Ray Collins emails party members ahead of special conference (coincidentally)

Do any of you believe in coincidences? 

Earlier today I wrote about how members were being left out of the consultation process for the Collins Review on Party Reform. I noted that the NEC meets two weeks from today and that the decisions taken there could be a fait accompli. The window of opportunity for members to be involved is closing.

Two hours later, the following email dropped into my inbox (and other party members too):

Mark,

At Conference last September, I launched a major consultation into how we build a One Nation Labour Party rooted in the lives of working people and their communities.

The ideas and suggestions shared with me are all grounded in the experiences of members of the Labour Party, trade unions and our socialist societies; they offer real answers to the challenges we face. So if you contributed: thank you.

These submissions have helped to inform a report which I will deliver to Ed Miliband. Following discussion at a meeting of the National Executive Committee, this report will then be made available to all members and posted to delegates ahead of a special conference on 1 March.

Details about that conference can be found here.

At the start of the consultation, I said it was vital for people from right across the Labour movement to take part and help shape the future of our party. I’m delighted that this is exactly what happened.

Since September, I have travelled the length and breadth of Britain, meeting with Labour Party members and members of our affiliated trade unions and socialist societies.

I’ve also received and read hundreds of written submissions.

The consultation also reaffirmed for me the importance of change. While I spoke with and met people who hold a wide range of viewpoints, the overwhelming consensus is that change is necessary; that Labour must itself continually change if we are to meet the challenges of a continually changing society.

There is also huge support for strengthening our link with trade unions. I’m proud of Labour’s unique link with the trade unions – it provides a political voice for millions of working people. Ed Miliband wants to strengthen the voice of those people in our party and in politics, and the consultation has provided some very practical suggestions about how we achieve that.

As we approach the special conference, it is important for all of us to remain focused on what’s at stake. This is about much more than changing rules and structures. The Labour Party is the only political party that can and will stand up for the millions of working people in this country. But to achieve that we need to change our party to give those people a voice, to ensure we are both representative of and grounded in the communities we seek to serve.

Yours sincerely

Ray Collins

So we are going to see the proposals before the Special Conference (which is a relief) – but we still don’t know when, or how we can further influence them before they’re presented to the NEC. And I’m sure getting the email today was a total coincidence. Incidentally though, the last email I seem to have received from Collins/the party on the review was December 12th – which was also the last time I wrote about the Collins Review on LabourList.

Obviously a coincidence…