(Updated 27 January 2021)
Much of the information in this very long article is now displayed on www.leftlabour (www.leftlabour.org ) . This piece remains so the determined reader can see how plans have evolved over the first month of 2021.
In 50+ years of campaigning for Labour I have never before considered campaigning against the Labour Party.
I have never known the Labour Party to be the way it is today. People whom everyone knows are not anti-Semitic are expelled from the Labour Party. Internal dissent is now met with suspension from the Labour Party. How is it that a political party opposed to anti-Semitism expels so many Jews? Can there be a “wrong kind of Jew”?
Labour in Parliament is pathetic beyond belief. How could we not stand with millions of British trade unionists literally being put at risk of their lives over Covid 19? Some have already lost their lives. How could Labour not oppose the Spy Cops Bill, which legalizes the torture, rape, and murder of trade union and political activists? Why do we side with landlords rather than with tenants? Since I first wrote this, Labour has voted for Johnson’s Brexit agreement.
Jeremy Corbyn caught the imagination of many people. People who had never been political joined the Labour Party in the hundreds of thousands. Those of us who were already members had a spring in our step.
I cannot think of any Labour Leader who could attract huge crowds, who could have young people singing his name, who could galvanise the under 25s to vote, and who could virtually treble party membership as Jeremy Corbyn did.
No Labour Leader is perfect. Jeremy was not the perfect Leader. Among other failings, he was honourable, decent, and nowhere near ruthless enough.
“Left Labour” does not depend upon any one individual. This is bigger than Jeremy.
Jeremy is welcome to join us or not. For each of us there will be a right time.
In the past, the people who left the Labour Party had nowhere to go.
More than 55,000 members have left since Keir Starmer was elected Leader. [See Note 1]
Hundreds of thousands of current members are considering whether to stay or to go. With social media, we are all in touch with each other in a way that we were not when Labour lost 250,000 members over the Blair/Brown years.
At the present rate of people leaving, the Labour Party will have lost 55,000 more members in 6 months, 110,000 members in a year, and 220,000 members in two years.
Most of us do not wish to hurt the Labour Party. We wish Labour to return to being inclusive and friendly and socialist. That is not going to happen under the current leadership. Remember also that the majority of the National Executive Committee back the present leadership.
Many activists have already decided to reduce their commitment.
Many CLP and Branch officers have resigned from their positions and sometimes from the Labour Party.
There are not large numbers of experienced activists among the newbies. The present leadership has already crippled the Labour Party as an election machine.
In any constituency, the Labour General Election campaign is run by about 20 people who have worked with each other over several General Elections. Should five leave, the organisation can recover. Once twelve have gone, the organisation is crippled.
If the twelve have all joined a new party, the new party has a flying start!
Given how internal dissent is stifled in the Labour Party, it is very unlikely that good change will come through internal dissent anytime soon. I respect the left Labour Party members who are holding on until the 2021 Annual Conference. Once they experience a well stitched up conference, many will decide to leave. Our purpose is to have a party in being for them to join.
We are all of us active socialists. It is clear that nothing helpful is going to happen within the Labour Party.
We have to do something outside the Labour Party.
PROPOSAL 1
We set up a political party that will stand candidates at the next General Election. We may stand in by-elections.
Provided we stand candidates in at least one sixth of the constituencies in a General Election, “Left Labour” would be entitled to a Party Election Broadcast.
650 divided by 6 is 109. Deleting the 18 Northern Ireland constituencies gives 632, requiring 107 candidatures.
“Left Labour” is not in the Socialist International. If comrades in Northern Ireland are willing to stand two or more candidates, I have no objection to them standing. These figures may well change if the Conservatives alter constituency boundaries as they intend.
In a General Election we do not wish to give traditional Labour seats to other parties by splitting the Labour vote, It is always harder to win seats back than one expects.
There are over 60 constituencies where Labour gains 60% or more of the vote. Were “Left Labour” to stand on a socialist program in those 60 seats, we would not give seats to the Tories.
Some of these seats are held by Left MPs, so we would not run candidates against them.
[Comment 7 is that we should not let any Labour MPs off the hook. Either they are for us or they are against us. My view is that (1) we do not wish to waste resources by pitting one socialist against another, and (2) if Left Labour does well in the General Election these MPs will come across to us, increasing our strength.]
As we need to contest extra constituencies to earn a Party Election Broadcast, we might
- Move the bar from 60% to 55%, widening the number of seats where we could well win, without too much risk of giving them away.
- [Comment 6 – Stand only in seats Labour holds. Hurts Labour more. Creates the possibility that we might end with more seats than rump Labour – particularly if the surviving left Labour MPs move to us after the General Election.]
- Contest seats that Labour has held in the recent past, but did not win at the 2019 General Election. We are not giving seats to the Tories because Labour has already thrown the seats away. Many of these seats Labour has no hope of recovering anytime soon, anyway. We probably would not win these seats, but once we are second to the Tory, the logic for those who voted Labour is to switch to supporting us in the following General Election. Again, we might decide not to contest seats where the Labour candidate is “Left”.
- If members live far from any constituency we are contesting they can still do telephone canvassing and they can give money.
- Going for Labour seats because we do not like a particular right-wing MP risks the seat going to an opposing party. Getting it back will be very difficult. It would be satisfying, but we should not do it.
The National Committee (see below) will be influenced by the wishes of “Left Labour” constituency parties.
With only 107/109 seats to contest, a new party, possibly larger than the rump Labour Party by then, could run an amazingly effective campaign. The candidate would always be local, and the inner core of the election team would be experienced activists from that constituency.
The rump Labour Party would be in a really difficult dilemma. Use its limited resources in the normal way, to take and to defend marginal constituencies, or fight like heck to hold the safe seats? They will be short of activists because their activists have joined us or are unenthusiastic. That is rump Labour’s problem.
We have to start early.
We are seriously arguing for socialism to people who have been fed lies all their lives. Before the next General Election begins we should have distributed at least twenty sparkling good leaflets to every voter in the constituencies we intend to contest. We will have been advertising through targeted memes in the constituencies that we are contesting.
After the General Election, if we have done badly, we lick our wounds and we work out what we must do. If, as I hope, we have upwards of 30 MPs, the arithmetic of the House of Commons becomes interesting.
If Labour has done badly, our cohort of MPs will provide the socialist alternative to the presumably Conservative Government. We fight like Labour MPs should have done.
Every time we call a vote, many Labour MPs will be conflicted whether to vote with us or not.
If rump Labour has done well, they would probably still need a coalition or a “confidence and supply” agreement to form a government. To whom do they look?
Not necessarily to “Left Labour”. We have a Left program, and we will stay with our Left program. Most of us have compromised politically all our time in the Labour Party. We do not compromise now.
This leaves Labour unenviable options. The more they go right, the more unhappy their remaining Left MPs become.
A Left MP still in Labour knows that if s/he is not permitted to stand for Labour next time, they will have support from “Left Labour” should they stand in their constituencies as “Left Labour” next time. They have somewhere to go. With this alternative, to what extent will they slavishly obey the Labour Whip?
In future General Elections, having seen how the Labour vote splits, “Left Labour” will identify other seats that we can reasonably expect to win without gifting seats to other parties. Labour MPs for those constituencies can do the same arithmetic, and join us if they wish. They must commit to the “Left Labour” program.
The Labour Party may realise that they have made a dreadful mistake, and make overtures to us. Too many people in there have too much at stake. It may happen in a half-hearted way. Those of us who enjoy being in a socialist party will no longer be interested in returning to Labour.
The Labour Party can either wither away, or join in with us.
Realistically, we are not going back.
PROPOSAL 2
On the assumption that there is no existing organisation suitable today, we must form something ourselves.
I am not aware of any left group that I wish to join. I am not knocking the people who are in these parties. I hope they will join us.
There will be only individual membership. The difficulty with affiliations and delegates from organisations is that decisions move from the front line towards cabals in back rooms. If say Momentum wishes to support us, we will gladly take their money – but they get nothing for it. Momentum will have to encourage its members to join “Left Labour” as individuals. Undoubtedly there will be a Momentum caucus, as there will be other caucuses. Some comrades may be in up to half a dozen caucuses.
The various Trotskyist groups will very likely wish to join. There should be enough other folk that the Trotskyists are only a pain. They will be subject to the same rules about aggressive behaviour as everyone else. (I had bad experiences of “Militant”.) Individuals who are not willing to accept democratic decisions are likely to be excluded for varying lengths of time.
The National Committee (NC) will be elected on a regional basis. Probably the voting system will be Single Transferable Vote. The number of delegates will vary with “Left Labour” membership in the region. NC elections will be annual.
MPs may stand for election as delegates for their regions.
Once we have “Left Labour” MPs – which may well be before the next General Election – they will be permitted to attend the NC. They will not have a vote unless they are regional delegates.
We are unlikely to have regional committees or a regional structure for quite a while. The money and time that might have been spent on a regional structure goes straight to the constituency parties. The NC delegates from each region will be expected to support constituency parties in their region. Similarly we will not be having ward based branches for a long time if ever.
The initial Steering Committee will be required to get the NC in place within 6 months of the project starting.
Who will the Steering Committee be? I would suggest admins from most of the Left social media, because between them they are able to contact everyone who looks at Left social media. Most will want to do the job and step back, not cling on. Are there other suggestions?
Parliamentary candidates will be chosen by constituency parties. The NC has no veto. Very likely, some people will be selected whom I regard as inappropriate. If the local party comes to dislike their knob, they will select a new candidate next time, because there is open selection every time. If they like their knob, s/he stays!
In some constituencies, certain trade unions have large numbers of members. If the GMB caucus or the Unite The Union caucus has so many members that they can control a constituency party, there is a possibility that a working class person might be selected. It is amazing what can happen in a secret ballot.
Union HQ may try to foist someone on a constituency party, hence the rule at first that candidates must come from the constituency. Another good reason is that it helps if the person is already known to many people who can in their social circles dispute the lies the media tell.
In most constituencies a Trades Council caucus could have a majority – if they can unite!
The Leader of the Party will be elected by the members. The Leader need not be a MP. This structure works for the Scottish Nationalists. It can work for us.
Between Annual Conferences, policy is made by the NC. There are electronic ballots among the members to approve or disapprove a policy after it has been made by Conference or by the NC.
The NC and the Leader of the Party will appoint a Chief Administrator, which will be a paid position. The Chief Administrator is answerable to the NC. Under the Chief Administrator will be the National Organiser, who concentrates on winning elections.
The membership fee initially will be either £50 or £5 a year, of which half goes to the CLP. It really is worth recruiting! There will be an expectation that people will contribute according to their means, but no enforcement of this. Those of us who can afford it will pay £250 a year, but we gain nothing for the extra money. “From each according to his ability…”.
Money for social media advertising and for leaflets will be raised by constituency parties. Constituency parties not running candidates will help their nearest “Labour Left” candidate. Early money is the best help. Linking a helping constituency to one or two wards of a fighting constituency is more efficient than traditional support arrangements.
Office rents are cheaper outside London. There is no need to have an office in London.The computing systems are funded centrally.
See Note 2 – constituency officer roles
PROPOSAL 3 – POLICIES
The policies will be made by the Annual Conference and approved by the membership. As our starting point I suggest much of the 2017 Labour Manifesto. As a socialist I have views on what should be added or changed, but I am only one voice among many. Between Conferences the NC can make policy but again subject to an electronic vote among the membership.
Making the rich pay their fair taxes can be a popular policy. As part of our fight for social justice we attack rich, Tory. and Tory-lite incessantly.
Although Climate Change is of world-shaking importance, most voters just do not know enough. We will have to campaign vigorously, so people know what they are voting for.
Our campaigning on the NHS must not be defensive. We must assert what the NHS should look like, and stress our intention to make that happen.
In parallel with this our Social Care service from cradle to grave must be asserted.
Our Education plans must be asserted
Free university tuition and means tested maintenance grants from school leaving age through university make university possible for people. For those already in debt, a way must be found to reduce or end their burden.
As well as the visible distress of homelessness, there are millions of people living in horrible conditions. With such great need, and when we have a million empty homes, local authorities must be given powers to requisition unused properties to improve housing conditions. This may include improving properties that they have requisitioned.
I would add a Referendum on abolishing Trident and its successors.
Other comrades have asked for a Referendum on Proportional Representation.
The Scots and the Welsh are not our prisoners. If they choose to be with us, or they choose to leave us, it must be their decision – but it must need 66% of those voting.
We defend the Palestinians’ right to a decent life.
Whatever policies we have must be costed, and the cost stated in the manifesto, not in a different document. The basic answer is that the rich can pay.
We are not standing in enough seats to be able to form a government even if every one of our candidates wins. Our manifesto can be short, and ideally will fit on one side of A4 – with a link to the party web site.
The Chartists’ six main demands were:
- votes for all men;
- equal electoral districts;
- abolition of the requirement that Members of Parliament be property owners;
- payment for M.P.s;
- annual general elections; and
- the secret ballot.
What would our 6 or 7 demands be?
WHAT CAN GO WRONG?
The ruling class and the media will recognize us as a threat in the way that the Labour Party under Starmer is not. The barrage of hatred directed against Jeremy Corbyn since 2015 is only a sample of what will come our way.
We will have a large social media footprint, but we will find the social media companies deliberately sabotaging it.
Our biggest problem is in explaining what socialism means in practical terms. What a condemnation of the Labour Party that it has rarely tried to explain socialism. We will have only a short time in which to explain socialism to our electorates.
We will need to distribute leaflets in every constituency where we are fighting, every month or so. “Left Labour Letter” may be the title. The front side has a striking photograph or meme or cartoon that everyone looks at.
Party HQ will design tremendous leaflets. Leaflets are amazingly cheap to produce in bulk.
Internal splits and divisions will be a problem. In a hundred thousand members we will have some self-serving idiots. However, quite soon we will know who they are. Peer pressure will help.
IMPROVEMENTS HERE PLEASE! Send to leftlabour@yahoo.com (And see below for comments that have already come in.) Nothing above is carved in stone.
Charles James’ Credentials
Charles James has worked for Labour in every General Election since 1966. Charles joined the Labour Party in 1972.
In 1986 Charles increased the Labour vote in Heaton ward Bradford by 80% to take the third safest Tory ward in Bradford Metropolitan District for Labour. In 1990, Charles increased his 1986 vote 47% to record the highest ever vote for any candidate in the ward. In 1991 Labour achieved a second Labour councillor elected in Heaton.
At different times Charles has served as Constituency Labour Party (CLP) Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Fundraiser, Youth Officer, Parliamentary Agent, and Annual Conference Delegate. He served as Branch Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and council election agent.
Charles has been bingo caller, bouncer, canvasser, committee room leader, count representative, delegate, knocker upper, leaflet writer, leafletter, lottery promoter, newsletter writer, number taker, paper candidate, school governor, speaker, and voter registration canvasser. He wrote http://chasjames.com/home/socialism-politics/the-effective-activist/ . His web site is www.chasjames.com .
In 2019 Charles was elected Secretary of Labour International CLP. Labour International has 3,000+ members, and more than 20 branches across six continents.
Charles resigned from the Labour Party on 24 December 2020. (For the avoidance of doubt, there were no Labour Party disciplinary issues of which Charles is aware.)
Outside the Labour Party, Charles organised his first demonstration at the age of 17. He was involved in student unions. He was at Grunwick. He was part of JCAD the Joint Campaign Against Deportations. He taught at the Croxteth School occupation. He was involved in the Honeyford issue. He went on demonstrations with the Bradford Asian Youth Movement. He collected for the miners. He helped in the Thornton View Hospital occupation. He was elected to the Council of the Law Society. He ran an immigration and political asylum solicitor practice. He taught Law and was a member of UCU.
Charles is a retired member of Unite The Union.
Charles is now retired and lives in Portugal. Charles is available for Zoom / Skype meetings.
Note 1: From “The Week” 23 November 2020 ” “According to figures published by Labour, the party had 552,835 members eligible to vote in its leadership election in April. That figure dropped to 495,961 in the National Executive Committee (NEC) elections two weeks ago.”
To lose 57,000 members in 7 months is unfortunate.
The situation is actually worse. On 24 July 2020 Gurinder Singh Josan tweeted that the General Secretary had just told the NEC that there were 570,000 members. All members who joined by that date would have been eligible to vote unless they were in arrears. If 75,000 members were not eligible to vote, it can only be because they had left or were in arrears. If they would not catch up with their arrears to vote in the NEC elections, it is unlikely that they will stay with the party.
Note 2 – Constituency Officer Roles
This is a campaigning party. All these jobs are challenging. Job share is permitted.
Organiser This is the most important post in the Constituency Party (CP). We are aiming to deliver a leaflet produced at HQ to 40,000+ households every 4 or 5 weeks, for two or three years. In safe Labour seats, where there may be Tory councillors, there will still be a substantial pool of potential “Left Labour” voters in the Tory wards. In a safe Labour seat, every polling district must be delivered.
The organiser needs to build and to maintain an organisation capable of delivering to almost every household. In practice, some are better delivered by Royal Mail, which is unionised. The norm for local leaflet delivery services is that they are not unionised, so we cannot use them.
With help from leafletters from other constituencies, the job is not as challenging as it would otherwise be. It is the key job in the campaign.
As the information base grows, some households will be dropped from the leafletting round. In marginal constituencies it may be appropriate to drop entire streets. Council Tax bands may be an indicator.
In practice the Organiser will co-opt ward and polling district leaders to help the Organiser lead the leafletting. Linking helpful constituency parties to individual wards for campaigning may be a good idea.
Even if the Organiser was doing a similar job for the rump Labour Party, the political context is changing so radically that it is almost like starting from scratch. One cannot assume that any household is “for” or “against”. One has to ask. Canvassing is best deferred until at least six leaflets have been delivered. By then, applications for membership will help to identify the areas in which our message is popular, and the areas in which it is not.
The Organiser will have to prioritise which areas are to be first for canvassing and for second canvasses.
The Organiser will identify potential Committee Rooms for election time.
The Organiser will seek out and create opportunities to raise the public profile of Left Labour locally.
Courses will be provided for Organisers. Until courses are organised a FB group will be set up. New activists should read http://chasjames.com/home/socialism-politics/the-effective-activist/ , which I wrote for new Labour Party activists.
The Fundraiser
Even though leaflets in bulk are amazingly cheap, they still have to be paid for. Where postage to Royal Mail has to be used, that has to be paid for. Although advertisements on social media are good value, they still have to be paid for. Posters and billboards are expensive.
See the fundraising chapter in http://chasjames.com/home/socialism-politics/the-effective-activist/ .
Most trade unions are today affiliated to the Labour Party. Those that are not affiliated may be willing to make donations. Do not expect any money from this source until the trade unions have given up on the Labour Party.
The most fruitful source is significant standing orders from individuals who have good incomes.
Constituency Parties that are not running candidates must step up and contribute money to the central party or to constituencies that are running candidates.
The Treasurer
In many Labour Parties, the Constituency Treasurer is a passive bookkeeper. In Left Labour s/he is an activist. Your principal job is to liaise with the Treasurers of nearby constituency parties to try to obtain monthly income, and pledges for when a General Election is called.
You work with the Fundraiser and the Organiser to make sure the money is raised, and that the money is used intelligently.
You keep the accounts!
Media/Research Officer
The local MP is an opponent. We need to know as much as possible about this person’s history, affiliations, social media history, and finances. Are there issues where their financial interests have gained from their votes or other activities as Members of Parliament?
You may be asked to work with HQ if you have an expertise, researching for the entire party. You may be asked to help with writing leaflets and memes.
Womens Officer
Over half the population are female. Despite this, women often have difficulty gaining headway in politics. The needs of women are often not understood. Fix it! The male leaders will help as needed.
Constituency Secretary
The level of activity will be high. You may need a Minutes Secretary to give you the space to do your job properly.
It is not your job to do everyone else’s job. It is your job to check that all the jobs are being done properly. It is your job to be nosy and to “interfere”.
The officers mentioned above are all concentrating on election organisation for the next General Election. Your role is to look further forward. Are there members who should be given training courses? Are there potentially useful members who need encouragement? Are there social or political activities that the constituency party should be involved in? Are new members welcomed?
Are there local issues the Organiser does not have time to deal with properly? In consultation, take these issues on.
You will write (or delegate) the first draft of the Constituency Party Development Plan including SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses, Threats, Opportunities) analysis.
Are there officers your constituency should have? Youth, Elderly, BAME, Ex Services, Disability …? Do you have enough members in a particular industry to form a group to discuss / engage with the industry?
Chair
Apart from chairing the meetings you are often the public face of the constituency party. Working closely with the other officers, you will issue press releases, make speeches, lead demonstrations, etc. You may double as social media officer or you may co-opt one.
Membership Officer
Meet and encourage new members. Be sensitive about venues and timings so all new members can meet some or all of the officers. Link with other officers to have a regular email mailing.
COMMENTS THAT HAVE COME IN
Comment 1 This piece is so stuffed with information that it takes too long to read. You ned to produce a short piece, maybe two paragraphs long, that links to here. [Done!]
Comment 2
Firstly I want to say that this draft is a major improvement on the earlier version. It is sharper, shorter and to the point.
Having said that I have a number of criticisms:-
a. Its central weakness is its contradictory attitude towards the Labour Party. If your proposal is to displace it this MUST mean running against Labour in elections. Even if you seek only to influence its future direction you are unlikely to do so if you do not cost it votes in a General Election. If you think 30 seats can be won who will they be won from? This, in my opinion, is the central weakness of Proposal 1. [We hope to win 30+ “safe” Labour seats from Labour. This is a battle for the core Labour vote. If we are seen to be successful, the message to Labour is that we are more popular with core Labour voters than they are. The other seats contested are seats that Labour does not currently hold. We may not win any. Our intervention will probably stop Labour winning them. That causes problems for Labour. Constituencies where we do better than Labour will be target seats at the following election.]
b. You seem to expect the vast majority of Labour members to leave the party over the next couple of years. I think this unlikely BUT if you are correct many of them will seek a new political home and this is a plus for your overall conception. How many of these will really be activists is more problematic. [In addition to Labour members we hope to gain Labour supporters who are not Labour members. Greens, soft Lib-Dems, possibly soft Nationalists, and even Kippers, ]
c You cannot have a democratic party unless all key decisions lie with the membership. Whatever the ruling body is called it must be made the direct agent of the membership and not one which can substitute its decisions for theirs. Similarly the proposal that MP’s be able to attend the ruling body falls foul of democratic conventions. Perhaps one seat should be reserved for them and another for councillors. These comments relate especially to Proposal 2. [The NC makes policy, ratified by the members. I am happy to have an Annual Conference where policy decisions are ratified by the members. The MPs and the councillors do not get a seat – they attend and may speak.]
Recognising that this document will not remain confidential for long In this section I feel you should moderate your comments on “Trotskyites” and “knobs” (and “idiots” in Proposal 3). [Disagree. If we mean to have a democratic party we accept that local constituencies may select candidates /MPs whom I personally would rather they had not chosen.]
I think you should sound people out about the idea that the HQ will be in the East or West Midlands. [The question is bound to come up. I am easy where the HQ is, but I would prefer not London.]
d. In Proposal 3 you mention climate change and I would be inclined to add an explicit commitment to a green new deal which over time could generate up to a million jobs and vastly improve the economy and health of the general population. [I would go further than that, but I am only one voice.]
Why the specific mention of the Palestinians? If you are to mention them why not put them alongside Yemenis, Uighurs and others who are persecuted? [To show that we make our policy, not the Israeli Embassy]
e. As you may know I am a strong supporter of the “Modern Monetary Theory” (MMT) group of economists. In my opinion their work nullifies the need to see taxation as a means of paying for state expenditure. Quantitative easing has further increased the strength of their argument. In their definition taxation has two primary roles to limit inflation and to bring about redistribution. So you tax the rich more to engender social equity rather than to fund the state. I would like to see some general commitment to the ideas of this group in your paper or at least that the new party is prepared to consider them. [I now agree with MMT but I think we will operate it in practice without formally adopting it.]
f. The final point on Proposal 3 I would like to raise is, I’m sure, a definite vote winner. Commit to doubling pensions. Many people don’t get any work related pension and reliance on the state pension and other benefits will only increase if work becomes more insecure. The current crisis, furloughs etc has only demonstrated how pathetic our welfare benefits are particularly when compared with those in the rest of Western Europe. MMT provides the basis for funding, why McDonnell said nothing on this amazes me (I know he fell out with the MMTers)..[Sounds good!]
Comment 3 What about the WASPIs? Women Against State Pension Inequality are campaigning against the years of pension stolen from them by this Tory Government. My wife lost over five years of pension, so I am very sympathetic. I would be surprised if Left Labour does not support the WASPIs.
Comment 4 Do we need yet another Left Party? There are too many already. Most of the other groups, parties, and proto parties have an inspirational leader. This group is not intended to have an inspirational leader but to be democratic. I am not going to criticise the individual leaders of the other groups, but the obvious question is why they have not already merged. What distinguishes me from the other leaders is (1) I do not intend to lead once we have an organisation formed (2) nobody dislikes me.
We are cooperating with https://breakthroughparty.org.uk/ . The Breakthrough Party has some good policies. We are open to wider co-operation.
Comment 5 Why not stand in more constituencies ? There is a huge education job to be done. 40,000 leaflets x 12 months x 3 years is 1.4 million leaflets that need distributing in each constituency that we are fighting. We will need help from nearby constituencies, so they cannot be running their own candidates. Even 12 leaflets across 40,000 households is 480,000 leaflets. I do not think 12 leaflets is enough.
Comment 6 Why not just fight constituencies that Labour holds? We take seats off Labour. Maybe we have 100 MPs instead of the 30 you suggest. We risk dividing the left vote and giving some Labour seats to the Tories. But on the other hand, 50 or 70 MPs is better than 30 MPs. Interesting!
Comment 7 Why are you letting the Left MPs in safe seats off the hook? They should commit to us, or risk losing their seats to us. They don’t hate us and we don’t hate them. The idea of having a strong Left presence in the Parliamentary Labour Party alongside a Left Labour group of MPs is attractive. Given the way the Labour Party runs, these MPs may come over to us anyway.
WHAT IS TO BE DONE?
I see myself as the unelected convenor / collator/ trustee of a like minded group. As more and more people are looking for a political home, I believe this group will meet their needs. I am trying to build the critical mass that we need.
Living abroad, and aged 69, I am not about to return to the UK to lead a long struggle. I picked up this baton because no-one else has yet done it. My aim is to get a core group together, and to hand over.
If you are seriously interested in forming a new political party please write to me at leftlabour@yahoo.com to say you are interested. I need your name, your email, and the constituency in which you live. A bit of information about your experience and skills would be helpful.
If you just wish to be kept informed, without commitment, please write to leftlabour@yahoo.com with your name, email, and constituency.
Feel free to read my other work, beginning with Socialism & Politics .