“Maurice’s blocking seems to suggest that having solid support in the community that you wish to represent in Parliament might be a reason not to be selected. The wishes of local Party members, the local community and local stakeholders appear not to matter much.”
By Labour Black Socialists
Labour Black Socialists (LBS) is left breathless over the non-selection of Councillor Maurice Mcleod for the next stage of the selection process for Labour Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Camberwell & Peckham.
LBS believes that this is due not because of shortcomings of Councillor Maurice. For he has ticked all the boxes to go to the next stage. Whatever the requirement, he met it with hard work and a smile. Always.
Maurice has a long history of working for the least in society. He is a black socialist. His starting point will always be the condition of the least in society and that almost invariably is black and brown people. For him there is no hierarchy of sympathy and solidarity. He stands with poor people of all ethnicities.
That he has a solid track record as a Councillor should have counted. The endorsement of Aslef and Unite the Union should have meant that he automatically goes to the next stage. That he is a black man with a commitment to poor people should have mean that he is black gold politically.
Alas, Maurice was stopped in his tracks because Aslef and Unite the Union are the wrong types of unions. He earned the endorsement of these trade unions because he does not put career aspirations above solidarity with workers, especially those who are on the picket line. Maurice remains true to the founding principles of the Labour Party and the workers who founded the Party.
The many local Councillors who supported him are of the wrong political persuasions. The MPs who endorsed him have the wrong political commitments. The ordinary people who tweeted, posted and forwarded for him are the wrong keyboard people. Maurice’s blocking seems to suggest that having solid support in the community that you wish to represent in Parliament might be a reason not to be selected. The wishes of local Party members, the local community and local stakeholders appear not to matter much.
LBS believes that this blocking is indicative of the lack of transparency and democracy in the Labour Party. Local selection committees are needed without central control by the party.
LBS believes that he should advance to the next stage of the selection process.
LBS urges (some might say “demands that”) the NEC to add Councillor Maurice to the next stage because of his track record as a Councillor, a campaigner, a human being and the local support that he has. But, he should also be added to the list for the next stage because he is a rarity even in the Labour Party. That is a black man who has integrity, honesty, decency and courage with an unshakeable commitment to the 14 million poor people in the UK, especially widows, orphans, children, migrants, refugees and homeless people. This is a black man who believes that the state must shield these people from the worst effects of the market.
- This article was originally published by Labour Hub on October 16th, 2022.
- You can follow Maurice Mcleod on twitter here, and the Labour Black Socialists on Facebook and twitter.
