Latest news with #executivecommittee
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Welsh Labour accused of incompetence over Senedd candidate selections
Frustration is mounting among prospective Labour candidates over what some are calling "incompetence" and a "lack of urgency" in the party's selection process for next May's Senedd election, BBC Wales has been selections have been confirmed but other would-be candidates are still awaiting a decision and complain they have had little or no communication from the central Welsh Labour party members had hoped selections would be finalised by last month's spring conference but there are growing fears they will not conclude until the Labour said ranking for all those seeking re-election had been "completed" and shortlisting for the "remaining slots" was ongoing. BBC Wales understands some deadlines to apply to be a candidate have been extended until 3 August."People assume there must be a conspiracy behind these delays," one prospective candidate said."But the truth is it's just incompetence. It's frustrating. "It's the most unprofessional process I've ever seen in any field, inside or outside politics, throughout my career."The party's executive committee is responsible for considering all candidates who apply, through a process of due the new more proportional electoral system, once a maximum of eight candidates are approved, local branches and other party organisations will vote to rank their preferred process will be used to narrow the field down to no more than eight final candidates who will go on to stand in one of the 16 constituencies under the new electoral constituency will return six Members of the Senedd. 'Significantly off-track' Another prospective candidate said there seemed to be a lack of urgency within Welsh Labour, with the election less than a year away."The Welsh Labour Party really needs to urgently get on with the process of selecting candidates," they said."There are quite a few of us who have complained about the way the party has dealt with the candidates' due diligence process."We need to ensure that we have quality, local candidates who are willing to work hard for their communities."Another prospective candidate, who has been through similar selection processes in the past, added: "The process is significantly off-track. "It's very frustrating on a personal level, I've had to turn down a job which has created difficulty and uncertainty.""I don't know whether party headquarters are under-resourced and are feeling a sense of burnout, following an election campaign last year and then spring conference, but it is off-track." What is Labour saying about selections? A Welsh Labour spokesperson responded: "Welsh Labour is currently running selection processes for the 16 new constituencies formed for the next Senedd elections in 2026 following a timetable agreed by the Welsh Executive Committee."Ranking for all those seeking re-election has been completed. "All those who have applied to be a candidate for the remaining slots have gone through robust due diligence procedures and the process of shortlisting those candidates is ongoing." Where are other parties on selections? A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said it had "already selected and confirmed over 80 candidates for the Senedd elections following local selection processes led by party members".The Welsh Conservatives' selection process is underway with the ranking of candidates expected to take place before the end of September.A Reform UK spokesman said the party hoped to have a full slate of candidates in place "by the end of the year".
CBC
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBC
Toronto one step closer to bus-only lanes on Dufferin, Bathurst streets
Toronto's executive committee has approved a plan to install priority lanes for buses and streetcars on parts of Bathurst and Dufferin streets ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But as CBC's Lane Harrison explains, support for the controversial lanes is far from unanimous.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NFLPA reportedly backs union head Lloyd Howell Jr. amid collusion scandal, union's reported involvement in covering it up
Amid a collusion scandal in which the NFLPA reportedly helped cover up NFL efforts to suppress guaranteed money in player contracts, the union's executive committee is backing executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. In a memo that was leaked to multiple NFL reporters Sunday, the NFLPA's executive committee "categorically" rejected reports "insinuating doubts within this committee" or that it had asked Howell to step down from his role as executive director. Advertisement From the leaked memo: 'As members of the NFLPA Executive Committee, we categorically reject false reports insinuating doubts within this committee or suggestions that we have asked our Executive Director to step down. We further reject attempts to mischaracterize the committee's views or divide our membership. "We have established a deliberate process to carefully assess the issues that have been raised and will not engage in a rush to judgement. We believe in and remain committed to working with our Executive Director and other members of NFLPA staff and player leadership who have a shared mission to advance the best interests of players. As we approach the 2025 season, we look forward to continuing our important work together and ensuring the strength and unity of our association.' The memo was issued in the wake of multiple explosive reports regarding alleged organized efforts from NFL leadership and owners to stifle guaranteed pay in player contracts. Reports: NFLPA helped conceal details of alleged NFL collusion In June, journalist Pablo Torre uncovered a 61-page ruling by arbitrator Christopher Droney that previously was not made public and whose details had reportedly been withheld from NFL players by the NFLPA. Droney's ruling determined that league executives including commissioner Roger Goodell urged team owners to reduce guaranteed player compensation in the wake of a $230 million fully guaranteed contract between the Cleveland Browns and quarterback Deshaun Watson. Advertisement In his ruling, Droney determined that the NFLPA showed "by a clear preponderance of the evidence" that Goodell and NFL general counsel Jeff Pash urged teams to reduce guaranteed money in player contracts. 'There is little question that the NFL Management Council, with the blessing of the Commissioner, encouraged the 32 NFL Clubs to reduce guarantees in veterans' contracts at the March 2022 annual owners' meeting," Droney's ruling reads, per Torre. In spite of that conclusion, Droney ruled in favor of the NFL, declaring that he could not prove by a "clear preponderance" that NFL teams acted on that advice. Since Watson's deal, multiple high-level quarterbacks including two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson, have signed contracts that did not come with fully guaranteed money. What the NFLPA reportedly hid from players On July 9, ESPN reported that the players' union worked in tandem with the league to hide crucial details of the arbitration ruling from players, including Droney's conclusion that NFL management "encouraged the 32 NFL Clubs to reduce guarantees in veterans' contracts." Advertisement Instead, per the report, Howell informed players of the broad strokes of the ruling, including that Droney ultimately ruled in favor of the NFL. Why Howell and the NFLPA would have done this is not clear. From the ESPN report: "Howell informed the committee that the NFLPA had lost its collusion grievance but did not share any details of Droney's findings or share copies of the ruling with the players. Instead, he blamed his predecessor, DeMaurice Smith, for wasting resources on the three-year legal battle." Reported conflict of interest for Howell emerges Placing Howell under further scrutiny, ESPN reported on July 10 that Howell is working as a part-time consultant for the Carlyle Group, an NFL-approved private equity firm seeking minority ownership in NFL franchises. The report exposes a clear conflict of interest for the man in charge of representing players in negotiations with league owners. "It would be an outrageous conflict for the head of a labor union to have an interest in a third party that is aligned with the NFL," former NFLPA counsel Jim Quinn told ESPN. "The relationship between a labor organization and the employer organization is adversarial by definition, and as a result, as a leader, you have to be absolutely clear and clean as to having no even appearance of conflict." Since those reports, Torre reported that a petition has circulated among NFLPA staff and NFL players calling for Howell's resignation from the NFLPA. It's not clear who organized the petition or if any players or NFLPA staff members had signed it. Advertisement Howell has not publicly addressed any of the reports since they've been published and declined comment to ESPN regarding the Carlyle Group report.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Top NFLPA committee expresses support for union leader Lloyd Howell
Player leaders of the NFL Players Association expressed their support Sunday for the union's executive director, Lloyd Howell, after a recent string of controversies put Howell under intense scrutiny. 'We have established a deliberate process to carefully assess the issues that have been raised and will not engage in a rush to judgement,' the players on the NFLPA's executive committee wrote in a message to fellow players, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post and other media outlets. 'We believe in and remain committed to working with our Executive Director and other members of NFLPA staff and player leadership who have a shared mission to advance the best interests of players.'
Free Malaysia Today
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
PN setting up ‘executive committee' led by Azmin, says Takiyuddin
Azmin Ali is secretary-general of both Perikatan Nasional and Bersatu. KUALA LUMPUR : Perikatan Nasional is forming an 'executive committee' led by secretary-general Azmin Ali as part of efforts to strengthen the coalition's structure, says PN chief whip Takiyuddin Hassan. Takiyuddin, who is PAS secretary-general, revealed this to FMT when met at Yayasan Albukhary here. He declined to disclose further details nor did he explain the need for the new executive committee, the formation of which had been raised in recent reports. However, he brushed aside suggestions that PN – particularly Bersatu – was in disarray. He said the opposition coalition remains united and functional under its current leadership. 'I would like to confirm there is no problem in PN. We still have the same chairman, deputy chairmen and all our executive positions,' he said. Takiyuddin said the current leadership structure was already well-established, with their roles clearly defined, and there was no need for a new leadership council to manage the coalition's affairs. 'There was once a proposal for a separate body, but it's not needed now. A PN presidential council already exists. It consists of the presidents of all PN component parties and they meet regularly,' he said. Yesterday, PAS central committee member Khairil Nizam Khirudin said the party had proposed that PN establish a presidential council to oversee the coalition while an executive committee takes the lead on 'championing issues'. Khairil said the Bersatu leadership was aware of the proposal. It was previously reported that PAS had proposed restructuring PN to make Bersatu deputy president Hamzah Zainudin the head of an executive committee that manages the coalition's day-to-day affairs. Under the reported plan, the presidents of PAS, Bersatu, Gerakan and the Malaysian Indian People's Party (MIPP) would form an advisory council while retaining their roles on the PN Supreme Council. This was dismissed by Hamzah as 'nonsensical stories' spread by outsiders seeking to divide Bersatu and PN. PN is currently led by its chairman, Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin. Takiyuddin said PN's operations are currently carried out by the coalition's deputy chairmen, namely Hamzah, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, Gerakan president Dominic Lau and MIPP president P Punithan. 'That's the executive, then it flows from there all the way down. That's how our operations work. There's no problem,' he said. He said the coalition is working towards setting up a secretariat tasked with establishing its new headquarters. 'We are in the process (of doing so),' he said. FMT had reported that PN's office in Solaris Dutamas had been closed since March. Azmin later said the coalition decided against renewing the lease and had set up its headquarters at a temporary location while a new office was being established.
