Left Unity Founding Conference documents (part five)

CONFERENCE BOOKLET SECTION 8

Electoral Strategy

Electoral support for a new left party will only advance to the extent that it is genuinely representative of working class communities, has no interests separate from theirs, and is an organic part of the campaigns and movements which they generate and support.  It will engage in the European, national and local electoral processes as appropriate, offering voters a left alternative, while understanding that elections are not the only arena or even the most important arena in which political struggles are fought.

Candidates should only be fielded where a political base of support exists within the community and where the human and financial resources exist to make a genuine and locally representative campaign viable.

Crouch End Left Unity

Amendment to electoral strategy motion (Amendments in italics, standard font shows original motion, line shows deletion)

Electoral support for a new left party will only advance to the extent that it is genuinely representative of working class communities, has no interests separate from theirs, and is an organic part of the campaigns and movements which they generate and support.  It will engage in the European, national and local electoral processes as appropriate, offering voters a left alternative, while understanding that elections are not the only arena or even the most important arena in which political struggles are fought.

Mindful of this, this conference calls upon the incoming leadership (or whatever term we are using for this) to establish a committee to be tasked with liaising with local Left Unity structures with a remit to, though not exclusively limited to:

• Liaise with local structures in order to assess the viability of an electoral campaign in their area;
• Identifying, in conjunction with the wider membership, possible key target constituencies;
• Facilitate a discussion between the wider membership on which elections we should, in the short to medium term, engage in;
• Assist local structures in building up their electoral capacity;
• Take a national view of state of our organisation and made recommendations as to how local structures can assist and reinforce each other in terms of electoral work with a view to ensuring that we maximise our resources;
• Carry out a skills audit of our membership with a view to identifying those who have prior experience of elections in order to facilitate the passing on of these skills to the wider membership through a co-ordinated training program;
• Begin the process of drafting materials such as canvass sheets for national use.

This conference, furthermore, calls upon all local Left Unity structures to begin the process of building their electoral capacity. Such work may include, but not exclusively:

• Identifying possible target constituencies at Local Government level;
• Identifying potential election candidates;
• Building the public profile of Party activists;
• Beginning the process of obtaining electoral registers and other relevant data;
• ·         Devising local campaigns which both raise our profile and ensure we remain rooted within, and relevant to, local communities.

This conference accepts that candidates should only be fielded where a political base of support exists within the community and where the human and financial resources exist to make a genuine and locally representative campaign viable

Huddersfield Left Unity & West London Left Unity

Left Unity

We would like to see Left Unity develop strategies which, in the long term, help contribute to there being One Party of the Left which can reach out to all the strands of radical and socialist politics in the UK.  This will entail

a) Discussing methods of involvement including affiliation, whilst not cutting across the principle of OMOV

b) Taking the lead in opening discussions with the major players on the left, including the Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), the CPB, Respect and the Alliance for Green Socialism to avoid electoral clashes and move towards electoral pacts – with the initial aim of creating the largest ever left challenge in the 2015 General Election

c) Seeing it as a priority to initiate debate across the left about building One Party of the Left

Rugby Left Unity

Amendment to Left Unity motion

Delete the whole point b)

Sheffield Left Unity

APPENDIX

Standing Orders for LU conferences

1. STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE

1.1 The Standing Orders Committee shall be present at the Conference but shall take no part in its proceedings and shall comprise

1.2 Five members as elected as set out in the constitution for all conferences beyond the founding conference

1.3 For the founding conference five members as elected by the National Coordinating Group

1.4 The functions of the Standing Orders Committee shall be as contained in these Rules

2. CONFERENCE TIMETABLE

2.2 Before a National Conference, the National Coordinating Group/National Council shall adopt and publish within a detailed timetable enabling the following steps to be taken not later than the time stated:

2.3 Procedure: Weeks before the first day of Conference

2.3.1 Submission of motions: x weeks

2.3.2 Publication of preliminary agenda: x weeks

2.3.3 Submission of amendments: x weeks

2.3.4 Publication of final agenda: x weeks

3. CONFERENCE QUORUM AND PROCEDURE

3.1 The quorum of the National Conference shall be one-third of the members registered to attend and vote.

3.2 There will be no quorum for the founding conference

3.3 Each local group or Platform (10 or more members) may submit motions. Local groups may submit amendments to motions and amendments to the proposed constitution.

4. APPLICATION OF STANDING ORDERS

4.1 These Standing Orders shall apply to all meetings of the National Conference and

Special Conferences

5. STANDING ORDERS COMMITTEE

5.1 The members of the Standing Orders Committee shall hold office from the end of one National Conference until the end of the next National Conference.

5.2 At its first meeting after it takes office, the Committee shall elect a Chairperson and a Deputy Chairperson from amongst its members.

5.3 The functions of the Committee shall, subject to these Standing Orders, be to:

5.3.1 ensure that [Left Unity’s] Rules and Standing Orders relating to the business of Conferences are observed, and notify the [National Coordinating Group/National Council] of any violation that may be brought to the Committee’s notice.

5.3.2 draw up the preliminary agenda and final agenda of Conference business, and the proposed hours of business, to be circulated in accordance with the timetable stated in the Constitution.

5.3.3 determine the order in which the business of Conference shall be conducted, subject to the approval of Conference

5.3.4 consider all motions and amendments submitted for consideration by Conference and, for the purpose of enabling Conference to transact its business effectively the Committee shall:

5.3.4.1 decide whether such motions and amendments have been submitted in accordance with the Constitution

5.3.4.2 group together motions and amendments relating to the same subject, decide the order in which they should be considered and whether they should be debated and voted on separately or debated together and voted on sequentially

5.3.4.3 Facilitate the compositing of motions and amendments by enabling discussion between the movers of motions and amendments; refer to another representative body within [Left Unity] a motion or amendment which in the opinion of the Committee should properly be considered there; the mover shall be informed of the reason for so doing

5.3.4.4 have power to do all such other things as may be necessary to give effect to these Standing Orders.

5.4 Any decisions of the Committee which are to be reported to Conference shall be announced by the Chairperson of the Committee and shall be subject to ratification by Conference.

6. MOTIONS AND AMENDMENTS-PRE-CONFERENCE

PROCEDURE

6.1 Motions, amendments and other appropriate business may be proposed for the Conference by the bodies set out in the constitution.

6.2 Motions and amendments shall be sent to the [National Coordinating Group/National Secretary] in order that the Standing Orders Committee may consider them for inclusion in the preliminary agenda.

6.3 The date and time by which motions and amendments to be considered for the Conference shall be received by the [National Coordinating Group/National Secretary] shall be stated in the timetable to be published in advance of the conference.

7 CONDUCT OF CONFERENCES

7.1 The National Conference shall meet in public session, except that by direction of the [National Coordinating Group] or by resolution of the Conference the whole or any part of a Conference may be held in private. The only persons permitted to attend a private session of a Conference shall be paid-up members of [Left Unity] who are registered to attend the conference.

7.2 The agenda for the National Conference shall be arranged so that the first session of the Conference shall be in public, subject to Rule 7.1 above.

7.3 Apart from the members of [Left Unity] who are registered for the Conference, no other person shall speak except by permission of the Conference.

7.4 Any questions of procedure or order raised during a Conference shall be decided by the

7.5 Chair of that session of the conference whose ruling shall be final and binding.

7.6 Upon the Chair rising during a Conference session, any person then addressing

7.7 Conference shall resume her/his seat and no other person shall rise to speak until the Chair authorises proceedings to continue.

7.8 The Chair may call attention to continued irrelevance, tedious repetition, unbecoming

language, or any breach of order on the part of a member and may direct such a member to discontinue his or her speech.

7.9 The Chair shall have power to call any person to order who is causing a disturbance in any session of Conference and if that person refuses to obey the Chair, she/he shall be named by the Chair, shall forthwith leave the Conference Hall, and shall take no further part in the proceedings of that Conference.

8          VOTING

8.1        The method of voting shall be by a show of hands of the registered members of [Left Unity] present.

9          TELLERS

9.1        Conference shall appoint members to act as tellers for the duration of the Conference.
10 WITHDRAWALS OF MOTIONS AND AMENDMENTS

10.1 A motion or amendment which is shown on the final agenda may not be withdrawn without the consent of the Standing Orders Committee, whose decision shall be reported to Conference.

11 MOTIONS AND AMENDMENTS NOT ON AGENDA

11.1 A motion or amendment which is not shown on the final agenda may not be considered by Conference without the prior approval of Conference, which shall be governed by the following rules:

11.2 Such motion or amendment shall be in writing, signed by the local group or platform on whose behalf it is submitted and shall be sent to the Standing Orders Committee at least five working days before the commencement of Conference, except if it relates to events which take place thereafter.

11.4 If the Standing Orders Committee gives its approval to the motion or amendment being considered, copies of the motion or amendment shall be made available for delegates at least one hour before Conference is asked to decide whether to consent to the matter being considered.

11.5 An emergency motion will not be given priority over other motions and amendments on the agenda except where the Standing Orders Committee decide that the purpose of the motion in question would be frustrated if it were not dealt with at an earlier session of the Conference.

12 PROCEDURAL MOTIONS

The following procedural motions may be moved at any time without previous notice on the agenda:

12.1 that the question be now put, provided that:

.1 the Chair may advise Conference not to accept this motion if in her/his opinion the matter has not been sufficiently discussed

.2 if the motion is carried, it shall take effect at once subject only to any right of reply under these Standing Orders.

12.2 that the Conference proceed to the next business

12.3 that the debate be adjourned

12.4 that the Conference (or any part thereof) be held in private session provided that:

12.5 a motion under Rules 12.1, 12. 2, and 12.3 shall be immediately put to the vote without discussion and no amendment shall be allowed

12.6 the Chair may at her/his discretion permit a motion under Rule 12.4 to be discussed and amendments moved.

12.7 no motion under Rules 12.2 or 12.3 shall be moved by a person who has spoken on the motion or amendment in question.

13 AMENDMENTS TO A MOTION

13.1 When an amendment to a motion is moved, no further amendment may be moved until the first one is disposed of, subject to Rule 16.

13.2 When an amendment is defeated, a further amendment may be moved to the original motion.

13.3 When an amendment to a motion is carried, the motion, as so amended, shall become the substantive motion, to which a further amendment may be moved.

13.4 A member registered for the conference shall not move more than one amendment to any one motion, nor shall the mover of a motion move any amendment to such motion.

14         LIMIT OF SPEECHES

14.1 The mover of a motion or an amendment shall not be allowed to speak for more than five minutes and each succeeding speaker for not more than three minutes, except where the Standing Orders Committee have decided otherwise.

14.2 No person shall speak more than once on a question, except that the mover of the original motion may exercise a right of reply for not more than three minutes, introducing no new material.

15 POINTS OF ORDER

15.1 A member registered for the conference may at any stage in a Conference raise a point of order if she/he considers that the business is not being conducted in accordance with [Left Unity’s] Constitution and Standing Orders.

15.2 Such a point of order must be raised as soon as the alleged breach occurs or at the earliest practicable moment thereafter.

15.3 The Chair’s ruling on the point of order is final.

16 GROUPED DEBATES AND SEQUENTIAL VOTING

16.1 Where, in the view of the Standing Orders Committee, separate debates on specified motions and/or amendments dealing with the same subject matter would lead to undue repetition in

the debates, a grouped debate and/or sequential voting may be adopted by Conference.

16.2 The following procedure will be followed:

.1 The Chair will advise Conference of the order of business and of the sequence in which motions and amendments will be moved and voted on following a general debate, and of the effect of certain proposals on others.

.2 All motions and amendments included in the debate shall be moved.

.3 The general debate shall take place.

.4 The Chair shall again state the order of voting and shall advise Conference which, if any, motions or amendments will fall if others are carried.

.5 Voting will take place on motions, preceded by relevant amendments, in the order in which they were moved.

.6 A debate being conducted under this procedure may not be adjourned until after all the motions and amendments have been moved.

17 REPORTS BY [NATIONAL COORDINATING GROUP]

17.1 After the opening of Conference the [National Coordinating Group] shall present its report for the past year. The items of the report shall be discussed on a subject basis and in conjunction with any motion on the agenda which bears directly upon any part of the report.

17.2 If the [National Coordinating Group] presents a report to Conference which contains proposals or recommendations requiring approval and adoption by Conference, it shall submit it under a motion seeking such approval and adoption.

18 REFERENCE OF OUTSTANDING ITEMS TO THE [NATIONAL COORDINATING GROUP]

18.1 If at the end of the National Conference, the business of the Conference has not been concluded, all motions and amendments then outstanding shall stand referred to the [National Coordinating Group]. The [National Coordinating Group] in turn shall then report back to the appropriate local group or platform its decision on these matters. All such motions and amendments shall be responded to at least one month before the deadline for submission of motions and amendments to the next National Conference.

19 SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS

19.1 Any one or more of these Standing Orders may be suspended by a resolution of Conference in relation to a specific item of business properly before that Conference and to the proceedings thereon at that Conference, provided that at least two-thirds of the members registered for the conference present and voting shall vote for the resolution.