ABSTRACT
Until 1937 the Executive was elected by the whole Conference, a system which the constituencies considered tantamount to election by the unions. Charles Dukes’ fears sprang from the belief that the constituencies would elect one faction to the Executive, and the unions another. Mr Dukes’ fears really amounted to a belief that the Executive could only remain united through union domination. Apart from the Bevanite years the election of the NEC has never aroused any interest in the unions. The chief exceptions have been the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers, which has never put up a candidate, the Union of Post Office Workers and the National Union of Public Employees which have made only sporadic attempts. Most unions left both nomination and voting to their Executives. In most smaller unions the machinery for deciding how the vote should be cast was sketchier; either the Executive issued a mandate or the delegation was left a free hand.
