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CWU rejects Blairism

This year's conference in Jersey overwhelmingly opposed the policies of the New Labour modernisers set out in the Labour into Power document - a slap in the face to its firmly Blairite leadership. The only speaker supporting the document was the Acting Joint General Secretary Derek Hodgson. His rather ludicrous appeal not to pre-empt the debate fell on deaf ears.

On past form, however, the union's NEC will now work hard to reinterpret conference policy somehow so as not to contradict Labour into Power when it mandates its delegation to Party Conference this year.

What was clear from the debate was that speakers were all members who had worked hard in the General Election and were not now willing to hand over power to the control of unaccountable Policy Forums. The message to the Party leadership from Jersey was clear: "It's our Party - and it's staying that way".

July '97 index of LLB

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