Janet 4 Calder Valley!

It was a very long day. Much longer for all the candidates who faced a nerve=wracking several hours before the result was announced. Congratulations to the LRC's Janet Oosthuysen and well-done to all the candidates for making it a fair and transparent process. It was nail-bitingly close - 73 votes to 68. Democracy in action. And, I have to say, a great victory for the grassroots of Labour. Let's get to it - and campaiogn for Real Labour values in Calder Valley. We made the right decision.

NEXT WEST YORKSHIRE LRC MEETING IS...

September 16 @ the Three Pigeons Pub, Halifax, 7.30pm.On agenda: Labour Party Conference, politicial discussion on policy, National LRC Committee report.
More details Susan Press 07989352406

SOUTH YORKSHIRE LRC LAUNCH

I met Lenin at the launch of the South Yorkshire LRC.........Lenin Williams, proud son of a socialist and trade unionist who helped transform Wortley Hall, near Barnsley into the stately home of the Labour movement in South Yorkshire. Run as a co-operative and since 1951 owned and run by the labour movement, the Hall has offered support and solidarity to socialists from all over the world. In 1984, it served meals to striking miners and their families. Delegations from Cuba, the former Soviet Union and ANC have also visited.
Yesterday, around 50 people took a break from the beer and bouncy castles of the annual South Yorkshire Show to hear local MP Mick Clapham talk with some anger and a lot of passion about the disappointment people have felt in the 11 years since New Labour came to power. He reiterated that fact that it is only by changing policy direction that we can escape disaster at the next General Election. And that he welcomed the forming of the local LRC as a way of putting pressure on the Government and re-building Party membership .Mick reported that in his own constituency, Party membership had fallen from about 750 to about half that number. The other speaker ( apart from me) was Joe Simpson of the Prison Officer's Association, , who gave a stirring speech in support of the POA's fights on pay and the right to strike.
From my point of view, there were many encouraging things about this meeting. Firstly, apart from those who had come with me from Hebden Bridge, there was absolutely nobody there who I already knew. South Yorkshire clearly has many Labour Party members ( and ex members) still keen to engage in ideas.
Secondly, those who had no idea what the LRC was ( but came to meeting anyway) were really enthusiastic. There was another comrade there from Sheffield LRC, so we are building links now right across Yorkshire and the Humber. And as fun as thr blogosphere is nothing actually makes up for the chance to meet people face-to-face and know you are not on your own - with most political events taking place in and around London, it can be a little dispiriting on the Labour Left.
So - Yorkshire now has at least three LRC groups. Together with Nottingham, Merseyside and the North-East we are slowly building a swathe of support which goes way beyond London. I hope as many regional LRC members as possible stand for election to our National Committee at the LRC conference in November- in the meantime let's ensure as many as possible get to the Convention of the Left in Manchester