Rebuilding the progressive left

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Any rebuilding of the left, whatever that means, has to begin with the assumption that it is far wider than the failed New Labour project and far wider than the Labour movement. Merely rebranding New Labour is not the same.

All parties of the left need to embrace pluralism and PR.

Interesting that the greens aren’t mentioned. I think they will need to talk about how to learn to be inclusive first. Perhaps the greens should leave them to it.

Seems to me that institution building is more difficult for the Labour Party than it was for the Democrats. Union money is big in America, but it isn’t so overwhelmingly dominant in funding the Democrats.

The Labour Party has become the narrow political wing of public sector unions, money talks, until you get your funding from individuals more than unions you’ll have that problem. If you don’t see it as a problem than you your problem is a lack of political self-awareness. Blair saw the problem clearly, he just failed to overcome it.

Only a plurality of funding sources will allow you to escape the union problem and get wider appeal.

everybody knows the last 13 years was largely a disaster. until Labour recognises and acknowledges that it will be in the political wilderness.

Oxford Kevin – The coalition government has done more for the “Green” cause by simply scrapping the third runway at Heathrow practically overnight. Why are you interested in Labour? They can hardly be described as progressive. Don’t back the wrong horse.

Until the Labour Party gets rid of the dogmatic tribal authoritarian members from both the PLP and the members they will remain in opposition. Can anyone with half an ounce of sense imagine someone voting for Ed Balls to be PM?

That’s about as believable as thinking the public would ever have elected someone as incompetent as Gordon Brown.

What Labour needs to do is move on and start being honest. It is a party looking for a core vote and it just needs to appeal. Get Alistair Campbell, Peter Mandelson, John Prescot, Tony McNaulty, Derek Draper, Charlie Wheelen, Caroline Flint, Liam Byrne and all those other types, from the grass roots, bloggers, unions and throw them out of the Labour Party.

Across the board; if you can’t behave in an honest manner then you’re not welcome in the party. Out. Gone. Good riddance.

Forget the funds you’ll lose – it is better to be in government than opposition and as long as the party is inhabited by these types of people that is all that will be available…

Good post. But I agree with Tracey J. If we get AV, then the Green Party for one is going to be primed to start to move to take Labour’s place, if Labour stays wedded to the hollowed-out disaster of New Labour, which all 3 of the main Labour Leadership candidates were prime movers in.

Rupert Read – Whilst I do not for one minute doubt your sincerity as a Green Party member, I do think that you have a way to go to “start to take Labour’s place” – a mountain the size of Everest I would suggest.

I also think that once the coalition is dissolved at the next election, the Liberals will be able to (rightly) claim that they have been in government and not one that left the country in the state it currently is and helped clearing up Labour’s mess.

I personally think Labour will be squeezed next time and the Greens need to align more with the Liberals than the busted flush that is the Labour Party.

the main problem for the green party is that they are socialist and we have seen what 13 years of socialist dogma, command and control, centralisation does. i used to go door knocking for the greens but finally realised they were not an environmental party but a bunch of ‘real labour’ with a bit of greenery at the edges. if you have ever read any of the ‘you cant have environmental justice without social justice’ bilge they tend to bleat on about you’ll know what i mean.

the greens will always be a minor protest vote party.

tracy j – Although I seem to agree with the majority of your posts on this blog and I do not for a minute suggest that you are incorrect to call the Greens socialist I do not believe that New Labour were socialists.

I went off the Greens because of their political agenda at the same time I went off Greenpeace who seem to spend more time bleating about the environment instead of saving whales.

The Greens will always be a minor protest vote party and if you head onto Rupert Read’s blog it is easy to see why it is unlikely that position will change any time in the near future…

Thanks for the thoughtful comments.

Marcus – I completely agree. Politics is no longer about partisan loyalty, it’s about which coalition can achieve the objectives that you believe in. For me, that means a mixture of Labour, Lib Dem, and Green parties in Parliament with support from a wide range of non-aligned activists on issues such as climate change, constitutional reform, poverty, etc.

Oxford Kevin – Green party members have to be included. Small ‘g’ greens are already involved in this process (I used “environmentalists” as short hand). I’d like to think that Left Foot Forward is testament to how a left branded organisation can include big ‘G’ and little ‘g’ greens.

Guido – I agree that finding a wider base of funders is key but we should not throw out the baby with the bath water. The unions have an important historic relationship with the Labour party and it’s my view that the decline in union membership is partly responsible for the increasing levels of dislocation felt by people at work. A return to the 1970s is not what we want but finding a role for union members and for the unions themselves is important to the future of progressive politics.

Anon – As you know, I’m committed to a more open style of Labour politics. The tribalism of the past has to end. From reading recent interviews and articles with Mandelson, Campbell, and co I get the sense that they think it went too far too.

Tracy – part of the rebuilding process does, of course, have to include a reflection of what went wrong over 13 years but (you won’t agree, I’m sure) there was a lot of good too and we shouldn’t forget the achievements such as the national minimum wage, improvements in health and education, and in tackling poverty, for example.

Will – I do agree that you personally are committed to a more open style of Labour politics and I think that is a good thing but I really think you guys need a watered down South African Truth and Reconciliation type thing.

I do not suggest that Labour did nothing in 13 years and I personally did not disagree with the war in Iraq (and it was never illegal) but what I do not like (and I represent now an ex Labour voter although my missus is on about joining the party to vote “anyone but Balls”) is the *control freak* style of setting the agenda.

That’s why Campbell, Mandelson and that lot need to take NO PART in anything regarding Labour from here on in. Make no mistake what Guido states regarding union funding will cause big problems but either Labour is going to change or it isn’t and some of the activist type stuff nonsense and the hysterical style of “journalism” displayed regularly by a couple of your contributors will not help. Just how many “deniers” can Shamik “unmask” I wonder? ; – )

I watched QT last night with a genuine Socialist and she was absolutely astounded to see Cameron swat away Harman’s marriage tax break by stating that Labour had rewarded the rich with it’s Inheritance Tax “giveaway” (I agree with that btw) yet he wasn’t able to help the less wealthy?

The fact is that Blair was right and Brown couldn’t beat Cameron but I really think that Labour is in danger of being squeezed by the Liberals at the next election (A view not shared by an ex Tory MP I spoke to last week though)so it needs to get a move on with whatever future it holds.

I believe that over the coming months the style of governing I disliked will be diluted anyway and I do look forwards to the party conference to watch the finger pointing recriminations.

I stand by what I said about Brown’s gutless hanging on in Downing Street creating a stronger coalition government than a minority Conservative one.

[...] in June, Left Foot Forward wrote about a project being run by a collective of community organisers, environmentalists, campaigners, Labour and Lib [...]