Chris Williamson’s resuspension – a JVL statement
Having welcomed the lifting of Chris Williamson’s suspension by a Labour party disciplinary panel on June 26, JVL was appalled by the way the decision was reversed.
Here is a suggested wording of an emergency motion to be put to members and supporters in Party and TU branches.
This branch/CLP notes with alarm the unprecedented over-ruling of an NEC disciplinary panel decision to lift the suspension of Derby North MP Chris Williamson, as a result of a hostile public campaign led by members of the Parliamentary Labour Party.
Disciplinary panels have delegated powers and make their decisions in the light of material presented to them by party staff and independent advice from qualified legal counsel. To our knowledge there is no previous case of a panel decision being referred back to the NEC. For this to happen as a result of partisan political lobbying is unacceptable interference in the processes the party has been struggling to make faster, more robust and more effective. It amounts to a violation of the natural justice that members have a right to expect in the party’s disciplinary procedures.
We call upon the NEC, meeting on July 9, to reject such interference and to uphold the decision of the June 26 panel lifting Chris Williamson’s suspension.
I fully support this motion, however this cannot be put to my Branch as there are no meetings scheduled before the due date. Solidarity.
it is plain wrong and unjust
Completely in agreement, it is beyond obvious the decision to re-suspend is down to the MacArthurite tactics of the cynical Corbyn hating
branch of the PLP, it is intolerable and has to be stopped.
I concur completely with the views expressed above
Quite right!
Get rid of Watson
Well said comrades.
I will be asking my CLP to endorse this motion using this wording.
Would it be appropriate and or beneficial to CW cause to peacefully demonstrate outside the NEC meeting on 9 July?
I am appalled by this utterly undemocratic move re- suspend CW.
In solidarity with Chris Williamson – I support this emergency motion – Chris must be re-instated – the decision on the 27th June must be upheld
This is wrong on 2 counts:
He shouldn’t have been suspended in the first place.
Tom Watson or anyone else for that matter should not be able to pressurise the NEC disciplinary process once they have decided…If they can what is the point in having a disciplinary process.
I hope that Chris fights this tooth and nail: I will be putting this motion to my CLP next week, as it goes against everything the Labour Party is supposed to stand for.
If the NCC made a mistake, they must clarify exactly what that is and explain it not just to the NEC, but to the members, otherwise this is looking more and more like a vendetta campaign and interference in due process.
Wow you people really are racists entrenched in a idealogy that dosen’t allow you to see it! How very sad
Would it be possible to collect signatures and send this to the NEC?
HELP!
1) We have Proposer and 2nder for JVLs Model Motion and a supportive CLP Chair, but
2) Our next All Members’ Meeting is 11th July!!
Yet the NEC meets on 9th July!
ANY TIMELY SUGGESTIONS gratefully received
[JVL web – Lots of people will have this problem. Perhaps use the model motion as a sort of petition for your officers and members to sign and send in, explaining that they’ve had no opportunity to pass a formal motion but feel very strongly about this matter?]
My CLP supported the implementation of the original disciplinary process…and said it wd b happy to accept its judgement. We need to discover why and who overturned the result…
At a time when the country is literally on its knees, so many poorest people suffering and dying as a result of heartless Tory cuts, chaos and uncertainty rampant everywhere, the Tory Brexit Project splitting and pitting people against each other leading to increased xenophobia and racist attacks, the disabled denied life saving benefits and services, the NHS being sold bit by bit to greedy American money mad pharmaceutical companies, Trump the illiterate imbecile keeping children in concentration camps and making lying the new normal, the media forgetting they are supposed to report the truth but more interested in whipping up hatred against Jeremy Corbyn, Muslims and immigrants. Saudi Arabia and Israel allowed to massacre huge numbers of innocent people without any condemnation by Western leaders. Mrs Mayhem on the way out after messing up everything, millions of people have been praying for a Labour Government to save them so what do the Blairite Labour Rump do? yes that includes you Hodge Podge with the help of individuals like Falconer and for some bizarre reason Lansman going to the dark side, they start sabotaging the Labour Party yet again. Lying, smearing and hurting the wonderful Jackie, Chris etc. who don’t have a racist bone in their body. This orchestrated witch hunt is really about helping the Isreali apartheid regime and damaging the freedom fighter Jeremy Corbyn. STOP THIS IDIOTIC BEHAVIOUR AND FIGHT FOR A LABOUR WIN LIKE ALL THE LABOUR VOLUNTEERS AND SUPPORTERS HAVE BEEN WORKING SO HARD FOR. We will never stop trying to support the poor and traumatised Palestinians. Feel so let down and totally digusted by these treacherous clowns.
JVL. No more of this. All of us must unite against the scourge of the tory party.
Chris Williamson is correct; the party has been too tolerant of the Zionist ultras who have to be challenged rather than appeased. Sad when a political party bans the showing of a film such as Witchhunt and does not expose Shai Masot and collaborators in JLM and LFI
William McGowan, what exactly is racist about wanting the NEC to uphold the decision made 27/6/19?
JVL it is good we all stand united about this nonsense. People in this country are suffering and hurting. Do the ones who think they are so important think this is of no account. Thousands have died needlessly over the tory sanctions. They are an awful party not fit to govern. We have to show the people this is the most important thing, to have a country that is run fairly and justly. People are apathetic about the NHS , they believe the NHS is no longer what it once was. This is because we have had underfunding for years now. We want this country how it once was. No more making it look as though this party is riddled and rotten with anti Semitism. The ordinary person with insecure home, money worries want to think of labour as the party that will make lives happier and better not riddled with anti Semitism, which it surely isn’t . Let us put an end to this . I am a sixty year old disabled woman, with multiple health problems. some of my children have the same genectic condition .I worry so much , it would be wonderful for labour to get into power. Why are certain people who say they are labour want to stop labour getting into power?
Maximum unity around Jetemy Corbyn will
Defeat the right in the PLP
Am totally behind Chris Williamson. Fully agree with sentiment expressed. Puzzled why we’re not fighting back. Jennie Formby asking for unity is like asking hyenas to start cooing. Impossible to form Socialist Govt, led by Corbyn, with current make-up of PLP. Re-selections need to be quickly triggered up and down country.
I completely agree. Chris Williamson is one of the best campaigners for socialism we have and this is why these right wingers are doing this, and of course they are going completely against the rules of our party.
I agree. No-one should be allowed to interfere with the disciplinary process and yes this does look like a vendetta campaign, a witch-hunt in fact. And we know why they are doing it. They don’t want Socialism – an equal society for all.
I want to see Chris Williamson back. Fighting for a socialist Labour Government
In response to June Simmonds
Lots of people will have this problem. Perhaps use the model motion as a sort of petition for your officers and members to sign and send in, explaining that they’ve had no opportunity to pass a formal motion but feel very strongly about this matter?
Couldn’t Corbyn have stood firm and prevented such a reversal?
I’m shocked and disgusted by the MPs campaign and Chris Williamson’s resuspension. This witch hunt is becoming very real and very scary. I will vote or sign anything in his support. How can what he has said be classed as anti semitic when so many Jews agree with him?
Have you a CLP meeting? It can bypass the branch and go straight to constituency level. We’ve not got either before then, so not sure what to do to best support this man.
You can request an emergency meeting.
If lots of LP branches are successful in passing this motion before the NEC, would be good for the fact to be published/communicated in some way. Anyone got any ideas how to do that?
The only way the NEC decisions could be reviewed is for new relevant information to be identified.
This has not been indicated to be the case by NEC. So how can Chris Williamson be re suspended. We the members elected the NEC to deal with these issues using appropriate process. Ibexes a decision has been made by the NEC after going through the investigation and decisions making process. Its final if the NEC decisions can be interfered with by MPs it is no longer independent nor trustworthy.
I totally agree with this motion. They have no rights to overrule the NEC decision. It is time for the left to fight back and show some backbone against this evil little group.
You’re obviously not Jewish and suffered anti-Semitism
What don’t you understand about anti-Semitism, we all know out is not about Israel but jews are a race not a nation and it is illegal to incite racial hatred.
It is an abomination that CHRIS WILLIAMSON has treated so drastically by blairites in the lp. shame on you. He is a massive credit to the LP and a strong socialist. Reinstate pronto.
What did he say to be antisemitic
A certain group trying hard to pull down Corbyn
When they also stated J C is antisemitic
They should also be brought to justice especially
Hodge .unfair And unjust
Chris is not anti Semitic. Tom Watson is playing the race game to destabilise JC s chances of electoral success. If anyone deserves the whip removing it is Watson.
Our branch has passed this motion but we are struggling to find the appropriate address to end it to. Suggestions please.
[This long comment has been editied.]
In actual fact, the very reason Chris said what he did about being too apologetic when the party is constantly and almost always falsely accused of antisemitism is exactly what has happened here. Chris’s comments have been misreported, misrepresented and then shouted about which is happening to left leaning MP’s and members only! We should not be apologetic for lies and smears made against members of the party who have clearly said nothing wrong but are accused of doing so by mp’s who are affiliated to LFI who make no mistake that they want rid of Jeremy Corbyn. These accusations are bullying, lying and woefully discriminatory and infringe upon members human rights and their freedom of speech. Our party should be working for the needs of the British people not trying to score political points for the Israeli regime which is itself something the Labour Party can never condone as it is a racist apartheid endeavour that practices genocide daily and we wholeheartedly denounce them for that… Were this a court of law I do believe Chris’ accusers should be in the dock and that refers also for Ken Livingstone, Marc Holdsworth, Jacqueline Walker and now Chris; and there are others too! We have never worked in British Labour Party on lies and corruption and we are not going to start… Indeed whilst they now have the Party under investigation by the ehrc- I believe strongly that a counter complaint should be made against those affiliated with Lfi and those ‘Jewish’ organisations that support the Israeli regime such as BOD AND LAAS as they infringe horrendously on an almost daily basis on the human rights of both Jeremy Corbyn and those that support him!
The predictable response
Dear C
Thank you for your email regarding the proposed motion, which has subsequently been passed on to myself.
Motions in relation to ongoing disciplinary matters are not deemed competent business and will not be accepted.
Furthermore, for reasons of confidentiality and law we are unable to comment on individual disciplinary matters.
Yours sincerely,
Officer
General Secretary’s Office
Reinstate the man now. There is nothing antisemitic in what he has said, he has merely challenged the apparent Labour policy of apologising to every accusation before it has even been investigated. Compare this to the out and out racism of Johnsons words about piccaninies with watermelon smiles which recieves no media attention whatsoever. Media conspiracy? Yes, I think so.
200 traitorous ‘labour’ mps (they have a nerve claiming to represent us) wrote a bloody horrible letter after Chris was readmitted back into our party lying about what he really said and stirring up hatred against him and Jeremy Corbyn once again. Of course the moronic British media gave it widespread coverage and repeated the lies endlessly. Over 6,000 labour party members have called for Chris to reinstated again when the stupid mps did their little meddling act. Complete silence from the media about all of us supporting Chris and signing petitions including the one on change.org about Jeremy Hunts, the NHS wrecker fox hunting lover, really vile and appallingly horrific comments about Jeremy Corbyn. Where is Jenny Formby in all this? Why are the PLP allowing this witch hunt to continue? Why are they leaving it to ordinary party members to do what they should be doing?
Dear JVL, I’m sure I read somewhere that Chris had been cleared of the accusation of antisemitism. But I can’t find the wording of his reprimand, or the report and ruling by the disciplinary panel anywhere online. Are you aware of what he was actually reprimanded for?
I think it’s a sad state of affairs that I personally feel it unsafe to speak out in support of Chris Williamson, for fear of suspension myself. I still do speak out but I feel like I’m being pushed into a corner, how can this be right when all you are doing is fighting for rightful justice?
Absolutely support this.
Agree
I agree, he should never have been suspended in the first place. Doing it a second time without real reasoning is ridiculous. I`m Glad that J V L are speaking up about how things have been done and I hope Chris Williamson and others treat in this manner will be re-instated. It would be good to see him back in the Party working as Normal. Respect to JVL. Thank you.
Sorry to disappoint you all but Jeremy should NOT be leading us to victory. We need a more decisive leader with organisational skills and the personality to run the next government.
Jeremy is out of his depth and would be of more use as a Minister of Health.
As evidenced in the Al Jazeera investigation ‘The Lobby’ the whole phoney Labour anti-Semitism crisis narrative has been orchestrated by the Israeli Embassy (as part of its global assault on BDS) and implemented through Labour Friends of Israel (LFI).
What troubles me more than anything, thinking in particular about the many times I have spent personally remembering the genuine victims of antisemitism on Holocaust Day, is how readily the LFI is prepared to collateralize its false claims against the Labour Party based on these tragedies. There lies total, unalloyed inhumanity deserving of complete censure. To think that seemingly respected people can act as gutless marionettes in this fallacy beggars belief.
Time for change go for it let’s stop plp interference
The problem with the Chris saga is that emotion is getting in the way of sensible and honest debate.
The truth will soon emerge and we will all return to our mission which is to create utopia !!
I too full support the reinstatement of Chris Williamson,as I feel many of the members do.
But it would only be democratic for the membership to be balloted on this important issue.