You will see that the group is certainly not a political party, nor does it operate like one. The group is made up of NUJ activists from across the country, from various political parties and none, but all of whom want to build the NUJ membership through campaigning in the chapels to create a strong rank-and-file movement to resist the cuts and to argue for social justice and peace. We have been arguing that case since the NUJ Left relaunch late last year – at a meeting which was announced and publicised at ADM in Belfast.

Since then, NUJ Left has held one conference in London at which the current steering committee was elected – and Richard Simcox was elected as website editor. That might – just might, if you’re paying attention – give you a clue as to why most of the material here is posted by him…

It doesn’t mean, for example that Richard is beavering away, alone in some dark room, bookshelves lined with Lenin and Bukharin, plotting the overthrow of capitalism though this website. Ooops, that must be my job, since I’ve written a good number of the pieces posted here!

The steering committees have so far been elected for six month terms – so it’s quite likely someone else will (your term, not mine) “run” the site for the next period after the conference on Saturday.

None of this is secret. In fact, we have made a point of conducting ourselves as openly as we can. Have you been reading NUJ Active lately? There’s been notes there on our activities. You ask: how many NUJ members know the Left group exists? I wish more did. We encourage people to join at every opportunity.

We are not a cabal. We model ourselves on similar democratic, above-board organisations in other unions, from the FBU and postal workers union to UNITE and many more.

Richard is supported as the NUJ Left candidate in the Journalist election following a consultation among signed-up, paid-up members of the group. We believe Richard is quite clearly the best candidate for the editor’s job – not because we hope he’ll show the Left any favours out of some sort of freemason-style loyalty (though it’d be a laff to see him in a wee apron with one trouser leg rolled up!) – but because he’s already shown as a chapel organiser, then in his work with the PCS union that he is firmly committed to building a union with the interests of all members at its heart.

Will Richard be independent of the group if he is elected editor? What a question! The Journalist editor is accountable to the NEC, to the Advisory Board, to the General Secretary, to ADM and to the members themselves. Do you seriously think someone could stay in that post for any length of time if they did not prove – in one issue after another of the magazine – that they were open to vigorous debate and to putting he interests of the wide spectrum of opinion in our union at front and centre of The Journalist’s coverage?

Like the rest of the NUJ Left, Richard wants to build our union into one which has a fighting spirit at its heart and where The Journalist – in print, on line and in social media – takes a lead in building the confidence of members to take that fight to the bosses, for all of us. You, me – all of us.

That’s why we are saying: Vote for Richard Simcox.

“Co-ordinating branch activity to propagate NUJ Left aims and objectives”,

ensuring “senior lay and elected left officials are accountable to NUJ Left”,

“Identifying and targeting key elected posts and NEC seats, democratically agreeing slates for elections, and campaigning for NUJ Left candidates, to advance our influence and further develop equality representation on policy-making bodies and through other structures of the union”

While not officially a political party, in my view NUJ Left seems to be operating much like one within the NUJ.

Virtually every entry on the http://www.nujleft.org/ front page after the ones about this election was posted by you Rich Simcox. You seem to run this site, so no wonder you get support from NUJ Left, of which you seem to be an integral part.

How many NUJ members even know that NUJ Left exists, and already has many of its members or friends in high places within the union?

The Journalist is there to cover and support all the union’s members, not just those in NUJ Left.

So I ask you, are you independent of NUJ Left now, and if you were elected editor of The Journalist would you be independent of NUJ Left then, or will you be accountable to NUJ Left?