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Labour Counts home | Ann Black home | Ann Black CV | Nov 2000 | Jan 2001 | March 2001 | July 2001 | Sept 2001 | Nov 2001 |
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Ann Black:Personal Manifesto and CV |
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Labour Counts home | Ann Black home | Ann Black CV | Nov 2000 | Jan 2001 | March 2001 | July 2001 | Sept 2001 | Nov 2001 |
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Ann Black:Personal Manifesto and CV |
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Re-elect
Ann Black for 2002 / 2004
Labour’s
second landslide should have made 2001 a year of pure celebration.
But with foot-and-mouth disease, the horror of 11 September and
renewed conflict between nations, it did not feel that way.
Low turnout, especially of young people, and falling membership
and activism warned that victory is fragile.
Fresh
ideas on student finance and Railtrack show encouraging willingness to
review unpopular policy. Now we need courage to see through the necessary change.
We have a mandate to put public spending before tax cuts, and
three years to deliver. Education
is already benefiting, and would do even better without gimmicks or
selection. Health is now
top priority, and solutions should be sought within the NHS, not from
private profiteers. London
Underground should stay publicly-owned, and our universal postal service
cannot be allowed to collapse. Pensions
and other benefits should be indexed to earnings.
Internationally
Labour’s good work on debt relief must not be undermined by flogging
expensive military hardware to the starving, and September showed
National Missile Defense to be irrelevant as well as destabilising.
The advent of the Euro demands wide debate within the party well
before any referendum. The next Commons decision on fox-hunting should
finally be carried into law. And
with many all-out local elections in May, Labour must value and respect
its councillors. Campaigners need help in fighting BNP racism, and ammunition
against LibDem as well as Tory opponents.
Looking
Forward The key to revival lies in
listening to members. I
have always encouraged participation through local forums as well as
General Committees, but this time contributions must be seen to
influence national policy. From
the Industry policy commission I intend to improve communication with
constituencies. On the
Organisation Committee I will continue to promote the rights of ordinary
members, to oppose selection stitch-ups, and to uphold party rules.
I support strong union links at every level.
I
report directly by e-mail after every NEC and National Policy Forum
meeting, and past accounts are at
http://www.labourcounts.com/AnnBlack
Please ring, write or contact me at ablack@brookes.ac.uk
for individual mailings, or just to talk.
I
rely greatly on your feedback, and ask again for your support.
Experience
Labour
Party:
Member since 1982. Former
branch election organiser, constituency Chair, Conference delegate.
Current constituency secretary, member of Regional Board.
Elected to the National Policy Forum by West Midlands CLPs in
1998 and South-East CLPs in 1999. Elected to the NEC in 2000, and appointed to the Party
Development, Finance and Women’s Committees.
Re-elected in 2001 and appointed to the Organisation Committee
and the Industry policy commission.
Trade
Union:
NALGO from 1982, UNISON from 1993.
Former branch Chair, secretary.
Current service conditions secretary, branch negotiator, member
of UNISON's National Political Committee. Other: Staff Governor at Oxford Brookes University, where I work as a computer programmer. Vice-Chair, Labour Reform. Member of Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform, Campaign for a Democratic Upper House, Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, Britain in Europe, Ramblers' Association. |
