"STRATFORD EVENING POST" SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1929. BRITISH LABOUR PARTY

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 15, 5 October 1929, Page 6

"STRATFORD EVENING POST" SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 1929. BRITISH LABOUR PARTY

IH THE light of experience and to meet tlie demands of growth, tTie British Labour Party proposes to make important amendments to its constitution. This revision has engaged th e attention of a sub-committee of the National .Executive for the last two years, and, having been discussed by the affiliated organisations for several weeks past, will come up for final judgment before the conference now in session at Brighton- The draft proposes a number of interesting changes that do not materially affect the general policy, but there appears to be a definite movement towards strengthening the authority of the central organisation at the expense of local organisations. The first change of importance relates to the composition of the party, and the rather vague definition of its membership at present in existence is made clearly definite by dividing membership into three categories, affiliated members, comprising trade unions and other recognised bodies, individual members, and national associate members. Full acceptance of the constitution, programme, principles and policy of the party is prescribed as a necessary qualification for membership in each class, and affiliated organisations are to b e required to submit their political rules to the National Executive, while each constituency Labour party must adopt the rules laid down hy the conference. The test for individual mchership, instead of Iho vague declaration required by the present rule of being “willing io work for the objects and subscribe to ibc constitution and programme of the Labour Party,” now demands that a member must he a member of a trade union, if eligible, and must not belong to any organisation which has been refused recognition by the party- Obviously fbsi latter condition is aimed mainly at the Communists- The enrolment of national associate members is to he at the discretion of ths National Executive

and is designed to include those who are not. connected with local Labour politics. But while the doors are to he opened wider for recruits for membership, the suggested rules to govern Parliamentary candidates make the terms of endorsement much harder than at present. For example, the-selection of a candidate, who must he a member of the Labour Party, is not to be considered as final until placed before the National Fxecutrvb and endorsed by that authority. Provision is also made that no Parliamentary candidate is to receive the endorsement of the executive unless an undertaking is received from an affiliated institution that his election expenses are guaranteed. The present constitution does not apply any test of party membership to candidates, merely stating that before any Parliamentary candidate can be regarded as finally adopted for a constituency fie must have romvcd the of the National Executive. No changes in the (objects of the party are proposed, and, as before’, the annual conference list to decide the political programme. One slight change suggested eliminates the Parliamentary Labour Party in drawing up the election manifesto, and substitutes the Parliamentary Executive to assist the National Executive The new draft of the constitution will probably remove weaknesses that have been revealed as a result of past experience, and although it is along the lines of greater rigidity and closer restrictions it will probably be accepted by the Labour Conference without material amendment as an effective step towards consolidation! of the parky- iiinr _.