And they're off...

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Posted on This is My Truth on 27 September


Rhodri Morgan will today fire the starting gun for the race to succeed him.

Ten years ago when Welsh Labour last held a leadership contest, the process for appointing the leader of the Labour Group in the Assembly was as controversial as the issues.

Even though Rhodri Morgan has not delivered on his pledge to overhaul the election process (nor did Alun Michael deliver on his pledge to secure a seat for the Welsh Party on the ruling NEC), there have been some changes to the way the electoral college works.

Each section of the college gets a third of the votes, but the Union (affiliated organisations) section will no longer be open to the abuse of 1999 where 'regional' executives decided how the votes of their membership should be cast.

This time there will be no block vote. Unions will be have to ballot their membership and then divide their vote proportionaly according to the wishes of their membership.

Here's how the electoral college breaks down, as I understand it:

Section 1 (AMs / MPs):

56 people

Section 2:

Members – 11,000

Section 3 (affiliated organsiations)

Unite 100,450

Aslef 2,000

Bectu 10,000

CWU 14,000

Community 10,000

GMB 51,000

Musician’s Union 2,000

NUM S Wales 5,000

Ucatt 5,000

Unison Wales Labour Link 52,000

Usdaw 22,000

TSSA 1,000



Societies:

Fabian 1,000

Socialist Health Associations 1,000

Wales Co-op Party 10,000

Welsh Lab Students 1,000

So an individual party member vote will be worth less than 1% of an MP/AM vote. People power!

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