Centre-Left Grassroots Alliance

The centre-left Grassroots Alliance is a group of elected members on the British Labour Party National Executive Committee, founded in 1998. They represent members from a broad spectrum of the Labour membership, ranging from centrists to left wingers.

Policy

The policy of the Grassroots Alliance is broadly left wing. They want greater powers for CLPs and individual members in the National Policy Forum; to maintain the power of the party conference; to resist privatisation in the NHS; to renationalise the railways and to increase powers for local government.

NEC Elections=

At the 2006 NEC elections for the Constituency Labour Parties contingent on the committee, the Grassroots Alliance is standing 6 candidates to fill the 6 spaces allocated to CLPs.

The candidates must be nominated by at lest 2 Constituency Labour Parties, including their own. However, all candidates will try and get more nominations to imporve their cahnces across the nation. In this division of the NEC elections, each party member has the ability to vote.

In 2006 the 6 candidates will be Mohammed Azam, Ann Black, Gaye Johnston, Christine Shawcroft, Pete Willsman and Walter Wolfgang. Christine Shawcroft is vice-chair of the Labour Representation Committee.

The selection of Walter Wolfgang can be seen as a sign of a left wing backlash against the New Labour leadership of the party. These candidates are also supported and endorsed by the Labour Representation Committee, the Socialist Campaign group of Labour MPs, Save the Labour Party, the Labour Black Representation Committee and the Scottish Campaign for Socialism.

The LRC newsletter for February-March 2006 also endorsed these candidates.

External Links

Grassroots Alliance website Labour Representation Committee LRC newsletter Feb/Mar 06, pdf Nominations for 06, pdf