F7 Selection of Policy Motions for Debate

Submitted by: Basingstoke and Deane.
Mover: Michael Berwick-Gooding.
Summation: Katharine Pindar.

Conference notes that:

1. The Conference Standing Orders do not set out the reasons why the Federal Conference Committee may refuse to select motions, while they do set out the reasons why the FCC may refuse Amendments of the Constitution and the Standing Orders (SO 4.3) and Emergency motions (SO 4.4).
2. Standing Order 6.1 states that proposers need to provide reasons why the expressed reasons for rejection are not valid but as there is no list of valid reasons this can be difficult.
3. At each Conference many motions are not selected to be debated by the Federal Conference Committee.
4. Voting members can vote to decide which emergency motions are discussed at Conference but do not have a vote on determining if any non-emergency motions are selected.

Conference resolves to amend the Standing Orders as follows:

Add new Standing Order:

“4.2 Policy motions

“The Committee may refuse to select a policy motion if, in their opinion:

1. It is similar in effect to another motion or motions which have been selected for debate or ballot at the same meeting of Conference, in which case the Committee must consider whether it is appropriate for it to be composited with that or those motions;
2. It encompasses a policy area covered by a policy motion and accompanying policy paper that has been passed by Conference in the last two years;
3. It encompasses a major change to a policy in an area being considered by a policy working group established by the Federal Policy Committee which is scheduled to be discussed at either of the next two Conferences;
4. It is similar in effect to a motion that has been discussed at either of the last two meetings of Conference;
5. It overturns a policy that has been passed by Conference in the last two years;
6. It does not include any new policy;
7. It is unclear as to its meaning or intent or is, in the opinion of the Committee, too poorly drafted to provide a sensible basis for debate; or
8. It is ambiguous.

For two years following a General Election the Committee has the discretion to disregard 4.2 (b) and (e).”

Add new Standing Order:

“4.3 Ballots for policy motions

All policy motions, except those rejected under Standing Order 4.2, must be placed either on the Agenda for debate or in a ballot for selection by members of the Party registered for Conference (at a date to determined by FCC). The Committee may hold separate ballots to select which of a range of policy motions to debate. If one or more ballots are held the Committee shall circulate the text of all balloted motions in the Agenda and shall specify closing times for the ballots. Following the counting of any ballots the Committee shall decide how many motions shall be debated in the time available. Amendments can be proposed and taken to any motion in the ballot(s) under this Standing Order in the same way as any other motion on the Agenda.

Renumber accordingly, and in Standing Order 3.2 replace ‘4.3’ with ‘4.5’, and in Standing Order 4.5 replace ‘4.4’ with ‘4.6’.

The existing text of Conference standing orders is printed in the Agenda.

Applicability: Federal.

Mover: 5 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes.

Standing Order Amendments Require a two-thirds majority to pass.

Amendments

Drafting

The FCC has agreed to make the following drafting amendment to the motion:

In lines 40–41, delete ‘has the discretion to’ and insert ‘should normally’.