What a difference the whips make…

The Co-operative Movement should have a voice in politics

By Tal Michael

Had it not been for this article in the Guardian I don’t know whether we would have bothered to complete a questionnaire from the Co-op despite receiving a letter about it this week. My family and I are longstanding members of the Co-op and of the Co-operative Party. Our local store is fairly small so we don’t do all our shopping there, but we like the ethical stance and we use the group for a range of other services as well. Yes we were […]

Let’s talk Europe on International Women’s Day

By Ivana Bartoletti

The European elections are looming and David Cameron says he wants to ‘renegotiate’ Britain’s deal with Brussels. We know what that means: social Europe. While he is happy for Europe to be a space for trade, he doesn’t want it as a space for progressive legislation enshrining our social rights as workers. Not surprising, from the Prime Minister who has proudly presided over Britain’s sharp rise in poverty – now affecting those in work more that those out of work. […]

Making sure we hear young people’s voices

Young people have been some of the hardest hit by the Coalition’s cuts. Tuition fees trebled, the Future Jobs Fund abolished, EMA scrapped and destructive higher education cuts. If the UK’s young unemployed formed one dole queue, it would stretch from London to Edinburgh. With all this in mind, it’s more important than ever that young people play a big role in the 2015 election. As Labour puts together the 2015 manifesto in the coming months, it is crucial that […]

If you want change, be a part of it

By Simon Burgess

Another miserably cold GC meeting on a Monday night in the late 90’s, the secretary reads out some standard resolutions condemning the party leadership and some round-robin letters from head office… “They are seeking nominations for something called the National Policy Forum.”  The room falls silent, then the usual suspect mutters; “It’s bound to be another head office stitch up.”  That was it, I wanted to prove him wrong; “Put my name down.” A decade and a half later here […]

In focus: Better Politics Policy Commission

By Johanna Baxter and Sadiq Khan MP When the Tory-led Government came to power in 2010, they promised a fresh start and a different kind of politics. But instead of opening up politics, they have closed it down. Instead of reaching out, they have appealed only to narrow sectional interests. And whenever they’ve been given an opportunity to rebuild trust and restore faith in our democracy, they’ve taken the side of the powerful, rather than the people. The British people […]