Labour policy—false and true : $b A study in economic history and industrial economicsMacassey, Lynden Livingston
History
Labour policy—false and true : $b A study in economic history and industrial economics
Macassey, Lynden Livingston
Industrial policy -- Great Britain; Labor economics -- Great Britain; Labour Party (Great Britain)
A scheme for co-ordination of Labour forces was recently worked out by a
Joint Co-ordination Committee representing the Parliamentary Committee
of the Trades Union Congress and the Executive Committee of the Labour
Party. A National Joint Council has been constituted representing the
General Council of the Trades Union Congress, the Executive Committee of
the Labour Party and the Parliamentary Labour Party. Its duties are to
consider all questions affecting the Labour movement as a whole, and to
make provision for immediate action on questions of national emergency,
and to endeavour to secure a common policy and joint action, whether
by legislation or otherwise, on all questions affecting the workers as
producers, consumers or citizens. The expenditure of the Council is met
in equal proportions by the General Council of the Trades Union Congress
and the Executive Committee of the Labour Party. The scheme also provides
for the establishment, under joint control of the General Council and
of the National Executive, of four departments organized to deal with
research and information, international affairs, publicity and legal
matters. In the memorandum which recommended the scheme for the National
Joint Committee, it was pointed out that in view of the enormous growth
of the Labour movement and the importance of presenting a united front
upon the great problems which lie before it, the need for co-ordination
was becoming daily more important. “If Labour is to realize its ideals it
must formulate a common policy and secure the maximum of common action.
The effectiveness of the Labour movement has in the past been dissipated
by overlapping functions, by duplication of effort, and by confusion
arising from conflicting policies.” The scheme is described as one which
enables Labour to speak with one voice on all questions of national
importance, and to pursue one uniform policy in support of its common
ends.
The Parliamentary Labour Party
What the Parliamentary Labour Party is, must also be explained. In 1906,
29 Labour members were, we have seen, returned to Parliament; they were
then constituted into a distinct Parliamentary party, Mr. J. Keir Hardie,
M.P., being elected Chairman, and a Vice-Chairman, Secretary and Whips
being also appointed. It is the practice of the Parliamentary Party at
the beginning of each session to review the resolutions passed at the
various conferences of the Labour Party and to take them as indicating
the principles on which the Parliamentary Party should proceed. About
the commencement of the session there is a joint meeting between the
Parliamentary Party and the National Executive of the Labour Party for
the purposes of deciding the various objects in respect of which Bills
should be introduced into Parliament or motions made. A general review of
the Parliamentary Labour Party’s activity since 1906 will be found in the
_Labour Year Books_ for 1916 and 1919.
The Labour Party, a Class Party
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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