to lay down a progressive set of values it believes in, before committing to broader and more specific policies. The party must strive to win the trust of all the diverse communities across the United Kingdom who need the Labour Party in order to build more equitable communities, socially, politically and economically, following decades of Tory neglect.
Passed by Brighton Kemptown CLP, 06/03/2021