Election campaigning
Brussels Labour campaign fund
Mar 1st
Brussels Labour has its own campaign fund, which allows us to offer support to the Labour Party and candidates in elections in the UK, support our sister parties in elections in Belgium, and to host events at Labour Party annual conference.
Should you wish to make a donation, the account details are:
Account number: 036-1269593-77 | IBAN: BE80 0361 2695 9377 | BIC: GEBABEBB
Account name: Brussels Labour Party Group | Bank: BNP Paribas Fortis
Communication: ‘[name] Campaign fund donation‘
To read more about Brussels Labour’s campaign activities, read the posts below.
Support the PD Italian election campaign this Monday
Jan 24th
On Monday 28 January, Hannes Swoboda, President of the S&D Group in the European Parliament will be present at an event with Brussels branches of progressive and socialist parties in Europe.
The event, which is held in support of the Partito Democratico campaign for the Italian elections on 24-25 February, will be held at Mediterraneo, Rue de Trèves, 40, 1050 Ixelles. It begins at 19:00.
For more information click here (link to Facebook)
Reminder – Registration for the Communal elections
May 24th
Should you wish to vote in the next local elections in Belgium on Sunday 14 October 2012, you will need to make sure you are registered by Tuesday 31 July 2012.
For Brussels residents, registration is very easy. Just print out and complete the application form in the link below and send it to your “Maison Communal” (see links below for your commune).
Anderlecht | Auderghem | Berchem-Ste-Agathe | Bruxelles Ville | Etterbeek | Evere | Forest | Ganshoren | Ixelles | Jette | Koekelberg | Molenbeek-St-Jean | Saint-Gilles | Saint-Josse-Ten-Node | Schaerbeek | Uccle | Watermael-Boitsfort | Woluwe-Saint-Lambert | Woluwe-Saint-Pierre
Richard Corbett to speak to Brussels Labour on the financial crisis
Apr 19th
The next Brussels Labour branch meeting takes place next week:
Richard Corbett - Member of the Cabinet of Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council
‘Out of its depth? The EU and the Crisis’
Tuesday 24 April – Horloge du Sud, Rue du Trône 141, 1050 Ixelles – 20:00
The meeting begins at 20:00. The venue opens at 19:30. If you would like to eat, please come early and order before the meeting starts.
Forthcoming meetings include:
London Mayoral elections campaign day
Tuesday 1 May – Join Brussels Labour in Hackney and Islington and help get Ken Livingstone elected! A group of Brussels Labour members will be going to London to help Ken’s campaign – please contact the Secretary if you would like to join
Branch Meeting
Wednesday 30 May – Horloge du Sud – Further details tbc
Pascal Smet – Flemish Minister for Education, Youth, Equal Opportunities and Brussels Affairs
‘The Belgian communal elections’
Wednesday 20 June – Horloge du Sud, Rue du Trône 141, 1050 Ixelles – 20:00
The meeting begins at 20:00. The venue opens at 19:30. If you would like to eat, please come early and order before the meeting starts.
Belgian local elections – don’t miss your chance to vote!
Mar 5th
The next communal elections in Belgium will take place on Sunday 14 October. Did you realise you can vote?
Electoral law in Belgium recognises the right of all EU citizens to vote in – and stand for – local elections, and casting your vote could make all the difference in your commune.
But you have to register. If you haven’t done so yet, then don’t delay!
Brussels Labour strongly urges you to take up this opportunity to support the socialist candidates in the Brussels communes, who will include candidates from other EU member states. At least two Brussels Labour members will stand.
Your registration form has to be submitted by 31 July 2012 and copies are available at the electoral registration service (service électorat) in your commune, with specific details provided on their websites. If you registered for the 2006 elections, then you don’t need to do so again.
You can find out why your commune matters to you here.
Next Branch meeting: Ken Livingstone’s campaign team
Jan 22nd
The next Brussels Labour branch meeting takes place this week:
Peter May - London Labour Party
‘The London Mayoral elections’
Wednesday 25 January - Square Ambiorix 6, 1000 Brussels – 20:00
The meeting begins at 20:00. As this event is not in a bar or restaurant, there will be no food served, and you are invited to bring a bottle.
Forthcoming meetings include:
Sister Parties meeting & reception – Preparation for Communal Elections
Wednesday 29 February - Further details tbc
Brussels Labour Annual General Meeting
Wednesday 21 March - Further details tbc
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.
Guest blog from Duncan Enright: ‘Winning Labour’s first seat from the Tories in 2011′
Jan 28th
Duncan Enright is a councillor for the Witney East ward on Witney Town Council. The town’s MP is David Cameron. Duncan is son of Derek Enright, who was a Member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1984 and then an MP from 1991 until his death in 1995.
For the last 15 years I have lived in Witney, a lovely market town in West Oxfordshire. My three children, Katy (15), Lucy (11) and Tom (8) all go to local schools, including the outstanding Wood Green High School where my wife Sally-Ann is a teacher. I’m a publisher and like many of my neighbours I commute. However I enjoy Witney – I play football with other local dads, we go to the local Catholic church, and I work for the local Labour Party and have stood locally for many years. The highlight until now has been having local MP Shaun Woodward defecting from the Tories in 2000 and signing his Labour Party membership card in our sitting room! 
Last year the Tory town councillor for Witney East, Louise Chapman, was barred from office because she didn’t turn up for six consecutive months. Odd this – they are adept at managing this sort of situation. One of the other Tories (there are four for Witney East and 15 on the council of 17, one Lib Dem who votes with them) hasn’t been seen for two years, and has got away with it.
The Tories wanted to coopt a replacement. They did the same in 2009 when the only Green stood down (found it too hard going). Despite promises to the gullible Greens, they replaced him with a Tory ex-mayor! Instead I collected the ten signatures needed to force a by-election.
The Tory constituency agent, who is also the debarred councillor’s father, railed against the expense of a by-election, and rather backed them into a corner. I took the opportunity to ram home the need for a local voice on various key local issues, which you can read about at www.duncan4witney.org. It was a great chance to state my platform, and had the advantage of being the absolute truth – these are key issues where the town councillors have done nothing, or worse still the wrong thing.
We started early, posting a letter through all doors before the nominations closed. I have the advantage of being the candidate in every election since 2007, and living right in the heart of the ward. My kids go to the local schools, my wife teaches at one, and I play football with local dads (badly). I was able to press this advantage before the Greens and Lib Dems had even decided to stand. (I did in fact write to them to ask them to stand aside in my favour, so we could challenge the Tories directly on the big local issue of a disputed £20m bypass – I’m against and the Tories are for. Subsequently the Lib Dem candidate, also against, has been abandoned by his County colleagues who voted for unanimously. Same old Lib Dems!)
To be honest, when the list closed I was disappointed not to have a Tory candidate, and also assumed that their support, which is pretty substantial locally, would naturally transfer to their mates the Lib Dems. More >
General election – thank you!
May 12th
Many thanks to all who helped with the General Election Campaign, whether phone canvassing or on the campaign weekends in London and Hastings.
Labour is now facing a period of opposition, but we came out of the elections with our heads held high. We lost power at the national level but we won it back in many local councils. And while many good Labour MPs lost their seats, including a number with special links to our Branch such as Michael Foster and Gwyn Prosser, others, such as Emma Reynolds, former BL Treasurer, are elected for the first time. And Glenda Jackson was re-elected by the narrowest of margins – we like to think the visit by Brussels Labour made all the difference! A big thank you to Brussels Labour members for all they did during the election.
