Brussels labour pub quiz

Will you join us at our Pub Quiz? Wednesday 11 May 

Reckon you know a thing or two about politics? Do you know your parmesan from your paneer? Perhaps you’re an expert on all things musical theatre? Whatever your specialist subject, the Brussels Labour branch pub quiz needs you! 

With rounds on music, food and drink, politics and more, there’s something for everyone. Bring your friends, have a pint or two and see if you’ve got what it takes to be crowned the pub quiz champion.  

All proceeds will be used to support Ukraine via the Belgian Red Cross.  

How to join the quiz:  

Twitter: @brusselslabour  
Facebook: Brussels Labour | Facebook 

The James Joyce allows patrons to order-in food. All drinks must be purchased from the James Joyce’s bar. 
 
We very much hope you will be able to join us. See you there!  

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Brussels Labour calls for free vote on any Brexit trade deal

This resolution was passed by the Brussels Labour branch of Labour International at its meeting on Thursday 17th December

This branch notes that there is still a chance that a trade deal will emerge between the European Union and the United Kingdom and that the LOTO intends to enforce a three line whip to vote for such a deal. 

We would welcome a deal rather than no deal but recognise that this will be a bare bones deal that will not meet any of the six tests of a Brexit deal, importantly including “delivering the exact same benefits as we currently have as members of the Single Market and Customs Union.”

We recognise that any deal that is presented will be a very poor deal which will likely open the door to a slashing of workers’ rights, environmental regulations and food standards in the UK. As members of Labour International living in Europe, we are particularly affected by issues arising from a bad deal, and note with concern the effects on our freedom of movement, spousal visas and our comrades in Ireland concerning the Good Friday Agreement.

If such a deal is agreed it is likely that it will come to the House of Commons for a vote.

This branch believes that the PLP should not impose a three line whip to vote for such a deal for three reasons: 

  1. Voting for such a deal would mean endorsing a deal with the same or worse characteristics that Labour has so strongly criticised for the last three years.   
  2. Voting for such a deal would give Johnson the triumph of a huge majority for his deal, which would give the appearance of Labour endorsing his negotiating strategy, including his threat to break international law. The PLP cannot be seen to be endorsing such threats to international treaties, regardless of any caveats it may apply. 
  3. Voting for such a deal would mean that the PLP also co-owns the deal and its numerous consequences and failings, making it difficult to later criticise the government for its shortcomings regarding the deal. 

The branch resolves to call upon LOTO not to endorse a three line whip to vote for the deal and to instead allow a free vote on the deal (with the option to abstain). 

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Brussels Labour Quiz

Brussels Labour Virtual Pub Quiz: 18 November 19:30 CET on zoom

Register now for our annual Brussels Labour Pub Quiz taking place virtually this year with former Brussels Labour Chair, David Earnshaw, as quizmaster.

How to join the quiz 

  • Form a team and register your team name on the form here. Teams should be up to 4 people.  If you have any problem registering, contact secretary@brusselslabour.eu

We are waiving the normal 20 euro per team participation fee so entry is free, but if you would like to make a donation to Branch funds you can do so here by bank transfer 
Account number:  IBAN: BE 33 7370 4656 0346
Account name: Brussels Labour International   | Bank:  KBC
When making the transfer, please add your name and “BL November Pub Quiz”

Thank you in advance for your support!

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Brussels Labour joins calls to support the most vulnerable affected by COVID-19

Brussels Labour and joined forces with some of our sister parties in Brussels to call for greater support for the most vulnerable as the lockdown in Belgium, put in place to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, continue to reverberate.

The letter, addressed to Ministre Nathalie Muylle, responsible for Work, Economy and Consumers, while recognising the support already made by the Belgian Government, calls for measures to ensure that the most precarious and vulnerable people are also not left behind; and for a multi-language information campaign to remind employers of their responsibilities during the crisis.

Download the letter (in French and Dutch) here

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Branch Meeting | 11 September

Our next Branch meeting will take place on 11 September. We are very pleased to be joined by Rory Palmer MEP who represents the East Midlands in the European Parliament. He is also member of the Committee for Environment, Public Health and Food Safety.

Where: FEPS, Rue Montoyer 40, 1040 Brussels
When:  11 September at 19:30 (Doors open 19:00)

We look forward to seeing you there

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Jackie Jones MEP visits Brussels Labour

Brussels Labour was delighted to welcome newly elected Jackie Jones MEP to speak at our June branch meeting. Jackie was elected in May as the Labour Party MEP for Wales. Since there is now unfortunately no Labour MEP in Scotland, Jackie is the only Labour MEP of a devolved region in the UK.

Prior to her election, Jackie taught law at Cardiff Law School at Cardiff University. She then taught at Bristol Law School, University of the West of England, where she was Professor of Feminist Legal Studies. Jackie is active in the voluntary sector on Wales on human rights for many years.

As such, it is fitting that she will now be working on both the legal affairs (JURI) and women’s rights and gender equality (FEMM) committees in the European Parliament.

It was refreshing to hear from a new voice at the branch meeting, and members were eager to hear more about Jackie’s plans for her time in Brussels, whether that be a few months or a few years. Brussels Labour hopes we will hear more from Jackie Jones in the near future and looks forward to having her as a Labour MEP.

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Branch Meeting | 26 June

At the next Branch meeting on 26 June we will be joined by Professor Jackie Jones, the new Labour MEP for Wales, who will share her thoughts on the recent European Parliament elections and what the next few months might bring as the next parliamentary term gets underway

Where: Foundation for Progressive Studies (FEPS), Rue Montoyer 40, 1040
When: 26 June | 19:30 (Doors open 19:00) 

We look forward to seeing you there

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After the European elections, what next?

We held our meeting in May on the first Wednesday after the European elections, giving us an obvious topic of discussion. Rather than invite in external speakers, we decided to use the expertise already present in our executive committee, with Frazer Clarke and David Earnshaw giving an overview of the elections and taking questions from members.

It was easy for many of us to feel pessimistic about the elections. Although many excellent Labour MEPs were elected, including one new face, there was almost an equal number who sadly lost their seats. 

Meanwhile, both the Brexit Party and the Liberal Democrats successfully portrayed this vote as a proxy second referendum, with themselves as the parties of Leave and Remain respectively. Despite the issue of a second referendum not being an EU competence, this was still a successful strategy for these elections, with the Brexit Party winning 29 seats, and the Liberal Democrats 15.

However, things look more positive for us at European level. The Socialists and Democrats remain the second largest party, with 154 MEPs. At the time of the meeting, it also still seemed possible that Frans Timmermans could be nominated as the next Commission President.

Unfortunately, since the meeting, the outlook has changed. Last week, the European Council not only chose not to nominate Timmermans as the next Commission President, but decided against nominating any of the lead candidates of the political groups. Instead, they nominated Ursula von der Leyen, German defense minister, for the top job.

This decision has been presented as a victory for either Macron or for Orban, depending on your source. However, whoever engineered this, the rest of the council approved it, save for Angela Merkel, who abstained. This could cause difficulties for the lead candidate process in the next elections. Of course, it is not a done deal; the European Parliament will decide whether to approve von der Leyen later this month.

In this meeting, we also discussed a branch submission to the National Policy Forum. The discussion was led by Jos Gallacher, who is the Labour International CLP representative on the National Policy Forum. Jos proposed a submission to the economy, business and trade commission, which is currently consulting on democratic public ownership.

There were lots of excellent ideas from members in the meeting. If you’d like to find out more about the National Policy Forum or this particular submission, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the executive committee.

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