When we wrote our critical article on the Labour Government in the Observer on 28th December 1997, we knew that the Millbank machine was likely to take rapid action against us. However, they excelled themselves by expelling us three times in a week. Firstly, from the European Parliamentary Labour Party on the Tuesday, secondly from the Socialist Group in the European Parliament on Wednesday and by fax (very New Labour!) from the Labour Party on Thursday.
Naturally we were not given the right to state our case nor is there any right of appeal. Their pretext was that we had joined the Green Group in the European Parliament. We hadn’t but merely lodged our resources for our staff and communication budget with the Green Group in the Parliament.
We asked to stay on as Independent Labour MEPs in the Socialist Group but this was refused. So here we are expelled from the Labour Party which I joined in 1959 at the age of 15, and Ken Coates joined in 1956 (unlike Tony Blair who joined age 27 as a career move when he joined Derry Irvine’s Chambers). Are we sad? Of course! Sad to be kicked out of a party hijacked by Blair and his New Labour ragbag of ex-Tories, SDPers and British Intelligence spooks.
On the other hand we are happy that we can now get on with some real work of building the resistance to the Blair regime outside the Labour Party, unconstrained by the need to defend the Labour Government.
Ken Coates has joined the United Left Group in the Parliament and I will be joining the Green Group and we will sit as Independent Labour members in these groups. More importantly in the UK we will use our base and our budget to campaign with the trade unions, the unemployed, the disabled and the poor in a challenge to Blair’s welfare attacks.
We will be commissioning academics and think tanks to research, compare and contrast the European experiences and how we can reform welfare for the better in Britain — not hack it to death as Blair plans. In this we do have the benefit of some knowledge. I have taught, researched and written about social welfare for 30 years and jointly founded Critical Social Policy, the socialist social policy magazine. Ken Coates is the author of the best selling book on Poverty, the Forgotten Englishman and is Special Professor at Nottingham University. We have challenged Tony Blair to debate with us regarding his welfare reform proposals.
We will also be continuing our consultation as to whether we should support alternative candidates in the European, Scottish and Welsh elections in 1999. Proportional representation will give the left for the first time a chance of genuine independent electoral representation. I know that LLB believes in staying in the Party and I respect that decision. I believe the introduction of PR will mean that New Labour will have to look over its left shoulder as well as its right — this will help the left in the Labour Party.
I know that Ken and I will be working with you on the ground in campaigns and meetings. Whatever happens, we hope that the left inside and outside the Party will continue to have good relationships. Who knows, when Blair forms his government of National Unity — perhaps we will be able to expel him from the Labour Party and we can all rejoin!