News From Nottingham 3

My guess is that there will be widespread relief amongst the Napo top table that things went so well at Nottingham this year. I won't pretend to have been a regular AGM attender over my career, but I'm willing to bet this just might have been a first for the union when all the business was concluded by close of play on Saturday. 

This was no mean achievement given the cheaper, shorter format and achieved largely by consistent quoracy and a marked absence of contentious motions. I heard mention of 260 or thereabouts as the high point of attendance, comfortably above the new 150 threshold and it won't go unnoticed that having most attenders ensconced in a hotel onsite gave much less scope for members going AWOL, which has been a bit of a tradition built up over many years. 

If Richard Burgon was the star performer on day one, then fellow MP Bob Neill provided much of the inspiration for day two, and I'm not just saying that because he somewhat surprisingly referenced the blog not just once but twice, probably to the chagrin of the General Secretary sat closeby.

Having announced his Justice Committee inquiry into the whole TR omnishambles only the day before, the timing of his contribution was impeccable, as was his obvious enthusiasm to get stuck into uncovering the unvarnished truth about a matter which he firmly acknowledged "we got it badly wrong". This is no mean statement coming as it does from a Conservative MP and clearly someone who enjoys a high degree of cross-party support having been elected unopposed for a second term as Chair of the Justice Committee.

In an engaging and forthright presentation, Bob made a number of things very clear indeed, including stressing the importance of whistleblowers to an effective democracy. In hearing about the impending BBC Panorama programme and the possibility of some contributors having had their cover 'blown', he made it absolutely clear that any person giving evidence to his inquiry would benefit from Parliamentary protection, enforced if necessary by the Speaker. Time is short though with evidence required by November 17th and not withstanding such high-powered assurances, it would seem prudent that anyone tempted to submit evidence had the protection of a trade union.

On this very point and in the context of the now-delayed Panorama programme, it was sobering that the only Emergency Motion put before conference concerned providing protection to whistle-blowing members:-

"It has come to the attention of London Branch during the last 2 weeks that a Panorama programme will be shown in the next 10 days that is looking at Probation post privatisation. Several people interviewed in the programme have been contacted by legal representatives amid allegations of bringing the NPS and CRC into disrepute. This AGM calls on the Officers and Officials' Group to take action to protect those Napo members involved, including contacting and working with the MoJ." 

I suspect like many members, I came away from Nottingham somewhat buoyed-up with the notion that at long last all the chickens regarding the TR omnishambles appeared to be airborne and about to arrive home to roost very soon. Bob Neill joked about the MoJ having appeared to have been 'spooked' by the announcement of his inquiry and as a desperate response set up the 'Whole System Improvement Programme' mentioned yesterday. Things are definitely happening folks and the celestial bodies appear to be aligning at last.