Labour tried to gag me, says trade unionist

A trade unionist today accused British Labour leaders of trying to gag him on the conference floor as he tried to bring his campaign for Northern Ireland people to be granted membership to a wider audience.

Deputy shop steward Andy McGivern, who has been lobbying British Labour conference delegates all week to force the Labour party to open up party membership to people in Northern Ireland, claimed he was prevented on two occasions this week from raising the issue on the conference floor in Blackpool, UK.

He told PA News: “It had been arranged with my union, the GMB, for me to speak on the issue in the democracy debate on Sunday but when it came to the bit, I was not called.

“We then turned to today’s session on Northern Ireland but once again, were gagged when they told us there would be no points-of-order or questions from the floor.

“It’s almost as if the leadership do not want it to get out to the rank-and-file that people in Northern Ireland are not allowed to join the party.”

Mr McGivern is preparing a case against Labour through Britain's Commission for Racial Equality on the grounds that the ban on Northern Ireland members is racist.

Labour has traditionally regarded Northern Ireland’s Social Democratic and Labour Party as its sister party in the North, with the leadership citing its ties as the main reason why the party will not organise there.

However left wing activists in Northern Ireland regard Stormont Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan’s SDLP as primarily a nationalist party despite its membership of the Party of European Socialists.

Britain's Conservative Party has Northern Ireland members and last year fielded candidates in the General Election.

The Liberal Democrats are linked to the cross community Alliance Party.

Mr McGivern’s campaign has won the backing of many trade unionists and around 120 MPs including Northern Ireland-born Vauxhall MP, Kate Hoey.

The deputy shop steward said while he had had an “encouraging week” in Blackpool, it was apparent that many rank-and-file Labour members were not aware of the ban on people in Northern Ireland.

“When you put your case to the people, you realise the vast majority don’t realise that people in Northern Ireland cannot be a member unlike people in Scotland and Wales,” he said.

“They also don’t realise that Labour members who return to Northern Ireland to live and work have to give up their membership.

“What is clear from this week is that the party hierarchy are uncomfortable about this fact getting out and they have tried to suppress that message from getting out on the conference floor.

“I think the leadership is very worried about the case we are preparing. They are worried about the gathering momentum behind our campaign and we are going to persist until people in Northern Ireland are given the same rights as people in England, Wales and Scotland.”