Old News

NEC election rigging scandal hits MSF

MSF officials have written and posted identical letters promoting the right wing candidate Leonie Cooper in the Women's NEC seat election, a breach of Rule 30.

You can try to spot the difference with two of the letters here. Allegedly they were posted from MSF's Birmingham office, using an MSF official frank and MSF Head Office address labels.

At least two branches, Hounslow and Feltham and West London Medical, nominated Jane Stewart for the Women's NEC seat, neither appeared on the Electoral Reform ballot paper statement. On Ms Cooper's statement, a branch called 'London SM' appeared. We can find no record of a Scale Makers branch in London.

At a packed meeting on Saturday MSF London Regional Council passed the following emergency motions almost unanimously:

1. This Regional Council calls upon the General Secretary to immediately investigate a gross breach of rule 30 (Canvassing) in the current NEC National Women's Seat (By-Election). A letter circulated to all members of Metropolitan Branch (0755) signed by A McKenna, branch secretary, urges all branch members to vote for one candidate only, Leonie Cooper, in this NEC by-election. To circulate such a letter to members during an election with the aim of influencing their voting intention is contrary to rule.

2. This Regional Council calls upon the NEC to initiate an investigation into the circulation of form letters supporting the candidacy of Leonie Cooper for the National Women's Seat on the NEC, a prima facie breach of the rule prohibiting canvassing. This investigation should include the following areas:
(i) The complicity of branch secretaries of the branches circulated with the form letter and/or the candidate.
(ii) The use of MSF mailing lists outwith rule.
(iii) The use of MSF funds outwith rule.
(iv) The participation in the mailing of any unofficial organisations within MSF

3. In view of the complaint from London Regional Council that Alex McKenna has broken the rules of the union, we ask that he take no official responsibility within the union pending the outcome of the investigation. (Alex McKenna is involved in the witch hunt of London Region members).

Rule 30 states:

"No written material of any kind may be circulated in support of a candidate in any national election within the Union without the approval of the NEC."

It is very unlikely the NEC would have approved these letters but nowadays anything is possible, they did approve the inclusion of Ms Coopers website address in her statement circulated to every member with the ballot papers.
Read the complaint to the CO here
Posted by www.rogerlyons.com on 20th May-2001