International Branch of the British Labour Party
Brussels Labour
Visit by Joan Burton, Irish Labour Party deputy leader
Feb 16th
Our comrades in the Irish Labour Party would like to invite Brussels Labour members to two meetings with Joan Burton TD, Irish Minister for Social Protection & Labour Deputy Leader, this Friday, 17 February:
“Ireland’s Future in a Changing Europe, Developing a Mutual Understanding”
Institute of International and European Affairs (IIEA) Brussels Branch
Permanent Representation of Ireland, Rue Froissart 50, 1040 EtterbeekFrom 12.45-14:00 – Snack lunch is provided but pre-registration essential via email to the IIEA.
Meeting with the Irish Labour Party Brussels & friends
Place de Londres, 13 Place de Londres, 1050 Ixelles – map
Meeting starts at 18:00
Brussels Labour’s 40th anniversary – help us celebrate!
Feb 6th
2013 marks the fortieth year of the UK’s membership of the EU, and it marks 40 years of Brussels Labour.
At the start of 1973, a group of enthusiasts formed what was then called the British Labour Group (BLG) to bring together Labour Party members and supporters in Brussels. The driving force was Alan Forrest (at the time an official at the ICFTU), who became the first Chair. Right from the start, the BLG attracted high level speakers: on 29 March 1973, George Thomson, the first British Labour Commissioner, spoke on ‘Socialism, Internationalism and the Common Market’. And over the years, the Party headquarters came to acknowledge the value of Brussels Labour (though it took some twenty-five years of campaigning to get formal recognition).
We plan to mark this milestone through a number of interlinked strands, including:
- a project to capture the memories of those forty years through the voices of Brussels Labour members and others;
- a series of events throughout the year; and
- a gala dinner (as we did for the 25th and the 30th anniversaries).
We will associate the Party, including our MEPs, in these activities, as well as other sister parties notably from the other countries – Ireland and Denmark – which joined the EU in 1973.
Work is now starting on these three different strands so if you would like to get involved, please let Belinda Pyke know. The intention is to complete the first strand this year so it can be launched at the start of 2013 and we need help in particular:
- to identify contact current and former members/office holders/speakers (including in the UK);
- to interview, to photograph, to edit contributions; and
- to turn all this into an online presentation, maybe also in printed form, linked to narrative about history of BL and also about development of UK and/or Labour Party attitude to the EU.
We will report regularly to branch meetings and in Germinal on the preparations for Brussels Labour’s 40th.
Belinda Pyke
belinda.pyke(AT)skynet.be
Book review: The Cost of Inequality
Dec 20th
How a dodgy ideology made the rich richer, the rest of us poorer and left the economy in ruins.
Around 1980, something changed: a seemingly unstoppable evolution in western societies went into reverse. For half a century the gap between rich and poor had been narrowing: an inevitable consequence, it seemed, of universal education, mass production, trade unionism and the rise of democracy.
Yet within a few years this trend had been sharply reversed. In the subsequent three decades, the western world has witnessed a dramatic growth in inequality. The top 1% have appropriated almost all the fruits of growth, while middle and low income groups have stagnated or worse.
Stewart Lansley’s new book, ‘The Cost of Inequality‘ (Gibson Square, 2011) looks at why this happened, and what have been the consequences. His central argument, impressively documented in a tour through the workings of modern capitalism, is that growing inequality caused the financial meltdown of 2008.
But along the way, he establishes two even more sweeping arguments, both of which tell us something important about the mess in which Europe now finds itself. He shows that the growth in inequality has its roots in an ideological shift that swept the western world from the late 1970s onwards. And he shows that, long before 2008, that ideology had spectacularly failed to deliver any of the promised benefits. More >
Does Your Commune Matter To You?
Nov 28th
The Parti Socialiste – in collaboration with sister parties – has produced a new leaflet (click here to download the PDF) on the communal elections in Belgium. These elections will take place on 14 October 2012, and all EU citizens can register to exercise their right to vote.
Download the leaflet to find out why it is important to vote in the communal elections and please share the leaflet with your friends.
Next branch meeting: Clive Betts MP
Nov 21st
The next Brussels Labour branch meeting takes place this week:
Wednesday 23 November
Clive Betts MP - Chair, Communities and Local Government Select Committee
‘Localism and the Big Society – Labour’s response
L’Horloge du Sud, Rue du Trône 141, 1050 Ixelles
19:30: Venue open – If you would like to eat, please come early and order before the meeting
starts
20:00: Start of meeting
Forthcoming meetings include:
Monday 5 December
Claude Moraes MEP and Hackney North & Stoke Newington CLP
have invited Brussels Labour members to meet the CLP members during their visit to Brussels
The Staff, Rue de Trèves 42, 1050 Ixelles
From 19:00
Wednesday 7 December
Brussels Labour Christmas Pub Quiz
with quizmaster David Earnshaw
The Staff, Rue de Trèves 42, 1050 Ixelles
Further details tbc
Wednesday 25 January 2012
Branch meeting
Further details tbc
Germinal – new edition
Oct 14th
The latest edition of Germinal is available to download here and to read below via Issuu, featuring coverage of branch meetings with Ellie Reeves and Emma Reynolds, and the Labour Party Conference 2011.
PLEASE NOTE: The meeting with Harriet Harman MP, advertised in this issue, has been cancelled.
This Thursday: John Fitzmaurice memorial lecture with Baroness Royall
Oct 10th
Thursday 13 October
John Fitzmaurice Memorial Lecture 2011: Baroness Jan Royall, Leader of the Labour Party in the House of Lords
Press Club Europe, Rue Froissart 95, 1040 Etterbeek
Venue open from 19:00, meeting starts at 19:30
Future dates:
Wednesday 23 November 2011
Clive Betts MP – Chair of the Department for Communities and Local Government Select Committee
Further details TBC
Wednesday 7 December 2011
Christmas Pub Quiz
Further details TBC
PES Progressive Convention: invitation from PES Activists
Sep 23rd
PES Activists are pleased to invite you to the PES Progressive Convention, which will take place in Brussels on 25-26 November 2011.
Recent world developments, the economic crisis, the uprisings in the Arab World, the youth protests, all show that citizens are eager to participate in society and for their views to be taken into account. So, this year, the PES will organise a different type of event: outward looking, participative and interactive.
Based on the new PES Declaration of Principles, claiming the PES values and principles guiding PES policies, the aim of the Convention is to launch a deep policy review building up to the Fundamental Programme that will be adopted at the 2012 PES Congress. The Convention will be a unique open space bringing together progressive politicians, trade-unions, NGOs, associations, academics and artists. It will be a two-day brainstorming, with simultaneous and innovative debates, workshops, panels and cultural activities such as a film festival, a political bookshops and concerts.
A half-day in-depth reflection will be dedicated to each of the following crucial challenges:
A new fair growth model – inventing a new growth paradigm built on economic, social and environmental progress, with a new governance concept.
A just society, equality for all – developing new policies for inclusive societies overcoming inequalities and ensuring decent jobs for all.
New global answers to new global challenges – formulating a new global deal to shape globalisation in a progressive way.
Democracy and active citizenship – conceiving a dynamic society where everyone is involved.
Registrations can be made through the PES website. If you are a PES activist, there is limited accommodation available, for which you can apply here.
Next branch meeting: Emma Reynolds MP
Sep 15th
The next Brussels Labour branch meeting is next week, with a former BL treasurer and now MP for Wolverhampton North East and Shadow Foreign Office minister:
Tuesday 20 September
Emma Reynolds MP
Carpe Diem, 13 Avenue de Tervuren, 1040 Etterbeek, Brussels (upstairs room)
19:30: Venue open – If you would like to eat, please come early and order before the meeting
starts
20:00: Start of meeting
Forthcoming meetings include:
Thursday 13 October
John Fitzmaurice Memorial Lecture 2011: Baroness Jan Royall, Leader of the Labour Party in the House of Lords
Press Club Europe, Rue Froissart 95, 1040 Etterbeek
Further details to follow.
Brussels Labour AGM 2011 – draft minutes
Aug 8th
The draft minutes of the Brussels Labour Annual General Meeting 2011, held on 23 March, are available here.
