THE PROGRESSIVE MOSAIC
We are in uncharted waters. Coming up to the next election the Conservative Party look set to win a majority, but they are doing so not due to their own strength, but due to the weakness of the Labour Party.
The political paradigm of New Labour has failed and been seen to have failed. New Labour always contained two elements: i) an essentially unprincipled electoralist strategy to win by triangulating around the concerns of swing voters in marginal constituencies; and ii) a genuine and sincere ideological predisposition towards the market and the private sector, combined with an authoritarian approach to the social problems caused by the dismantling of structures of social solidarity by neo-liberalism.
In so far as New Labour deprioritised the commitment to advancing the sectional interests of working class voters, and discarded the Party’s strategic commitment to equality, it represented a fundamental discontinuity with the party’s past – including a rupture from the party’s traditional right-wing. This has meant that the pursuit of swing voters has been at the cost of the party’s traditional electoral bases of support among the working class, progressive intellectuals and professionals, and the trade unions.
The damage caused by the Labour Party’s unnecessary involvement in the invasion of Iraq, disregarding a clear anti-war feeling from the majority of the population, has led to a long lasting disengagement by many activists and voters. The wreckage of the recession has exposed the free-market mantra and disastrous election results have revealed the damage to Labour’s electoral coalition by the spin and wheezes of New Labour.
Mark Perryman’s new pamphlet for Compass is therefore a very timely evaluation of the political conjuncture.
The Labour Party’s journey to the right has opened a space where traditional social democracy used to reside. Of course, in Britain social democracy has always been represented by the hybrid formation of labourism – containing social democratic reforming politics within an envelope shaped by both the strengths and limitations of trade unionism.
Mark Perryman explains very well how the crisis of social democracy has led to a patchwork challenge; where the civic nationalism of the SNP and the Blaid have challenged Labour in Scotland and Wales, Mebyon Kernow has almost totally replaced labour in Cornwall, in some communities Respect has a serious chance of winning with progressive politics built around uncompromising anti-imperialism and anti-racism, and the Green Party are also well poised in one or two constituencies.
This patchwork arises from a partial collapse of the hegemony of the Labour Party as a broad coalitional project supported by most progressive voters. As Caroline Lucas explained the situation vividly, we are moving from the politics of one big tent to the politics of a coalition built between several little tents.
This will take a serious change of internal culture, particularly from the Labour Party and Green Party. Both parties have participated in coalitions for local government, and in Labour’s case for national government in Wales and Scotland. But this has been the formation of coalitions as Machiavellian horse-trading, not a strategic orientation towards using coalitions to shift the mainstream political context in a progressive direction through negotiating common ground.
Mark’s pamphlet is very good at exploring these new possibilities; however he leaves out of the equation the question of what will happen to the Labour Party; here I think Mark perhaps has an overly negative assessment of traditional labourism.
The Labour Party has periodically been forced to reinvent itself, and as long as it has the foundations built upon the mass membership trade unions it will have sufficient resilience to survive and adapt, rather than melt away. When assessing any political party it is necessary to look not only at the narrow composition of its current membership, but also at the institutions that support it, the social constraints that operate upon it, and the ideological and philosophical ideals that its electors identify with. On that basis, despite the New Labour cuckoos who have taken over the nest, the Labour Party remains a broadly progressive social force, and for the foreseeable future will remain the largest part of any progressive coalition.
Respect, in “some communities”. I think that is skimming the truth a little. Their appeal is far from progressive to the majortiy of their voters.
Comment by Hero In a Half-Shell — 21 July, 2009 @ 2:59 pm
A useful antidote to those (perhaps like Mark Perryman) who underestimate the resilience of the working class and labour movement core of Labour’s support.
How to ensure the defeat of the Tories and generate something of a renaissance in organised labour’s political representation is the key problem for the left.
This was the theme of the proposal by the Communist Party executive committee
http://21stcenturymanifesto.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/the-communist-party-extends-a-hand-to-the-wider-left/
CAMPAIGNING AND THE GENERAL ELECTION
Statement from the July executive committee meeting Communist Party of Britain
In the period between now and the General Election, the Communist Party will prioritise the following areas for public work:
* Campaigning for the People’s Charter and the Charter for Women as a part of broad movements.
* Campaigning for the immediate withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan, including support for Stop the War Coalition and other peace movement initiatives to this end.
* Campaigning independently against monopoly profit, for public ownership and the Left Wing Programme, mobilising Party branches, raising the Party’s profile and winning new members.
* Mobilising Party members in the trades unions and local communities for anti-fascist work, led by a reinvigorated Anti-racism anti-fascism advisory, supporting genuinely broad-based non-sectarian bodies and seeking ways to promote unity in the struggle against racism and fascism.
The Communist Party is prepared to discuss joint work around the People’s Charter, the political platform of the No2EU campaign, the policies of the Left-Wing Programme and other positions supported by the Party in a united front of left and labour movement organisations, building upon the positive experiences of the No2EU initiative. This could involve maintaining and extending the levels of co-operation and co-ordination achieved during the No2EU campaign, while drawing support wherever possible from trade unions and other Labour Partyaffiliated organisations such as the Labour Representation Committee and the Scottish Campaign for Socialism.
The Communist Party will also seek to build alliances locally based on trade union councils, trade union branches and local mass organisations to campaign against fascism and attacks on workers’ rights and living standards, using the People’s Charter, the policies of No2EU and Searchlight materials.
In the run-up to the General Election, our Party will explore the potential for achieving as much unity as possible on the left and in the labour movement around the following positions:
·A Labour victory would be preferable to a Tory victory, which means a vote for Labour in the majority of constituencies especially where the Labour candidate has a record of opposing imperialist war and privatisation, and supporting trade union and other democratic rights.
·Within the Labour Party, the left and the trade unions should be supported in the struggle to give Labour’s General Election campaign a left and progressive character.
·As well as supporting left Labour candidates, the left should unite around candidates in other constituencies who oppose imperialist war, Britain’s nuclear weapons, the drive to a big business United States of Europe and privatisation, and who support industrial action to defend jobs, services and living standards, the People’s Charter, a major extension of public ownership, rebuilding Britain’s industrial base, a massive redistribution of wealth, repeal of the anti-trade union laws and solidarity with, in particular, the peoples of Palestine, Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia.
·As soon as possible, our Party will proceed to the selection of at least 10 candidates standing in the names of the Communist Party and Unity For Peace and Socialism, and seek support for them from other sections of the left and labour movement.
·Our Party will also invite electoral forces of the left and the labour movement, including the Labour Party left, to declare their support for the People’s Charter and the ten-point programme put forward by No2EU in an open and public appeal. Following discussions with such forces, the CPB executive committee will then determine whether the basis exists for any form of electoral co-operation, which could range from non-competition pacts to mutual support to participation in joint campaigns, especially where these have trade union backing, reflect the above policy positions and ensure prominence for the name and profile of our Party.
Executive Committee Communist Party of Britain July 11 2009
Comment by Nick Wright — 21 July, 2009 @ 3:02 pm
Caroline’s camp-site metaphor works nicely, though there will have to be considerations as regards coalitions in the future.
Mark points out the bravery of Respect in putting anti-fascism above electoral considerations and calling on its supporters to back the Green candidate to stop the BNP. Sadly, the fascists got elected - but the experience of working against bigotry will be valuable.
It’s worth bearing in mind that collaboration cannot be imposed on local branches. Perhaps we need to arrange conventions of the left?
Comment by Charlie Marks — 21 July, 2009 @ 3:19 pm
Andy adds a key point at the end of his review which merits considerable exploration, the question of labourism.
Labourism, in essence a one-dimensional view of what constitutes class politics has not only bedeviled mainstream labour, but in various forms the leninist left too who have mostly adhered to a reductionist view of class.
New Labour sought to break with this heritage but with a model of conservative modernity which actively rejected the dynamic of social movements. To my mind this would be the role of Respect in the process of coalition-building. Seeking to cement a social-democratic settlement at the core of a plural left yet using its unique experience of building in a non-traditional left community, inner-city muslim communities to push at the boundaries of the conservative elements in Labourism.
This is not a rejection of Labour as a core element of any progressive majority, but nor is it an acceptance of it as an immutable edifice either.
Mark P
Comment by Mark P — 21 July, 2009 @ 7:07 pm
Enough of these pamphlets and books, fantasy and spin from Labour Party supporters who refuse to accept the reality of their Parties consistent privatisation and attacks on working people. This is the real Labour Party privatising one of our biggest hospitals.See below.
now today July 2009
All the rest is just bluster
How can you stay in a Party that is prepared to do this
This is Thatcherism and Neo Liberalism
Stuff the Labour Party and its gutless members.
We should not lift one finger for this blood stained, anti union, bunch of privatising Neo Liberals.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2b96e6aa-762e-11de-9e59-00144feabdc0,Authorised=false.html?_i_location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fcms%2Fs%2F0%2F2b96e6aa-762e-11de-9e59-00144feabdc0.html%3Fnclick_check%3D1&_i_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2Fhome%2Fuk&nclick_check=1
NHS hospital faces partial sell-off
By Nicholas Timmins, Public Policy Editor
Published: July 21 2009 20:52 | Last updated: July 21 2009 20:52
The private sector is to be invited for the first time to take over and run a big NHS hospital – including its accident and emergency and maternity services – under plans backed by the Department of Health and the Treasury on Tuesday.
The East of England strategic health authority is to call for bids, from NHS organisations as well as the private sector, to run Hinchingbrooke Hospital in the former prime minister John Major’s Huntingdonshire constituency.
Comment by ANiN — 21 July, 2009 @ 11:01 pm
Is Alan Milburn entitled to pitch his tent in the progressive campsite?
http://liammacuaid.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/if-only-you-wish-hard-enough/
Comment by Liam Mac — 21 July, 2009 @ 11:59 pm
This post, and Nick Wright’s comment, read like a parody. Where have we heard all this before? Oh yes, next time will be different.
Comment by Jock McTrousers — 22 July, 2009 @ 1:41 am
well,well,well some 15years down the line ths shit as hit home,to them in new labour how or socialist pull the plug and join with other to build something new.
Comment by steelcityred — 25 July, 2009 @ 12:23 am