Labour Friends of Iraq

Lindsey German, Convenor of the Stop the War Coalition claims (Guardian October 25) that “Our position, which is the same as that adopted at the TUC conference, is that an early date be set for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq”. But that is not the whole story. The officers of the Stop the War Coalition released a statement condemning the IFTU as collaborators while ominously warning that “The StWC recognises once more the legitimacy of the struggle of Iraqis, by whatever means they find necessary’. The newspaper she supports, Socialist Worker, calls the IFTU a ‘fake union’. And her RESPECT running mate in the London Mayoral elections, George Galloway, also a leading figure in the StWC, famously saluted Saddam Hussein but attacks the IFTU Foreign Representative as ‘Iraq’s very own quisling’. Such attacks – wittingly or unwittingly – surely created a climate conducive to the intimidation and no platforming of the Iraqi unions at the European Social Forum

The following information about the timetable and rules for the Iraqi elections of 2005 is taken from the website of the Iraqi Pro-Democracy Party.

Continue reading Elections 2005 in Iraq: The Timetable and the Rules

Union fury at Stop the War coalition’s sectarianism
Patrick Wintour, Kevin Maguire and Michael White
Saturday October 23, 2004
The Guardian
The public sector union Unison has threatened to sever its relations with the Stop the War coalition, whose internal strains have prompted one prominent leftwinger to resign.
It accused the coalition yesterday of seeking to undermine its general secretary, Dave Prentis, and of abusing officials of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions because the federation wants the US-led forces to stay in place at least until the Iraqi elections in January.
Earlier this week the coaltion founding member Mick Rix, former general secretary of the train driver’s union Aslef and organiser of the anti-Blair “awkward squad”, resigned from its steering committee when the coalition condemned the IFTU British representative Abdullah Mushin, saying he now a supported the occupation, and even the invasion.
At the core of the dispute is disagreement whether British and US troops should withdrawn from Iraq immediately or stay until after the election.
The TUC is trying to raise cash for the federation, and seems to be increasingly supportive of its view that the troops are needed to prevent Iraq breaking up or an Islamic fundamentalist state being formed.
Stop the War’s controlling faction dismisses that as a Blairite line tantamount to approving the occupation.
Mr Rix’s anger was stirred by a statement that the unions had “broken their mandates” at the Labour party conference in Brighton and licensed the occupation, and that Mr Mushin, who lobbied in Brighton, was a “collaborator” of the British government.
In email exchanges with Andrew Murray, the coalition chairman, Mr Rix complained of statements made without consultation, and of “vitriol” against Mr Mushin and his allies, who deserved an apology.
Yesterday Mr Murray denied undermining Mr Prentis.
He added: “We regret Mick’s resignation. He played an important part in winning unions to oppose the war. But it’s very sad he should choose to resign in a way apparently designed to cause maximum divisions at a critical time.”
Adopting perhaps the campaign’s best known slogan, Mr Rix had said the controversial statement was “not issued in my name”.
He believes the coalition is being manipulated by the Trotskyist Socialist Workers Party to bolster the Respect party, which it formed with the expelled Labour MP George Galloway, who has also attacked the federation.
The slanging match, in which each side accuses the other of betrayal, in the Morning Star and elsewhere, is the most serious to disrupt the coaltion, which organised the biggest demonstration ever seen in Britain but is said by union critics to be lurching into sectarianism.
Some Labour MPs have added fuel to the fire by saying that a draft coalition statement endorses murder and kidnap by condoning the use of “whatever means necessary” to end what it usually calls the “bloody and illegal occupation”.
Unison’s deputy general secretary, Kenneth Sonnet, is said to have expressed his union’s fury forcibly to Mr Murray. Concern has also been expressed in the senior ranks of the T&G and GMB, two other affiliated unions.
Accusing coalition leaders of “atrocious” treatment of the federation, Mr Sonnet said: “It’s not for us to tell unions in other countries how to operate. We have to listen to what they want … We have told the coalition we are considering our position.”
Mr Murray said: “British politics is in uproar over the redeployment and impending assault on Falluja. It would be dismaying if any affiliates should choose to disengage now because of secondary differences which could easily be resolved. We hope Unison will take this approach.”

Mick Rix, trade unionist and former General Secretary of ASLEF, has resigned from the Stop the War Coalition steering committee.
He says:
“I do not agree with assertions made over the conduct of union delegations at the Labour party in the recent statement, and indeed the attacks made on Abdullah [Muhsin, the UK representative of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions]. I think in these difficult times, the recent outbursts that have been made, and the personalisation have vastly reduced our influence and support in the movement. I thought it would have been better and more democratic, before these statements were made, they should have been discussed, and wider views sought. There is nothing wrong with criticism, and people from time to time will have and hold different views, but there are better ways of making this criticism, and there were better ways of inviting views on this criticism, before it was published.
“I wish you all future success, but I believe at the moment damage has been done that is long lasting, I also feel that Abdullah should receive an apology for some of the stupid and wild accusations made about him. I also believe that the vast majority of union delegates at the labour party who hold strong views on the war, and the vast majority are anti war, should also receive an apology for the vitriol that has been whipped up against them. At least they debated and discussed the position before doing what they did, likewise the statements that have been made, by representatives and close associates of STW, have not been debated prior to their publication, nor were their views sought as well.”

Business Statement, House of Commons, Thursday 14th October
Mr. Harry Barnes (North-East Derbyshire) (Lab): May I press for that debate on Iraq? There are people with different perspectives on the matter, ranging from my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith), who asked for the debate, to my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House. There are some of us who believe in a third way – I thought that the Government might be interested in third ways. We say that the invasion itself was wrong and that some of its consequences were predictable, but that everything must now be done to assist democratic forces in Iraq to build a proper, decent society. Although there might still be big differences between both sides, there might be an area on which we could get agreement, so let us have the debate.
Mr. Hain (Leader of the House of Commons): I am very sympathetic to my hon. Friend’s point of view. Whatever opinions are passionately held about the merits, or otherwise, of going to war in Iraq, the truth is that we are where we are. The objective now, as he says, is to ensure that we have a democratic Iraq that includes a strong and independent trade union movement. We must support that enterprise and use all our efforts and resources to ensure that the Iraqi people have the chance to run their own country for the first time in at least a generation, if not ever.

We appreciate Labour MP Geraldine Smith’s concerns (Mirror, 14th October) but suggest that she also addresses the immediate need to back brave Iraqis trying to build independent trade unions and women’s groups as well as new parties and newspapers in order to create a democratic Iraq. They need all our help.
Gary Kent
Director
Labour Friends of Iraq

An early day motion (EDM) — number 1744 — introduced by Harry Barnes MP.

Continue reading Stop the War Coalition and Violence in Iraq

An extract from Jack Straw’s address to Labour Party Conference 30th September 2004. The full speech is on http://www.labour.org.uk
And where, under Saddam, those who campaigned for free trade unions often ended in a mass grave with a bullet in their back, now there are free trade unionists. One of its members, Abdullah Muhsin of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions is here today.
Hear what he wrote in the Conference Daily on Tuesday, and I quote:
“You have two options before you this week. One would give hope to all those in Iraq who want to see free trade unions and political organisations grow and thrive.
“The alternative”, he said, “is an early date for the unilateral withdrawal of troops which would be bad for my country, bad for the emerging progressive forces, a terrible blow for free trade unionism, and would play into the hands of extremists and terrorists.”
Let us be aware of this: yes, the terrorists have killed foreigners; kidnapped some; still hold hostage Kenneth Bigley.
But overwhelmingly the targets are the Iraqi economy and their victims are Iraqis – ordinary decent Iraqis, who want the chance to rebuild their country and who are being stopped, not by US or UK forces, but by these evil men who, knowing that they cannot succeed by ballot seek to impose their will by bullet and bomb.

Original text of motion submitted by North East Derbyshire CLP to Labour
Party Conference. The motion was composited and then remitted in favour
of a statement from the National Executive Committee, which included all
the main points of this motion, which was also the subject of a speech
by Harry Barnes, MP for North East Derbyshire and Joint President of
LFIQ.

Continue reading Motion submitted by North East Derbyshire CLP to Labour Party conference